I’m a pretty fit chap! Each morning I manage to muster through 50 or so imperfect press ups, spin cycle every Wednesday evening, eat healthily and I would say have a relatively physical job. So yes I would class myself as pretty fit, or am I?
Last Wednesday after another enjoyable but exhausting spin cycle class with our instructor Louise, she propositioned me, no nothing like that! She encouraged me to attend her 12 station circuit session, a routine that she put together which started 10 weeks ago.
How could I refuse, I am fit, right? This will be a walk in the park. It’s 6pm Monday March 5, in I go! I see 12 blue gymnastic mats carefully laid out around the school gym floor, each with a different piece of equipment placed on top.
Louise takes us around the 12 stations and one by one expertly and gracefully demonstrates how each exercise should be executed.
The music is switched on and the warm up commenced, jogging around the gym and throwing our arms around. Now it was time for the fun to start. Twelve stations moving around to each workout in a clockwise rotation that included dumb bell punches, skipping, kettle bell side step, plank slides, battle rope, chest press, lunges, shuttle run, slam ball, sumo squats, up down plank and stability ball jack knife. In between each activity more jogging, star jumps, squats and press ups.
Half way through and I was treading water, now this was hard graft. There was nothing expert or graceful about me, I may have believed that I was in decent shape but this highlighted huge gaps in my all round fitness and stamina.
A quick drink and bring on the second half, this time moving around anti-clockwise, this was one of the longest half hours of my life! Has it put me off? Absolutely not. Quite the contrary, it has inspired me to build on the excellent platform the spin cycling has given me and see what is achievable.
I will be there next Monday and hopefully the ones after to try and obtain a complete level of fitness that I have never really had. As the old adage says there is no gain without pain, I am also convinced that with a few more classes under my belt, the easier it will become and the enjoyment levels will increase.
If you are interested in getting yourself fitter at any level or want to test yourself on a 12 station circuit, for more information contact Rye Leisure Centre on 01797 224747.
Photo: Micky Day