Days 13, 14, 15 & 16: Feeling the Results

So the last two nights have been super-great workouts, but I'm getting ahead of myself already. I guess I need to backtrack a little bit and catch you up on last week's progress first! Sheesh, I need more time in my weeks!

It all started with Monday, day 13, another "off" day for me. Maybe it was just that it was a "13" day (and therefore an unlucky day), but I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps Monday nights are not my best night for having my head in the right place for the gym. Even though I did over an hour of cardio the day before, I was still a little shaky when I got to the gym on Monday and started going through the exercises. It wasn't that I couldn't complete any of them. It's just that I my mind and body didn't seem to be as agile when it came to "being in the moment" mentally and physically. I'm assuming these are the days when other people who aren't obliged to show up at the gym (thank God I have to work out because of the Frontiers follow-up this spring) might decide to skip it and stay at home. But you know, even on my off days, I'm still a little excited about going to the gym, precisely because I know that I'm doing something good for myself. I suppose that outweighs any "blahness" I feel on any given day.

Anyway, the rest of the week went well. I had a film screening on Tuesday and had to interview a rock band on Friday, so Ronn and I had to juggle our schedules to make sure I got all four days in. So I was at Train on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and then Saturday morning for another full hour of ab work. And, Monday excluded, it was a pretty good week of working out. I was especially pleased with myself on Saturday, as this was not only the first time that I attempted to get back onto one of those half-ball contraptions and stay balanced--which I was able to do all on my own after just a little bit of help from Ronn--but it was also the first day that I was able to do 10 "sit-ups" from a completely lying down (with hands over my head) position. This had been an exercise that I couldn't even complete a single rep of, and to have been able to complete 10 was quite the thrill for me. "I'm so proud of you," Ronn said. I was a little proud of myself as well, especially because my friend Kevin--who takes all the pics you see on this blog--was there to witness both of these "firsts" for me.

I did 50 minutes of cardio following Saturday's workout so that I could make up for the day of only-cardio that I would normally have, and experienced yet another "first." I was able to do an entire 30 minutes on the elliptical machine, which had previously made my legs and back hurt after only being on the machine for a few minutes. I even played around with the levels of resistance and the cross-range settings so that I could work out different areas of my body (quads, butt) and with increased resistance. I rocked that machine!

The one thing I have noticed is the lack of soreness that my body feels when I do some of the exercises on the machines now. Ronn had said that as we broke my muscles down, they would come back bigger and stronger, and would therefore be able to handle more weight without getting as sore. And that seems to be the case. Whether we are working on shoulders and chest or biceps and back, my body is "repairing" itself quicker and quicker, and I am becoming more aware of my increasing strength and agility--though I am still far from being able to do free push-ups or pull-ups. For push-ups, Ronn had to put a towel under my waist so he could help pull me up each time. It's harder for me to support my entire body on my own, but I know that in time I will be able to do this. I look forward to the day when I do 10 of those!

Until then, stay tuned!

(Pics by Kevin Cazares)

Days 9, 10, 11 & 12: Hitting a Stride

OK, apologies for not posting an entry sooner. No, I haven't fallen off the gym bandwagon. I have been faithfully working out with Ronn for the past week and few days, but the truth of the matter is that I've just been busy as hell. Between my day job, then going straight to the gym, then going home to make dinner and try and squeeze in one or two of my favorites shows--plus all my freelance work on the side--life's been hella-busy as of late. That's a good thing, of course, but it leaves little time to catch up with you folks.

But enough of the excuses and on with the blog.

NOTE: Since it's been a while since I've posted, I've kind of forgotten what exactly happened on each night, so I will do my best to recall...

DAY 9: This was by far one of the toughest sessions yet, probably because I had two days off before I was back in the gym, and I got a little lazy. I skipped my weekend cardio routine on Sunday, and--just as I thought might happen--I ended up paying for it on Monday night. The cardio work on the stair machine (which my friend Kevin has not-so-affectionately dubbed "the stairs to nowhere") was more intense than usual, and it took me a little longer to get back into the gym groove. I think Ronn sensed this as well. The stretching that night was even more painful than usual. In fact, Ronn did one stretch to my calves where the pain was so intense I had to pull out of it, and could not seem to relax. Eventually, we got through that and did some work on my abs, then headed downstairs to work out on some of the machines. Again, I just seemed "off" on this night, and many of the exercises didn't come naturally to me as they had on other nights. There were a few times where I got a little testy, too. It was just one of those nights. I left the gym feeling a little disoriented and not altogether pleased that I had accomplished anything. It was the first time where I felt frustration.

