Equinox Rocks (or, Equinox Kicked My Butt, Vol. 2)
Credit: Dennis Wong
After my initial fitness evaluation at Equinox, I was ready to jump into my new workout routine full-tilt. During my first week, my new training guru, Jayme, took me to a level of soreness I’ve not experienced in a long time, if ever. I spent the first seven days of our program gimping around like a little old lady and begging my hubby to massage various sore muscles (there was always a new one, it seemed—muscles I didn’t know I had). It was definitely a good soreness, though. The kind where you know you’ve taken your workout to another level and pushed yourself out of your comfort zone.
In my first session, the overwhelming thought in my head was, “Are we there yet?” My workout started innocently enough, with step-ups onto a bench for the requisite 20 reps. Twenty is Jayme’s fave number in my training, so I’ve gotten really good at counting to 20 in my head while she tells me to keep going—and I swear she always makes me do one or two extra. That, or the blood rushes out of my brain and hampers my counting ability, which is entirely possible.
After my reps on both legs were done, and some shoulder presses and V-raises were complete, she handed me a jump rope. Oh, jump rope. There is no love lost between us these days. After a torturous two minutes with the jump rope, I got small break before starting the combination over again. During this first workout session, we did three combinations of moves with about five or six different exercises. Each combination was completed three times so that by the third set of each move, I was really at the point of muscle fatigue. Or, let’s be honest: total muscle failure.
Just two days after my first session, I was back in the gym again under Jayme’s direction. Still sore from session one, we got after it again. Strangely enough, even though I was still sore, it felt good to get my muscles moving again. I was just as exhausted after session two, in which we did enough squats to get my legs shaking and “skull crushers,” which worked my forearms. I didn’t even really know you could work your forearms.
Now, don’t let me scare you from getting a session with a trainer with all of my talk of fatigue and exhaustion and difficulty. Yeah, you’ll be tired. Yeah, your muscles will be fatigued. Yeah, you’ll do difficult moves. But you’ll be pushing yourself like you wouldn’t if someone wasn’t there counting your reps. You’ll also be surprised at how hard you can actually work and how hard you can actually push yourself. Your body is capable of a lot more than you think it is, and even with a trainer, you’re always the one in control. Skilled trainers will see when you’ve exhausted a muscle and can’t eke out any more reps. But often, I find that when I think I can’t do any more, when I hear, “Ok, give me five more,” I find that I almost always can.
That first week in training felt like my own personal boot camp. I was physically sore beyond belief. After our third session or so, and probably when she’d seen that I was still gimping around like a little old lady, Jayme told me to take a hot bath. I listened and took a long, therapeutic soak in the tub. Trainer’s orders, and it did wonders for my aching muscles. Stay tuned for my next training update; I’m sure there is more fun in store for me. —Erin
Comments
Having someone to push you always helps you go further! Sounds like a great workout!
Equinox has my personal favorite trainer/Spin instructor, Jaime Morales. Everyone I kno loves Jaime Morales so if Jayme Boyle is like Jaime Morales, then you're surely in good hands. As for the hot bath, when my Spin students tell me that they will be sore the next day, I tell them stretch, drink plenty of water (preferably room temp), and take as hot a soak as possible. I also tell them to do yoga. When possible, I hit the jacuzzi at one of the gyms were I teach.
That sounds fantastic! And sore. In a wonderful good happy way.
Love the sound of your workouts! I also do the no rest between exercises type of workout. Helps burn the fat & show those muscles you are working! Congrats on hanging in there!
I think this is SOOO awesome! I did a trainer for a while, when I could afford a gym, and I loved it. I could barely walk afterwards, but I felt like I had a totally other support system. Back in the college day, though, FBG Jenn was my pro bono trainer and I think that was probably my favorite of all!
Oh and a helpful hint, epson salt baths ROCK for sore muscles and it's way cheaper than fancy stuff 🙂
I worked with a trainer for a long time and she had trouble counting too. I teased her that when her child gets to kindergarten maybe she'll get basic counting mastered.
It sounds like you're getting a lot out of working with a trainer. Good for you!! And, it reminded me that the TRX is something to consider if I ever give up my gym membership.
Love, Marilyn B's advice for sore muscles. That's what I do too.
After my own training experience I'm definitely interested in hearing about yours! I couldn't walk for a week after my "evaluation" nor could my husband or two friends who also were evaluated the same week. Needless to say we didn't go back for more.
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