Baby Steps and Payoffs

I'm a fairly patient person, even tedious in my methodical, plodding nature. It's something I learned when I was a child while doing homework my mother imposed on me on top of the regular school curriculum -- my actual true nature is to slack. I think we're all born slackers because human nature is to take short cuts, expending the least energy for the most gain. It's what makes us top of the food chain. It's also what makes us our own worst enemies, especially in areas where short cuts don't really do us any good.

Today is my first Pull Day this week so I head to the gym to do cardio and work back and biceps. The Precors are free, I get on #3 and just for fun, punch in program hill #5. The latest M&M commercial featuring MeatLoaf's song I Won't Do That has sparked a longing to hear Bat Out of Hell (yes, I own the vinyl and somewhere I have the CD) so I bought the albums from Amazon.com (they now feature autorip so these songs are instantly downloadable as well). Of course, you realize that I'm mouthing all the lyrics to Bat Out of Hell while I'm peddling furiously. It was great fun, and a good warm up.

Today's Total Work Out:
35 min cardio = 4.11 miles
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 3 x 10 @ 120 lbs
I see V wander by but he knows better by now that to come chat. Other people come by and wave and I wave back because I know they're not going to waste my time with inane banter.
Lower Back Extensions (I take it easy today and only do 2 sets): 25 @ 90 / 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kick (lately my right hip socket/upper thigh has been slipping in and out in a very unpleasant manner; perhaps doing these stretches is not such a good thing)
Bent Over Reverse Grip BB Rows (the Smith Rack is busy so I do these instead): 6 x 15 @ 75 lbs
Smith Rack Pull Ups: 12 + 3 / 11+2 / 8+2  (I could've used B's interruption for a nice rest between sets 2 and 3 today but she'd already left by this point)
Alternating DB Bicep Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
The Mayor keeps wandering by to chat with M, Tall Pace, FishGuy, 5o'clock, RangerRick. He's loud and I'm sooo not interested in hearing what he has to say that I put my regular cardio mix back on and turn up the volume. I think he has some sort of compulsive disorder.
Concentration Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs (I discover today that turning my hand so that the pinky-side leads actual causes the bicep to peak much nicer in this movement without stressing my elbow)
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Up (because I need to rest my forearms!): 125
Lower Ab Kick Outs: 100
Ab Crunch Station: 3 x 50 legs up / 2 x 50 legs on floor
Reverse Grip BB Curls: 6 x 20 @ 40 lbs (still grimacing on the last 5 reps of the last 2 sets)
I see R for the first time in weeks without his brother so I ask him how he's doing. Then I tell him that he HAS to wish me a happy birthday next week. But I rather doubt if I'll see him. What I should've asked him, now that I'm thinking about it, is what he thinks as a trainer, of DMSO2. It's been around forever but I still get conflicting opinions about it's effectiveness and safety.
Mat Stretch
I think my stretch routine really weirds some people out although I'm not sure 1) why more people don't stretch more and 2) if it's just weird to do cardio, weights and stretching in immediate succession for each workout. I think it makes sense to do this, at least for my body type and what I'm hoping to accomplish: strength, endurance, flexibility. And all with the least amount of injury.

Lat spread in a tank
with a bad phone camera

The gym scale reads 108.8 lbs which is good for a Tuesday. I'm not making a lot of strength gains, but since I'm a methodical, plodding person, I'm happy that I'm able to do pull ups these days and I think my back is getting a tad wider. I know it's bigger but backs are hard to measure, especially if you're a woman. My workout tanks feel tighter under the armpits, and the straps to my bras cut into my traps. And I emphatically Do Not work my traps (trapezius) because no woman wants to look like a no-neck geek. These muscles get enough of a work out from all the back and shoulder work I already do. I'm hoping it's the pull ups. Maybe this is finally paying off!