by Woodsbum
A little over a month ago I decided to make a change in my life. I went full on idiot and started paying someone to kick my ass a couple times a week. My goals were pretty simple in theory:
I want to be in less pain when I do serious physical activity and be able to move better
Sounds like a simple plan, right? Believe me that it isn’t when trying to do it alone. Booze and my Catnapper easy chair are just WAY too accessible when I overexert myself. Having someone push me into getting into better physical condition really was essential. Searching online for workouts, buying training applications, reading books, blah, blah, and blah just were not enough to make me push past the pain and just get in better shape (and I know pear is a shape, just not the one I want to be).
Luckily, I have a highly motivated daughter that used to work at LA Fitness. She knew several trainers from there and knew one of their Master Trainers that opened his own place. After a couple of weeks of her badgering her friend, I got a call to come in for an assessment. This was my first experience with crossfit or any of the crossfit methods of training.
Let me back up a little bit so no one thinks that I have never seen the inside of a gym. Back when I was in the military, I used to work out at least 4 days a week on a slow week. At my height of being a gym rat I would do 2 – 3 workouts a day and run 3-7 miles several days a week. This didn’t include my 16-18 miles a day I commuted via bicycle or the rock climbing I did on the weekends. To say that I was quite active was truly an understatement. Then one evening I fell down an embankment that is steep enough I call it a cliff. It messed up my back pretty bad and made it difficult for me to continue that level of physical activity. Due to constant pain, I slowed down on the workouts to the point where I was only hitting a body bag a few times a week (20-30 minutes) and some weight training. Weight packed on and I was no longer feeling good about myself or my physical condition. That was when I finally decided that I needed outside help.
Back to my phone call and first appointment with a guy named Marco: At first I will admit. I was very skeptical. He didn’t have any of the normal gym equipment that I have always used and was accustomed to seeing. There were racks of medicine balls, kettle bells everywhere, several tug o’ war ropes and about 6 or 8 squat racks. No where did I see a single stair stepper, which was good because I agree with Po from Kung Fu Panda on that: “My old enemy: stairs.”
Marco sat down and talked with me, did some biometric measurements, assessed my physical condition (abysmal), and set me up with a schedule to really start training. Now mind you that Marco has a weird fetish about squats. He loves to make people do squats for days and then do more. I think he likes to see if he can make himself tired through other people doing squats. Squats, squats, squats and more squats…..
I am poking fun at Marco and the crazy workout stuff that he has me doing, but in all seriousness I feel so much better. Not only am I moving better, but I am feeling better overall. It really is working and I am still amazed at how badly a “Battle Rope” and ball slams kick my ass. Not once I have I had to do an exercise that actually hurts either my beat up joints or back. His methods are amazing.
Right now I am almost half way done with my 12 week program. When I am finished I will report back on my overall progress, but I can assure you that I am really pleased thus far. If I can keep this up and get past that “hurting to bad to continue” hump that I was stuck at, I will be able to actually get back out and do the things that I love doing. Although playing basketball will never be an option for me ever again, I should be able to hike and backpack without killing myself. Even my hunting trips should be easier. Most importantly, I will be in better physical condition to go play with my grandchildren.
Although I am unsure as to how Marco works things with regard to private training, group training, or the sort I really would recommend that you look him up if you are in the market for a good trainer. He would be the one to discuss pricing and scheduling, but I know that his dedication to both his craft and his clients is really unmatched from what I have seen.
Give him a call. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a way to get back in shape, but don’t want to waste money on the disinterested and overpriced personal trainers at the big box gyms.
Marco’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mypdxfit/
Marco’s Website: http://www.mypdxfit.com/