Musings from the Weight Room

Okay, I'm not literally writing this from the weight room*.  But I have been back in the weight room twice a week for four weeks now.  I'm lucky. I've had two friends ask me to join them in their workouts, so it gets me there on a regular basis.

Anyway, because of this increased weight room related activity, my limbs have been a'quiverin' a whole lot more lately and I just thought you needed to know**. Also, I have some random thoughts from my time in the weight room that I'd like to share.

• I judge a good upper body workout by how hard it is to take my shirt off over my head afterwards.  I'm pleased to say that more than once I've been actually worried I might have to skip the shower and wear a sweaty shirt*** to work, because my arms were so jello-y.

• My Fitness Pal, the app I've been using to track calories for a couple of weeks now, does not give any "credit" for weight room activities. This is an outrage. I am sweatier and breathing harder during these sessions than I ever am by myself.

• Workouts are better with a team.  Not only would I probably just skip without my friends, but while we're there, we encourage each other.  And since I'm (ginormously) farther behind them on the fitness scale, they help me out.  For instance I can't do a pull-up on the assisted pull up machine, even with the full assistance of the machine. So one of my friends lightly supports the bench my knees**** are on as I do the pull up and the other stands there and encourages me.  

 I'm no expert, but from what I've read, a strength training routine is important, not just for being big and muscley (if that's your thing) but for being fit.  I feel like a lot of people do cardio regularly, but not very many people are in the weight room or lifting weights at home.  I understand. For me, in the past, weight lifting has been the first thing to go out the window when I get busy, but like I said, I'm lucky this time around. I can't wait to see what a difference it makes to my body. Once I stop feeling like Jello, anyway.

Do you do any weight lifting or strength training?  If not, why not?

*I'm writing this from the complete opposite of the weight room. I'm crashed out on my bed because I am so exhausted from when I was in the weight room this morning, many, many hours ago.

**Why do you need to know? I don't have any idea.  It's part of what makes being a blogger so weird. I plan to write a full post on this topic someday. Stay tuned. It will be called "Blogging is so weird."

***I have not yet had to do this. My co-workers are surely grateful.

**** Partially, this makes me feel bad.  I mean, even with the full assistance of the machine, I can't do a pull-up???!??!! But without them being there, I wouldn't do it at all.  I know that I've got to start somewhere in order to improve. And think what a great story it will be when I've moved from full assistance and a hand to only some assistance and no hands!  So great.