How Tart Can I Make That Lemonade?

Although I haven't done any serious injury to my lower back, the fact that I know of its existence is caution enough. Pouring rain means my son won't be going to the water-park today, but I still dress him in his swim gear in case his TKD camp decides to play outdoors. Little boys love playing in the mud and rain. But the gym is awfully crowded when I get there. Everyone who might've gone for a run outside is now inside. Still, all the Precors are vacant and I hop on my favorite one, pull my hoodie over my eyes, pump up the iPod volume and peddle furiously right from the start. None of this namby-pamby walking warm up. No warm up whatsoever. I don't stretch and I don't walk beforehand because I'm a firm believer that stretching cold muscles will cause injury, and walking just wastes time. Besides, if zombie thugs start chasing you, whaddya gonna say, "Oh just give me a minute to limber up first"?

I'm happy to actually log in a tad more than 4 miles today. It's about time. I know it's impossible to constantly expect improvement and gain, unless you're starting from the absolute bottom of the heap, but even then, there comes a point where your body has reached its natural physical limit and things either start to wear out or break down. Even SuperMan had elderly parents (they aged). I'm hoping to build my aerobic endurance so that I can do a few 8+ mile "runs" and still be functional. And I test that by doing a few 8+ mile days, and then lifting weights, or boxing, or something. There's no point to exercising like a fiend if it completely depletes you and all you want to do is eat and sleep. Afterall, most of us aren't competing for Olympic medals, we just want to be able to outrun zombie thugs. Or beat them to a pulp if necessary.

Today is Back Day and I'm unsure as to what movements my lower back can handle. I know that Seated Cable Rows are out, even the light weight (60 lbs) caused a tingle of distress. Which sucks because my upper back really needs to work. Lat Pull Downs haven't aggravated any elbow complaints lately so I start with those. 60 lbs is my warm up and then I move to 90 lbs. After two sets of 12 reps I'm bored, so I up the weight just one plate to 105. I can still manage to wrestle myself into the seat and do a few sets of 8-10 reps. My elbows still feel okay and I'm relieved.

My back is much less happy with the Reverse Grip BB Rows because I grab the 100 lb barbell. Last week I used the 90 lb BB. The rows themselves are easy enough so that I do 6 sets of 15 reps. It's picking up and putting down the BB that's uncomfortable. This sucks. I can use lighter weights but that means doing a zillion reps. I'm not sure if doing 5 sets of 25 reps at 60 lbs is really equivalent to doing 6 sets of 12 reps at 105 lbs (7560). Maybe I should just give this movement up and replace it with something else. But what?

Inclined Bench Pull

I've seen M do a modified BB Row where he lies face down on an inclined bench inside the Smith Rack and pulls up a loaded barbell. On Bodybuilding.com it's called an Inclined Bench Pull. Perhaps that's the workaround for a bad lower back. I'm also toying with close grip Lat Pull Downs again, but this will work only as long as my elbows don't complain. Once I approach pulling my body weight, I run the risk of aggravating these old injuries. I manage to complete the rest of my workout doing Lower Back Extensions, Abs and stretches but I don't feel very satisfied. My body expected a heavy weight workout after a mere 35 minutes of cardio, so I head to the locker room feeling a tad disappointed. I almost feel guilty. It's only during Mat Stretch that I realize why my triceps and shoulders feel a bit sore. I've added a new movement, not realizing exactly how intense it can be. It's known as a Dive Bomber Push Up but I do it with my legs spread far apart (nearly split). I constantly adjust my hands to position them under my torso, or out by my shoulders, or in far front of me on the mat, and I only do this for 5-6 reps.

Standard Dive Bomber Push Up

Today's Back Workout (it's going to be different next week)
35 min cardio hill #6 = 4.14 miles Yay!
Wide Grip Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 60 lbs / 2 x 12 @ 90 lbs / 3 x 10 @ 105 lbs
Next time I'm adding close-grip pull downs as well.
Cage Stretch with Heel Dips and Side Kicks
Reverse Grip BB Rows: 6 x 15 @ 100 lbs
My lower back is not happy with picking this up and putting it down so I need an exercise that avoids all that.
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Mat Stretch: standard routine with additional Dive Bomber push ups in the beginning, ending with hamstring stretch. 

The gym scale reads 110.4 lbs and I'm shocked that it's not more. I still feel a tad sluggish. You'd think that with all this cardio (over 30 miles a week for the past two weeks), I'd be fighting to keep weight on. Obviously I'm not. The body is adaptable. My only concern is that if I cut back on my cardio for whatever reason (my knees or toes or something), then will my weight zoom up? I hope not! As I've said before, I want to get stronger, not bigger.

I see a lot of regulars today like The Mayor, Nixon, M, Hoodie Tattoo, Skinny Mustache, Ranger Rick and R. There's an awful lot of chatting and it's too crowded for me so I've pretty much got my invisible blinders on. It's the only way I can effectively workout. I'm anti-social until I get into the locker room. There I see the gal I'll call Meadowlands because of the bad experience she had with their service department. She used to come to the gym with her sleek runner girlfriend, and she never got anywhere with her fitness because she spent all her time chatting. Then she started coming with her husband who had her lift weights, and her shape changed completely. Pounds just melted off. She hasn't been to the gym all summer, and it shows. She's back to her original rotund shape if not worse. Having to shuttle four kids to their respective sporting events doesn't help either. I tell her "Hey at least you're here!" She tells me that half the time she doesn't want to come and I confide that I hear that same little voice that says laying back down in bed would feel sooooo good, but I set myself on "autopilot" and get myself to the gym regardless. Don't think, just do! We laugh.

A friend's backyard katydid.

I saw B earlier. She's gotten the stitches out from her unfortunate beach umbrella incident and I tell her that I can't even see it. Mo started her first day of work at Home Depot today so I'll bring her a few monster zucchinis tomorrow. Finally, the snowpeas are coming in, now that white fungus has started to overtake the big prehistoric-looking zucchini leaves. Wildlife abounds here in the exurbs. A spotted fawn ambled distressed through the backyard one afternoon. A pale brown hummingbird flitted between the few orange jewelweeds not eaten by deer. A bevy of butterflies, black and tiger swallowtails mostly, dance through the Rose of Sharon and late-blooming honeysuckles entwined in the privet hedges. The wineberries are done, leaving only scraggly thorny vines.

Tomorrow is Leg Day and I'm not sure what I'll be able to do after Double Cardio. But at least I'll have gotten my cardio in, even if Squats and Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts are a disappointment. I think I can still do Leg Curls and Leg Extensions, so all isn't completely lost. Life throws you lemons, you make lemonade providing you have sugar and water. I'm partial to lemon curd, but that requires the addition of eggs and butter. I'm sure I can manage that somehow.