Day 10: By contrast, Tuesday night was awesome. My cardio went well (I even made it up to 10 full minutes on that damned elliptical machine, which had previously been giving me problems in my upper legs), and the stretching exercise upstairs with Ronn was gentle and even a bit tender. We talked and laughed throughout the night, which also included 130 stomach crunches ("I'm amazed!" Ronn exlaimed. "When we started, you had trouble doing 15") and a lot of work on the weights. This is something that I had been missing. Ronn has focused a lot of my workouts on cardio, which has been great for making my sweat (and lose weight; more on that later), but I've been feeling a need to do some lifting to balance it all out. Well, on this night, I got my wish, and then some. It was one of those nights where I really pushed myself to my physical limits, and, as we worked out my arms and chest, I could feel the burn, but I loved it. It was one of those nights where you leave the gym exhausted and drained, but totally content for it.

Days 11 & 12: After having Wednesday and Thursday of last week off so I could cover a convention for AVN Online, Ronn and I were back on Friday and Saturday, and they were two more good days. On Friday, it was all about my shoulders and back, while Saturday was a full hour of ab work. Friday wasn't so bad, though I did wake up on Sunday being a bit sore, but Saturday... well, that was quite the session. I had a lot of trouble with abs in the very beginning of this whole project, but I was able to get through an entire hour of ab work without collapsing. Not that I didn't want to at times, but Ronn pushed me through the variety of exercises (including--again--several different kinds of crunches) with flying colors, and I'm proud to say I didn't do too bad a job at it either.

On Sunday, I did 50 minutes of cardio by myself, including 25 minutes on the stairs to nowhere, 15 minutes on the elliptical (another record!) and the rest of the time on the treadmill at a steep incline. Because I was supposed to have gotten a full hour in, my neighbor Angela and I went up to Runyon Canyon and did a mini-hike. I was surprised, however, that even the smaller hike was hell on my legs. They were sore as can be when I got home later that afternoon. I could barely stand up or sit down.

However, the one thing I've noticed is that the workouts have gotten a little "easier." Ronn has pretty much inducted all of my body parts into the workouts, so I'm finding that, as I'm introduced the new machines and exercises, it's becoming a little easier for me to understand the routine that much quicker. I guess I'm hitting my stride.

I'm already two workouts into this week, and have another tonight, so tomorrow I will update the blog with those write-ups. I'm looking forward to tonight's workout, too. It just keeps getting better.

(Pics by Kevin Cazares)

Days 7 & 8: "My Hardest Working Client"

I got a text message from Trainer Ronn yesterday. I'd sent him one after getting out of the shower and realizing that my belly had, in fact, gotten noticeably smaller than it was two weeks ago when I started this whole project. I was able to fit into a shirt that had previously been way too tight around my middle section, and this little development made me so happy that I had to share the news with Ronn. So I texted him to say "Dude, I've lost weight!" or something to that effect. Ronn's response was typically effusive in its praise: "XOXO. Thanks for letting me know. Cannot wait to see you on Monday for another hard session! You are my hardest working client."

This message--and the physical proof in the pudding of my minorly diminished belly--was just what I needed, too. On Thursday night, my sixth actual day of working out in the gym with Ronn, I was a little disappointed to discover that I'd actually gained a pound instead of taking any off. I was a bit perplexed about this. Ronn noticed it as well, and made sure to point out to me that the new weight might very well have been new muscle mass. Just hearing Ronn put it into perspective made me feel better. He's that good. But as I told him later, "You know, it doesn't really matter what the scale says. I feel better about myself and my body, so even if the scale says one thing, I have to trust what I'm feeling inside and how I feel when I see my body in the mirror now."

Sure enough, looking in the mirror after a workout is not the same experience as it used to be after I got out of the shower. I see my body in a whole new light these days. It's not just an awkward, out-of-shape mass of flesh anymore. It's a work-in-progress, to be sure, but I see what it is becoming. I finally see the potential in what I can turn it into. I feel like a sculptor who has been chipping away and away at a bulk of non-formed clay and is finally starting to see his vision take place. I see the body I want for myself, and I know that I am on the way to achieving that body. And it makes me happy.

