Stretch Unforgiven

I woke up a bit sore but nothing I'm not used to, which probably means I wake up sore most of the time and am so used to it that I don't really notice. Just a tad around the pecs (translation: arm pits), and the ubiquitous left hamstring/glute connection. It's bloody cold this morning and I blink twice to make sure I'm reading 24°F correctly. The gym is uncharacteristically quiet although not empty, but all the ellipticals are vacant so I merrily hop onto my favorite Precor.

45 minutes leaves me warm, moist and satisfied with 5.05 miles. The Rowing Station and Lat Pull Downs are busy so I stretch at the Cage instead, while my legs are still warm. Still, my left hamstring nags at me right at the glute insert. Yep, my butt is sore. I do a few kicks and manage to squeeze out a dozen chin ups before wandering back to the Cable Station. Rows are free! With the right handles! Wahoo! B stops to chat with me and I see R glide past behind her. I'm happy to see that he's well enough to be here. B complains about being sick, or rather, being sick yesterday for 12 hours but seemingly fine now. Hhmmm.

Suddenly the gym is filled with the din of a thousand chattering women. Okay, it only seems like a thousand as a class lets out, and I turn up my iPod to drown out the noise. Seated cable rows are okay. Lower back extensions are okay. It's the Lat pull downs that are my downfall today. By the 4th set, I lose my grip on the bar and have to drop the weight down. Even then, I have trouble hanging on.

Because I'm having a grip problem today, I opt to stay with the 60 lb bar for Bent Over Barbell Rows. I get 5 sets without any problem. I need to rest my forearms before attempting biceps (otherwise I won't be able to hang onto the weights) so I climb onto the Sit Up board and knock out about 150. Since the Lower Ab Kick Outs seem to be giving me a rug burn, and my husband wants to go to cardio kickboxing tonight after tae kwon do, I don't bother with them.

I see B and R chatting animatedly so I wander over. I need to work biceps but instead stand around listening to them discuss his back injury, her adamant opposition to her husband bringing work home, the two cars crushed by falling trees at his parent's house, her big downed tree, his next doctor's appointment, her telling him that he should get seen sooner. Eventually, I get bored and wander off to actually do Bicep Hammer Curls. Then Reverse Grip Barbell Curls. Someone's got the 30 lb bar so I decide that I'd rather go up in weight than down, and grab the 40 lb bar. I manage 3 sets at 15. But just barely.

Mat stretch is still painful but getting better. Now it's only the left glute that's sore and stiff, indifferent to gentle stretching. Still, I persist. Tomorrow's Leg Day and I'll be better warmed up. Well, now I know. If I take a week off, my cardio and strength won't decrease dramatically, but damn I'd better keep up the stretching.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio = 5.05 miles
Cage stretch & kicks & 12 close grip chin ups
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 / 12 @ 105 / 3 x 8 @ 120
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs (my back is feeling a tad tired)
Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 90 / 4 x 12-10 @ 105 / 12 @ 90 lbs
Bent Over Barbell Rows: 5 x 15 @ 60 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 150
Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 12 @ 15 / 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 3 x 15 @ 40 lbs
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat stretch

The scale is unforgiving today and reads 110 lbs even. I think I'm getting my period though. After I shower, I suck down an Ensure High Protein as usual, and then drive off to the voting booth because today is Election Day. I muse over my home scale readings later: 106.8 lbs, 19% BF, 52.6% TBW, 38.6% muscle and 4.6 lbs bone. Well, at least the water and bone seem consistent. I still can't figure out why the BF measures lower and both the muscle and TBW are higher, but since all the readings are very similar from one day to the next, I'm not going to worry about it. No, it's the stretch I've got to keep in mind. It's unforgiving!