Monday Workout: Twelve Days of Christmas

Yes, it is time for the Dreaded 12-Days-of-Christmas workout.  When I first started doing this workout with clients, it was definitely a killer.  It’s still not easy, but we’ve been doing enough tough workouts that this is truly manageable.  Here’s how it works:  on the first “day,” we do one push press.  Poof!  It’s Day 2!  We do two goblet squats and one push press.  On Day 3 we do three overhead presses, two goblet squats and one push press.  We continue like this until we have completed all twelve days.  Ideally, we rest between days.  Most folks want their first rest after day 5 and then every day after that.  And yes, I do know that this workout contains a total of 42 burpees; our True Love wants us to be very strong and/or tired.  We can do this!

1 push press

2 goblet squats

3 Overhead press

4 1 leg squats each leg

5 deadlifts

6 burpees

7 pushups

8 renegade rows

9 mountain climbers

10 jump lunges

11 kb swings

12 plyojacks

This cabbage has no relation to the post; I just like it.

I really should read faster.  However, I can’t go back in time and finish a book in time to write about it now, so I’ll have to write about attitude.

There is an awful lot of writing out there about transforming life by transforming thinking.  Some people think of it as more literal than others, suggesting that we can imagine ourselves into wealth, complete with fast car and attractive partner.  Others take the view that all we have control over is our own reactions, so we might as well get in control of those and make the best of things.  There is some validity here (may not extend to the wealth/car/partner stuff, but what do I know?).

The danger, in my view, is that we lose sight of the actual world as we spend so much time in the mental world.  I have no problem with positive attitudes.  But sometimes, there are actual actions we can take to fix stuff so we don’t have to adopt a positive attitude to a negative situation.  This would be the body part of the mind-body connection. 

Or, as Thoreau said, “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

Synergy!

Because I do both personal training and Pilates instruction, people ask me which is better.  The answer, of course, is “It depends.”

Some people like one or the other better.  And yes, this is a perfectly valid reason to choose one or the other.  One person’s hip hop is another person’s car alarm, and someone else’s symphony is another’s idea of nightmare.

Weight training, especially the way I prefer to do it, incorporating intervals, generally gets the heart rate up more.  It focuses more on building muscle mass and usually involves more sweat.

Pilates allows more time for focus on the quality of movement, on alignment, and on flexibility.  At the end of a session, most people feel longer and more supple.  It is great for relaxing the mind, improving posture, and training balance.  I also find it useful as a bridge back into weight training for those who have been injured since it teaches good form.

“Both” is also a great choice.  Combining weight training and Pilates can create a synergy in the body, making us strong, lean, and flexible.