And so it followed that my workouts with Ronn this week were both productive and fulfilling.

Thursday night was heavy on cardio again. Ronn had me do more leg lunge walks across the floor, followed by several sets of jumping jacks and whatnot. There was a lot of ab stuff as well -- more stomach crunches in a variety of fashions -- but the highlight of the evening was when Ronn grabbed several sets of dumbbells in varying sizes and placed them all on the floor in front of the steps that go upstairs and told me that I had to carry each set up the stairs while taking every other step. At first, it wasn't so hard. I started with the smallest weight, of course, and was able to get to the top and hand them off to Ronn without breaking much of a sweat. But as the weights got heavier -- and I got more tired -- the exercise became harder and harder. By the time I reached the top with the last set of weights --which weighed 25 pounds each -- I was dead. Of course, Ronn wasn't done with me. "Now take them all back down taking one step at a time on your way down and every other step on your way back up," he said. This wasn't as bad as carrying the weights up, but it still wasn't all that fun. And just as I reached the bottom with the final set of weights and looked up to Ronn for direction, he said, "First of all, I love you, and second of all, bring them all back up to me."

"I hate you," I joked, taking a big swig of water before starting back up the steps with the smallest set of weights.

When the exercise was done (I'm happy to report that, yes, I was able to complete the whole thing without fail), the session was over as well.

Friday night was equally as strenuous, and, with my legs still a bit sore from the previous night's efforts, completing some of the more leg- and butt-focused exercises was a bit hard. While I was on the treadmill, Ronn came over to see how I was doing. He then upped the speed and had me run in place, which I did for about a minute before he said, "I'd like to see you begin to incorporate jogging into your cardio now." OK, no sweat. "I love the way you take everything I give you," he said. Other men have said this to me in the past, of course (har! har!), but not quite with the same resonance that it has when Ronn says it.

Upstairs, Ronn put me on all fours and had me keep my knee high up in the air while kicking out in various directions (to the side, to the back) before then sticking my leg straight out to the side and moving my foot in 5 circles forward, followed by 5 circles backward. This nearly killed me. It wasn't until Ronn put his hand out as a guide that I was able to see the circle he wanted and complete the exercise. But the second set of this same exercise was not nearly as "easy." I almost failed, and even though Ronn's goading of "Don't stop now! You want this! Give it to me, boy!" helped me to finish the exercise, I was actually angry with him for about 10 seconds after it was over. I was exhausted, and my butt muscles were screaming out in agony. I couldn't look at him for about 15 seconds while I gathered myself again. Then all was fine.

It was a hard night all around. Ronn wanted me to do 100 jumps while jumping rope, something I have never been able to master because of my lack of coordination and balance. (Ronn tells me I need to stop saying that I don't have good balance and coordination, but I've been struggling with it for my entire life, so it's hard to let go of it.) Ronn wanted me to do 100 single jumps, but I was only able to complete five before the rope would catch on my foot and I would have to stop. This became extremely frustrating to me. I tried and tried and tried, but I could not get past five or six jumps before the damned roap would catch on my shoe. It's like my body was failing to keep up with my head. I couldn't get the rope to come around at just the right time. "You have a temper," Ronn said with a smile. "That's the first time I've seen that from you."

"I don't like not being able to do something," I said.

"It takes practice," he said. "You'll get it."

Then we moved on, and it was all good. I did some more work on my legs, then did some time on the butterfly machine and suddenly the night was over again. "You're doing great," Ronn told me as we walked outside and gave each other a hug goodnight.

I meant to get another day of cardio in this weekend, but my neighbor flaked on our weekly hike in Runyon today, and I used the time to catch up on some past due writing. I will probably pay for this tomorrow at the gym. My "cheat day" extravaganze consisted of a tuna burger from the macrobiotic restaurant (Cafe M) that I love so much, followed at dinner by a Thai Cobb salad from Fred 62. I didn't have any alcohol, though, when I went out to the bars on both Friday and Saturday. I'm sticking with water for now. I'm enjoying how it feels to be able to fit into this T-shirt again, and I want it to stay that way. Now, when I can start "filling it out" with some muscle, that's when I'll really start to jump for joy. But for now, I'm feeling pretty darned happy with and proud of myself. Life is truly good!

(Pics by Kevin Cazares)