I can confirm that training like Lara Croft is hard as hell.
I know my answer would be “by hitting the gym.”
This character-first approach is Lygdback’s trademark; he also prepared Ben Affleck forBatmanand Gal Gadot forWonder Woman.
I had no idea what I was in for.
(I soon learned that time does not equal motivation, but I’ll get to that.)
The four weightlifting days each focused on different muscle groups.
Each day also ended with one of three different four-set corecircuits, which I rotated through.
Here’s what Lygdback and following the program taught me about technique, motivation, and life.
Even at the very highest level, life happens, and you need a flexible plan.
“Some days you’ll feel strong and other days you won’t.
What’s most important is that you feel recovered enough to finish the next set,” he explained.
“Work up to 10 as you go, but six is fine, too,” he suggested.
Everyone hits obstacles, and what matters most is how you handle them.
Yes, you could forget when to breathe.
(So learn when you should breathe.)
I’ve always hated the phrase “don’t forget to breathe!”
Breathing is an autonomic body function.
If you forget about breathing, you still keep breathing.
When I met with Lygdback, though, I had to check my snark at the door.
I was holding my breath during hard lifts.
When Lygdback told me to breathe during lifts, it wasn’t as easy as just remembering to breathe.
To combat this, we planned out exactly where to breathe during each exercise.
In short: Breathe out during the lifting portion of the move.
So if you’re doing asquat, you’d breathe out as you’re standing up.
During a push-up, breathe out as you push up.
I learned very quickly that I had to prepare differently to make it through a full hour.
That first leg day, I got through about half of my workout when my brain just clocked out.
I didn’t even feel fuzzy-headed, I just felt brain-dead.
Once I arrived at my apartment, I downed three bowls of cereal and promptly took a three-hour nap.
I also stashed a couple of granola bars in a hidden compartment in my duffel bag just in case.
(Here are some more greatideas for pre- and post-workout snacks.)
Treat yourself to stay motivated.
I work out for my physical andmental health, which means I do whatever I feel like doing.
If I want to go for a run, I run.
With theTomb Raiderworkout schedule, I had to do a workout whether or not I felt like doing it.
My fix: an extra hot soy chai latte from Starbucks.
I like working out and usually feel great once I start.
My problem is turning off Parks and Recreation reruns and driving to the gym in the first place.
Most of Lygdback’s plan called for four sets of each exercise.
The purpose was to completely exhaust each muscle group before moving on to the next exercise.
The real lesson here was mental, though.
I’m used tolifting heavy weights, and I take pride in holding my own in the weight room.
I like the feeling of squeezing out the final rep by the skin of my teeth.
Mentally, I reminded myself that I’m still fatiguing my muscles, just in a different way.
But I’ll be honest: It was alot.
Ultimately, I think it comes down to goals.
The workouts were so difficult that I usually felt pretty drained after them the exact opposite of my priorities.
I know that’s a plan that Lygdback would surely support.
Because I’m not Lara Croft I was just playing her in the weight room.
