Fish on land, house cat in water

As noted last month, Trainer Kevin promised to "turn me into a fish" when I could work up to a side plank for thirty seconds comfortably. Having little sense of moderation and not being able to resist a dare, I started in on the 30-second interval at the next workout.

Yeh, eventually it got as comfortable as a side plank ever will get. So I got my cracker-jack prize, which is to move up to the "fish plank" level of difficulty.

And no, I cannot think "fish plank" without flashing on this. Awesome, TK.

Here's my three-week workout for Oct 31-November 19.

1. Running drill warmup: A couple of laps around the track, followed by 15 meter-interval drills of butt kickers, high knees, hop/skip, and carioca.

Core superset x 3:


2. Fish plank x 12. (Good lord, "fish plank." Try to forget the taste of fried batter.) Start from side plank. Lift hips so that the line from lower hip to armpit is parallel to the ground. If you can.


3. Leg raises x 10.


4. Shoestring crunch x 15.

Then more core work:


5. Diagonal Zs with the medicine ball, 2 x 20, both sides.

On to upper/lower body stuff, starting with this superset x 2:


6. Band rows x 30.


7. Band chest press x 30.


8. Band flies x 30.

Lower body superset x 2:


9. Single-leg hamstring (there's that hamstring) x 15, both sides.


10. Single-leg squats x 15, both sides.

Arms x 2:


11. Bicep curls @ 8lbs x 20.


12. Triceps extensions @ 8 lbs x 20.

What, that's all? I ask TK. He shoots me a look. How's the swim going? he asks. (I am heading down to swim with my pal M, aka Your Candidate for Most Stubborn Woman Alive. A champion distance runner and novice swimmer, she goes head-down and focused into a mile-yardage set of drills, and she will not stop until she's completed the swim to her satisfaction, both in terms of distance and form. Me, I dink around and swim my 600 yards and am done.)

Not so great, I admit. I am not exactly a fish in the water, either, yet.

You'll get there, says TK.

Yeah? Where's that?

Where you decide to go, he says.