Holy $%#@!! An hour after my hour-long workout with Venus Lau, I can still feel the burn. Venus trains clients at several gyms, outside, or in the home – She takes pride in her ability to transpose any move from the gym to the living room or to the park. We met at a clean modern gym in Santa Monica and started off with a short warm up on the elliptical. While I warmed up, we discussed her background (competitive swimmer, college golfer, certified in pretty much everything) and my goals (the usual – be able to outrun cops and punch creeps if I need to). In one hour, Venus led me through three pairs of combo moves each executed in what she called a ‘super set’. Combo moves are just what they sound like – Rather than doing a bicep curl, I rowed on a cable machine while squatting. Rather than simple shoulder presses, I twisted and lunged and punched and leaned in a manner that made me feel like a super hero and worked muscles I didn’t even know I possessed. Each combo move was paired with another that worked an opposing group of muscles (chest/triceps followed by shoulders/sides). I forgot Venus’ definition of ‘super set’ but I’m pretty sure it means you alternate the two combo moves, executing three sets of each – an activity that started out as a pleasant challenge and ended with me exhaling so hard on every last rep that I make a evil snarl with my mouth and blew my sweaty bangs up into the air. A lot of trainers can make you sweat, but Venus kept me – and my body – guessing. I was so busy running through her cues (Squeeze the butt! Flex the gut! Ribs up! Eyes forward!) that I had no time to silently complain about how I’d rather be watching TV as I have during so many other workouts. I actually enjoyed figuring out how to execute her moves! And just when I’d start to sigh or glance at the clock, Venus expertly distracted me with questions about my personal life. Once she found out I play music, she compared learning exercise form to learning to play an instrument- an analogy which suddenly made everything click. Throughout the workout, Venus peppered our conversation with mini-lessons in kinesiology, anatomy, and general workout methodology. Had I heard the same information from my mom’s old personal trainer, I probably would’ve fallen asleep. However, Venus is blessed with a sharp sense of humor and an easy tone that’s both effective and engaging. She makes you work hard but also makes you want to learn. Bottom line – If I lived on the west side, I’d hire Venus to be my personal trainer!
