That *&%^ing Box

When I pulled into the gym this morning and saw a different trainer's car instead of Captain Awesome's, I was relieved.  On Monday I told Capt. Awesome that I wanted Wednesdays to be plyometric and agility days, so I can start getting ready for the Ultimate Fitness Challenge in November, and because I am a masochist.  I haaaaate plyometrics.  I really hate jumping.  And you know I hate that damn box.

So when I learned that Jennifer was filling in for him today, I thought I was off the hook.  I like working out with Jennifer because we always do different stuff and she comes up with a lot of compound exercises, which keep my heart rate up and my GoWearFit calculating away on those calories.  So we set up a circuit full of fun little things to do and I got to work.  And then she said, "oh, I forgot to set up your box."

The box.

That 21 inch plyo box is the one solitary thing in the gym that scares me.  I mean like really scared, mental block, go to jump and then freeze scared.  It's one of those things that just gets inside my head and messes with me.  But I want to master it, cause that's how I roll. 

But we set things up in a different way: we kept the box a little low (2 risers and a step) and put a bench behind it so I could squat/tap the bench in between jumps.  It really helped!  I did 8 or so and then moved on.  The next round, she added a riser, and I did 13.  The final round through the circuit, I completed 15 jumps.  Having the bench behind me really helped me not be scared I was going to fall backwards and break my coccyx (which happened to a friend of mine and kept her out of the gym for WEEKS, the agony).  I still really disliked jumping, but I have to admit I didn't hate it.  That was nice.

Okay, so for a lot of you out there jumping on a box is not that big of an accomplishment.  But for me, it felt like I had climbed Mount Everest.  And more importantly, I didn't get out of doing plyometrics today like I thought I had, which means that Ultimate Fitness Challenge training has officially begun.

Over the next few months I will be highlighting some of my favorite ladies of Women's Tri-Fitness, the athletes who inspire me, intimidate me, motivate me, and teach me how to do things that are outside of my workout comfort zone.  I hope you are as inspired and entertained by them as I am!  I look forward to introducing them to you.

Have a healthy day!