Posted on March 18, 2014 by Jenny Cromack

Yesterday was a busy day at the motive8 training studios. 6am start for me, with my first client at 6:30am, followed by a 30 minute personal training session with one of my clients who is training for a couple of 10ks and a half marathon and needs to work on her core and glute strength a little more. She already has a group personal training session once a week but as this has to cater for everyone’s needs she has decided to start having another top-up session with me on a weekly basis to compliment all of the running training she does by herself. I think that if you are good at motivating yourself 30 minute sessions are a good way to top up your training, especially as it makes you do the exercises you don’t like (but are good for you), and you skip from your training if stuck for time! As running is my passion, I really love working with other runners and getting them race fit. I spend a lot of time doing core and lower body strength work with my running clients as it is often an element they forget but it is crucial to stop them from getting injured. I’m also a bit of a numbers geek with running and like to know paces my clients are running at, have they stuck to their paces on their plans, etc? I find that the McMillan website is great for calculating paces.

After my sessions I was meant to go running…..but upon going to my sports bag I found that I had left the most essential piece of kit a woman needs when running at home….my sports bra!! Many of my morning clients and the team at motive8 know that I am forgetful on a morning, (I get up at 5am so give me a break!) so I often send an SOS text to my husband if brings everything I have forgotten to the studio (poor Joel!). On Monday morning, I remember feeling quite smug that for once I had remembered everything, well I thought I had! Never one to shirk a workout I had to switch my training sessions over so instead of going for a run I did a strength training session, finished off with some interval training on the rower. I distinctly remember swearing out loud and calling the rower a not-so-nice name when I was on the penultimate interval!

After this was staff training, I think it is really important that, as a team, we continue to develop our knowledge as this is the only way we will develop as a company and continue to be the best personal trainers in Leeds and deliver the best results to our clients. This week’s sessions was lead by Lucy, we looked at the thigh muscles and how manipulating the squat exercise and hamstring curl exercise can help with muscle imbalance. This is a great way for us to address any injuries with our personal training clients clients and help with speeding up their recovery if they do have any injuries.

The rest of my day was spent doing admin (I don’t like sitting on my ass all day but it has to be done!) and then I had a couple of personal training sessions in the evening. I had a new personal training client in the evening, I love training a new client! There is so much I want to tell them in their first session in order for them to optimise their success but it can be complete information overload so I break it down over their sessions so they can absorb it and apply it!

When I got back to the studio I was very excited as my delivery from @marketdelivered had arrived! Honestly for a tenner their veg boxes are amazing! We also had some meat delivered a couple of weeks ago and the quality is fantastic. Food excites me, and it meant I could go home and cook a healthy tea of veggie fajitas. I don’t use wraps for mine (I don’t eat bread) but use lettuce leaves instead and then homemade salsa. I don’t have any cheese or sour cream so pretty healthy really! They are yummy!

A pretty busy Monday all in all, completed with a rogue bumble bee taking camp in the changing rooms! (It’s not there  any more if you’re interested!) I must say, many of my clients probably think I’m a bit of a hard-faced witch, but I’m not at all, and anyone who sees me when there is a bee around will know this. When that bee came flying into the changing room I was out of their like a shot! I suppose they are harmless and quite cute really, but I was stung when I was younger and have been scared ever since. Hopefully my clients who are reading this will now see my softer side!

Stay healthy, until the next time….well just stay healthy forever!