working out s-mart

"Shop smart. Shop S-Mart." Thanks Bruce Cambell. But really, think like you shop - smart...especially during your workout.

I'm getting into the workout thing again. I never left, but I'm slowly ramping up to my prepregnancy practices. I have to play it smart though. As much as I would love to just rip into a workout, I can't do that. Not in the least. Other things I can't do - get the same max efforts on my lifts as I used to. I'm not admitting defeat and saying I'll never be there. What I am saying is I'm smart enough to know I am not there right now. I have to work my way back to that place.

That's ok. To be safe, I have to know a "second" me. The post partum me that hasn't lifted heavy, sprinted all out, or done muscle ups for the past couple of months. To anyone in a similar situation - be realistic about your skills. If a workout requires you to be a level 3 ninja and you're only a level 2 - scale it back. If something smells remotely dangerous, work into it slowly. It goes back to the "if ___ jumped off a bridge, would you?" If someone asks you to do a movement you are not comfortable with or at a weight you are afraid of, think about it. 1. Is this person just trying to motivate you? 2. Is what is being asked realistic? 3. Is it safe? Just because 1 and 2 have an answer, it doesn't mean that it is safe. Approach the goal in steps, build up to a weight or a speed methodically. Work on speed once you've mastered the other parts or modify movements.

The thing is, you shouldn't rely on someone else to read your body for you. As a trainer, I try to, but you should know best. If you don't know your bottom from your top end, you need to be taking this workout thing pretty slowly. Your top priority should be familiarizing yourself with your comfort zones, limitations, and habits. How can you push your boundaries if you don't know where they are? How can you eliminate your limitations if you don't know where to find them? If you can't smell what the Rock is cooking, you better check yourself before you wreck yourself. Be responsible enough to know yourself, it'll make meeting fitness goals safer and more enjoyable.