As you can see, it was that great part of the day on Saturday, just before dusk when there’s a little chill in the air and the games and crowds at the Sports Park had trickled down to just a few here and there. Melissa and I needed a change of pace from our normal weekend trip to the studio to kick each other’s butts. We were planning to meet friends for dinner later in Livermore and wanted to work up an appetite.
So I laid down a challenge: We’d run around the park but stop every couple of minutes and throw in a high-intensity exercise. We would take turns coming up with both the spot to stop and the exercise we’d both do at that stop.
She started us off with a ten yard sprint, followed by a 20-yard sprint. Ok, if you want to know the truth, I was pretty much ready to go home right then! I’m older and need a little more warm-up than she seems to need before going full-steam. Plus, I’m on my feet all week and was secretly hoping all of the exercises she would pick would get us on the ground. No such luck. And she smoked me on the sprint! So not only did my feet hurt, but my lungs were on fire and I had to suffer the humiliation of her leaving me in the dust. I did redeem myself a little later, though…
My first entry was a bear crawl (hands and knees, belly toward the ground). We also worked in floor kicks (balancing on your palms, face up and kicking out the legs in an alternating pattern like a Russian dance), push-ups, mountain climbers, pull-ups (I held Melissa’s shins from behind so she could squeeze in a few extra reps) bench dips and another crawl around a baseball diamond.
We ended the run with 15 push-up jacks. The pictures show the starting, mid and end points, but let me describe it:
- From a standing position, drop into a full push-up with legs spread about shoulder-width apart.
- Push-up, then pull your knees into your chest with your feet under your abdomen.
- Stand and leap.
- Repeat 14 times.
- Try not to barf.
So, it was a terrific workout, a beautiful evening and we worked up a great appetite.
If you see us out there again sometime, say hello and join us if you like. We’re always looking for new ideas to torture, I mean INSPIRE and CHALLENGE our clients and club members!
On a side note – Tri Valley Trainer is currently working on a fundraising effort for Pleasanton schools! Through November, we will be donating $50 (more than half) of first month membership fees for new members to the school of your choice! Please click here for details.
Dan is a nationally certified personal fitness trainer and former continuing education faculty member of the National Academy of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise. He is the owner and head trainer at Tri Valley Trainer in Pleasanton, which provides personal and small group fitness training and nutrition guidance. He can be reached at Dan@TriValleyTrainer.com.
