At the gym, workin' on my fitness

I can't believe my blog title just quoted Fergilicious. Oh well, can't take it back now.

Recently I joined a new gym, and with my membership I got 2 free personal training sessions. I've never had a personal trainer before and never really saw the need. I think trainers are good for people who need an actual "appointment" to get motivated to go to the gym (such as my husband), but I know I'm going to go anyway, so I don't fall into that category. But free is free.

First of all, my trainer was great. Not only is he a CPT, but he also has a degree in kinesiology from a well-respected university. Most importantly, he did not tell me I was a lard-ass. He simply asked me what my fitness goals were, and I answered, "I don't really have any."

I'm not trying to lose weight -- in fact, I'm actively trying NOT to lose weight, since in the next few years here Brad and I will be thinking about starting a family and being too lean has never been kind on the ol' bod (without getting into the TMI category). I'm not trying to train for anything. I don't really see the need to buff up or get my resting heart rate down. My only objective, really, is to stay in shape, maintain my current weight, enjoy life, and not get injured. As I told my trainer, I'm a zen exerciser now. I think I saw him roll his eyes a little.

Anyway, I had my two sessions last week, and they were great. We navigated the scary boys-only weight room and I learned how to do a bunch of things for my major muscle groups, including PULL-UPS! I did two unassisted, and man did I feel it. I was actually OK the next day, giving me false hope that I have truly amazing shoulder and back muscles. Unfortunately, it was two days later that I woke up and could no longer move my arms above my waist. DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness) and I are not good friends. On Friday he showed me a bunch of knee-friendly quad and glute exercises and today I can't sit down without a pillow under my ass.

I really enjoyed working with him -- so much so that I caved and bought a few more sessions. If nothing else, I hope to learn more functional exercises that will help me get stronger and prevent injuries.