I've been playing with the free version of a workout app called Jefit. I can't say I like it much, because I spend a lot of time scrolling around for my exercises to plug into a log. Some I can't even find, like the torso twist machine. There's a torso twist listed, but it only allows reps, not weight, so that's not the one I'm doing. The only thing I like is that after I punched in all my reps, weight and sets for Benching, it gave me a 1 rep max of 150 lbs. Which is 5 lbs more than the last website I checked gave me (punched in 6 reps at 125 lbs and got 1 rep max of 145 lbs). Which brings me back to Benching. There was a lot of chatting today, but when I'm plugged in, I don't hear anything at all. Just me arguing with myself.
I've cut back on my warm up sets and reps to see how it affects my benching, although I have to consciously limit the count. It's just waaay too easy to do a lot of reps. I do 3 sets of 12 reps, increasing the weight a bit each time. When I get to 115 lbs, I hesitate for a moment, but I've done this weight before (just last week for sets). I get 10 reps and brace myself for the next set which will be my heavy set. I know, it's only 125 lbs. But I still need a spot.
I ask The Mayor and he tears himself away from chatting with Sunshine, then tells me to position myself more under the bar. I'm not sure if I do or not, but I've got better control of the bar compared to the past few weeks. Again, I need a little help for the last 2 reps. The first 4, I'm proud to say, I get with no help at all. And my form is much better with more control of the bar on the descent. I know this is all true because I drop the weight on my next set and I can barely squeeze out 6 reps. But at 95 lbs, I can do a full 12-rep set and that's how I leave it. This is not how I've benched in the past, but I'm trying to up my weights and cut my sets and reps. At least for the next few weeks. Today's benching was an improvement even if the numbers stayed the same.
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| Breaker Benches Coming Soon! |
My hamstrings and quads are stiff when I get to Cage Stretch, no doubt because I've cooled down a tad. I haven't stretched out in two days and I wonder what would happen if I limited my stretching to just two or three times a week. Just a thought. My kicks are fast and high so I'm happy. I grab 4 discs from the front desk on my way back to the DB area. It has brand new thick rubber flooring! I only have two more exercises to do today. For some reason, I don't really count abs or stretching even though I do them almost every day. Perhaps it's because I do them every day.
Rear inclined DB flyes are next. I always wonder if I can do them and then I'm always surprised at how many I can actually do. I warm up with 25s. Add a magnet, do another set. Add a magnet, do another set. The DBs look silly with magnets affixed to both ends, but they're still more manageable than the actual 30 lb DBs which have plates too large to fit comfortably under the Inclined Bench. After those are the Standing Lateral Raises. Those I warm up with a set of 20s first. Then I move back to the 25s. A small blonde middle-aged woman (who've I've seen sporadically manning the front desk) is standing a few feet away. She's got those plastic beauty bells and she's flopping her arms without much control. I'm not sure if the weights are just too light, or if she really has no control over her limbs. I move to the 30s and I think she's intimidated. The first two sets I manage 8 reps. Oddly, I squeeze out 10 for the final set.
After doing sit ups, I see creepy PJ Pants. Several old men greet him as he waddles into the weight area. He's not even that fat, but somehow he reminds me of a Disney duck (Huey, Dewey or Louie, take your pick), probably because he leads with his belly. Just a few crunches, then a go at the Torso Twist, a tumble on the Mat and done! Yay! My hamstring doesn't cramp today so I'm fairly pleased with the whole Mat routine although I'm toying with the idea of adding a plank somewhere between regular-stance DBPUs and walking my hands back to my ankles.
The gym scale reads 110.2 lbs which is good considering I spent the entire weekend ferrying my child to his classes and birthday parties where the cuisine was pizza, chips and ice cream cake. I had a glass of wine which I nursed for two hours (one of my friends called me out on that because she just about chugged her glass) because hubby was away all weekend (absolutely no drinking and driving here) so perhaps it's just the liquid calories that I've really got to worry about.
Monday Work Out
35 min elliptical Hill 5 = 4.01 miles Yay!
Olympic Bench Press: 15 @ bar (45 lbs) / 12 @ 75 lbs / 12 @ 95 lbs / 10 @ 115 / 4 + 2 (spot) @ 125 / 6 @ 115 lbs / 12 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch with BW heel dips & calf raises and Side Kicks
Inclined Rear Delt Flyes: 12 @ 25 lbs / 12 @ 27.5 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 30 lbs
Standing Lateral DB Raises: 12 @ 20 lbs / 12 @ 25 lbs / 12 @ 27.5 lbs / 8, 8, 10 @ 30 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 150
Ab Crunch Bench: 100
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch with 12 wide-legged DBPUs, 3 rolling, 12 regular-stance DBPUs, balance & hamstring movements, splits, lower & upper back/shoulder stretches, etc
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