Essential Fitness NYC

I went to go work out at Essential Fitness NYC. The trainer (Scott) was very kind and welcoming. I took the "Essential 7" class with two other students, who seem to be regulars at the facility. It was similar to personal training in that the trainer spent a lot of one-one-time with me. We did kettlebell swings, goblet squats, side steps with elastic bands, planks, and some stretching on rollers.

The objective for me to go to this class was to learn to improve my daily home workouts, and I did get some good pointers.

For kettlebell swings, I was instructed to plant my feet firmer into the ground, and to swing faster (my hip hinge should be faster). We also worked on my feet placement a bit (I was encouraged to try a more narrow stance). I'm sure there were a lot of pointers that Scott could have given to me, but he didn't want to overload me with too much information. The advice he gave made sense. If I get my base well grounded, it should help my swing.

For the goblet squat, the trainer gave me one good tip -- lower yourself slowly with control instead of just dropping. This makes squats harder, but probably more effective. I imagine I should do a similar thing for all exercises like push ups and pull ups.

Using the rollers was completely new to me. It seems like something I could get for my apartment, but I'll have to read more before I start shopping for one.

The most challenging thing for me was to get the breathing correct. I've seen and heard others do this coordinated breathing technique before, but I couldn't seem to get it right. I resorted to just taking regular breaths after I 'hissed' or breathed out. This will require more practice.

I think essentialfitnessnyc and Scott are great resources. Before I sign up again, I'd think I'd ask some questions to Scott to see if he thinks I might get more out of his other classes. I wish I could've had more time to work on other movements like the clean, snatch and so on ..., but it's probably the case that I have to learn to walk before I can run.

In my past, from programming to working out to learning anything, I've always favored just learning by myself. I think it was mainly because I was shy (and also broke/cheap). This year, I've forced myself to get some external help, which I hope will help me to improve faster and avoid mistakes. I'm not sure if I will go back to essentialfitnessnyc again, but I think it's good to continue to force myself to go out and get some external help from time to time.