Week Three Day Three: A Feel Good Wild Card

Intervals 7 and Hill 5 today

There are some days that I really don't know what I'm going to do until I actually do it, letting some hidden part of me decide my course of action. This morning I slept in a bit, not getting up until 8 am. Perhaps the extra hour of sleep did me good because when I mounted the Precor I felt very energetic. I'd planned to do only 30 minutes of cardio and then Triceps and Biceps, but 35 minutes of Interval #7 felt really great, and I wanted to take advantage of this "good feeling" by punching in another round of cardio. Normally I do the hill first and then intervals, but today I reversed the order. It didn't seem to make any difference as my mileage was consistent for whichever program I punched in.

The gym seems crowded today but the Cage is empty so I get Cage Stretches out of the way. Then I strip off my sodden hoodie, don my elbow braces and grab a pair of dumbbells. I see Mo and we greet briefly. Ranger Rick wants to use the inclined bench she's perched on and there's some discussion of alternating users, but I've already put my headphones back on. Later I notice R working out as well. I've never seen him do Standing Lateral DB Raises before. R and Ranger Rick seem to be spending a lot of time chatting, so I'm not surprised to see Ranger Rick performing one-arm barbell presses, a signature R move (I've never seen anyone else do it here). I assume it works the core and shoulder much harder in order to stabilize the weight. Discussion boards on bodybuilding.com and other places deride the movement as dangerous and inefficient. I suspect that's just snobbery.

Tons of day lilies this year!

The alternating DB curls hurt the inside bottom of my left elbow, just as yesterday's cable rows initially did. I do these to warm up the joint, knowing that bicep work isn't doing my elbows any favors. I skip the barbell curl in favor of concentration curls even though I know this is really going to hurt. And it does. But only my left elbow. The Press Down cable station is free and already has the correct handle affixed to it. How fortuitous! I'm only attempting three sets because I know I'm running out of time. I knock out 12 reps for the first two sets, but the last set is hard and I can only squeeze out 11 reps before completely losing my breath. Still, it feels pretty good.

My last weight movement is Reverse Grip BB Curls for forearms. Four breathless sets and I'm done. Off to the Mats. Three girls occupy three mats, but two of them appear to just be taking up space and oxygen. One is staring into her phone. The other is sitting cross-legged, deep in reverie. I move her water bottle a tad and she wakes, embarrassed and scurries off the mat. Just as well. The first half of my routine takes up the entire length of the Mat anyway. My splits seem good, at least the vertical ones. Because my right knee is a bit sensitive today, I don't push my horizontal split with a forward roll. Instead, I merely spread my arms out at 180° and push my feet as far as I can manage. The gym scale reads 109.8 lbs. I haven't even finished my water, but I'm so hungry that I can't wait to shower, dress and leave.

Week Three Day Three: Wild Card Workout
35 min intervals #7 = 4.64 miles + 35 min hill #5 = 4.03 miles Grand Total 8.67 miles. Wahoo!
Gosh, this is soooo much better than yesterday!
Cage Stretch with bw heel dips and side kicks
DB Curls alternating with One Arm Tricep Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Concentration Curls: 3 x 12-10 @ 25 lbs
Tricep Press Downs: 12, 12, 11 @ 50 lbs
Reverse Grip BB Curls: 4 x 20 @ 40 lbs
Mat Stretch with splits

At the gym exit, my son stops to examine a poster on the door. I see ZZ working the cable station. There are sporadic regulars present. I spoke to B this morning in the locker room. She never looks very happy to see me even though I'm certain I'm pleasant enough to her. The Mayor, M and Nixon are missing today, but Hoodie Tattoo, Ponytail Tattoo, Skinny J and Skinny Mustache are there. When my son and I get to our car, I hear chatting behind us and realize that R and Ranger Rick have also strolled out together. I wonder what's happened to Skinny Blonde because I thought that perhaps Ranger Rick and she were dating. Or not. He's a nice enough looking guy, shorter than R but most people are. He resembles Jesse Porter (Coby Bell) on Burn Notice although not nearly as tall. He also has a nice build, from what can be seen from the wife-beaters and long pants he favors. He's certainly in better shape than The Mayor who's over-sized polo shirts don't fool anyone. A lot of guys hide their legs, guts and upper arms with T-shirts and pants. But its always a nice surprise when a guy suddenly wears shorts and a tank, and there's actually delts and and triceps to look at. Like Nixon, a dark horse working his way up the stretch.