-Amy Knight
It’s been a while since my last entry. Geez…can we talk about life getting in the way!?
Well, anyway, I wanted to talk about the incredible Rip-Trainer workout I did with our infamous personal trainer Dirk Schultz. Now if you know Dirk or just know what he looks like, you can tell he “walks the walk”, not just “talks the talk.” And can I say, when it comes to training and motivating clients, he’s the best!
But, with that being said, I was a bit nervous about our workout. I knew I was going to be doing the majority of the workout with the Rip Trainer, I had no idea that I would be sweating profusly in about 2.5 minutes. This workout was like none other. Since Dirk knew I am a firefighter, he incorporated many of the moves that are almost identical to the movements we use with our specialized firefighting equipment. While I was trying to gasp for air and as my muscles were going into failure, I had a revelation–but, that is for another entry to this blog. Stay tuned…
Anyway, I must say this entire workout was “kick-butt” tough and I knew it was put together especially for me. This was non-stop for 30 minutes. I’m not kidding! At one point it dropped me to my knees. Actually, I was supposed to be in a low lunge, so technically I was supposed to drop to my knees. But I got to the point where I could not press the bar out anymore and as trainers always say, “failure is success in fitness.” Yeah Right!
Needless to say, it did not stop there and by the end I was breathless, dripping in sweat and surprised! Don’t let that bar with a bungie cord fool you. It will kick your butt.
Dirk was an excellent motivator and kept me going even when I wanted to hit him with the bar. He did a lot of the exercises with me and it made me want to do it better and with more intensity.
Dirk will tap into what you want and need in your workouts when maybe you aren’t even sure. It is clear that as a personal trainer, he adapts the work out to each person and pushes to the limit of “failure” but not necessarily FAILURE.
All I can say was that I went home feeling invigorated, tight, strong and ready to take on my two kids. Probably a bigger challenge than the bungie.
Amy Knight is the group fitness coordinator at the Aspen Club & Spa and has been in the fitness industry for 26 years. She is a firefighter and a mother of 2 boys.
