After the Feasting

I felt like a slug this morning. I'd like to say it was because I've dropped my cardio down to 20 minutes for a warm up. I usually do a good hour but it's time for a change. As much as I hate cardio, I miss how good I used to feel afterwards. Yesterday was Christmas, which in our house, means pajama day. Just toss on boots and a coat to walk the dog. We gnoshed and nibbled all day on chocolate-covered raisins, almonds, peanuts, popcorn... you name it, it's covered in chocolate or caramel, watched lots of bad movies, opened gifts, spoke to distant family members and then had grilled steak, rice and spinach for dinner. Finished off the last of the rainbow cookies as well. I let the family sleep in and head to the gym alone. I'll have my son in tow tomorrow, but I'm planning a shorter routine for Fridays.

I set up venison chili in the crock pot last night and stuck it in the fridge so I could just plug it in this morning and not fuss over supper tonight. But I've got to clear the snow off my car, move my husband's car out of the way, put out the trash, feed and walk the dog, refill the bird feeder. I barely have time to gulp down my coffee and the dog gets part of my breakfast because I can't finish it. I feel rushed -- my son has a dentist appointment at 1 o'clock and my husband has no intentions of leaving the house today so I'll have to retrieve him after I work out.

At the gym I run into B who is just leaving. The treadmills are all occupied, and standing on the elliptical behind the row makes me feel like a Roman chariot driver with a team of runners before me. I punched in Hill #4 today just for a change. I'm not even feel vaguely warm until minute 12, a little sweaty and warm when I'm done, but I don't have that great aerated feeling. The gym is crowded with regulars like Jude, M, ZZ, Latin Baseball. This time next week there'll be a slew of new faces who'll come for a few months and then disappear. The Smith is free -- yay! I do a quick set of Smith speed squats with just the bar. 25 reps doesn't feel bad. It shouldn't. It didn't feel bad when I'd just pedaled eight plus miles so why should it feel worse today? I'd like to do better than last week so that's my goal for today. I keep checking last week's log to see where I should be.

I get to my max weight of 140 lbs and do three sets of 12 reps. That's better than last week. I don't feel confident in my knees and hips to go heavier. Stiff-legged dead lifts are another matter. After the first two sets, I drop to ten reps. Last week I got three sets of 10 at 140, but I'm feeling ornery today. So I up the weight to 150 and get six reps. Just to make sure it isn't a fluke, I get another six reps. Yay! I'm using the VGs and those always make me a bit unsure because I'm grabbing the grip, not the bar although technically the bar is in my hands. This weight is heavier enough to have me panting and feeling just a tad ill afterwards. But I don't feel like throwing up. A good sign. My lower back and hips do feel a little tired though so I do Leg Extensions next instead of Leg Curls.

The Seated Leg Extension always feels heavy at first until I get past my warm up set. Today I only do five sets, but I've moved the weight up to 142.5 lbs. Yay. Back to the Seated Leg Curl where I've decided to lower the weight for better control. I pyramid up to 105 lbs and back down. Since I doubt I'll be doing abs tomorrow, I knock out some sit ups and knee-in kick outs before heading to the Mat. The DBPUs feel easy today, but I still hate the 60-second plank. I look at the clock and I barely have time to shower and change before rushing back to the house to grab my son.

Tomorrow I thought I'd give HIIT a try since I've read so much about it. Even my husband has agreed to give it a shot in our garage. But I still want to box the Nexersys afterwards. I figure I can maybe do 5 minutes of HIIT on the elliptical, stretch at the Cage, and then go a few rounds. At least that's my plan. The gym scale reads 113.8 lbs which isn't surprising considering yesterday's dietary indiscretions, but this holiday season only comes once a year. Life's too short to feel bad about having that extra cookie or two. I'd rather just work out harder.

Leg Day Workout:
20 min cardio Hill #4 = 2.16 miles 
Smith Squats: 25 @ bar (30 lbs) heels to butt as fast as I can go / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 140 lbs PR reps Yay! / 25 @ 30 lbs heels to butt as fast as I can go
Smith Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 80 lbs / 10 @ 100 lbs / 10 @ 120 lbs / 10 @ 140 lbs / 2 x 6 @ 150 lbs PR Yay!
Seated Leg Extensions: 12 @ 75 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 135 lbs / 12 @ 142.5 lbs PR Yay!
Seated Leg Curls: 12 @ 75 lbs / 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 75 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Knee-In Kick-Outs: 100
Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs and 60-second plank