Do you know the song “Work” by Rihanna? It goes something like this: “Work, work, work, work, work, work.” That’s all I could think of when my alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. on a lovely Friday morning. I hit snooze, of course! I hit snooze again at 5:45 a.m.
I crawled out of bed at 5:55 a.m., thinking, Oh crap! My class starts in five minutes!
I rushed around the house, trying to be as quiet as possible, and headed out. I made it into the gym at 6:04 a.m.—still sleeping, I might add, and totally unaware of what I was getting myself into. As I may have mentioned before, I am not an early morning person, so the task of getting out of bed and hauling myself over to the gym by 6:00 a.m. is almost impossible for me.
But I did it!
I was greeted with a large smile by Sherisse. I’m 99 percent sure she knew who I was, as I looked lost and confused. I was then welcomed by all the participants with big bright smiles, handshakes, and introductions.
Morning people! Who is that cheery that early in the morning?
These people.
I felt like a walking zombie, with sleep in my eyes and a puffy face. But I honestly loved how friendly everyone was.
The class I went to is called Strength and Conditioning, and we started with slow squats to warm up our legs and butts. Then we moved on to lower body prep, sharing the large elastic bands we needed for the exercise. (I should mention there were 11 of us in this class. I didn’t realize so many morning people existed in the world.)
After the warmup, I stood helplessly as everyone else got the bars and weights ready. I was just now waking up, and very confused.
We headed over to the racks, with everyone starting in on four-by-four back squats. Sherisse, sensing my confusion, headed my way and paired me up with another participant.
Away we went! We practiced our form first by squatting the bar, and then we added weight to join the rest of the group. And by the way, it’s called four-by-four because you do four back squats, take a two-minute break, then your partner goes… repeat four times.
Sherisse was there the whole time to guide me, reminding me to stick my butt out first and then squat. Why? To keep my feet flat and my core tight! Honestly, it was great. I love the encouragement Sherisse and my partner gave me.
We ended the one-hour workout with Death by Thruster. You may be wondering what I mean by that. A thruster is a combination of a front squat and an overhead press. Well, we lined up in rows, and everyone had a bar with weights on it. I had dumbbells. Every minute, on the minute, we completed one thruster in one minute. In the second round, we completed two thrusters in one minute. In the third round, three thrusters in one minute, and so on.
Most of the group made it to ten thrusters in one minute, and one extraordinary guy made it to twelve!
It was a great morning workout. I may not be a morning person, but I have to admit I felt great all day.
Tryouts Coming for Manitoba Summer Games Girls Soccer
Apr 17, 2024 | 4:04 pm
An exciting opportunity is coming for young athletes in the rural southeast. In anticipation of the upcoming Manitoba Summer Games, tryouts will be held in May for those looking to join one of...
Read moreAn exciting opportunity is coming for young athletes in the rural southeast. In anticipation of the upcoming Manitoba Summer Games, tryouts will be held in May for those looking to join one of...
Read moreThe Sophomore Jolt: Looking Back at a Second Season of Nighthawks Hockey
Apr 13, 2024 | 8:59 pm
For the second straight year, the Niverville Nighthawks had an up-and-down season. When they were playing well, the Nighthawks were hard to beat. They played strong and looked like one of the best...
Read moreFor the second straight year, the Niverville Nighthawks had an up-and-down season. When they were playing well, the Nighthawks were hard to beat. They played strong and looked like one of the best...
Read moreProvince Announces Support of Jets Whiteout Parties
Apr 10, 2024 | 3:00 pm
In the coming weeks, Winnipeg’s downtown will be hit by a whiteout, this one of the welcome variety. With the Winnipeg Jets securing their place in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, it’s time...
Read moreIn the coming weeks, Winnipeg’s downtown will be hit by a whiteout, this one of the welcome variety. With the Winnipeg Jets securing their place in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, it’s time...
Read moreEastman Heat Do Manitoba Proud at Western Provincials
Apr 10, 2024 | 12:13 am
The U16A Eastman Heat ringette team recently wrapped up a particularly successful season. After winning their Provincials in overtime, they qualified to represent Manitoba at the Western Canadian...
Read moreThe U16A Eastman Heat ringette team recently wrapped up a particularly successful season. After winning their Provincials in overtime, they qualified to represent Manitoba at the Western Canadian...
Read moreLocal Athlete Wins at Special Olympics
Apr 01, 2024 | 12:00 am
Niverville resident Terrylinn Johnson won four medals in speedskating at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games held in Calgary on February 27–March 2. This is only the latest of Johnson’s...
Read moreNiverville resident Terrylinn Johnson won four medals in speedskating at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games held in Calgary on February 27–March 2. This is only the latest of Johnson’s...
Read moreNighthawks Season Ends in Sweep
Mar 29, 2024 | 9:44 am
The Niverville Nighthawks have been eliminated from the MJHL postseason after a 3–2 season-ending loss in game four at the CRRC on Thursday night to the Steinbach Pistons. With their backs up...
Read moreThe Niverville Nighthawks have been eliminated from the MJHL postseason after a 3–2 season-ending loss in game four at the CRRC on Thursday night to the Steinbach Pistons. With their backs up...
Read moreAccessible Sport Expo Comes to Niverville
Mar 28, 2024 | 4:12 pm
On Saturday, March 30, the CRRC in Niverville will host an Accessible Sport Expo. The event is put together by Accessible Sport Connections (ASC), a non-profit that works to provide those with...
Read moreOn Saturday, March 30, the CRRC in Niverville will host an Accessible Sport Expo. The event is put together by Accessible Sport Connections (ASC), a non-profit that works to provide those with...
Read moreNighthawks Lose Double Overtime Heartbreaker
Mar 27, 2024 | 9:16 am
The Niverville Nighthawks are fighting for their playoff lives after a gut-wrenching 3–2 double overtime loss to the Steinbach Pistons on Tuesday night. With the loss, the Nighthawks go down 3–1...
Read moreThe Niverville Nighthawks are fighting for their playoff lives after a gut-wrenching 3–2 double overtime loss to the Steinbach Pistons on Tuesday night. With the loss, the Nighthawks go down 3–1...
Read moreShould our schools work harder to ensure that different learning styles are supported through the provision of multiple learning tracks as opposed to single track learning?
For related article, see www.nivervillecitizen.com/...