Meeting My Trainer (Steve) for The First Time - Dave's Be Fit Survivor Perspective

Meeting my trainer for the first time was a nerve-racking experience for me, especially since I never really lifted weights and my trainer was Steve. I assumed he would expect me to be lifting like him. When we had our first meeting with Steve, my workout buddy Lexi and I were a bit nervous. We had actually been dreading it for a week because he was so well developed and we worried that we would look like wimps in front of him.

Let me tell you… all the worrying was for nothing. Steve was THE nicest guy. He led us down a path of physical fitness very slowly. Our first workout, however, I'll admit, killed us. We couldn't even lift our hands to our mouth to eat; we almost had to chase our food to get it to our mouths! As the weeks went by though we were able to recover more quickly from these workouts.

As each week passed, Steve would teach us a new workout, which would keep us from getting bored as we went through Be Fit and beyond. Steve also taught us that you should switch things up every once in a while, because your body gets used to routine. I liken it to work – we adapt to our job to the point we can do it more efficiently in less time - our bodies do the same with workouts; they will learn to do "the routine" while burning less energy. He told us that we should either change up our routines or switch the order in which the exercises are done.

Another important thing we learned is that, although it your body will change, it won't happen overnight, it requires time. It took time to put all the weight on, or become out of shape, so it will take time for the pounds to melt away and the muscle to shine through again.

As for me, I never really lifted weights before. I always did the lifecycle or circuit machines and although they are a bit challenging, they are not as challenging as free weights. Not to say that people shouldn't use machines, they are a great way to learn proper posture and mechanics of each exercise.

Steve broke us in on the weights in the back room as well. This was a room I was absolutely trying to avoid, as the people who are usually there are struggling to lift some huge amounts of weight. I was struggling with 25 pounds back there! (I should tell you that the bar alone weighs about 45 lbs.) In this room, I felt the "burn" of lifting much more than with anything else. Unfortunately, my workout partner doesn't like this area, so we rarely go anymore. This is a room I would like to get back into though. Maybe I'll treat myself to a personal training session and do a total body workout back there.

Steve really got us motivated just by being himself. He is a great trainer and someone to look up to at the gym. I wish I could say that I am aspiring to be like him, but he's just a little too bulky for me. I wouldn't mind being just half of him though.

I must say, that all the trainers at the gym have something different to offer and if you could befriend some participants on opposing teams, it would be in your best interest for after the 10-week program. Then you could all get together and workout and teach each other some new routines using the different things you learned from your trainers. You could double what you know about the gym!

On another note, I hear a lot of people complaining about cardio when I'm at CCRP… what a hassle and pain in the butt it is. A little tip – MUSIC! I personally hate doing cardio but if I put on my IPOD and close my eyes or something, I can imagine that I am not on the treadmill or elliptical machine but rather I am in the middle of a dance club getting down with my bad self!