Pulling Back Just a Tad

Well, it's finally happened late in the year: I've caught a cold. Not just any common cold, mind you, no coughing, not much sneezing, no runny nose. No, it's a dreaded head cold. I can tell from the sore throat I gargled away last Thursday. My throat wasn't red, but it hurt. And it hurt because there was gobs of mucous stuck to it. Once that was gargled away, everything was fine. Except where it all originated. Post-nasal drip indicates a sinus infection. I'm not at all surprised by now that only my right side that appears to be congested. I made chicken soup yesterday for dinner, thick with onions, garlic, celery, carrots, boneless chicken thighs, and egg noodles. Topped with sriracha hot chili sauce, otherwise known as Rooster Sauce. I feel better today, although not 100%. There's only so much that zinc tablets, vitamin C and plenty of fluids will do for you. Sleeping in works wonders, but that was Saturday morning only. Then we went out to the local Latin American bistro to enjoy empanadas, platano relleno, ropa vieja, braised lamb shank in banana leaves, mushroom risotto, mango-vanilla cheesecake, and a flourless chocolate torte with vanilla ice-cream. Yum.

Today's it's back to the grind. Oatmeal, egg and raisins for breakfast with a cup of coffee. I've been testing new protein powders 'cuz as much as I enjoy the RTD high protein Ensure after my workout, I"m getting bored with just the vanilla or chocolate flavor. I bought Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey strawberry flavor. My husband complains it has no taste. Mixed with water, he's right. It doesn't taste bad. Or good. Because it doesn't seem to taste like anything. I mix a scoop with lactose-free skim milk and it tastes vaguely like strawberry Quik, but not as sweet. His GNC brand AMP Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60 tastes better, but it makes me grind my teeth. Of course, original Sudafed makes me grind my teeth as well. Doesn't seem to bother him. But he eats pre-workout Cellucor Extreme C4 before he trots off to the garage. All I need is a cup of coffee.

The parking lot is packed but there's not a lot of people in the gym. Perhaps they're in class? I mount Precor #1 and punch in program Hill 5. I don't really feel sick and I'm pedaling fairly quickly. Still I don't quite make my quota. I see all the regulars down in the free weight area, The Mayor, M, Tall Pace, Jude, The Slav and even a few irregulars, people who show up sporadically. But since I've decided to concentrate on getting stronger by getting more reps in than pushing heavy, I don't see the need for a spot. Because I'm sick, I'm also cutting myself some slack on the amount of sets today.

Size Small Equator tank is
a tad tight in the shoulders

Even though I just did 35 minutes of cardio, I still feel the need to warm up the muscles I'm working next. Hence 12 reps with just the bar. Then another set with a few more pounds. I don't actually feel as if I'm pushing weight until I toss the 25 lb plates on. In the past I've done six sets of 12 reps at 95 lbs. Today I only do eight reps because I'm trying to get sets at the next higher weight: 115 lbs. At first I can only get 6 reps. But the next set I get 8, and the following set as well. I know I could struggle with more reps but struggling isn't pretty so I don't. Instead, I drop back down to 95 lbs just to see how many reps I can get. I almost stop at 12 but realize I can do more. I stop at 15. I could probably do more but I need to keep something in the tank.

I'm wearing a new Athleta yoga top today because daily workouts are making my clothes ragged and rough, edges frayed, holes growing in the fabric like an unquenchable alien life form. It's a size Small because I made my purchase based on the sizing chart, but since I'm not built like the average woman, I have to actually do a wear-test to see if it truly fits. Halfway through the delt workout, the shoulder straps start to dig into my traps and I wonder if I shouldn't've sized up to a Medium. Tomorrow I'll wear the other yoga top I bought, but that garment is actually a Medium because I got smart and purchased both sizes, tried them on, and have already returned the smaller top.

My Jaya tank is a
Black Medium

I cut back on the weight for the delt work although it's annoying that my gym only has two 1.25 lb magnetic weights and four 2.5 lb ones. Still I do six sets at decent weights and reps for both rear and lateral raises. Between sets, I see a short Latino standing inside the hex bar with small plates on it. I don't know what he's doing but the rounded back he's using to lift the bar isn't going to end well. Jude is in the Squat rack. He squats a lot of weight. The Mayor switches between preacher curls and something with DBs. I'm not really paying much attention. My batteries feel like they're draining down so I'd better get moving... only abs and stretching left to do. Yay!

The Dive Bomber Push Ups are definitely easier but I'm not inclined to do any more than the two sets of 12 before the 20 second plank. Splits are mostly good today, and laying on the Mat while I stretch out my lower back definitely felt luxurious. The gym scale reads 112.4 lbs, a result of salty well-seasoned restaurant food, and fatigue snacking. I'm not worried.

Monday Workout:
35 min cardio Hill 5 = 3.94 miles 
Bench Press: 12 @ bar (45 lbs) / 10 @ 75 lbs / 8 @ 95 lbs / 6, 8, 8 @ 115 lbs / 15 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch, etc
Rear Inclined DB Flyes: 15 @ 25 lbs / 3 x 15 @ 30 lbs / 12 @ 30 lbs / 15 @ 25 lbs
DB Lateral Raises: 12 @ 20 lbs / 12 @ 25 lbs / 4 x 12 @ 27.5 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs and 20 sec plank, etc