Deadbug? Is he kidding?

It seems there are "some things" my trainer expects from his clients ... after only one day with me he's decided he needs to lay down the ground rules.

The conversation went something like this: "Karen, I need you to do a couple of things for me ... you need to trust me." Immediately my mind went to how he's already planning on seeing other clients on the side! Trust him? He's 22 years old. I've been working out longer than he's been .... wait ... no I haven't. At 22 he's had more training and exhibited more discipline than I have in more than 50 years. He tells me he'll never ask me to do anything I can't actually do. Oh really? Just getting myself into the sports bra was more of a physical challenge than he can imagine. Let him try that once and let me know how it goes. He has no idea the depths of things of which I cannot do. But, I resign ... If he'll guarantee me he's telling the truth then I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and I'll try.

No sooner than we get the private vs. personal training issue worked out, one of the group leaders has a family emergency and my trainer needs to cover his classes. I'm faced with either skipping this week, or sucking it up and joining the group. With my newly found determination for better looking thighs, I suck it up. Suddenly, I'm surrounded by a group of 20-somethings obviously experienced with the routines. "Everybody DEADBUG" and I anxiously scan the floor for a cockroach. While I'm hopping from one foot to the other, the group hits the floor and breaks into the moves. I soon realize this is merely the name of the exercise and I slowly move to my hands and knees, albeit a few seconds behind everyone else. No sooner than I'm on the ground  following the group with my eyes, and practicing the coordinated moves in my mind, he shouts "MOUNTAIN CLIMBER" and the group is off to the next set. I want to scream, "Wait for me" but realize that would be futile and would also call more attention to the fact I'm really, really behind. The next 30 minutes is more of the same ... him announcing the next move, and by the time I figure out what's happening they've moved on to something else. The good thing about this is the routine changes every 20 seconds ... good for someone easily bored by working out, and for someone trying to milk the "newbie" thing in order to delay breaking out in a sweat.

Finally, we're off the ground and starting the workout. I thought that WAS the workout, but apparently that was the warmup. I find myself looking at the clock the same way I did during child birth ... "How much longer?"

We break into smaller groups of 3-4 and my group begins by throwing a ball against the wall. Looks pretty doable. He hands me a weighted ball and demonstrates how to throw it against the wall and catch it on the rebound. Throwing the ball not so bad. Catching the ball? If you count trapping it against my stomach a catch, then we're on the same page. Three tosses, three almost getting knocked over on the return, and my trainer says, "We'll save this for another day." Yes, another day sounds like a good idea indeed.