Aside from running

I thought I would take this week to explain the other side of my off-season workouts. Other than running, I still have to keep my upper body in check with core and lifting. Core is the easy part because there is no equipment needed; just a flat soft surface and 15 minutes of your busy day. Lifting is another story. I only have a set of 15 and 20 lb dumbbells and one 50 lb barbell. Every once in a while after my runs I will alternate between lifting and core. For lifting, I use the barbell for cleans, snatches, and curls. I then turn to my 20-pounders for benches, triceps, more curls, and forearms. Still, it can be difficult to get a decent workout when lifting really light weights, and plus the workout room at my school is way too small and always over so overcrowded that it can be impossible to get a turn on any machine. On every other day I come home from running and take a short rest before starting my core workout. My core exercises typically consists of 30 second-1 minute in-and-outs, v-ups, Russian-twists, leg-lifts, flutter kicks, and planks (both front and side). We do not typically do v-ups or flutter kicks in practice, but I find they give an extra challenge and more awarding results. After all, by doing gymnastics for 9 years up until 8th grade, I kind of got an unfair head start on getting a tough core and upper body. There are times when one of my parents will take the weights out of the room to use for themselves; to which I compensate with true improvisation. Out of major desperation, I use an old huge and heavy empty liquor bottle that used to belong to my grandfather and do my curls and forearms with that instead. This is leading me to the idea of spending a little extra money when I get older to have my own small home workout room. After all I feel like it would be worth it not to have to spend more money in the long run on a gym membership like my fitness-crazed mother. I don't want to have to keep trying to make room for myself in my own bedroom for doing home workouts, and a gym membership is 1. Expensive and 2. Embarrassing if you lift less than others around you or forget how to use a machine (I know, I hold myself to a higher standard than I should, but you still get it). The sad thing is that it has been a long time since I have had a period of tie where I a consistently in the weight room. Due to time and scheduling, being a high school senior and all, I haven't had more time for non-school related issues. But I hope to get back on track (literally) this spring; which by the way has now been delayed to March 21st. Just my luck, right?