Solid Like A.....

With some of the main ingredients out of town like Vegas and Los Angeles the very talented filled in quite nicely. An idea crossed my mind Friday night that I might try Rocky Ribacoff who in my estimation pound for pound is fitness perfection.  She took Dana’s place for the session called  “Ultimate Workout:” Let me preface things by saying that I know that group exercise has evolved and some will dispute me but everything in that main studio is just a derivative of Jane Fonda with a few props added then subtracted. However if Rocky is running the show this feminine Marine Drill Sergeant takes you to the limit and then one step beyond. I jumped in about half way through and breathed a sigh of relief as I spotted Don and felt a little comforted amongst the other super humans.  It was Drum Boogie and Killer Diller because half a Rock session hit me like a boulder full speed dropping off a cliff. How do they pack so much power in that package? It’s a cinch I will never figure it out.   In any case I was glad to make it out alive but it was out of the frying pan and into the fire because I was headed for an hour of spin with another very talented taskmaster Carolyn Mellace.  

Rocky's World Revisited

I don’t like to start a project then abandon it as I have done with Rocky’s World. I got caught up in my own personal stuff and stopped going to the young powerhouse’s XLR8! Class.  

I stopped in to see her today after KSC and apologized for my seeming lack of concern in attending her class. Rocky being the professional she is deferred to the high road and let me off. However, I am not going to let myself off and I will return to writing about this diminutive wonder in the very near future. Just give me a chance and I will show you.  

Rockin' Down the Highway

You can’t stop ya gotta   keep moving or you'll lose your mind when you’re in Rocky’s XLR8! class because there just ain’t no rest.  Whoa we’re Rockin’ down the highway in Great Neck and it’s no fun pulling up the rear but them’s the breaks until this Jack can begin to compete with the athletes in this class.  

The air seemed heavy today because catching my breath was like the veritable carrot on a stick in front of the horse. I was  sucking wind even though I was determined to do as much nose breathing as my lungs would allow.  Nevertheless this class as challenging as it is goes by in a blink and with the inside/outside routines it helps break up any studio fever we might feel and probably keeps the floor a little bit drier than the melted skating rink it looks like when the hour is done. When I got home I was exhausted.  I feel like no other class because if my body could talk it would be spouting profanity.

In the locker room I got to talk to Rock’s fiancé, Steve and he (get this) usually takes her second class which is Met Con and I’m thinking its good to be young because a double dose of Ribacoff cannot be for anyone that’s not in superhuman shape. And this class has some magnificent specimens too because try as I might when we are doing loops in the parking lot or scaling the stairwells these kids are blowing by me. What gave me some solace today was  that there were several attendees that were bent over on the sidelines doing modified movements by the time the class was halfway but as a former marathon and ultra-marathoner it’s just hard not to be hard on yourself even though that was a half lifetime ago. 

I love Rockin’ down the highway with Rocky and this woman  has a vivacious charisma that is so motivating her mere presence has us feeling like we can do just about anything.  By the way Steve told me the Rock will be on News 12 on Wednesday and when I get the details I will post it here. First Kristen and now Rocky. We have a celeb movement in EQ.  

Doobie Bros: Rockin’ Down the Highway 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts9nmYUIlB8

Cross Fit

There are certain cinematic stars that I will go and see no matter what movie they are in because you just trust that they can rise above any script even ones that I might not ordinarily be interested in. Well today I checked the star, Rocky Ribacoff but I neglected to examine what kind of class she was giving. It was called Cross Fit and call me old-fashioned but this class reminded me of Jane Fonda and I should have known something was out of place for me because I was the only man.  Is it possible that certain classes are only for the female of the species?  Rocky is an excellent instructor and motivator and she can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear and although I probably won’t frequent this particular class again the “ROCK” made this enjoyable because of her professionalism and innate charisma.  I don’t care for “Chick Flicks” but this star made it memorable for me.  

