It's been more than two full weeks since I've taught a BodyPump class. I swear it feels like a month! So imagine the thrill I got tonight when I "guest" taught the warm up in my class taught by Deb! I had taken a Boot Camp class right befor mine and to see the looks of my members outside the GX room as I ran, pushed, burpeed, side stepped, hovered, etc. was classic! I had told Deb I would stay and do the warm up with a light bar just to see how it felt again before I jump back in this weekend. Instead she asked if I wanted to teach it and so I strapped on the mic and it was such a thrill to be in front of my participants again! I was greeted with smiles and I had a blast! No pain with the bar, but I was wiped out from an hour of a beating with Andre. Plus I had spent time in the afternoon at school practicing CXWORX......so I'm pretty well toasted.
Yes, I've decided to add a second format. Les Mills CXWORX, a 30 minute core strengthening class. The difference between preparing for this one and preparing for my initial BodyPump training? Light years apart! With BodyPump I basically didn't have to prepare, other than take BP before and rest for a couple of days prior to the training. I didn't have my release to practice and I received my tracks there. It was a 3 day training. With CXWORX, its a 2 day training, I've had my release for a week, have to know all 6 tracks 100% and be prepared to present one of them, which I won't be given until the first day. I also have to layer in the coaching, which is every different from BP. So I've been working HARD. Every single day. None of this resting a day in between. It's very intense, and in only a week I feel stronger in my core, my glutes and back. But it is the most challenging thing I've undertaken so far. In a good way. I've planned out on my calendar which tracks I'll learn each day, when I'll use music and notes and then music only. I've made Amanda do it with me and today after my grade level meeting, had all three kinder teachers on the floor of my classroom doing most of the tracks! That's when I realized how challenging it is to teach this program. I'm fine if I don't have to open my mouth and speak!
I'm also doing more cardio work than I have done since the half marathon. Spin classes, elliptical, running, and boot camp. While I love teaching BP with a passion, being injured has shown me how important it is to balance my own workouts and find time for my own fitness. Yes, I've known this all along. But when you are faced with the knowledge that you can't work out a certain way, you adapt. You don't stop, although I did rest and I still am taking care of myself - seeing my chiropractor, twice weekly massages and stretching/icing/heating daily. I am truly enjoying taking time for myself, which I have neglected to do with any regularity. I aim to keep it up once I add my classes back in.
My plan is to teach at PAC this Saturday and 24HF on Sunday. I'm excited to get back to it, and work these muscles before they go to mush. Even though it's time to mix up my playlists, I only got to teach BP81 twice before I went out so my poor members will have it this next week so I can continue to concentrate on my CXWORX preparation before training. I have 3 classes to teach and will probably sub next Thursday out to Deb to give myself time to recover and prepare for CX.
I am really loving this program. I've downloaded the manual to review and the research that has gone into this program with relation to the core muscles and how they all work is fascinating. While I realize I am not at the peak of my fitness, and it's a struggle to get through the class, it is going to make me a better instructor and I'm going to get more fit as I continue to train for it. I have most of the choreography down but am struggling with what happens when I open my mouth! That's my focus for the next week. I'll have the chorey nailed by this weekend, am getting together to practice on Sunday and Thursday with two other instructors who are going through the training to work on the coaching and cueing. By coming into the training weekend with the release already memorized and learned, I imagine we will focus a great deal on form and technique, so it is promising to be a very challenging weekend, more challenging than anything I've done yet on this journey of mine.
I'm ready. I will ROCK it. At the end, I'll collapse in a sweaty heap ;-)
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