Tag Archives: Fitness

It has been nearly a month since my last ‘work out’ entry. At that point, I had just completed my initial trial pack, and I re-signed for another 10 sessions with my trainer, Stu. I mentioned that my clothes were starting to fit me better, and I noticed subtle changes in my physique. Since then, I have remained fairly faithful working out regularly.
Today Stu focussed on working out my legs and now that I’ve been out of the gym for several hours I can feel the fatigue. Stu had me run through a series of circuits for 90 minutes that included weights, plyometrics, crunches, suicides and several other exercises that kept me gasping to catch my breathe. I’ve noticed that as I’ve gained strength, Stu has increased the intensity of our work outs. I suppose I should look at this as getting more value for my money – after all the workouts now make my introductory sessions seem pretty pathetic. When I think back to some of my earlier entries like “My Aching Muscles”, I’m almost embarrassed by how out of shape I had allowed myself to get. To the casual observer I don’t think people realized how weak I was both with regards to muscle tone as well as cardio. Fortunately the regular visits to the gym, which started mid-February, have really made a difference.

Last week I completed the final personal trainer session that Sergio gave me as a gift. The six sessions with Stu have really paid dividends, but not without having some seriously aching muscles in the process.

Although I’ve never been a gym rat, through out my 20s and 30s I made an effort to go to the gym to run or to try the occasional abs class. However, I was never that disciplined and after a couple of weeks of faithfully going, visits would inevitably drop off. Additionally, my work outs were rarely as intense as the sessions with my personal trainer. So when I finished my final session on Monday, I did not even think twice about signing up for a 10-pack.

My goal is to get 2 workouts with Stu and to get myself to the gym for 2 cardio work outs each week (we’ll see). I’ve only been working out with Stu since mid-February, but I’ve noticed a change for the better and I’ll continue to use that as my primary source of motivation. To the casual observer, nothing is apparent but my clothes certainly fit better and with Stu’s help I’ve become stronger. The weights are getting heavier and the reps are getting more intense. After a typical work out I’m completely exhausted and sure to be quite achey for the next couple of days, but I feel like I’ve spent my time wisely.

Using a trainer at the BSC is not cheap… which is a shame because the cost is certainly a barrier for many people but for me it is worth the sacrifice. I’m going to use half of my tax return to pay for these next 10 sessions which should take me through the next 1-2 months. I’ll evaluate where I am at that point, but I doubt I’ll suddenly have the discipline to go to the gym on my own so I may be into this for the duration. We will see.

About two weeks ago I first wrote about the fact that I had started working with a personal trainer to help me build strength and trim some excess fat in my entry Hitting the gym.

Since then, I’ve had four more sessions and we’ve worked nearly every major muscle in my body. I have to admit that I feel sore for a few days after each session and there have been a few nights where I have woken in my sleep because the effort of rolling over has proven too much for my tired (pathetic) muscles.

I don’t believe there has been any weight loss, but even in just the handful of sessions we’ve had, I can feel my body tightening. I don’t think there are visible signs others would be able to notice (even if I weren’t bundled like an eskimo), but I certainly can feel changes. Additionally, lifting with Stu is more of a cardio workout than I had anticipated and on the days that I run, I’ve noticed that I’m not nearly as winded and hardly struggle so I’m probably going to be able to get back into the pool sooner than I expected to move my cardio work outs from the treadmill to the water.

As you can probably tell, I’m really pleased with the progress to date. Working out with a trainer makes the time I’m at the gym pass more quickly, there is no doubt that I benefit from his help (he pushes me harder than I would and he corrects my form when I tire or lose concentration), and most importantly, by having someone waiting for me – it is harder to skip out on going to the gym.

I realize it has only been a couple of weeks and much of this is still new, but I do feel more confident in my ability to meet some personal fitness goals, and I know that having Stu there to push me is a big reason why I have that sense of confidence.