LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth CAMP Fitness by Rick Moore Which is Better? I recently got a new client. She had some sessions with Nick, and said she wanted to try some personal training to see if
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Fitness |
by Rick Moore |
Which is Better?
I recently got a new client. She had some sessions with Nick, and said she wanted to try some personal training to see if she liked it. Let me tell you a little bit about her. Clair is a 70-year-old lady who doesn't look a day over 50. She's in very good shape but wants to tighten up things here and there. She is very active, and that's probably part of why she looks exceptional. She's always doing things for her five kids and her grandchildren. Clair asked which was bettermachines or free weightsand what kind of workout I would put together for her. She had heard that machines were easier (better) and free weights were tougher (heavy), so she would prefer to do the machines. I said I would let her decide which was better at the end of her workout. We started with a ten minute warm-up on the treadmill. Nice and easy, keeping an eye on breathing and energy level. She did just fine. Now some chest work to start off the weight training. The bench press on the Pacific Fitness machine is in 5 pound intervals, and perfect for low weight increases. Claire did phenomenally with three sets of 15 reps at 25, 30, and 40 pounds. Then on to dumbbell flys using the incline bench. Same count and set amounts with 5, 8, and 10 pound dumbbells in an arching motion. These are tough, but Claire got every rep with no complaints! Moving onto the back, we set up the rowing machine with the straight bar. I told her to row like she was rowing a Viking ship. "But I'm Irish," she said. "Visualize," I said. She did wonderfullyeven squeezing her lats at the top. For Claire's shoulders, she did the overhead press on the Smith machine. It's a safe machine, because if the weight gets too heavy you can get rid of it on hooks set every four inches in the vertical rack. The bar is counter-balanced for excellent control. She did great on this piece of apparatus. Legs were next. I put Claire through the motions on the leg extension machine. She wondered if this was going to hurt as she has a touch of arthritis in the hip joint, but it didn't seem to bother her. She performed the exercise quite well, doing 3 sets of 15 reps with each set getting heavier. I then had her do a couple of box squats: a bench or a sturdy box lower than chair seat level is needed. Just sit and stand for the first 15 reps, then grab a 10 pound pair of weights, hold them at your side at arms length, and do another 15 reps. "I can do these at home," she said. Out of curiosity, I had her sit in the leg press machine. Her first set was 135 pounds, then a set with 175, and a final set with 200 pounds! She's seventy years oldholy cow! She was impressed with herself, but started to tire a bit. Her legs were tired so we did seated bicep curls with dumbbells. Three sets of 20 with 5, 8, and 10 pound dumbbells. "I can do these at home, too," she said. On to triceps. Many women have a flap of skin under the back of their arm. When they wave to someone, so does the flap. My brother once said my mom's looked like a turkey neck. Most women hate this body part. My client did not suffer this syndrome, but wanted exercises to firm up this area. We did straight bar press downs. She grips the bar, hands down, and presses the bar/weight to the floor, only bringing the bar back up half way and then pressing it back down again. This is a toughie, but very effective. Guaranteed to make anyone yelp after the third set. After triceps, we put down a mat on the floor so she could stretch out to prevent cramping and pulls after the work out. We finished off with ab work. Sit ups, toe touches, and bicycles. Believe it or not, Clair was still full of energy but pretty fatigued if that makes sense. When I asked how it wasno problems. That question about whether machines were better than free weights? Well, it's best when you use everything that's in the gym. The variety and different exercises really keep your interest.Rick Moore is a personal trainer certified by the American Fitness Professionals & Associates. Visit him at www.ricksfitness.net. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 18, No. 06 May 30, 2008 |