I was a little bit early to Barwis yesterday. My Mom helped me out of my car just as Nick came out to meet us. When he got to my car he started yelling that he hoped I was feeling good. I returned the yelling with equal exuberance. He pushed me inside and to the blue table. As he grabbed my right leg, it was apparent that I WASN’T feeling good. My legs were super tight. Heather came over and asked if I knew what we were doing today. Nick just answered her that it was a surprise. I told them that I like surprises especially a “Barwis Surprise”! Nick helped me onto the table and they stretched my legs out a bit. As Heather was stretching my leg, Nick left (I didn’t see where he went) but he came back with a harness. WHAT?! WE’RE STANDING TODAY?! It has been SO long since I have stood that I didn’t even care that I was going to be harnessed.
Heather and Nick put the harness on me as I sat on the blue table. It’s a different harness than I have worn before. Instead of putting it on like a pair of pants, they fitted it on me like a vest but then attached straps onto my legs. Heather and Nick asked how I felt and I told them like an astronaut getting ready for take-off because I was so excited!!! Heather pulled me over to the Keiser machine and he set my feet and Heather attached me to the air machine. Nick had said that we were going to just try standing and if we could get 1 squat off that that would be a good thing.
I stood easily. I didn’t know how much air they gave me to assist me to stand but I didn’t care! It just felt so good to stand!!! Nick guided my knees (it was easier to keep them apart with the air) and he said that we were going to try a squat slowly. I squatted and he said to try to stand. I guess all of the PNF stretching has helped because I shot right up to Nick’s surprise. He told me that we were going to keep it going. Heather stood behind me and gave that little boost I needed to try to stand up fully. I completed 2 sets of 15 resting in between them before I started feeling tired. Nick could see it on my face and said that we would try just a set of 10. I did it!!! I was EXHAUSTED!!! Nick and I pounded it out as Heather unhooked me. She dragged me back over to the blue table and I laid on my stomach and did some hamstring PNF’s. I pushed myself BEYOND where I thought my body could go!!! Heather put me back in my chair and Nick Lucius was working on the white table and he saw the exhaustion in my face and asked if they (Heather and Nick), “kicked my a**.” I responded with an exhausted, ‘Yeah.” And he smiled and said, “Good.” I smiled too. It was good.
Heather helped me into my car where I told my Mom what I did. My butt was on FIRE!!! I texted Jesse, Phil, and Mike Barwis that I did 40 squats. Jesse texted back that that was amazing and Mike said it was awesome. Then I DMed Brock. He told me that was huge and asked how I felt. I told him that I’m tired and that my butt was on fire! He told me that it might be hard to sleep. I told him that I was so exhausted that I didn’t think it would be. He told me to sleep on my stomach. I ended up sleeping on my side and my butt and hamstrings continued to hurt today. They still hurt as I write this. But I’ve known that it’s got to hurt if it’s to heal and I don’t mind at all. I’m TRULY EXCITED for tomorrow!!