Happy Vernal Equinox!

Another Leg Day!

I'd always thought Spring came on the 21st or 22nd of March, not the 20th so I admit that I was surprised to see it on the calendar today. I only ever really look at the calendar to jot down stats when I get back from the gym. It gives me a physical record that I can glance at without having to power on my computer, and I can track my progress for the last two years this way. Of course, that means I keep a lot of old calendars as well. But they have nice photos of dogs and cats and other critters that I tell myself I'll use for drawing models one day, so....

Today is Leg Day and I'm glad I'm not the only one at the gym wearing fluorescent shorts. There's some very popular classes so the locker room is loud with chatter. Boot Camp and RPM seem to be elbow room only, and admission tickets are issued in order to ensure that the classes aren't dangerously overcrowded. Of course, RPM is limited by the number of stationery bikes available.

My first cardio set is really good, but I soon start to regret my exuberance as I develop a stitch 15 minutes into the Intervals set. I have to slow my pace because the pain inside my right rib cage seems to be spreading under my diaphragm and downward into my lower abdominals. What a drag. Still, I manage to finish past the 8 mile mark and I'm happy. I also look like someone opened the hose on me. I wear my sopping hoodie for Squats because I'm not comfortable having the bar pad (that's been lying all over the gym floor) against my bare skin. The pockets get in the way of Dead Lifts so I take the hoodie off and drape it over the railing like everyone else does.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min hill #6 = 4.15 miles + 35 min intervals #7 = 4.39 miles  Grand Total = 8.54 miles Wahoooo!
Smith Squats: 12 @ bar / 6 x 12 @ 95 lbs
I wave Hi at R before grabbing the pad off the squat rack floor. He's doing one-armed barbell lifts there, straight up into the air. Always very impressive to watch. His back must be feeling better. But I don't have anything to say to him, and he leaves before I'm done with the Smith.
Smith Straight-Legged Dead Lifts (I'm not quite sure what the difference is between Romanian Dead Lifts and Straigh-Legged Dead Lifts): 6 x 12 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch, no kicks, but 10 close-grip (palms facing each other) just for fun! I pull myself up until my chest is kissing the top of the Cage, and I let my legs hang without swaying. I should've done 12 but I got distracted and stopped short.
Pistol Squats: 10 each leg
My right foot is cramping oddly, with two of my toes (index & ring), twitching and crossing uncontrollably. It's very distracting and started while I was doing cardio. Normally my fingers might do that near old scar tissue but this is a first with the toes.
I can't seem to get a good photo of my thighs because the camera doesn't focus quick enough to catch the best angle when I can see separation between the v lateralis, r femoris and the sartorius.
Seated Leg Curls: 3 x 15 @ 90 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 97.5 lbs (upping the weight because I'm bored)
Seated Leg Extensions: 6 x 15 @ 60 lbs (but not bored enough here to up the weights)
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch: my stretches here have been worse on Leg Day lately, feeling tight and stiff compared to yesterday's stretch routine.

I see Mo and she asks how my birthday was. I tell her my husband got me a portable hammock for reading outside in the yard, but that I'm still waiting for Restaurant Week to be over so we can go for a nice juicy steak dinner. Last night I defrosted some flap meat, tossed it with soy sauce, powdered ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, sesame oil and corn starch before sautéeing it in a hot pan with blanched broccoli and canned sliced water chestnuts. I tossed left-over whole wheat egg noodles into the mix to heat thoroughly. Voilà: beef & broccoli stir fry. Yeah, no wonder my husband needs to do more cardio! Although he's been declining desserts lately, so he is trying.

The gym scale reads 107.4, and my home scale reads 105.8 which is exactly what it was last Wednesday, my last Leg Day. I take my measurements because I'm curious as to whether I can fit into any of these Spring catalogue outfits I keep seeing. 34-25.5-33.5 and the only surprise is the chest because I'm a double-A (yes, penlight!) so that means, yes, my back is getting bigger! Yay! It means that doing pull-ups is actually having an effect. Of course, this sucks for clothing shopping, especially being a petite woman, but I'm fairly comfortable wearing boys L or XL. Of course, my favorite shirts are flannel but what the heck, the sun is shining, it's reasonably warm out, and it's Spring!

Happy Vernal Equinox!