“Energy and persistence conquer all things.” — Benjamin Franklin
Last night, I started Week Five of the Kyle Weiger program. It was harder (of course) than the other weeks and for a brief moment I wondered if I could hold the plank with my feet on the wall, but I did it. And I still giggled when he referred to Week Four as a rest week — we did not rest! But I must confess that I was a teensy bit disappointed in the drills. And by that I mean I was disappointed in my ability to do them. I am still no closer to doing a tuck press than I was when I started. I swear. It’s true. I’ve only had one or two times when I’ve actually felt like my hips were even remotely over my shoulders and even then I didn’t have any hang time.
Here he is encouraging us to do the first five as the tuck and on the second uncurl into a handstand and I can’t even do the tuck. Sigh. And I feel like a big dope while I’m doing it. For one thing, I still have no control over my body and what it’s doing. I get the set up — hands gripping the mat, shoulders forward, hips up — but as soon as I try hopping or lifting my hips up higher, it all falls apart. I go up and then down and up and then down and I’m pretty loud when I’m doing it. No hang time. No floating. No feeling like I could extend my legs toward the ceiling and hold a handstand. Just a 56-year-old woman doing donkey kicks and thunking to the ground.
I guess what makes this so disappointing to me is that I’m in the second to the last week of the program and the tuck is just as elusive to me now as it was when I started. But I can’t get stuck on the tuck. I’m definitely stronger than I was before I started and my abs are noticeably different. I’m not afraid to kick up in the middle of the room and I do have a few seconds of hang time when I move my feet away from the wall.
I’m. Not. Giving. Up.
