Back To Gym Class

In my quest to get healthy I decided to try out a new gym and take a Body Pump class last night.  I’ve done Body Pump classes in the past, and I really loved them.  I’m not fit and flexible enough to do every single workout but I do give it my all.  I purchased a Groupon voucher for 10 fitness glasses to Gold’s gym.  I figured this would be a great way to get started.

If you’ve never done a Body Pump class, it is essentially an aerobics class geared around the use of barbells and weights.  During the class, the participant will go through approximately 70-100 repetitions per body part.  It is intense to say the least.

I met my friend Brian at the gym after signing up.  We got all of our class items together and moved to the front, near the instructor.  My upper body is pretty strong, but my lower body needs work; mainly because of my feet.  I have plantar fasciitis in both feet which causes a lot of pain.  As we did squat and lunges, the downward pressure created intense discomfort in my arches and I had to stop to shake out my feet often.  I didn’t let that deter me and I kept going.

We eventually moved to the ground and worked out our chests with the bar bell.  This is always complicated because now I’m unable to see the instructor and follow her movement.  I found myself doing several single repetitions moving the barbell up in down.  Thank goodness no one else could see me.

Now back up to do back.  I LOVE working my back muscles.  Most people might find this to be awkward but I enjoy it.  I love the pinching of the muscles in my back and the growing strength.  My only problem is the constant downward pressure on my arches again so I couldn’t keep up completely.

At some point we get to more floor routines.  This includes push-ups and dips (using the step bench).  I cannot do push-ups without being on my knees and no way can I do dips.  I’m just too large at the moment and not only do I not have the muscle but also my size prevents me from being able to complete the movement.  I’m sure if I actually try it, it wouldn’t be so bad but I my fear of being a failure crawled into my head and I didn’t even try.  The instructor of course called me out - in front of everyone.  Can we say embarrassed?

I tried a modified version but that just wasn’t working for me at all.  Plus my step bench and mat were wobbling around which made me wonder, did I put it together correctly?  I wasn’t going to stop to try to check it and show the rest of the class that I didn’t know what I was doing.  I’m not going to be THAT girl.  No way.  Again, this is my self-consciousness coming through and my low self-esteem.

We finally finished the workout.  I felt great.  My muscles were sore, but no pain-no gain right?  I knew I was going to wake up and be stiff before I even left the gym.  As soon as I sat down in my car, the sweat on my warm back jolted me forward.  I laughed at myself.

Brian and I went for dinner.  I had grilled salmon with broccoli and asparagus.  This was a good ending to a stressful day at work.

This morning, like I predicted, my muscles are stiff and sore.  I feel weak and I would love to crawl back into bed all day.  Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen.