Pilates: Shake it Off?

Pilates only has one form in my mind, and anything other than that mental picture cannot compare. Let me take you to a video that makes me laugh and leaves me in awe EVERY SINGLE TIME. Please take moment and watch, headphones are not optional, in fact they are completely required for this video.

So I am going to give you a second to recover from this gem hidden in the internet. Pretty neat, huh?Now I realize rewatching this video that it is not pilates, but actually aerobics. Somehow though, maybe its the leg warmers or the strange outfits, this was the image of pilates in my mind. So when I walked into pilates class I had a big surprise when all we did was lay on the floor.

The class begins by grabbing yoga mats from the back and taking off your shoes. Pro tip: put the foam ab work pads under your yoga mat for extra cushion. It feels so much better than the one millimeter thick yoga mat on top of the hard wood floor. You will thank me later! ;)

After that you go through movements similar to yoga with downward dog and cat/cow. (Flashback animal blog...am I right?) After taking one yoga class at the beginning of the semester, I am basically a pro but even if you are not as experienced as I am (jkjk) the instructor will walk the class through it.

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After a yoga type start, the class transitions to abs. We did a lot of the run of the mill ab exercises like crunches but then we started something I had never seen before. Windshield wipers. (Yes, I have seen windshield wipers on a car, but I'm talking about pilates people.) I have long been kept up at night wondering how a part of a car and pilates could come together, but after this I finally knew the answer. It is an ab workout in which your legs are extended and you move them from left to right. Don't be fooled, I suddenly learned how heavy my legs are. It felt like I had bricks attached to  them after just one windshield wiper. Needless to say, my car would not have functional windshield wipers if it were up to my legs.

After abs we moved on to movements that strengthen hip and butt muscles. Not going to lie, those windshield wipers kind of wore me out so this portion of the class was a struggle bus. For some perspective, I was sitting front seat on Struggle Bus Pilates.

Peep me on the struggle bus. Yes that is me. 

This section soon ended and wonderful stretching ended the class. End of class stretching is a common theme in every class that I have taken so far. I would compare it to coming home after a rough day of school to fresh cookies on the counter. Or maybe that feeling  you get when you can finally lay in your bed after having five classes, an exam, and meeting all in one day.

This class was interesting in that you spend a lot of time laying down and minimal time sweating. If you're looking for a relatively easy class (minus the windshield wipers of course!) I would recommend it! Please let me know what you thought of the video and if you would ever try this class! Thanks for reading!

Calorie KILLLAAA

Calorie Killer is where it is at. Seriously, best class so far! It seems to get better and better each week during this fitness experience, or should I say lifestyle? Although last week I had to deal with a bear of a workout, a killer workout was somehow even more enjoyable. What more could you want than some well timed burpees and a shoulder workout that makes your arms quiver?

Courtesy of PicMonkey

This is one class you need to be a little early for. I was admittedly only two minutes early (wow that is basically late) and was almost the last one there. I had to scramble to get the weights and mats. As you have witnessed my weekly struggle of choosing hand weights, this is a class where you can up it a little. For me that means two pounds. Next week I am planning on three pounds, I know I know, big gains over here! Some girls around me may or may not have had ten pound weights.

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After this, you line up and start the warm up which consisted of a lot of jumping jacks. (Throwback to elementary school gym, am I right?) It is an interval workout starting with one minute of cardio and one minute of strength, followed by two minutes of strength and two minutes of cardio, all the way up to five minutes of strength and 5 minutes of strength at the max point. After working out up the hill in time, the rest in down hill decreasing in minutes.

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 One interesting point to make about this workout it that it is one full hour. Not 45 minutes like all the other classes I have taken thus far. Those 15 minutes make quite the difference. My roommate warned me that half way through the class I would be already dead. At minute 29, my muscles confirmed her warning. I got to the half way point and I couldn't believe you only halfway done. Maybe it's a glass half full/half empty type of thing. I probably should have been thrilled that I was halfway done...positve thoughts only from here on out!

Another thought, there's is something strange about watching yourself workout. In this class there are mirrors covering all walls, and the way the class is set up, you have an unobstructed view of yourself the entire time. Making eye contact with my failing body was a unsettling experience. My face saying "what the heck are you doing to me" combined with your muscles screaming "help me, why are you killing me?" It makes one question their own sanity. Deep thoughts within Calorie KILLLA.... man deep thoughts.

 All strange thoughts aside, one great thing about this class is that it will work for all levels. The teacher presents three options for every cardio activity and weight exercise. As a participant, choosing what works for you in the moment makes it much more enjoyable. If a cardio set was too easy, I would bump up to the next level. If my heart rate started to skyrocket and I felt like I was on the verge of a heart attack I brought it down to the easier option. What I love so much about this is that it makes it "your workout," personal to you, and something that can evolve as you become more or less in shape. I would definitely recommend this workout! Let me know if you have every tried Calorie Killer! Thanks for reading!

Barre: Bar, Bear, or Bare...Let Me Know

One word...barre. Many questions. Is it pronounced "bear or bar?" What does it mean? One thought before taking this class was "bare," meaning without exercise equipment and seemingly organic exercise. Another option was "bar," that would include lifting a bar without any weights on it and using it throughout the workout. Neither seemed like my cup of tea, but both seemed better than a "bear" of a workout.

