Some confessions

It's been a busy week. For good reason, though.

Let's get up to speed on recent events here.

I have my personal trainer cert and was working at a gym for a little while. Things didn't work out very well for me. Training itself was alot of fun, however it was all free sessions where I only made $8 an hour. Getting them to sign up for $45 half hour PT sessions is hard. I tried my best to show the value of training during the free sessions. Some of them even scheduled future sessions with me, but then they would all call and cancel later. I dunno. Trying to sell training is awkward and people aren't very receptive to it. I didn't get any enjoyment out of the experience as a whole so I left.

I'm glad I have my cert and plan to keep it current because who knows, maybe one day I will revisit this. For now I think I need more real world experience to grow my confidence.

So Monday I started my new job at Road Runner Sports. Um, working at a running store? Yes please!!! Their hiring process is really selective, but out of my group interview with 7 other people I was the only one selected so I feel proud about that. This is a great company, very unique and fun. I have been training all week and the training program is top notch. I am looking forward to all I have to learn, I expect this job will be fast paced, upbeat and fun, I get to be a part of others' fitness journeys, plus I totally get to geek out about running stuff. I have learned so much more about running and SHOES! Including what shoes I *should* be in - more along the lines of a traditional running shoe as opposed to my minimalist ways. Discounts on shoes and fitness stuff!!! This job is part time so I still have plenty of time for workouts, cooking, housework, cuddle time with kitties, etc. My full time job in Georgia made me feel like I had no free time, so this is gonna be a nice balance.

I'm thankful to have found a job that I'm much more comfortable at. And I think I will learn alot here.

As a result of said new job... I may have slept in a couple days and missed my workouts. But I made up for all of it except for 1 run. Eating habits... quite bad. Once I get into my routine that should get easier though.

Tomorrow is long run day, once again on the TREADMILL. Ugh. We've had unmelting snow and ice all over the place so I dare not risk the trails. Can't wait for spring and no ice on the trails.

At Home Workouts

For the past week I have been trying to get back into my workout routine after more than a month off. It hasn't been easy. My muscles are sore from things that normally wouldn't phase them. While I am really wanting to get back into the gym and lift heavy, I have managed to create a few challenging workouts that I can do at home. 

I don't have any weights heavier than #25 at home so I have upped the difficulty by performing many of the exercises on my stability ball, or at least in a position that is unstable and requires me to recruit more muscles to stabilize myself. The result is a great workout that leaves me feeling like I did some good hard work.

#1

This was a good workout for my first day. I could have probably done more - heavier weights or an extra set.

10 reps of each, 4 sets

Goblet Squat #15

Pushups with shins on the stability ball

Skullcrushers on ball #10

Overhead presses on ball #10

Pullups, 3 or so per set

30 second plank

Burpees

#2

Holy crap. A leg and back breaker! 

10 reps of each, 4 sets

Single leg Romanian Deadlift #15 (had to downgrade to 10's by the fourth set)

Bicep curl on ball #15 (in a low sit, with lower back resting against the ball)

Rows from Plank #15

Ball Crunch

Push Ups with shins on stability ball

Front and Lateral Raises #10

Burpees

#3

A great all over workout. I'm having fun practicing snatches!

10 reps of each, 4 sets

Ball Bench Press #15

Ball Arm to Leg Pass (for the abs)

Dumbbell Snatch (practicing these) #15

Bicep curl on ball #15 (in a low sit, with lower back resting against the ball)

Goblet Squat #20

Ball Skullcrushers #15

Burpees

I am about to head out to my first day at the new job! Excited, nervous, hoping it is a smooth first day... !

Wow, that was fast!

So I've been in my new house for a couple weeks now. All moved in, our services are set up and house repairs are complete for the most part. That means - time to start job hunting!

This week I spent some time recreating my resume to fit my new profession. I figured since I don't have a job/obligation at the moment, and this is a profession based on putting yourself out there and trying to forge new relationships... why not just go around to some gyms and introduce myself? That's essentially what trainers do all day long - approach strangers, introduce themselves and try to sell their services.

