I just hired a personal trainer for myself at the 24 Hr Fitness club that I work out at in the Renton Highlands. Chris is amazing. He is totally kicking my butt, in a good way. Before training with him I would just go to the gym and do my usual routine and not even really break a sweat, I wouldn't even bother putting my hair up. That has all changed. No more cute hairstyle, its all business, ponytail with bangs off the forehead, otherwise they turn into a soppy mess-not pretty.
First off, Chris determined that I needed to be doing more reps (15 vs my current 8) to achieve better endurance as that is what most of the recreational sports that I like to do require (like skiing and hiking). This is definitely something that my body is railing against, I feel like I can do 8 reps of almost anything, but beyond that I start getting cranky. So, this will take some adjustment.
I started to get nervous when another trainer said to me "I hope Chris doesn't do to you what he did to his last client." I'm like, oh great, what exactly was that? Apparently this other client had to run to the bathroom and hurl because the workout was super intense. Great, just what I get for choosing a trainer who also was in the Marines and was responsible for whipping other Marines back into shape. What have I gotten myself into?
I didn't puke during the first workout, but I think I came close. At one point I felt dizzy and like I might be literally turning green. Chris asked me if I was ok, and I was, after I took a moment, and some water. He said he was surprised how much water that I could drink and keep down. (Really its mostly a good excuse catch my breath and take a break!)
I'm glad I signed up for training. I went much further and harder with my workout than I ever would have done on my own and Chris prompted me to try things that I didn't think I was capable of. I was freaking out when he showed me how I would be doing push-ups with not just one hand on a mini ball, but with both hands on 2 different balls. I did just fine. (I'll add some pics to these soon as that will probably make it easier to visualize) Then there was plyometric (quick/forceful) push-ups where I was suppose to land atop a bosu ball with my arms fully extended and locked into place. After a few of these I was landing them less with my hands and more with my face :( Not good form AND even harder on the ego. But that just means that there is plenty of room for improvement, right?
Hey Christine! I've been working out with a trainer too. I've had eight sessions, and I guess I almost puked after two of them. After one of them, he said, "When was the last time you ate?" and I said I thought it was more important to eat afterwards, but I've found that eating some protein an hour or two beforehand has made the workouts with him go much smoother.
ReplyDeleteThe other day, I think we over-trained my triceps, or maybe I should have stretched afterwards, because I've had to miss a couple workouts due to inability to lift my arm over my head.
Anyway, good blog. Looking fit.
Very true, what you said about having a trainer or a coach of some sort. Both to help push us harder than we would push ourselves, and also to give us the guidance and feedback about how to train more effectively.
ReplyDeleteHey Tom-
ReplyDeleteGood for you (well, except for the almost puking part!) I am loving working with a trainer. I agree that it is such a more effective workout than going it solo, and a lot more fun.
Yep, the whole carb/protein both pre & post workout is actually a BIG deal that I neglected at first too. - And we're both pretty smart people (in my humble opinion), so if we didn't know about this, then imagine how many other people don't know. I'm going to write a blog on that for sure since most people are not aware of how significantly this can effect their workout and their entire progress (or lack thereof).
Ha! I know the feeling about your tricep experience. At one point during a workout, I said to my trainer "I can barely lift up my water bottle" and we still had more lifting to do-BRUTAL.
Hang in there, we're only getting stronger!
Christine
glad you didn't puke!! Not sure why but today I actually puked after my workout. This is a FIRST. It was an intense sports conditioning workout with a sprint on the versa climbers to finish the class. I gave it all I could. Our trainers must get extra points if they make us throw up. Or maybe it just shows that we aren't taking care of our bodies. Mine could have been avoided by eating something this morning when I woke up. Normally I don't eat in the am but I am seeing it's getting very neccessary when we get pushed by these intense workouts.
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