It was time to change up Briana's routine. After observing her for a full week, I realized that her workout consisted mostly of upper body exercises. Although I had a few lower body strength exercises plus the cardio intervals to work her legs, I felt like she needed to be challenged and pushed to do more leg work. With her increased sense of balance and agility, I knew she could handle more at this point.
On Tuesday, I told Briana that we were going to add three new exercisies to her routine.
"Oh good," she replied in a way that told me she was ready for the challenge.
As she warmed up on the treadmill, I told her we were going to add more exercises for her legs so that she could get even stronger than she is now. She was excited and happy to hear this news. Right away, she began to talk about the fashion show. "I am definitely going to be in it now. I can't wait!"
The first exercise we added was on the reformer. After her footwork, I taught her "reach and pull." Although this is technically an arm exercise in Pilates, I had to combine it with legs for Briana. I increased the resistance for her so that she could pull with her arms and push with her legs at the same time. She found the timing and coordination to be awkward and became frustrated several times. I only had her try five repetitions knowing that we would smooth it out over time. Regardless of the agitation she verbalized on the reformer ("I HATE this, I'm not doing it. You cant make me.") while doing the exercise, she was more than pleased with her effort when she was done and standing next to the machine. I just chuckled and gave her a hgh five.
The next exercise we added came after her standing strength and cardio intervals. I showed her how to hold the weights in her hand and do squats to make her legs strong. "Oh. I got it," she said. She took the weights from me and did her squats. I tried to correct her because she was going really fast and locking her knees. I didn't want her to hurt herself.
"Oh be quiet. Leave me alone," she grouched. Now I knew she was working outside her comfort zone, exactly where I wanted her. I smiled and kept quiet and each time she did the exercise correctly, I simply said "Wow!" This was enough to encourage her without agitating her. Plus, it helped her self correct her form.
The final exercise we added was leg raises with ankle weights. While laying on her back, Briana had to lift her leg with a five pound weight wrapped around her ankle. She asked me to hold her hand, so I did. I encouraged her as she started and I could tell it was a challenge for her. She was determined to finish and was proud of herself when she did. She was able to do ten raises on each leg. I felt like this was a great start.
I feel optimistic about this week's workout. I am impressed with Briana's dedication and commitment. I know she will continue to make progress, and I know she will accomplish her goal. I am happy and thankful that I get to be there every step of the way.
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