Kinetic Energy

8 ROUNDS later......

2010-05-01T16:59:00.000-07:00

So yesterday's TACFIT commmando workout had its moments of strides and gallops. That's the best way that I can describe what was going on for me during my workout. This is all good because it means that I'm conscious of my progress. In the beginning of this journey, I felt intrigued and hadn't yet dipped into my extended kinesthetic relationship to TACFIT. Sort of felt like a kid in a toy shop. 'I want this.' 'That's cool.' ' Hhmm...What's down that aisle? But yesterday was interesting because I was able to witness my intrigue, stay present with each exercise, and notice what had improved, or hadn't.
For example, forward lunges have become deeper, and my speed has improved. I'm not shifting from right to left as much. So, I'd say that was a 'gallop moment.' Sit thru knee was compelling for many reasons! For one...yesterday was the FIRST time that I did not feel as is I were going to vomit while doing this exercise! What I mean is that when I first started doing this exercise, I literally felt nauseous by the second set. My coach would actually put the garbage can in front of me whilst I pushed through this exercise. Don't know what the nausea is about...but it happened. However, yesterday was different. No nausea, and no garbage can! So, to me, that was huge. (a gallop) But then guess what...I pooped out too early on and had to slow down. I gave my all in the first 3 rounds...and then realized....'Um...where do you think you're goin?!' Back to the basics... 'GO YOUR OWN PACE' (a stride)
Moving onto Kneeling push-ups. (a mix of the stride and gallop) You know...this one really makes me laugh. Kneeling push-ups...no problem right? Your on your knees for God's sake. My kid brother could do it. WRONG. Try shifting your weight forward, resist from moving back, keep your elbows in, lock down the core, and move as quickly as you can for 8 rounds. ha! Looks are deceiving. My gallop for this one is in regards to the fact that I was consciously resisting the urge to move back while doing the work. My stride? I went at my own pace, and didn't slack off.
These were the biggest changes that I had seen throughout 8 rounds of those particular exercises. What I like about this work is that it brings me to a deeper appreciation of the body's capabilites. I see and feel changes, and because each time shows me something new...I can't help but leer ahead.

Kathy's Dancing Into Strength Program vlog2 - TACFIT Day

2010-04-21T05:24:00.000-07:00

Baby steps...

2010-04-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

My last TACFIT session with Coach Hurst felt a bit more solid. I have a bit more clarity while doing the sit-thru knee, and kneeling push-ups. It all looks so simple, but once your on the mat and practice the accurate form...it's another story. Kneeling push-ups are taken to a completely different level when you shift your weight forward or back, or keep your elbows close to the body. Sometimes I get to the third round of an exercise and feel like just falling flat on my face. Literally! I can feel my mind resisting, and sometimes that voice is so darn loud that it feels hypnotic. But deep down, I know that this is an 'old voice' and that it does not serve me. Ironically, the only way it may serve me is by me recognizing that it doesn't! Are you confused by now?! (haha!)
My point is that it's humbling! It's physically brutal at times. It works my mind, body, and spirit. I think about how it has changed my approach to moving, and in all of the patterns that I had developed over time. So I realize that I have a quite a long road of digesting this work.
On the days that I am not training w/Coach Hurst, I'll either go to the gym, or move my workout outdoors. I have to say, that ever since I started on the path of Circular Strength Training (and now TACFIT), using traditional equipment at the gym is just plain....boring. What I absolutely love about CST & TACFIT is that you move your body on several different levels. You are using space. The space in front of you behind you, the space on either side of you... Your using the core of every single muscle group. When your using weight, you are swinging clubbells and integrating the whole body. I love the system for that! It's a system that opens up huge learning opportunities. While traditional weight machines were a good learning tool back in the day...I find CST and TACFIT to be a deeper experience for me now. I'm never bored,and always challenged..and if I am bored...then that's on me. It's my responsibility to investigate the reason behind that.
So later on today, I'll post a few things that I've been working on, and will hopefully be able to post a montage of the work that I've done over the past week. I'm off to the park to train!

TACFIT whooooopppeeddd it!

