YOU GUYS.
Last night I did something absolutely monumental for me.
I. LIFTED.
All on my own. No trainer. No class. And more than those little weights you lift in those barre classes I like.
The timing just wasn’t going to work getting to a class, I didn’t feel like running on a treadmill, and I had too much stuff to bring home to just run home and leave stuff at work. I’d dragged my gym bag to work, so I wasn’t going to just carry it back home again.
What to do…what to do…
I’ve seen simple lifting workouts on blogs, sort of nodded at them and thought “yeah, not for me. I do classes. I don’t need to do this weight lifting stuff on my own.”
But last night, I decided I needed a small challenge to master. And lifting on my own was that challenge. As much as I am in love with Equinox, I do miss the Xpressline, which is New York Sports Club’s line-up of eight weight machines that work your entire body. Workouts I don’t have to think about are my kind of workout. (That’s why I thrive off of training plans: follow the plan. That’s it.)
I did Tina’s Week 1, Day 1 Carrots ‘N’ Weights workout. Might as well start at the beginning, right? Her workout prescribes 10-pound weights, but I could only find 12.5, so I went with that. The workout was difficult enough that by the end of each exercise in a set, I could barely finish. I am, however, used to doing compound exercises (those which work multiple muscle groups at once), so that was one thing about this workout I wasn’t crazy about. Hey Tina, can you do a compound workout? Thanks.
I still prefer classes, though. I really just like people yelling at me when I’m lifting heavy things.
What about you? Classes for strength or on your own? Does the weight room freak you out sometimes too?
No idea why I chose Frank Sinatra lyrics to name my last post on this…
As I mentioned in my last post, I've really been going through it with headaches.…
(tw for diet culture talk—mostly how it's BS, but how it's affected me, too) This…
I have been thinking about this post for a while—on why diet culture is unhealthy…
I woke up this morning already feeling anxious. (Yay!) My standard iPhone alarm is set…
I read The Midnight Library over the weekend, and I need to talk about it.…
View Comments
I prefer doing things on my own. I'm not big on the screaming to lift more because of injuries and I like to do fun moves I learned in PT a trainer usually won't do.
I follow Rachel Cosgrove's "Female Body Breakthrough," and have been AMAZED at how much weight I've been able to lift. If you ever want a strength training buddy, count me in!
haha weight rooms totally freak me out, and to think i spent my college years lifting in one next to all the football players. for some reason that didn't freak me out then. now i'm all about classes for strength training :)
I figured out how awesome strength training was when I did PT after my knee surgery. I still, on occasion, try to do sets of the exercises I did for PT and they kick my butt! They combined strength and agility which I liked.
If I could, I'd totally sign up for classes at the place where I did PT. They offer lots of group classes that combine strength and agility workouts, and they kick your ass. Maybe in the new year?
Ohhh.. yeah. Congrats. I have a hard time lifting anything by my lonesome too. I love those CNC workouts. So great.
I always go in phases. Sometimes I really like lifting and will do anything to avoid cardio, but lately it is totally the opposite. And I almost always prefer classes. I'm such a people pleaser that when I have an instructor telling me to do things I just want to be like "Okay, and look how awesome I can do just for you!! Thank you for your time and the yelling!"
I once went to a gym that had a section of weights where the big burly guys would go to grunt and throw heavy things around and another section where women would go to ... grunt and lift heavy things and put them down somewhat more gracefully. It wasn't intentional, I don't think, but it just happened to be that way and definitely gave me a safe place to get started lifting. I've actually never tried a lifting class!
i am proud :)
Woohoo! Lifting solo was just not happening, as much as I wanted to I couldn't get it together. Then came Crossfit and I'm banging out oly lifts like it's my job. Crazy stuff and I LOVE it!
I have no problem hopping onto a cardio machine or going for a run, but I always have to remind myself to have a day incorporating weight training! IDK if it's boring to me, or I'm worried that I'm doing it wrong, but it's not high on my list of fave things to do at the gym... I think it's much easier fitting it into my routine by attending a class!
P.S. I went to a place called Rounderboundz last night- it was a trampoline place with trampoline squares! So cool! Someone should totes make a workout out of it... Thought of your miscellaneous, fun workout reviews!