Circuits and Delayed Responses

I've met with my new personal trainer twice now. I really like him, more than either of the trainers I worked with at my last gym. He's easy to talk to, and there's a distinct lack of judgment that makes me more comfortable. If a given exercise is too hared on my ankle or back, he quickly teaches me a modification. At the same time, he's focusing on exercises that will strengthen my ankle and back so they aren't so prone to injury in the future. And he's giving me routines that emphasize fat-burning overall.

The first thing he introduced me to was the concept of circuits. I pick seven machines, each focusing on a different muscle group. Then I do a set of 12 reps on each machine without taking time to rest in between. This has the dual benefit of keeping my heart rate up (fat burning!) and making the exercise go quicker. I can get through three circuits in a little less than half an hour, which is impressive, considering how much lifting I do during that time.

I'm supposed to set the weight such that I can do 12 reps, but would be hard-pressed to do more. This direction has led me to discover some interesting extremes. On the shoulder press I can barely make it through twelve reps with the lowest possible weight. I thought I was gonna die the first time. Now it's hard, but I can at least get through all of the reps without arching my back. On the leg press I've yet to find my limit. I started at 70 lbs, knowing I could do that, and have been increasing the weight each time until I get to the point that 12 reps is hard. I'm up to 170 lbs now, and still having no problem getting through the reps. It turns out that my legs are a lot stronger than I thought.

The part I'm most surprised by is that muscles seem to have a delayed reaction to this exercise. After my first workout, I felt great. About a day later I started feeling sore and could finally identify which muscles I'd worked out. Now that I've been doing the circuits regularly for a week, that soreness has turned into a low-level constant. After my second session with my trainer, I had the same experience. About a day after working out new muscle groups were sore. I'm not sure if this is normal or not (I don't remember it happening the last time I got serious about going to the gym), but I like it. Working out doesn't leave me useless for the rest of the day, but I can still tell that I've been working. It's doing wonders for my motivation.

I haven't noticed any weight loss or size change yet. I've also just started. I hope I'll start seeing some changes soon. In the meantime, I'm excited to find out how much weight I can actually lift on the leg press.