Trying to Find Balance

I got to the gym a little late today because I stopped off at a plumbing supply showroom to look at basin fixtures. Ours is leaking. And rusting. It's only 15 years old and I don't have good things to say about the plumbers who did the installation. So I'm going with better plumbers to fix the leak, which will probably require taking apart the pedestal sink. So I might as well have the fixtures replaced as well because they're corroding from our ultra-hard water. Yes, we have a water softener now, and we still have hard water. Luckily it's a beautiful crisp sunny day which means the gym is virtually deserted. I'm glad. I'd rather be peddling than shopping for fixtures anyway!

I clamber aboard Precor #1 and punch in Interval #7. After 35 minutes I've managed to log in 7000 steps. Normally I'm struggling to get to 6600. I'd also been keeping my speed at 200 Strides Per Minute. On my bad days I mope along at 175-180. When the screen displays over four and a half miles, I'm ecstatic and briefly consider skipping the second leg of cardio. But the weenie-nerd part of me is a stickler for the program and I dutifully reset the elliptical for Hill #6. For the first several minutes I'm wondering how I could possibly think I'd be able to do another 35 minutes. By minute 5 I'm wishing it was minute 15 -- the halfway point. It's hard for me to keep my pace anywhere beyond 195 and I'm lucky to keep it above 190 for most of the course. Halfway through the crest I start to recover, which is odd because I can definitely feel an ache on the IT band of my right thigh. For the last 6 minutes of the program, I'm able to cruise at 220 SPM, periodically peaking to 245 for a few seconds here and there. For the 5 minute "cool down" period, I slow to 195 for the first three minutes and then pick up to 230 for the last two. When I'm done, my clothes are completely drenched and I feel great.

The Smith Rack is empty and I do a quick set of butt to the ground squats. Twelve was easy so I keep going and manage to do 25. My right lower back is stiff today and I know squats aren't really going to make anything better. I add plates and do a set of 12 reps. Then I add more weight. I keep doing this until I've reached my maximum 155 lbs, but I only do one set then pyramid down. My back doesn't actually hurt, but I feel a weird jelly-like crunchiness in my middle back when I squat with the heavier weight, sort of like the joint bubbles when your knees or shoulders crackle. Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts are a whole 'nother matter. They are definitely going to hurt so I only do a few sets at a light weight for hamstrings.

I'm limited at the Cage Stretch by the fact that I've chosen to wear my running shorts today. When I'm logging in miles, longer pants and shorts tend to chafe my thighs and these lightweight UnderArmour shorts don't, but because they're loose in the legs, they tend to be a bit revealing if I kick my legs up. Well, at least I'm wearing clean underwear. Again, I'm skipping Pistol Squats and moving directly to Seated Leg Curls. The 90 lbs feels easy and I knock out 12 reps and move the weight up to 105. I do two sets at 8 reps and decide to put the 7.5 lb brick on the stack. (I think 120 lbs is too heavy and I don't want to risk aggravating my lower back.) I knock out 3 sets at 6 reps and move on. I'm happy that the Seated Leg Extension is also available. I have to make several adjustments to the station because the last occupant must've been 7 foot tall, moving the entire stack. I can only move 75 lbs and even that light weight is with some difficulty. I adjust the leg roller to limit the motion. Too severe an angle surprises me with a twinge in the lower back.

Bleah, I'm done and ready to stretch out on the Mats. For all my lower back stiffness, doing Dive Bomber Push Ups is fun although challenging. I glide my entire torso along the mat before pushing up at the edge, then pull back stretching my shoulders and upper back. I'll bet it looks pretty cool but there are no mirrors in the Mat area. Just teenage boys trying to look nonchalant as they hoist barbells in the free weight area adjacent to the Mats. I see two women doing odd dumbbell moves. Odd because they're using the Seated Cable Row bench as a platform to do DB presses. When I get up to gather all my gear, I feel their eyes on me.

The gym scale reads 109.4 lbs. Well, at least it's going in the right direction. Tomorrow I plan to do another Double Cardio session, and then arms... I just got my wrist wraps and gloves with wrist wraps from Muscle&Strength.com. Both items seem to fit although the gloves seem a tad big in the hands (S/M) and I'm excited to try them out the next time I bench. I doubt if my cardio will be as good as it was today, but tomorrow I'll be more concerned with Triceps and Biceps. And not hurting myself. It's all about balance.

Today's Leg Workout:
35 min Interval #7 = 4.69 miles + 35 min Hill #6 = 4.05 miles 
Grand Total = 8.74 miles Wahoooo!
Smith Rack Squats: 25 @ bar (heel to butt) / 12 @ 95 lbs (thighs parallel) / 12 @ 115 / 12 @ 135 / 12 @ 155 / 12 @ 135 / 12 @ 115 / 12 @ 95 / 25 @ bar (couldn't quite get down to heels this time)
Smith Rack Stiff Legged Dead Lifts" 12 @ bar / 3 x 12 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch with Heel Dips and a few side kicks
Seated Leg Curl: 12 @ 90 lbs / 2 x 8 @ 105 lbs / 3 x 6 @ 112.5 lbs
Seated Leg Extension: 6 x 12 @ 75 lbs
Mat Stretch with Splits and Dive Bomber Push Ups (6)