I've always wanted to be the kind of trainer that could yell at people a'la Jillian Michaels. I have visions in my head of clients that are awestruck by my presence and cling on to my every knowledgable word. After an especially grueling session where I am in full drill sergeant mode, waving my sculpted trainer arms at them, they crumble in a sweaty heap on the floor and cry about their past as I applaud them for their 'breakthrough'. This is not real life. I am sure my clients are grateful for this, especially the ones I train at a very stressful and emotional time of their life.
I train brides. I train other people too but in the past year I have worked with quite a few women who are preparing for one of the biggest days in their life. Training brides is a little different than training the average client because the brides are dodging bullets from every angle. Unpleasant run-ins with the future mother-in-law have resulted in complete derailment and they are left with the wreckage of a carb crazed evening. Difficult bridesmaids cause a bottle of wine to be consumed in an evening and a fiancée that doesn’t ‘understand’ will send them running to Ben&Jerry for comfort. We have basically asked these women, at the most stressful time of their life, to stop eating everything they enjoy and find extra time to work out. We’ve asked them to count every calorie and measure everything from fruit salad to the wedding cakes they will be sampling. These factors result in sessions that work a little differently than most.
I am pretty good at assessing someone’s mood when they come in for a session or in most cases, they just tell me. A fight with the fiancée might result in a calming Pilates session where they pour their heart out to someone who is unbiased and has one whole hour to listen. A fight with the mother in law will usually manifest itself in an intense cardio session with high intensity intervals and random angry outbursts. I pass the weights over and they let all the stress from the week spill out as they sculpt their shoulders. Sometimes the sessions are quiet, as the wedding gets closer and they are more focused on the end result. Every week these brides have one hour where they put the phone away and turn themselves off to the world and focus on themselves. If they leave our session feeling calmer, stronger, and a little more ready for the challenge of the day, then I have done my job. Every bride has a different idea in her head as to what the outcome of our sessions together should be but they all want that one thing: To look and feel good on their big day. I like to believe I help with that, and as I guide them into a new exercise and they vent about the stresses of the day, I am glad I am not Jillian and making them cry because to be honest, most likely someone has already done that to them this week.
Some people say trainers are a luxury, but for a bride who is preparing for her big day, they are sometimes necessary. A lot of my clients have stayed on long after the wedding, having grown accustomed to that hour of sweating, venting, and strengthening. I hope to help some of them through their next big event, having a baby. For now though, they are happy that all eyes were on them on their big day and that they have come to love their strong and hardworking bodies. And if you get a little impromptu therapy session in during that hour, all the better.
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