So I have decided to take on the oh so intimidating Body Pump. I once tried to go into a Body Pump class and was scared shitless when I watched everyone picking up bars full of weights. “I simply CAN NOT do that” I said and walked away sulking at my misfortune of not being as toned and muscular as those other folks. This was nearly a year ago. It’s hard to imagine I’ve lived here in Scotland for a year now but I have.
So my new goal for being healthy is to tell myself that on the days I am NOT working I HAVE to go to the gym. It’s really quite simple if you look at it. I’m on my feet for 8 hours in a day while at work. I once wore my heart rate monitor (because I’m that big of a nerd) and calculated that I lost 2000 cal in one day. My heart rate was an average of 108. Which is relatively high and totally useable for staying in shape. So instead of an all or nothing mentality (”I MUST go to the gym THREE times a week”) It is simply “Get off your ass on your days off and go” Simple… but effective
The problem arose when I looked at my work schedule and realized I have a lot of Wednesdays off coming up. See this is a problem because Wednesdays consist of 1 of 2 things. 1.) 2 for 1 movie tickets / Date night with Callum or 2.) House Church (greatest thing ever!) So I can’t work out at night like I normally would on a day off. Luckily thought Wednesdays are the only day of the week a class begins after 10am (It’s my day off, I like to sleep!) Unluckily that class is Body Pump.
Body Pump, Body Pump… how I loathe thee so. But I did it! I sucked up all the pride I’ve ever collected and deposited it into this weeks class. Guess what though? It wasn’t as hard as I imagined it to be!! Ok so it was hard, so hard in fact it’s difficult to type as my arms are shaking from a lack of muscular formation. But I learned so much.
See those bars they’re using.. they weigh nothing! Which in all the training I’ve ever done I’ve always had bars that alone weight at least 15lbs. Nope! So I was able to put on the least amount of weights possible and still struggle at the exercises. I’m proud of struggling though, it meant I was doing it.
So in week one my weights as a whole were as followed (This part is really for me, you can stop reading now if you want)
Warm up: 5lb - I think I’ll switch to 2.5
Squats: 5lb - that was good
Arms: 5lb - Definitely need to switch to 2.5
Back: 5lb - good
Triceps: 2.5lb - I got smart at this point, that was good
Dead lifts: 2.5lb - I wasn’t sure how this would be, So I think I’ll bump up to 5lbs
free weights: 2.5lb - This was good
overall bit: 5lb - I only had 1 set of the 2.5 and I needed them as free weights so I had to use 5lb. After nearly an hour of weights my arms would not lift that. So for next week I will get 2 sets of 2.5 and switch to that.
Tada!
