Friday was my first time working with Nick Lucius at Barwis. I worked with him before at ATI but not at Barwis. Jake was shadowing him. Jake is a new hire and he is in training. Nick helped me onto a black table and we started PNFs. Nick also encouraged me by telling me it was, “good,” or “perfect,” or “Attagirl!” These accolades always make me feel good! They wee strong and that felt good too. I rolled onto my stomach and Nick left to do something. Jake was sitting on the other black table next to me and I turned to him and asked where we was educated. He told me that he went to Western Michigan Univ- I cut him off and exclaimed, “You’re a Bronco?!” I smiled and told him that I’m a quarter Bronco. Then I corrected myself because I am actually 20% Bronco (it took me 5 years because I had Sean in the middle of getting my bachelor’s degree). We did PNFs on the table and then Nick had me sit on the edge of the table and he sat on a stool across from me.
He had me put my hands on his shoulders and attempt to stand. He braced my knees and on the second attempt, he had Jake brace my hips from behind. It wasn’t a very good attempt. I was having a lot of difficulty straightening my legs. It frustrates me that my body doesn’t listen to my brain especially in something so small as standing up. But at least I attempted with two strong men assisting me in that attempt. Then Nick looked over to a part of the gym I had never been and told me that we were going to go over to the shuttle. He pushed me over to it and he and Jake lifted me and laid me onto it. I was laying on a slight incline with my knees up and my feet against a board I had been on this years ago at physical therapy so I understood what I was expected to do. Pressure bands were placed on the opposite side of where my feet were for resistance. Nick told me to push my feet against the board and use my quads to straighten my legs out.
At physical therapy, about 10 years ago, it was A LOT easier. I asked Nick how any bands were on the machine because it felt like 500. He told me there were none. I completed a set of 12 reps and then I rested. He fiddled with the bands but I couldn’t see what he was doing. Yep. Just what I thought. As I tried to straighten my legs, he put 750 bands on. Or it was 1 but it FELT like 750. I completed a set of 12, rested, and did a final set of 12 with only 500 bands. Or none. I was tired but they put me back in my chair and we ended with straight leg pull downs on the air machine by the roll down door. I did 2 sets on each leg with 5.5 pounds of resistance. I was spent but I liked working with Nick and it was nice to meet the Bronco, Jake. He’s really tall.