In the Groove

I dropped my son off at school at 8:10 this morning because he has his last Extra Gym Class which allows kids to run around a good 45 minutes before class starts. I would've gotten to the gym at a reasonable hour if I hadn't been trapped behind a white Chevy Impala who needed to break at every curve in the road, couldn't make up her mind whether to make a left turn in rush hour traffic, changed her mind and then sat so far back from the intersection that the light had changed before she finished making her turn. My husband agrees that the worst drivers seem use Impalas as their vehicles of mass frustration. And these aren't the land-yachts of my childhood. But their drivers seem to think they are.

Today is Leg Day but I've missed the opportunity to mount a Precor elliptical. I trudge over to the LifeFitness Cycles, the only other ellipticals I sort of fit into. I don't like them because the resistance stresses my ankles, even at the lowest level. Today, I get a good warm up, logging in only a bit over three and a half miles. I'm also getting a blister on my right foot from it. The Precors are suddenly all vacant, so for the next leg of cardio, I trudge over to my favorite machine and punch in Interval 7. It's starting to make grinding noises like the tractor (Precor #2) but not as loud or rough. I can deal with this and I find myself singing (silently) along to Meatloaf on my iPod. I make over four miles and I'm happily drenched. I seem to need at least a day or two of cardio before I feel really great doing it. Monday and yesterday's cardio sessions weren't as good as today's. I'm not sure why, but how I feel doesn't lie. I probably won't feel this good tomorrow, but maybe I will.

The Smith is empty. Yay! Smith Squats and Stiff-Legged Deads are on the menu. They are the mainstay of my Leg Workout, with Curls and Extensions less important. I only do one set of Speed Squats with the bar for 25 reps. I really don't want bigger legs, or a bigger butt — I like my pants the size they are! After warming up, I just do 10 rep sets. I notice my right hip, but not my lower back. Then I prepare to do Smith Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts, mindful of my form, trying to slow the negative movement. I don't really feel it in my hammies although I know they're being worked because I have trouble with the Leg Curls that follow. It's odd to have muscles fatigue without actually feeling them work. I use the VGs when I get to my max weight and do sets of 8 reps. It's the same weight as last week but I've managed one more set. Yay! And I don't feel like throwing up afterwards anymore, although I am breathing hard.

The Seated Leg Curl is surprisingly hard today, proof in my mind that I was doing the Deads correctly. I bail after a mere four sets and knock out some side abs on the Torso Twist machine while I wait for the Leg Extension to free up. Those I can get full 12-rep sets while steadily increasing the weight. But I don't want Tom Platz legs so I stop after five sets. No Cage Stretch today. Instead, I set up my timer and plop myself down for Mat Stretch and 60-second plank. It feels okay, stretches are all good, and I'm moving at a fast enough pace for it to leave me pink-cheeked and a bit sweaty. I feel really good!

The gym scale reads 113.0 lbs and I'm uncomfortably resigned to being bigger. The last time I put on unexplained weight, it turned out I was pregnant with my son. Somehow I don't think that's the case now. At least I hope not! Tomorrow I'm planning cardio and boxing the Nexersys because my shoulders, a bit sore today, should be recovered enough for me to whack the avatar for a few rounds. I'm soooo looking forward to THAT!

Thursday Leg Workout:
35 min LifeFitness = 3.67 miles + 35 min Precor Interval 7 = 4.26 miles  Grand Total = 7.93 miles
I try to avoid the LifeFitness machines but it was better than not doing cardio at all.

Smith Squats: 25 @ bar BTH as fast as I can go / 12 @ 80 lbs / 10 @ 100 lbs / 10 @ 120 lbs / 3 x 10 @ 140 lbs (assuming bar is 30 lbs)

Smith SLDLs: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 80 lbs / 10 @ 100 lbs / 10 @ 120 lbs / 3 x 8 @ 130 lbs Yay!

Seated Leg Curl: 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 90 lbs
At 120 it's almost as if I can't feel my legs contract so I drop the weight back down to the start.

Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs

Seated Leg Extension: 12 @ 75 lbs/ 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 135 lbs

Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs, 60-second plank, splits, etc.