A Leg Day Workout Skirting Sciatica

Yay! Over Eight and a Half today!

I spent a good portion of yesterday lying flat on my back with my right knee bent up to my chest. It seems to ease the discomfort and I suspect that I have some sort of sciatic impingement. This morning I felt good enough to walk the dog and get my son and husband ready for Boy Scout Camp. Today is Leg Day and I'm not sure what my body can handle so I play it by ear. My right pinky toe feels a tad numb but that's the only thing bothering me so far. I get to the gym just as B drives away. I've decided that I just can't deal with her type these days. At the gym, I can't do anything until I do a session or two of cardio. It warms me up and clears the fog from my brain, makes me sweaty and limber. Because the first session felt really good, I opt to do a second session. I usually do two sessions on Leg Day but today is not a normal day.

The Smith Machine is empty and I position myself under the bar to see if I can squat without any weight. I can't quite get my butt to my heels because my knees don't feel right as I descend. I do a set and then add weight to the bar until I've done three sets at 155 lbs. My right knee twinges slightly but my back feels okay. The SLDL are another matter altogether. I do a slow set with just the bar, then add a pair of 25 lb plates. I move slowly and cautiously, but at the 10th rep my lower back spasms, nearly bringing tears to my eyes. Because I'm stubborn, I repeat this exercise twice more, each time only getting to the 10th rep before I have to stop. I move on to the Cage Stretch, not knowing what to expect. I move slowly and deliberately. The stretches feel good and my side kicks seem normal. Normally I do a few pistol squats afterwards, and because I was able to squat at the Smith, I think that this should be okay. But I'm wrong. As I crouch down, I experience excruciating pain shooting down my extended right leg. Nope. That's a negative today. No Pistols. Probably not for a few weeks by the way things feel.

I'm so surprised by the pain that I'm not sure if I can or should do the rest of my workout. Seated Leg Curls are next. Gingerly, I position myself with a light weight. It's godawful easy. I jump the weight from 60 to 90 lbs. It still feels easy. Okay, last time I did sets at 105 lbs so I up it again. Braced against the lap bar, I do three sets and decide that it's enough. Ab Crunches are painless and I lose count, meaning to stop at 100 but catch myself at 120... Leg Extensions are last and shouldn't cause too much stress. I do my six sets before heading for the Mats. But I don't do my normal Mat Stretch. Instead I spend 10 minutes flat on my back, doing sciatica stretches. I feel better but standing is a bitch and I bite my lip straightening up. I've had sciatic pain before but not in a long while. It's not at all encouraging that one of the possible causes is Lumbar Spinal Stenosis, something my dad suffered from as he got older. He couldn't treat it and it limited his ability to walk around.

Leg Day Workout
35 min Intervals 7 = 4.54 miles + 35 min Hill 6 = 4.06 miles  Grand Total = 8.6 miles Wahoo!
Smith Squats: 12 @ bar / 95 / 115 / 135, 3 x 12 @ 155 lbs
Smith SLDL: 12 @ bar / 3 x 10 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch with BW heel dips and side kicks
No Pistol Squats!
Seated Leg Curls: 12 @ 60 / 90 lbs , 3 x 8 @ 105 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 120
Seated Leg Extensions: 6 x 12 @ 75 lbs
Sciatica Stretch on the Mats: lying flat with knees bent and feet flat on floor, pull one knee up to chest, curling lower back and hips up. Hold for several seconds then repeat with other leg. Lying flat with knees bent and feet flat on floor, pull one leg up and cross it over thigh of stationary leg, stretching hip open. 

The gym scale reads 109.2 lbs and I'm certain it's the salty clam, bacon & spinach pizza we had for dinner last night that's causing me to retain some water. When I get home my own scale reads 107.6 lbs which is well within my normal range. I see Mo briefly at the gym but she and I were both doing our own routines so we didn't converse. When I leave the gym, R's silver sedan is parked next to my battered old Subaru. That makes me smile for no apparent reason. I know it's stupid, but we're all human beings, craving connection, no matter how tenuous or oblique.

The test results are back and my urine is mostly normal. No protein. Whew! But there are traces of micro-albumin, suggesting that my kidneys might still be leaking. Or it could be due to vigorous exercise. I choose the latter but this is not truly determinable without further testing. Of course. So I have agreed to a 24-hour urine test. According to the Mayo Clinic, less than 30 mg is normal, 30-300 mg suggests early kidney disease, and over 300 mg indicates advanced kidney disease. I have to pick up a container and collect urine from first thing in the morning until bedtime. When I review my schedule, I realize that this isn't going to be possible until the weekend because I'm sure as hell not going to carry around a bottle to pee in all day. Nope, not taking it to the gym or the grocery store. Nope. It's gonna wait until the weekend.