Body Pump @ 7am

I took my first Body Pump class this past Saturday.  I was nervous about taking it because I had heard it was super intense and was worried I wouldn't be able to keep up.  It has been 2 months since I joined the gym and I started taking things slowly as to not injure myself.  I finally felt that I was at a point where I could try the class out and see if I could hack it.  BP is offered Monday-Saturday at my gym, in the morning on some days (Tues & Thurs), in the evening on other days (M,W,F) and around lunch time on Saturday.  I figured Saturday would be the best day to go as it is typically more relaxed in the classes (not as many people go, no pressure to get to work after class or get home late, etc.).  

So what did I think about the class?  It is awesome (and intense)!  I was molida (beat) after the hour-long class, in a totally great way though!  But the great thing is that you do only what your body can handle.  The idea is to start with low weight (especially if you are a beginner to lifting weights) because the class is high repetitions and to make sure you get the technique down before adding on weight.  That is seriously an important part of the whole thing--you want to have good form and be able to complete all the reps before adding weight to not injure yourself.  I started with the bar and 1.25kg weights on each side for all but one of the tracks.  For the squat track, I upped the weight to 2.5kg on each side.  My whole body was shaking after class.  I took extra time to stretch out since the cool down is only 1 song long.  But I felt great, even with all the shaking.  I didn't feel like I had overdone it, but I definitely knew that I was going to be sore the next few days.

I decided upon finishing the class that this class is for me and I plan to take it 3 times a week if at all possible.  You have to give you body at least 1 full day of rest (from lifting weights) in between classes so for me, it works best to go Tues-Thur-Sat.  And that is just what I have done this week.  My Tues-Thurs. class is at 7am.  That is EARLY, but so far so good.  Today I finished my 3rd class (using the same weights as I mentioned above) and I feel like on some of the tracks I could add more weight (back and squats) whereas on the other tracks I am still struggling with the minimum (like lunges for example).  I plan to continue with the same weights this Saturday and maybe next Tues. I'll up for the back and squats and see how I do.  I really prefer to go slowly and let my body adjust it self as my muscles and stamina increase.

Next Monday I'm headed to see a Nutriologo (doctor of nutrition) at MEDS to get an evaluation of my health, body fat, etc.  The gym does a free monthly evaluation and sets you up on a "program", but I'd like a more thorough evaluation from the doctor.  Hopefully they will send me for a blood test to check the levels of my cholesterol and all those other indicators so that I can return in a few months and see how they have *hopefully* improved.  We took one of these tests in my nutrition class in college and it was awesome.  We had to track our food and exercise for a few weeks and figure out if we were eating enough calories, as well as if we were getting all the nutrients that our bodies needed.  I loved that class and wish I had my notes with me to start using them again.  I'll have to check my hard drive to see if I have a digital version!

~Tyffanie