Bootcamp: Day 20 -- the One Day Late Post

With a plane to catch at noon and a bunch of errands to run in between, I actually made it to the 6:30am class yesterday. On the plus side, it was still dark when I left the house, which I get some twisted enjoyment from, but seriously, it was deathly early.

I didn't know anyone in the class, but I had seen some of them before. One of the girls was the one who I had seen doing the bear crawl with a tire on her butt back on Day 12. She is no joke-- never looks like she breaks a sweat.

So we did the usual warm-up, laps, jumping jacks, lunges, star jumpers and partner sit-ups in the tire (100). Then we broke into two groups for circuit training on the obstacle course.

We did one obstacle, then an Alex-prescribed exercise in between. A set of hurdles then 25 jumping squat thrusts. The walls then 25 push-ups on the tire. The monkey bars (which for me means hanging from the first one wondering how people motor across these things until my hands hurt) then 25 squat presses (with the tire. Damn!)

The obstacle that killed me the most was the Intensity Wall-- a wall about 8-10' high with a knotted rope hanging down. You're supposed to use the rope to help you while you climb up with your feet then hurl yourself over the top. The front of the walls are covered with a thin layer of fine sandpaper, which usually helps give your sneakers some traction and get you up the wall. The first time I did this back on Day 1, it was tough, but I managed. This time, though, I couldn't get up! Finally, the Bear-Crawl-Tire-Butt girl ran up behind me and said she was going to help. Realizing this was the only way I was going to make it over, I accepted. Next thing I know, she is literally shoving me up the wall by my butt. In other situations, this may have been viewed as humiliating or just plain weird, but I was grateful for the butt shove.

Then we moved on to Reuben for another circuit round involving weights and the insane "V Crunches" (lying flat, lift your arms and legs at the same time until you're a human V).

6:30 was a tough class. But as we were finishing up, I noticed that there were only boys in the 7:30, so I was glad I was already done!!