Abbreviations Galore

I'm a normal human being so when I awoke to torrential rain yesterday morning, my husband's car blocking mine in the driveway, and the specter of hordes of wanna-be gym rats rushing to exercise before the gym closed at 1 pm, well, I decided that another abbreviated week wasn't going to hurt. So I took yesterday off. Of course, I have my son with me this week so not only is the week shortened, but my gym time as well because childcare ends at 1pm so no running late, no extra sets, and absolutely no chatting! Today my son was literally the last child there, looking forlorn and abandoned while peeking out from the childcare room windows.

It also means only enough cardio to warm up, so 35 minutes on the elliptical will have to do. I'm always better when I've been aerobically consistent: being a slug over the long weekend didn't help me at all. I was glad just to make quota! It took some effort to keep from sliding into a leisurely pace, even with my favorite tunes blaring on the iPod.

I wasn't too upset that the Smith was completely occupied by a dude I'd never seen before. There are 3 flat benches, a decline bench and two inclined benches in the free weight area and I can usually get on one of them. I don't actually know how much I can lift so I'm a bit tentative, mentally wrestling with which plates to put on the bar. I don elbow and wrist wraps as well as gloves. I see R across the gym; he's so tall I can see him through the cardio area, working arms on the cables by the Cage Stretch. If I can see him, he can probably see me: I'm small but I'm not invisible.

Because I'm not really sure how much I need to do to warm up, I start slow with just the bar and knock out 25 reps. Then a pair of 10s and 5s. Easy. Okay, swap those for a pair of 25s. Still okay. Add a pair of 10s. This is unexpectedly hard. I'm bummed that I can only get 8 reps the first set and 10 reps the 2nd set. It's only 115 lbs. I'm too unsure to add another pair of 10s so it's a pair of 5s instead. That makes it 125 lbs. Then I wait, nervously scanning the gym floor for someone to ask for a spot. I don't trust the two kids on the adjacent bench. I really hate the large puffy overweight man who looks like Oliver Hardy (Laurel & Hardy) because he keeps traipsing back and forth between the plate stand and the Preacher Curl Station, one weight at a time. And as he passes by, he has to stare down at me, as if I'd actually ask him to spot me. Eyes to yourself buddy! He's got a lot to learn about gym etiquette but I'm not inclined to talk to him.

Nixon had been standing behind me but he's moved to the Cybex machine area and I'm not going to trek across the gym for a spot. I really don't want to ask ZZ because things are just starting to feel normal. (Or at least he's stopped staring at me in an uncomfortable way.) Then I see RR warming up his shoulders. I've seen him spot other women so I feel that this'll be okay and not weird. And he's good, asking me if I need help with the bar or just with the elbows. When I look at him perplexed, he says "Never mind, I've got this". I grab the bar and get 6 hard reps, the last one with a bit of assistance. He doesn't linger to chat either. Good. A good spot. I'm happy.

My right shoulder feels a little tired but what's more worrisome is that my right ring and pinky finger seem to be a bit numb. Not tingly numb, but numb like they've lost all sensation although I can move them. I unwrap the wrist wraps and wiggle my fingers between every set. I pull the 10s off and keep the 5s to get a set of 12 reps. On the last rep, RR grabs the bar to steady it. I hadn't even seen him step in to spot me (not that I needed it) but I'm so surprised that I start to laugh a little. I thank him and he goes back to squats and behind the neck presses. I keep alternating between a regular grip and the thumbless grip. The thumbless grip is less painful but definitely less stable and I only use it when I have a weight I can completely control. I start to knock out reps, ending the bench session with 50 reps with just the bar.

25 lb vs 30 lb DBs

Remembering how unwieldy the 30 lb dumbbells are, I grab 4 magnetic discs after Cage Stretch. There's no room on the floor so I leave the inclined bench inside the Smith and do my rear delts there after I grab a pair of 25s. There are very few women here today with the exception of the yoga class and the cardio area. There are always a few on the Cybex machines as well, but I'm disappointed not to see last week's crowd. Summer's over.

I like using the 25s with the added discs instead of wrestling with the 30s. Standing Lateral DB Raises are another matter. After a set of 12, I only add one disc per dumbbell. My shoulders are getting tired and I'm running out of time. No Upright Rows today. I'm lucky if I can still do a few ab exercises and perhaps a shortened Mat Stretch. When I look up, I barely have 15 minutes to change and shower before the childcare room closes.

Abbreviated 1st Day Workout
35 min cardio hill #6 = 4.03 miles
Bench Press: 25 @ bar (45 lbs) / 12 @ 75 / 12 @ 95 / 8, 10 @ 115 / 6 @ 125 / 12 @ 105 / 12 @ 95 / 25 @ 65 / 50 @ bar
Cage Stretch with Heel Dips and Side Kicks
Inclined Rear DB Flyes: 15 @ 25 lbs / 12 @ 27.5 lbs / 4 x 8 @ 30 lbs
Standing Lateral DB Raises: 12 @ 25 lbs / 5 x 8 @ 27.5 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Mat Stretch (10 total Dive Bomber Push Ups) with vertical and horizontal splits

The gym scale reads 110.8 lbs and that's a pleasant surprise considering that we'd spent the weekend enjoying late summer festivities like a lakeside BBQ with requisite bonfire, and a day at the New York Renaissance Faire (Sterling Forest, Tuxedo NY), accompanied by beer, wine, cider, mead, ice cream, deep fried macaroni and cheese, truffle oil macaroni and cheese, skirt steak, bacon and sunnyside eggs, fried calamari, stuffed scallops... Well, you get the idea.

My son scarfs down a Fruitables® juice and veggie box and a S'more's 14 gm protein bar while I sip the vanilla Ensure that's become a staple of my post-gym routine. Now it's off to see Monsters U, playing next door for $5 per person. Tomorrow is Back Day but we'll have to get to the gym earlier. Because our town doesn't start school until next week, there's sure to be a lot of kids in the childcare room. My son is quite looking forward to it.