It all began with my first workout and the Leg Press. It was love at first move; even with no weight on my first attempt I just knew that the Leg Press and I would have a long lasting relationship.
My second or third workout I didn’t really know what I was doing and wondered why the workout seemed so much harder than the first time I attempted it. We’ll I REALLY had no idea what I was doing to begin with. Once I’d finished my three sets of Leg Press superset (followed one after another) with a Toe Press on the Leg Press machine, I discovered that someone had left their weight on the machine prior to me getting on it. (Note: Be cool, put your weights away. Second Note: Told you I was oblivious at the gym). If I remember rightly it was just the one 20kg plate that was left on the machine but it made me feel strong and I have been slowly increasing the weight ever since.
Ever since that first workout I have had a few love affairs with different equipment and moves, all of which I still love just as much as when I first tried them. Go on, give some of them a go – you never know, it may be the beginning of your love affair with the move 😉
Hack Squat – The hack squat was on one of my more recent plans when I was still in Wanganui and is similar to the Leg Press but as they say in Thailand ‘same same but different’, except it actually is different. I am a bit sick and twisted in that I like to do this movement quite slowly and feel the burn of my muscles working hard. Note – this is harder than the leg press and I could only use about half the weight I do on the Leg Press. There isn’t a hack squat machine at my gym in Auckland which makes me sad, although there is a leg press which is about as close as you’d get to a hack squat for a leg press.
Kettle bell Swing – I think I saw this one when I was surfing the web one day and read that it was a full body workout so thought it would be nice to add it to a workout. This is hard, but a good hard and you will definitely feel it the next day if it’s a movement that isn’t natural to you. Give it a try, dare you 😉
Kettle bell One Arm Swing – This one stemmed from the Kettle Bell swing, one day I saw a couple of guys I used to go to school with (who, as I found out later, do cross fit) doing this and I HAD to try it. I gave it a try and saw it wasn’t as complicated as it looks. Start with a nice easy Kettle bell and work your way up. I started with a 4kg and am now throwing around a 12kg Kettle Bell with one arm (which makes me feel strong!).
Tricep Rope Pushdown – This has been a bit of a love / hate relationship. I love that I can feel my triceps working whenever I do this exercise. However I do struggle with it as I have been moving up with the weight which is where the hate part of the relationship comes in. It is a good hate though, I love the feeling of finishing a workout that is testing you.
Weighted Squat – This is your typical squat that you will see a lot of the guys in the gym doing, squat with a barbell on your back (or your front, but I can’t master this!). I have been progressing quite nicely in this if I do say so myself. I graduated to the ‘big boy bar’ (Olympic bar) which is 20kg over the past few weeks and have (as at the date of writing this post) managed to squat a total of 40kg (including the bar). Baby steps, my first milestone will be squatting the equivalent of my body weight 😉
Deadlift – This was on one of my last plans at the gym in Wanganui and I didn’t really like it the first time I tried it, my back felt tight and I was sore the next day. After giving it a go a few times I begun to have a bit of a soft spot for the deadlift and now really enjoy it and like the weighted squat I have graduated to the Olympic Bar, woohoo!
Stepper Machine – I wouldn’t go as far as saying I have a love affair with the stepper machine however as far as cardio inside the gym (not a fan!) goes, it is my favourite by far. I enjoying chucking it on random and stepping it out. Bonus is that it’s really easy to use, 10 minutes is plenty to work up a healthy sweat and no one ever seems to be on it 😉
Are there any exercises you absolutely love, or hate?
I hate squats, (and I am terrible at them – go figure) but they are necessary to get stronger so I do them at least 2-3 times a week.
I LOVE deadlifts!!! (Maybe because I’m somehow good at them?) I have them programmed for Thursday, yay!! Deadlifts are also awesome for grip strength and cleans (pulling power/strength)
Funny how some people love an exercise and others hate them! Heavy Squats are a bit of a novelty for me still since I haven’t been doing them that long. Same with the deadlift! I always have my squat/deadlift day on the weekend when the gym is quieter so I can spend a long time in the squat rack and not annoy people 🙂