The quality of form avoids strain... (sorry, Mr. Shakespeare...)

We’ve made it a couple of weeks into the new year.  I hope we are all persisting in building our new habits or continuing to work our previous good habits.

At first, when we start working out, the very most important thing is to show up.  What we do and how we do it are far less crucial than just getting it done.  Of course, that’s just the beginning.

Once we are used to doing the work, we have to start paying attention to the quality of that work.  There are good reasons for this, including not getting injured and using time effectively.  Something will certainly happen if we wave weights around at random, but it may not be what we actually want.  Paying attention to where our joints are, which muscles are working, and where the challenging bits are can make our workouts safer and our bodies stronger and cuter.

We can do this.

Time to train?

One useful thing about having a trainer (or a workout buddy) is that the other person can see things that we can’t, even in the mirror.  A second set of eyes can let us know that when we squat, we push off more from the left side than the right side.  A friendly note that we’re using our whole body to do that curl can help us choose a better weight to achieve real gains and avoid injury.  And we all need encouragement to do those last few burpees or lunges or other good-for-us-but-unpleasant exercises.

What do we need to show up and give our workouts our best?  Maybe it’s time to find a trainer and/or a friend.

Monday Workout: Ropes!

Why yes, I do like using all my toys when I plan workouts.  This week we are playing with the battle ropes.  I like the way the ropes compel us to use our core muscles and the way we get to learn about shoulder stability as we work our arms.  Three rounds.

rope double slams	30
bench press	20
dips	10
rope alternating slams	30
flies	20
renegade rows	10
rope circles	30
lunges	20
roll out abs	10