Caution As Excuse

I woke up at 4 am just as my husband was getting ready to leave for Boston. He didn't wake me up though. It was the unusual pain under my left arm. Lats. My lats are in spasm. The right side as well, but not as badly. The vague sense of heartburn made me wonder if poor digestion was the culprit because I've linked past episodes of back spasms to something I ate and my stomach ultimately rejected... a stray watercress stem, apple skin, a sliver of red pepper. I swallow two ibuprofens with some water and then go back to bed. When the alarm sounds this morning, I'm unusually tired, although my back no longer hurts.

I ease into cardio and don't quite make two miles on the elliptical. When I get to the free weight area, all the benches are occupied by several big guys, even the Smith machine. Bummer. I set up at the Inclined Bench and do a few sets, wondering if this will make me too tired to flat bench properly. My left wrist and thumb are achy this morning. My hands are cold and there's a vague throbbing inside my palm. By the time I get to the Flat Bench, most of the guys have dispersed, and I see a few women benching but hardly any weight. I don't understand why they're barely bringing the bar down either. Is this an exercise in elbow flexion? My wrist and palm still feels a bit off so I decide to only do one set at 125 if I can find someone to spot me. K isn't here today. I see B chatting with M, and I just don't want to ask M. I really hate it when he just grabs the bar from me. Ah, I see JF, one of the trainers. It must be his off day because he's just working out. He's a good spotter, never touching the bar, because honestly, I can get 6 reps at 125 by myself. I just wanted him there in case of an unanticipated failure.

B wanders over and asks me how my weekend went. Then she asks what's the secret to lifting heavy. Secret? I could say Not Chatting, but I don't. Instead I deflect by telling her that 1) I'm bigger and heavier than she is and 2) it's not that much weight. She's shocked. How much do you weigh? Well, it varies but probably about 110-112 lbs. She points to the bench. That's a lot of weight for someone your size. I'm bemused. You mean for a girl. I think you should be able to bench your own body weight. Or maybe that's just some gym rat mythology?

I toy with the idea of upping the weight. Perhaps next week. I've got to figure out the progression better. Instead, I do a drop set, finishing off with 20 reps at 95 lbs. Then back to the Inclined Bench for Inclined DB Flyes. I grab both the 25 and 30 lb DBs because I warm up with the 25s. I keep them for the DB Lateral Raises as well. I figure the only way to make my shoulders grow is to go as heavy as I can for sets of 12 reps. I think it's working.

Normally I'd use the BB Overhead Press Rack for the Bent-Over DB Flyes because it's old equipment, which means the seat isn't too high for my short legs. But a big dude is in it and I move all my stuff over to the DB area where I gingerly perch, nearly on tip toe, at the edge of a newer bench. 25 lbs to warm up. Then a set at 30 lbs. I check my Jefit log and realize I need to grab magnets from the front desk. Okay, now I have 32.5 lb DBs. After three sets, I blow caution to the wind, say WTF and grab the 35 lb DBs. Let's see how many I can do. And I get 12. Two young men are alternating on the Decline Bench across from me. I think they're as surprised as I am.

I clamber onto the Step Mill for 20 minutes, read my email and forum posts and then drop onto the Mat for Dive Bomber Push Ups, a plank and a full Mat Stretch. By the time I get to the locker room, my stomach is growling. The gym scale registers all the salty food I ate yesterday (corned beef with garlic mustard, pan-fried cabbage and sweet potatoes) so 114.0 lbs doesn't come as a complete surprise to me. At least my clothes still fit. And my new Avia sports bra didn't bite into my traps as I was working out, so I'm really happy. I should go buy a few more in that size, brand and style.

Later, I have to take the dog to the vet for his annual checkup, but I'm concerned that he's not quite right. His digestive tract is unusually sensitive and I've resorted to giving him boiled ground turkey and white rice for his meals, and Tylan powder, an antibiotic measured into bread and rolled into "bread pills" that I can push down his throat. He's 11 but he still wants me to chase him around the yard like we were both puppies.

St. Paddy's Day Workout

20 min elliptical = 1.91 miles

Inclined Bench Press
12x45 (bar)
12x65 lbs
12x85 lbs
3x8x95 lbs +2 reps

Flat Bench Press
12x95 lbs
8x115 lbs
6x125 lbs
8x115 lbs
20x95 lbs

Inclined DB Flyes
12x25 lbs
3x12x30 lbs +12 reps
12x25 lbs

DB Lateral Raises
12x25 lbs
4x12x30 lbs

Bent Over DB Reverse Flyes
12x25 lbs
12x30 lbs
3x12x32.5 lbs
12x35 lbs +2.5 lbs Yay PR

20 min Matrix Step Mill = 1051 steps

Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs, 60-sec plank, splits, upper and lower back stretches