It is what it is

I just couldn't think of a title for what I'm about to write, so I thought I'd just start writing.

Broken Butt
Yesterday, I broke my butt. For reals, I don't think I've EVER been this sore. Until tonight. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I saw Darla yesterday for an assessment. So after four months of not working out with her, I got measured and pinched (body fat) and heart rate checked. I was really nervous about it, but I was thrilled with the results. About a month before WTF last year, I was at 13.5% body fat. I was probably around 12.5% when I competed. Now, over a year later, and after months on my own, my number is (drum roll, please) 14.8!!! So yeah I'm a little fluffier than I was, but I'm totally ok with that.

Well, I took that enthusiasm and went to the gym. And I did a killer lower body series. Did bulgarians -- 3 sets, 13 reps each let. Did olympic squats (where you lift the weight from and to the floor) -- 3 sets, 10 reps each. Got on the leg press machine, set it to 100 pounds, and did who knows how many single leg presses. That, in and of itself, is a pretty intense workout. Did I stop there? Of course not!

I wanted to do cardio, but didn't want to be inside. And I still can't really run. But there's this hill by a golf course that's steeper than any other hill around here. The one that comes close, at it's steepest part, is a 20% grade, according to my Forerunner. So I thought that for cardio I could walk up and down this hill 5 times. By the third time up, I was wishing I'd picked a better number. Up and down the hill is 6/10ths of a mile, so 5 times is 3 miles. I did it in 42 minutes. It was a kick ass workout. And by evening, my butt was so sore I could barely sit down.

Well, my neighbor called at 8:30 last night saying that this class she was hoping to start was happening, and would I like to join her at 9:00 tomorrow (well, today now). I said sure. So at 9:00 this morning I was at Sports Specific Training for one of the hardest workouts I've ever done. This place is all about athletic performance (most of their clients are football and soccer players), so it's lots of plyos, speed work, and some of the most innovative stuff I've seen. I used a kettlebell for the first time today -- very cool. We did ladder drills with intricate footwork, balance exercises, and this, the hardest of all. I'll try to describe it.

Take a medicine ball. Mine had a 12 on it, but I don't know if it was 12 pounds or kilos or what. Doesn't matter. Medicine balls don't bounce well, and that's part of the torture. You hold the ball straight over your head. Then you slam it to the floor, hoping to make it bounce even a couple of inches. When it does bounce, you catch it, which requires going into a deep squat. You then stand up, put it over your head, and do it again. 100 times. After 33 reps, I had to take a break because I couldn't get any more oxygen. I think I finished all 100 in 4 minutes 15 seconds. Next time I'm supposed to try and do it faster.

Now that I've complained, I can tell you that the workout felt like being at a playground. It was FUN!!! So me and a few of my neighbors are going to do this twice a week and see what kind of results we get. And because I'm studying for my certification, I'm loving the chance to a) see a trainer work with different people, and b) get some new exercise ideas for my own business.

But thank God for ibuprofen!