A Room Full of Sweaty Boys

It should be a good thing - a cadre of testosterone-filled guys all packed in to a small space. This is the featured attraction of those pubescent wet dreams. However, after a visit to the gym at Irving Place during peak hours I had to laugh. At one point there was literally NO open spot. Every bench was being used, every cable was being pulled, every bar was being raised, every square inch of mat was being stretched upon and every dumbbell was in somebody's hand.

It isn't bad enough that you have to literally hop over a bench to move from one area to another, you also have to sit face to face with another person while you do lat pull-downs. If you want to use a stability ball - you have to wait in line. I have never experienced this before. The gym I work is a large expanse with so much room in which to frolic and lift heavy weight - and sometimes simultaneously. The gyms I normally frequent are similarly un-packed and allow me considerable options so that I can stick to my rigid fitness plan toward an unattainable physical ideal.

What is going on here? It's my new schedule and it's my new geographic limitations (enhanced by the lack of NYSC in Brooklyn (none in Williamsburg - wtf?)) Waking up at 6 every morning, arriving home at 5, eating, and THEN heading to the gym as peak hours loom. I hate it. Now I see why so many "working" people are chunkified. The schedule is tough - and who wants to work out in a place where you have to use the hamstring curl because it's the only machine or weight available?

So how did I fix it? I found a new location, one that seems to be sufficiently unpopular during the post-workday rush. I also broke down and actually bought my own stability ball, much to my surprise. It has become my office chair and the thing I most often mount. Flipping (but not like the guy to the left) through the TV the other day I stumbled on Cathe from FitTV (my favorite channel - really) whose CoreMax workouts - if done correctly - will make you feel oh so very nice. I never realized what it felt like to have somebody else dictate how I spend my time working out. I wanted to stop doing the ball exchange two reps before Cathe wanted me to - and that extra push was so worth tuning in. I also like how she says I am doing such a great job without even seeing me glistening with sweat on my stability ball.

I am living for the weekends these days - making the most of the NYC summers before the school year is upon me to kick my ass even more than it already is. Coming up soon - a Dash-tested and approved workout plan to jumpstart your early mornings and to keep you peppy and productive all day long.

Change . . .

. . . and not the kind that jiggles around joyfully in your pocket as you jog down the street . . . is what I have been going through. As a trainer I am in the business of change - there is always something to "work on" and it pretty much never ever just involves staying the same. That being said, the changes that have been absorbing my time lately are not in the physical sense (although I must admit my pecs are feeling nice).

A few people have been wondering why I have not been posting. While I don't believe many people read the blog, it's nice to know that a few do. The truth of the matter is that my entire life has been turned inside out, flipped over, spun up, stir-fried, and tumble-dried.

Oh - it's all good news, it just happened so quickly.

In August 2005 I moved into a room in somebody else's apartment near Columbia. The proximity was unbeatable AND there was a doorman, elevator, a private bathroom, and even a dishwasher. The downside was that I went from a luxurious (and enormous) apartment in Buffalo to a room, the further downside was that my own personal space was limited to the confines of this one room.

I lived there, went to school full time on a never-ending pursuit of a doctorate, worked with a school reform organization, was the President of the student government, taught a marching band and a winterguard upstate, AND I worked at the gym.

Life was full, to say the least. Still I was constantly plagued with a sense of meaninglessness. The school reform job seemed like a sham (the problems with NYC schools and those concerned with them is a whole different topic), my courses at school mostly sucked, and I had more meaningless, misdirected meetings as President of the student government than anyone could fathom. I enjoy, actually love, designing shows and choreography for the bands and colorguards but the flights upstate every other weekend wore me out. Training was probably the one thing that provided me with the most fulfilling experiences.

I could have sustained this lifestyle for longer but something came up that allowed all of this to change. 


I was officially hired on my birthday (June 21), which was the greatest gift ever. By the way, my amazon wishlist on the margin of this page got no action.

Sigh.

Anyway, I started working 10 days later.

On top of all that excitement, the day before my first day of work was the day that I moved into a huge beautiful loft in Williamsburg (Brooklyn). This is good livin' - with views of Manhattan that are simply unreal. From the balcony off the living room I watched the entire fireworks show. The picture on the left is one I took from the balcony - notice the Empire State Building decked out in its patriotic color scheme. I can also see the UN, Chrysler, Trump, Rockefeller Center, AND from the roof, all of lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. Inside, it's spacious (15' high ceilings) and it's got these hardwood floors that glow.

All of this brings me to the point. What am I going to do with all of my clients at the gym? I wish I didn't have to stop training, but I am not sure how it will be possible with this new job. SoHo is actually closer for me now than it used to be, but I have to work all day, every day out on "the Island." My clients know about this new job, and most are excited. A few are upset at the prospect of having to find another trainer - and I don't blame them - there are only 2 other trainers at the club I would even consider sending them to and they are booked solid.

For now I am still working there and trying to give them sustainable plans with periodic sessions. This is not ideal, but breaking up is hard to do.

So, there you have it - the real story of why Dash seems to have dashed into darkness. I am back and things are calming down into regularity so you can expect more and more.