Born Again Gym Rat: The Goal Doesn't Matter As Long as We're Having Fun

Thursday, July 9, 2015

The Goal Doesn't Matter As Long as We're Having Fun

Inevitably, the best exercise routine is the one that you stick with. And that's usually the one that you find the most fun. Everyone's different so everyone's routine will be different. I love whacking the Nexersys kickboxing machine. It doesn't hit back. And I get a great workout that comprises endurance, strength and speed. I only wish that I could do it more than once a week, but my knuckles are too frail and boney to endure more than a once-weekly, hour-long session. There's no way to build up muscles in your knuckles!

I have my son in tow today so I'm more cognizant of time constraints. Two hours to stow my gear, warm up, get in an hour workout, maybe do some LISS, a quick stretch, shower and change. (I find that peeling off sweat-soaked clothes to be more time-consuming than expected.) I warm up on the elliptical for 10 minutes, changing levels after 60 seconds have passed. This is a much safer and more efficient warm up than stretching. Stretching cold muscles is dangerous and makes you more susceptible to injury. After I'm a bit warm, I stretch the hamstrings and then proceed to strip off my hoodie, and wrap my hands.

My hands are unwieldy with gloves, cotton wraps, sports tape and moleskin pieces. But at least they emerge relatively unscathed after an hour of whacking and punching. I may cut the Beginner round again because 6 rounds is too long to be frustrated because I'm punching and/or kicking too hard. It IS a good warm up for the actual workout round: Intermediate Follow Me. But perhaps I can cut it back to 5 rounds? Although we're only suppose to do a limit of 7 rounds, no one is in line waiting for these machines so I do 6 and 8 rounds. Will anyone notice if I change it to 5 and 9 rounds? I'm on there for almost an hour which is markedly longer than most people. The few I've ever seen whack the machine are on for maybe 3 rounds, if they last that long. D might do 5-6 rounds but I haven't seen her in a few weeks. The machine recommends I add rounds. Apparently I'm "outpacing and over power" for my level. Yeah, righ...

The machine is still sporadically flaky and doesn't register a few of my kicks and sweeps. Bleah! I'm not that concerned with the Accuracy scoring because of that. Strikes and Power scores are another matter. As long as I'm consistent, I'm good. My weakest strike is the Lead Sweep, followed by Lead Knee-In. This is countered by a strong Power Sweep, Power Knee-In, Right Hook and Cross. Yes, my right is a lot stronger than my left, but you wouldn't know it to look at me. I'm also really fast. Sometimes too fast. Which can be bad, because the machine needs a second between blows, even combinations, to register each strike. So Accuracy suffers because the machine can't keep up with me. Sometimes it goes a little nutty and just tosses out random target blips. But I'm not really sure if I'm suppose to strike or if this is a residual image, like an aftershock. Oh well...

I feel really good after 14 rounds. I'm not even all that tired and think I can probably go for another round or two more. Maybe next time. Instead, I take 5 minutes to unwrap my hands, toss my hoodie back on and do 15 minutes on the Step Mill. The gym is surprisingly empty with just a handful of regulars. Summer is weird like that. Strikes like Power Sweep, Cross and Power Body cause me to swivel and arc my hips and torso a lot. I do a quick lower back stretch but I can already feel the muscles in my upper back, between the shoulder blades, stiffen a bit. A hot shower will be a good temporary fix. Tomorrow is Leg Day. But mostly it's cardio. Naturally.

Lately I've been going to the gym mostly fasted. Which means: with just a cup of instant coffee in me. Which means I'm starving by the time I get out of the shower. When I get home, I fix my son a sandwich. Lately he's been into ham and cheese on rye, no mustard, no pickles. I make myself a protein shake with soy milk, left over strawberry kefir, strawberry GNC whey powder, and then, because it's there, my cold-sitting-on-the-kitchen-table oatmeal, egg and dried strawberry breakfast. The hand-blender whips it all together and I drink it down with fish oil, calcium & D tablets and a mega-B complex vitamin. Breakfast of champions! At least I won't be hungry for a while.

Thursday Workout