Balance, Fireman's Carry, and 19-pack Abs

My entire upper body, especially the lats, have been sore all week. And practicing pull-ups with a student after the 8:30am class yesterday made them hurt even more. Thanks for spotting me, Danny!

Luckily when I met with Alhaji today, he totally ignored the pull-up bars. Today we focused on gently testing out my healing achilles and starting to jog. In between easy laps on the grass, we did a variety of resistance band exercises that killed my shoulders and abs. He likes to mess with the band while you're pulling it, which forces you to concentrate and balance.

At one point I was squatting while holding this bar attached to a resistance band and started to lose my balance. It occurred to me that if I let go of the bar it would whiplash back at him and probably smack him in the face. So I hung on to it desperately and ended up toppling over while still clinging to the bar. Pretty sure it looked like a humanoid version of cow tipping. Not that anyone was watching. It's the Marina green. No one works out there.

I'm finally starting to appreciate just how important balance is. As a person who has lived with clumsiness her entire life, I've become accustomed to constant bruises and minor accidents. But the more I work on agility, coordination, balance, posture, other mind-body awareness skills, the more respect I have for their benefits.

During our workout, we started chatting with a dude nearby who is preparing to enter the Marine Corps in October. Alhaji made him carry me across the field in a fireman's carry (see photo below for example), which was great! Then he made him carry him across the field. The poor guy was struggling. I like outdoor workouts that incorporate elements from the surrounding environment. Like future Marines.

Today we also did a lot of abs, since apparently one of my goals is to have a 19-pack. There was lots of sitting on my ass with my feet up off the ground while a 12 lb. medicine ball was being flung at me from different directions. I kept trying to nail Alhaji in the face with it, but my dead arms could barely manage a weak little toss most of the time.

Another nearly impossible exercise for me is when you hang from a bar and lift your legs straight up in front of you. Since I want to be able to do pull-ups with my legs in the L-shape, it's an obvious intermediary step. My legs are starting to grasp the concept, but so far their execution is laughable.

Another challenge I've discovered: my girly hands. Don't be mistaken, they're anything but dainty. I didn't earn the nickname "Alien Fingers" for nothing. I have freakishly long fingers and strong hands, but apparently the delicate palm skin of a newborn. Long before my arms or shoulders give out, my hands throw up the white flag. I'm assuming they'll toughen up soon enough though. I've already got some baby calluses forming. And one big fat blister. Hot.

Alhaji also gave me a new directive today, which I shall attempt to follow: I can only drink one night per week. Yikes, that's going to be a tough one. But I am serious about training, so I may as well do it right, right? Cheers!