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For those of you that don’t come at 6:00am let me introduce you to Bibiana. Bibiana has been coming for quite some time now and until the other day danced somewhat to her own tune.
She is hands down one of the most active people I know outside the gym. In her mind there is always an adventure waiting for her and she jumps on it any chance she gets. I have seen the fat lips from ice smashing into her face while ‘picking’ her way up a frozen waterfall somewhere and I can’t wait to hear where she is going next.
As much as this would make her seem like she would be on board with everything we do at SPARK there was always some apprehension (for lack of a better word). Until about a month ago she would never call “done” when finishing her WOD and good luck trying to get her to lift heavy. There just didn’t seem to be a competitive bone in her body when it came to working out - and thats not a bad thing…just uncharacteristic of most people at the gym.
Anyway, we had a one on one class the other day and things seemed to finally sink in. Having tried to get her to go heavier on SEVERAL occasions she actually did it! The heaviest weight she ever put on the bar was 105lbs and she deadlifted it once. The other day she got up to 145lbs and owned it. No rounded back, full extension at the top and put it down under control. I know she could have done more but this was already a giant step for her.
Thanks for trusting me enough to go out of your comfort zone and progress. Pretty soon you’ll be pulling 200!
And thank you to everyone for allowing the coaches at SPARK to whoop you day in and day out. You’re putting your health and fitness into our hands and we hope we’re making a difference. I’ve said it before, but you never stop amazing us with your effort, heart and courage.
Discuss.
August 26th, 2010 at 9:04 am
I have had the pleasure of knowing Bibiana as a clinician, and now getting to know her outside of the hospital, I must say it is a real honour. Not only is she an amazing doctor, but she’s a great athlete.
One Friday morning, Bibiana mentioned they were doing the annual Bruce Protocol Challenge in the hospital and she suggested I come do it. I wanted to say no because my legs were tired from that mornings WOD, but I couldn’t use that as an excuse because Bibiana had just done the same workout. The Bruce protocol is basically a maximal exercise test - you go until you can’t go anymore. You’re on a treadmill that increases in speed and incline until you reach your max capcity. Anyway, Bibiana was better than anyone else that day, male or female in comparison to her age-expected results. It was incredible.
I have also noticed what Kim is talking about - Bibiana reaching out of her comfort zone and continually improving. It’s very inspiring to me. I’m not a great runner, in fact I wouldn’t even say I’m a good runner, but watching Bibiana continually improve makes me think I can also improve my running. I get in to this stubborn mindset of thinking (and eventually convincing) myself that I’ll always be a slow runner, but she reminds me that it takes practice and work, but improvement always be made.
By the way, I also want to say that I have always truly admired smart, ambitious and confident women, especially in male-dominated fields. I would call cardiology a male-dominated field still…and although I have never told her this, Bibiana is a role model to me.
Antigone
August 26th, 2010 at 9:36 am
And this is also a shout out to Jonny and Kim who know when to ask their athletes to push further. I think there is a real art to doing this, and not all coaches are able to know when and how. Not to say that the other coaches don’t do this, it’s just that I’ve almost always been coached by Jonny and Kim.
August 26th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
Nice work Bibiana.
August 26th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Way to go mom!
August 26th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
Bibiana, you are a pleasure to have in class. From your intro session to this mornings 6am class, it is amazing to see you push yourself day in day out.
August 26th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
One of my favourite things about coming into the gym is seeing everyone’s progress. Everything from lifting more weight to unassisted pull ups. It’s a wonderful thing when people really try hard to get better, especially at 6 in the morning! Good job Bibiana. Keep up the good work.
And Kim- It’s fun learning more about Spark members. I want to know more!!
August 26th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Congratulations Bibiana!
Hitting milestones like that is what keeps alot of us going. Looking forward to hearing about you lifting 200!
August 27th, 2010 at 9:11 am
Awesome job Bibiana on the DL girl!
August 27th, 2010 at 9:20 am
Bibiana, my day somehow brightens when you’re in class! Nice work!
August 28th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Although i have not yet had the pleasure of meeting you or working out with you i have been to the 7am class and have seen all the effort you put into each and every class and give me a goal to work towards in my workouts!!! Congratulations on all of your achievements…..