The Third of the Terrible Trinity:  The Statue of Liberty

I love New York City…the architecture and the noise; the energy; the intersection of so many different kinds of people and cultures.  I love the theatre district and Central Park; I like the Hudson River and Soho; I love just wandering around China Town getting lost for hours in the maze of narrow streets and alleys.  And I have always loved the Statue of Liberty.  Since I first saw it at age 12 I have been mesmerized by its majestic presence at the southern tip of Manhattan. A gift from the French to the U.S. in celebration of our victory for independence from the British, it is the landmark I always look for as my plane is approaching La Guardia.  I’ve visited the Statue five or six times, and am proud to say that I have climbed to the top to look out through Lady Liberty’s crown.  And even though post 9-11 has put an end to visiting Liberty Island, I still like to take the ferry to Ellis Island just so I can cruise past her.

Despite my love for the Statue of Liberty I was completely ignorant that lurking somewhere out there in the world of “physical fitness for the insane,” there existed an exercise by the same name:  the Statue of Liberty.  It has quickly become one of my least favorite exercises and it comprises the third component of the “Terrible Trinity.”

Basically, the Statue of Liberty demands that you begin by holding a weight in your right arm ABOVE your head.  Apparently the “above your head” portion of this exercise is critical as Ryan screams, “Arms up! Arms up!” over and over as we struggle to maintain form and composure.  From the standing position you are to move to a sitting position.  Note:  there is no chair J  That would be too simple.  Nope, you have to go from a standing Statue of Liberty pose, (although I’m pretty sure her lamp weighs a lot less than the weight in my trembling right arm seems to weigh) to a sitting on the floor move…oh, and did I mention you need to keep the arm with the weight in it above your head (insert sound of Ryan screaming, “Keep your arm up over your head!  Keep that arm up!).  Then, with the weight STILL in your right arm you lay back and extend your arm, yep, that very one with that very weight, over your head.

Now, if the exercise ended here I might be able to endure it.  But no…you have to sit up from that “but I just got as comfortable as humanly possible here on the floor with a weight extended over my head," to a STANDING position once again…and guess what…YES…you keep the weight in your arm which is extended…you got it…ABOVE YOUR HEAD.  From that point you MOVE the weight from your right arm to the left arm and repeat the whole process, including the part about the WEIGHT ABOVE YOUR HEAD.  You do this over and over again until a) Ryan tells you to stop, b) you can’t move at all or c) your dead.

I pretty much have been scoring a consistent B on this exercise.  It hurts just about every muscle I possess.  I shouldn’t be surprised…it’s designed to use pretty much every muscle I possess!

The experts sing the praises of the Statue of Liberty as “complete” core exercise.   

These same experts agree that to have a strong core, you have to do strong core exercises.  It's not enough to just do ab crunches and sit ups.  Hmmm…that sucks…I don’t mind ab crunches and sit ups as much as I do the Statue of Liberty. 

Oh no…to build a strong core you need to exercise a variety of muscles from your hips to your shoulders. Most people think of the core as a nice six-pack, or strong, toned abs, but the truth is that the abdominal muscles are a very small part of the core. The core consists of many different muscles that stabilize the spine and pelvis, and run the entire length of the torso. Benefits of "Good Core Strength" include the following:

1.  Strong Core Muscles Make it Possible to Stand Upright and Move on Two Feet

Hmmm…prior to doing this particular core exercise I WAS ABLE to stand upright and move on two feet.  It’s after doing them that I seem to have the problem.  My immediate impulse after I drop the weight I’ve been holding ABOVE MY HEAD for at LEAST 5 minutes is to keel over at the waist and stagger towards my water bottle.

2. A Strong Core Distributes the Stresses of Weight-bearing

While that may be true, the core strengthening exercises  we do at NLXF CREATE stress for me; it’s stressful to have Ryan yelling at you to keep your weighted arm above your head when every fiber of your body wants to lower that very weight…onto his head!

3. A Strong Core Reduces Back Pain
Abdominals get all the credit for protecting the back when in fact, it is weak and unbalanced core muscles are linked to low back pain. Balanced core muscles help maintain appropriate posture and reduce strain on the spine, thereby reducing back pain.

Note that nothing in the above statement talks about the “new pain” the Statue of Liberty does generate in ones abs, glutes, quads, shoulders and arms (yep, the very ones holding the weight ABOVE your head.

4. A Strong Core Improves Athletic Performance
 All powerful movements originate from the center of the body out, and never from the limbs alone.

I don’t want to be powerful…I don’t want to be athletic…I just want to look good in my clothes AND be able to move my arms like a NORMAL person after I’m done working out, as opposed to a …oh I don’t know…stubby-armed Tyrannosaurus.

End Note:  You should be able to breathe evenly while doing the Statue of Liberty.  Good luck with that!