While I was in the hospital, the rehab doctor said it would be a really good idea to hire a personal trainer after I completed physical therapy. I had a personal trainer once back in NYC and I know how they are great at not only recommending physical activities, but most of them know the importance of motivation too, so I was definitely in agreement. I had to tackle a lot first, but I knew eventually I wanted to hire one.
When PT started winding down for me I decided it was time to find a trainer. How I found my personal trainer is a story in itself.
I went to get my hair cut in late January. I had been to Melissa only once, before I got sick, but immediately she knew something happened. I explained the whole story to her, and she was awed. When I got to the part about needing a personal trainer, she reminded me that her fiancé is one. I know Melissa is a bodybuilder and her fiancé is a trainer, but I never put two and two together.
Anyway, thanks to her, I was able to get in touch with Anthony. Turns out the gym they work at, Push Your Limits, is a private gym, so there’s no monthly membership; you just pay for sessions with a trainer. They have classes too. Their clients range from professional athletes all the way to everyday people, so someone like me, an athlete who is recovering from an injury, fits right in. Also, Anthony has been in the business for a very long time, so rehab work is not new to him.
In our first meeting, he asked me what are my goals. My goal is plain and simple: although I was not a spectacular athlete, I was still an athlete, and I was pretty awesome (and humble as you can tell) before the stroke, so I wanted to be as close to what I used to be as possible. If I come out of this better, then hey, I love exceeding my goals, so I will welcome it.
Anthony and I got to work immediately in early February. I prioritized balance and coordination first, stamina second, and overall strength as a byproduct of the first three. It seems to be working out that way. I have had eight sessions with him and am already seeing results. My overall strength has gone up exponentially, and so has my balance and coordination. Most importantly, my stamina has increased. When I started working with Anthony, I could barely run on the treadmill for two minutes on a 3% incline at 3.8 miles per hour. Now, I can run at a 5% incline at 4.7 miles per hour. It’s that increase in stamina that helped me complete 1.5 miles outside in under 18 minutes.
I meet with him three times a week. The first session we work on arms, then for the second we work on legs, and core during the third. He is a firm believer that a strong core helps everything else, so really my core gets worked during all three sessions. Also, I worked in a pool with a friend of mine and she pointed out weakness in my right shoulder, so Anthony likes to target that as well. A typical session is made up of alternating between an exercise and 2-3 minutes on the treadmill. I hardly get any rest.
If you ask me, the sessions are hard. Plus they’re in the early morning, so waking up at the ass crack of dawn sucks. As the one who has to do the exercises, it is easy for me to complain and I don’t want the sessions to get harder. That’s where Anthony comes in. He knows to push me, because he knows I need it, and even though deep down I know I need it too, I’m not going to do it myself.
As a result, he has been changing the exercises, giving me new surfaces to work on and throw off my balance and higher weights to handle.
One new exercise he has is so awesome. I love it. In case you can’t tell, that’s sarcasm at its finest, ladies and gentlemen. I know in the long run it will help me, but it sucks, really.
The exercise is meant for my abs, but works on my balance. I have to do side planks. I’m sure a lot of you have done side planks. Big deal, you say? I have to do side planks with my feet off the ground in gymnastics rings. So there.
Rings = Bullshit.
It’s a good thing that this training is paying off, because it really sucks doing it. Hiring Anthony has worked wonders, so hopefully I’ll continue to see results. I hope I do, and I think I will. It better help me get better, otherwise both Anthony and I are in big trouble.
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