Xcelerated Fitness - Workout of the Week

Last week during my workout of the week at Club Pilates I discovered that I could indeed get a core workout in even with my back injury. This week Scott at Xcelerated Fitness showed me something that really surprised me. He showed me that there is still an athlete under all of the fluff I have accumulated since I had to give up running eight months ago.

Workout of the Week

Before I showed up at the Xcelerated Fitness Studio, Scott told me this would not be a workout.  It would be an assessment.  I pictured filling out a form with my goals, my injury and my limitations.  And that was definitely part of it.  But the biggest part of it was Scott giving me exercises to find out my strengths and weaknesses.  He had told me ahead of time that he's worked with people with limitations. But being the Doubting Ann that I am I was not convinced he grasped the extent of my back injury.

I was wrong.

I am not ashamed to admit I was wrong.  Within a few minutes I could see where he was going and what he was attempting to do. The first few times he asked me to do an exercise, I hesitated and then when I couldn't do something I apologized.  He immediately told me not to do that.  The whole point of this assessment was find out what I could and couldn't do.  The reminder to not apologize raised my opinion of Xcelerated Fitnes.  But when I really started to realize what Scott had to offer, when I saw how much he cared, my opinion soared.

It was his passion for what he was learning about me.  It was his excitement to see the things I could do and his ah-ha moments really helped me see how working with Scott would be helpful.

My Ah-ha Moment

But the real ah-ha moment for me came as I started to realize I could do strength training again, as long as I modify in a way that doesn't pull my back into the mix. Having learned last week that it was important that I keep my back in neutral throughout and having worked with Scott this week I see why I need these modifications.  I understand that modifying a workout doesn't make the workout a wimpy workout.  It just makes a different workout.

This was the moment I realized I might one day be the athlete I used to be again.  It will take work to get there but it will take work that I am willing to put in. With each modified exercise Scott gave me I could feel muscles I hadn't worked in months leaping into action. With each exercise I caught a glimpse of the athlete I used to be.

Confession

It was also the moment I began to understand why someone would work directly with a personal trainer.  For me, the idea of working with a trainer has always seemed like an indulgence.  After working with Scott and realizing what a personal trainer can offer, I get it.  Sometimes you can't do it on your own whether because you or injured or because you are completely new to fitness.  Working with a trainer is about more than needing someone to motivate you.  It is about what you can learn.

At one point we found an exercise that was just not working.  I was will to give up and move on.  But a light went on in Scott and he asked me to try it one more way.  Not only did it not hurt but I could feel my muscles engaging.  This was just one more way I could see the benefits of working with Xcelerated Fitness

Workout of the Week So Far

The last time I did a workout of the week for Patch.com I was in a different place.  I was unstoppable and I found the benefit of each new workout was more about the communities that built up around those workouts than about the workout itself.  This time it is different.  This time it is personal.  I need to find the athlete I once was.  I need to see Ironann again.  Two workouts in two weeks with two different studios has helped me to find my way.  Two workouts in two week has helped me realize that there is hope for those of us who are chronically injured.  I look forward to seeing what I learned next week.