Fighting My Inner Snark Monster

My son and I got to the gym before noon, but we'd already spent an hour at his school trying to figure out not only where his new locker was located, but how crazy running from class to class would be. Luckily, we met up with a friend and his mom. The boys share several classes this coming year, which is good because my son is a social creature bemoaning the fact that he had barely a class with two other friends. The last period of the day will be German language, and for the first time (that I've noticed) there will also be a PTO-sponsored after-school German class. The school also decided mid-summer to extend the school day by one more study period, and to provide late buses for kids enrolled in the after-school programs. Hurrah!

We both feel less than enthusiastic so to cure that, we opt for 15 minutes on the Octane. For the first time, I manage to select the right button that initializes a program that asks me how much time I want to exercise, how old I am, how much I weigh and what level I want to use. The machine flashes between various data points, telling me when I'm over or under the heart rate it thinks I should be at. Which is a bit frustrating, because my heart rate is all over the place, even as I "pedal" at a steady clip. So many machines have registered this that it must be true, it must be me, right? Of course, at my annual physical, when an EKG is hooked up and I'm lying on a table, there's absolutely nothing weird about my heart rate. Of course.

Then we do a leisurely stroll on the treadmill. Okay, so I bust a sweat doing a fast walk, so maybe not really leisurely, but I'm not running! Both of us feel a little dread approaching the Stretch Cage. I almost feel as if my endurance is getting worse, not better. We save push ups and core for after the weight-training routine. I see Gym Owner and a new Male Staffer moving equipment around. Truthfully, it's a bit crowded so it's good that they're taking time to actually check out each piece of equipment. The Male Staffer's been around for a while, but mostly at night. I'm not even sure he's got any sort of exercise degree or certification, like the last guy who left over two years ago.

My son and I knock out our Smith RDLs. Last week my son maxed out with 8 reps at 80 lbs. Today he's able to do a full 12, and it's probably because we didn't burn ourselves out with too many light sets beforehand. I pull my 120 and 140 and feel okay. We also knock out our BB rows. Next week perhaps I'll show him the T-bar row just to try something new. I tried it once but wasn't very happy with how my lower back felt. I'd be willing to try it again just to see if it's any better. I want my son to get a good feel for the different equipment at his disposal. I know he's only 13, but he's very solid. It won't hurt him to learn how to handle himself around weights.

Today he seems interested in doing a bicep exercise so I tell him to choose between Lat Pull Downs and Seated Cable Rows. He chooses Lat Pull Downs, but we nudge the weight up by just 5 lbs. It's just enough to make us feel tired. For biceps, I'd like to start my son off with just the 20 lb solid BB, but a girl grabs it before I get to the rack. We settle for doing seated alternating DB curls, starting with a pair of 10s. Even 15s seem okay, which means next week I might be able to start my son off with a 30 lb BB instead. I'm not going to freak him out with 21s, unless he's really interested in making his biceps grow...

We retreat to the class room to do push ups and core. I notice that my son's head, in profile, seems to lean slightly forward. I'm only aware of this because my hubs told me that his chiropractor noticed this postural defect in him and recommended exercises to correct it. My son thinks I'm being overly dramatic so I take a few photos to show him how he stands normally, and how I think he should stand. But in order to correct his posture, I make him stick his chest out and pull his shoulders back. He complains that this is unnatural and uncomfortable. He thinks I'm being a bit crazy.

L: normal posture R: corrected but uncomfortable

There's a woman doing some yoga poses in the far corner. She's oblivious with her oversized headphones. Shaggy is there doing his routine. I still find him creepy because of his previous behavior with mousey, new women members where he'd lean within inches of their face to chat with them. Ugh. Super creepy. He alternates between a minute on the jump rope and a minute doing sit ups, or DB curls, or push ups. Then he "wanders" too close to my son and I while we're discussing whether to do Side Planks first or last. Creepy, and "none of your damn business."

Stock photo: Chihuahua

Well, that's what I think, but I don't actually say it. Like the woman living in the gym's tiny locker room. Ugh. For the past several days in the late afternoon, there has been this large (200 lbs +) woman in the locker room. With her skinny teenage daughter. And her chihuahua dog asleep on a standard pillow (that she calls her Service Dog, but it's not wearing a Service Vest and doesn't seem to perform any tasks, so it's maybe an Emotional Support pet?) on the bench in front of my locker. My locker which clearly has a lock on it, meaning it's occupied and the owner will return to change clothes. Ugh. There's a bowl of water on the floor. There's a phone charging on the counter along with food wrappers all over in front of the make-up mirror. One day the girl was curled up asleep on the floor under the coat rack. Another day the woman was yelling into the phone about needing a lawyer to sue the police department for not arresting someone eating unpaid-for cookies even though twice officers had been sent to investigate and filed no charges. WTF?

I try to be nice, but not too nice. I get "crazy" vibes from the woman. And "damaged" vibes from the girl. They are polite and social when interacting with me. The woman tries to curry favor by complementing my long hair, and my loose-fitting pants. She announces that she's all about doing charity work so if I ever cut my hair I should donate it to Wigs For Kids. Uh huh. She says this six or seven times. I'm not mean, but I'm not friendly or inviting.

Actually, I'm fighting my inner snark monster. The one that really just wants to shout at them, "Why the hell are you here!?" Because they're not using the gym facilities to exercise, shower and then leave. A girl at the front desk tells me, when I ask, that their contract has been cancelled but it's good until the end of the month. So they won't be here next month. Perhaps they have no place to go, so I feel a little bad for them. But there are other places. Like the library or the laundromat. I'm a gym rat, and even I don't "live" at the gym. For me, the gym is a special place and I'm not happy with people intruding on it. Especially ones that don't respect the gym for what it is.

Wednesday

15 Octane
Default settings
Calories 92
Miles 1.27
Heart Rate Range 108-140 (goal 126)

30 treadmill
Incline 10% Speed 3
Calories 263
Miles 1.48
AvHR 112-129

HGPU 15, 15, 15 (12+3), 15 (60)
M pull ups 7, 6, 5, 6 (24)

Smith RDLs
Bar x 15
60 x 12
80 x 12, m12 x 2
120 x 12
140 x 12

Smith BB Rows
RG 80 x 25 x 3
M 80 x 12 x 3

Lat Pull Downs
75lbs x 12reps x 3

Seated DB Alternating Curls
15lbs x 12 ea x 3 sets
M10lbs x 12, 15lbs x 12 x 2

Push Ups 60
M 35

Bicycles 50
Crunches 30/20
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

Stretch