I had additional inspiration for this extra effort from this girl that annoyed me at my Dailey Method barre class earlier in the week. Now, I haven't yet been to any other barre method classes yet, but you hear things about comparisons from talking with people who have. A guest at our class and I were talking about the differences, mainly with Pure Barre. I said that I had heard Pure Barre was faster-paced, more movements for shorter amounts of time, but that I like Dailey Method because it allows me to focus on proper alignment, targeting and fatiguing the muscles that I am supposed to be working. In comes this girl, head-to-toe in Lulu, a bit overweight, but an "avid" barre attender and "fitness aficionado." She adds that Pure Barre is "WAY harder" and "I only come to this when I want a break." We all know that girl - some of you may even be that girl. My first thought was why are you paying so much for a half-assed workout that takes the same amount of time and money as one you find harder. My second thought was if anything is harder than Dailey Method I would not live through it. Then finally, I recognized that the difficulty in Dailey Method comes from how difficult you make it for yourself and how hard you work, not how hard it works you. And so, I was not surprised when that girl was corrected throughout class for her form, which was just simply not going to work her muscles unless she corrected it.
So there I was in zumba, thinking about this girl and how I was going to make this stupid zumba class work for me, when I realized that it all comes down to the age-old idiom "You Get What You Give." Of course, this applies not just to fitness, but to all aspects of your life. I know full well when I have half-assed a workout. Some days I just don't care and go through the movements without full commitment; I don't pat myself on the back and go get an oreo milkshake afterwards. I recognize that I didn't maximize my workout (wasting both my time and money), forgive myself and maybe get fro-yo instead. It does not matter how many different workout classes you go to, you are not going to get a good workout unless you put in the effort yourself - an instructor cannot crawl inside your body and workout for you, weights are not going to make you stronger just because you picked one up. Moreover, if you show up to a workout class in head-to-toe Lululemon, give zero effort, keep your blowout and makeup intact, and boast about how fit you are, then I have news for you, you are that girl and I am not only judging you, but am also writing about you.
Here are some of my ideas on how to amp up your workout, please share any tricks you use:
- For keeping your heart rate up:
- Keep moving during rests
- Use your arms
- Change up your levels - do right & left of a movement low then the next right & left up
- Add elevation through hops and jumps where you can
- Consciously engage your muscles during movements instead of just going through the motions. For example, if you are doing high knees, think about your abdominal muscles engaging to pull your knee up and challenge yourself to feel them engage with every movement
- During static holds, keep holding just a second or two longer past when you're told to come down
- LISTEN to your instructor and ask questions if you don't understand to ensure that you are doing the movement correctly and working the correct muscles
- Increase the difficulty of your movement. Almost all movements have a way that you can make it harder. Do full push-ups instead of push-ups on your knees or add mountain climbers to a static plank.
- Resist the urge to let your mind wander to the tasks of the day; take those thoughts and energy and put it all into increasing the effectiveness of whatever movement you are doing.
Is it okay to wear dirty gym clothes a second time?
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