Friday, February 16, 2007

As a new Active Duty Fitness for Women recruit, I was issued a kit filled with an extra-thick yoga mat, resistance band, stretchy exercise tubing, water bottle and a four-pound medicine ball. Don't let its weight fool you. The ball can feel like 25 pounds (blame physics and momentum). My class meets for an hour Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 9:15.

First up every Monday morning is basic training. Here are all the classic boot camp moves (squats, push-ups, lunges and crunches) that create and tone muscles and build strength. Each exercise is slow and controlled, what our instructor Doug Vasiliadis calls functional training, the kind that translates into daily activities, such as lifting a child, getting out of a car, swinging a golf club or carrying a grocery bag.

All sessions start with a 10-minute warm-up. Stretching, alignment and yoga moves such as downward-facing dog and cobra help prepare us to work more efficiently, make us less prone to injury and promote proper posture.

On my first Monday, the ground is muddy and wet, and I sink a little with each push-up. On Fridays, I will do this all again at a faster pace, with more repetitions and with less rest. Fridays are for metabolic workouts, when we go for muscular endurance. Fridays are hard work.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are all about cardio fitness with timed interval runs on Tuesdays and a long run on Thursdays.

Wednesdays are our day off. I have come to appreciate Wednesdays.

-- Wendi Kaufman