A funny thing happened at the gym...
 

I went to the gym yesterday, which is normal for a Saturday, however I typically go at 8:00-9:00am, and yesterday I didn't make it there until 2:00pm. So there I am the sole female during what must be "Big young manly muscle hour". I think there is a group that regularly meets to do free weights, they seemed to be spotting for each other and working out in teams. Anyway, I don't do a lot of free weights because I usually go by myself and don't have a spotter. But I do some upper body in the free weight room and some floor work, push-ups, planks, stretching, and I use the inverted ab bench too. I usually start with the floor work to warm up, and yesterday I managed to do a plank for about 3 -3 1/2 minutes. I didn't really time it, I just held the plank until my arms gave out. Then I got up off the floor and went out to the weight machine room to do some leg work.

Maybe 10-15 min later I walked back into the free weight room to use the ab bench and every last one of the guys that had been in there when I warmed up was in plank position. So I ask the guy nearest the ab bench, "What gives?". So he sort of chuckles and says that one of the guys is pretty sure that I held the plank 4 minutes and he challenged all of them to go longer". Too too funny. So now I'm going to practice some burpees and when I get so I can do a handful, I'm going back on a Sat afternoon and see if I can make them jump around like demented monkeys.

Very funny!
 

I want video if you get those guys doing burpees!

BTW I saw a T-shirt the other day that said: If burpees were easy they'd be called bicep curls :D

First I need to master the burpee so that I can do it without hurting myself. I'd never heard of a burpee until yesterday when Mike posted a link with a video. Certainly isn't something I would come up with on my own LOL, I'm more of a "built for comfort" sort of girl.

I love that t-shirt slogan. My girls are all swimmers and one of the teams has shirts that say, "Swimming is sport, everything else is a game".

WOW! 4 minutes?! That is IMPRESSIVE! :)

Thanks for sharing. Great story and great unexpected reward for all your work. It must of felt terrific. Mary

I don't think I was there 4 minutes, seemed more like 3, maybe 3+ a little. I think it was just one of those guy moments, a little game of one-up-man-ship. I was sort of impressed with the guy who could chuckle and hold a plank.

Burpees are one of the standard moves at the Cross fit gyms. As if the regular kind aren't hard enough, they'll often add a little sadistic twist like do the burpee under a pull up bar and instead of jumping do a pull up. Or instead of just jumping up, jump to the side over a bar.

Tough, but really effective!

That is so funny. I do have to ask though what is a plank? If its what I think, where you are stretched out with only your toes and forearms on the floor and your back perfectly straight then I know it but by another name, we always called it a table. I can hold a table for as long as you want me to, used to hang out like that and watch TV, I find it really comfortable but then I have never claimed to be normal :-)

What you call a table, I call a bent arm plank. At the gym I was doing a straight arm plank, which is hands and toes on the floor, back straight and in-line with neck and hips. My physical therapist has me do them for my bum shoulder.

Great time on the plank! :D

I used to be addicted to burpees. I had a goal of 30 burpee/lunges but could only work up to 25 before I felt like puking! :eek: