Holiday Trade-Off

Today is a Federal holiday which means banks and post offices are closed, there's no school and most people are off from work. But the gym is open. Yay! Of course, it's so crowded this morning that I'm forced to wait for stations that I want to use. It's so crowded that I can't just go do something else instead. Knowing this, I decide to punch in 45 minutes on the elliptical and just for fun, I load a random mix of all the songs in my iPod instead of the cardio playlist.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min hill #6 = 5.01 miles Wahoo! (my lungs were burning at minute 25 and I couldn't get my pace any faster than 195 SPM for most of this workout, but I got my wind during the cool down, got my pace up to 205 and managed to just squeak in 5 miles so I'm really happy today)
Bench Press (I see ZZ supersetting between shrugs and something on the Smith station so I move over to the free benches, which means I won't be able to lift as much because of my joint issues): 25 @ 45 lbs (bar) / 12 @ 65 lbs / 12 @ 85 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 95 lbs (I don't dare go higher with a thumbless grip and no spot)

Cage Stretch & Kicks (I have to wait for this station and I feel like dozing off in the "stretch chair" which has never ever done anything for me)
Front & Lateral DB Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs each set followed by a set of Seated Rear Inclined DB Raises: 3 x 15 @ 22.5 lbs
Lateral DB Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Seated Rear Inclined DB Raises: 3 x 15 @ 22.5 lbs
One-Arm Tricep DB Extensions: 12 @ 20 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 22.5 lbs (these don't feel too bad!)
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups (because I suddenly remember that I haven't done any abs in days): 125
Lower Ab Kick Outs: 100
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Decline Bench Press (I can finally get on this station after months): 20 @ bar / 12 @ 65 / 12 @ 85 / 3 x 12 @ 95 lbs (my right front delt starts to twinge so I'm not going to push any harder)
Mat Stretch (I'll do Tricep Press Downs another day because I've already been here too long!)

The gym seems to clear out at lunch time, as if someone's rung the dinner bell and everyone but me can hear it. The scale reads 110.6 lbs but that's not surprising for a Monday after a weekend of slothfulness. A trim older lady comments to me in the locker room that every time she comes here, I'm always working out so intensely. I reply, "There's no point to working out if you don't do it like you mean it." And I really believe that.

She tells me that she'd like to put on some muscle, but being 66 years old, she just does what she can and feels she has to be satisfied with that. "I've thought about using a personal trainer, but..." she trails off with an embarrassed look,"but none of them look like what I want." I nod sympathetically. I know what she means. There are no personal trainers at this gym who, in spite of all their knowledge and all the classes they teach, look as if they're the end results of what they're promoting. They don't look fit and fabulous. They look healthy, but I think I've got bigger, more defined arms than the gal who teaches BodyPump. I have better legs than the gal who teaches Zumba. But I don't teach, and I don't train people. I don't have the patience for people who aren't willing to push as hard as I do.

During my Mat stretch, I see the high school girls who seem to come every few days. They make a half-ass effort at stretching, but mostly they're texting on their phones. Yep, that's really going to help them with whatever their goals are. I notice my left hamstring is tight again so I'll have to be careful this week with cardio and stretching. But I'm done with my first workout of the week, and I'm ready to come back tomorrow. Wahoo!

PS: I'm seeing a lot of great T-shirts online but I'm really looking for a muscle shirt/tank for a gal like me to wear. Perhaps I'll just design my own. Lots of great websites like zazzle.com promise good quality items, but I'll have to investigate further...