Yesterday I went on my mission around noon. The targets were -

Lifetime Fitness - Very nice gym in my area that has TONS of services. It's a wellness destination really - all the gym amenities, 2 pools, spa, cafe, hair salon, and probably more stuff that I'm forgetting. They are not hiring until January, said they would call me.

Gold's - My second choice because I'm familiar with Golds, worked out there in Augusta and liked the fact that it was "down to business" - it's not flashy or gimmicky, just a good place to go work out. This Gold's was not as nice as Augusta's - smaller, treadmill and elliptical dominated with not much of a free weight area that I could see. Hell, half of the entry way was taken up by tshirt stands and other stuff they were selling, kind of a waste of space in a gym if you ask me. The manager seemed like he was ready to hire me, he said they needed trainers especially a female. He said to go and apply on the website and then he'd get me in for an interview (he was in the middle of a training session otherwise he said he would have done it on the spot) I left feeling pretty good about it.

Anytime Fitness - Found one near me so decided to give it a shot. It was in the lower level of a townhouse complex which was weird to me. Again not hiring until early next year after they complete an expansion. Manager seemed interested but asked if I had a "niche", so maybe he was looking for someone who isn't newly certified like me. Still, very nice and said he'd keep me on file.

At this point I was feeling pretty confident about Gold's being the one for me so I almost didn't even go to my fourth place because it was in another city, but I decided to go anyway just to have more possibilities on the table. The last gym was Fitness 19, a smaller-chain gym I was not really familiar with but I found it during my internet research and it seemed like a good place. Walked in and met the manager, and we instantly hit it off. We sat down at his desk for an "interview" but really we were just talking about stuff. He told me about the packages available to the members and how training works. Asked me a few things about myself and my resume but not anything technical. He said some of the staff would assist me with learning how to sell training. The hours are very flexible too. He invited me to the staff meeting next Saturday and said I could start Monday! I was pretty stunned, only an hour and a half and 4 gyms and here I am with a job? I'm excited, I think I've found the right place for me because everyone there seems like a big family. This was definitely a personality hire, the manager is super friendly and laid back. He said I have the right kind of energy and that is what is important to him.

So on Monday at 3 I'm going in to get started. He penciled me in to work split shifts for now (morning, go hom for a few hours then come back) so I could get an idea of how the gym functions during its peak times. I told him I prefer mornings but wouldn't be opposed to the idea of working evenings since that's prime time.

I'm nervous as this is a whole new type of job in a whole new field. What if I'm bad at it? What if I don't know enough? I keep telling myself that the staff seems supportive and I don't think they'll just throw me into the fire on the first day. They'll probably spend some time showing me how they do things. I shouldn't worry this much!

A new chapter begins for me. This is such an awesome opportunity, for the first time in my life I'll be doing a job that actually helps other people. No more sitting behind a desk helping some corporation make a buck. Yes, I'll be helping a corporation make a buck but in doing so I will be enriching and even transforming the lives of others. I'm really excited to see where this takes me.

I'm a Certified Personal Trainer!

As if I didn't already have enough going on in my life... today I took my NASM Certified Personal Trainer exam...

I passed!


Holy hell. The 2 minutes it took for the test administrator to go in the other room and get my results were excruciating. Then he came out and when he said "Congratulations" I almost collapsed in relief.

It's a hard exam. Especially for someone like me who has zero education in fitness and human movement science. I passed the practice exam a few weeks ago but not by much, so I was not totally confident in my ability to pass the real one. Today I was sitting there feeling confident on the first few questions, but the deeper I got into the exam the more I wasn't sure about. I took my time and went back through it once before submitting to double check and to readdress the tougher questions. By the end I was really sweating bullets, not sure if I had enough of the questions right to get a passing score. They don't tell you what your score was or what questions you get wrong, which irks me a bit because I am the type who wants to know what I got wrong so I can study it more. But hey, the important thing is I passed!

