THE MARTUCCI MANEUVER & OTHER WACKY WORKOUT TECHNIQUES!

FITNESS FRIDAY RULE #1: Exercises are like Bar Drinks -- You can embellish them and then call them whatever you want.

Even though I have been terribly lazy about updating my blog on my Friday segment aka "FITNESS FRIDAYS", that doesn't mean I have been slacking when it comes to working out with Ms. Goff Ellis (or is it Ellis Goff?) Ang and I have been hitting Royal Fitness in Bethesda at least twice a week. And Bernard, our personal trainer? He's been making us hit the floor and giving him 10 at the beginning of each work out! (Granted, when Angie took off about 3 weeks for wedding stuff, the marriage, and honeymoon, I pretended I was their 3rd wheel and took off from the gym too.) But now we're back into the swing of things and we are starting to have more fuN in the old workout.

Bernard likes to put us through "routines", if you will. The first one we ever did was the Bavarian Dead Lift Shuffle. I won't try to explain it here, but trust me when I tell you (a phrase from my beloved former anchor Andy Mehalshick's mouth at WBRE), Angie and I look like complete WACK-A-DOOs when we do that thing.

Just a few weeks ago, Bernard had us doing this thing where we kept our hands and feet on the floor, bent over, and we would have to walk our hands out in front of us and then after that have our legs walk back up to our hands, pausing to get a good stretch up our hamstrings. I (foolishly) suggested "Bernard, why don't you maximize the exercise and throw in a push up at the bottom?" to which Bernard agreed. My prize? I get extra firm pecs and a new exercise named after me: The Martucci Maneuver. Here is the video below (deep breath for me -- it ain't flattering -- special thanks to Angie for trying to shoot it the best way possible!)




Next up? Bernard shows us Corkscrew Hip Extensions! This works your abs and obliques. (Personally I think anyone doing this looks like a bug getting squashed.) Have a LQQK...

While I have been working out because I want to have a healthy lifestyle, I'd be lying if I failed to tell you that I have a fear of going wedding dress shopping. I want to slim down some before I even set my foot inside "Hitched" in Georgetown (my BFF, Angie, scoped it out for me...) Speaking of wedding stuff, please look at my poll on the top right of my blog and tell me what I should write about in my next "Wedding Watch" blog update. Vote for one of the choices or send me your own comment with what you want to hear about...

I'm off to the Lyndall Stout Baby Shower next! Remember that? Well the weekend has come and it's up to me, and gal pal Diane Lee, to pull it off. Thank you to all who have sent in their ideas...I'll be sure to update you over the weekend!