Week Four Day Three is Back

When I wake, the house is warmer than it is outside so I set the fan in front of the screen door to blow some coolness inside. When I return from the gym, the insulated house is at least 5° cooler than the blistering sun outside and I shut the front door against the heat. My son is at camp today so I'm not rushed at my workout. Still, the heat and humidity sap my energy before I even set foot on the elliptical. I punch in the leisurely hill #6 and proceed to peddle up a furious sweat. Because I find myself longing to hear only the new songs on my iPod, I select the playlist feature that lets me only listen to the latest additions. That's so cool! I make my quota in spite of singing along with most of the songs and I'm happy. The gym seems crowded but there are seniors enjoying gossipy coffee and a Boot Camp or Body Pump class. By mid-morning the gym will seem abandoned but for a few hard core masochists.

I decide I'm going to up my weight on the Seated Cable Row even though 3 sets of 6 reps is still hard at 127.5 lbs (120 lbs plus a 7.5 lb brick). I want to get stronger but I'm not sure what really works for me here so I'm playing with the next higher weight on the stack, which is 135 lbs (increments of 15 lbs). I don't bother to look for the smaller metal handles which proves to be a mistake as my hands tire from the larger padded ones. Small hands and fingers absolutely make a big difference when it comes to hoisting weights. Yesterday my left pinky went numb while I was on the elliptical, followed by my ring finger. I'm always periodically flexing my hands and changing my grip -- I suspect it's the collapsible veins (probably related to a collagen and connective tissue issue), so easily compressed, that are causing the problems. My hands go numb on playground swings as well as monkey bars, so no wonder I was never much of a schoolyard athlete.

Week Four Day Three is Back
35 min hill #6 = 4.04 miles Yay!
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 60 lbs / 12 @ 90 / 10 @ 105 / 8 @ 120 / 6 @ 127.5 / 3 x 5 @ 135 / 8+2+2 @ 120 / 12 @ 105 lbs My right hand seems to be having a grip problem today, especially the last two fingers and it's affecting my workout because I can't hang on to the handles properly.
Cage Stretch with BW Heel Dips and Side Kicks
Reverse Grip BB Rows: 6 x 12 @ 105 lbs
I easily knock out 15 reps on my first set, but I start to lose strength in the last two fingers of my right hand again, and by the 6th set, I've had to pause twice so I can adjust my grip just to finish 12 reps.
Pendlay BB Rows: 6 x 12 @ 65 lbs
This is still a really hard movement but at least I can keep my hands on the bar!
Lower Back Extension Machine: 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Torso Twist Station: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 200 and then I got bored...
I didn't plan to do 200. I was doing crunches until the three old guys chatting while resting on the Sit Up Bench got done chatting, but that lasted well into the Mat Stretch because some people spend their entire gym session exercising their mouths and nothing else.
Mat Stretch with splits: again I don't roll forward to push my horizontal split past 170° but the verticals seem good and I enjoy the opportunity to stretch my upper and lower back.

The gym scale reads 109.4 lbs which seem reasonable considering I've just about finished my water bottle. While undressing in the locker room I see Am, the woman who teaches Body Pump, Boot Camp and a Spin Class here, as well as at major corporate location. She's my age and looks good, but she lacks muscle density, especially in her arms. Mo arrives and I chat with her as well. I'm sociable once I'm done with my workout. Just don't interrupt me while I"m exercising!

Wild raspberry canes

Once I'm showered and dressed, I walk back out into the free weight area to finish my conversation with Mo. I show her my cell photos of our wild raspberry bushes and I congratulate her on getting the part-time job at Home Depot that took her four applications to finally get an interview for. Mo tells me that I look thinner and I tell her I've put on weight. "No, your waist looks smaller," she declares. I think it's the street clothes. And probably the lightly padded bra, because an 1/8" is 1/8" more than nothing! While we're chatting, I see Nixon, Ranger Rick, and R. R is benching an Olympic bar with 45 lb plates, and his legs straight out at a 45° angle. I suppose it's another balance/core exercise because a standard bench press utilizes legs to stabilize the torso while pressing. When I finally go to leave, I make a point of waving Hi and Bye at R. I make it quick because I don't want it to get weird.

I'm always curious as to what kind of vehicles people drive. Ranger Rick, I finally discover, drives a silver Subaru WRX, my dream car. Too expensive to be practical (I do love my battered old Forester) but still... R's silver Audi is parked next to my car, it's roof vent tilted open, and the windows cracked. I've been leaving my windows cracked a bit because it's been so hot that opening the car door actually fogs my sunglasses with a heat blast. The cinema must be packing in the crowds now that school's out and the heat is unbearable. Normally R parks really close to the gym so I'm surprised to see his car next to mine. The parking spaces are tighter the closer you get to the stores (for econo or compact models) so I prefer spots further out. I reason that I'm less likely to get my doors dinged or dented that way, although that doesn't prevent the errant shopping cart from smashing itself into unsuspecting vehicles. That's probably why Ranger Rick parks in the far lot across the access lane. No one parks there. And there are no shopping carts there either.

Tomorrow is suppose to near 100°F and there's a heat advisory. Just as well that I believe in benign neglect of the green areas around my house. I'll snip zucchini blossoms in the early morning, letting the bees have their fill before harvesting the blooms to stuff later. I note that several small zucchinis appear to be well along, and I snip a half dozen snow peas. Finally! Peas don't like the heat and I've been hoping that the broad zucchini leaves will provide shelter and shade. Tomorrow is also Leg Day! I'm excited. How can I not be?