My only gripe is this - I purchased E Teach which is the 8 week online course where the instructors give you study guides, instructional videos on the chapter contents as well as demonstrations of all the exercises and stretches in an actual gym. There are discussion questions and quizzes too. All of this is based around the information that will be on the exam. Certain things that are in the book are omitted from E Teach, and as you go through it they say things like "You only need to know *blank* for the exam" Well, there were definitely some questions on there that were not covered in E Teach. I glanced over the material a bit during my reading but didn't devote much time to it because it wasn't covered in E Teach, and E Teach kept saying "This is all you need to know for the exam"  So - Study everything!!!
That being said - I would totally recommend E Teach for someone who is brand new to personal training. As I said I had zero experience in this field, or anything remotely related to it, so I can tell you right now there is no way I would have passed if I were just left to study the book on my own. The book is very dry and science-y. I appreciated the real instructors who explained everything in easy to understand terms. The book has pictures of all the exercises but seeing videos of them done in real time along with explanation of proper technique was so much more helpful for me. The discussion questions and quizzes kept me on point - I consistently got good grades so I knew I was headed in the right direction, versus studying all by myself and having no clue how well I am learning it all. The one thing I wish they would have added was maybe some practice on creating programs for clients.
I would say that someone who has a stronger background in this field may not need E Teach, but I sure as hell did.

Even with E Teach you still have to study your ass off. I devoted 1-2 hours every weeknight, sometimes an hour on Saturdays, and finished my assignments on Sunday.
Here are some study techniques that helped me

• They love their tables! For each area I struggled with I made copies of the tables in the book so I could have portable, easily accessible study material
• Memory techniques. Associate a key term with something that sounds like/reminds you of the words in the key term. For example..
• Abduction - To Abduct means you're taking something AWAY - Abduction is moving AWAY from the body
• Dorsiflexion - My husband is brilliant. He said "When you point your toes in the air, what does it look like? A Dorsal fin!"
• Plantarflexion - "Plant" your feet on the ground!
• Endomysium - it's the deepest layer of muscles - therefore it is the "End" of all the layers!
• Having someone quiz you. Practice assessments on them!
• When you're in the gym or even just going about your day, think about what is happening in your body during each movement.
• Flash cards
• Acting out various movements in front of a mirror (adduction, abduction, internal/external rotation, flexion, extension, etc) Quiz yourself - what muscles are shortening/lengthening when you perform each movement?
• Print out a chart of the muscles in the human body for easy reference
• For the acute variables I recognized similarities so I had to memorize less. They don't always change even when the type of training changes. 
• When in doubt, just think about which answer makes the most common sense.

I took the exam in Thomson, GA at the county airport. It's a small place but apparently they offer exam services ranging from personal training to post office. The test administrator said this is one of the hardest exams they offer and he doesn't see too many people pass. So I feel pretty damn awesome to have passed it!

I'm officially a Certified Personal Trainer. Wow. Now the challenge really begins - finding a job and diving headfirst into a brand new career!

Time's winding down

Well... I am one week out from the SuperBeast. My feelings right now can best be described as equal parts panic and excitement.

Panic? Hell yes. 13+ miles, 25 obstacles. Longer than any event I have ever done. Battlefrog was 9 miles and probably about the same number of obstacles, but this is Spartan we're talking about. THEN the very next day I am going after the Super - 8+ miles and 20 obstacles. I don't know how the hell I am gonna do this. My goal is simply to finish both races... and earn my first ever Trifecta! I am excited to tackle a beast though - and see if it really does live up to all the hype. Plus I'll be running with some Eagles! I'm on the RWB team for both days. It's been several months since my last OCR (which was Battlefrog) so I'm really itching to get out there again. I didn't strength train much at all until now. This will be my first test to see how my performance on obstacles improves.

Speaking of strength training..

Fail.

I did waaayyy too much on Tuesday and have been suffering from some pretty severe DOMS since then. I think tomorrow it will be 100% gone so I can go out for a trail run, but it's pretty much been all rest since Tuesday because I thoroughly whupped my own ass.

I did however go and get my CPR/AED card in Atlanta yesterday

I need this to take my CPT exam - which is on the 30th. Trying to cram in some studying here and there. We have alot going on with the upcoming move - set for approximately November 7th (the day before RNR Savannah). We have alot going on in the next couple weeks - potential renters coming to look at our house, party at our house, yard work, cleaning/purging, house work, moving.. A whirlwind of stuff is about to happen over the next 3 weeks!

