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/

Rocky 2.5

Earlier in the week I had asked Rocky to guest pass me into Great Neck for Sunday mornings 8:30 XLR8! I had created a social reality with she and myself that I would actually follow through with my intention so boldly stated two days before.  Research shows that it is better to keep your goals to yourself because if you say you’re going to do something you have already completed it in your mind hence the pressure to actually complete the task evaporates.  I don’t necessarily agree with that because when I awoke just before 6 AM this morning the only self-talk I was hearing inside the four walls of Jack’s brain were: Get to Great Neck and take Rocky’s class.  Researchers need to get to the gym to prove these so called theories.  

I call this entry Rocky 2.5 because this past Friday I only took half a class thinking that I would ease into this anaerobic vortex ever so slowly.  Well since I rarely do anything halfway today I decided to make it to class on time and come what may.  Early I was and by 8:25 it seemed that only one member was visible inside  the Main Studio.  Precisely at 8:30 however, there were no less than 25 willing participants and as if by magic from behind that curtain materialized the Wizard; Rocky Ribacoff. As we started to warm up by jumping rope I kept thinking about my bed saying: Jack where’d you go?  Into the valley of death would have been my answer. But in truth I felt better in this class than the preceding two. Sunday featured a lot of running outside and after 9:15 I actually started to pick up leg speed and I thought maybe just maybe I might see improvement sooner than I expected.  Although the challenge of “Burpees” or squat thrusts as I used to know them are going to take a great deal of exertion and repetition to complete the set of 20 the Rock demands.  

If you are here then you will know that I have started yet another blog and  I am determined to uncover this “Firecracker” as Louis calls her to as many that don’t know of her as possible. I have told Rocky about this blog  and have asked her to contribute when/if she has time and I want to make this my most interactive exercise blog.  Please help me and share your experiences here. I am just a neophyte and most of you that take her class are either National or World-class athletes. Rock on! 

Here is Rocky's Schedule 

MONDAY 

6am Crossfit Revolution (Equinox,Woodbury)

9:45am Sweatshop (Sky Athletic Club, Rockville Center)

10:45am Powerfit Xtreme (Sky Athletic Club, Rockville Center)

TUESDAY

6am Impact (Equinox,Roslyn)

9:45am Crossfit Revolution (Equinox,Woodbury)

10:45am HardBody Meltdown (Equinox,Woodbury)

WEDNESDAY

9:45am Impact (Equinox,Roslyn)

10:45am Streamline Sculpt (Equinox,Roslyn)

THURSDAY

6am Metcon 3 (Equinox, Roslyn)

7:30am Impact (Equinox, Woodbury)

8:30am Metcon 3 (Equinox, Woodbury)

FRIDAY

6am XLR8! (Equinox, Woodbury)

10am Cardio Blast (Equinox, Great Neck)

SUNDAY

8:30am XLR8! (Equinox, Great Neck)

9:30am Metcon 3 (Equinox, Great Neck)