LEGS WIDE OPEN

I know. Kind of a weird visual. However thanks to Core Training, I not only have lots more core muscle strength all inside my body, but man... plenty of open leg muscle ability, too. More than I'll probably ever need if you ask me. At least I hope not, but why even go there.

What you see in the picture up above is me at Core Training a couple of weeks ago. We were working with the large Stability Ball. You can't even beLIEVE what sort of exercises can be done with this thing. Case in point: lots of times, we are to lie down on our back... then put the bottom of our feet sorta on top of the stability ball... then raise up off the ground with our ass high in the air... and then with the soles of our feet... ROLL THE BALL UP TOWARDS OUR CHEST. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. You think this is EASY?? OMG. Think again, my friend. Try doing this 30 times is all I can tell you THEN see how f-ing easy it is!! I'm telling you... you'll be swearing up a storm each and every time just like I do. Trust me... rarely do I even make it up to 30.  

In this particular picture however, I'm doing another exercise altogether. In this shot, I'm trying to develop God Only Knows what muscles, and I need to grab the ball between my legs and then lift the ball using my stomach muscles... up and down, up and down from the floor. Can you SEE how far I'm raising it here btw?? THAT TAKES MUSCLES but plenty, I don't mind telling you. I don't know how many inches from the ground I might be in this shot, but I can tell you this. IT HURTS. Thank GOD you can't see the expression on my face while doing this! It SO can't be attractive. And oh yeah.. considering how far I got off the ground the very FIRST time I ever did this...  I'M NOW READY FOR THE OLYMPICS. 

In the meantime, one of the favorite things we do with this ball is major easy. WE SIT ON TOP OF IT. Now that I can handle any day. We get to bounce on it and again... major easy. However to shake things up a bit, all four of us in class sit on a ball, then spread out a bit, get a baby sized ball and then have to pass it overhead to the person on the right and/or left. Sometimes we have to bounce it to the person, other times we don't. Getting all four of us into the same rhythm can be tricky at first, but still... it's pretty easy.

What ISN'T so easy is when we are seated on a bench with the 5-8 pound ball held up above our head, and then bingo. We have to stand up/sit down about 40 times. THIS IS A KILLER let me tell you. Have any clue what this does to you thighs? Have any clue how much you HURT the next day just trying to get up from a toilet?? O. M. G. It's ridiculous. My thighs are like in major pain. Which of course is why I always tell Ansley, the instructor... I NEED TO WALK TOMORROW. DON'T GIVE US ANY HARD STUFF TO DO TODAY, PLEASE.

The best part of the class actually, is when sometimes... as our cool down activity... Ansley actually lets me direct us in some yoga stretching. Now THAT I can handle 1-2-3. In fact, I'm often way more flexible than all the others. I know... surprising, right?? On the other hand... everyone ELSE does all the counting exactly as Ansley instructs. 30 REPS OF THIS. 30 REPS OF THAT. Bingo. Everyone follows the count precisely. ME?? I definitely stop at about 18-20. I feel the pain?? I forget the gain. I like MY way of counting reps much better.