My masochism started today at two o'clock when Jeff worked out the girls at our work gym. Since he and Marisa had thoroughly shredded our legs with Tuesday's workout (in order to sit down at my desk for the past two days I basically have had to hold both sides of my desk and fall into my chair, hissing unladylike words to myself) he decided to go after our arms today with a lactic burn workout. We did the cable cross machine, planks, curl presses, rows, arm rotations, a few squats for good measure, and four different band exercises...and then repeated it. I may not be able to type tomorrow, seriously.
I had a brief reprieve at my desk, then it was time to change into my second pair of workout clothes and head over to John's gym. Outside of this gym is the infamous 18 wheeler truck tire. It weighs roughly around 365 pounds and we use it for various tortures such as working with ropes, beating it with a sledgehammer, and doing bench dips. The current rite of passage for John and TJ's clients is to flip that tire, and when John told me I'd do it one day, I looked at him like he'd lost his mind. I figured this day was way off in the future.
Oh no friends, that day was today. Right out of the gate we headed outside in the heat and he told me that not only was I going to flip it, I was going to get dirty in the process. I crouched down and put my hands between the treads, not seriously thinking that I was going to be able to accomplish this task. John told me how to use my whole body - legs, arms, and abs - to lift and flip the tire over, then he stood next to me to spot me. Taking a deep breathe and concentrating hard to make all my muscles work together I lifted that big mother and flipped it...not once but sixteen times.
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| I did it! |
Then, we went on to do multiple rounds of beating the tire with a sledgehammer, doing the ropes, boxing against the paddles John held, slamming the medicine ball, and walking loops around the parking lot with a 30 pound sand bag. As I walked those loops, I marveled that last year this time, I drug around three times that much weight on my body.
I was wet, dirty, tired, sore, and my eyes stung as sweat dripped into them. I had tire smudge all over me. I was sure in the knowledge that I may be curled up into an achey ball tomorrow. But I felt like a rock star!
My day wasn't over yet either. After eating a much needed supper (looking down at my chicken and vegetables I told my husband, "I am going to destroy this food.") we headed off to Super Wal-mart with the rest of the crazies to get our hurricane provisions.
We walked around for an hour and a half as I pondered a new challenge. I didn't want to ride out Hurricane Irene eating a bunch of bad snacks and sitting around like I used to, but what non-perishable foods does one get in such a case? Tuna for protein, low cal peanut butter, dried fruits, apple sauce, Special K bars, and canned beans went into the cart.
And did I get a break after that? Oh no. Another mini workout awaited as my husband and I had to drag all of that mess into the house...and hurricane food (bottled water and cans) isn't light. With great relief, I eased myself onto the couch marveling at what I've done today. Again, it's 90% mental and John has taught me to concentrate on one rep at a time. It really does help to do that. In one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies, The Fast and the Furious, Vin Diesel's character says that he lives his life a quarter mile at the time. That went through my head as I went about my workouts and I realized that I live my life one rep at a time. And tomorrow, it will be most likely one "ouch" at a time.
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