Back to normal?

My motivation is finally returning. I had a bum couple of weeks due to being sick and then finding out we're moving to another state (again). Never in my 2 years of being active have I struggled so much to keep my motivation. But in the end I just made myself do it, and now it seems I am falling back into my routine of consistent exercise.

First on Thursday I got to attend another Cross fit WOD plus a mobility class. The mobility class focused on the shoulders. My favorite part was using a resistance band wrapped around a pole and moving at a 90 degree angle to activate the posterior deltoids. This felt absolutely amazing. My upper back and shoulders have been bothering me lately - a combination of my stupid desk job and not working out for 2 weeks. After the mobility class my shoulders felt different. Almost like they were back in the right place. 

We worked on strict press, push press, and push jerk. The hardest part is mastering the coordination really. But we made some big improvements and I will probably work on them in the gym this week. The WOD was 1 minute of each - rowing, crunches on an ab mat, push ups, pull ups. Short and simple.

Saturday morning was the following workout done at my house

.5 mile run, 10 burpees, 5 pull ups, 15 crunches, 30 seconds plank. Repeat 6 times. Yeah, it's a good one.

Yesterday I didn't feel like going for long run. So I didn't. Instead I did 1.5 hours of yoga. 

I also took my NASM practice exam yesterday. I passed - but not by much. This is one of the more difficult certifications out there with maybe a 60% pass rate, so I guess I should be happy I passed the practice test on the first try. But I wish I had gotten a better score. At least now I know what I need to work on. I am still struggling with memorizing everything about assessments and learning all the muscles. I also didn't really review the chapter on communication because it's common sense stuff, but the questions ended up being really specific. I should be ok - I'm going to study more and take more practice tests to be better prepared for the real thing. I will only get better from here so theoretically I should pass it.

That's all for now. Hoping this week will be a bit kinder to me..

It's Here!

My NASM stuff showed up today!

It's a very shiny box! Inside the box is really just a backpack and my textbook.

I got my syllabus and study guide printed out, and I'm set to go to work for about an hour just as soon as I eat something.

Also just a quick update on my training
- Still not getting enough running in during the week. Life has been so crazy for me lately. Yesterday my intention was to run but my husband kind of dropped a bomb on me when I got home and I was just not in the mood. It had to do with career stuff - no definites yet but let's just say I'm afraid of the unknown right now. Anyway... I WILL run 3 miles tomorrow or Thursday, and 8 miles out on the trails this weekend. I'm tapering down for my *second* half marathon at the end of the month!!
- Gym - It's going well. I can lift more - I can lift 15-20 lbs with dumbbells, and anywhere from 30-60 with barbells depending on what kind of lift it is. I'm also experimenting with new exercises all the time. Did some kettlebell work last week, and attempted the single leg deadlift (hard!) Tried a pike on the stability ball today but that was a massive failure - my calf cramped up on the second one. I can now climb the knotted rope twice, and today I did some work with the unknotted rope. Using the wrap technique I got about halfway up before I opted to come back down. The rope burn isn't very fun. But I'll keep working that method.

Feeling some funkiness in my right shoulder lately, so I'm trying to be careful with it and work on stretching and mobilizing it.

Training with K is going good. She couldn't make it today due to obligations with her kids, but we did train 2 days last week.

Day 1 - Really just an assessment to see where she was at. She is overweight but used to be in really good shape and has a good background in lifting weights. I started her out with 1 exercise per muscle group and using some pretty light weight (about 10 lbs for most exercises) We did some basic weighted squats, curls, bench press with dumbbells, skullcrushers, overhead presses, push ups, and some core work such as planks and ball passes.

Day 2 - She was feeling a bit sore but still eager and ready to work. I had her do 2 movements per muscle group (in some cases, not all). We did 3 sets of 10 assisted pull ups - narrow grip, reverse grip, and wide grip. This is one of my favorites. Push ups, dips, barbell bicep curls, tricep extension machine, lateral raise, kettlebell swings and kettlebell squats, and ... honestly I forget what else. It kicked her ass but she powered through it. I told her she could reduce the weight if she had to but aside from the bicep curls she accepted each weight I gave her.

