Thursday Torture

Thursdays are cardio days with TrainerGuy, and I really do feel sorry for him.

I. Hate. Cardio.

I hated cardio as a morbidly obese person, and I hate cardio as an overweight person. I'm pretty sure I'll hate cardio as a healthy person. LOL

Wait, let me clarify that. I don't hate ALL cardio ... I love Zumba, Spin, and step aerobics. But toiling away on an elliptical or treadmill ... I hate that. It's not fun.

So back to feeling sorry for TrainerGuy - I'm typically a happy person, always smiling and cheerful. Except for 5:55am on Thursday mornings. Thursday mornings find me pretty crabby. The alarm goes off and I curse under my breath, "I hate #)($#* cardio days." But I get up, brush my teeth, eat breakfast, prepare my lunch, and get my butt out of the house and off to the gym.

TrainerGuy greets me with a smile, and gets a grunt and a grimace in return. LOL The first 75% of my cardio workout is pretty awful. I'm grouchy, and it hurts, and I hate it, but I do it. TrainerGuy smiles and laughs and chit chats away and completely ignores the mutterings coming out of my mouth. He happily increases the tension and encourages me to go faster, harder, longer ... I curse and mutter and complain, but I do what he asks, to the best of my ability.

And then, miraculously, after 15 mins or so, the sun breaks through the clouds, the angels begin to sing, and I suddenly smile. I participate in his conversation, albeit between gasps and heaving lungfuls of air. Before I know it, TrainerGuy is coaching me through my final sprint, and my Thursday torture session is done. As TrainerGuy leads me off to a really good stretching session, we joke at how schzio I am on Thursday mornings.

...

Today's torture session was something new, and consisted of the following performed on an elliptical machine:

5 min warm-up to get to 145 bpm

1 min sprint @ 8.0
5 sec slowdown
30 seconds backwards as fast as I can
5 sec slowdown
*repeat 7 times

then ...

1 min sprint as fast as I can
5 sec slowdown
1 min backwards as fast as I can
5 sec slowdown
30 seconds recovery
*repeat 5 times

5 min easy recovery @ 6.0

I think TrainerGuy put this new program together to combat the grouchy Michelle because with all the switches from forward to backward to sprint to recovery really didn't give me much time to wallow in my usual Thursday pity party. I think he's onto something! I actually didn't completely hate my cardio today. LOL

I'll be back later tonite to update on today's food, but it's gonna be a 100% on-plan day, I guarantee it!

xo


"It's so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to." Annie Gottlier

4 comments:

Amy said...

Hi Michelle! I'm so glad you found my blog, too, because it brought me to yours! Girl, you've met your soul sister w/ regards to hating cardio. Lifting I Love!! Cardio, well, I do it only to burn off the fat & I really only do HIIT. If cardio is necessary to burn fat, then I want to make it count *wink* I also have to tell you how impressed I am w/ your fitness success so far. 90 lbs is down right incredible. Keep at it girl, you deserve it!
*Hugs*
Amy

Tigerlilly said...

People who like cardio, even a little bit, are freaks!! LOL

You can call me freaky!

Glad you had a good workout this morning. Hope your day is just as good...

Sagan said...

Hehe, it's funny the way we can just hate something- and then sometimes all the sudden it just clicks and WORKS.

lisah said...

I am so glad your back!

Copyright © 2009 - Secrets of a Former Fat Girl - is proudly powered by Blogger