Notes by Nectar

I had my third session with Trevor on Sunday morning.

I did a 5-minute warm-up on the cross-trainer. While I was warming up we talked about our weekends and Trevor asked me if I’d done any exercise since our last session. Umm, no, I replied. So you haven’t done anything? he asked. He may have sounded disgusted but I could have been imagining it. My circuit consisted of this:

• Push-ups with my hands on a bench x 20
• Tricep dips x 20
• Lateral step-ups x 10 on each side
• Combined squat/knee raises x 10 on each side (instead of a ‘squat’ I would sit on the bench and get up again, and instead of straight knee raises, I was touching my opposite elbow to the knee to work my obliques)
• Treadmill x 5 minutes (walking at a speed of 5 km/h for the first 2 minutes, walking at a speed of 6 km/h with a 3% incline for the next 3 minutes)

After a short rest and water break, Trevor brought out the boxing gloves. We did some single jabs, hooks and uppercuts to begin with and then combined them. We also did a round where I’d sit on the bench, stand up, jab twice and sit back down – ten times. I thought my shoulders and arms would fall off by the end of it. I was relieved when I could take the gloves off.

Trevor told me to rest for a minute and have some water. And then we did the whole thing again.

The.

Whole.

Thing.

From the push-ups to the boxing. After the second round of step-ups and squat/knee raises, Trevor asked me if I’d rather use the bike or the cross-trainer instead of the treadmill. My thighs felt like jelly at this point but I wanted to use the treadmill. So I walked it out for 5 minutes at a speed of 6 km/h with the 3% incline. Halfway through the 5 minutes, Trevor asked me if I wanted to reduce the speed or the incline, but I told him I was OK.

After the second round of boxing, we still had some time left so we did a short abs circuit:

• Toe touches x 20
• Reverse crunches x 20
• Side plank reach through x 10 on each side

To make the side plank a little easier, Trevor asked me to bend my lower leg and keep it on the floor. It did make it a bit easier, but not that much!

After the abs round, I did some stretches and I was done. All I wanted to do was crawl into bed but I had to get ready and go to work!

I thought I’d wake up really sore on Monday but it wasn’t too bad. By Monday night, however, I could barely move. My lower body had seized up and my leg muscles just above my knees were aching. But it was a good kind of ache, if that makes any sense!

On Tuesday morning I was still aching but I went to the gym. I did my 20/20/20 workout (20 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minutes of abs and 20 minutes on the bike). Actually I only did 20/20/10 as I was running late for work but I still did most of it! I actually hate the bike – it’s really dull. I’ll get back on the treadmill the next time I do the workout.

I had another session with Trevor on Thursday morning. I got to the gym and it was freezing in there. All the air-conditioners were on and it was a chilly morning (15C) which made it seem even colder. I didn’t wait for Trevor, but got on the cross-trainer to warm up for 5 minutes.

Trevor arrived and I began my workout. Trevor told me I’d be on the bike for 9 minutes – 1 minute at resistance 4, 1 minute at resistance 8 and 1 minute at resistance 12, repeated three times. By the end of it my legs felt like jelly again. Resistance 12 is hard and that last minute was agony. And then I began the circuit:

• Lateral squats x 20
• Lateral pulldown x 20
• Walking lunges x 20
• Bench press machine x 20
• Adductor machine x 20
• Tricep kickbacks (3-kg weights) x 20
• Step-ups on a bench x 10 on each side
• Tricep dips x 20
• Treadmill x 4 minutes (speed 5.5, incline 4%)

I had a water break and did the circuit again. It was tough. The squats and lunges made my legs shake and by the last five reps on the bench press machine I could barely lift the bar. In the first set during the tricep kickbacks I was looking at my legs and wondered whether it was me, or did they already look slimmer? Was that possible in just two weeks? I didn’t say anything to Trevor but as I was doing the first set of step-ups, he told me that the first place I’d probably see the difference would be my legs. Then he said – in fact, they already look slimmer. So it wasn’t just my imagination! Hurrah!

After the second set, I did some stretches and my session was done.

I didn’t work out again that week. My weekend was really busy and I was so tired. I also stupidly had McDonald’s for dinner on Saturday night and then immediately wished I hadn’t. Doh!

Low point of the week? Aching. All. Over. And having McDonald’s.

High point of the week? Already seeing slimmer thighs after just two weeks!

Weight loss? I actually got below the 75-kg mark for the first time in ages.

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