Occasionally I get “fan-mail” from my readers telling me about the various stuff they created based on or inspired by something I published on my website. This always puts a smile on my face. However, some of these fan-mails really take this to the next level. And I wanted to share these three examples:

These are all based on my painting of Medusa. Besides these three I have received numerous other requests to use my art in tattoos. It’s quite weird knowing that somewhere out there at least three people are walking around with my art imprinted on their skin. For the rest of their life.

Some people wonder why there are so few guys in Power Step class. If you just look at the concept you would think it’s the perfect fit for all those men who are already hooked on Body Pump and Spinning or maybe even Core Pulse.

Power Step is like a mix between Body Pump and a pure cardio class. With the added bonus that you use the same weights for many of the exercises, which means less down-time and thus a harder, more intense, workout. The sections where you use the bar are shorter and have fewer repetitions than Body Pump which means you can take on heavier weights than you normally do in Body Pump class. I believe this aspect in particular should appeal to men seeing that there seems to be a linear relationship between the weights you can lift and how macho you feel. :P

But maybe this is not enough to convince most guys to even try Power Step. And believe me. I have tried.

So is it the “Step”-part which feels intimidating? It’s not like the choreography would be that much harder for guys to learn. It takes two, maybe three times before you get the hang of it. I believe this applies equally to both men and women. So I don’t think men are at any kind of disadvantage here. After two or three times you will feel perfectly comfortable with the basic step aerobics style moves they use for the cardio and I think men can enjoy it as much as women.

Anyway, this was my view of Power Step until last Thursday when I tried the new choreography.

The core concept is still there, although I got the feeling this release was a bit less demanding than the last one so I think I need to increase my weights quite a bit to make it challenging. The good thing is that they removed the overhead lifts for the back track which means I won’t have to switch weights twice now which in turn means less downtime than for the previous release. So from that perspective it is OK.

The parts I’m having issues with are the warm-up and the cool-down. For me as a guy, these parts felt very uncomfortable. The previous release kinda had this same problem but now I think they really brought it one step further. The feeling I get is like I am not really participating in a group training class at all, instead it is like I am “dancing” in front of a mirror. A very feminine, kinda fruity, gay, dance. I suppose I don’t have to remind the reader of how uncomfortable men are with dancing in the first place? Let alone doing so in front of a mirror, in a room full of women, to a set of moves like the once in this choreography? Most men only experience this in their worst nightmares.

So I ask myself, what were they thinking?

Just think about the psychology here. What parts of a lecture do you usually remember the best? The beginning and/or the end, right? This is why public speakers are trained to place the important parts in the beginning and the end of their speeches to make sure their message comes across properly. The same principle applies to movies and plays etc. And I would assume that this applies to group training also. Which means that what guys will remember from their first Power Step session are the parts that make them the most uncomfortable. I mean, personally I believe I have enough self-distance so that I can handle these parts of the routine. But if my first time trying Power Step would have been to this choreography I doubt I would have returned. So good luck getting more guys to pick up Power Step. I just don’t see it happening.

They even have a track in this release where the lyrics go something like: “Dude, looks like a Lady”… I mean WTF?

If last week was all about cardio with the Core Pulse overdose, then it’s quite fitting that the theme for this week is endurance based strength. They are starting with the new Power Step choreography tomorrow so I figured I’d do an extra Body Pump session this week as a sort of warm up.

It has been months since the last time I attended a Body Pump class so I almost felt like a beginner again yesterday. I didn’t recognize a single track which suggest I may have missed an entire release.

When you don’t remember what weights you can take on each exercise, or when you are unsure if you are able to lift the same amount you did several months back, it becomes a lot harder to enjoy the workout. You put on too little and it’s not much of a challenge, you put on too heavy and you can’t do the exercises with good form.

But that is not my main issue with Body Pump. What makes it dull is that there is very little variation. All you do is stand in one spot and grind grind grind those weights. This makes it harder to connect with the music as well. In Core Pulse and Power Step it is much easier since you are moving your entire body in tune with the beat of the music.

I do feel that I did get a good workout for my biceps which is a good thing as I really struggle with that as of late. Biceps curls with dumbbells are a lot harder to do with good form than one could imagine. I suppose that is actually the whole point of using free weights. However I’m thinking that I may have an easier time developing my biceps strength with a more isolated exercise like a preacher or meditation curl. I will have to take that into consideration for my next strength training routine.

The new Core Pulse is hard as nails. And since they are not releasing the new Power Step yet I booked myself to all three Core Pulse classes this week. I am going to die.