Wednesday, November 13, 2013

The Bestest Students Turned Workout Buddies In The World!!!

Well it just so happens that I have had the beautiful joy of training two lovely ladies who have stayed very devoted to me throughout the course of my teaching at World Gym, and it has been an amazing adventure to see them grow as much as they have. I felt like shouting out to the best gym buddies I've ever had. They have been hard working, motivated and consistent with their workouts to the point of such deep loyalty, that I can see this sisterhood continuing for a long time. Not only that, their physiques have changed so dramatically that past pictures of when they started with me, don't even compare! They had singlehandedly kept my class open all these years and what a wonderful blessing they've been.

Jessy was looking for a different kind of fitness, one that didn't keep her in the gym all night, because it wasn't her first choice for after work entertainment! She also didn't really want to be bothered with me pushing to make her do one more squat. It was just the last thing she wanted to do. And then it happened: the gym bug bit her hard, and she blossomed into this woman who ventured out onto the floor with us. Once she did that, within the space of a year, she was lifting just about as much as we were!! What a shock to our systems to see such dramatic and impressive strength gains in such a short time! But she did it, her discipline and resilience grew, and she is better than ever.

Kelly had weight to lose. When she came back into the gym, she was so energetic and ready to move! But diet and exercise had previously failed her, and she was looking for a change that would stick. With only a little convincing and a lot of self determination, Kelly turned her fitness gains around with warp speed and precision! Almost two years had passed. Kelly had lost quite a bit of weight, but the girls were able to handle their workout well now. So I dragged Kelly first onto the workout floor for heavy lifts, then Jessy. One by one, they came in for their bruising! Kelly to this day has lost over 65 pounds, an incredible accomplishment! She is one of my biggest supporters, and along with Jessy, intensely believes in the power of what we can do as a Smash Team, wrecking the floor with our hardwork, resilience and discipline. We're also kind of loud on the gym floor. It's only a further testament to how fun lifting can actually be with the right team!

I was also looking for a different angle on my fitness. During the time I started teaching there, I met Michael, and we began dating and swapping workouts. He was a big motivator behind my finding kettlebells to be my main source of workout nourishment anymore. The dynamic intensity of kettlebells sold me, and I passionately pursued the education needed to teach the girls. So in a way, we grew up together all of us, on the bells. Loving the change it brought to my body, mind and spirit, I got my first certification in kettlebell training and was super excited that I was one of the few selected for my certification! Now I lift heavier than ever, and my body is really showing the progress and determination I have towards my goal of looking somewhere between a goddess and a fitness competitor.

Teaching these two were the most valuable things that could have happened to our fitness, all three of us! When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we notice what an incredible impact we've made on each others' lives, and I couldn't be more grateful (or fitter) for this moment.

The Great Destroyer of Kelly and Connie.

Wow.

I realize I haven't written in my exercise blog in a long while, but it does not mean to say that I haven't been creating some killer workout combinations. So far my Smash wrecking team has gotten into lots of troubles with a kettle. But we've also been experimenting with some primal workouts, handstands and a little bit of yoga madness. I keep forgetting to incorporate more yoga into the workout, but for all the many other ideas I had for that same session. Sometimes I like to call myself over-ambitious.

Kelly, Jessy and I have been getting into the gym hardcore style as usual but got a little bit soft for a couple of weeks due to some crazy scheduling. I was running back to back in the weeks before and after Halloween, then my birthday. It was a lot of fun let me tell you, including the teaching of a new series of dance classes, but I keep changing my tune on what I want to continue teaching. Ultimately I like my freedom outside of the 8 hour academic gig, and that is what probably keeps me from locking up all my evenings anymore. I don't like it when too many activities get in the way of my lifting. Nothing should come between me and my lifting schedule.

I also noticed that, with the heavy schedule of the last few weeks, I did not have enough to muster a heavy lift, so I did more maintenance lifts, due to excessive dancing! Now that I have more of that into balance, I have reintroduced smaller chunks of lift sessions, as I am also reading that I could very well be overtraining (as usual). I may have pushed my metabolic pedal one too many times, and I need to watch that, now that I seem to have things relatively under control.

I did an awesome 10 x 10 x 10 workout with Kelly on Sunday, the Great Destroyer on Monday, and a 10 set, 210 rep leg press session. The workouts have been daily but shorter. I may actually take a day off of the gym today (which is wednesday), and do a 10 minute long cycle with a 25 lb. kettlebell.

Sunday's 10 x 10 x 10: Kelly and I performed 10 reps of an exercise, followed by each additional exercise with no rest until the last exercise. You end up with 300 reps.

10-2 hand swings
10-1 hand swings
10-push-ups
10-squats
10-squat thrusts
10-lunge with rotation
10-pull-ups
10-weight-loaded ab exercises (we did this cool multi-move complex I made up with a 24 lb body bar. It's a little heavy for mere mortals.)

Monday's Great Destroyer of Kelly and Connie (two kettle complex)

10-double swings
10-snatches
10-squats
10-swing/clean/press
10-push-ups
10-rows

....Now try that three times!!! You won't like it. No one does.

Tuesday's Leg Press Complex of Doom

Set 1-3: 30 presses with 180 lbs
Set 4-6: 20-30 presses with 270 lbs
Set 7-9: 15-20 presses with 430 lbs

...Nobody does it better...and no one walks better...than after the last three days. I'm almost thinking that, even if I do feel up to the challenge, I should take this day as one of rest, because Thursday's gonna hurt. I'm just saying.