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By Christine Uberti, CSCS I'm lying down, with my legs lined up with the wall, trying to get the blood to go back into my head. Basically, I'm trying not to faint. Finally, I roll on my side in preparation to sit up. And the first thing I see is the kettlebell I put down just a few moments ago. It's sitting in the room across the hall with the gray sunlight shining on it. For a split second, I think, "It's mocking me," but then it goes back to being its own noble self. I've just had the misfortune of writing an article about training for power. It has a simplistic little dissertation about the phosphagen pathway and then a workout from "Science and Practice of Strength Training." I figured, "Well, I'm training for the March 13, 2004 GS comp in Providence, RI. Better get some ATP racked up." So after four sets of a modified version of Zatsiorsky's recommended workout, I'm all shaky and low blood sugar-y. (Too much fruit this morning.) And I got that weird, tingly, slightly nauseous feeling in my head that tells me to stop or be stopped. The funny part is that this is the best I've felt all day. I was not motivated at all to do this workout -- even after all those sport psychology books I read and all the motivational quotes hanging around my desk and all the affirmations I can tell myself. After thinking about the fact that I have this competition coming up and that it's my first one and I haven't had a really decent workout in a long time -- the only thing that got me off my butt and stop reading IronGarm was that I told myself that I didn't have to train outside, that I could have the, "Pumping Iron" DVD playing during the session and that if I got up RIGHT NOW, I could finish before 11 am. "Just think, Christine, if you get up right now YOU WILL BE DONE BEFORE 11 AM. And Arnold will help you." So yes, Ms. RKC-certified got up and did four sets of 10+10 snatches in front of the TV with my two beagles lying on the couch watching me. And I got tired, and my arms felt shaky (goddamn bananas) and I wouldn't stop until I got my numbers and the bell could have easily crashed into the bookcase. Yeah, it was really unsafe, so don't do it. But seeing Lou Ferrigno in that dark, little basement training his ass off, while everyone else is hanging with Arnold on the beach kept me going. Somehow seeing these big, huge kids with sideburns in 1977 -- and bodybuilding of all things -- made me feel like I could at least get my hamstrings into gear for chrissake. My point here, is that sometimes, you have to break a couple of rules (and hopefully not anything else) to get yourself to train on those days when you want to do a million other things instead of training - like cleaning the kitchen sink (yes, I have cleaned my house in order to get out of training). Thank goodness not every day is like that. Most days, training is a pleasure. I could work out all morning, instead of going to work. But then there are days like this, when you have to bribe, cajole and of course, force yourself into working out. Am I the only one like this? I sure hope not. Since I just went ahead and told you all of this stuff... Don't you hate it when you're in a hotel on business and you finally have a chance to do one of those clay facial masks that turn green and then you tie your hair up with a pair of panty hose to keep your hair out of your face and then you put the room service tray out in the hall and the door closes behind you and you have to go down to the lobby looking like Count Petofi? Oh. You mean that hasn't happened to you? Christine Uberti is a clinical research consultant, musician and writer. She is a certified kettlebell instructor through Pavel Tsatsouline and Dragon Door and has a CSCS certification through the NSCA. Christine studied yoga and pranayama with Swami Yogiraj V. Subrahmanya Bua for 8 years. She is an original Renegade Boot Camp participant and Inner Circle member with an undying thirst for knowledge and progress. Being fairly nerdy, Christine is quickly amassing a large library of strength and conditioning books. Information will be assimilated until her head explodes. In addition, she will be doing her first adventure race one year from now. No electrolyte drinks will be consumed. Christine can be reached at cmuberti@refinedclinicalresearch.com.