Bambi in Sweat Pants

Yesterday's workout was a treat. I cranked out the cardio early to maximize my time with the trainer and the weights. I wasn't disappointed. We (that's the royal "we") did leg extensions, hamstring curls, squats, and leg presses.

The operative phrase in this muscle-building endeavor was "to exhaustion." The idea is that you do a warm-up set, then add weight and repeat the set. Next, you add more weight and do as many as you can do. Another option is to use light weights and just go until you can't.

None of this was more weight than I could handle, but it was much more than I have handled regularly for quite a long time. Bennie told me Joan would probably be driving more to work the next day.

The culmination of all this fun was a set of lunges down a long hallway carrying two 20-lb. dumbbells. Then the Bambi part began. We put the weights away. I shook Bennie's hand and told him how lucky I was to be paying him to induce this pain and exhaustion. then I began walking down the steps.

Newborn Bambi or Bambi on ice--I don't care which picture you have in your mind--that was me. Stiff-legged and shaky. Fearful of collapse. Hanging onto the railing as if I had just met a long-lost friend. Mr. Wobbles. Quaking all the way to the shower. Shuffling all the way to the truck. Driving to church, then strapping on Toby and making my way through an extended band practice. Trust me. When the opportunity to sit arose, I descended.

The good news is that today I am stiff but not sore. And I'm ready for more.