Fitness challenge: Decoding the fitness jargon at Haddins

Despite all her years working out in gyms, Ellen Fortini had a hard time distinguishing fitness terminology. She explains how Haddins helped her get back into the hang of things.

Fitness trainer Abeer Al Amiri demonstrates the right techniques. Silvia Razgova for The National

Despite all my years spent working out in gyms, early on in my Haddins WODs, I found myself confused about the terminology of the barbell exercises.

Even though the trainer demonstrated each move – the dead lift, the hang clean and the push press – somehow, in my cardio-­foggy brain, I found myself doing moves I knew were incorrect.

I worried that I was the only one in the class who wasn’t clear on what had to be done and that I could wind up with an injury due to improper form.

I spoke with the trainer after class and he said that there is a programme that Haddins offers – re-beginners. I contacted staff the next morning to ask whether there was a chance I could get some remedial assistance in lieu of a full programme and a trainer met me later that day, before my workout, to go over each move. The impromptu class kept me focused on my form so that I could do each move correctly and get the most benefit.

I am so thankful for Haddins’ staff taking the time to guide me in the right direction, and I encourage anyone struggling with how to use weights to call in some expert guidance.