Monday Workout: Battle!

One of the many awesome things about battle ropes is that they work both strength and cardio at the same time without overtaxing anybody’s knees.  (Another is that we can pretend to be Aaron Rodgers in the commercial with the woman with the long battle rope braids…)  Three rounds.

rope double slams	30
bench press	20
Arnold press	10
rope alternating slams	30
flies	20
1 leg squats	10
rope circles	30
bench rows	20
pretty princesses	10

The Core of the Issue

Our muscles have various functions.  Depending on what we are doing, our muscles may be doing direct work, helping to control that work by opposing another muscle or group of muscles, or stabilizing the body as a whole.

Most of the things we do that fall under the category of core exercises intend to enable that last function.  A strong core makes everything else more efficient because the working muscles don’t have to take time out to keep us from falling over.

A strong core also helps us avoid pain.  (No, I don’t mean the pain of doing pretty princesses, although they do get less painful with practice.)  Activating core muscles helps prevent lower back pain brought on by sedentary jobs and long commutes.  Those same core muscles improve our posture, reducing stress on the body (and making us look better into the bargain!!).

Some of the best core exercises are the ones where we use our bodies in asymmetrical ways and/or challenge our balance.  They’re also less boring than ten million crunches.  We can find fun (or less horrible) ways to be strong and powerful.

Balancing Routine and Novelty

When we work out, we want to strike a balance between novelty and routine because both are beneficial for us.

Novelty is what keeps us growing.  Doing the same workout for months and years on end does not challenge our bodies or our minds enough.  We don’t explore different movement patterns and so don’t practice adaptation to new circumstances.

Routine, however, is a powerful force.  Knowing that Monday is the day we go to yoga and Tuesdays and Thursdays we lift weights helps make those plans automatic.  The body prepares for it, the car goes there on autopilot, and we’re done before we know it!

When we find ourselves bored or when we stop making progress, it is time to try something new.  However, if we find that we can’t seem to get those workouts done, it might be time to harness the magic of routine to put us on the right path.

We can do it!