Back to the Fitness Center after Lockdown

After 6 long months I was finally back in the fitness center. This was the longest gap between weight room visits for me since I started working out as a teenager. It had felt like an eternity. Would I even remember what do anymore? I never thought that the Coronavirus pandemic would have caused such a state of lock down. However, as we now know, a lockdown and quarantine not seen with the past few generations was imposed by our governing bodies.

The fitness center limited the number of visitors to 30 at a time.  The staff were constantly cleaning and disinfecting all of the equipment. The club policy encouraged the wearing of masks but did not object if someone slid the mask down to the chin while they were exerting themselves at an exercise station. Social distancing was encouraged. Fortunately. there were no rebellious yahoos blatantly disregarding the rules.

                                       Constant cleaning by staff was a comforting sight.                

I had attempted to keep up an exercise regime during the lockdown. Some of the components were basic:

1.     Mountain bike rides for cardio and legs. (I had a hip flexor strain, so I curtailed other leg workouts for now)

2.     Push-ups for chest

3.     Bench dips for triceps

4.     Horizontal pullups for back and rear shoulders on scaffolding at a locked down construction site. (Yes, there was a hole in the fence)

5.     Reverse horizontal pullups for biceps emphasis. 

6.     I did only one of the resistance exercises on alternate days using 200 repetitions times 5 sets.

7.     I was chomping at the bit to get back to some heavier lifting.

I also went once a week to the Sue Holloway outdoor training park in Ottawa. Sue was a Canadian Olympian in Rowing and Cross- Country Skiing. The park had chin- up  and dip bars and other assorted body weight apparatus. There was also a climbing rope that went about 10 feet upwards, I used to be able to climb to the roof of the gym without using my legs -  about 40 feet or more. Now, I could barely get to 10 feet even using my legs. Aging and rotator cuff issues can have that effect.  However, by the end of the summer I was up to 4 climbs per session. By next year, my goal is once again to be using no legs all the way to the top!

  

               Mask wearing was strongly encouraged.       

  

  As for my return to the fitness center, there were changes that forced me to adapt.

1.     Access to an upstairs section with an extra stretching area, additional
  cardio machines, lighter dumbbells and stability balls was locked down.
2.     That locked down section was my traditional place for warm up, postural exercises and functional training prep work.
3.     Staff had taken away the cardio rowing machines to create more space for social distancing.  I used them for both warm up and cool down.
4.     My favorite cable machines had also been removed to enhance social distancing. I was able to adapt using the cable push down machine.
The Schwinn rowing machines were gone. The fear is that the paddle fan would spread air droplets.
5.     There were no stability balls. Was this due to sanitizing issues?
6.     Foam rollers were also no where in sight.
7.     Hours of operation were significantly reduced.
8.     Members were supposed to book training sessions online. I was unable to navigate their system. Fortunately, they allowed walk-ins if the gym was at less than capacity.
 9.  Person Fitness Trainers were missing in action.  If one on one training is considered a risk, what does the future hold for them?

I used fewer repetitions and increased the intensity for my first session back. It felt good to be back using weight training accessories. They felt like brand new Christmas presents. The next day I had some minor soreness that sometimes comes after a hard workout. Little Bobby Strong was back in business!

On a related topic, the Ottawa Athletic Club closed its doors for good on September11. The owners blamed the COVID 19 pandemic for the lockdown that paralyzed the club financially. The OAC catered to the more affluent fitness clientele since 1976. It was also an elite training center for Modern Pentathlon, Olympic Weightlifting, Tennis, Racquetball, and Squash. This pandemic has been a world changing crisis in many ways!

News Flash! As of the end the day of October 9, 2020 all fitness centers and gyms are to close for 28 days. The provincial government of Ontario, Canada has deemed this necessary to curtail a second wave of the COVI-19 crisis.

It may mean another visit to Sue Holloway park to climb the hangman's rope. Gadzooks! 

Until Next Time -Keep Pumping Up

Little Bobby Strong

Links

https://www.mianairforce.com/

www.fitnwell.com
www.hwsafaris.ca

www.rabbitview.com