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Strong, But Limited

Strong, But Limited

apr 17 2026
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reading time: 3 minutes

I didn’t expect a moment on a mountain to make me question my physical fitness.

There was a woman there, older than me, sitting comfortably in a deep squat, feeding her dog.

I tried to do the same.

I couldn’t.

Not without falling back or lifting my heels.

Something felt off.

Where It Started Breaking Down

I’ve been training for a while.

I can lift decent weight. I’m not the biggest, but I look like I work out.

None of that mattered in that moment.

I can squat 90kg but I couldn’t perform a basic human movement that someone twice my age could do with ease.

That moment held up a mirror.

So I looked into it.

What It Exposed

Deep squats aren’t just a flexibility trick. They’re:

  • a natural resting position
  • a sign of mobility and joint health
  • a foundation for movement

Here in Taiwan, practically everyone from toddlers to the elderly squats to play, chat, wait, work, and rest.

It’s as natural as walking.

Where I’m from in America, squatting is mostly seen as just an exercise.

You rarely see someone pop a squat just to chill.

Most people physically can’t do it without lifting their heels.

So for most of my life, I didn’t even realize I was missing a fundamental movement that a large part of the world uses without thinking.

The woman on the mountain wasn’t the first time I’d seen someone resting in a squat.

But it did trigger me to ask a bigger question:

Where else am I strong… but limited?

The Gaps

Pull-ups were the next thing.

Another area where I thought I was “okay.”

But when I looked closer, there were clear issues:

  • I can’t get my chest to the bar
  • I lack proper scapular control

Looking at My Physique Honestly

I stepped back and looked at everything.

I’ve been using my university’s InBody machine for the past few months. Tracking my stats and even running them through AI to get a clearer picture.

On paper, my numbers are good.

But numbers don’t tell the full story.

There’s clear room to:

  • build more muscle
  • improve my proportions
  • develop better control

It’s not only about how I look.

It’s about what I can actually do.

What I’m Focusing On

I don’t want to fix everything at once.

So I’m narrowing it down to three main areas:

  • Deep squat → regain a fundamental movement
  • Chest-to-bar pull-ups → build real pulling strength and control
  • Physique improvement → fill out and develop a more balanced physique

The Plan

I’m not putting a strict timeline on this.

Because I know things like this can’t be rushed.

But I am committing to the process.

365 days.

Where This Goes

Right now, I’m in decent shape.

My mobility isn’t terrible.

If I stayed here, I’d be fine.

But I know I can do better.

And if I have the ability to improve, I think I should.

So this is me pushing toward that.

Closing the gap between:

  • what I look like I can do
  • and what I can actually do

Next, I want to break down how I’m actually going to fix these.