PURE PUMP

Another one of my numerous new year's resolutions has been to start weight lifting. I already do a lot of cardio, but I've just never been able to stick to a strength training plan. This, however, is a new year.

Since the start of the semester, I've been attending a fitness class twice a week called Pure Pump which incorporates a mix of  low weight interval strength training and small doses of cardio. And I've absolutely fallen in love. After the very first class, I felt sore all over - a feeling that I haven't gotten in a long time from all my runs and ellipticizing. It was amazing! After every class, I find myself jonesing for the next one.

As if that alone was not enough to keep me coming back, the trainer, Alyssa, definitely is. Alyssa is a huge advocate for women and weight lifting and I have never seen such a tiny girl so totally ripped in all my life. At least, not in person. I mean, at first glance you would probably think her arms were chubby, but they are literally ALL muscle. It's just ridiculous, this girl can't possibly be more than five foot one and she could probably use my body as a bench press without breaking a sweat! Though I am not aspiring to be that jacked, seeing her push through class makes me want to push through class and that's always a plus.

Since I know that this is not a class offered in gyms all over the country, I thought I'd just jot down the jist of one of these classes. What you basically need is a stability ball and at least two different sets of weights (I personally used three sets- 8s, 10s and 12s).

PURE PUMP

Warm Up:

1 minute jumping jacks

Upper body:

1. 30 seconds push ups

2. 30 seconds bent row

3. 30 seconds shoulder press

4. 30 seconds bicep curl

5. 30 seconds tricep press

6. 1 minute jumping rope

7. 1 minute rest

REPEAT 3 TIMES

Lower body:

1. 30 seconds weighted squats

2. 30 seconds stability ball hamstring curls

3. 30 seconds weighted half bridge

4. 1 minute jumping rope

5. 1 minute rest

REPEAT 3 TIMES

And there you have it! The workouts vary slightly every class so I'm going to try to keep a record of them for future reference. Sadly, I was unable to attend them this week due to the copious amounts of studying I had to do concerning a physics exam tomorrow but! That will make next week all the better.