Some light legwork at Gino’s, a few double-unders

So due to various circumstances beyond the ken of mortal panthers, I’ve managed to miss 2 workouts in a row. I “made them up” but you and I both know that working out by myself didn’t have nearly the effect of working out with the Sac Fitness Fairy.

Today was a special day in that there’s a ton of filming going on at Ultimate Fitness. A number of fighters are coming up on fights (including, I think, at least one title belt) and as always when that happens the cameras are rolling. Which is ALWAYS the time when my workout seems to happen. In the past we just hid in the corner. This time we had an alternative.

A gentleman by the name of Gino has opened another gym down the street from UF. He’s a friend of both the UF gym and of SFF and so she’s been doing a lot of her training in his spot ever since he opened Studio 25 a few weeks ago.

One of the reasons SFF is stoked about this is that Gino has a geniune Stairmaster. I’d honestly seen the things in ads, heard jokes about them, but I never really stepped foot on one until today. The glee and joy in SFF’s eyes as she told me what setting to crank it to had me worried. She said it was one of her favorite machines. After about 3 minutes I could see why.

If you’ve ever tried to climb up a sand dune, you know what the Stairmaster feels like. Except you’re doing it for 10 or 15 or 20 minutes. That’s a big freaking sand dune. It took nearly no time for my legs to begin to complain. It is an absolutely ridiculous workout. I went 12 minutes total and at the end couldn’t actually talk for nearly a minute. That was my warm-up. Apparently when you work out at Gino’s you don’t mess around.

I’d be doing several circuits, most likely because SFF was absolutely stoked on all the equipment Gino had here. UF is well stocked, but a lot of the equipment there is very MMA fighter training oriented. Gino’s Studio 25 was a cross between a traditional gym, a Crossfit gym and nothing you’ve ever seen before. He has a giant sand pit (for broad jumps, etc).

So my first series was going to focus on my legs, as apparently climbing 50 flights of stairs wasn’t enough. We got on the squat machine (just a captured barbell with locks you can engage that runs in a track to keep you going straight up and down) with about 50lbs and punched out 15 strong, deep reps. Then we moved off the machine, grabbing a 40lb barbell for 30 total step-back single leg squats (15 each leg).  We ended the circuit with 3 minutes of rope (because LEGS!) We ran that circuit through 3 times.

We moved next to a more core oriented circuit. First movement was a full situp on a slight incline (bench) with a 35lb plate held to your chest, 25 reps. Then, sitting on the side of a bench holding the back, we did a dumbell lift with our feet, bringing knees to chest. Again, 25 reps. We were supposed to finish with rope, except SFF realized something. I was using the rope sessions to rest. My running has increased my fitness enough to where just doing jump rope is, if not relaxing, at least not an excessive strain. Today was an excessive strain day. So away went normal rope, and in came double-unders. 25 of the things. Needless to say, I would have thrown up about 6 times had I actually had anything in my stomach. Ran this circuit 3 times.

Finally we moved to the last run through, which just had 2 movements. Double-unders (OF COURSE), 25. And a devil of a TRX movement SFF called a “tuck-push” where you start in a plank (feet in straps), do a pushup, then immediately tuck your knees in to your chest, then back out to a plank. Evil. 30 reps. 3 times through.

In case you weren’t counting that’s 125 double-unders. I need a nap.

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