Learning to Love the Heat

Another heat wave morning. It was 84°F this morning so technically, it's hotter in New York than it is in Florida. Wow. I've modified my breakfast ever so slightly so that I'm drinking last weekend's brewed coffee stored in the refrigerator. Yes, my own "iced coffee" and of course, a packet of instant oatmeal which I let cool to room temperature. Grudgingly I put on capri leggings, sports bra and tank top. The hoodie is in my gym bag.

Today is Leg Day which means it's a mostly cardio day. I fumble my iPod and wind up listening to the full cardio mix of tunes which moves from Green Day to the soundtrack of Real Steel. It's good for the first 35 minutes of uphill elliptical and 4.11 miles. I literally drink a full third of my water before starting the 2nd leg which is 30 minutes of intervals and I get 3.80 miles for a grand total of 7.91 miles. I'm very happy. And completely drenched.

My back is a bit stiff today, and so are my hips. My right knee also feels off. I still do cage stretches and kicks, then head to the Seated Leg Curl and do 3 sets before getting to the meat of the matter: squats and deadlifts. My right knee is definitely not happy so for each set I modify my foot position until I have a stance where the knees feel okay. Or rather, I can't feel my knees hurt. For the deadlifts, I put my elbow braces on and make sure to keep my arms from extending fully. I'm having a rather odd light stinging sensation in my palm just under the right thumb. I'm pretty sure it's something to do with the Golfer's Elbow problem. I still haven't contacted Dr. Brightman yet. He's the sports chiropractor that the staff here at Gold's Gym recommend.

Today's Total Workout:
65 min = 7.90 miles
Cage stretch & kicks
Seated Leg Curls (hamstrings): 3 x 12 @ 75 lbs
Squats (Smith): 1 x 12 @ bar / 2 x 15 @ 95 lbs / 3 x 15 @ 115 lbs / 2 x 12 @ 95 lbs
Deadlifts (Smith): 6 x 12 @ 95 lbs
Seated Leg Curls (again): 3 x 12 @ 90 lbs
Seated Lower Ab Kickouts: 125
Mat stretch for hamstrings, calves, back, shoulders & neck

I don't make it to the Torso Twist machine because every time I look, it's occupied. I'm not that concerned because I'm thinking it's making my waist thicker, and really, no one needs THAT.

I'm sticky and sweaty as I head back to the locker room. The scale reads 107.2 lbs. Is it because my hair is still dripping wet? Or not. Maybe it's all the snacking after dinner last night? But I'm trying to remember what I did yesterday to make my upper back sore, and I can't think of anything. Perhaps this is just fallout from Monday's shoulder workout. Seated rear inclined dumbbell raises makes more sense. And I'll be doing them again tomorrow. Nothing better than getting hot and sweaty to work through your soreness!