June92009
6/8/09 - A Wreck.
9AM, Results Gym, D.C.
Twenty or so of us were sitting on the studio floor. I scanned the room and couldn’t help noticing the well-defined muscles of those around. It gradually occurred to me that this 8-hour boot camp might just have been designed for fitness professionals.
A day-long training session at this intensity. I should have guessed.
We went around the room introducing ourselves. Everyone there was a full-time trainer; some even run their own studios.
So What do you do? Our instructor asked me, the youngest of all.
I’m trying to be the best tango dancer I can be, I said, somewhat intimidated. All eyes were on me now. I had to laugh, amused by the surprise on their faces. Suddenly, I became aware of how random my presence seemed at this gathering.
But I was there for a good reason, if not a conventional one. I explained that I want to take my dancing to the next level, and I know I simply have to be stronger. I came to learn how.
***
In comparison, I was not in shape at all.
These men and women performed exercise after exercise like machines. One woman called herself an old lady because she was nearing sixty, yet she was jumping up and down, pushing and pulling herself this way and that, making me feel like the real old lady in the room.
Two hours into training, I was already exhausted. I struggled, but my classmates were kind. They helped me along and encouraged me when my body just couldn’t accomplish what theirs could easily do.
It takes time to build up, One of the men kept telling me.
I embarrassed myself. Falls, face plants, my non-existent arm strength. I discovered however, that if I could put my ego aside and ignore the burning cheeks and the racing heart, I could direct the energy instead to internalizing advices given to me.
The truth is, it took me some time to get over myself. But I do not mind training with people who are far better than I am. In fact, I prefer it because now I know where I am aiming.
***
Lunch break.
Emily invited me to join her and some other trainers. Each of us sat with our Potbelly sandwich, grateful to restore our bodies. And when there is food, there is usually also the sharing of stories. I quickly found out that some of them were graphic designers, attorneys, computer engineers in their previous lives.
So how did you get here? I wanted to know.
A story universal:
they simply realized they didn’t like what they were doing, the life they were leading and the sacrifices they were making. They realized, and decided to do something about the status quo. For many, the change came first with the return of physical activities because they had missed moving their bodies. The more they engaged themselves, the more they recognize fitness as a passion. It was then a matter time before they saw it as a career path they could pursue.
In some cases, it was difficult to make the transition. Particularly those, who had made great investments of time and money on their previous routes, were met with strong resistance from the people around them.
I had a lot of debt from law school, one woman told me. It was a very expensive way to figure out what I didn’t want to do.
An initial mistake maybe, but she didn’t allow its cost to stop her from breaking away. These people knew they wanted the change, and they let nothing hold them back. Nothing. They spoke of the better quality of life: continued education, work that captures their enthusiasm, and time again to spend with loved ones.
I sat among them, happy because they are happy now.
The sandwich I ordered was called A Wreck: ham, turkey, salami, roast beef and swiss cheese piled between wheat rolls. An appropriate meal for the day; an appropriate name for its aftermath.
This morning I woke up, acutely aware of the geography of my muscles. I feel them all. Every boundary is laced to another with soreness. I don’t think I’ve ever understood my own anatomy so well.
***
Our focus is functional, the instructor told us. The purpose of our training is to maximize strength and minimize injuries in real life.
Traditional exercises set certain rules, such as when squatting the knees do not pass the toes, and movements tend to be restricted to one plane at a time. The problem is that this is not how we really move outside of the gym. Such exercises do not strengthen us for our actual needs.
We usually focus on sagittal movements in classical training, but rarely in real life do we get to only walk in a straight line, she said.
This is why we train ourselves to move in all three dimensions.
This is why we train like we live.
