Personal Training | Pulling the Strings

Ironically, there's an elevator from the ground floor to the first. But in my eyes, that would just feel like cheating, so I take the stairs. I'm greeted at the door by personal trainer Raphael Jesse who sends me to the dressing rooms.

 Once I'm all sported up, I am directed to the treadmill in the cardio room to warm up. After that, I get pestered on a mat in the Kinesis and fitness room. I'm very happy about the fact that I get to train by myself without the gawkers or annoying gym machine blockers you'll find at a larger fitness center. "We place a high value on no more than three people training in a room at the same time" says Jesse. The surprisingly abundant fitness center boasts an entire other room with boxing equipment that is also used for pilates and yoga courses, as well as a massaging room. And you don't have to bring anything: Bottled water, towels, showering gel and shampoo, even a blowdrier are all provided by Trainingslager.

After my first round of tums, bums and thighs, I'm already lusting for the shower because I'm about as in shape as a 60 year-old VW bus. Luckily, my trainer gets paid for motivating such fine athletes as myself, and manages to coax me into a "relaxing" session on the kinesis wall. "The kinesis wall is a rope pull system that activates more muscle groups than a regular fitness machine without feeling more strenuous. And the movements on a kinesis wall are better adjusted to every-day movements," explains Raphael Jesse. For me, this means pulling on a bunch of strings that are coming out of the wall, a welcome alternative to weight benches and dumbbells. It helps that Jesse's standing next to me, counting, but he and his partners are trained sports and nutrition experts and know what they're doing.

In retrospect, the training session remains positive, but riddled with pain. My muscles are so stiff, it's unbelievable. As I exit the studio, I face the elevator for a second time. This time, I decide to take it! And I don't feel guilty about it either, because every step I take leaves me yelping in agony. Even so, I remain convinced that one hour of personal training is worth more than ten hours of fighting gawkers and blockers at an overcrowded gym.

(ihe)