Crippled by Squats

My quads are so sore today that I feel like an old person when I have to lower myself onto a chair or toilet. But hey, bonus to living/working in federal buildings: you get the great handicapped bar to help lower yourself down in every bathroom!

I had thought that google's new public transit function was the greatest thing, until it put me on the wrong bus to the gym yesterday. I was going to Manoa, a place I'd never been, so it took me a good while to realize that I wasn't in the right place. I was in Manoa, just up in the hills and not anywhere near the marketplace. I called the trainer I was meeting, told him the situation, and he said he was already in the car, so he'd just come pick me up. The ride was very appreciated.

The gym is a small, private facility. There are three rooms: two for strength training/stretching/abs, and one for cardio. That way it's always just you and your trainer in the room. This is so appealing to me because I tend to get really self-conscious working out in front of people. The trainer went over the whole program, talked about goals, and then we did a workout. Hence the sore legs. And, I'd like to mention, ab exercises involving a medicine ball are brutal.

The strangest part was when it was time for stretching. At this gym stretching is done a little differently. The client (me)lays on a massage table and the trainer "stretches you out." Trainer guy commented that I was pretty flexible, and I wanted to respond, "Yeah, I bet everyone's pretty flexible when you're the one pushing their leg into their chest because you can't feel the pain to stop!" But I didn't. I was just glad I'd shaved my legs.

As we were leaving - oh, he gave me a ride home too because it was raining and he had to go pick up his wife anyway - there was a really heavy man working out with one of the trainers. I was told that he had been getting ready to have gastric bypass surgery when he decided to give this gym a try. He's lost enough weight now that surgery isn't an option. You've just gotta love that.

I'm going in today and get to have my measurements and "before" photos taken. Fun. I'll be training with someone - the guy yesterday was the owner and he'll match me with another trainer - on MWF and then I'm supposed to come in on TRSa for cardio. It's going to kind of take over my life, but I think in a good way. Maybe someday I'll be buff enough to be the governor of California.