a friendly workout never hurt anyone...

this week has been really crazy for me. i apologize for not updating earlier.

so far...i've received great feedback from everyone regarding this blog. i have to say... i never thought i'd be at a point where i'd be the one inspiring others. for me, it's never been about that. i just thought that others would be able to relate to my story...but the fact that others have told me that they've begun to workout because of my blog, or that they've changed their diet...that's so wild to me. so thanks so much for tuning in. if i can help one person change their life, i feel like i've done my job.

shoutout to olivia, taren, mary and jared... love y'all.

anyway, back to business. i had another revelation this week. working out is so much more interesting when you have someone else working out with you. my friend allison, who is best friends with mike from sadie lex machine, came over on sunday to workout with myself and my wife. god, i wish i took pictures. allison, as much as i love her, is not the most coordinated person in the world. (and she will admit this to everyone, so don't ya'll try and say i'm talking 'bout my friend behind her back. shady so-and-sos) it was...well, somewhat entertaining, but fulfilling at the same time... having to stop and teach her the movements. we did the fire 55 ez class together. it was interesting, because i found myself becoming the turbo tutor, if you will. allison hasn't taken any type of cardio class in a while, and she was a complete novice. last weekend, she did the core 20 and stretch 40 class with me, which was interesting within itself. but a fire course? sheesh.

 it was almost like allison served as the physical embodiment of myself when i first started. after i showed her the movements, we would go through it - and every time i caught her yelling at chalene ("you're not tired!" "yes i am!" - "chalene, you're a bitch!"), i would tell her no. i said, "change your attitude. you CAN do this." "no, you're not tired." it was like i was talking to myself in a past life. teaching someone who is just starting out when you've been working out for a couple of months puts a new perspective on things. you suddenly realize how far you've come.

 needless to say, alli was suffering afterwards, but overall she did a great job. i haven't really worked out with friends much until recently. fat people usually go through this phase where they're embarrassed to sweat around anyone; i am no exception to the rule. i eventually got over my self-conscious habit and started inviting people to work out with me. i'm so glad i did. allison was great, and it's awesome to know that you have so much support that people are willing to go through the ringer with you.

so my tip of the day? invite your friends. make it a party. do something where you know everyone's gonna get their sweat on, but have a blast at the same time. you may surprise yourself and end up being their fitness instructor there for a second.

on a completely unrelated note: practice is slowly coming together. i am working with three of philly's best musicians - and i couldn't be happier. we finished writing a new song in two days. TWO FUCKING DAYS. who the fuck does that? oh wait - we do. ;) i'm so excited. i have another writing session sometime this weekend. hopefully another song will be done, and i'll be that much closer to playing shows. i. can. not. wait.

another vlog will probably come later on this weekend. until next time... <3

burpies are the devil.

turbo report
friday, july 6th
week 6
workout today: fire 55 ez
weight loss to date: n/a

all throughout this program, i've been doing my best to improve and push myself. it's been the most challenging program i've ever done. and i mean, i've tried everything - from zumba, to hip hop abs, to dancing...hell, i've even tried a richard simmons workout (and got a glimpse of enough spandex to last a lifetime). and ever since i started doing turbo, i've noticed some improvements. for the first month, alee was my best friend (for those not hip to the turbofire cast - alee baytan [nee' vicencio] is the low impact girl, i.e. if you're a fatass beginner like i was, watch her). i couldn't jump worth shit, skis were NOT happening - and hell, don't even LOOK at me when double bobs are going on. eff that.

as the month progressed, however... i noticed that some of the moves were starting to get easier. i didn't feel as much pain when doing skis, i actuall started jumping during some of the high/low sequences...etc. but the one move that is still defeating me is the...


dun dun dunnnnnnn!!!!

...dreaded burpie.

burpies usually occur during a fire drill. a "fire drill" is when chalene (the turbo trainer) takes you on a 70-second ride through hell ie. pushes you to the max that you can go. you go H.A.M for about a minute, then you recover (aka pass out and die) a minute after. chalene has a way of sugarcoating shit. she likes to refer to the burpie as a "squat leap". i can hear her voice as i type this. it's almost like she's giving you an ice cream cone before you leap to sudden death. i'll demonstrate...

this is how a burpie should look.

 

this is what it usually ends up like...

fail.

so my tip of the day is: practice makes perfect. i find that if there's something i'm having difficulty with in my workout i take the time to practice it when i'm not working out...so when that siren hits, i'm not surprised.

the mastering of the burpie will come. but for now...i'll just have to keep falling on my ass until i get it right.

so i should probably introduce myself...

happy 4th! how you doin'?