Humpty Dumpty Day

Neither my son nor myself felt particularly energetic when we got to the gym Wednesday afternoon. I'd already spent half the morning cleaning up the dog, and the kitchen. It's not his fault his bowels have been upset. Again, he'd been wearing a full diaper (as opposed to an incontinence wrap) so he he was doubly messy. I don't think it's the food. What I suspect, but I'm not willing to drag the poor pup off to the vet to confirm, is that not only is he losing muscle control in his nether regions, but perhaps he's got internal lumps. That would explain why he starts to leak as he's eating, with the stomach pressing against his bladder, sort of like what it was like when I was pregnant with my son.

I'm going through a lot of newspapers on the floor, and a lot of pet-friendly wipes. The Earth Bath brand smell the nicest but they're expensive. The cheaper Nature's Miracle brand doesn't smell as good, and consequently, the pup doesn't smell as good. Actual baby wipes are cheaper yet, but I'm not really sure how canine-safe they are since dogs seem to be sensitive to things we humans take for granted as being edible, like coffee, chocolate and macadamia nuts.

A friend recommends trying CBD oil. Online literature suggests that it can soothe pain, increase appetite and ameliorate pancreatic and liver issues. Sounds a bit like snake oil. Because it's derived from hemp, there's no danger of the pup getting high. He's already dazed and confused as it is, no doubt having canine senior moments. Of course, traditional vets can't make any recommendations for alternative treatments since there's not enough published, hard-science testing. Everything is anecdotal. Nor are there standards for quality of oils available. How do you know you're actually getting what you ordered?

On the other hand, I don't see my pup recovering from these age-related indignities. He's becoming more agitated. Today he wouldn't eat, vomited bile from not eating, and again had a few accidents in the house. I'm definitely going to look into the CBD oil, because I don't think it will make the dog worse, and it might make him more comfortable. I know this is probably his last summer.

At the gym, we decide to do the Octane cardio machine first, and then the recumbent bike. I'm having trouble with my wired headphones. We're both hot and sweaty when we approach the Stretch Cage. My son has a better-and-yet-worse pull up form than I do, but I only know this because I shot a video of him (I tried to post the video but it wouldn't upload properly) to show him his one leg forward position. Then he used my phone to do one for me. I can see that my movement is still very limited. My son has better range with a fuller extension. I'll have to work on my form on Friday!

Our arms are tired so we agree to only do a set of push ups before hitting the weights. Core can wait until we're ready to stretch at the end of our workout! The Smith machine is still noisy but somehow the glide is smoother. Maybe someone squirted a bit of WD-40 into the tracts? We get to 80 lbs when my son decides he's had enough. His arms are tired. I add weight and do a set at 120, then another set at 140. My son asks me "Why?" I can't just say "Because" so I give him the full explanation of what it's like to get older and not be in shape. He sort of already knows this, but I tell him that I want to live to be old, but not crippled or frail, and especially not losing my mind. I tell him I want to be one of those "pain in the butt" seniors, sharp as a tack and able to take care of myself. He nods because we both remember how his paternal grandparents declined both mentally and physically.

I almost forget to do BB rows. My son does them overhand, first with gloves then without. He hasn't quite decided whether he likes them or not. I do mine underhand to work biceps with the back. The overhand mostly stresses my son's forearms. Sometimes I can't believe he's only 13. True, he hasn't reached his full height yet, but structurally, he's got very sturdy proportions. I'm extremely happy he's not cursed with the Southeast Asian body type: long torso and short limbs.

My son excuses himself to use the bathroom so I take this opportunity to find a neutral grip handle for the lat pull down station. Unfortunately, the handle I choose has rubber grips that seem sticky. I spray them and wipe them off, but that only helps a little. My son would rather use the regular bar but I tell him we're using this one. I need him to slow down. Well, at least this handle has a set hand width. We also do Seated Cable Rows. I know he can move more weight, once his forearms catch up. Because it's always his forearms that get tired.

We have a lot of trouble doing Side Planks in the classroom, mostly because we're tired and it takes a bit of effort to maintain the odd position. Behind us, two men are doing walking lunges with BBs on their shoulders while talking loudly. Well, they're probably speaking in a normal tone, but the class is empty and echos. And it's really only one guy doing walking lunges across the room, because his buddy is merely stepping forward, then stepping back.

Bird Dogs are somewhat easier, but still a bit of a challenge. It's a relief to lay down and do Bicycles and Crunches! My son's hip stretches are getting a tiny bit better, but he's definitely lost the flexibility he had as a 5 year old. His warts also seem to be spreading, although he concedes that some seem to be insect bites because not only are they smaller, they itch. Molluscum contagiosum doesn't itch. If anything, my son seems addicted to using hand sanitizer these days, just so as not to spread the warts any further. Sometimes, a little OCD is a good thing.


Hump Day Wednesday 

15 Octane
Calories 125
Miles 1.38
AHR 119/138 maxHR
Strides 1966 / 32 fl

15 recumbent bike
Level 1
Calories 61
Miles 1.45

HGPU 15, 15, 15, 15 (60)
M pull ups 5, 5, 10 (20)

Push Ups 60
M 30

Smith RDLs
Bar (30) x15, m15
50 x 12, m12
70 x 12, m12
80 x 12, m8
120 x 12
140 x 8

Smith (RG) BB Rows
Bar (30) x 15
70 x 25, m12
80 x 25 x 3, m 80 x 12 x 3

Lat Pull Downs
Neutral wide grip handle
(both of us)
70lbs x 12 x 3

Seated Cable Rows
(both of us)
60lbs x 12 reps x 2
70 x 12 x 2

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

Stretching

Humping Along

It's been raining all week and the humidity is so bad that I have the a/c on just to keep the house reasonable. It's bad when mold starts to form on everything vaguely moist! The little cotton balls I've been dousing with ant poison (sugar and boric acid mixed into plain water) have gone from ant oases to black mold repositories. Yuck! The bread isn't lasting too long either, and I toast the ciabatta just to keep the little blue and black spots at bay. The grocery store doesn't always carry the plain ciabatta my old dog likes, but toasting the remaining loaf allows me to give him crunchy treats a few days longer.