Courtesy of PicMonkey

This is one of the exercises we did. Credit

Well peeps, I'll let you know here and now that I was completely wrong. I am owning up to false preconceived notions. We walk in and there are individual black ballet bars. Each person lines up at a bar, after picking out weights. The haunting indecisiveness of choosing the weights returned to me this week. Everyone was picking up three pound weights, which told me two things. Number one, that whatever we are doing with these weights must be hard if people are only picking up three pounds. Or, number two, everyone must be as weak as me. The first option was definitely the more correct inclination. (I chose three pounds btw, definitely a mistake lol)

Plie...credit

So class starts with one hand on the bar and the other out like a ballerina. We probably did like 1000 plies. (Pronounced pleee-aa) If you don't know what a plie is, see gif on right. First ten minutes flew by, the burn was real, and I was living my childhood fantasy.

When distance runners show off their muscles.
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After this we switched to arms, picking up the weights. To all my runners out there you understand the pain of arm workouts. This turned into a pattern throughout the class: leg workouts were my safe haven and arm workouts were the bane of my existence.

It was after this first arm workout portion that I discovered a surprise in the room across from us. Male ballerinas. Real ballerinas, not wannabes like me. I though I was in the Nutcracker or something. They were twirling and jumping. You had to be there.

Peep the small ball I was talking about...Credit

After legs, arms, and watching male ballerinas, we moved on to pilates. A small ball was used that added a new and interesting element to annoying abs. Honestly, I enjoyed the ab workout, which isn't something I say often.

Seriously friends, this is my favorite class so far! It is difficult, meaning I will be sore tomorrow,  but it is not so hard that it makes you want to die and never come back. (Flashback to Bootcamp Tabata) I feel like it is a toning workout that will make you bikini (or speedo lol trying to be inclusive) ready! Summer here we come! Let me know if you have ever been to Barre or if you would ever consider going. 'Til next week!

Tae Kwon Do or Tae Kwon Don't?

Ever wonder if you could be a master of the dark martial arts? Well, wonder no longer as the newest fitness class in town has you covered. Complete with scenes from the karate kid and accidental slapping of the instructor, this class was quite eventful.

Courtesy of PicMonkey

How we handle vinegar in Chem 113.
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So let me paint the picture of this glorious experience. It 6 pm on a Thursday and I had just finished a 4 hour chem lab. To anyone else who has/had CHEM 111 or 113, you understand the pain, the deep suffering of my least favorite 4 hours of the week. I told my partner that we better rush these experiments because Tae Kwon Do is way more mportant than mixing some drops of acids so strong that you have to wear safety glasses. (Side note: it was literally vinegar, and we were dressed like it was going to kill us any second)

The Tae Kwon Do class started with running drills across the room.  They were all hops but you would point you legs a different direction during each jump. Let me tell you, I don't have the "hops" so I looked for like a flailing rabbit. The newbies and I shared many laughs at our failure.

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A key thing about Tae Kwon Do is the Kiai (気合). It is a sound, more of a shout, made each time you execute a move. Each time you do a new hopping set, you better say a kiai or else you have to do 10 push ups. Honestly, I could barely understand the teacher of the class when he yelled this. It sounded kind of like "KEY-OP" spoken extremely fast. By the end, we were all just saying "IKEA." Who knew dark marital arts and the most difficult brand of furniture to put together would be related. 

After the warm-up ups we moved into learning how to kick. There is a complex method people. As a new white belt myself I do not have the credibility to teach you the right way to kick, so head on over to this class if you're curious.

After becoming a kicking expert, we transitioned into circuit stations. This is where I felt just like the karate kid. We did ladder drills, steppers, kicking off the wall, and kicking combinations into the teacher's mits.  The music, the vibe, everything was a recreation of this clip. 

Finally we moved on to actually fighting. If you know me well enough, then you should know that this is contradictory to my normal day to day lifestyle  We paired up and learned how to defend ourselves from punches from our opponents. (TBH: It is kind of like a cheorgraphed dance of punching.) My friend and I spent the entire time laughing as we pretended to punch each other. Bad idea people... don't ever laugh in Tae Kwon Do.

The teacher saw the laughing as a great opportunity for me to fight him. (While the rest of class watched of course!)  I did my very best, but honestly Tae Kwon Do is not one of my natural talents. He almost accidentally punched me the first round because I forgot to move, I literally stood there smiling as his well defined arm moved straight towards my heart. (Stage fright?) The second time I tried to block him and I ended up slapping his arm. Yep...I would definitely survive a fight. 

Even if the teacher laughed at me, this was my favorite class so far. It was so far out of my element and so different than anything that I have ever done before, that I loved it. I thought about making Tae Kwon Do my new hobby and getting a black belt, but it more of a time commitment than I anticipated. (The average is 3-5 years!) 

Completely recommend this class! Check out this class's Facebook page here!  Let me know if you have ever been to Tae Kwon Do or if you secretly have a black belt.