Day 6: Sprawl & Brawl

Hi everyone!

I'm pretty sure a title of Sprawl & Brawl for today's workout is supposed to scare me.

Guess what? Mission accomplished! As I put the dvd in, I realized I had a healthy set of nerves. I started laughing and told myself I'd just do what I could do and survive it.

Should I have been scared?  Ready for the headlines?

Headlines

1. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn't it.  I guess I was thinking... wrestling?
2. Yep, I shoulda been scared.
3. I LOVE punches. :-)
4. I LOVE lunges. LIAR. I hate them.  But, oh, how they work the be-hind.
5. I still struggle with power moves. Why? I'm a powerful chick. Maybe I have a fear of injury?
6. Even a little distracted... this workout kicked my butt and I enjoyed it.

The Scoop

At the time I did this workout, I was still under pre-evacuation notice for the fires in Boulder. I was distracted, stressed, and feeling uncertain about the night as I saw flames from my home office window. (Since then, the evacuation notice has been set aside and I'm incredibly grateful for the reprieve.)

My point is just that I didn't give this workout my best. I came and got it, but didn't attack it. I'm not disappointed though, because I could've blown it off and none of my friends, even the bad-ass ones, would've given me a hard time. So, I'm happy I did it. Look forward to doing it next time with more ferocity.

Bottom line: this workout is fun. And hard. Surprise! S&B challenges me in a new way, as every other workout has to-date. It involves punch rotations, lunge combinations, floor work with plank and bridge, and of course, pushups. There are also power moves. Imagine that.

I've come to accept that I need to get better at power moves as my first priority. Despite hoping they'd go away, they're clearly here to stay. Grrr. Ironically, I actually think they're really cool. I want to do them better. But I'm a little scared I think. Scared of injury, maybe? Scared that I might not be able to do them? Mike makes it look like he's floating on air during these power moves. I must get this right.

The leg-centric power moves will be my first priority. I want to be able to jump up into fight stance from a push-up or other floor work. What I noticed is that Mike's hands leave the ground WELL before his feet hit. I'm a little more "incremental" as I transition. And that's being kind. I will conquer this.

I think my best way to get better here is to do this workout in front of the mirror. I may laugh too much watching myself, but I think I'll learn what keeps me from exploding the way I need to. EXPLODE, Lisa.  Leg explosions first. Arm explosions second.

Memorable Moves

There were some moves that made me seriously groan as I watched how to do them. Maybe it was my mindset, but they seemed so... hard.  Hahaha. Okay, I laugh as I type that. Of COURSE, they're hard. Here are a few of the memorable moves for me.

1- Open hip stretch. I have to give a shout out to the best warm up stretch ever. Standing tall and lifting my knee up and out in a circular motion to stretch the hip is amazing. Love this. Just shared it with my hubby who has hip issues and his face lit up.

2- Bridge/Punch/Punch/Elbow/Elbow.  I know a lot of people hate bridge pose. I love it. With this combination you get into bridge, punch up and over your shoulders, then crunch up and throw your elbows.  I'll say it now: throwing elbows is FUN. I love this combo.

3- Walking planks and plank explosions. Love and hate. You can feel them working. 

4- Jersey Shore: Alternating front and back lunges with punches. Ay yi yi. Ass on fire. I know I don't look anything like the pro's on the program - so uncoordinated - but I got through them. My lunges tend to get higher as I go. Cheater! Must stay doooowwwwnnnn.

5- I was a bit of a hater for pea rolls, dive bombs, and mountain climber tuck-ins. Even the names sound horrible. :) I wouldn't say I really "did" them. I kind of "tried" them. Not an epic fail, but a fail. Next time!

Overall

I love the workout and look forward to doing it when I'm a bit more focused and fierce. I most enjoyed punch combo's and throwing elbows. I like bridge and plank. Lunges... I'm not sure I'll ever love them, but I'm very clear that they work, and therefore I'll do them without complaining <too much> or swearing <too much>.

The best thing about TapouT is that Mike is inspiring and makes it very fun while you're killing it. The second best thing is that the entire group is fit and fantastic and smiling and clearly enjoying the workout. That makes me enjoy it too. I dig it.

Favorite Mike quote today: "What we do to one side... we do to the other."  Which is great except when he's referring to lunges.  :-D

Tomorrow is rest day!  I survived my first week!  Woot!!

More soon,
Lis

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My "real" life beyond TapouT XT:

    Author and Coach: www.soulforbreakfast.com

    Executive Consultant: www.laiventures.com