Don't Beat a Dead Horse

Knowing when to switch gears is paramount in driving a manual transmission. Now that most vehicles are automatic transmission, it's much easier to just step on the gas and go. As long as you know when to brake, and when to coast. Covering the brake doesn't mean resting your foot on the brake pedal, but hovering it above, just in case you need to use it. Too many people ride their brakes, driving in a stop and go fashion with their foot either on the brake or the gas. Too many people don't know their vehicles well enough to execute a tight turn even though their cars are front-wheel drive, or better yet, like all Subarus, all-wheel drive. I'm not sure whether it's mental laziness, or plain ineptitude. The body is a lot like a vehicle, except that it's harder to get replacement parts for it. Some days you're better off in low gear, especially if there's a steep incline, or decline in your trajectory.

Although I thought about doing Double Cardio today, I decided to save that for tomorrow when all I had was abs and the Nexersys on the agenda. Today is Arm Day and I'd like to power through the program so I cut back to one cardio session today. Even though I did almost as well as yesterday on the Intervals course, it was a much harder struggle. Nevermind that I started on Precor #2 (the Tractor) because #1 and #3 were occupied. Three and a half minutes into Interval 7 and the 7-foot tall dude to my left on Precor #1 is done. He just hops off and walks away. Doesn't wipe down the machine, doesn't reset the program. I hate people like that. I check to make sure that he's not coming back, then reset my elliptical before hopping on #1. I don't care that I have to start from scratch because it's elliptical #1 and it rides so much easier than the other machines.

When I'm done I head to the free weights. Someone has left a pair of 45 lb plates on the bar. I pull off one ear-piece and ask The Mayor (who's on the next bench over) if anyone's using the Smith. He shrugs while looking around, so I proceed to strip the bar. The Mayor asks me if I'd prefer a regular bench and I shrug because it doesn't matter to me but if he wants the incline I'll grab a flat bench. He rolls the incline away and graciously replaces it with a flat bench, saying, "You like it with the stable end here, right?" as he places the U-shape legs under the bar. I nod and thank him, because I'm not going to tell him that I put the U-shape there because otherwise it gets in the way of my feet when I'm positioning myself on the bench. I'm small with short legs so my feet land right where the bench feet would be and it's hard for me to get into a stable bridge position. I have to admit that the regulars sometimes do seem to fall all over themselves. I should probably be nicer. But that would require being sociable. And I'm not.

Today is Arm Day and I start off with several sets of close grip bench presses. I have my hands placed about 4 inches apart on the bar. Normally my wrists would complain but today I've wrapped them with my new wrist wraps. It would've been nice it there were left and right wraps but sadly, both wraps seem more suitable for the left hand (thumb loop is on upper right corner of wrap and there's a definite inside and outside to the wrap for the velcro tab). The thumb loop causes the wrap to cross my palm on the right hand, but it's not uncomfortable. The presses feel good with the exception of a slight twinge in my right front delt. It's another old chronic injury that flares up every now and then. Well, at least I'm not doing shoulders today so it's got a reprieve.

I always like to do Cage Stretch after a big movement like presses. Enough time has passed for my legs to loosen up from the cardio, but not enough time so that I've cooled down or started to stiffen. After the stretch I head back to the free weight area. Alternating Dumbbell Curls for biceps, then to the cable station to do Tricep Press Downs. I can only reach the handles by standing on my tip-toes but this seems ridiculously easy today, as if I've developed new platforms on the balls of my feet. Maybe it's all the Heel Dips I do at the Cage? I'm shooting to do 3 sets of 12 reps at 50 lbs but I fall short on the 3rd set. So I grit my teeth and impetuously knock out several drop sets. M is on the mat stretching and doing abs. Even though I haven't really spoken to him since he forgot to spot me some weeks ago, I know he's been watching everything I do. When I'm done, I stalk over to the barbell rack and grab the 50 pounder.

