The fun kind of pain

So today, I did another 1 hour ride with my current favorite Peloton Instructor, Matt Wilpers.  I got another personal best for output today. 

The fun thing is learning new ways to push my body.  I think one of the reasons I enjoy riding with Matt so much is that he explains things in a way that make sense to me.  Do they hurt?  YES!  Do they make me uncomfortable?  ABSOLUTELY!  Am I seeing and feeling changes in my body as a result?  Yes, Yes I am! 

I have exercised 20 of the last 30 days using the Peloton, (an increase of 10 days over the prior 30 days) and have done at least 1 Peloton workout every week for the last 9 weeks. 

Today, Matt talked about feeling the entire pedal stroke, and not just using your quads to push the pedals down (we all know how to do that) but using your hamstrings and glutes to pull the pedals up on the back side of the pedal stroke.  I wasn't understanding what he said at first, and I wasn't feeling anything in my glutes or hamstrings, so I decided to try a different approach.  I sat back on my SITS bones (not fun) and rather than pushing the pedals, I only allowed my legs to pull. 

We were riding at a really slow cadence (under 65 rpm) but high resistance so I was in zone 4 of 7 in my power zones.  All of a sudden it felt like someone tied knots in my glutes and hamstrings and the burn in my quads was completely gone.  I had to consciously think about not letting my feet touch the bottom of my shoes, or pushing down on the pedals.  We did this for 4 minutes, which doesn't sound like much, but good gravy, did I feel it. 

I can tell my core strength is improving because when I started I had a very difficult time sitting up, 'heart forward, lengthening the spine, stacking my muscles above my hips and then hinging forward from there" with a slight bend in my elbows and not putting all the pressure on my hands.  Now I get it, and being able to sit up this way takes the stress off my hands, my quads, my knees and gives me more power. 

I also glanced at myself sideways in the mirror and was shocked.  While I'm not losing my belly just yet (yes, I know, abs are made in the kitchen), I'm starting to notice that my booty is lifting.  I've always had a big butt, so that isn't going to change, but I'd rather it sit higher than be saggy, and that appears to be happening. 

This quarantine has definitely taken a toll on our family mentally, but at least I'm finding some healthy ways to deal with it.