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 join a 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.
We are also now trying to do two exercises per muscle group for 4 sets each including that first warmup set.
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
As for eating Jaiden is hardcore. He eats 6 or 7 times a day, portions his food and macros so that he will get 30 grams of protein and 60 grams of carbs or so per meal.
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.