If you are like me, working out with free weights or machines is scary! When I would try to use the machines at my local Y, I was intimidated. Intimidated by the seemingly simple machines with levers and seats to adjust: had I adjusted the seat or arm rests to the right position in order to get the most from them? And what weight should I start off at? How quickly should I add weight?
I’d read up on building up the weight you can lift beforehand, but I think performance anxiety erased all that I’d read when I was staring at that machine. And I haven’t even mentioned the intimidating fit people around me at the gym! You know them, the beautiful people who already know how to use the machines. I can feel them scoffing at my ineptitude. Sometimes I’d skip the machines and do a few exercises with free weights to avoid the machines, but even then I felt limited and inexperienced.
Working with Pamela has eliminated my insecurities and filled my working out bag of tricks with an arsenal of activities to do. And it’s not scary at all.
Each session, we start by warming up my muscles. We walk in place or do curtsy lunges or high knees. Then, she tells me what we’ll be doing that day. Sometimes, we do interval exercises using nothing but my own body to keep my heart rate up and help build the endurance I need in running. Other times, we focus on core-strengthening activities. We do workouts of mini circuits, super sets, and alternating sets. We’ve done an entire session with kettlebells
And then, before each exercise or set, Pamela models the exercise. While I’m doing it, she corrects my form and counts my reps. Sometimes she even works along with me, demonstrating the form and tacitly encouraging me.
All of this, I love. I sort of love that I don’t have to think about what to do, about how to challenge different muscle groups, about how to focus on those very important core and stabilizing muscles.
This is a great reason to work with Pamela, and even more so if you are like me and know nothing about working out. It might just be the best reason. Besides the eating accountability and encouragement and and and… 🙂
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