New Workout Partner

[sillyme]

Today I hooked up with a new workout partner.

She is very motivated and nice. I'm looking forward to working out with her, and teaching her how to weight train. I think that helping her will keep me motivated to help myself.

I have one concern. She is very much a beginner with extremely limited strength and limited coordination. I like to push myself hard, and I want to be sure that I get a good workout, but at the same time I want to make sure not to push her too hard.

Do you think that she can follow my routine as long as I keep her weights lighter?

[Fit_4_Life]

Today I hooked up with a new workout partner.

She is very motivated and nice. I'm looking forward to working out with her, and teaching her how to weight train. I think that helping her will keep me motivated to help myself.

I have one concern. She is very much a beginner with extremely limited strength and limited coordination. I like to push myself hard, and I want to be sure that I get a good workout, but at the same time I want to make sure not to push her too hard.

Do you think that she can follow my routine as long as I keep her weights lighter?

Silly me~~~~

I dont think you will have a problem with your new partner. As a matter of fact, you may be better off because she is such a newbie. ( Or a virgin to the work out world! ha ha ha ha!)

Just for the simple fact that you can guide her, teach her & she would be happy & content following your already made routine. As you know, many people who have been working out awhile. Get there own routines & dont like to adjust it for others or there new work out buddies. Which complicates things, Can cause lots of hassle & annoyance. This way... You can enjoy working out because you have a buddy, you will both be following the same schedule & routine, & She is looking up to you! So you will be working twice as hard. Because you wont want to look weak or stupid!!! ha ha ha! ( At least that what I would be thinking!)
Good luck! : & enjoy your new buddy! Let me know how it works out. I would love to be updated!

Hope this helped!!!

[sillyme]

I forgot to mention that my workout partner does not eat - literally!!!

She only drinks shakes. I just about fell over when she told me that. She says that she is doing it with a 'doctor' - one of those diet 'doctors'. I was thinking about suggesting that she get an OK from her doctor to do heavy lifting when she doesn't eat. What do you think? Well, I would really like her to eat, but it's not my place to tell her how to live. On the other hand I would feel guilty if she got sick because I was pushing her too hard.

[arbit]

Her routine shood be diff than u'rs.
She shood not go to failure.
She should lift for less reps, and less sets.

As a beginner her recovery time will be longer than u'rs - so u'll hav to push her to not push too hard.
Even if she makes progress fast, dont zonk up her workout too soon. Muscles build faster than tendons, give tendons time to catch up.
And she shood get the ok from her doc wrt lifting

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by sillyme

Do you think that she can follow my routine as long as I keep her weights lighter?

If your routine is focused on overall training and not targeting a specific personal goal with a specific muscle group then it might work for her. partners tend to work when the goals and priorities are the same. You may have to adjust her sets as well. Once she developes a base of conditioning, your routine may not suit her needs and she may want to do her own thing once she learns how to design and plan workouts. On the other hand she may just workout perfectly.

You can't hurt by trying.

[sillyme]

Here's a good one.

Today my workout partner and I met. We had a good workout and her attitude is great. But she was telling me that the 'fitness trainers' at our gym are all over her case about working out with me. They are saying, "You better watch out. She's a weight lifter. She's going to make you do heavy weight and low reps. She's going to make you bulky!!!"

How totally ignorant and irresponsible of those fitness trainers. This woman's #1 goal is to build muscle mass and get rid of flab. And they are telling her to keep doing what she's been doing (high reps, low weights and aerobics) and that she shouldn't work out with me because I'm a "body builder". How totally lame!! I'm so glad that she told them to bug off, and wants to keep working out. I suspect ill intentions on their part - as in they want her to pay them to train her, so I'm not exactly good news to them.

[threenorns]

word of caution: i can pretty much *guarantee* they never said such a thing. she wanted you to reassure her about her worries without having to come right out and say "are you going to make me look like a man?".

think about it: those trainers are TRAINED. they know you and they have a professional image they must maintain. bad-mouthing a club member is not going to work - they could get fired. if they really had a problem with you training her, they would've come to you and said "you're not qualified to train anyone in this club".

that, added to that whackadoodle shake thing tells me she may not be the most stable of personalities.

i know this, because i, too, train someone in a gym for free. when i first started with him, the regularly-paid trainer came to me and ask me a bunch of questions just to make sure i knew what i was doing. now she tells ppl to come and ask me when they pester her with stupid questions she hasn't time to answer.

[sillyme]

Originally Posted by threenorns

word of caution: i can pretty much *guarantee* they never said such a thing. she wanted you to reassure her about her worries without having to come right out and say "are you going to make me look like a man?".

think about it: those trainers are TRAINED. they know you and they have a professional image they must maintain. bad-mouthing a club member is not going to work - they could get fired. if they really had a problem with you training her, they would've come to you and said "you're not qualified to train anyone in this club".

that, added to that whackadoodle shake thing tells me she may not be the most stable of personalities.

i know this, because i, too, train someone in a gym for free. when i first started with him, the regularly-paid trainer came to me and ask me a bunch of questions just to make sure i knew what i was doing. now she tells ppl to come and ask me when they pester her with stupid questions she hasn't time to answer.

hmmm - yeah, I think that you could be right there.

[Klinger]

I'm a tad worried that your new WO partner might have an eating disorder. I doubt there is a reputable doctor or dietitian out there who puts people on an all-shake diet. Press her a little on it if you feel comfortable.

Getting back to the subject, though, I'm with Brat. If she is really new to all of this it would be good for her to mimic your routine for a couple weeks until she sets her own goals. But like arbit said, keep her away from failure. People tend to quit once they realize there is actual pain involved (read: effort) with getting in shape.

[ajarvis]

I would find out how "trained" these trainers at your gym are. I've heard that "advice" from trainers before. Just because the they are certified doesn't mean they know what they're talking about. It's extremely easy to become a certified personal trainer. The only advice I ever take is someone who has gone through university/college to become a personal trainer. None of the numerous other courses they offer cut it for me anymore. I've wasted too much money on trainers who are suppose to know what they are talking about just to find out I know more than them.

Just want to say beware of Personal Trainers, especially at smaller gyms.

[midgetcop]

Gotta agree with ajarvis there...not all certified personal trainers are as qualified as people think. A couple of courses through Can-Fit Pro or the YMCA, and there ya go.

But who's to say that the people talking to your workout partner were even trainers? Maybe they were just regular employees. Would she know the difference?