Feigning Ignorance is Bliss

We got to the gym a tad early today. My son parked himself in the childcare room with his SpongeBob DS game and I got 4.09 miles on the elliptical after 35 minutes. I was looking forward to the Seated Cable Rows. I've managed to get a few light sets (6-8 reps) at 120 lbs and I feel stronger. Unfortunately, I can see V lurking in the hazy periphery of my vision. Having grown up in NYC, I'm good at completely ignoring people while keeping them on my radar: I don't want to accidentally bump into them if I'm truly avoiding them.

Today is Back & Biceps. I like working my back. It's one of the more photogenic parts of me even if I'm not really seeing anything different in my progress photos. I get 3 sets of 6 reps at 120 lbs. Serviceable. A finishing set of 12 reps at 90 lbs glides effortlessly. I should do more sets but I've got time-constraints. Cage stretches & kicks and a set of 12 close grip chin ups feels pretty good. I'm now toying with the idea of doing regular chins or pull ups, if I can figure out where to place my hands at the top front of the Cage. My waist seems too big and wide, so I've stopped doing the Torso Twists for the moment. I'll stick to sit ups, kick outs and crunches.

Lat pull downs are next. A set at 75 lbs to warm up, and then another 5 sets of 10-12 at 105 lbs. Letting the bar pull me up to standing feels good as it stretches my arms and back. Of course, I'm always a half inch shy and have to clamber onto the seat in order to fully release the bar. I move directly to Reverse Grip Bent Over Barbell Rows. The 60 lb solid barbell always feels heavy when I lift it off the rack. Bicep curls, abs and finally, reverse curls for forearms. Someone is using the 30 lbs barbell for wrist curls so I move heavier and hope I'm not making a mistake using the 40 lbs. It's painful, but I get my 3 sets of 15 reps.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min cardio = 4.09 miles
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 75 / 12 @ 90 / 4 x 6 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 90
Cage stretch & kicks & 12 close grip chins w knees to chest
Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 75 / 5 x 10-12 @ 105 lbs
Reverse Grip Barbell Rows: 6 x 15-12 @ 60 lbs
Bicep Dumbbell Curls: 12 @ 15 / 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Lower Back Extension: 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: about 150
Lower Ab Kick Outs: about 125
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 3 x 15 @ 40 lbs
Mat stretch

The scale reads 108.4 lbs and I'm glad my weight is dropping instead of climbing. Tomorrow is Leg Day which means I'll do 2 sets of cardio. I'm quite looking forward to it. As I leave the gym with my son, V is sitting at the coffee bar and tries to engage me in conversation. And then he sees my son and suddenly cuts his greeting short. Whew! Yes, he's my neighbor but that's not a reason to hang out, or engage in the vicious gossip he so seems to enjoy. It's terrible when you have to ignore people in order to get your workout done, but people like V are psychic vampires,  absorbing your time, attention and energy, leaving you feeling drained and unfulfilled.