I am on a fitness purge, I can tolerate the bizarre!
I used to be a fairly decent runner until I inadvertantly put some weight on! Now I am in the process of trying to get back down to my fighting weight of about 16 stone. I am doing this by getting back into my running, now that I seem to have recovered from the almost continual injuries of last year created by a now recognised stupidly intensive racing programme. So I am running and I am getting my butt down to the gym also, putting in the weights to try and increase muscle mass, so that I burn more calories and increase my core stability, which I continually read is of massive benefit for a runner.
So I found myself last week looking at the Gym noticeboard and seeing an advert for Power Circuits, and Boxercise. Now I intially believed Power circuits would be quite good fun as I remember doing circuits at school at it pretty much killing me, which in this context must be good for weight loss; and the boxercise a complete new one on me. So I found myself at 6pm Friday evening alone in the gallery room with a trainer. Who then spent the next 40 minutes introducing me to circuits and telling me off about how poor my flexibility is, though I have strong legs apparently, and going through various routines listening to the campest possible dance music, which is 'motivational', though I was only motivated to throw it out of the window, really. Yet, bizarrely, I felt better for the workout if at a little awkward at the one to one session!
Onto Boxercise, okay, yes, I had my doubts I was maybe the wrong gender for this. But, through all my self doubt I decided to go because, I am a man and am comfortable being a man, even if it involved having to do something, possibly girly, in the pursuit of my weight loss programme, and I like boxing, used to be in a boxing club when I was younger.
Yes, there was one guy there and it was me, okay. 3 Women, one man looking like a spare turnip in a best looking swede competiton. An instructor dressed in camoflauge trousers and a camoflauge vest, and I was sure he had eyeliner on. Still, nevermind, I had enough with my own embarrassment of being looked upon as a potential weirdo freak for attending and also issues of power to weight ratio as I was partnered with a woman who was arguably 1ft smaller and 7stone lighter to box with, my only concern was how to not break her wrists or knock her out. Though, bless her she was game and I gradually found a comfortable level, as opposed to the structure who said I should hit a little harder, which I couldn't really do as I was terrified of doing damage. In the world of mis-matches this was one. It turned out to be more fun than Power circuits and by the end I felt slightly less embarrassed than a man who has walked unknowingly into the ladies toilet or who has weed into a sink because with his sunglasses on indoors he mistook it for a urinal, I have done both, the latter of which my friend did point out to me fairly quickly I have to admit.
So, in summing up, I have begun to shift some of the weight I inadvertantly gained by eating yummy, yummy food. I have discovered that I am the only person who will perhaps attend Power circuits, ever. Boxercise is fun and really works you hard and some women can throw a punch. Always maintain a healthy amount of sceptiscism over an instructor who turns up boyzones 'baby can I hold you tonight' as a warm down track and declares it, his favourite song. Don't go for a ten minute run afterwards as you are likely to feel as though you are running through very thick syrup.
So I found myself last week looking at the Gym noticeboard and seeing an advert for Power Circuits, and Boxercise. Now I intially believed Power circuits would be quite good fun as I remember doing circuits at school at it pretty much killing me, which in this context must be good for weight loss; and the boxercise a complete new one on me. So I found myself at 6pm Friday evening alone in the gallery room with a trainer. Who then spent the next 40 minutes introducing me to circuits and telling me off about how poor my flexibility is, though I have strong legs apparently, and going through various routines listening to the campest possible dance music, which is 'motivational', though I was only motivated to throw it out of the window, really. Yet, bizarrely, I felt better for the workout if at a little awkward at the one to one session!
Onto Boxercise, okay, yes, I had my doubts I was maybe the wrong gender for this. But, through all my self doubt I decided to go because, I am a man and am comfortable being a man, even if it involved having to do something, possibly girly, in the pursuit of my weight loss programme, and I like boxing, used to be in a boxing club when I was younger.
Yes, there was one guy there and it was me, okay. 3 Women, one man looking like a spare turnip in a best looking swede competiton. An instructor dressed in camoflauge trousers and a camoflauge vest, and I was sure he had eyeliner on. Still, nevermind, I had enough with my own embarrassment of being looked upon as a potential weirdo freak for attending and also issues of power to weight ratio as I was partnered with a woman who was arguably 1ft smaller and 7stone lighter to box with, my only concern was how to not break her wrists or knock her out. Though, bless her she was game and I gradually found a comfortable level, as opposed to the structure who said I should hit a little harder, which I couldn't really do as I was terrified of doing damage. In the world of mis-matches this was one. It turned out to be more fun than Power circuits and by the end I felt slightly less embarrassed than a man who has walked unknowingly into the ladies toilet or who has weed into a sink because with his sunglasses on indoors he mistook it for a urinal, I have done both, the latter of which my friend did point out to me fairly quickly I have to admit.
So, in summing up, I have begun to shift some of the weight I inadvertantly gained by eating yummy, yummy food. I have discovered that I am the only person who will perhaps attend Power circuits, ever. Boxercise is fun and really works you hard and some women can throw a punch. Always maintain a healthy amount of sceptiscism over an instructor who turns up boyzones 'baby can I hold you tonight' as a warm down track and declares it, his favourite song. Don't go for a ten minute run afterwards as you are likely to feel as though you are running through very thick syrup.
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