Halfway Point

Tonight we finished week 3.  This marks our halfway point and what a crazy way to commemorate the moment.  I'm a little sick, I've had an upper respiratory infection for almost a week and it was really kicking my butt today and tonight.  I think its on its way out, but my lungs were burning tonight.  Had a moment where I wasn't sure about the relationship of gravity and floor vs ceiling and weightlessness.  Needless to say, I did my best and it wasn't that great.  Better than staying home thoug

Here's the weird thing about this.  I think I would have had to be on my death bed before entertaining the thought of not going tonight.  Its really that fun.  It hurts, its hard, it makes me question my own sanity, but I've yet to find more satisfaction in anything else I've done in a very, very long time.  When that workout is over and we're all just breathing and sweating... we're all smiling too.  

My initial goal for Tribe was to be able to complete 20 push-ups consecutively.  I'm halfway done and I can do this.  Is forty within reach?  Maybe thirty. Yeah, thirty.  I can do many more in the workout (I've done 90!) but all in a row is tough.  And then of course there are the super fun kind that has you jumping your arms in and out.  I'm still emotionally scarred.  I'll be okay.  I mean its not like we had to do Traveling Burpees or anything.  

Here, let me explain this for you.  Google a burpee if you aren't sure what I'm talking about and then say a prayer of thanks to whatever god you feel appropriate.  Okay, so you do that.  Then you take one giant leap forward and then  you do another one.  Just do that until the dark clothed man carrying a scythe starts tapping you on your shoulder.  Those were Traveling Burpees.  

This was a hard workout.  It was incredible that I could do half.  A year ago I couldn't have finished our warm-up.  As our sadistic leader says, "You need to do a season of Tribe to be fit enough to do Tribe."

Amen.  

To my fellow Punishers... you all kick ass.  Seriously, I count myself lucky to be a part of this and I wouldn't want anyone else with me on this.

A Tribe is Born

Tuesday was our official start.  And in true Jenn fashion, I totally over-thought everything and under-estimated myself.  I'm not sure what happens or why, but I can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that I've been working on this stuff for a year and I can do more than I think I can.

I totally wimped out Tuesday.  It was a fitness test and I was supposed to go all out and kick ass and I freaking didn't.  I played it safe.  I ended up feeling like I had sold myself short and I didn't do my best at all.  I did do 700 jump ropes in around 7.5 minutes, but the rest of the workout? Crap.

I beat myself up over it all the rest of the night.  Wednesday came and I wasn't even sore other than some calf tenderness from the jump roping.  I want to be sore.  I want Wednesdays and Fridays to be rest days for a reason and I want to feel every muscle telling me it hates me.  I want it to count.

Thursday workout, I was ready.  Well, I wanted to be ready.  I've been having some tough days at work and the stress is pretty crazy.  I spent Thursday nursing a headache and generally feeling awful.  I actually thought about not even going, taking the night at home and seeing Aaron.  I hadn't seen him awake since Sunday and I was missing him (we work opposite shifts.)  I got home and he told me to get my ass out the door.  I did.

Right before we started I had a brief conversation with Carlos, one of the awesome trainers at the gym, and Rudy who is in my Tribe.  Rudy can jump rope like a boxer and is generally just a bad ass.  We briefly discussed that this whole thing is a mental game.  Its not always about being strong or being able to do a whole bunch of burpees, its about believing you can.  It was exactly what had been on my mind all day.  So, at that moment I just gave in to it.  I just let go of all the negative stuff in my head and decided that that night, I was going to give it my everything from the moment we started.  No reserving energy, no holding back, nothing.

And then Justin explained the workout.  In fact, he had to explain it several times because it just didn't seem like it was possible.  Here's what we were to do:

250 jump ropes

Set 1:
15 Push ups
15 Side lunges
15 Prone rows
15 Squat jumps

Repeat this three times

20 burpees

Repeat Set 1 three times again

20 burpees

250 jump ropes

You get all that?  We were incredulous.  All ten of us. Added up, that's 90 push ups, 90 side lunges, 90 prone rows, 90 jump squats, 40 burpees and 500 jump ropes. I did have to use my knees on the last 30 push ups, but I did them.  I did them all dammit and it was glorious!

