Tuesday, February 17, 2009

I am the Trainer

I recently went on vacation.
Vacations are an escape from the real world and the mindset changes. It is very easy to “sleep in, overeat, and drink too much” and slide into a mode of, I’ll catch up tomorrow.
I had promised myself that I would maintain my training schedule. I did not want to suffer the pain of re-training after a period of time off.
So at 6 AM on the first day in paradise I awoke and walked up to the gym.
I was the only person in the gym so I picked up a set of earphones, plugged into the music station and got on the bike. I picked the mountain course and started pedaling. I got lost in the music and sweat and one hour later the program ended. I was drenched but felt pretty good.
Do the 1000 crunches, I thought. Down on the mat and begin: the first 100, legs up and crunch to the center.
At this point a lady walks in and asks, “Can I do those with you?”
I am never one to deny someone else the pleasure of these exercises so I say “sure, I am going to try to a series of different crunches until I get to 1000.
She laughed and got down on her mat and we started. Unlike my trainer at my home gym, I counted out loud.
The lady got up at 500, said thanks and went to the treadmill.
Day 2, back in the gym at 6 AM. Back on the bicycle, mountain program, earphones in, resistance level to 5 on the bike.
One hour later covered in sweat, I notice two ladies are standing by the door.
The one from the day before says, “Can we do those crunches again”?
“No problem”, I think I said.
Now all three on mats and I begin the count.
First, legs up everything to the center, next to the side, feet off the floor, now the other side, finally I get to side planks, 50 per side and both stand up and let me finish alone.
“Anything else”, says the first lady.
I say, “We could do the sets of arm and shoulder exercises to 100”.
They both concur and I suggest a light weight.
The lady that does the talking says “how much are you using”, “Six pounds, I say”, she retorts, “Well then I will try six”.
At the count of 30 both move to smaller weights but stay with it, finish the full 100, say thanks and leave the gym.
I never again see them in the gym the rest of the week, but as I was walking through the town with my wife, looking in shops, I spot the original lady. She is with, I assume, her husband and two young children.
She rushes over with the family to stand in front of me and says to her husband,
“Look Honey, it’s my trainer”.
My wife only frowned.

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