One of the most important skills any personal trainer has to master is the art of observation. Most people are pretty rubbish at it, just close your eyes for a second and see if you can remember what the last person you saw was wearing and you’ll see what I mean.
I’m always people watching. If I’m not making sure my clients are exercising properly, I’m picking up on subtle body language to learn how my clients are feeling or what they are thinking. I don’t only watch my clients but other people in the gym as well.
It has come to my attention recently that there are many people who do exercises I’ve never read about in any magazines, seen on the internet, or been taught on a course; in fact many of these exercises don’t even have names. So I thought I’d change that and come up with names of my own for them.
You’ve no doubt seen 'cardionactics' at your gym. There’s a bunch of young mums who do cardio-nactics at mine on a Monday morning. It’s like their own little class. They arrive at 09:30, get on the treadmills, set them at a comfortable walking pace, hold on for dear life and then have a good old chat. Then they get off, head to the matted area, sit down, do a couple of complementary sit-ups and have another good old chat.
Finally, after around 30 minutes they leave looking exactly the same as they did when they arrived, make-up intact, not a bead of sweat on them. This is the cardionactics class – it’s the word for exercises performed in the gym for any purpose apart from getting fit. You’ve probably seen people do this at your gym, too.
Here’s another. When some people get out of the shower after their workout, they just stand around in the changing room for a bit, properly drying off or sitting down wrapped in a towel. But there are others, including me, who are in too much of a hurry for that. I’m out of the shower, quick rub down, clothes on and out of the door.
However, in my haste the other evening I wasn’t completely dry. Have you ever tried getting dressed with damp legs? It’s not easy. In fact, what you end up doing is a bizarre form of Irish dancing which can result in you hopping around the changing room and potentially invading someone else’s personal space. That’s clingence. The act of becoming trapped in your own underwear while getting dressed damp. I actually think that’s what gave Michael Flatley the idea for Riverdance.
I’ve no doubt there are many more new forms of exercise being created in gyms around the world all the time. I haven’t spotted all of them yet; I’m thinking this might be work in progress.
If you’ve spotted any of your own, feel free to get in touch – publish@fitpro.com
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Fitness Professionals Ltd or Virtual Magazine. Consult a qualified health or fitness professional before making changes to your diet or exercise.
