WEEK 3 is complete. The death of popstar Prince left us a little shell-shocked. That led to a conversation about how, as you get older, you become more aware of your mortality and think more about the importance of making the most of life.
The actions needed to change your course of or direction in life are not difficult. But changing the thoughts that govern or restrict those actions often are.
I see three people in Kari, Ross and Sue who, by signing up to the Amazing 12, have taken life by the scruff of the neck and said ‘I’m going to do it no matter what’. These are three people who value their fitness and health and understand how much of a foundation it is towards enjoying the pleasures and overcoming the challenges life can offer.
However, Ross and Kari came in on the first day this week at Core Results both feeling sluggish, for no obvious reason. But they left upbeat. The following morning Kari sent me a text, saying it (the workout) was just what she needed. Ross reiterated the same sentiment when he arrived the next day.
My trio have continued making progress. Ross had concerns his belly won’t shift, but I sent him a short texted reply: “patience and faith”.
It’s still early days and Ross is getting used to a different way of eating and training. He’s from a military and CrossFit background. The approach to training in the Amazing 12 is very different. It requires a mental shift and in some cases unlearning what you’ve previously thought to be true and effective. Not everyone responds to the program in exactly the same fashion. And not everyone sees themselves as they actually are either.
However, I can see clearly Ross improving physically (in his performance and strength). His shape is altering without him even realising it. He looks younger and healthier. The shifts may not be happening how or as quickly as he was expecting them to. But I’ve been through the process before and Ross hasn’t, hence the reason I told him to be patient and have faith. It’s going to happen.
“I really enjoyed every day,” he said of week 3. “I know I can lift heavier and do more. But I’m still unfit and have such a long way to go. I’ve been religious with my eating, but feel as if I am the slow one in class with little gains. I look at what Kari and Sue have achieved and feel I have so much to do to get near them.”
The Amazing 12, of course, is not a competition. But it’s interesting how one person’s perception of the same thing is so different to another’s. Some people are harder on themselves than others, too.
By the middle of the week Ross was really firing. His technique has become more refined. In fact, all three were in top form. I spent a little more time on prep work for the squat and deadlift with Ross and Kari and it paid off. If you could compare them now to when they started you would not believe the difference. Best of all is that they are improving in spite of everything getting tougher. The same goes for Sue.
I stepped up the weights Sue was using for one exercise this week and you should have seen the look on her face – “I can’t do that,” it screamed. I knew she could. And she did – fairly comfortably (although Sue would probably argue it was hard). She walked away with a look of satisfaction that said: “I didn’t just pick them up, I actually did reps!”
It was satisfying to hear Kari say that she’s no longer “intimidated” by lifting weights. She’s never been a fan of barbell work, being more of a cardio junkie. However, she added: “I don’t want this program to end. No matter how bad my day is, I can’t wait to get here [the gym].”
Tall and slender, Kari doesn’t have a typical lifter’s build. But that won’t stop her becoming stronger. I’m fascinated to see how far she goes.
“Thank you for making me believe in myself more and allowing me to push myself that little extra,” she told me. “I’m feeling stronger every day. My core feels much more engaged, which is great as I felt myself slumping in the last year or so, completely unaware of how it could impact on my training.
“Never in a million years did I think I would enjoy lifting weights this much.”
We finished the week with a slight rotation in shift pattern: Ross did his first morning class, joining Sue. Kari went solo in the evening. Generally, I prefer that everyone trains at the same time each week, but with this wave I have more room to manoeuvre and sometimes changing the group dynamic a little freshens things up and keeps everyone on their toes.
Ross and Sue, though, finished on their backs, breathing hard after a bout with the unforgiving prowler, crowning another great week.