This week we’re doing two kinds of swinging, one with the kettle bell and one with a pair of dumbbells. Notice how they feel slightly different! Three rounds.
kb alternate arm swing | 30 |
kb bottom up press | 20 |
kb halo | 10 |
| |
split squat pulldown | 30 |
flies | 20 |
pushups | 10 |
| |
suitcase swing | 30 |
bench press | 20 |
pretty princesses | 10 |
The Amazing Stickie knows that synovial joints, like the ones in our hips, get their nutrition via motion. She also knows that a stable pelvis is beneficial for all the things she likes to do in her copious spare time. These are two reasons why she likes to do leg circles.
She starts lying on her back with one leg long and one leg extended up toward the ceiling. (How high the leg is raised depends on the flexibility of one’s hamstrings!). Then, keeping both sides of her pelvis evenly weighted on the ground, she circles the lifted leg across the midline of her body and around to the starting position. She likes to do five circles in each direction before changing legs and doing the other side.
Stickie finds it surprisingly difficult to avoid shifting her pelvis from side to side as she makes the circles.
I may have mentioned once or twice or several thousand times that I am not a fan of Valentine’s Day. However, I will seize the opportunity to talk about how we show love to ourselves. Hint: it does not involve our own personal two pound box of chocolate, even if it is pretty and heart-shaped.
We’ve been conditioned not to love ourselves. People who love themselves don’t necessarily need wrinkle-remover or expensive perfume (no shade thrown on those things if we are into them). Anxiety sells.
Truth is, anxiety sells even in fitness. A large proportion of the folks working out are doing it because they are worried. Their partner might leave if they get fat. They can’t afford to be ill, or injured. They might look too old to get another job. We all have anxieties.
Unfortunately, anxiety is also exhausting. At a certain point, we can’t lift weights and anxiety, too. We wear ourselves out and we surrender.
When we start by loving ourselves, we feel lighter. In the same way that we want the best for our partner or child or parent, we want that for ourselves. We are motivated to do the things that are good for us, even hard things that are good for us. Sure, sometimes we want a chocolate treat, but we know we should just have a piece. We find our satisfaction in healthy behavior.
Let’s go give our hearts some love in the gym today.
One of the things that tends to derail our best workout plans and schedules is soreness. This is where I put the disclaimers: I am not a doctor, physical therapist, or other medical professional and so I do not diagnose or treat illness or actual injury. If you are sore for more than a couple of days after a workout, consider consulting your health care provider.
That said, I do know a thing or two about soreness and things we can do to mitigate it, assuming we are not actually injured. (I trust that we all know the difference between normal soreness and pain that means we’ve damaged something.)
First, let me say that ibuprofen is our friend, unless we have some reason why taking it is not good for us. Its job is to reduce inflammation and that is exactly what our soreness is. It is the best of the OTC pain medications for our purposes, but the other ones will do if we need to avoid ibuprofen specifically.
If our soreness involves swelling, ice can help bring that down. Some people also find ice soothing. I am not one of them, but I’m also not here to criticize. When the soreness does not involve swelling, heat can be soothing.
A combination of rest and gentle movement can also be helpful. Many of us, when we are sore, vow that we will never move again until it stops hurting, but it turns out that it will probably stop hurting sooner if we move a little. Certainly we don’t want to go lift a bunch more heavy weights with our poor sore biceps, but taking a little walk and swinging the arms a little will do wonders.
If the budget permits, I also love massage.
What have I forgotten? Best tips?
The last set in this workout is all about weight bearing on the arms and core control. It is all right to modify the plank jacks or renegade rows to the regular version as needed. Three rounds.
woodchoppers | 30 |
deadlifts | 20 |
curls | 10 |
| |
squat heel lift | 30 |
kickbacks | 20 |
truck driver | 10 |
| |
plank jacks | 30 |
renegade rows | 20 |
plank | 10 |
The Amazing Stickie has, of course, amazing articulation of her spine and amazing abdominal strength. Those of us who do not may opt for a different exercise; those of us with osteoporosis should definitely give this one a pass.
To begin, Stickie lies on her back with her legs toward the ceiling and her arms at her side. She peels her spine up into the air, ending up in a position where she is looking at her own shins over her face. From there, keeping her legs together, she circles them around and then peels her spine back down to the floor. Then she repeats, circling the other direction.
I have and wear a Wristy Overlord (otherwise known as an Apple Watch). It helps me make sure that I exercise, move, and stand up enough each day. Somehow, though, I was not consulted about the parameters. The W.O. does not know about rest days.
Here in the white supremacist cis-heteronormative imperialist capitalist patriarchy, we’re a little unclear about resting. Hustle culture is a thing. We’re supposed to be doing More all the time.
The thing is, our bodies don’t buy it. We certainly need work for our bodies, but we also need rest. We get stronger because we rest; our muscles repair themselves while we are resting, becoming a better version of themselves in the process.
In other words, we don’t need to be going flat out every single day.
Personally, I think we do better if rest is not the same as lying on the couch all day and not moving at all. Rest can be a stroll or a little stretching. Movement does not always have to be hard. That said, nearly all of us could use a little more sleep.
Rest. Then smash the aforementioned patriarchy.
