Bootcamp Jelly Legs

My alarm went off at 4:30 this morning, reminding me that it's Wednesday and bootcamp fitness class starts in 30 minutes. I don't hit snooze on mornings like these because there just isn't enough time. I rolled out of bed, changed, drank a few sips of coffee, and walked out the door at 4:45.

It's rough waking up that early, but the moment class starts I feel much better. It only took a week or two for my body to adjust to working out so early in the morning. By the time the class ends at 5:45, I feel accomplished and ready to meet the day's challenges. This class is great. It's a good challenge, but it's not so difficult that I'm wiped out for the day. 

Well...today things were different. A different trainer showed up because the usual one was sick. And I was the only trainee who showed up to class this morning. I'm always nervous when there's a small group, so I was really nervous when I was the only one there. That means you're about to have one really tough workout. The new trainer watched me do some burpees and push ups to see what I could do, and then he explained the plan for the next 45 minutes. I must have had a "you're crazy" look on my face because he immediately started laughing at me.

Here are a few of the combinations we did: (All were repeated multiple times!)

• Squat jumps down a zig-zagging sidewalk that goes down a hill, sprint back up the hill 
• Combo of wide and narrow squat jumps, followed by running downhill and sprinting back uphill
• Burpee Jacks (Jumping jack, followed by a burpee where you hop your legs apart. Pictured below.)
• Push Ups, w/ hop pulling both legs into a crouch position then hop legs back out between each push up (Pictured below).
• Lunges with shoulder press

Burpee Jacks: (Source)

Push Up w/ hop (add push up after feet are extended). Source.

We also did some more upper body and ab work. I didn't wimp out on any of the exercises, and when I was done my legs felt like jello. I even took the elevator up three measly flights of stairs on the way to my apartment. 

It was a great workout. Being challenged and completing different exercises are both good for building strength and burning calories! The only downside is that I was exhausted for the rest of the day. I planned to drink a lot of water and eat a good lunch, but incidents at work kept me from adequate water and food until about 3pm (oh, teaching). I'm pooped!

I think I'll go to this trainer's classes more often (he trains on T/Th and I'm more of a MWF person) because clearly there are some gaps I want to close!

Question: What is one exercise that always makes you sore the next day? For me, hill sprints get the job done every time. Those are tough.

Good night!