Power of Patience and Perseverance
With Abel learning how to trap bar deadlift at 135 lbs May 2019 vs 205 lbs September 2019.
1 on 1 personal training is a unique and in my opinion priceless experience.
A client and trainer make a choice to partner together to work towards some very personal goals.
I’m proud to have a Coach. My Coach is my very good friend Abel Mezemer. You see I had this goal to become a personal trainer BUT I never stepped foot inside a gym to do anything other than cardio. I just worked out at home for 2 years. Little did I know how much my life would change.
Our initial plan was for me to show up just for only 4 Saturday’s and work on my goal of chin ups. I showed up for those 4 weeks and did not realize that I would be showing up each and every week for a year and a half.
Abel taught me that this is a real team effort. He provides me with the structure and accountability I crave & thrive under. And I show up each and every week in person and now virtually no matter what. We have never taken a week off. That speaks volumes. We both believe in this and always say we have work to do.
I wound up becoming a personal trainer and started my own private coaching business BUT never did it come to mind that we would stop the work we were doing. Rather Abel taught me so much for my own training goals and just overall how to become the trainer I am today. All coaches have coaches. I want to work with someone who will continue to push me and make me better. We are just two kids from the Bronx with big dreams to help people.
In 2019 we accomplished a lot. Abel showed me how to work on chin ups (May 29th was the day we got my first one!) and I gave him my wish list of things I always wanted to do such as deadlifts, box jump squats, push ups, stopping home workouts, etc. What I am getting to is that all of this takes time and patience. We worked on chin ups every single week from January 2019 till May 2019 and that is when I finally got my 1st chin up. March 2020 I got my first 5 full chin ups. And we still work on them every single week. At times when I would feel defeated and/or beat myself up for not progressing “fast” enough he did not let me sulk and would remind me that all this takes time. Hence my favorite line “patience grasshopper”. Right now I have a goal of handstands, learning how to jump rope & turkish get-ups. And I thought deadlifts frustrated me! But I know I will get there in due time.
As a trainer who works with clients, I can see myself in them when they are eager and excited to perform and make gains. The experience I have had with Abel really makes me a better trainer as I can fully empathize with my clients and guide them while being supportive. As a client, Abel knows how to push me such as when he thought it would be a good idea for me to perform a barbell front squat by myself and talked me off the ledge because I thought he was insane!
I know the world is currently going through serious times right now. And the impact this will have on the fitness industry will be profound. One thing I can say is that knowing that my goals still matter despite the circumstances speaks volumes. This has been a huge factor in helping me through this difficult time.
We are still showing up for each other. As I am for my clients as well. And I am grateful for the time we have put in and the time we will continue to put in.
Something I recommend is documenting your journey. I have tons of videos, photos, blogs and vlogs since we started. As a result 2020 has been such a reflection year due to the visual documentation that took place. I am able to see where I started and where I am now.
There is so much power in patience and perseverance. There is power in working as a team. If you are willing to put it the work the results will come.
xoxoxo,
Jess
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
