Starting Over

The first day back at the gym was highly anticipated, grueling, and demoralizing. The one-hour appointment was easily set up once GPS was enabled for the 24GO “app.” Checking in was easy, once again using the “app.” Staff members verified the check-in status while everyone queued outside in line.

Guess who?

A photo was required to set up contactless check-in. So, a special photo was designed for that purpose. Those on-line photo editors are great, aren’t they? Baha! Ha! Ha! Haaa!

Only about 30 other members were working out during the allotted time. That appears to be the maximum per hour, at least for the downtown location. Face masks were not required, thank goodness.

About 20 minutes was allocated to weight training. Four machine were used for the chest workout. A serious decline in strength was noted. Sets (down 50%) and maximum weight (down 25%) were reduced significantly. About 35 minutes was allocated to the cardio workout. Again, a decline in cardiovascular stamina was noted. Overall, personal performance was abysmal.

The two-month hiatus did more damage than previously believed. The 70-minute workout with exercise bands (50-lb pro-quality) restored muscle definition, but not strength. Of course, a three-month hiatus would have been even worse.

At the end of the brief workout, there was a feeling of disappointment and rage. The “super-duper corona” hoax has now caused personal damage. Irreparable? Only time will tell. For now, the plan is to resume the same 7-day regimen and rebuild. At age 65 years, is that even possible?

Addendum: Bars and night clubs are also opening today (tonight). No live entertainment is permitted, but that may change so. Social distancing and group size limits are allegedly to be enforced. No idea about face masks, though. Frankly, there’s potential for a lot of big problems, that is, if anybody even shows up.