It's been a while since I'd posted an update blog.
The semester is finished, and summer has started. I managed to pass all of my classes, although Greek II almost got me. I'll have to be reviewing that material this summer, otherwise Greek III will destroy me. :(
My part-time job at the school registrar's office has ended, and I wasn't able to land another position yet, so a lot of my time this summer is free. I'm valeting part-time again to help counter that monetary lapse in my income, and I'm still working part-time at church, so I should be doing okay financially.
Recently I've been reading a bunch of blogs (what else is new), and the standout of the bunch is called Nerd Fitness. If you know me at all, I'm a pretty nerdy kinda guy. I mean, I balance it out fairly well with my enjoyment of sports and guitar, but I'm a nerd. Video games fascinate me, and I thoroughly enjoy the books I read (when I read). I'm even writing short reviews on the different books I read (or listen to as the case may be).
However, I've also always been athletic. I bounce a lot. I like to jump and climb on things. I love playing basketball, volleyball, football, soccer, ultimate Frisbee, tennis, and almost every other sport that I've tried. Unfortunately, I haven't been too dedicated in staying in shape. Yes, I'm skinny, but that doesn't mean I'm in shape. I've played with different ideas for getting in shape, but none of them really appealed to me. I really don't see the appeal of becoming a meathead or a gym rat. Of course, I understand that's not exactly what would be happening. But, frankly, the idea of going to the gym 3-4 times per week simply isn't appealing to me. And, therefore, I have very little intrinsic motivation to get off my butt and go to the gym to work out.
Enter the Angry Birds workout. There's nothing about this workout that's groundbreaking. It's structured around four basic exercises (push-ups, squats, pull-ups, and planks) and scales up the repetitions with your fitness level. That's nothing new. Everyone knows that in order to get stronger you have to either increase weight or repetitions in exercises. But what this guy (Steve) does is combine a certain degree of "nerdy-ness" with this basic fitness information.
Anyone who has played the iPod/iPhone/iPad/Chrome game Angry Birds knows that they have a rating system to let you know how effective you were in completing a level. Steve takes that concept and gives you ratings based on the number of sets it takes to complete a certain number of repetitions. (For those of you who are new to the fitness world, a repetition is one instance of the exercise and a set is a group of repetitions. e.g. one repetition is one push-up, and one set is 15 repetitions/push-ups.) Each exercise has 6 levels, and you're ready to advance to the next level when you obtain 3 stars on the level. If you have doubts or think this is a gimmick, go look at the levels before you scoff.
From what I can tell, this workout is geared toward a wide variety of people, ranging from sedentary lifeforms to people of average fitness. If you look at level 1 and feel like it's too easy, skip to a higher level. I did a basic test, aiming to overcome level 1 in a single set, and then allowing that to determine where my level actually is. So when I knocked out 50 body weight squats in one set, I completed levels 1 and 2 in one go. I probably could have completed level 3 if I had done another set, but I was eager to see how I would do in the other exercises. (If you're curious, I completed level 1 in back exercises and planks and also level 2 in squats and push-ups.)
I'm going to be doing the Angry Birds workout this summer. I don't know if this workout routine will change my physical appearance very much, but I know for a fact that I'll get stronger. And, more importantly, I'll be developing a habit of working out, even if it's just for a little bit at a time. By the end of the summer, I'm expecting to have surpassed level 5 in each of the exercises. I'm predicting that the pull-ups are going to be my weak link, but we'll see how it works out.
Anyone want to join me on this quest?
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