Cardio Thursday

I'm not really sore but I'm probably tired. I'm really bad at gauging how much though, unless I'm on the verge of passing out. I get to the gym early enough to land one of the Precors that doesn't wobble and make funny noises if I exceed 200 Strides Per Minute (SPMs). My plan is to do HIIT cardio first, and then whack the Nexersys afterwards. I'm not sure how much HIIT to do, so I go by feel. I can manage 10 minutes of 45 seconds On (228-240 SPMs) / 75 seconds Off  (100-120 SPMs) okay, but don't think I can do a full 20 minutes. I only say that because it feels like someone is stepping on my sternum as I gasp for breath by the 30 second mark on the Run segment. My compromise is to do 17 minutes of HIIT, and then steady-state the remaining three minutes, from 180 SPMs up to a tad over 200 by the last minute. I'm good with it.

I do a quick Cage Stretch and then spend a good 5 minutes wrapping my hands with cotton gauze before stuffing them into my gloves. The Nexersys is still out of sorts, not always registering my Power Kicks or Lead Hooks. But it is working so I tap in 5 rounds Beginner to start. Several of my punches don't register on the avatar, yet are strong enough to stop the machine with the warning buzzer and screen admonition. Go figure. Well, at least I know beforehand that my Accuracy Score is going to suck. And for as often as I stop the machine because I'm punching too hard, my average Power score is only 134%.

I'm happier with the pace of the Intermediate program, but several combinations flummox me because the kicks don't register and my temptation is to redo the kick instead of moving on to the next set of combinations. This messes with my Accuracy rating, although my average Strikes is good at over 100%, meaning that I'm landing a blow or two for every blow the system asks for. Again, I manage to stop the machine a few times, but not as often as in the Beginner mode. Still, I pull my punches for the Power and Lead Upper Cut because I don't like the way my wrists feel when I do them. The blows called Hooks and Elbows are also indistinguishable to me, but I can make the pad wobble with a good Power Hook. When I'm done, I check the cardio platform to see what's available for 20 minutes of LISS. Step Mills both taken, but the recumbent bikes are free. I pedal while reading my emails and the online forums.

When 20 minutes is up, I plop myself down on a Mat for a stretch. After two dozen Dive Bomber Push Ups, I do a few Plank Push Ups as per a video I viewed yesterday. Frankly, I'm not impressed. I think just holding the plank for 60 seconds is much harder than getting up and down on your elbows. My abs are a little tired from yesterday's crunch festival so I skip them today, but I do a full lower back stretch. The gym scale reads 111.4 lbs and I'm good with it. I didn't bring my high protein Ensure today, substituting a Quest bar instead. It's okay. I think I prefer the beverage. Tomorrow I can use my Happy Birthday from Gold's Gym postcard to get a free protein shake, and 15% off apparel. Last year I used it towards a new pair of neoprene grips. I'll probably get a new pair again.

Cardio Thursday

20 min Precor elliptical: 17 min HIIT 45 sec On / 75 sec Off + 3 min Steady-State = 1.99 miles

Cage Stretch

Nexersys 5 rounds Beginner Follow Me Avatar
  Accuracy 81% / Strikes 103% / Average Power 134%

Nexersys 9 rounds Intermediate Follow Me Avatar
  Accuracy 83% / Strikes 103% / Average Power 107%

20 min LifeFitness recumbent bike = 2.27 miles

Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs and 10 plank push ups; lower and upper back stretch, etc

photos for actual stats: