Damn I'm Tired and It's Only Wednesday!

Last night I took my son to his TKD class at UMAC where my husband also attends. Afterwards, we participated in an hour-long cardio kickboxing class upstairs. I don't participate in the cardio part which is a lot of running laps, hopping up and down, jumping jacks and thrust-squats. Like I've said before, crappy knees, make it prudent for me to skip impact movements. But I fully enjoy the rest of the class which entails drills such as punching a hand-target (a hand-held padded paddle) between push ups while in the push-up position, and punching a target every time you come up from a sit up. You alternate with your partner, each person doing 10 sets. I'm prone to losing count and I'm always surprised when my husband tells me that now it's his turn. The best part was alternating a punch and a jab, perhaps because I'd just watched  The Fighter with Mark Wahlberg (still a great body) and a hauntingly accurate Christian Bale.

Precor programs hill 5 and interval 7

So no surprise this morning that I'm having trouble getting up to speed doing cardio. Today's Leg Day which means two sessions. My legs feel a little heavy but I'm able to put in decent mileage in spite of the roughness of the peddles on Precor number 2. The other two ellipticals are occupied and I'm happy just to have a Precor to work out on. I'm not so lucky when I'm done because the Manchurian is on the Smith machine. I go do Cage Stretches instead. When I return, a brand new face is on the Smith, doing Squats. Ugh. Well, now what?

I can't wait too long or I'll start to cool down and I can't work out if I'm cold. I can't squat with a normal rack because my elbows, oddly enough, hurt when I put my hands to the bar. I have no choice but to grab a 100 lb barbell and do, for the first time, bare naked Dead Lifts. It's not my back or hamstrings that start to fail, but my hands. My grip is tenuous at the end of each set and it's not a great feeling. But I knock out 5 sets of 12 and then head back to the Smith in order to do a few squats. Nixon and M are at the inclined benches. I watch Nixon watching patiently. M is chatting with the Mayor and others. Too much talking for me. I'm glad I'm plugged in.

Today's Leg Workout:
35 min cardio Hill #5 = 4.10 miles + 35 min cardio Intervals #7 = 4.21 miles 
Grand Total = 8.31 miles Yay! Not my best, but absolutely not the worst.
Cage Stretch & Kicks
I hate doing my routine out of order because I believe large muscle groups should be worked right after cardio, then stretching, then more weights. Today I can't get to squats right away so I have to rearrange the order. I'm not happy about it though.
BB Dead Lifts: 5 x 12 @ 100 lbs
My hands, especially the two smallest fingers, start to fail after the 8th rep, making each set difficult to complete. I persist but wonder how I'll ever be able to up my weights past the 110 lb barbell. The barbells have smaller diameters than the Olympic bars, and my hands aren't big enough to squeeze the grip collars on and off to hold plates in place. 
Smith Rack Squats: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 95 / 12 @ 115 / 12 @ 135 / 3 x 12 @ 155 lbs
Pistol Squats each leg: 15
Seated Leg Extensions: 6 x 12 @ 75 lbs
Seated Leg Curls: 12 @ 90 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 105 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Torso Twist Station: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch: my legs are definitely not as warm as they should be so my hamstrings are stiff and my splits are off. Kickboxing took its toll as well, although I'm not sure why it affects my stretch when I'm thinking all it did was tucker me out more than usual. 

I saw B when I walked in this morning. She was doing cardio with her new "gym husband". I see Mo later on when I'm about to leave and we discuss care-taking and hospice care. A boy in my son's Cub Scout's pack has had a brain tumor recurrence and families are rallying together to provide support. I see Ranger Rick and Skinny Blonde, Skinny Mustache, Ollie, Marine Mustache, Hairy Tattoo, R, and Hoodie Tattoo. There are new faces as well, including a new young guy at the front desk. We'll see how long he lasts. Usually, we see a new face maybe once or twice and then never see them again. Not sure if they just find better prospects or if the probation period is too tough for them.

The gym scale reads 109.0 lbs which makes me happy. I'd've been disappointed otherwise since all my clothes are completely drenched. Yes, I know the loss is primarily water and temporary at best, but still, it cheers me. I've been sorting through my old clothes, trying to determine what to toss and what to keep. I dug up a pair of skin tight capris to wear today instead of my Reebok unitard because I'm tired of yanking the thighs down. Tomorrow is another Push Day, and the last day of the school year for my son which means I have to bring him with me on Friday. I'm not usually able to squeeze everything into a 2 hour period so I'll have to create an abbreviated workout. That'll probably be okay because I'm already tired now!