La Moretta

More Secrets from the Professional Trainers

I had another session with my personal trainer on Monday, and she shared some interesting things.

• First of all, steroid use is prevalent in the personal training world. No question.
• Second, because there is a stereotype that personal trainers are not exactly rocket scientists (they are what a friend and I used to call "locket scientists"), the American College of Sports Medicine seems to have gone to great lengths to counter that impression and to weed out some of the aforementioned types. The certification process is NOT a walk in the park -- the test questions are extremely complicated. In other words, if you meet someone who is ACSM-certified a a trainer, chances are they have some brain to go with that brawn.

I forgot to ask her what she thought of Dara Torres, the forty-something Olympic swimmer who is being accused by some of steroid use. Next time.

I hate my former yoga studio

I had such great expectations -- it was conveniently located and beautifully appointed -- airy studios, cool breezes from running water, timely classes and even a childcare option. How then, did it go so wrong? Because they got greedy. That's right, just plain greedy. They oversold a beginner's yoga class so that it was impossible to fit everyone in the studio (even though they promised to limit the number of members), making doing the poses incredibly difficult. They changed rules in the middle, allowing students from other classes to drop in, thus making the classes even more ridiculously crowded.

Finally, they threw in some partner yoga. (Shudder.)

Not harmonious. Not zen. Not going back there.

Personal trainer: Secrets from the pros

I had my second session with the personal trainer today. She came at the unholy hour of 7:30, which is a GREAT, GREAT idea for me because it requires that I keep more regular hours. She said I had beautiful form for my strengthening exercises (I'll take that applause), and she gave me a few pieces of inside trainer information:

• First of all, most of you have probably heard the use of the term "core" to describe the muscles of abdomen and back, but my trainer used a new one today -- "bridge." That means, effectively, groin. Since the word groin is not terribly beautiful, I'm liking bridge a lot better.
• Second, have you ever noticed when you are doing exercises with a trainer/class leader and all of a sudden you seem to be off-count in number of repetitions, which you attribute to your concentration on doing the exercises? It's not you -- apparently it's an industry technique to throw in a few additional reps. So they'll say "five more" but in reality you will have done seven. Sneaky.
• Finally, if you ever hear about a celebrity who says that they can do 1,000 crunches, know that what they are calling crunches are not the real deal -- if you are doing an exercise right, you should be getting tired after 15 or so. Trainers scoff at these "thousand crunches" statements.

First Session with Personal Trainer

Yesterday I had my first session with the personal trainer. It was tiring, but nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be in terms of being demeaning. The personal trainer came to the house, which the hermit in me greatly appreciates. Anyway, we went over the body map exercises and did some upper body work. I am slightly sore today, but my primary feeling yesterday was exhaustion. Anyway, all in all it is a good feeling and I'm going to have her come three times a week (except this week, which will be two) for eight weeks. After that, I'll decide whether or not to re-up.

Ken was full of all of the questions that any man would have about his wife's personal trainer. Specifically, "What was her time at the Rockville Twilighter?" She apparently is a very fast runner in the Montgomery County runners' community, and she has run Boston, which is hard to qualify for.

I liked her very much despite her athleticism, and her tiny cheerleader's figure and her cute little face and her perfect tan (that could even have been her natural skin tone). Seriously. She was very careful to give whatever praise she could to encourage me, including things like, "Well, I've looked at your body map and I don't see any accidents waiting to happen" and she said she was pleased with my muscle tone and flexibility (obviously, this is ALL relative). Well, lady, regardless of whether I believe it, I'll take that applause.

We've Known This All Along

Congratulations to my husband, who received his certification as a running coach. He has been certified for adult distance running (i.e., anything from 5K up).  He completed his actual training last weekend, and didn't let any grass grow under his feet. 

This supports what those who have known him have always felt -- he is certifiable.

No Train, No Gain

Today I had my first session with a personal trainer. It was an evaluation. They did something called a Body Map where they test the balance of your muscles (are you too tight in areas and weak in others, etc.). I now have assigned exercises to do 3 times a week and I'll have a trainer coming to my place for a total of 24 sessions. This will allow me to focus on increasing my strength and energy rather than giving up and buying a few cases of Red Bull instead.

The woman who evaluated me was very nice and quite tolerable in terms of her approach -- she wasn't chirpy and she clearly was in great shape in a genuinely functional way, which is what I'd like -- enhanced functioning.