Modified Monday

After spending the weekend being a slug (exercise-wise) and eating like the proverbial oinker (Big W's BBQ yesterday and Kamsen Chinese Food Market on Saturday), well, I go to the gym on Mondays with anticipatory trepidation.

45 minutes of cardio gives me only 4.91 miles. I'm slow today, and I woke up with my joints a bit achey — the bad elbow, a ping in the wrist, alternating aches in my knees. Must be the humidity. It's suppose to rain the entire week. The Smith machine is free and I figure, well, I feel heavier today, so I'm probably stronger. Go for it! I actually get 2 sets of 12 reps at 135 lbs although I have to admit the reason I only got 10 reps the first time was because I didn't think I could do it. As in, I was thinking too much about not being able to do it. Granted the 2nd set I almost failed on rep 12, and even on a Smith machine, this is a bit scary. I got my nerve back though and got my full 12 reps for the last set. Then I pyramided down with a set at 115 and a set at 95. It was sweet!

I'm wondering if switching to the thinner pretty chrome 15 lb "beauty bells" is what's effecting my elbow problems. My grip is different on these. I switched because the standard dumbbells were a bit thicker and my pinkies were developing callouses right at the fingertips as they grazed the knurled metal grips. I guess I'd rather have callouses (I can always file my fingertips) than chronic elbow problems, or perhaps this is completely coincidental.

Standard delt workout with 15 lbs. I'm getting a bit bored with doing 5-6 sets at 15 reps each, but I'm not sure I can handle 20 lbs. It's a big leap. I don't do military or shoulder presses at all. Not that I can't. It's just that when I have, my right ear plugs up and I can't hear out of it for a bit. A sports chiropractor I used to see in the City told me that I had some vascular peculiarities on that side of my neck, and I should probably not do those type of movements. I'm okay with that.

Because my right elbow is sporadically sore, I only do a few light sets of tricep extensions and completely avoid doing press downs. My triceps are a bit warm anyway from the earlier bench pressing. But I have decided if I'm ever going to see a 6-pack, well, I should start doing some weighted situps. The first set I do is my standard twisting situp, about 125-150 reps followed by kickouts. Later I go back and incline the board about 30 degrees, grab a 10 lb plate to my chest and do 4 sets of 25 inclined situps. It doesn't feel hard. Just different.

I'm not really tired but I'm running out of things to do that I can actually do, so I go stretch. Afterwards, I figure, what the heck, and I knock out pushups just to see how many I can get. I'm always hesitant at first because no one wants to fall on their face in front of the whole gym, not that anyone is paying any attention. I get to 40 and slow down. Then I get to 50. Then 51 and I think, Oh, I guess I should stop now. I walk my hands to my feet for a stretch and then go shower. Next time, I think, I should stop thinking so much and just count. Before I get on the scale, I tell myself I feel like I'm 108. It reads 107.6 and I smile to myself.