Oof

There are 5 times in my life I've taken Advil because I know I'm going to be extremely sore the next day, when:

• I ran Marine Corps Marathon in 2010
• I dared my trainer to "do your worst"
• I ran 20in24
• I ran Marine Corps Marathon in 2012
• Tonight

As I said yesterday, one of my New Years' resolutions is to lift weights more often, so I went to a weights class at the gym this evening.  The description from the club's website says:

BODYPUMP™ is the original barbell class that strengthens your entire body. This 60-minute workout challenges all your major muscle groups by using the best weight-room exercises like squats, presses, lifts and curls. You'll get the results you came for – and fast!

I'd never used a barbell before and thought I'd taken it easy using light weights.  Ten minutes in to class, I knew that wasn't the case.  By the end of the squat series, my legs were shaking.  As we cooled down, my triceps were already sore.

The class is broken in to segments, each of which concentrates on a different muscle group or exercise.  I started each segment thinking I might want to increase the weight I was using, and ended it out of breath with tired muscles.  One by one, my legs, triceps, back, and shoulders were worked hard.  By the end of class, I was ready to go home and curl up on the couch.  I stopped by the grocery store on my way home and could barely carry my groceries - it probably didn't help that I bought cartons of milk and orange juice.

I know I'm going to be really sore tomorrow, but it's totally worth it.  I'll be back to that class once my muscles recover - it's a fun way to keep one of my resolutions.