I think eventually I will do my workouts when she does - that means puting her on a split routine and having her do what I am doing that day (with some modifications if needed, of course) I'll do my set then she will follow and I will watch her. And I'll have her do something else while I rope climb and such. This way I can make use of the hour before we meet and study in my car/Starbucks or whatever. K isn't a stranger to the gym and I feel confident she can handle it. Really I think she just wants someone to work out with and help keep her motivated. I'm glad I can do this for her. And she can help me out with dog sitting services, her potential future career. We'll be each others career references one day, lol.

Welp, time to study now! Later.

The First Step Towards a New Career

Today I purchased my Personal Trainer course!

I'm going to start working towards my certification with NASM.

Clicking the purchase button was a little scary, not just because I dropped a grand on it, but also because this is for real. I'm actually doing it! It's exciting but a little intimidating because this is a foreign field to me. All I know is just what I have learned on my own, from friends, and the internet. Which is all well and good, but I have zero formal education on this subject. But I'm gonna work my ass off and really dedicate the next 6 months to make sure I pass this thing. I purchased the package which includes online classes, which are supposed to help you understand how to apply all the information in real life situations.

I'm excited to finally start the course. I'm actually working towards a career for the first time in my life and it feels pretty awesome. And I know this is what I want to do. This is what I can feel good about doing.

My study materials should arrive at my house and my online courses activated within 2-3 days. And then the craziness shall begin!

Crazy Anniversary Week

It's already Thursday! It's been a busy week. I've tried my best not to let if affect my workouts. Had an appointment Monday, plus I'm now training K which has kind of thrown a wrench into my schedule. We meet at the gym Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30. I get out of work at 5 so there's not much point in me going home. What I've decided to do is go in for my workout at 5:30 and then just wait for her. I train for muscle growth and better performance during obstacle races, so I do a split routine (back, bicep, leg day then a shoulder/chest/tricep day with core on both days) but with K I opted for 2 days of full body work. I think this will be better for fat loss. We're not going to be doing the same exercises plus I should really focus on training her instead of trying to squeeze in a workout for myself.

Staying in the gym late means running in the mornings is gonna be tough. I think I will start running at night instead, probably around 8. It'll be a weird adjustment but I can do it.

The free trial for my personal trainer cert is done, so now I'm ready to commit and actually sign up for the course. Studying will take a big chunk out of my already limited free time. I waste most of my hours at my job where I am bored and uninspired all day. But that's not gonna change just yet. Plus in addition to all the other stuff I do I still have to do chores, cook, buy groceries, etc. Honestly I have no idea how I'm gonna have time for it all!
But I will do it. Somehow I will find a way. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I will have to work very hard and dedicate my time to this for the next 6 months. No half assing. This is my next test and I am going to pass!

Amidst all the changes, I celebrated my wedding anniversary yesterday! We have been together 11 years but yesterday was our 4 th year married. We've already done a lot and grown so much, and now is a pivotal time for both of us with my career change and him getting out of the Army. I'm looking forward to see where life takes us next.

He doesn't usually go crazy with gifts but this time he did! He got me flowers, perfume, and a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake! We sat on the couch, ate chicken wings and watched a movie. It was just what I needed.

My First Personal Training Opportunity

Last week my husband called me to talk about an unexpected opportunity. Sgt. P. was talking about how his wife wants to get back in shape, and my husband mentioned that I am pursuing a career in personal training and am looking for hands on experience. This would be a chance for me to become familiar with training clients - I wouldn't be paid obviously since I'm not an official certified PT, just somebody looking to get some practice. I think it's a smashing idea!
(My husband totally set this up without asking me first, and I don't care! I'm eager for this kind of thing.)

So I reached out to her a couple days ago. Let's call her K. I asked her a few questions to get an idea about her history, fitness level, health issues, injuries, and preferences.

