Eye of the tiger!

So I have a trainer now, which is hilarious for all kinds of reasons. Me, with a trainer! Who am I, Oprah? Do I get a cook next, or a lifestyle assistant? Who's responsible for these fucking soggy crudités, anyway? Also, there are at least three dead bugs in the reflecting pool. I cannot live like this.

I am betting that there are people out there who will assume the trainer was scheduled after one of my commenters railed against my enormous ass. (I had no idea my ass could make someone so angry. Not to mention my teeth! Let me at that weird freak who's like some kind of Pink Floyd cartoon! A giant walking ass with teeth coming out of it!) (Said commenter rocketed me back to seventh grade, when my group of "friends" sat me down and detailed everything that was wrong with my weird and misshapen body. Apparently I was problematic, and needed to be informed. No mention was made of my ass and teeth, strangely, but I do recall them being concerned with my overly pale complexion and need to grow breasts. I didn't go to the tanning salon or get implants, though, as I was twelve. Anyway, thanks, pals. As you can see I'm over it now. Sure, go ahead, friend me on Facebook! ) (However, if that commenter tries to friend me on Facebook, I will ignore her. I will ignore her so bad. Ah, delicious revenge.)

What was I—oh yes. My trainer! Actually I had scheduled time with the trainer after I joined the Y a few weeks ago and discovered just how cheap the personal training was, and also the one time I tried to use the weight machines I couldn't muster up the strength to adjust the seat (hmm, is the pin stuck? No it is not stuck I AM JUST WEAK AS AN ANEMIC KITTEN) and I was so horrified I scurried out of the room and back to the safety of the elliptical machines. I know how to use those things! You just put your feet on them and don't get distracted and fall off. Simple!

I may have fallen off a couple of times.

I told my trainer--whom I shall call Kevin, for that is his name—that my goal is to get strong. Freaky strong. "I want muscles, Kevin," I told him. "Big ones. Of course I know this isn't going to really happen, because I have the bone structure of a sparrow. But still, you get my point."

"I have never heard that before from any woman," said Kevin.

"Look," I told him. "My mom is in her seventies and can beat me at arm wrestling. She often does, for the amusement of her friends. This cannot continue."

Kevin nodded. "I see."

"Sometimes I arm wrestle with my son and I pretend to let him win, but sometimes I am not pretending. Seriously."

I waggled my tricep flab at him, and he had this weird coughing fit.

"Osteoporosis runs in my family, Kevin. My grandmother 's bones were like meringue. She sneezed and her face broke. KEVIN. DO NOT GIVE ME GIRLY EXERCISES WITH THREE-POUND WEIGHTS, DO YOU HEAR ME."

He heard me. Now I am walking funny, and I cry when I put on a shirt. But it's worth it, damn it. The next time my mom challenges me to a match, I am going to break her. (Not literally. The osteoporosis is from my dad's side.)

Comments

[denice]

i used to be a trainer at the Y. my first clients were three guys trying to train for the EMT fitness requirement. I saw them once and can pretty much guarantee that no matter their intention, they failed that test. there have never been 3 guys less suited to carry another human being out of a building on a stretcher. they were more the being carried type.

good luck with your workouts. there's nothing better than feeling fit and strong!

[Meg]

I too started with a trainer recently and curse her under my breath the whole time but my "bingo arms" are slowly fading away. So worth the effort!

[Lauren From Texas]

This is SO GOOD.

[Jennifer]

I got in shape at the Y years ago (no longer live near that one in the slope). It really is a bargain. You may have prompted me to get to work on my (very wide) bum. But, oh the pain! I don't want pain.

[Amy]

You are hilarious! And I had to delurk to say that I truly hope the a&t commentor was joking! What is that about? If you have nothing nice to say....Any-hoo...Love you! Thoroughly enjoy reading and I loved your imitation of your son eating the cookie. You continue to crack me up!

[Grizzly Kitteh]

Ack, I totally feel your pain! I signed up for the gym last week and tried to resume all of the weight-lifting techniques I learned oh-so-many-years-ago back in high school. The next day I couldn't brush my teeth because I couldn't get my arms that high :(

[The Women's Colony]

It's great when you can alarm men with the fact that yeah, you can pick that big fat weight up too. When you start out, it'll hurt for a while, but you'll know you did the right thing pretty quickly.

When I'd been lifting for several weeks, the woman who took the aerobics class I went to for a while was in the weights room, and she was lifting some heavy-arsed shit. She approached me and told me conspiratorially that weights would do so much more for me than 1400 hours of aerobics ever would, but that women fear bulking up so most of them don't lift heavy enough to make a difference to their lives. Oh, and she had the body the size of Sarah Jessica Parker's.

Good luck with it!Roar!

[rlj]

LOL (really, actually laughing out loud) about not being able to move the pin. I had a similar experience with the exercise bike and ended up slinking off to the other bike that was already set a bit lower (too low, in fact, so that I injured my chin with my knees, but hey, at least I could get both feet on the pedals simultaneously).

[jessica]

karen...i do that jillian michaels dvd too! and i have almost died a few times! that little blonde that she has in the video has such a gorgeous body i can't even hate her. all i can think to myself is after a few kids those thighs are gonna be huge!!!!!