CLIENT HIGHLIGHT - Gallia
This woman, y'all . Gallia and I have been working together since April 2022. Her initial goals were to establish a consistent fitness routine she could do from home, gain strength, build core strength specifically, and return to running.
Gallia has a lifting background having done Crossfit, she's currently setting up a squat rack IN HER HOUSE and we are so excited to use it! There's rumbling of pullups and I'm into it.
Because of her lifting background, we were able to move into more complex movements quickly which is always fun. We've built balanced strength that's transferable to both her dog sport and her life. Crossit is great for building strength in an absolute sense. However, there is an undeniable difference between absolute strength and strength that's transferable. Gym strong vs life strong.
Adding elements of balance and control that weren't present has elevated the use of her body remarkably. I sleep well at night knowing she can do whatever she wants and she's ready for it.
Running was a challenge for a couple of reasons, cardio and her feet!
The first step was to build strength, and then single leg balance/strength. I held her back from running until she could do 20 lunges on each side, in a row, without stopping. This benchmark helped both of us understand when her legs were strong enough to avoid fatigue related issues when she's on the trails.
One thing that I love strength training for is that each step when running requires less effort, is more powerful, and is safer structurally for her. The experience for her was an increased cardio capacity. It is very reinforcing to not actually run and then realize you're better at running than you were before!
Her feet being sore and blistering were another task. First, we did a gait analysis and cleaned up her foot strike pattern, added plyometrics for her calves and feet, and all her weight workouts are done barefoot. The result is below her knees are prepared to take the repetitive strain of running.
She was wearing a traditional running shoe and we swapped to a wide toe box. Altras and now Vivobarefoot. The astonished look on her face when she said her feet didn't hurt after a 4 mile run was pure gold! Because she's wearing natural footwear now her feet will continue to strengthen and restore even better function because the shoes promote it. I know now that she has the tools to have comfortable feet for the rest of her life. That is no small thing.
We've hit some awesome milestones together and she's come a really long way in 8 short months.
The accomplishments that are top of the list for me are:
🏆 consistent strength building
🏆 multiple FULL pushups
🏆 proficiency at very challenging plyometric movements, like her fabulous video in the comments
🏆 patience and dedication to the process
🏆 no foot pain
Her list toppers are:
🏆 she got back to task immediately following any setbacks this year
🏆 she's formed a habit that's maintainable at home which frees up so much time for her
🏆 she's running in the trails and enjoying every second (ok, every second of a hill climb ... jury is out )
Previously when there were setbacks they'd slip into multi-day, or multi-week, breaks. It's demotivating to lose progress and that spiralling is common.
So what was different this time? She has had setbacks this year, and each time she came back from them she built confidence that she could and it'd be rewarding. She loves working at home, it removes so many excuses. She also has accountability. I also quietly made sure that whenever there was a set back her next program adjusted for it. Building on SUCCESS is key always.
She's got a half marathon planned this spring in Vancouver and I'll be right there at the finish line. And also toasting over a wonderful dutch dinner that night, bring on those espresso martini's.
Cheers to you Gallia!!