• Her goal is to lose weight. She used to be in good shape but has gained some weight, so she's looking to get back to where she was before.
• She is dealing with a few issues which include injuries. I'll have to figure out how to create a program that won't aggravate her injuries. She is also 4'10" and dislikes using machines because she feels she doesn't "fit" in them.
• She doesn't like running and struggles with it due to her injuries, but she does do cardio in the form of elliptical and walking. I advised her to do that on the days we don't meet (2-3 days a week)
• She is interested in lifting because she feels like she's doing something great, as opposed to mindless cardio. 
• We'll be meeting 1-2 times a week around 7, either at the gym on base or I can get her into Gold's as a guest. I'm waiting to hear back on the specifics of when and where she wants to do this. I'll have to finagle my schedule around hers a little bit but I can make it work.

I'm still figuring out the specific exercises but I think the plan will be something like this

Day 1
Legs, Triceps, Shoulders, Chest

Day 2
Biceps, Back, Abs

3 set of 10-12 reps for most exercises, will adjust if necessary
We'll work on the same exercises for 2-3 weeks before changing it up.


I'm excited about this opportunity! But I'm also nervous and there's definitely a fear of failure. This is definitely not a "cut and dry" type of client - she has quite a few issues she is struggling with so it's a bit intimidating for me. But I'm going to go into this with confidence in what I know and I'm going to be as attentive as possible to make sure she gets a good experience out of this. Being able to help her achieve her goals will be such an awesome feeling - I just know it. And who knows, maybe I'll gain a new friend?

14 Day Free Trial

It's Friday! Got my workout in for the day

Crappy gym selfies for everybody!

I did some back/bicep work with a little bit of legs and abs thrown in. And burpees of course, 18 of them non stop at the END of my workout. Oh! And the first thing I did after my warm up was tackle the rope. Got up to the first knot 3 times, then I looked at it and said "Why the hell not?" - Climbed the first knot AND the second knot! Booyah. After that I was out of steam for climbing and continued on with my workout. And I felt like a beast.

The only trouble I had was with fueling. This week I have encountered some fueling issues in the gym, and I am learning that what works for running might not always work for strength training. On the days when I go in the morning I have been eating a banana, sipping BCAA during, then a protein bar after. The last 2 days I went I had some nausea and just felt like crap afterwards. Today it may have been the fact that I did box jumps.. but just in case, I think I will adjust until I get to the root of the problem here. Because today the nausea came on about an hour after my workout and I've kind of been struggling with it all day, along with some tiredness and general "icky" feeling. My husband's suggestion was to sip a very light protein and water mix before and during my workout. I'll give it a shot and see if it helps.

In other news, I have begun a 14 day free trial! It's for the Personal Trainer Certification program with NASM. After doing alot of research I am pretty sure I am going to get my cert with NASM. It basically boiled down to 2 reasons

• They are highly respected within the personal trainer community. 
• I am impressed with the quality of their program and the amount of resources available to students.
• NASM has a focus on dealing with clients that have injuries. I have learned that most of us are injured - due to our sedentary society many of us are dealing with problems relating to the lower back, knee, shoulder, neck, etc, and even those who are more familiar with fitness may be dealing with injuries as a result of their activities. Injuries are bound to happen to all of us, and if they don't, then you are just inhuman! Anyway, I really like the emphasis NASM places on dealing with injuries and I would like to have that knowledge. 

So I have the 14 day free trial. I signed up for this to get a feel for NASM's program and to make sure I'm not going in way over my head. NASM is a hard program from what I have heard. But if I apply myself enough I know I will pass the exam. The trial is just online learning at this point, so I'm just kind of going through the lessons and "pre" learning - trying to absorb information before actually putting the money down and enrolling in the program. Once I enroll I will study an hour a day, take notes, then review my notes during my lunch break at work since I have nothing to do for 45 minutes. I'll use flash cards and take the practice exams in order to prepare for the real thing. And of course, I'll continue what I have been doing for the past several weeks - learning everything I can about fitness. Internet, my workouts in the gym, observing other people working out, observing trainers in the gym, etc. We can learn alot by observing others and experimenting with our own bodies - and I totally mean that in a non dirty way! A workout in the gym is like a science class - experiment with things until you find what works. It's one of the best ways to learn.