Well, well, we have ourselves a pandemic. It took me a bit to accept the reality of what was happening, but I have been all in since March 11, 2020. My lifestyle is perfectly suited to social distancing and self isolation, except for one thing: I’m a gym rat. The gym is my only consistent attendance at a locale where multiple people gather. Even then, I choose to go at a time when it’s least crowded and I talk to maybe three people there. But once I understood what we were in, I bailed out. Of course the gym has since been closed.
On March 12, 2020 I completed my first workout in the little fitness center in my condo complex. I was alone for the first couple of workouts, but then a couple of fellow condo dwellers appeared to do cardio of all things. Go outside! I persisted for a few more days, but then a couple of youths appeared and violated my 6′ personal viral barrier. On March 18, 2020 I went full hermit crab and did a workout in my apartment. Of course the condo fitness center has since been closed.
Obviously in this time of pestilence, disease and death there are more important things to be concerned about, but working out is one of the things that keeps me sane in an insane world. It brings structure to my day and focuses my mind on something that is positive and constructive vs. all the potentially destructive things that a person can get into. Clearly I am not alone in my pursuits and the tubes of You are filled with At Home workout videos from the various fitness folks I follow.
I’ve never been a fan of bodyweight exercises like pushups, but they are a very effective chest/shoulder/tricep movement. I bought a couple of pushup handles from Amazon–the package stayed on the doorstep for a couple of days to clear the potential viral hangers on–because my wrists cannot tolerate the standard pushup position. I have some resistance bands from my brief venture into Dynamic Effort training, so I’ve been making the most of those. I bought a couple of heavier bands today to make Squats and the like more challenging. I’ve come to embrace blood flow restriction training for all my leg work. It’s been shown to be very effective for hypertrophy, even with light loads.
I’ve trained every day since March 12th and have gotten into a pretty good groove. I miss the barbell of course, but when I ventured to Publix the other day because Walmart was out of cottage cheese and some of my favorite canned foods, the experience was jolting. Everywhere I looked, I saw contagion. It’s got me thinking that returning to the gym will be very difficult. After all, who knows when we’ll be truly clear of this horrific viral plague that nature has inflicted upon us.
I do have some concerns that hypertrophy will be difficult if not impossible using nothing but resistance bands, but as a 56-year old man, maintaining muscle is a bigger concern than adding it anyway. I’m not giving up of course, I will continue to push every set hard and add resistance by adding more bands, more reps and anything else I can think of to keep the stimulus high.
My diet remains tight, and I’ve dropped 8 lbs since I started my deficit. I’m pretty lean, but not where I want to be yet. I’m guessing it’ll take another 5 lbs to get me to the ideal body comp, which would put me at 170 lbs. Clearly smaller than I want to be, but if I can’t be big and I can’t be strong, I can at least be lean. And mean of course, don’t forget mean.
I hope my fellow humans will do the right thing and remain apart so we can stem the spread of this highly efficient killer virus and spare the lives of as many of us as possible. I will certainly be doing my part and encouraging everyone else to do the same. I hold out hope for the best humans among us; the scientists, to find treatments that will work on the sick, and a vaccine to protect the rest. I wish them God Luck and Good Speed.
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