Monday, February 15, 2010

Sweet Spot

I've made it through my first year of the gym, albeit with a few more days of breaks than I would have liked - damned old man back!

It's not really my first year at the gym, but for this go-round and this particular gym it is. And it has been definitely the most consistent I have been about going about this exercise routine thingy.

So, I think my routine will stick. Normally, I would have given up long ago, but I've been pretty good about being there at the very least, three days per week and at my most obsessive, six. Normally it is 4-5, not including double days when I do yoga.

I am starting back to yoga this upcoming week. I'll have had a few PT sessions under my belt and I won't do anything that bends/folds that back, only stuff that stretches it in a good way.

Missing Spin has been my hardship. I didn't realize how much I would miss it, but it's been almost a month since my last session - that two hour SpinFest. I ran into (cute) Andy, the Spin instructor, in the gym over the weekend and he'd asked where I'd been (he notices me!!! ...and has been tracking my non-whereabouts!!!!). I told him it'd be another 2-3 weeks before I can think about coming back. {sigh}

So on a year to the date I started back at the gym, the irony was not lost on me when some wisp of a guy asked me to spot him as he went to bench his body weight. Me!

Since no one has ever asked me to spot (nor have I asked anyone), I was not aware if there are protocols on how, or how not, to do this. As I stood over him, was I supposed to give him words of encouragement to do at least one more rep? Was I just supposed to wait for his verbal signs to help him with the bar? Was I supposed to really help with the bar at all?

Of course, I got a little distracted by his fingerless weight lifting gloves. This is a piece of equipment I do not have, nor seemingly have the need for. But this guy had little "silver" studs all over them, making them look less for the weight room as much as gear for a some fan at a hair band concert, circa 1985. You could see why I was distracted.

On his last rep he struggled and I went down to touch the bar but not take it from him unless I felt he really needed that assistance. It all seemed to work out, but who knows if any procedure was breached. Not me, that's for sure.


Song by: Emmylou Harris & Linda Ronstadt

3 comments:

Larry Ohio said...

I'm pretty sure you didn't do the spotting correctly. Although I've never spotted anyone either, I've seen it done on video many times.

It usually involves two hot guys and an absence of clothing. You should try harder next time and maybe you'll get it right. :-)

tornwordo said...

So what have you noticed in terms of changes to the bod since last year? I'm happy just to maintain these days.

Blobby said...

My stamina is better, my lung capacity is better. My upper arms have more strength and firmer, if not a little bigger. My abs are firmer - or as someone at my work said "hey, you got rid of your tire!".