Practice, practice, practice

Hmmmm....all this talk about progress got me thinking.  I can't say enough how I have a variety of goals and how this helps me stay sane in the gym.  I just don't think I could go in there with one goal in mind all of the time (i.e., lose weight, so I do the same cardio day in and day out).  Recently I have been adding plyometrics back into my workouts.  For a while I stayed away from them because, well, when you carry extra weight and you find yourself jumping around...it's just not...comfortable.  But now that some of the weight is coming off, it's...less uncomfortable. :)

Endurance is something I want to include in my goals because it would just be crazy to look in shape but not actually be in shape.  I have a friend at the gym who is naturally fit looking, who puts on muscle easily, and stays slim naturally.  She eats like crap - never does cardio - and you would really never know it by looking at her.  One day she said to me, "I think I need to start doing different stuff in the gym.  It's ridiculous that I am as strong as I am, but get winded walking to the mailbox."  Exactly.

I have to admit that I also have a hidden motive, too.  More and more research is showing that high intensity bursts during workouts are a great way to break through plateaus, stimulate faster fat loss, and lose stubborn belly fat.  Funny, considering that my belly fat is what has been holding me back (or...should I say, fear of belly fat in motion...lol!).  Adding plyometric and other burst exercises in between lifting sets is a great way to incorporate high intensity exercises into a workout (or...it doesn't just have to be doing intervals on a cardio machine...which is something I will do but it really doesn't excite me in any way).

In the last post I talked about how try & try again isn't always appopriate in the gym.  However, with endurance, high intensity and plyometrics, it is.  More specifically, practice makes endurance.  Two weeks ago I would get really winded halfway through a first set of plyometric exercises.  Now it takes me until the third or fourth set.  Progress.

There was a girl at the gym the other day doing bounding exercises - all the way up to four bounds with the highest boxes.  Trish Warren-style.  It was impressive.  I introduced myself to her and complimented her on the bounding workout.  Her reply, "I learned it through practice."  I know not everyone knows what bounding is, so here is a video of it:

Hmmmm....not sure I will ever get there, but certainly something I can aspire to do one day.  With practice, of course!