Was it that hard?

I was setting up my work-out area at the start of my usual "Body Conditioning" class at the gym yesterday, and a newbie asked me what we needed to set up for the class. In between showing her which weights to use, she asked me if the pace of the class was slow or fast, and if a beginner would be able to keep up.

I'm a person with no sense of rhythm at all. Nada. I tried a beginner's Step Aerobics class one day and kept tripping over my feet. So when I first started this Body Conditioning class, I was still a klutz but it wasn't as hard to keep up as the Step Aerobics class. Which was exactly what I told the newbie, and reassured her that even if the first class is awkward, she would get the hang of it after a few classes. If I can do it, certainly she could too. And plus, you do everything at your own pace, no need to keep up with the music. She bounced away with an air of confidence around her.

Well, about fifteen minutes into the second set of lower body exercises (repetitions of straddling the step, jump up and down; then reps of squats and lunges), I took a glance at the newbie and saw her struggling to keep me. She caught my gaze and gave me a look of "I thought you said this was easy!" She just sat down during the lunges and squats and refused to do any of those reps, so I figured she has some form of knee injury and doesn't want to add to the pain.

Once the half hour lower body work out was completed and we were all getting weights for our upper body work-out, the newbie put her things away and left the class. She gave me one last evil glare before she walked out. For the last half hour of the class, I kept wondering why she didn't stay for the upper body work-out. If the reason she couldn't keep up during the lower body work out was due to a leg injury, then working out her arms shouldn't be a problem. She didn't even have to use heavy weights. The class was designed to tone your muscles, not build them up. Did she think this class was slow and all you do were stretches? That's what yoga is for.

I kinda felt bad for telling her the class was great and she would totally be able to keep up with no problem. I didn't think there were people less coordinated than I am. Oh well. I still like the class and I've got the buns and arms to prove it.