Friday, January 21, 2011

TRX - All The Cool Kids Are Doing It.

 
Greeting from the deep frozen tundra of New England. The land of puffy coats, my circa 1999 J Crew flannel lined chinos I will NEVER retire, SmartWool sox and macaroni and cheese.

 January is the toughest month (in my book anyway)
 Boston is in daily gridlock now due to the amount of snow we've gotten with no place to put it. It's dark or some shade of gray pretty much daily and we are all  zombie-like strolling around anemically pallid.     If you live here, certainly you've learned the ice walk shuffle.   If not, this is imperative especially after a snowfall that turns into rain and freezes and then another inch of snow falls on top concealing the ice as it lay underneath snickering just waiting for it's next victim.

I'm trying to keep a pleasant outlook  while not  becoming too doughy in the sheer laziness the month of January tends bring. So I thought to myself what better way to start off  2011 then to get thy self  into  injury free/prevention shape in a new and innovative way.
Remember my goal?  I shall refresh you: To be injury free for 2011. 

I had read about TRX  from my blog roll list and decided to purchase it myself after it intrigued me.  I couldn't wait to get it yet it sat there in the box FOR MONTHS collecting  dust completely unopened.  I was too intimated/lazy to get it up and running and watch the dvd on how to use it so there it sat. Finally I did some searching and found a top notch pilates studio that offered classes in TRX training in Brookline MA

Perfect I thought.  I'll just go and swing around on those pretty yellow ballistic nylon straps with the handles and learn how to use it.  How hard can it be? I'm a faithful Vinysa Power Yogi and I was certain I must be in good "core" shape by now, right?

Wrong.
Oh so Wrong.

I've taken 10 (2x week for a SOLID hour of work) and I'm still "meat tenderized" every time I go.  I'm sure this will change very soon, but the 6:30 AM class time is not popular and far more than not, I end up as the only torture subject with the instructor.
MD (that's his name, I'm not using initials) stands over me and pretty much beats me to a pulp via those swinging fun yellow ballistic nylon straps so innocently hanging from the studio ceiling.

Meet six pack.. I mean MD...... my TRX Drill Sargent.

MD Stovalli

This is by far the toughest  core/strength and conditioning regimen I have ever experienced and I can tell
you one thing, there is no SLACKING in this class. It's one set to the next set to the next with little or no
time in between unless I start whining and look like I'm going to cry. ( I use this technique as often as possible)
I sweat while I swear and after one hour, I am reduced to  fettuccine noodle status.
no, I'm not looking for a dropped contact lens, I am doing Mountain Climber. My legs and my feet are not touching the floor, but they WANT to.  Burn baby burn.

I am subjected to 40 lunges on each leg but not without a few choice swear words and general TGP complaining.
This is MD again. Basically you get the jest.  He's telling me to put the camera DOWN and stop playing around. We have work to do.  eeeeeeeeks.

I am ever so grateful for the individual (a$$ whipping) attention MD has hammered me with as I would NEVER work as hard as I am on my own. Next week starts my next round of 2 classes a week and I'm
well on my way to one strong set of hips, back, core and more than enough muscles I hadn't even known
existed. 

You can check out the studio I go to here
and more about MD and his pit bull rescue, Scooby and Friends here