I think I will check the class description a bit more closely next time but for now I will stick to  XLR8! which is even more daunting than today’s class but might be better for my limited flexibility.  I am neither a gymnast nor a circus performer and as I watched the women today they moved with grace and fluidity that I could never duplicate unless I was on the dance floor. 

 Rocky is just back from camp and putting who knows how many attendees through a boot camp they will never forget. I am surely headed for an Epsom bath tonight because I was moving muscles I didn’t even know I had.  

Take Me On

Somehow I unearthed by creaking bones and made it just 5 minutes late to Rocky’s XLR8!  on Friday and I could tell I had slipped back a bit because I elected not to take any of her subs classes in her absence. So it was just 10 days but having to start my engine again using the high-octane fuel needed for a Rocky episode was all I could muster. Back from far off lands she was more than ready making us move like trained circus performers jumping, leaping, crawling and of course running our little asses off.  

This class is one that I want to incorporate into my weekly schedule because as I alluded in my blog Jacbook it will take my fitness level a step further by helping me manage my HR and raise it 10-20 beats before I go breathless. I am not happy with the present state of my stamina as I am literally gasping for air only minutes into the hour.  I also know that some of the movements I have to feign because my nimbleness might be a foregone conclusion at least for the foreseeable future. And just this afternoon I tried to bolster my efforts for the coming weeks by doing some track work and practicing those very daunting burpees.  

So my short-term goal is to make Friday and Sunday my XLR8! days and I have a feeling just a feeling that I will indeed Accelerate into a new zone. The Rocky devotees are a friendly bunch always upbeat just like the effervescent Ms. Ribacoff and they make the hour move along just a bit quicker.  Charismatic and personable her mere presence has us striving for just a bit more than what we think we are capable of. 

Suckin' Wind

 Today in Great Neck I took on  XLR8! with Rocky once again. The daunting challenge these past 4 sessions has not abated in fact on Friday morning I just could not raise these bones and get to the 6 AM but today I was determined to see the Rock off as she leaves on her sojourn of 10 days. I can’t take advantage of the respite and will have to engage one of her substitutes so I don’t slip back.  My short-term goal is to get my HR to respond quickly enough so that I am not sucking wind for the full hour.  That first 10 minutes is so hard to navigate through because there is just no let up. It’s a veritable bath by fire.  I like the jumping rope that starts off the session it gets the whole body galvanized as to what’s in store. 

 I thank God that not everyone in the group is leaving me in the dust as some have to run in place on the sidelines because this is no Jane Fonda exercise video and its gratifying that at my age I can still represent. I’m going to stick with this class until I can get faster, improve my agility and increase my speed during the running segments as that was my forte a half lifetime ago. My strength workouts 3 days a week has made the 50-50 dips off the curb and the elevated pushups relatively easy. The burpees however are going to take some time because the whole body is moving and not every part of my physiology is up to snuff yet.  Afterward I felt shaky and a word to the wise is to hydrate before, during and after the session especially in this heat.  The Rock had us outside for a portion of the hour but ever vigilant about our well being we spent more time inside than out.  

Our best wishes to Rocky and her family for an exciting trip and her safe arrival back home to kick our Asses.  

The Spartan Race

Dear Readers:

I just watched a short video on the Spartan Race. If you are a student of history you will remember the Athenians and the Spartans from ancient Greece. Both societies were similar in their form of government but there was a major difference between their values and how they lived their lives.  The Athenians focused on the creative side of existence while the Spartans held to obedience and war.  Both paths were instrumental in shaping the lives of the nation of Greece.

Here however, I wanted to share some pictures of a modern day Spartan, your own Rocky Ribacoff.  I am trying not to gush too much about this young woman and her athletic prowess but it might prove difficult over the coming weeks and months.  Suffice it to say take a look at these two images of “The Rock” in the Spartan Race of which there are 50 held each year around the country.  Some of the details you can glean from the short video bellow.  Rocky will be taking a well-deserved vacation to a far corner of the world with her beloved family.  Don’t lament too much however,   she’ll be back in 10 days counting from Sunday to kick our butts in her usual venues. 

                                                                              

The Spartan Race: http://www.spartanrace.com/