Violinist Jessica Linnebach has come a long way since her soloist debut at the age of seven. She’s been with the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 2003 and was named Associate Concertmaster in 2010.
When we spoke with Jessica, she was about two months away from giving birth to her second child. She started with Free Form Fitness’s Glebe location last October to get back in shape after the birth of her first.
“I had been with personal trainers before at the big gyms and it hadn’t worked,” said the 33-year-old. “I wanted to try a smaller place that was more focused.”
Jessica quickly found the fit she was looking for at FFF.
“There’s a personal connection and you just feel like you’re part of the group,” she said. “The trainers are extremely knowledgeable, more so than any others I’d met at the big gyms. You feel like every workout is tailored to you, it’s not just a package thing.”
Shortly after she started, Jessica discovered she had another baby on the way, but that hasn’t stopped her from hitting the gym twice a week.
“I’ve never worked out this hard in my whole life,” she said. “We just started modifying exercises so I wasn’t doing anything lying flat on my stomach or my back, just being more creative. I’m still pushed just as hard if not more.”
That’s raised some eyebrows among people she knows.
“A lot of people still think that just because you are seven months pregnant, you should just lie at home,” Jessica said. “But why wouldn’t I continue to train? I just feel better, I feel stronger, I can see muscles. I also have a two-year-old to take care of – even when I am tired, I feel that I have more energy. It feels good to do something for yourself, you feel better about yourself.”
As a violinist, Jessica suffered from frequent injuries from hours of rapid and repetitive movements during rehearsals and performances. Rotator cuff issues had dogged her for years. But since she started working out at FFF and strengthening the muscles in and around her shoulders, those complaints have gone away.
Are professional musicians as a whole the type to hit the gym and eat healthy?
“We should be,” Jessica said. “We are athletes in a way. Regular physiotherapy, massage and exercise is important.”
Her progress has inspired a couple of her NAC colleagues to try out FFF.
A big challenge for Jessica has always been food, not junk food, but delicious gourmet food. She describes herself as a foodie who’s always had a “salty tooth.” But with pregnancy, she’s found herself craving sweets.
How does she cope?
“I don’t go out to eat as much, and I eat more of a Mediterranean diet – I fill up on veggies and drink a lot of low-carb protein shakes. And I do have a little cookie now and then.”
Jessica’s long-term goal is to build strength.
“I’ve always been interested in being strong,” she said. “I’m not the sort for long bike rides or walks. I want to be able to do a pullup, I like doing deadlifts.”
That new baby won’t keep her away from FFF for long.
“As soon as I can come back, I will,” she said. “I can’t imagine leaving. I keep trying to spread the word about this place.”
