BOOT CAMP BUTT KICKING!!!!

This is Day 4 of 14 days of continuous planned workouts. After this workout tonight, who know if I will have to call in my rest day tomorrow.

Whew. I kicked BUTT tonight. Or rather, the boot camp session tonight kicked my butt.

Wednesdays are apparently the tough days, with timed circuits and lots of cardio. The group was small tonight, just 5 of us, so it feels like personal training, which is awesome. We started out with warm ups for about 15 minutes, running in place, jumping jacks, squats, easy (ha!) mountain climbers, push ups, etc. etc. We finished the warm up with a run (this is around the block, out the back alley and all the way around the plaza, probably a football field lap) then Jose explained the timed circuit (all to be done as fast as possible):

*25 jumping jacks
*25 push ups (feet or knees)
*25 mountain climbers (each leg, total 50)
*25 squat jumps
*25 box steps (stepping full foot up onto a stacked set of mats, each leg, total 50)
*25 shoulder taps (in a plank on your feet, tapping alternate shoulders, each shoulder, total 50)
*25 side steps (over a line on the mat, jumping side to side, each side, total 50)
*Run a lap

THEN DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN!!! I thought I was going to die. And to do this all as fast as you can.

Well there is one man who comes who is a regular boot camp attendee, and he has harder options like using a medicine ball or longer holds on the planks, etc. The rest of us are teachers, two women about my age, and older woman in her 60's.

I of course knew that Carlos would blow past us all, and I knew I wouldn't come in last, but I wasn't really caring what my time was. Until I began. Then the competitiveness kicked in!

I went through the circuit, then took the lap. Felt like I wanted to collapse when I returned, only to have to start with jumping jacks all over again.  This felt like by far the hardest workout I have had yet. I had to do the pushups on my knees, but I did all of them, both times. The second circuit I had to do the mountain climber option which was on my back, bicycling, but I did them all.

On the last lap, which was really hard, I realized I was coming in second, not that it was a race, but as I came in the back door, Jose told me my time was 12:23. It felt like 20 minutes!! All in all, I think a pretty good time considering the first place guy, Carlos, had a time of 10:50!!

I figured we were DONE. Not so! We took a 2 minute break and then moved right into ladder runs (forward, side to side) and then low hurdles (front, side to side), all timed.

Then ab work with medicine balls ( I was given a 5 lb) and then ab work on the floor.

Kicked my butt. I was dripping sweat like crazy. Had to ice my knees when I got home, but I did it!

Looking forward to only 1 class tomorrow, Body Pump. To which I am approaching this workout with a new focus, a new determination. I am 95% sure that I am going to go for getting my BP certification with LM (freaking out all day and last night, though) and am researching fitness certification through AFAA or ACE.I have sent an email to the Group fitness manager at 24 Hr Fitness to see if they will sponsor me for the training. Haven't heard back yet. Will have to accost her in person tomorrow.


OMG. What in the world am I doing??!!