The real thing that bugged me was my hips being bigger. They do not need any additional width or help. At all. I was even more annoyed to find out that my cardio had directly been contributing to building my hips! I have been doing the wave machine, and elliptical. These are hip building and conditioning. My hips are conditioned just fine. Truthfully I had suspected they were growing, but I thought it had more to do with late nights filled with burgers and vodka then my cardio routine. Egon and I re-evaluated my cardio. I realized that I do not take advantage of him enough when it comes to my routine. I tend to keep him in a strength training bubble only. It's hard for me to get out of my cardio ruts. I get very this is what I know helps me lose weight so it's what I am going to do. I know intellectually Egon runs like a gazelle and has pretty much every muscle developed, is a trainer, and knows more then me but I am seriously hard headed about listening to him. Getting to this last stage of weight loss though I have to be less hard headed and more open. What worked before does not always work now. I have had to makeover my whole work out routine and shockingly I like it! It's help me really re-engage with exercise. I have found new things to do, new things I like and it's building my confidence.
My new routine includes:
Lots and lots of kettle bell routines:
Turkish get ups, figure eights, squats, dead lifts, windmills, swings. I looooove kettle bells, I like the choreography of it. It feels really fun and I do not realize until later how much it kicked my azz until I wake up the next morning and everything hurts pleasantly.
Sprint intervals:
I run with no incline at about 6.2-7.0 mph depending on how rested and hydrated I am for at least 90 seconds if not more. Then walk with incline at least 4.0 mph for 2-3 minutes to recover. Run, walk, rinse, repeat. This will make you sweat profusely and slightly euphoric and because you have to pay attention to going between the two the time flies.
Rowing:
Row 2000 meters and you'll be shocked the muscles you feel in your arms and back. I focus on keeping my core strong, sitting up straight and really squeezing my back muscles to do the work. I am always pleasantly surprised by how hard my heart is pounding.
Jacob's Ladder:
It's climbing a ladder...yet it is so hard! I do 5-7 minutes of this just to see how much sweat I can make pour off of me and how much I can pray for something to end. It starts out all innocent and then it's like HOW IS THIS SO HARD? I do not understand the people who do it for what from my vantage point looks like a lifetime.
Obstacle course:
This is something new Egon and I have been doing. It definitely makes my heart pound, but it's also making me less self conscious. I still am self conscious sometimes about moving in public. I can run no problems, but ask me to do side shuffles, or inch worms and I feel like I am 14 and in gym again. It's been a good thing to be forced to get over.
I know that you only work with Egon once or twice a week, but does he give you advice about what kinds of exercises or routines you should be doing on days that you're on your own?
ReplyDeleteI've been interested in learning to use a kettle bell for a long time -- it's supposed to be SUCH an amazing workout -- but I'm too nervous to attempt it without a trainer or someone else watching, because I've read that it's really important to maintain proper posture during your routine.
Samara- He does, but he's a little more scatterbrained then he realizes. I have to ask repeatedly for him to write things down for me that I am supposed to do on my own, and he'll forget what exercises he told me to do. I also ignore some of the things he says because it's just not right for me and I am hard headed. So we have not totally figured the out of session thing out.
ReplyDeleteI HIGHLY suggest checking kettle bells out but yes, form is really important for your back and wrists. I think instructors have to be specifically certified in kettle bells.
That's good, it should start with trying and determination for your confidence. That's great ! You do such a great exercise for your own good. Thanks for sharing this to us. It's an inspirational post for others who had a problem like this.
ReplyDelete