Now that the NYC marathon is over (once again a source of inspiration) it’s time to warm up other muscles: our negotiation muscles.

Several of the bloggers here at LYJ recently read Ask For It: How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want, by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever. (While the book is probably most useful to women, I can think of some men who would benefit from it, and all men should read it to learn about the atrocious internalized sexism that is still rampant in our society. Don’t believe it? Neither did the authors, until they conducted some studies themselves.)

At the end of this book, the authors include a six-week exercise program that they call the “Negotiation Gym” so readers can put all their newly learned practical information to use. The authors suggest doing the exercises with a buddy, but I thought I’d do them one better and do it with an entire community—all of you here at LYJ. Accountability always helps to keep one on track, and I’ll admit some of the exercises make me break out in a cold sweat.

I’ll be posting a summary of the exercises here once a week and reporting on my workout at the end of the week. Some of the other LYJ bloggers and guests will also chime in, and I hope our readers are inspired—not just to join as at the “gym” but to tell us what happens when you do.