Appreciating Summer

As much as I complain about the heat and the rain that comes with the summer months, I do enjoy the wafting scents of honeysuckles and what I presume are wild roses (although they don't look anything like cultivated roses, the wild ones have the same spiny leaves and thorns). The privet hedges are heavy with tiny white buds but haven't bloomed yet. When they do, the hedges will sway with the low hum of buzzing bees. This morning I found an odd hood ornament on my car... it was a perfectly dead fly, lying with its crossed legs in the air. I'm not sure what type it was because it didn't look like the common housefly, deerfly, horsefly or robberfly. But I did manage to snap a cell photo of it because while I have plenty of dead dragonflies, moths and other tiny winged insects inside my front windshield, I normally don't find anything on the hood.

The gym didn't seem too crowded even though the parking lot was full. I got on the Precor that I've been using for the past several months and punched in hill #6. Although I slept fairly soundly, I didn't sleep enough and my cardio was a struggle. With only a minute and a half left during "cool down" I develop a stitch just inside my right ribcage. Because I want to make my quota mileage today, I don't slow down (as is recommended) but instead try to speed up. By the time the session is over, I don't even remember having the stitch. And I make my quota so I'm happy, and sweaty.

I don't mind when the gym is full of regulars because we stay out of each other's way. I'm not fond of the creepy guys, however, who are trying desperately not to be too obvious, that they're trying to get my attention. Fat creepy PJ Pants is lurking about. He's actually in the gym photo I shot today, curling a barbell. The Mayor, Nixon and Ranger Rick are here as well. Ranger Rick is in a much happier mood and I see the skinny blonde running on the treadmill in the cardio area. Hoodie Tattoo comes every day as well, but he doesn't seem to make any gains. I up the weights for the Pendlay BB Row and the BB bicep curl. It feels pretty good although my left elbow complains a lot today in spite of vigorous forearm stretching against a nearby post.

As I suspected, Nixon is quietly watching me. I only know this for certain when I'm doing sets on the Lower Back Extension Station and a movement catches my eye so I turn my head toward the cable stations. In between the two stations is a pull up set up. An attractive young man (probably in his 20s) with Asian characters tattooed on his upper arm is performing a spectacular form of pull up which ends with him pulling his entire body up and curling it so that his toes are up over his head. It seems like a gymnastics move for rings and it looks extremely difficult. I watch for a few seconds and realize that Nixon has been watching me because as I turn towards the pull up bar, so does he but a fraction of a second later. At least Nixon isn't creepy. PJ Pants is fat, old and creepy.

Today's Pull Day (Back and Biceps) Workout:

I need a haircut!

35 min cardio hill #6 = 4.09 miles Yippeee!
Seated Cable Rows: 15 @ 60 / 12 @ 90 / 10 @ 105 / 8 @ 120 / 3 x 6 @ 127.5 lbs / 12 @ 112.5 / 15 @ 97.5 lbs These rows felt much better this week.
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Reverse Grip Bent Over BB Rows: 15 @ 100 lbs / 6 x 12 @ 105 lbs My hands don't hurt this week!
Pendlay BB Rows: 12 @ 60 lbs / 4 x 12 @ 65 lbs I'm still glad to stand up straight after each set. Now my only concern is the fact that I'm not tall enough to get the 70 lb BB off the rack next week. I had this problem a few months ago with the BOBBRows. LOL!
Seated Lower Back Extension: 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Up: 125
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
BB Curl: 15 @ 50 lbs / 6 x 12 @ 55 lbs
My left elbow is not happy with this movement in spite of stretching my forearms against a nearby post between each set. But this isn't the worst it's ever felt either.
Seated Lower Back Extension (again): 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Torso Twist (again): 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Reverse Grip BB Curl: 4 x 20 @ 40 lbs
Mat Stretch: better than yesterday but still inches away from a perfect horizontal split. 

As I'm stretching, I see R glide in. Just as I see him but don't see him, I'm fairly certain he's doing the same thing. Mo is just coming in as I get ready to shower, change and leave. I saw B's car again this morning but she was gone pretty quickly. The scale reads a happy 109.6 lbs because anything under 110 lbs is good news as far as I'm concerned. I had added an egg to my oatmeal for the extra protein when I wanted to increase my strength and size a tad. Now I'm culling it from breakfast because I want to have a lean muscular look for summer. I can't follow a bodybuilder's routine of bulking up and then cutting down to look good for a few hours. I just want to look decently good all the time. Not too much to ask, right? It's summer after all!