2010-04-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a killa. Coach Hurst put me through the TACFIT progam. Note to self...be sure not to skimp on sleep the night before! The night before I was lucky enough to attend Mamady Sano's African dance workshop in Osaka. 3 hours of nearly non-stop high intensity, full-body movement! I started at 7pm and finished at 10, and my body/mind experience was pretty 'high.' When I got back to my house, my body was spent but, my endorphins would not chill. So I didn't sleep well, to say the least! Here's Mamady Sano..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MDsO5VuB_I

Next day (Friday), I was exhausted. I knew that later on, my TACFIT session would be really tough. But with that awareness also churnned a spark in me to move towards the work with more concentration. It's funny how that happens...Sometimes when we think we have absolutely 'nothing in the tank' we look to other resources to keep the tank running. So as I walked into Coach Hurst's studio, I was thinking...'Alright, physically your not at your best today. But you can still work efficiently. Maybe the speed at which you work will not be its best but, you can tap into your breathing with more focus, you can be more mindful of your form etc...' After all, I'm trying to really eat, and digest this program. Not fly through it. Being fully present in all of this work is worth more to me than losing weight, or gaining muscle. That will happen... no doubt. But listening to my body, taking the time to see and make the minor adjustments in each session brings me closer to building a very solid foundation.

Today, I'll take another dance workshop called Sabar dance. It's a completely different style from the workshops that I had taken early in the week. It focuses more on jumping, ...but sort of consistently! It also challenges your body with turns, and a whole lot of isolations of the hips, and tush! The arm movement is simultaneous to the leg movement. Talk about muscle confusion! Here's a link to see what Sabar looks like:
(Babacar M'baye)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6X8jTq-n10

2010-04-16T20:37:00.001-07:00

Kathy's dancing into strength program

2010-04-16T20:21:00.001-07:00

My name is Kathy Lucas, and I'm a CST instructor and dancer here in Japan. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to push the envelope. I'm mad about exploring movement opportunities that seem to be anatomically impossible. I'm wicked inquisitive, stubborn, and love what I do.

While I've trained in many styles of dance over 30 years, my focus is West African Dance. I'm not a ballerina. My body is a far cry from the stereotypical Ballet body. I have my curves and resemble more of an athletic build; and am sooo fine with that. However, I want to work on creating a physically stronger body (from the inside out). I'm 39 and feel more alive in my body than ever before. Part of that has a lot to do with Tacfit. I've not only seen changes in my body, but it's also sharpened my focus, increased my flexibility, and empowered me. My body feels like it's been injected with stability after my workouts. As a dancer, I find that this is what I need. Dancers are 3 dimensional movers. We move from high levels to low. We move in lateral, posterior, ventral, and circular ways. You name it ... we'll try and do it! So in order for me to be able to explore all of these movement options as a dancer (and more) .... I seriously need to buckle down on my workouts. I'm at the point now where, (as my teacher used to say) ... 'It's put up ... or shut up time!'

Coach Hurst has inspired me on many levels throughout my journey so far. I admire him for the devotion that he has for his work, his keen eye for precision, and the fact that he doesn't give up .... For .... Nothing ... ..! (Ps ... this also makes me bite my nails when I'm around him!) He's just the person that I need for this Tacfit journey!

So here's the deal .... You can read my blogs here, and watch my workouts. 'Holla' if you see or read something that you like or dislike. I love a good debate;)

Feeling Nostalgic...

2009-08-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a pretty fascinating rehab experience...I'll say that! 4 months ago I could not ride my bicycle, climb stairs, plie', squat, or jog. Now? Now...I'm able to do all of it! (at my pace, of course!) I am in awe of the process, and how it has played such a major role in my life and motivation to move on up!

Intu-flow (i am convinced), has helped tremendously. In the beginning stages of rehab, I was scared to death of doing any type of exercise. Hearing the news that I have a probable ruptured ACL was a big hit to my ego. So, I went through a process of feeling very vulnerable. With the support of my husband, friends, family, and my coach, I was able to see past the initial fear.

I could kick myself for not photographing or documenting the process of rehab with Intu-flow. For the first few weeks, I couldn't ride my bike, or climb stairs. I had very limited lateral mobility, and had to 'ration' the time that I was actually using my legs each day. My knee was exhausted, and in a constant state of pretty serious flexion. But here's the deal...the less I used my leg, the more pain I experienced. My coach recommended that I increase my daily Intu-flow, and add down-dog/up-dog to my daily routine. Holding these poses, kept my knee challenged in a safe way. As time went on, I added plank pose, and balance ball exercises.

About 3 weeks ago, I strutted into my Coach's studio with a big smile. The night before I tried modified squats for the first time in 3 months, and I was able to do 10 squats at a comfortable speed without any pain! Coach Hurst proceeded to work with me, and just yesterday he took me through a 30 minute workout session which included Intu flow, lunges, clubbell exercises, plank poses, and pull-ups with rings. How did I feel afterwards? GREAT!

I owe alot to Coach Hurst for intelligently guiding me towards 'renovating' my knee. A coach who believes whole-heartedly in a program is priceless, and often a rare find. When you are badly injured, it's so easy to get lost in negativity. When you are really 'present' in your life, and for others, you can evolve, and be a source of inspiration. But, when you wrap yourself around negativity...you stop 'living.' You live in panic, and impossibility.

