Zaretta Hammond-Hanson, a busy mother of two, trains at the IC every summer and winter when her schedule allows her some precious “me” time.  Her positive, ready-to-go, attitude is so contagious that we get a little bummed out when her seasonal time with us runs out every year. What is her secret to success, you ask?  Apparently it ranges from funk all the way to country. That’s right people, the power is in the music.

Here’s her take on the subject:

“Work outs at the IC are intense (and we like it that way), but it’s hard to keep up the same intensity when it’s just you. In between IC workouts, there’s no Steve near by with his handy-dandy timer pushing you, no Maya around to tell you to “push back the wall,” and no comrades to help keep up the pace. Instead, that voice in your head whispers, “Ok. That was good enough. You can stop now,” and you know damn well you have got at least another half dozen reps in you. The right music can make all the difference in putting a muzzle on your inner saboteur during a workout. I am not talking about music as background noise to distract you from the task at hand or to keep you from thinking about how hard it is. No, I am talking about power songs with the right tempo and “get up off your ass” lyrics. A power song makes you think more about your forward movement than about how much you want to stop.”

“Science says it’s all in the beats. Songs with 140-160 beats per minute and positive lyrics seem to motivate you through the fatigue. The right music during a cardio or core workout can actually push just as hard as Steve (well, maybe not as hard). The tempo sets a pace that is uncompromising. It will not slow down. You have to keep up. As I train to beat my time on the ergometer, I use power songs to help me dig a little deeper as I try to row a little faster. My top power song of the moment is Disco Inferno by the Tramps. Wow! When I hear it I get a surge of energy and I begin to row like a mad fool. Usually my power songs are heavy on the funk like Parliament (and I like my funk uncut, thank you.), but When He Cheats by Carrie Underwood has got potential. Country, rap or rock — makes no difference. Anything that motivates me to do one more rep, run one more lap, or row a few more meters works for me.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 26th, 2007 at UTC and is filed under Comic Relief, Community Highlights, Group Workouts, Parents, People, Working Smart. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.