Will Stronger Mean Bigger?

I'm still tired and I'll confess to being a tad sore as well. Nothing really specific, although I'm happy to say it's not my butt. For weeks my butt hurt. Now it doesn't anymore! Yay! Instead, I think there's a diffuse soreness to my entire upper body (I can't believe it was just a 6 rep set at 155 doing this!), but nothing that's going to inhibit me from daily routines.

Precor #3 seemed a bit clunky this morning, at least until I started to get into my groove and upped my pace to a brisk 195-205 SPM. No stitches either. After 35 sweaty minutes, I did manage to squeak past my quota, but just barely. I saw M but never in any context to say Hi so I didn't. The Mayor was unusually quiet today. I see Tall Pace and he seems to be frowning a lot. But I'm focused on Seated Cable Rows because I've been at a plateau for some months now. Today's the day I mix it up a bit and I drop my reps as I move the weights up. When I get to 120 lbs I hesitate. Last week I'd done a few sets at 127.5 so doing the next plate, 135 should be doable. And after convincing myself that doing sets of 6 reps is perfectly respectable, I do it.

After yesterday's personal best (for me), I posted it on the forum and got the reply that since I'd done an additional 49 reps (12, 12, 25), I most likely could handle another set or two of 6 reps at my max weight. Can't really argue too hard there. We are our own worst enemies!

Today's Total Workout:
35 min cardio = 4.02 miles
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 lbs / 10 @ 105 / 8 @ 120 / 3 x 6 @ 130 lbs
Not picture perfect form but that's kind of hard when you're pulling something that weighs more than you do and it's all you can do to stay in your seat. It's a lot of leg working with back and arms. 
Pull Ups at the Smith Rack: 12+2 / 10+2
I keep my legs curled up to my chest while I do these. It's cheating because I don't fully extend my arms but at least I'm working lats, and I'm not completely destroying my forearms.
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks
This area is suddenly crowded with broken equipment to be repaired and I can't kick outside the stretch cage without tripping over someone so I only do cage kicks.
Pull Ups: 12+2
Reverse Grip BB Rows: 15 @ 80 lbs / 6 x 15 @ 85 lbs
I should probably move up to the 90 lb bar but I'm so damn lazy.
Seated Alternating DB Bicep Curls: 3 x 12 @ 25 lbs
Pull Ups: 10+2 / 8+1
I'll do as many as I can until I just can't do them
Lower Back Extensions (again): 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 100
BB Curls: 15 @ 40 lbs / 3 x 15 @ 45 lbs
Reverse Grip BB Curls: 3 x 15 @ 40 lbs
Pull Ups: 10+2
Mat Stretch

According to the gym scale I'm 110 lbs today. At home I weigh in at 107 lbs. My measurements seem the same so I'm not quite sure if I'm actually getting bigger somewhere that's not measurable. Uh, like my big toe perhaps? I am eating an egg with my oatmeal everyday. I'm also eating local Salinger Farm apples with cottage cheese & pineapples, or pepper-jack cheese, and drinking a big steaming cup of Tazo Awake tea in the afternoons with honey and half 'n half. I need that caffeine kick or else I'll be yawning through my son's homework.

It's 74°F today and I'm wearing a skimpy spring green t-shirt and bright blue khakis (Gap). The size 0 are always too big in the butt and waist, and the size 00 fits there, but is a tad tight in the thighs. I really can't win, unless I wear shorts, or a dress. But tomorrow the temp's going to plummet back to a more seasonal 58.

I don't mind the cooler weather because I can get away with wearing a tank top undershirt under my long sleeve flannel. With the warmer weather I'm back to the sartorial dilemma of what to wear under my shirts because penlight that I am, I still prefer not to have headlights on my chest. I've got a 36AA Lula Lu padded bra that does the trick but when I look down, I don't recognize my own body profile. It's like wearing prosthetics! Perhaps if I were a bigger person this would seem more proportional, or downright dainty. Maybe I really need a 36AAA. Hmmmm.

The bugs are out en masse: found a stink bug in my dog's water bowl this morning! And I saw robins courting in the road when I took the dog out around 7:30 am. Mayflies and gnats buzzing our faces at the school bus stop. Yep, it's spring. The trees are all tipped with tiny red swollen buds. My eyes are intermittently itchy.

I'm hoping to get stronger, but not really any bigger although a tad more definition would be nice. But everything's really just one great big experiment. Do it and see what happens! And if it doesn't quite turn out the way you expected, well, there's always tomorrow to revamp things and try again! That's actually part of the fun, seeing what works and what doesn't. It keeps things fresh, and exciting. No point to getting yourself in a rut. Life's too short to suffer through self-imposed ruts.