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)