A Geek Goes to the Gym!

Remember how I was all "working out is dumb, but I'm going to do it!" and came up with a whole plan for a combination of biking (and playing video games), rowing (and watching movies), and doing kickboxing what-not to feel like Chuck Norris?

Yeah. About that...

I got so bored. I ran out of movies (not sure how that happened), apparently am not that into video games right now (*gasp!*) and am too tired for kickboxing. Bleh. Lazy. So now my bike is sitting at my parent's house going unused. My rowing machine is hid away in the closet, and I may or may not have "accidentally" thrown away the kickboxing routine I had at one point really liked...

But...there is hope...

Again.

I joined a gym!


Uh, what?! I'm a geek, I wear glasses, I have the upper body strength of a T-Rex (whatever that means...but really. I once had friends question whether I could successfully carry a pair of men's jeans and a leather jacket up a flight of stairs. Ouch.) and the coordination of...an un-coordinated... person... (I can't think of an example. But I have been known to "forget" how to even walk up stairs. I was apparently over-thinking it.) And the gym is like where buff people go to feel buff with their other buff friends. It's like a 24/7 comic-con for the athletically-inclined.



So what was I thinking???

Well. First off, the post-collegiate nerd version of me was really starting to miss taking classes. Of any kind. I can't afford (and have no need) to go back to graduate school at this point. But I was getting desperate to be feel like a student again... So I was like "man, work out classes are still classes. it's just like taking PE classes...advanced PE classes...but still" (I don't know how this wasn't an indication that I needed to rethink this...as I never really enjoyed PE much.) And so I tried a pretty popular mid-west kickboxing chain for an "power-hour" of HELL.

I hated it. It was everything you ever hear about when an unfit person goes to the gym. They were yelling at "me" (not me, but the whole group of people which at that moment I belonged to), and I couldn't breathe. I was getting lapped by everyone when we ran, and there was A LOT of running. I've never felt so out of shape before... It was actually supposed to be boxing, but they kept having us kick the heavy bag. I even was supposed to knee it at one point, which I immediately regretted...There was no "go at your own pace" or instructions. NOTHING...I'm not going to lie, people. The only reason I didn't walk out the door in the middle of it, was pure pride. I didn't want the people to know that I knew that I didn't belong...

I've confirmed this- there were a lot of mirrors at the gym...

Seriously. My only consolation, as I'm being lapped for the fifth time by my "peers", was remember what I overheard as I was filling out paperwork...Apparently it was an ACT Saturday and someone the instructors knew was taking the test that morning. The instructor for my class was going on about how his teachers in high school told him to "just guess" and he ultimately got an abysmal score...So my only focus and drive for not breaking down and crying in a pool of self-pity, was "omg, I got a way better score on my ACT than this guy who is yelling at me right now...I can do this!" ...And ultimately, I did. I survived. I was all pure adrenaline rush. My face was crazy red. I was so sore I could barely walk for a couple days...But I did it.

And then, naturally, I didn't want to do it again.

So, what next? I didn't want to give up on my goals, and I still really wanted to take classes...

I found a small gym. I think it was once a auto-repair place. It's in one of the those row of shops (I call 'em strip-malls, but I find a lot of people think that means something else entirely...lolz) in an older part of town and has garage doors as it's entrance. I had no idea what to expect when I went to their orientation class, and after my previous experience I was super nervous...

But it was amazing! It's apparently Muay Thai kickboxing, which is super cool (means something like "the art of 8 limbs" or something awesome like that). It uses muay thai pads for most of the workout- so it's partner based, and definitely go at your own pace. There is very little heavy bag work, which I learned that heavy bags are only supposed to be used for a very specific part of kickboxing (I'm thinking the boxing portion...) and there is certainly no kicking or knee-ing the heavy bag (yay!). In the orientation alone I learned all the main kicking, punching, elbowing, and kneeing moves, stances, and fun facts about self-defense (bonus!). PLUS, the instructor heard my plight with the other place, and assured me there is nothing they do at their gyms that one could not do on their own, without the expensive membership. Although he did say that kickboxing the air and stuff, like you see in workout magazines etc., is actually really harmful for your joints, and won't really deliver much results...Good to know!

Not any more! I've got this!

I guess the moral of the story is that yes- if you are a geek, going to a gym can totally suck. But the good news is that if you find a group of people that are passionate and educated about what they are doing, then they can totally be a great resource and place to start. Not all gyms are created equal!

HIYAH!!!

BeetHats