Yesterday morning when I got to the gym someone leaving from the class before me said “I hope you’re ready to run!”
“Always!” I responded.
They went on to count out how many laps we did (in the parking lot) at class “4, 10, 10, 16, 20… 60 laps!”
“Great! I can’t wait!” I said as I went inside, laughing.
I know they were looking for some camaraderie, and for me to groan about it, but whenever I get these warnings about running in class, I’m just excited that the hard thing is something I know I can do.
Had it been burpees or a million pushups? I’d be groaning. And I’m sure other people would be thriving! Working out at WWM has shown me, more than any other athletic endeavor I’ve participated in, just how varied people’s strengths are.
I mean, super duh, right? People have different strong suits. But as someone who wants to be good at everything (in class), having this frequent visual reminder is so helpful with me accepting where I’m at, and what my body is naturally inclined toward.
What the heck am I saying? That my perception of what I should be good at has really changed since I started going to WWM. For some background, there are (generally) three types of classes I go to – upper body, lower body, and HIIT. In the beginning, I would say lower body was my favorite and dread upper body day. I had been telling myself all this time that my lower body should be stronger because I’m a runner, and my upper body would be weaker, therefore making those days harder. And I got into my head about it.
But it turns out, I’m way stronger at upper than lower body. My body seems naturally inclined to build my back, shoulders, and upper arms. I actually kind of suck at lower body stuff, and struggle, and should be doing it more.
Suffice to say, it turns out upper body is actually my favorite workout day. I never thought I’d be saying that!
And we did run 60 laps in class. I had over 4K steps after class.
I love upper body workouts, too – such a great feeling to have strong toned arms and shoulders!
And you’re right, we all have different strengths and preferences for certain activities. But I also notice this can shift over time if we are open to learning to like things we used to hate, as we get better at them. For example, I used to really dread down dogs in yoga, but as I got stronger in my upper body, I began to be okay with them, and now I would say I actually enjoy them.
Oh! That is such a good point, thanks for sharing that Amy! I bet there is a lot more progress for me to be made if I would do that.
Give me upper body over lower body ANY day. And give me any type of cardio over running, haha. Sometimes in our HIIT classes, one of the circuits is sprints and my mom LOVES them. They are the bane of my existence. We all enjoy different things!
We sure do! Which cardio is your favorite?
I would die at your workout classes. Seriously. I am so impressed with your persistence, consistency, strength, and endurance. You seem to be living your Best Fitness Life (TM, LOL).
Aww, thanks so much! I appreciate that!