Thursday, June 09, 2011

Co-Personal Training?

Last week I signed Pete and I up for a co-training session at the gym.  Then I came home and told him about it while he was a bit sleepy.  Then I had to remind him several times during the week that I had done this.  I did it for several reasons.

1.  I am more motivated to a workout schedule if I'm involved in a class that I pay for or training that I pay for.  I want to get my money's worth.

2.  Personal training really helped me in the last year.  It gave me the tools to strength train on my own after we had built up some of my muscles and figured out the correct form and motion of the weights.

3.  It gave me a goal to work toward of building up muscles in certain areas.

4.  I wanted Pete to have the same as the above 3 things.

5.  Pete lifts weights on his own, but focuses solely on his arms and chest.  I tried several times to get him to do my workouts with me so it was a total body work out and I am obviously not a good personal trainer for him.

6.  Pete wants to get his core strengthened so that it doesn't hurt (because that's where the port is attached to his body) when he exercises.  To do that he needs to go about it slowly and accurately.  I trainer can help with that.

7.  Pete gets easily frustrated by the guys in the weights area that hog the space and hog the weights.  A trainer is somewhat like a buffer and has no issue with telling the hoggers to give it up for others and be respectful. 

8.  In the end we would both have 7 workouts written down to recreate for ourselves in the gym at later dates.

9.  I want to be healthy and happy.

10.  I want Pete to be healthy and happy.

There are my reasons.  I purposely picked a trainer that Pete liked.  One that was encouraging, but not too forceful and wouldn't let Pete get away with anything either.  He is actually the head trainer.  Only he picked a different trainer for us, saying that the fit would be better.  I was initially disappointed.  But Pete seemed to click with him also and I don't think that he would let Pete get away with anything.

We spent 30 minutes doing a workout together.  When I did an exercise, Pete did a different one and at other times we were doing the same thing.  For instance we both did wall squats together.  But while I was doing standing body rows, Pete was holding a plank.  However long it took me to to do 12 rows was how long Pete had to hold his.  It worked out ok, but clearly we have different strengths and limitations.  Ultimately we decided to buy a package of sessions and split them so that we each get half.  Unfortunately it's expensive and we can't/should really be spending that much with Pete out of work.  But...and it's a big but...I want Pete to have the structure and he would never agree to do it unless I did it also.

So even though we're not co-personal training, we're personal training.  And at some point I think it would be a good thing to train together.  I look at it as something that would be an us time in a healthy way.  Something that would give us a really close connection helping each other work out.  And honestly, I would be kind of sexy to see him with some bulging muscles, all sweaty and lookin' good.   (too much information? lol)

1 comment:

  1. Yay personal training!!!! Be sure to take measurements - both you and pete. :)

    ReplyDelete