All the fancy words

Today’s fancy word is synergy.  I like it almost as much as I like efficiency.  Synergy is, of course, when two or more things work together to have more benefit than we expect.  The particular synergy I am interested in today is the one between weight training and Pilates.

Weight training, obviously, makes us stronger.  It also makes us sore and tired.  When we don’t have ideal form, we can end up overusing some muscle groups or even getting injured.  This is where Pilates can help.

Pilates, by itself, improves our proprioception (another excellent fancy word meaning our sense of where our bodies are in space), balance, and core control.  It builds flexibility and mobility.  It does build some strength, but much more gradually than weight training.

Together, Pilates and weight training build strong, flexible bodies that use good form to continue to improve.  We can get more powerful by lifting weight and then refine the movements by tuning in to our Pilates exercises.

There are certainly people who love one or the other.  All of us have limited resources and may have to choose a focus.  But if we can, combining the two can have amazing results.

We can do this!

Why weight?

Most people can be convinced to do cardio exercise.  It can be done without a lot of equipment or preparation, lends itself fairly well to hanging out with friends, and sometimes can even be done while watching television.  And, once the initial endurance gets built, it makes us all feel good.

Weights, on the other hand, are often a tougher sell.  Sure, we can listen to loud music, but we’re pretty much hanging out counting.  With heavy objects.  And a bunch of sweat.  And we feel sore afterwards.  That’s the down side.

The up side is considerable.  Weight training builds muscle mass, which improves both metabolism and body shape.  It also maintains strong bones, which is crucial for those of us who do not want to end our lives in a nursing home.  On a fuzzier level, weight training gives us a task at which we can see our progress in actual numbers very easily—not that many things we have to do in our lives are as clear as progressing from lifting five to ten pounds, or 105 to 110 pounds; it is a good feeling!

Go play!

Monday Workout: Ladder!

The speed ladder is familiar to most people, if they know what it is at all, from football or other sports drills.  Even those of us who don’t know an interception from a touchdown can benefit from using it during workouts.  As the name implies, one of the goals of the ladder is speed, but it also builds agility and quickness, which are about the ability to change direction rapidly without crashing.  All of us have to cross the street and our speed, agility, and quickness come in handy in the live Frogger game of life.  Three rounds.

speed ladder in in out out	1 min
bench press	20
Arnold press	10
speed ladder lateral	1 min
flies	20
1 leg squat	10
carioca	1 min
(lunge to) curls	20
pretty princesses	10