I had a ton of fun getting back into what I really wanted to do this week: kickboxing. I also said “what the hell” and went into Jiu-Jitsu right after. After two weeks away from my fave punching bags and snarky partners in crime, I found myself amazed that I didn’t miss much as far as steps go.

The bag wasn’t quite as hard to hit as I’d thought. I did get tired toward the end a bit, but didn’t have too big a stitch in my side. All in all, I thought it meant that I was getting stronger and had more stamina to keep going along.

Then, because it’s CARDIO kickboxing, we had mat workouts afterward, with pushups and crunches and such.

Long story short–I practically collapsed at that bit.

But that’s not fair, I thought I was doing better with my workouts.

Sure, I suppose, but one thing we never seem to want to learn (or at least I don’t because I hate it), is strength training.

I’m sure there are ten million articles on google right now saying how important it is to do strength training…more specifically, core training. Maybe it’s because of the tire around my middle, but I DESPISE core training.

I can barely do crunches, planks, or anything like that…I never was very good at the movements, or I’d find excuses to get away from them. I guess you could argue, like I tried to, that I needed to have a day off and not worry about strength training right then, or that I need to focus on losing weight and gaining speed when I hit.

The trouble is the days I miss strength training happen to usually be my core days. I rotate them around into 3 parts: upper, core, and lower. Somehow core gets a free pass or a half-assed effort.

Well, after all the hitting and kicking in class, I can sure feel where my weak points are long after I’ve left the bag and gloves behind.

Strength training doesn’t mean big muscles for a woman like me–it means I’m more able to protect myself and recover, to use what I’ve learned to the best possible capacity.

Strength training my core means not worrying about a bad back far too young, or pulling a muscle in the wrong place because I never took the time to work it thoroughly and well.

Strength training my core means more balance and stability in the long run, a body with many movements and functions that’s better able to work as one. Strength training my core means taking care of the largest muscles that support all the others, and will help all those other areas I’ve spent too much focus on.

So, yeah–strength training the core isn’t glamorous and usually inspires flashes of crappy infomercials of sporty models with six- or eight-packs and a flimsy/ cheap gizmo to help you get there.

In essence, when we see strength training and the core in pop culture and on t.v., it’s all about fitting into impossible outfits and too-smiley people trying to get you to hate your body and drop tons of cash on something else.

It’s no wonder I couldn’t stand core training, because I’d look at those “impossible” results and give up…but keep up everything else in the hope that some of the good strength training mojo would trickle down and affect the core.

Yeah, more wishful thinking.

Even though it’s damned hard with a tire around the middle, it needs to happen. And yes, it’s damned painful when you’re out of practice, but don’t give up like I did for years…and sometimes still do if my clone’s not standing behind me with a yoga mat and baseball bat, pointing it to the ground and threatening me.

Sheesh, I tell them to go forth and prosper and they come back to lecture me (sigh).

Anyhoo, this is going to be tricky, and though I find myself bored by core training, I know it’s needed…of course, it hurts because I suck at it. But I won’t get better if I don’t try, right?

This argument’s getting me nowhere. Everybody’s about to hit the sack, I’m gonna stay up with my mat and some Samurai Jack episodes between security rounds and do core training in between.

Hey, most of the music kicks butt (I can listen to the music during season 1 episode 6 at the desert crossing montage over and over again). Will a soundtrack ever come out, dammit?!

Well, til then, time to get my mat out and pop in that awesome episode.