On my last set of prone rows, I was hurting.  At that point another Tribe member, Jeff, was ready to start his last prone rows as well.  We were side by side and we just went for it.  I don't know if it was as much of a help for him as it was for me... but his support and effort totally carried me through that last bit.  If you ever wondered how heavy a ten pound dumbbell can be, do the exercises as described.  I swear those things felt like a hundred pounds!

So, guess what happened?  I finished.  With about a minute left, I dropped my jump rope and looked around.  Smiles.   A lot of sweaty, happy, satisfied, exhausted smiles everywhere.  This is the best part of this type of workout.  In a large group, you get to know a couple of people but mostly its a bunch of strangers.  Here, you know everyone's names and why they're there and who they are.  You cheer each other on and you do more than you imagined possible simply because you have a group of people expecting you to finish, believing that you can.  In only this tiny bit of time, I can see where this is headed.  In this day and age of Facebook and email and texting, its a rare thing to have a group of real people your age experiencing this sort of thing.  Of being a part of something.  (I realize this sounds super corny, but its the truth.  I'm a sap.  I know.  Its okay.)

Last night, we named our Tribe after reflecting on our self-punishment.  Laughing about how we actually signed up for this crazy thing and how hard it was, but still wanting to do our best, to challenge ourselves in new ways every week.

I am so proud to count myself among The Punishers.  Ten bad asses trying to be better.  I haven't had this much fun since I was a kid.

P.S. I earned this rest night of writing.  My arms are sore, my hip flexors are on fire.  I'm loving every minute.  Those bastards will be stronger tomorrow.

Trial Week - Day 2

I'm late in m y update.  Thursday was the second day of trial week.  It was more challenging than day one.  Our night had a lot of jump roping, which I like and am average at, but it also had a lot of renegade rows and push ups.  What is a renegade row you ask?

Basically, you hold yourself in a push-up, pull one arm with a dumbbell up, do a push-up, pull the other arm up, do a push-up, repeat.  Its prone rows with push-ups in between each row.  I can do prone rows okay, but the push-ups are killers for me.  I struggled with this a lot. Its totally fine, that struggle means I was trying and as with anything else, in time and with work I will get better and stronger.  This is where that consistency will pay off.  A year ago, I couldn't put weight on my shoulder at all so progress is being made.

I know I said this before, but honestly the best part of working with a group of people like this is the support.  Especially a small group where the chance to really form a friendship and support system exists.  It reminds me of my old dance classes where my two friends and I were in classes together all week for years on end.  We knew each other so well and when we danced, we danced as if we were one person.  When Rachel mastered her triple pirouettes, I felt like I had done it.  One person's breakthrough moment is everyone's.  I have no doubt that this is where Tribe Training will lead.  Anyone who has been part of a team will understand this, those who haven't are in for a very terrific surprise.

Next Tuesday is the official start of Season One.  Each season lasts six weeks.  My goals include being able to do twenty push-ups in a row.  I can do ten, maybe twelve without stopping now.  This is definitely doable.  My other goal is to be able to do box jumps higher than the measly six inches or so.  I can do these higher now, but I have a crazy fear that is stopping me.  So one physical goal and one mental goal.  I'm not sure where this fear comes from, anytime I've tried to jump up higher I feel totally panic.  I'm talking stomach flipping, palm sweating, panic attack fear.  Its really odd.  I feel this exact same way when I get on an airplane.

Friday was Zumba with my sister.  I know there are fitness people out there who scoff at Zumba.  I've gone twice and its super fun.  Like, really fun.  You get out what you put in and it can be a good cardio workout if you really push it.  I think Zumba is a great first step towards healthy choices, a gateway to fitness.  For me, it was super fun because my sister was there and anything with Kathy is particularly awesome.  Now to try to get my other sister to join us!  Muahahahahah!

Trial Week Begins!

Tonight I went to the trial night for Tribe Fit. There were a bunch of us and it was so, so fun. People from every age group, various levels of fitness all doing the same workout at their own pace. It was such a positive, encouraging group of people that no matter how hard it was everyone was there to cheer you on, give a high five and just be awesome.

Tribe increases in intensity with each workout. Tonight we did jump rope (or rowing machine), push ups, and a few others that focused on core, upper and lower body along with box jumps to get your heart pumping. I felt great. I struggle with upper body and push-ups but I finished the five sets of ten! I did modify the last 20, but that's a huge improvement. A year ago I couldn't even imagine doing one!

It was a great start. Looking forward to Thursday! The free trial ends Saturday and is open to anyone, no membership required. Yahoo!