Great week for my clients!

Saturday, December 01, 2012 · Mike Davis

This week has been fantastic for working with a couple of my clients! Monday night I was out at the track watching Jaime complete a fitness test that would give a measure of how her training is going. Last night I was standing at the top of my cul-de-sac timing Ashley as she sprinted up our hill while also tracking her maximum heart rate. Despite some pretty cold circumstances I really enjoyed both sessions immensely.

Jaime is working on month 6 of our time together and she has greatly benefited by having a personal training plan that has provided her both a stronger core and running foundation. Her fitness test consisted of 800 repeats 400 recovery and 7-10 push-ups. She was amazing as she 7 cycles with each 800 getting progressively faster, with last one being her fastest. Most people would struggle with doing multiple 800s, never mind having to do push-ups as well. This test is a clear indication that Jaime is following her training plan with great discipline and determination. As we approach her 6 month mark, Jaime will tell you that she has never been able to sustain healthy running for this long. In fact last week she actually had to buy some winter running gear for the first time as this will be the first time she has come out of the fall running healthy enough to run in the winter! Enjoy the great winter styles Jaime, lots to choose from.

Last night I had Ashley come by with her heart rate monitor so we could figure out her maximum heart rate. Many times people use the weight and age formula, but I like the more accurate way of getting the resting and maximum heart rate. The resting heart rate is best found on Saturday morning when you first wake up (without be woken). Maximum heart rate can be figured out with the help of a decent hill and some hard work. I provided the hill, Ashley provided the hard work! After 9 times up and down a decent hill, I told Ashley it was time to put it in max gear and she did just that. Her last effort was truly a gut check, but she pushed up and through. I believe we were successful in getting her max heart rate and now we have a tool to help with her training. As I work on her training plan, I will utilize her heart rate zones when I feel she needs to slow down or even work harder.

Great week for my clients and an even better one for me!