You may recall that back in September, during my goal-setting session with Alex, a trainer at Fancy Gym, I admitted something.
I was intimidated by the machines.
Not the treadmill. Not the StairMaster. I understood those. You get on, push a button, and try not to die.
I’m talking about all those other machines—the ones with seventeen adjustment levers, six different handles, a diagram of a human body with one tiny muscle highlighted in red, and a seat that somehow always seems to be facing the wrong direction.
I would walk by them confidently, pretending I had absolutely no interest in using them.
The truth?
I had no idea what half of them did.
Alex apparently saw right through me.
So he threw down the gauntlet: 30 Machines in 30 Days.
Thirty machines. Learn how to adjust them. Learn how to use them correctly. Figure out what muscles they work. And, most importantly, become comfortable enough to walk up and use them all by myself.
In other words, pull up my big-girl pants and quit being afraid of gym equipment.
Challenge accepted.
And on Wednesday, October 28th…
DONE AND DUSTED!
Thirty machines in thirty days.
For every machine, I figured out the weight at which I could comfortably complete three sets of ten reps. Then I recorded the machine and the weight so I wouldn’t have to stand there the next time staring at it like we’d never met.
And something unexpected happened along the way.
The machines stopped being scary.
I can now walk up to one, adjust the seat, move the pin, grab the handles and get to work without looking around desperately for an adult to help me.
Apparently, at age 70, I have finally become the adult.
I am genuinely grateful to Alex for giving me this challenge, because I honestly don’t know if I would have learned all those machines otherwise. It forced me out of my comfort zone, and somewhere between Machine #1 and Machine #30, my intimidation disappeared.
Which brings us to the obvious question:
Now what am I going to do with all this newfound knowledge?
Oh, I have plans.
This fitness year, I’ve decided, is going to be the year of the Core, Glutes and Legs.
And yesterday—the last day of October—I decided to give my legs a little preview of what November has in store for them.
I hit the leg machines.
Leg curls.
Leg extensions.
Leg press.
Hip adduction.
Hip abduction.
Calf extension.
Calf raises.
Five sets of ten on each.
350 reps.
Because apparently somewhere during this 30-day challenge I went from “Those machines scare me” to “Let’s see how many of these things I can do before my legs file a formal complaint.”
Then, because 350 reps obviously weren’t enough, I finished my workout with 50 lunges on each leg.
Yes.
One hundred lunges.
Anyone who knows me—or has read anything I’ve written about my training with Isaac—knows how much I love lunges.
And by “love,” I mean I would happily negotiate with a hostage taker if it meant getting out of doing them.
So today, November 1st, I fully anticipate discovering that sitting down on the toilet is considerably easier than getting back up.
Walking may also be optional.
But there is actually a method behind this madness.
Beginning today, I’m going to increase the weight on each machine by about 5–10 pounds and go back to three sets of ten, doing this leg routine two to three times each week.
On November 15th, I’ll increase to four sets of ten.
By the end of November, I’ll work up to five sets of ten.
Then on December 1st, I’ll increase the weights again and drop back to three sets of ten.
Rinse. Repeat. Build muscle.
At least that’s the plan.
I’m hopeful that this structured approach, combined with the work I’m doing with Isaac and the barre classes I’ve added, will start producing the stronger core, glutes and legs I’ve made the focus of this fitness year.
I want strength.
I want balance.
I want muscle.
And apparently I want to spend a significant portion of November wondering why stairs were ever invented.
But there is something pretty satisfying about this.
A few months ago, I walked into Fancy Gym and looked at all those machines as if they belonged in the cockpit of a 747.
Today, I know how to use them.
I know how to adjust them.
I know what weight I can handle.
And most importantly, I’m not intimidated by them anymore.
That’s the part of this challenge I’m proudest of.
Thirty machines didn’t just teach me how to use thirty pieces of equipment.
They taught me that sometimes the things that intimidate us become pretty ordinary once we’re willing to walk up, sit down and give them a try.
Although I’m still reserving the right to be intimidated by lunges.
Some things are simply unreasonable.
And About That 30-Strong Challenge…
You may also be wondering how I’m doing with the 30-Strong Challenge that Fancy Gym is sponsoring.
Well…
There are still three days left.
And somehow it has been the longest 120 days I’ve ever experienced in a single month.
That’s all I’m going to say for now.
More on that when the challenge officially ends.
Assuming I survive.
And assuming I can get off the toilet.
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