Cats as free weights

[Barbara P]

hahaha!

When I work out, I generally have anywhere from 2-4 cats as an audience. If I'm doing pushups, sometimes Max, my 22-pounder, gets under me, so as I go down to the floor, I give him a head butt and then push up, go back down and do it again.
I do crunches sometimes with a cat as a weight.

Unfortunately when stepping I have to be careful. Max is too big now but when he was a kitten he would chase my shoelaces and hide under the step as I was working out. Josephine is small so she will get in my way sometimes.
And Belle and Ariel don't move for anything.

[MsThistlebottom]

Bea (actually one of my DD's cats) waits patiently outside my door, and when I'm finished with my weights, I open the door and she stretches with me. She gets all excited when she sees that yoga mat come out. So cute.

[KathAL79]

I've held my cat during some warm-ups because I scooped her up to move her out of the way at the start of the video. She has been known to plop in the middle of the floor when I'm doing a step or a hi/lo video, which makes complex choreography even more complicated when you have to avoid the cat. And she'll sometimes come in while I'm doing yoga and swat at me if I put an arm or leg near her; she's also sneezed on me during savasana - not so relaxing - and brought in her favorite toy for me to play fetch with "since I'm just sitting there." Usually when she comes in to check on what I'm doing she prefers to check out the perimeter or sit in the window and watch the squirrels run along the fence in the backyard, though.

Funny story: in Level 2 Month 1 of Jill Miller's Yoga Tune Up At Home program you do a crunch with an S sound on the exhale. Penny was sitting in the window giving me funny looks, which made the exercise difficult because I stared cracking up, and then she hopped down, walked over to me and gave me a big slap with her paw, and walked off in a huff. I realized she thought I was hissing at her, trying to start a cat fight. So I've had to dial down the S sound. And it seems like the cat has a sixth sense about when that move is coming up. I swear I won't see her for several hours, and then right when Jill instructs me to come down to the mat for that move she'll come flying in.

[Mopsy]

ArchieKat doesn't like big moves or noise , so he's usually not around when I workout. If I do yoga or any floor work in the living room, he may join me. He's probably a good weight for step-ups and lunges, but he doesn't like to be held, and the one time he got "caught" in a bag with handles was a traumatic experience for him (I tried not to laugh, but really, trying to catch him while he zoomed around the house, wrestling with the tearing paper shopping bag with the handle around his neck was pathetically hysterical and )

The only time we worked out together was when he invited a chipmunk into the house to play. We spent about 20 minutes of quality time together chasing and trying to catch the little guy.

I believe the "Alta-Tude" thread has several pages of "pets-as-props" ideas

[laurajhawk]

There's a bit in, maybe it's Core Synergistics?, where Tony says you can use a dumbbell or a whatever "or a cat" in the exercise where you're reaching up to an imaginary shelf. So I tried it ... my kitty was under a year old at the time and game for most things. He hung in for several reps, but then he wanted down.

He also used to try to grab my ponytail during Ab Ripper X.

[Melissa C]

Cocoa (who is either 6 or 7--we don't know--she was a rescue cat) loves the feel of my textured 12-pound dumbbells. When I set them out to prep for exercise, she likes to use them as a scratching post. There are times she willl walk underneath me when I'm in downward-facing dog position and I have to tell her to move so I don't smash her when I change poses!

She also loves the feel of the waffly pattern on top of the Reebok step and always has to paw it when I pull it out. When I do aerobics, though, she's usually scared to come around. After she's scoped out the step,she jumps onto the back of the couch to "supervise" my routine.

I usually have to shoo her away from my iced tea glass as well. It's the only time I set a drink on the floor and she simply must investigate it

[Sassy]

YES!! OMG, my cat gets involved with my workout all the time!

This morning I was doing CLX - lying on the floor doing a chest fly with a hip lift, and he was kind enough to curl up on my lower belly to give added resistance to the hip lifts. He's done that a few times.

Other times he'll set on my chest with his butt in my face - NOT so cute.

He comes around whenever I'm doing yoga and we'll play a game where whenever I bend down, he gets petted while I hold the pose. Then when I'm doing seated poses, I'll let him sit in my lap as much as possible.

The only time I really mind having him around is when I'm doing cardio and he's in the way and I have to worry about stepping on him.

[acey]

I used to live in a minuscule apartment, so when I did Taebo, I was just feet from the bed. Natty once was lying on the bed and, as my punches shot out in the air over him, he raised his front legs and started waving them around too!

He also helps me get a balance challenge by rubbing against the standing leg when I'm doing leg lifts.

Oh yes, the butt in the face!

[cataddict]

I also have anywhere from 2 to 4 cats in my workout room, the number directly proportional to the time it is until kitty dinner is served!

My guys aren't nearly cooperative enough to be volunteer free weights, but they definitely contribute to the whole "workout experience."

The kitty warm up has a furry MCM (Maine Coon mutt--she's a rescue, doubtful she's pure MC) stretched out on the floor to provide an agility move known as the "don't step on the cat" grapevine/stretch.

Form pointers are provided by my avatar kitty watching from the top of the entertainment armoire where the TV sits.

The kitty chest press involves a multicolor cat hanging from one end of the barbell, providing both additional weight and a core challenge since I'm not trying to drop the barbell on top of her (or me).

The kitty cool down involves two females licking the sweat off of my arms and legs at the end of the workout during the stretch. Very strange, and it's only the females that are interested in doing this.

I probably could get the furry one to be a free weight, she's most receptive to being picked up.

[dela]

Originally Posted by KathAL79

Funny story: in Level 2 Month 1 of Jill Miller's Yoga Tune Up At Home program you do a crunch with an S sound on the exhale. Penny was sitting in the window giving me funny looks, which made the exercise difficult because I stared cracking up, and then she hopped down, walked over to me and gave me a big slap with her paw, and walked off in a huff. I realized she thought I was hissing at her, trying to start a cat fight.

Literally laughing out loud at this one!