Time to Get Lateral

Lateral Fitness's main floor 

The last time I went to a bootcamp-like workout, I hated it. The minute hand on the clock wouldn't budge, the recruits kept to themselves for the most part (or whomever they already knew in class, which spelled disaster for this newbie), the fearless leader was more into shouting commands than motivating or correcting our poor form (you know that bootcamp persona that you either love or hate), and the moves, while challenging, often seemed to lack a sensible purpose (probably because of my poor form).

My first visit to the Recruit high intensity interval class at the newly opened Lateral Fitness was the exact opposite. The class flew by, the recruits were properly introduced to one another and class size was limited to eight, the leader--Lateral's co-owner Erik Marthaler--was engaging and motivating, and the moves--if you did them correctly--got you to notice your weaknesses (hello tight hip flexors, nice to see you again) and reach a point of full-on exhaustion.

Considering I had no clue what I was getting myself into when I accepted the invitation less than two hours before class (thank you cancellation), I was pleasantly surprised. And I got a killer workout. I had already broken a sweat before we finished our first 10 minutes where the burpees, jumps, push-ups and sit-ups hardly felt like a warm up. My quads screamed for relief during the lunge and squat set. I didn't know medicine ball throwdowns could crunch your obliques, while standing up, or that the minute rotations through cardio and strength on the gym floor could be so exhausting (I'm blaming the treadmill hills climbs). And my abs literally gave out on me halfway through the core section, protesting the crunches. Where one intense workout failed, Recruit soared with flying colors--and reassured me that I can fall in love with intervals outside my comfort zone.  

Recovery from High Intensity Training

High Intensity Training at East Bank was brutal. I don't know about you, but Monday is definitely the day when I can use a good butt-kicking to rev myself into gear for what's to come for the rest of the week. My trainer, Dan, gave me the butt-kicking, but instead of gearing up, I think I spent most of the week rolling in reverse.

More than 48 hours since H.I.T. and my quads are still killing. It hurts to get up from my desk, I'd rather lay on the couch, legs extended, and not have to move for the remainder of the day. I brace myself before I cough or sneeze, knowing my abs will ache which each shift of my torso. The bed sounds more inviting than getting work done and bundling up to embrace the bone-chilling cold is the last thing on my mind. Sitting still seemed like the best form of recovery at the expense of everything else to get done. Now I understand why you'd only want to lift twice a week with H.I.T.--anything more and you'll likely find permanent muscle damage, or enough aches to feel like you've aged 50 years in a day.

It finally took a Powernap (more on that to come) and Budokon class at Equinox to stretch out those lingering pains. Maybe it was the deep breathing, stretching my limbs in directions they normally don't move (I NEVER do yoga) or the constant returns to down-dog. Whatever happened in that hour and a half, thank goodness, because now I want to go back and work my muscles to the max all over again. Posted by Kate

Crawling out of the weight room

Total. Muscle. Failure. I was warned of these three words before starting a High Intensity Training workout at East Bank Club, but I was ready to take on the challenge anyway. After all, there was no disclaimer saying "attempt at your own risk". But, within minutes of starting on the weights, I was ready to quit. Or throw up. Or both.

Dan, my trainer, assured me this was normal. He even said that some people start to feel dizzy or light-headed as he works their muscles to the max. Well OK, at least I didn't feel like I was going to faint. But a million thoughts on failure and self-doubt did race through my head. Leg press: Am I really this weak? I thought my legs were my strong suit. Leg lifts: Is it normal to be sweating this much while raising my legs in the air? Isolated leg lunges: Am I actually doing these right? Are they supposed to hurt this much and why are my muscles twitching? Chest press machine: Did Dan lower the weight, he must really think I'm a weakling. Lat pulldown with handles: I used to like this machine...so why are my arms in so much pain? Breathe, go slow, breathe. Chest press on bench: Whoa that's a lot of weight (50 pounds), um, help? Chin up: I'm going to crumble to the ground! I...can't...hold...this...for...a...minute. Lateral raise: Chains? Are my arms lopsided? Why is my left arm not moving at all? Don't make the chain links jingle--slow and steady, slow and steady. Argh, ugh, keep going, last one.

Chains drop and I'm done. Oh and ouch! I can feel every muscle in my forearms writhing in pain and soreness. My legs are still pulsating and when they see the stairs say no thank you. I have the option of working my wrists--Dan explains that the females he trains typically don't do the wrist moves--and I give it a shot anyway. I'm gripping an inch-thick bowel, winding a string with a weight tied to the bottom around it, raising and lowering, until I'm ready to quit. I swear I thought my hands would give out as my wrist muscles throbbed. Talk about a strengthening workout...and to get it done in 45 minutes or less? Crazy that something could be so painful so fast.

Now it's Matt's turn and I can really see how it's done. Dan and Matt train together, putting each other through this intense torture twice a week, sometimes three. I'm watching Matt rotate through some of the same machines I just did--and with way more weight--and adding a few others to work more muscle groups in his neck, abs, quads, biceps and triceps.

Matt's sweating, breathing heavy, turning beet red, grimacing to finish the reps (yay, just like me). I glance around at others and Matt looks like the only person actually having an effective workout in the weight room, working himself to sheer exhaustion. Did he just say his quad gave out on a leg curl? Was that 360 pounds on the chest press? Did he just do the leg press with one leg and then switch? And as he's breathing heavy and letting the red color drain from his face, he tells me he has a client to meet with afterward. At least after 37 minutes of pushing to the max, he's set to recover for three days until it happens all over again.

As for me, I think I need a nap.

Photo grabbed from Personal Training Corpus Christi at flickr. Posted by Kate