A Room Full of Sweaty Boys

It should be a good thing - a cadre of testosterone-filled guys all packed in to a small space. This is the featured attraction of those pubescent wet dreams. However, after a visit to the gym at Irving Place during peak hours I had to laugh. At one point there was literally NO open spot. Every bench was being used, every cable was being pulled, every bar was being raised, every square inch of mat was being stretched upon and every dumbbell was in somebody's hand.

It isn't bad enough that you have to literally hop over a bench to move from one area to another, you also have to sit face to face with another person while you do lat pull-downs. If you want to use a stability ball - you have to wait in line. I have never experienced this before. The gym I work is a large expanse with so much room in which to frolic and lift heavy weight - and sometimes simultaneously. The gyms I normally frequent are similarly un-packed and allow me considerable options so that I can stick to my rigid fitness plan toward an unattainable physical ideal.

What is going on here? It's my new schedule and it's my new geographic limitations (enhanced by the lack of NYSC in Brooklyn (none in Williamsburg - wtf?)) Waking up at 6 every morning, arriving home at 5, eating, and THEN heading to the gym as peak hours loom. I hate it. Now I see why so many "working" people are chunkified. The schedule is tough - and who wants to work out in a place where you have to use the hamstring curl because it's the only machine or weight available?

So how did I fix it? I found a new location, one that seems to be sufficiently unpopular during the post-workday rush. I also broke down and actually bought my own stability ball, much to my surprise. It has become my office chair and the thing I most often mount. Flipping (but not like the guy to the left) through the TV the other day I stumbled on Cathe from FitTV (my favorite channel - really) whose CoreMax workouts - if done correctly - will make you feel oh so very nice. I never realized what it felt like to have somebody else dictate how I spend my time working out. I wanted to stop doing the ball exchange two reps before Cathe wanted me to - and that extra push was so worth tuning in. I also like how she says I am doing such a great job without even seeing me glistening with sweat on my stability ball.

I am living for the weekends these days - making the most of the NYC summers before the school year is upon me to kick my ass even more than it already is. Coming up soon - a Dash-tested and approved workout plan to jumpstart your early mornings and to keep you peppy and productive all day long.