Week Four Day One Abbreviated

15July2013 Hill 5

My son has decided that his camp has the best activities at the end of the week so he's with me this Monday and Tuesday. Which means I have to shorten my first two workouts by a half an hour. Mondays are always Bench Press days and there's no getting around that. After a reasonable spin on the elliptical (I made my quota!), I wander over to the Smith.

The Manchurian is using it for Military (Overhead) Presses. He motions that he has two more sets and I tell him I'll come back. He smiles and I wander off to the Cage Rack on the other side of the cardio area. When I return, the bar is stripped and space empty. Because there are so many guys using the free weights and the benches, I don't swap out the inclined bench The Manchurian was using but instead position it flat. This bench is slightly lower than the standard flat bench and my hips and legs are better positioned on it.

The Smith feels a little sticky, as if the counterweight cables are gunked up. I know the fellow who fixes all the equipment is around today, but I'm in too much of a rush to find him and report on the equipment. I'm able to knock out all my sets which pleases me, and I ignore The Mayor and other guys who seem to linger perilously close to the Smith Rack. When I'm done, I debate (with myself) whether I have time to do delts. I had wanted to add a light Upright BB Row to the shoulder routine but I won't have time today. Instead, I pull up the incline bench to it's lowest inclined position and do Rear DB Raises. I haven't done them in a very long time (mostly because there's only two inclined benches) and the weights feel heavy. I'm wearing thigh-length baggy shorts because insect bites on my calves and ankles are driving me crazy. As I position myself on the bench, I realize that my calves are fully flexed and that must look pretty intimidating. For a small person I've got some big-ass chiseled calves.

Afterwards, I wipe down the bench and move the DBs over to a clear spot in front of the mirrored wall. If I keep moving, I can maintain momentum and get my sets of Lateral DB Raises done without too much grimacing. The 25s are still godawful heavy but I like the way my arms and shoulders look when I raise the DBs. In between sets, I pace and stretch my forearms. There's a young woman the next bench over, and she's got a pair of 30 pounders. Although she is taller and younger than me, I still wonder what she's going to do with those. She struggles to press them over her head, and at one point, R steps in to help her finish her set. That's probably the first time I've ever seen R assist anyone he wasn't actually training, and I smile to myself as I walk by. I'm done but I still need to stretch out before I can shower and change. Sweat is dripping off the tip of his nose as he looks up when I wave Bye. I do it quickly and without any conversation. I have nothing to say.

Week Four Day One Abbreviated Workout:
35 min cardio hill #5 = 4.02 miles Yippee!
I feel stiff and a tad sore when I start but by the halfway point, my muscles are warm and my joints feel loose and fluid. Surprisingly, as much as I have to wipe the spit drooling from my lips, I don't actually have to blow my nose. It's odd.
Cage Stretch with BW heel dips and side kicks (just to stretch out the hips)
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 95 lbs / 10 @ 115 / 8 @ 135 / 3 x 6 @ 155 lbs / 12 @ 135 / 25 @ 115 lbs Those teenage guys are hovering near the Smith again, until they start adding up the weight on the bar, then they're on other side of the gym. I use a 25 lb plate on each side to start and then add pairs of 10s as my sets progress. It makes it easier to do drop sets as well. 
Inclined Rear DB Raises: 6 x 15 @ 25 lbs
Standing Lateral DB Raises: 6 x 12 @ 25 lbs
I want to add Upright Barbell Rows but I'm out of time.
Mat Stretch: my left hamstring is noticeably tighter than the right so I ease into all my moves. I know my legs will be better tomorrow.

This one's ripe!

The gym scale reads 111.6 lbs and I'm just happy it's not 112 lbs. We had a great weekend smoking a picnic pork butt (to make pulled pork), eating lots of grilled chicken, london broil, sweet sausages and hot dogs. Drank wine and beer and then some. Yes, it was a regular pigfest that included pumpkin pie, an apple crumb cake, chocolate ice cream and dried strawberries & blueberries. The zucchinis continue to produce lovely orange blossoms but I'm a tad disappointed with the goat cheese so I'm looking at other fillings.

Wild raspberries are in season now, each hairy cluster of berries offering only one or two ripe morsels of sweet tart juiciness. These are tiny berries with tiny seeds, but they are quite tasty. When ripe, the berries will literally fall into your open hand with a little tickle from your fingers. My husband comes home with a handful of ripe berries every time he takes the dog for a walk because these rambling vines seem to grow everywhere.

Tomorrow, after my workout, I plan to take my son to see Despicable Me: 2 in 3-D at the local theatre just two doors down. Tuesdays offer discounted tickets, and air-conditioning, a double bonus. But since there are limited showings, I need to keep my gym workout short. Which means I have no choice but to do double cardio tomorrow instead of Wednesday. Of course, there's nothing stating that I can't also do a double cardio session on Wednesday as well... It depends on how I feel. So far, other than hating the 90°+ temps, high humidity and voracious mosquitoes, I feel pretty good.