Joined a gym

For the first time in my newfound healthy life, I have joined a gym!

I haven't been in a gym since losing 35 lbs and embracing a fit lifestyle. I've just kind of been doing things on my own. But it's something I've been wanting to do for awhile now. I feel there are certain things I can't accomplish at home, and that a gym has the things I need to take my training to the next level. And in my own pursuit of knowledge I want to be familiar with a gym again, having not been in one for so long.

So the plan is to go with my husband on Monday nights, then go by myself 1-2 more times each week. He was a gym rat before his surgeries. He spent 2-3 hours in the gym every day during the year he was in South Korea as a way to pass the time. So he can show me all the crazy lifting techniques currently not known to me!

We went last night and got me all signed up. Gold's Gym in Augusta on Bobby Jones - the main reason I chose it is because a coworker told me they have a CLIMBING ROPE!!! I got the $20 a month membership so I can bring my husband as a guest, since he's not going to be going often enough to make a membership worth it for him. I can also go to the Gold's on Walton Way and take classes if I want. Not currently interested but who knows, maybe I'll want to do a yoga class or a bootcamp. Good to have that option open to me.

We warmed up on the rowing machine - it's a good one. Then we went over to this series of bars - there were all different kinds of angled bars, pull up bars, step ups, etc. It kind of looked like playground equipment. You could stretch on them or use them to do things like push ups, dips, pullups, etc.

Of course we did the climbing rope. They have both knotted and un knotted. I actually found the unknotted one easier. I was able to get about 1/4 of the way up. It's gonna take alot of practice but I will make those ropes my bitch. I'm tired of failing rope climbs at races, and with the SuperBeast a few months away I would really love to not do all those burpees.

Then we did some various lifting. He helped me with a few things I wanted to try like deadlifts and back squats. He had some trouble figuring out what I was capable of lifting. First he sets me up with a 90 lb deadlift (um, NO!!!) then he goes and grabs 10lb weights for some flys? I did impress him with my abilities a few times though. My favorite was when he set me up with a medicine ball for push ups - got in push up position with my toes on the ball. After doing 5 he started to say "Good job" but I pushed out 10!

Oh - how could I forget this??? I kept on having wardrobe malfunctions. I have the Under Armor Protegee sports bra - it's the zip up kind, a necessity for a big chested and broad shouldered person like me. I can't get a normal sports bra over my head and arms. Well the zipper kept popping open! It happened like 3 times! I kept having to run to the locker room to fix it. This has never happened to me before. I hope it doesn't continue to happen or I might have to find another kind of sports bra.

We were there for a long time just kind of going through stuff. He checked my form through everything and he said it was pretty good in most cases. I'm really trying to make sure my form is right. Nothing we did was overly intense, it was slow paced and educational. I like it! I think we're gonna go back this weekend.