Certifiable

A pep-talk from Lorraine before my exam.

Last Friday, December 3, I took my re-test for the NASM-CPT certification. And passed! I found it interesting that they told me my score when I didn’t pass, but did not tell me my score when I did pass. It seems it would be helpful to review the test and see where I need to improve my knowledge, but they keep it pretty secret so future test-takers can’t see an actual test ahead of time.

But, regardless, I am now a Certified Personal Trainer! My first client will be myself as I re-build strength and fitness after laying low to let my knee heal up. I will also be working with Lorraine to help her improve upper body strength. 

Something else happened on Friday, however. As I was getting set up for the exam, I decided to do some squats to get the blood flowing and help me digest breakfast. I did my standard thirty squats. And tweaked my lower back. By the time I was done taking the exam I could barely move. Fortunately Lorraine was able to help me stretch it out and I was fine by the next day. 

What I think happened is I was favoring my left (injured) knee as I was doing the squats and so did not lower evenly. This added just enough stress to my lower right back, (which has been an on-again, off-again issue for years) to strain the muscle. A little ironic that it happened when it did, but it has helped me improve my form over the past few days when I’ve been at the gym.

I’m excited to be able to talk about exercise with more authority now on this blog. I’ll be looking at some of my favorite exercises and examining how they work for my fitness. I’ll dig a little deeper into the why’s and how’s of maintaining and improving fitness levels as we age, and probably look at ultimate and how it is a sport you can play well into your later years.

And I’ll also be looking to start up a training business and pick up some clients. Shoot me a note if you are interested. With modern tech training can be remote. I may also start back with my weekly streaming workouts.

This is an exciting new chapter, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me!