new ways to sweat (1 of 5)

You know those people who make waaaaay too many New Year's resolutions and then have a hard time keeping them? Yeah, I'm one of them. But if I blog about my resolutions... will I feel more responsible for following through? It's worth a shot.

One of these resolutions is to try at least 5 different workouts that are out of my comfort zone.


First up: BODYPUMP
I saw a poster at the gym for a class called BODYPUMP and decided I would go. I knew very little about it, other than it had something to do with weights.

The most awkward part about attending a class for the first time is the set-up—those first 5 minutes when everyone is buzzing around the room collecting their gear and you're scanning the room to gather intel. She has four blocks. I go get four blocks. He has two dumbbells. I go get two two dumbbells.

I should've known I was in trouble when Irina, the short but super-fit instructor with a slight-Schwarzenegger accent, walked in the room and yelled, "Are you ready to pump, BODYPUMPERS?" 

1 hour and 800 repetitions later... did you read that? 800 REPS. In ONE HOUR. CAPITAL LETTERS are here to EMPHASIZE THE PAIN. Here's my review:

And while I'd be much too embarrassed to show you what I looked like during this class, here's a little YouTube promo video to give you an idea. Bet you wouldn't have guessed it, but my weights weren't as big as this guys'...


Stay tuned for the next challenge: BODYATTACK