One of our fellow 43T-ers has a great goal
Don’t you agree?
Sometimes though, I am perverse. What is it about those that know how to play hard to get very, very well that makes them irresistible? Like Deltoids for instance. I remember the first time I approached them to weight train. Even with the itsiest dumbbells they refused to budge. The trainers at they gym who spotted for me, would laugh out loud at my eager efforts to woo my Deltoids to no avail. But I persisted like a suitor of the middle-ages who knows that the lady means “Yes” when she coyly says “No”. I still will not claim I have a fabulous relationship with my Deltoids. But I am fascinated enough to keep trying to break them down, to the extent of dedicating an entire strength training session to them every so often. When I discovered Yoga though, Deloids took a bit of a back seat. Those Yoga Asanas can outdo Deltiod training on exquisite hard-to-get-playing. Deltoids probably felt some yielding was called for in the face of competiton. They have become surprisingly stronger since those Surya Namaskars.
It never pays to be too easy. My cardio capacity zips in response to my slightest exertion. Sure, I spend time with cardio. But I never fully appreciate what a special relationship this is because succumbing came too quickly and too soon. My priority is yoga, weight training and only then cardio, although responsiveness is in reverse order.
Then there is the type who may or may not be reciprocous, but you never know because there is just not enough chemistry for either side to really make an attempt. My Abs fall in this category. Every so often I guiltily make an effort because they are a neglected part of my muscle family. But it is a sense of duty rather than a real passion that characterizes the relationship mutually.
There are those that are moderately responsive. They are good fun to be around on a regular basis. Both sides know this is just a good friendship, and neither hopes for more time or attention than the other is willing to dedicate. The rest of my upper body – Back, Chest, Triceps, Biceps falls in this category.
My passion? My responsive, reciprocous lower body. The Glutes, the Quadriceps, the Hamstrings, the Calves and all the other smaller, supporting muscles. I read in a US fitness Magazine once that women have a disadvantage versus men with upper body strength, but it is possible for them to lift almost as much (weight lifted in proportion to own body weight) for lower body. My legs manage to be both reliable and exciting. They keep the interest alive by pulling out a surprise response when not anticipated on endurance or strength. And I reciprocate by looking up new challenges to surmount together.
One of my allies in this pursuit is http://www.cathe.com/">Cathe Friedrich She has the best tough Leg workouts ever on DVD. (She has the best any-body-part, Kick box and Step workouts on DVD actually.)
Yesterday, Balaji worked with me. I borrowed some parts of the routine from memory from Cathe’s Gym Style Legs DVD. First she does standing weight training with weights – conventional weight training exercises like Squats, Lunges, Deadlifts, Calf Raises. But she varies tempo to create what she calls “bonus burn” (by using super slow reps, holding the peak contraction, or by pulsing).
Then she does floor work on the stability ball and dyna band to focus on the glutes, outer and inner thigh. 
I especially like this exercise. 
Cathe calls it “One Legged Rollout on the Ball”. You start in “table top” position on the stability ball, and then raise one leg off the floor. You roll forward so that your butt comes closer to your knee, like it would when you execute a squat from standing, and then push back to the starting position. You feel the work like a standing one-legged squat (with greater emphasis on the glutes). Also it develops stability.
Music:
Kajra ReDum Maro Dum remixChaiyya ChaiyyaOm Shanthi Om remix
Bubblegum Western Pop
Working to the beat of the music makes such a world of difference on the fun factor when I weight train.
