Three Eggs to the Back

Went to Yoga Wall class which I missed last week because of the trek to Arkansas. It was just enough time away for me to get nervous and make myself ponder how I get myself into such things as practicing yoga on a wall.

I'm glad that you came back one my classmates said when she spotted me; thought that was quite sweet and welcoming.

Of course, the class was fine. The instructor, Sharon, is super nice and very good and the woman next to me on the wall is a giggler. Just the person that I don't need next to me or maybe I did need her today.

I had planned to go to a boxing class immediately after yoga. I had even packed pineapple Chobani yogurt and a Honeycrisp apple to nosh on in between but my chest, hips et al. had been seriously opened up. I hung upside down, to the side and got an amazing stretch by placing one foot on the wall while holding a strap and pulling in the other direction. Sharon joked, as we were getting a serious twist on, for us to make a wish. We also did the revolved triangle pose (Parivrtta Trikonasana) and I wonder which position made my glutes sore.

Even the start of class was a bit intense. We started by placing three eggs at our back for a kind of mini backbend. So, yeah, I returned home.

After savasana, I'm usually hard-pressed to wiggle my fingers and toes so I'm not sure what made me think that I would survive a boot camp-like boxing class afterwards. Again, Sharon agreed to be watchmanwoman during savasana which was fine by me. When she started talking about how if thoughts about xyz enter your mind, I thought she was going to say stop them but she said that opposite -- a strategy that has, surprisesurprise, been working for me...

The Yoga Wall class will be on hiatus since one of the teachers has to have surgery. I'm going to miss it but I'm sure that I'll find another activity to fill the void.

On another note, it baffles me that I cannot do a shoulder stand. Guess I'll add that to the list of things that I'm in pursuit of. Along the same lines, I was at the park practicing pull-ups and progress is being made. It felt good to hoist myself upwards...

Off Your Knees or CrossFit Basic Training, Round 2

Five of us gathered in the lobby before class and we all had the same question: Are you sore?

Two of us were still sore post-yoga and Epsom Salt. Seeing that I was still walking down the stairs sideways, I had no idea how I was going to negotiate round two.

Instead of Leeny and Libbie, it's Leeny and Laurie running things for round two...

Warm-Up

30 seconds of stepping up on a rather industrial-size box

30 seconds of the Russian Step Up (one leg remaining on box while the other touches the ground then knee up)

30 seconds of jumping jacks

30 seconds of Russian Step Up with other leg

30 seconds of criss cross jumping jacks

30 seconds of mountain climbers

shoulder rotations...then super planks

plank jacks

We do pull-ups with human-size rubber bands and we practice on the rings which are not so friendly the second time around; rings dips are crazy.

How do you do a deadlift? Glad you asked. Make sure your shoestrings are under the bar, get the bar next to your shins, butt out, chest out, stare at the logo on the wall and, if you're me, Laurie's gonna correct your sorry form. My problem might have started with the lack of shoestrings.



During swings, I get more of Laurie's attention. I'm gonna get you a towel. She also gets me a 25 pound kettlebell because, apparently, I wildly swung the 20 pound one. She loops the towel through the kettlebell (a technique she uses with men) and I try to practice better form. I swing the 25 pounder and the momentum almost carries me back which prompts one of my classmates to mock cough and say Epsom Salt...

18...15...12...Time Priority

18 Swings

18 Push-Ups

18 Slams

15 Swings

15 Push-Ups

15 Slams

12 Swings

12 Push-Ups

12 Slams

Before we start on 18...15...12, we discuss logistics. A classmate wants to know if we get tired, can we switch to doing knee-style push-ups and Laurie quickly said:

I don't let people do them on their knees. If someone does push-ups on their knees, that means they've been doing it that way their whole life.

Apparently, Laurie wants to free your mind...

I decide to do push-ups on the bar that goes across the weight bench. Laurie corrects me on that one too. Later, she wants me to try doing a push-up with one of those human-size rubber bands attached to the pull-up bar and I actually like this method better.

I feel punch-drunk and I'm the last one to finish 18...15...12. I stagger but I manage not to do a push-up on my knees. Now, if I can just remember all that stuff about proper form...