Jumping for Joy: My Trainer is Tricky!

The other day while waiting for yoga, I was witness to the cutest thing ever in the training area. Khris was training an older lady and he told her he was going to have her do one box jump. First he had her do step ups on the step with several risers. Then he took the risers out and just left it really low.

He talked her through it and stood in front of her. She asked if she could hold his hands. He said yes, but told her she wouldn't need them. She jumped, but she really just stepped up one foot at a time really fast and they both laughed. Khris said, I held your hands for that!?!

She walked back behind the step to try again! He talked her through it and she did it. She said, that was loud. He said, yes, but you did it. She walked back behind the step to try again! He talked her through how to land lighter. She did it. And it was lighter.

She walked back behind the step to try again! He told her a few things, but she just tried again and it was even lighter. They were both smiling, laughing and talking, and I was smiling watching. I had just watched him trick her into doing 4 box jumps when he said he just wanted her to try one.

I was smiling because it was so adorable, but also because I recognized his trickery! I have been a party to that trickery!!

When I first signed up for training I told Khris that I couldn't do anything high impact. I remember being worried that a trainer would push me too hard and I wouldn't be able to handle it. Back then I was very fragile in every way that you can be fragile.

In all honesty, even when I wasn't in the most pain in my life, I never liked high impact things. I never liked jumping. The only high impact thing I ever liked or did was with forward motion. I loved sprinting and hurdles. But I never liked anything with jumping from scratch like in volleyball or jump rope or jumping jacks, etc.

The only time I seemed to be able to do high impact things was in water aerobics or on the mini-trampoline. I need some kind of cushion or something. Anyway, I'm getting distracted.

I remember the first thing Khris tricked me into doing was the burpee. He started me with the BOSU and had me step back and jump in. He talked me through it the way he talked that lady through her box jumps. He talks you through it in such a way that you can't even think of not doing it. You just do it.

You do it no matter how much you think you don't want to do it. You do it no matter how terrible it turns out. You do it again because you want the first awful one to get better. Then you do it again because you realize you can do it even better. Then Khris will give you a modification or something that will make it turn out even better.

For me and the BOSU burpee, that modification turned out to be making my feet land far apart-wider. It wasn't as pretty, but it helped me land steady and feel confident and made them fun. It made me want to do more. And just like that, I was doing burpees. Damn. He tricked me!!!

I still can't find whatever it takes to do the burpee with my hands on the floor. I can't propel myself back. I can do it with my hands on a step or on a BOSU, but not with my hands on the floor.

But he still tricks me. He tells me I can and to just land short. I hate them. But I try. I will get them somehow. It will probably take me a year or so, but I'll get them.

He's tricked me into doing jump squats. He's tricked me into doing box jumps. He's tricked me into doing mountain climbers and jogging. But I trust him. I know he wouldn't trick me into something if he didn't think I could do it.

One day he walked back to the training area with a jump rope in his hand. I didn't say anything and we didn't do anything with it. But I haven't forgotten that. Maybe one day I'll be jumping rope for joy! Even just for one jump!