crunch it out

in order to fulfill one of my new year's resolutions of running my next 5K in under 27 minutes, i decided i need to do a little more than just the elliptical or treadmill while at the gym.

background on my gym...j to the j and i joined "crunch gym" back in june. it is a great location because i pass it everyday on my way home. especially, now with winter weather, i am able to park in the parking deck for free then mosey my way to the apt. after 7:20 p.m. only on sunday nights and week nights. this secret spot is amazing because it is directly behind my apt, so i do not have to trudge through the snow to get to my car in the mornings.

back to the story... crunch is basically a fitness fanatics dream. it is three stories. elaborate locker rooms, variety of top top fitness machines (ellipticals, stairclimbers, treadmills with fans, bikes, rowers, the list goes on), free and stationery weight machines, bouncey and medicine balls, a three lane 25 yard lap pool, sauna, steam room, workout patio, spinning, group fitness, pilates, yoga, yada yada yada. you get the point. anything that you want you got, and anything you don't got you can request.

to get serious with my training, i decided to invest my gram and papa bernie's money into a trainer for the month of january. every wednesday and friday i train with "mr.big stuff." take this nickname literally. he is about 6 feet 3 inches, biceps the diameter of bowling balls, pecks the width of a tank, and legs the size of arnold shwarzenegger's. he is massive, but totally not intimidating after you get to know him. he is the goofiest guy i have met with his type of physique. usually, this type of guy is macho macho man that is too cool for school. but not mr.big stuff.

within our little over 30 minute training session, mr.big stuff kicked my booty. he had me doing all of this maneuvers with funky weights and objects. we even played tug-of-war with towels! i guess he took it literal last week when i told him, "now, mr.big stuff, i want to have fun. no same old same old. got me?" he told me he would think about it, and that he did.

with no exaggeration (as some of ya'll know i do on occasion), my legs and booty are as tight as rubberband balls.

note to self: no matter how much you run on the treadmill or glide on the elliptical, there are always those little muscles that do not get used. don't worry, i found them this morning!