Rachel’s Routine

As the holiday spirit begins to infiltrate Athens, Backdrop has a potential request from Santa Claus: a personal trainer. Halloween has passed, spring break is months away and cookie season is upon us, but as personal trainer, Rachel Olsheski, says, “Fitness is a lifestyle.”

            Olsheski, a senior exercise physiology major, commits herself to the fitness lifestyle she preaches. Her friendly, outgoing personality will make you feel comfortable from the start, even when she asks you to remove your shirt. Although Olsheski’s request sounds strange, this is one of the steps during the assessment that each potential new trainee must experience. This assessment includes questions about health, a baseline evaluation of fitness, and body composition analysis. Both the baseline fitness evaluation and the body composition analysis allow the trainer to monitor progress.

            Each personal trainer at Ping Fitness Center must go through a seven to eight week training program, FIT. FIT stands for Fitness Instructor Training and includes tests, practicals, and an exercise curriculum. This grueling program requires the potential new personal trainer to attend learning

sessions two times a week for most of winter quarter. The sessions can range from an hour to two hours long. To be able to complete the final practicum, those in training must pass a written exam. Their final practicum is the assessment that each personal trainer completes in their first session with their client. To put it simply, by the end of their training these personal trainers know their stuff.

Olsheski took me through one of her personal workouts:

Step 1: The Warm-Up

Step 2: Full Body Lift

• 3x10 reps of Front Squats. Weight Recommendation: 18-25 pounds (An 18-pound bar can be rented from the equipment desk)
•  Focus on form; knees should not go over toes when you bend. Sit back like you would if you were sitting in chair. Your elbows should be parallel to ground just like your thighs.
• You can always add more weight if you’re an experienced lifter. Otherwise, lighter weights are suggested so proper form is not compromised.
• 3x8 reps of Lunges. Weight Recommendation: 12 pounds
• You can do walking lunges or just stand and alternate legs. This would make the repetition eight for each side. Once again, your knee shouldn’t go over your toes when stepping forward. In addition, your back knee that is bending should be 90 degrees and should not touch the ground.
• 3x8-8-8 Superset of arms.  Weight Recommendation: 5-10 pounds
• For those of you not familiar with the superset, the concept is that for each set you would go directly into the next arm exercise. In this particular superset you would do eight repetitions of an upright row. Then proceed without stopping into eight repetitions of a push press. Finally ending your set with eight repetitions of reverse bicep curls. This is one set and your suggested rest time in-between each set is three minutes.

Step 3: Body Weight Resistance Exercises

• Push-Up shuffle
• During this exercise, you hold your body in the push-up position for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, do five push-ups. Then staying in the push-up position shuffle to the right. Hold the position for another 30 seconds before doing another set of five push-ups. Finish this set by shuffling to the left, holding the position for 30 seconds, and finishing with five push-ups.
• Repeat this exercise twice.
• Plank Jumping Jacks
• Place your body as if you were about to hold a front plank. To hold a front plank go into push-up position except rest your elbows on the ground. Keep your abs tight, and don’t let you butt dip low. Next move your legs in and out like you were doing jumping jacks.
• Count 30 jumping jacks and repeat exercise twice.
• My Advice: These two exercises are harder than they seem after completing three supersets of arms. Don’t be surprised if your arms start feeling a little wobbly.

Step 4: Abs

• 2x8-8-8 Compound Set of abs. Weight Recommendation: 18- to 25-pound bar
• First ab exercise in the superset is the over-head bar sit-up. This is a full-body crunch with the bar in your hands and your arm full extended over your head.
• Next proceed by placing the bar on your feet. Balance the bar by flexing your toes upward. Once balanced, do a full-body crunch. Lastly, go back to the first exercise. This is the completion of one set. Take your 3-minute rest then repeat.
• My Advice: Balancing the bar is difficult. You will really feel it in your core and you will have to tighten every muscle to stabilize the bar. Flexing your feet will help you tighten your legs muscles, while keep your core tight will help to tighten your back muscles.

Step 5:  Plyometrics

• Bosu Ball Agility
• Place a Bosu ball on the ground. Jump back and forth for 30 seconds from the center of the ball to your left and right. Focus on hitting the center of the ball.
• You can always lengthen the time or do more repeats to increase the intensity.

Step 6: Aerobic

• Progressive Incline With Sprints
• Start by jogging for one minute at a comfortable pace. At the 2-minute mark increase the incline by one percent and maintain your pace. Continue this pattern of increase your incline each minute until you hit the six minute mark.
• At this point increase your pace to what would be equivalent to a sprint. You can either keep the incline while sprinting or lower the treadmill so it is flat. Sprint for as long as you can. Challenge yourself to go further each time you do the workout!

Step 7: Cool Down
This can range from four minutes to ten minutes. The goal is for your heart rate to get back to normal. If you are worried about time, you can always incorporate your cool down into your walk home.

The last thing you need to know before you choose a personal trainer is the financial breakdown. Your training can be in one hour or 30 minute sessions.

The Breakdown:

1-Hour Session                                     30-Minute Session
3 sessions            $90                                    1 session            $25
9 sessions            $210                                    3 sessions            $65
12 sessions            $290                                    5 sessions            $90
18 sessions            $370
25 sessions            $495
30 sessions            $589