My 35 minutes gives me only 3.86 miles but I'm not stressed about it. B is the one who's stressed. She hasn't been happy all week. She's rushing off to get her nails done and then to the chiropractor for some therapeutic massage. She's skeptical that it'll do anything for her tennis elbow, but then again, she's from the age where medicine is a pill. I tell her I'll see her Monday and wish her well.
The Smith has been abandoned with one 25 lb plate on the bar and sweat still on the bench. Blech. People can be such air-headed pigs. I wipe down the bench and strip the bar. Just for fun, I'm going to do a combination of reps and heavy benching because it's easy for me to think I've lost my strength after several weeks of not pressing my maximum.
Today's Total Workout:
35 min cardio = 3.86 miles
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 25 @ 95 lbs / 25 @ 115 lbs (I'm very pleased I can do this!) / 15 @ 135 lbs / 10 @ 145 lbs (yippee!) / 15 @ 115 lbs / 25 @ 95 lbs (when I'm done, my chest and arms are really pumped and I struggle to get my hoodie back on after I wipe down the bench)
Cage Stretch & Kicks
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| Latissimus Dorsi |
Front & Lateral & Rear Inclined Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 for Front & Lateral / 3 x 15 @ 22.5 lbs for Rear Inclinsed Raises
Lateral Raises SuperSet w Rear Inclined Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 / 3 x 15 @ 22.5 lbs (I'm actually relieved that during the last 2 Rear sets, I have trouble getting to the 15th rep)
One-Arm DB Tricep Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Ab Curl Machine: 2 x 50 (upper) / 2 x 50 (lower)
Pull Ups on the Smith machine: 11+1 / 10+2 / 6+2 (I feel a twinge in my left back and wonder if the latissimus dorsi muscle there is that much weaker than the right side. I'm really tired after this!)
French Press w EZ Curl Bar (15 lbs): 4 x 25 reps (high reps are suppose to add definition and it'd be nice to see those horseshoes a little better, but I'm doing this only because I can't get on the Tricep Press Down Station)
Mat Stretch
I see a lot of regulars and most of them keep a respectful distance. Except for a guy I'll call ZZ. I noticed him the same time I noticed R, when B was complaining about people she didn't like because they never said Hi, and she meant R and ZZ. I had to have her point them out to me because I had no idea what she was talking about but then again, I'm pretty oblivious to most people unless they're in my way, or they have a great physique. Eventually I got to know R and he turns out to be a very nice guy. But everything I've noticed about ZZ tells me he's trouble, and to be avoided.
Most of the guys at the gym are middle-aged and fall into the "admiring you from a respectful distance" category. They stare while trudging on the treadmill or wrestling with barbells. They have a dazed look as if they've never seen anything as wondrous as a woman working out. If they interact with you, say, to ask if you're done with a station, they're painfully polite. (Except for Hannibal BaggyKnees but he's another story.)
Then there are the teenagers who have no idea that they're in anybody's way because they don't even know why they're at the gym. There are subcategories too. Such as the trio of young Latino guys today who coincidentally "followed" me from the free weight station to the Cage stretch rack because there's a cable station there. By the time they followed me back to the dumbbell area (for shoulders) they seemed pretty intimidated.
Then there's ZZ who has huge black zig-zag tattoos down his arms that completely obscure muscular definition or size. They are probably not quite the worse tattoos I've seen, unlike R who has beautiful work on his left shoulder, upper arm and back, but they are pretty close to being awful. ZZ has been trying to catch my eye since last year. Then he showed up with a very short, chubby woman whom I assume was his girlfriend or spouse. Right after that, he stopped coming to the gym for several months. Now he's back. And he seems to be following me all over the gym. I suspect he's trying to catch my eye again. Jeez. Hopefully, showing up with my son next Monday will put the kibosh on that without me having to actually say or do anything directly. It's worked before with unwanted male attention before anyone's said or done anything embarrassing. (I'm fairly non-confrontational, preferring to walk away or walk around something or somebody to be avoided.) Unless he's stupid.
I'm almost tempted to buy this month's issue of Men's Health just for the cover model. It's been said that this magazine is geared towards gay men, but still, it's not often that you find a cover model who catches your imagination. Now ladies, remember, married does not mean dead. And a little harmless inspiration is sometimes just what you need to keep your workouts fresh and exciting. There is nothing more stultifying and non-productive than a boring routine. What's the point if you're merely going through the motions, wishing you were doing something else?
The gym scale reads 108 lbs, but 105.2 lbs once I'm home. I'm done with antibiotics and decongestants but I'm still clearing snot out of my head. Apparently this is normal and will go on for at least another week or so. If I don't get sick again, perhaps I'll get a flu shot. I'm still waiting for the vague dizziness to vanish as well. It's not as bad as before but I wonder about the sporadic feelings of hyperventilation (tingly mentholation) that I felt earlier. It's probably nothing. If it persists, it's off to the ENT (ear, nose, throat) I go.
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