The pup has been losing control of his bladder more frequently, mostly when eating so I've finally purchased a "male wrap" to keep the puddles to a minimum. It attaches with velcro at the top (spine) and wraps around his belly and leaking bits, At the end of several hours, there's a distressing indentation in his fur so I take it off for the night. I'll have to determine when the best time is to leave it on him, and for how long. There's also wee disposable pads (that look like miniature sanitary napkins) to stick to the inside of the wrap for extra absorption. Sigh.

It's only in the mid 70s temp-wise, but the rains make it tropical outside, and not in a good way. My son and I arrive at the gym a bit past noon and debate whether to bring umbrellas in with us. We opt to leave them in the car because it's not actually raining at the moment. We only do 30 minutes on the treadmill because I know I'm going to be pushing my son to do more and heavier weight today. At the Stretch Cage I ask him to get 10 pull ups. He's ready to walk away afterwards, but I tell him that I need to do my set too. He knows better than to say No. Then I ask him if he thinks he can get another 5. Then another 3. I tell him if he gets another 2, it'll give him 20 total pull ups.

I've caught him saying things like, "Well, I don't really have a choice, do I?" and "Why are you asking me?" He's right, of course. I tell him that I'm just trying to be nice about it. For each subsequent set I ask just a few reps, but less than the last time. I can barely keep up myself! Finally we can walk to the classroom and do some push ups and core. He doesn't complain. I think he's happy to have done 20, but doesn't really want to show it. After all, he's at the gym with his mom.

I decide that an abbreviated core will suffice today so that's just push ups, side planks and the bicycle and crunch sequence. Then we step into the weight area. It's not horribly crowded. I see a lot of guys but they're mostly clustered around the cable stations and the machines. I do a set of RDLs at the Smith with just the bar and have my son do the same. I'm actually impressed that he seems to remember what I told him earlier about keeping his back straight. We alternate sets, with me doing a heavier load because I want him comfortable with the form before I ask more of him. Besides, it's his arms that are tired.

Doing BB Rows at the Smith doesn't help, but he does them. I allow him to try different grips with each set. He's finally figured out how to do these movements without shrugging, but these are light weights. Since I hope he's going to get a bit taller, I'm not going to have him lift heavy weights and risk damaging his growth plates. But he will get stronger! And at least build up some endurance. He shows me his hands because callouses are forming just below his fingers. He says they're from doing pull ups. Yep, I can see how that'll happen. I guess I need to get him some gloves!

At the Lat Pull Down station, the close-grip handle is already attached so that's what we're using today. (I don't tell my son, but he's too loose in his form when the regular handle is affixed. It's not benefiting him to jerk the weight like a floppy-armed rag doll.) I tell him to look up towards the top of the cable as he pulls the handle to his chest, and to arch his back slightly as if puffing his chest out to meet it. It's a bit complicated but he gets it most of the time. As he tires, he's less likely to look up and I see his chest curve forward slightly. He's using the weight of his shoulders to bring the weight down. (I know what that is because I've done it myself when the weight was too heavy!) We're both pulling the same weight for reps. I ask him where he feels it, and again the answer is him running a hand from his shoulder down the length of his arm. After 3 sets, we do seated cable rows, again with the close-grip handle. I know he's tired so I set the pin at 60 lbs. I haven't done this movement in a long time because it aggravates my sciatica, so I move the pin up to 40. But with each set I drop the pin down until we're both pulling 60 lbs.

My son is ready to leave, but we do some necessary stretches first. He's trying to figure out how to do an extended leg without falling over. It's a staple in martial arts training. We start with just a shoulder's-width-stance and squat down, keeping heels on the ground. Then slowly extend one leg just a few inches out to the side. Eventually fully extend the leg. My son's bent knee is not aligned with his foot, which seems to have swiveled out on its own. Weird. He inches it back into place. Done. Tomorrow I'm coming to the gym by myself so I can whack the machine. I'll be at it for at least 30 to 40 minutes, and I told my son he can sleep in on the alternate days we don't work out. That's my concession to him and he doesn't complain. On Friday we'll do the Step Mill, walking lunges and play the Dragon game on the Expresso bikes. That'll be fun! Or at least I think it will be...

Wednesday Pull Day

30 min treadmill
Calories 263
Miles 1.49
Inclined 10% Speed 3
Average Heart Rate 111 (66%) / 128 max rate (76%)

HGPU 20, 15, 10, 8 (53)
M Pull Ups 10, 5, 3, 2 (20)

Push Ups 20 + 10
Bicycles 50
Crunches 30/20
Side Planks 2 x 60s

Smith RDLs
Bar (30lbs) x 15
(M 12)
80 x 12
(M 50 x 12 x 3)
100 x 12 x 3

Smith RG BB Rows
80lbs x 25 x 3
(M BB Row 40 x 12, 50 x 12)

Lat pull down close grip
70 x 12 x 3

Seated Cable Rows
(M 60 x 12 x 3)
40, 50, 60 x 12

Stretch