Off to Lowe's for more paint!

Body Pump is a 60 minute class that is split up into 10 tracks (songs), each of which focuses on one set of muscles/movements (warm up, squats, chest, back, triceps, biceps, lunges, shoulders, abs, cool down.) You do lots of reps of light weight with minimal breaks.

I have been attending Body Pump classes twice a week for 7 weeks now. And I hope to keep it up until our trip to Turkey in July (at least.) I was so intimidated to join that first class, but now I'm hooked. It really is for anybody...and you only get better.

I didn't take measurements or photos before I began, but I can definitely see changes. Mainly in my tush. I've always had a prominent behind (not complaining, I'm grateful that it propels me through my long runs), but lately it is tighter and higher. I think my legs look trimmer/more toned, too.

Which is kind of funny because I thought I'd see changes in my arms first considering I was starting with virtually no upper-body strength. I don't have Jessica Biel arms yet, but I'm sure they're coming. Especially since I increased my weights last week! I must be getting stronger. Or braver.

Here are the weights I currently use for Body Pump 80 (not including the weight of the bar):

• warm up: 10 lbs (feels light...except for the shoulder presses)
• squats: 30 lbs (feels good, like I'm working, although my lower back gets sore)
• chest: 15 lbs (I can just eek it out to the end!)
• back: 25 lbs (feels great! really have to push at the end to keep good form)
• triceps: 15 lbs on the bar, 10 lb plate (although it's tough, singing along to Britney's "Til the World Ends" powers me through)
• biceps: 10 lbs (I can finally make it all the way through without too much trouble...but I'm afraid to bump up the weight)
• lunges: 20 lbs for the squat piece, no weight for the lunges (I really do not like lunges. My quads burn so badly by the end. Maybe because I run a few miles before class??)
• shoulders: 5 lbs (This always feels light at the beginning, but I can barely make it all the way through. Our instructor says shoulders are actually a small muscle group that wears out quickly, so I guess that makes sense.)
• abs: no weight

My favorite tracks are back (I love to clean and press!), triceps, and shoulders. My least favorite are chest and lunges.

Have you done Body Pump? Did you like it? And what do you think of the propulsive lunges in Body Pump 80??

This morning I decided to do a mushroom & gorgonzola frittata, and it was so good. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, seeing as how this is a classic combination, but I'm still pretty proud of how it turned out.

Mushroom & Gorgonzola Frittata

serves: 2

time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 8-10 cremini or button mushrooms, cleaned and diced
• 4 eggs
• 1 ounce gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375F.
• Melt butter in a medium-sized pan with an oven-proof handle over medium heat. (TIP: You can cover a plastic handle with aluminum foil to prevent it from melting since it will only be in the oven for a few minutes.)
• Saute mushrooms in butter until browned and juices have released (about 5 minutes.) Season with salt and pepper.
• Whisk eggs in a small bowl and then pour over mushrooms. Give them a quick stir to distribute mushrooms evenly before the eggs start to set. 
• Cook over medium heat until the bottom of frittata is set, but top is still runny (about 4 minutes.)
• Run a silicone spatula around the edge of the frittata to loosen from the pan. Sprinkle gorgonzola crumbles evenly over the top.
• Place pan in preheated oven until the top is just set and cheese has melted (about 3 minutes.)
• Let cool slightly, then cut into wedges. Serve with freshly ground pepper.