A tall thin woman is using the 30 lb and the 70 lb barbells but is lately nowhere in sight. I hate tripping over equipment left haphazardly. Eventually she returns but I'm already knocking out my sets of barbell curls. At least she puts the barbells away when she's done doing side lunges with the 30 lbs and deadlifts with the 70 lb. But they're not in the right positions in the rack. The 70 is where the 50 should be, and the 30 is wehre the 70 should be. I shake my head and put my barbell away in the only remaining slot. I don't work there so I'm not going to rearrange all the barbells, although sometimes I do that to the dumbbells. I only have two exercises left although I feel guilty about not doing abs yesterday. Tricep Kick Backs kick my butt. I only do three sets but I can feel myself flagging a bit between sets. Still, seeing my triceps flex in the mirror cheers me up. Then, cursing to myself, I grab the 40 lb barbell and do three sets of Reverse Grip Barbell Curls.

Top left clockwise: Grips, gloves,
gloves with wrist wraps, wrist wraps
with thumb loops, elbow braces

Okay, I'm toast. Yet the sit up board is vacant. Okay, I'll just knock out a quick hundred. Or hundred and twenty-five. My lower back feels stiff. Maybe I should do some crunches. After a hundred I decide it's time to check the mat and stretch. First I have to wipe it down because there's water or drool or something wet on the big mat, and there's nothing worse than sliding down into a split and smearing up against a wet spot. Yuck. I manage a few Dive Bomber Pushups, and then adjust my hands so they're under my mid-torso and do a few more. This second position is a bit harder but adds more of a back stretch to the movement. I'm actually surprised that I don't fall on my face doing these because it's a lot of tricep involvement here. I probably couldn't do 50 push ups, so next time I might try that. Last time I did push ups at the gym (what, was that last year?) I could manage 50. Now I'm not so sure. I've also acquired so much gear that I'm in danger of dropping bits and pieces all throughout the gym so now I'm looking for a small "stuff sack". I used to have a few of them, but it's been years and now I don't know where any of them are. Sigh.

The gym scale reads an unfriendly 110.4 lbs but my home scale tells me to relax. I'm only 107.8 lbs. I'm not really worried. My clothes fit the same. Still I'd like to see better definition and I know that means cutting back on things I love, like weekend beer and sangria, and ice cream desserts. Yellow freestone peaches are in season and we eat several each day, a slight astringency countering the juicy sweet succulence of perfectly ripe fruit. The only thing that could make it better would be vanilla ice cream with a sprinkle of sea salt.

I don't know if slightly better definition is worth giving these things up. I'm already juggling cardio with weights, trying to find balance, especially now that old injuries seem to be rising from long-slumbering dormancy. Tomorrow I'm aiming for a Double Cardio day and perhaps the Nexersys just for fun. My backs seems neither better nor worse, and until I get it looked at, I guess I won't really know. But I'm a bit done with doctors for now, primarily because I haven't had any word about my kidneys (jeez, how long does the 24-hr urine test take to process?), and I have an impending consultation for my glaucoma. I'm really rather hoping that this other doctor will tell me that I don't need actual surgery, that a laser trabeculoplasty will be sufficient. The thought of a trabulectomy, which will leave a bleb on each of my eyeballs for fluid drainage, is disturbing enough. The idea that it might interfere with my work outs has me completely freaked out. But let's not beat a dead horse. It's not going to get us anywhere. Time to move on and deal with the things we know.

Today's Arm Day Workout:
35 min Interval #7 = 4.66 miles Yay!
Smith Rack Close Grip Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 4 x 25 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch with Heel Dips and Side Kicks
Alternating DB Curls: 6 x 8 @ 25 lbs
Tricep Press Downs: 12, 12, 10 @ 50 lbs / 10 @ 40 lbs / 12 @ 30 lbs
BB Curls: 6 x 12 @ 50 lbs
Tricep DB Kick Backs: 3 x 15 @ 20 lbs
RGBBCurls: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Mat Stretch with Dive Bomber Push Ups (5 + 3) and splits