Born Again Gym Rat: Braver As Soon As I Catch My Breath

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Braver As Soon As I Catch My Breath

There's only two Thursdays left for my son's extra gym class. After I drop him off at school, I head off to the gym, confident that I've packed everything I'm suppose to have. My back and neck are a bit stiff but cardio and boxing should loosen everything up. Now that I'm comfortable doing 2 miles to warm up and 3 miles to cool down, I find it unnecessary to snap a quick photo of the screen when I'm done. It's unfortunate that the elliptical only allows you to determine how long you want to pedal, not how far, so my time varies but not by much. Today I do the 4 minutes of Tabata (20 sec On / 10 sec Off) after 5 minutes of Steady State. 4 minutes seems like it will never end. But it also makes everything else seem really easy.

After a quick Cage Stretch, I wrap my hands and proceed to tap in 9 rounds Beginner. I know the machines are popular: I saw an elderly man whacking it when I came in, and a younger man at it while I was on the elliptical. I'm probably the only one who double-wraps their hands though, because I have such small hands. In spite of these precautions, I'm still developing a discolored bruise on the knuckle of both my index fingers. But at least I'm not breaking any skin.

I'm getting used to the new program, but this week I stick to rounds at the Beginner Level. My knees have been a bit off lately and I worry that the Sweep is putting too much lateral pressure on them. There's only Lead and Power kicks at the Beginner Level. Again, I'm punching too hard for the Power Dig, and sometimes the Cross. But sporadically the Power Kick doesn't register at all. I lose accuracy points. It takes me several rounds before I discover the sweet spot: kicking very low on the pad. After 9 rounds, I'm tempted to give the Intermediate a go but I don't think I can last for 5 rounds. Instead, I chicken out and punch in 5 rounds Beginner. The program varies the combination of kicks and blows for each round so it's impossible to really develop a rhythm, or anticipate the next move.

I'm drenched when I'm done, so naturally, once I strip off my wraps and gloves, I head back to the ellipticals to do my 3 mile cool down. Except it's not really cooling down. Then a few crunches. Okay, 50 crunches, 50 knee to elbows, 50 more crunches. Done. The gym scale has been stubborn. It reads 113.0 lbs. For as much energy as I think I expend, my body seems to have become extremely efficient. My numbers haven't really changed but I feel a tad leaner, if not smaller. Well, as long as my clothes still fit, that's all I care about right now.

Thursday Cardio Workout

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