Saturday, May 30, 2009

Shockley's Ceiling

Had bootcamp last night. Sergeant ordered 50 of the sadistic squats that seared my thighs. To her credit she'd rather us do the exercise with the proper form even if that means some of us would only do half. She wants a quality squat leading to quality burn. She even threatened us with extra if just one of use performed it incorrectly. Then we did push-ups. 20 sets of 20 second intervals with 10 seconds of rest. I like to do man push-ups just to prove that I can, but in this case my man form carried me for...um...10 seconds. I switched to femine style. Which lead me to the title of this entry. The why of my quest for toned arms and strong thighs: Rock Climbing.

I am majorly, totally, butt-crazy in love with Rock Climbing. I jumped out of a plane twice. I rafted Class 4 rapids. I hiked with the Jaguars. But nothing is more interesting and fun than Rock Climbing. The sport combines style, strength, and science while forcing one to conquer their fears like falling and spiders. However, it's an expensive proposition for a city-girl: two hour drive, rental car, guide. I went up to the The Gunks about two weeks ago. We did a chimney route, Shockley's Ceiling. Hoisting myself over the overhang proved to be a problem. I tried three times, only making it halfway. With my biceps quivering like jello, I conceded to the rock and asked for an assist. My only thought as I piloted the Zipcar onto the New York State Thruway, "I will be back. And I will climb that without aid."

So that's why I pay this woman to order me around like the inferior weakling I am.

1 comment:

H.K. said...

Oh wow! She sounds like Jillian on Biggest Loser. I also think form is so important. My husband used to do body building, so when he sees me go on the machines, he'll adjust something simple like my feet and then I feel more of a burn. It's amzing how little adjustments make a big difference in your work out.