I have a new workout partner, and he is kicking my ass.
Late last year my 13 year old son Jaiden decided he wanted to get a fitness membership to join the gym. My wife took him for his first workout and then I went with him a few times after that. Then one weekend we took a couple days off and that was it. Sadly he never went back to the gym until a couple months ago.
Suddenly a couple months back Jaiden decided that it would be great to get “ripped”. I am still not sure if ripped mean losing all his body fat or gaining lots of muscle but I guess I will find out eventually.
Our Original Workout Schedule
We started working our whole body in one workout and working out three days a week; Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and then Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday. Never more than one day off.
The workouts are really one exercise for 3 sets, 2 of which are to failure for each muscle group. The workouts are dragging up to about an hour and a quarter which is a bit longer than I would like.
The reason for this three full body workouts a week is that I wanted to make sure that Jaiden was getting the hang of the workouts and I didn’t want him pushing too hard and hurting himself.
For a 13 year old this is great. For his 50 year old dad maybe not so much.
New And Improved 2 Day Split Workouts
So, we have now started a 2 day split where we work half our body one day and the other half the next. This is much easier for me and we can hit each muscle group a bit harder. So Monday and Thursday are legs, back, and biceps, while Tuesday and Friday are chest, shoulders, and triceps.
So far my old body, with old bones, because I am an old man (as my 17 year old daughter say) is holding up ok, but On Thursday I also played street hockey so I am still recovering on this fine Saturday.
It is funny to watch my wife and daughter plead with Jaiden to take it easy on me like I have no say on my sets. But really I am just fighting against my own biological clock. Not sure if I am winning yet?
And I whine like a little baby. My wife and daughter hate it. With our original workouts I was just not recovering fast enough and Jaiden would keep pushing me so I was sore for a few weeks. Jaiden hurt his back and was out for a week (more about that in another post) but made sure that I didn’t miss more than 1 workout.
I Have Had To Adjust A Lot And Am Loving The Gym Again
Having a training parter is great. So far only some spotting from Jaiden although I am comfortable spotting him a lot whenever he needs it. I am much more focussed in the gym and enjoying my workouts more than I have in a long time. Especially good because Jaiden is so excited about working out and seeing the changes in his body.
I have to teach him everything about form, weights, muscle groups, recovery, nutrition, set pacing and length, and reps per set. He challenges me a lot and I have to make sure I am doing my homework and not just using old wisdom that has since changed with research.
I know that we are still in the honeymoon phase of this new workout regimen, I have not told Jaiden anything about hitting plateaus, or going weeks without gains, but there is no way I want to discourage him at this point. I just guide him along and make sure he is eating right and training well without cheating and using the proper form.
Eating Schedule – Like a Man Obsessed
Jaiden is shooting for 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and 2 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight a day. Lots of chicken, eggs, tuna, brocolli, spinach, Multigrain bread, and brown rice. He is eating pretty clean but when he falls off and has a chocolate bar he will tend to have three. I am amazed how much a 13 year old can eat.
I myself have upped my protein but probably not enough yet. Just an extra serving of maybe a protein shake or a can of tuna over what I was eating before.
Jaiden is getting lot of sleep as well. He had some ADD and OCD, and anxiety issues so for some reason he needs a lot more sleep than most kids his age. Anywhere from 10-12 hours of sleep a night but never tired during the day.
So here I am on the couch on Canada Day. I rode down to see a parade this morning. I will be hanging out at our neighbors house this afternoon and will not be back to the gym until Monday. I am feeling great about the improvements in my body and with this two days off will make sure that I rest and sleep plenty so I am ready to get back to the gym with my very very tough training partner.