Back in the day, I was lucky enough to be taught by a very wise theatre director. He always spoke of how necessary it was to take risks in life, and onstage. He'd encourage us to move towards the work that seemed impossible, or frightening. Working under his direction was one of the most rewarding times in my life, for that reason alone.

So, here I am 20 yrs. later, reminising and applying these lessons to my recovery. I feel a sense of acceptance, and strength that I hadn't felt before the injury. The injury pushed me towards creativity through recovery, and my sources of inspiration guided me towards LIVING my life, rather than feeling that my life had diminished.

Gimpy Graduates!

2009-06-13T05:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, so...I'm making some progress with my knee through the Intu-Flow program, a bit of Yoga, and some rehab exercises! I have been working on a daily 15 minute Intu-flow workout (at a comfortable pace). In the beginning stages of my injury, my knee looked very swollen, dramtically flexed, and stiff. I felt an overall imbalance throughout my spine, shoulders, and hips. I was walking with a pretty defined limp, and had difficulty getting up the stairs...going down the stairs was nearly impossible.

Now, my body feels more balanced. My limp, and swelling has drastically decreased and I have a strong increase in mobility. Just a few days ago, I met with Coach Hurst to work on my core, and upper body . I was surprised to see that I had the strength to get into plank position without pain! And after he put me through 'the ringer', I did not feel defeated. I felt stronger, and had more energy.

This really confirms my beliefs surrounding CST and the need that the body has to be partially active in order to recover. While I agree that the body needs proper time to rest immediately after injury, we are also given signs for when it's ready to start the rehabilitation process. We just have to be keen listeners.

28 days of Rehab!

2009-06-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

So, I have a minor set-back before me. A few weeks back I had an outdoor performance, and hurt my knee....pretty bad. The doc says that it is either one of two things... I have either torn my ACL (i can only hope), or I have ruptured my ACL and will need surgery. I'm going for a second, third, and fourth opinion on this! I am not one to jump into surgery ....who is???!!
Anyway, this comes at a very interesting time...I was on my way to setting up a 28day CST program with my Coach. At heart, I tend to ...let's say... "bulldoze" my way toward physical goals. So this has been a challenge for me! My "bulldozing" has to come from a different place in my psyche. I need to take a look at healing. Becoming stronger through CST, and focusing on recovery. It's a good thing for me. It comes at an awkward time, but...I can learn from it, and hopefully share the knowledge with others.
Currently, I am working on Intu-flow daily...along with several other CST methods which focus on healing, and strengthening. It's 28 days of rehab! (although...not your average Rehab!)

"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest, Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum."

2009-05-07T15:56:00.001-07:00

"We're working out like pirates, now!" says the captain of the...uh...er..training studio! We did indeed. Coach Hurst put me through a rigorous workout using club bells, and rings. We worked on compensatory movements, emphasizing the deltoids, lats, triceps, biceps, pecs, core, glutes, quads....wait....Let's just say that everything was worked! I laughed when Coach Hurst made the pirate comment, and then it REALLY made sense to me. The image and words that come to mind when I think 'pirate' are burly, gritty, gutsy, and adventurous. Oh..and I'll throw in the image of Johnny Depp (just for fun!)
Anyway, burly, gritty, gutsy, and adventurous...PERFECT description for this workout! What I am realizing is that the importance of integrating compensatory movements into a workout is sooo essential to balancing the body. I mean..it IS balance! Far too often have I seen one, or two major muscle groups "worked" rigorously. I've done it many times myself. Now, I see how this all leads to possible injury and an unbalanced body.
Our workout was tough today. Burly..check. Gritty...check(i was even using chalk for the ring portion of the workout!) Gutsy...check(um...anything that Coach Hurst introduces fits this description!) Adventurous...check(I've never done ring work before!) So, yeah...we were working it like pirates; and of all places...in Osaka, Japan!

Sticking with it

2009-05-06T01:19:00.000-07:00

While this is my first post, I have been training under the direction of Coach Ryan Hurst, with the hopes of eventually becoming a CST instructor. I love the program! It's made up of 3 physical components which are Intu-flow, Prasara Yoga, and Club bell training. It's unlike any other exercise system that I have tried. As I have been dancing for many years, and am also a pilates instructor, it seems that I can never get enough when it comes to learning new kinetic forms. So, here I am once again diving into unknown territory, intrigued by it all!

Along with keeping my physical regimen up, I am now starting a 28 day challenge. I'm journaling my food, and taking a look at which areas of my body are in need of a tune-up, or in need of a challenge. Needless to say, no easy task. Lesson #1 Stick with it!