As Good As It Seems..?

First, I would like to say thank you for your awesome comments on my Light 'Em Up post. For some reason, Blogger is being a total jerk and won't let me comment to each person individually...ugh! But I want to thank those of you who commented (Melissa, Crystal, Sable, Liz, and Donloree) to know that you ladies rock & I appreciate you (I mean it!).

The Boss #2 and I at the 2012 AZ Open

For those of you who have been following my blog for some time or know me in "real life", you know that my husband Tom aka The Boss #2 is my trainer. Genie aka The Boss aka the Yellow in "Black & Yellow's Excellent Adventure" is the nutrition/food component of this team but it's Tom who puts together the majority of my workouts, bosses me around assists me in the gym, and so on.

When most people find out that my husband is my trainer, their first response is usually "That must be awesome. I would love for my __ to be my trainer". I will then smile, nod, and give some generic response about how it's nice that my significant other is knowledgeable about training and helps me as I work towards my competition goals, stay healthy, and get stronger.

Another trophy for his our collection ;)

Most of the times I mean this when I say it and other times I want to look them in their face and say "Trust me, this set-up is crazy" or as Genie & I often say "#thatshitcray".

Urban Chick Foto

Before you start getting huffy, giving me the stank eye, or commenting on how ungrateful I am - let me explain. Now, you're probably looking at the picture above and thinking to yourself that it's so sweet of Tom to be helping me with my shoe but that's not the true story. True story is he was telling me how crusty my feet looked and asking what was going on with one of my toes!!

I'm kidding! He was actually helping me change shoes in between shots so I wouldn't fall over because he knows how much of a klutz I am :)

Back to what I was saying about having my husband as my trainer....

At times it is incredibly wonderful to have my partner-in-crime as the person "in charge" of designing workouts and keeping an eye on me in the gym. Tom knows me (or at least he better after almost 13 years together...lol!) and he can tell when I'm not "living up to my potential".

He knows when I say that I can't do another rep, whether I'm saying that because I'm lazy or because I really have reached my stopping point. The man knows, by looking at me, what adjustments need to be made. He knows whether I've been getting enough sleep, drinking my water, eating my meals, or if I'm starting to get sick. In short, the man seems to know everything.

Puttin' it down in our hometown - 2011 NPC Terminator

Sometimes, this is wonderful and other times it sucketh much. There are times when I just want to forget about finishing my daily allotment of water and just guzzle a beer. Or I have no desire to get up early to do my cardio and I just want to use that time to get more sleep. You know what happens during these times?? Tom is there to tell me "Nope. Do what you need to do." He's there to tell me to stop being emotional, stop whining, and yes, even to tell that I'm not making progress but I'm not doing 100% the work.

This can be hard because I know he is telling me these things as my "Trainer" and not my "Husband". I know when he looks at my weekly progress pictures and points out the weak areas, he's not doing it to be hurtful but to be helpful. My mind knows it but sometimes, my heart & feelings don't. He also knows that when he tells me to do something and I ask why,  it might not be about me trying to be difficult or question his ability to train me (I'm a librarian! We're information hoarders...lol!).

We have been doing this thang for almost three years and have come to the agreement that we HAVE to talk or even scream it out, if necessary. When he is providing feedback, I will ask him if I'm getting the feedback from Tom the Trainer or Tom the Husband because honestly, that can affect how I will receive it. It's a work in progress but we are learning what works for us and what doesn't. In the end, our relationship as husband & wife is more important than our relationship as trainer & trainee.

With that said, I better go do my cardio before Tom the Trainer scolds me ;)

Question --> Are any of you trained by your significant other? 

Any insight you would like to share? Nuggets of advice to give?