Push Ups First, Then Pull Ups

The log below is completely out of sequence because I can't figure out the Jefit App properly. However, I did do my standard Abbreviated Full Body workout today. The hip is still a bit wonky but not as bad as yesterday. I started with 3+ miles on the LifeFitness Cross-trainer, then a light Cage Stretch, foregoing the side kicks and stretch because of the hip issue. On Wednesday I suffered from a nearly unbearable soft palate throbbing akin to a brain freeze when I did pull ups and then push ups. I didn't have that problem on Monday, but Monday I had started with push ups first.

Today I do push ups first and knock out 50, pausing at rep 40 for 2 breaths, then at rep 45 for two breaths. I can feel a slight throbbing in my head but it's tolerable. Then I do close grip, neutral palm pull ups at the Cage. In the Jefit App, I find an exercise called Hammer Grip Pull Ups which sounds like what I'm doing except that Hammer probably refers to the brand name of a machine and not the hand position (unlike a hammer curl). I'm pulling only bodyweight (BW) so I punch in 112 because that's what it was yesterday. (Today, it actually reads 110.4 lbs but I don't know that until after my workout.)

On the way to the Smith machine to do Inverted Rows, I stop at the Cybex Torso Twist machine and do a set there. The Jefit App doesn't have this machine either so I plug in Weighted Torso Twist instead and edit it later. The Smith is free but the last doofus left the bench dripping wet where he put his head. So gross! I move the bench and curse under my breath. Since I'm plugged in, I have no idea how loud I'm muttering but there's not a lot of people around anyway. It takes me a while to get the proper feel for the movement even though this is the third time this week. It's hard on elbows too, but I figure between this and the pull ups, I haven't totally neglected my back or arms.

22 minutes on the Precor gets me enough mileage to push me over 5 miles so I'm happy. I knock out crunches and pulse-ups on the Mat before doing an abbreviated Mat Stretch. I'm short on time so I skip the Dive Bomber Push Ups and the plank. But I toss in a few Pistol Squats just for quads even though I think 5+ miles is plenty of exercise for legs. Haven't decided whether I'll go to the gym this Monday or not. My husband is home for the long weekend but off to Boston for the rest of the week. Oh well... Tomorrow we're going to an all-day seminar on fire-making skills. Should be fun!

Day Five Abbreviated Workout

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   143 CAL
Distance: 3.37 mile
Speed :    6.68 mph
Duration : 00:30:00

Push Up

50

Set 1 : 50 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 40 Laps/Reps
Set 3 : 30 Laps/Reps

Pull Up

8

Set 1 : 8 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 8 Laps/Reps
Set 3 : 8 Laps/Reps

Torso Twist Machine

91.67

Set 1 : 50x25
Set 2 : 50x25

Elliptical Training

N/A

Calorie :   193 CAL
Distance: 1.76 mile
Speed :    --
Lap/Rep :  --
Duration : 00:22:00

Crunches

50

Set 1 : 50 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 50 Laps/Reps
Pulse Ups : 50 Laps/Reps

  Pistol Squat

5

Set 1 : 5 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 4 Laps/Reps

Inverted Row

154

Set 1 : 110x12
Set 2 : 110x12
Set 3 : 110x12

Day Four: In Spite of Myself

I really wasn't expecting rain much less the thunderstorms that rolled into our area yesterday evening. But it certainly made today much more temperate. My son and I hit the gym around 10ish and there are a few boys my son's age in the Child Care room. My left hip has been intermittently painful all morning. Must've slept on it funny. Normally this sort of transient pain passes after walking the dog, but not today. I find myself wincing as I try not to limp to the Cardio platform. I even consider not doing my warm up, but that's really not who I am. I'm the one who says, Well, let's see if pedaling on the elliptical will fix this. Maybe pedaling faster?

Going faster is better. I don't get the speed (228 Strides Per Minutes) I normally do for the 4 minutes of Tabata, but I'm happy to be able to do it at all. I'm still having intermittent pain depending on how I stand while I do a light stretch at the Cage. But I don't have any problems whatsoever at the Nexersys. I did modify my workout so that I stayed with 15 rounds Beginner Level. The Intermediate Level contains sweeps and knee-ups, both movements I'm not entirely sure are hip-friendly.

I see a few regulars but I'm not the type to greet anyone while I'm working out. There is a a middle-aged, shaggy-haired guy who has been staring at me for some months now. Today he walks so close behind me that I accidentally bump into him. Automatically, I say "Sorry" but again, I'm not the type to make conversation, or even eye contact. I figure eventually he'll lose interest and fade away into the background.

I'm having a good time whacking and kicking the machine, until the very last round when the machine glitches at the first combo and drops my score from 100% to 50% because the entire screen lights up as if every sensor was being activated. I make all my combos but it's not enough to recover my accuracy score. Bummer. But I know it's the machine, not me.

When I'm done, I get back on the elliptical for 10 minutes and do my 5 min of Tabata. Now I feel good and my hip doesn't bother me so I can get my speed up to 258 SPMs. However, once I'm back in the locker room, I'm back to cautiously stepping with the ball of my foot. Bummer. I'm hoping everything will settle down in a few hours. Or at least by tomorrow.

Thursday Workout 

10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 4 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.79 miles

light Cage Stretch

Nexersys 15 rounds Beginner Follow Me Avatar program
  Accuracy 95% / Strikes 100% / Average Power 138%

10 min elliptical = 2 min steady state + 5 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.81 miles

photo for actual stats:

Abbreviated Day Three: Hump Day

We got to the gym at 11 am which is late for me because I let my son sleep in a bit. I'm already hungry by the time I finish my first cardio session. I do 30 minutes on the LifeFitness Cross-trainer instead of 20 minutes because I know I can log more miles in fewer time on this machine. The stretch Cage is only a few yards away so right afterwards I stretch my hamstrings and lower back. I do a set of close grip pull ups, palms facing each other. I get 8 without any problems but I know it only gets harder.

Then I drop down and knock out some push ups. Normally these aren't a problem but today something's awry. By the last 10 reps, my head is throbbing, especially in the soft palate, as if I was suffering from a "brain freeze". I don't know if it's indicative of a sudden spike in blood pressure or not. Because of my glaucoma, I've been advised not to do any movement that raises my IOP (intra-ocular pressure) like head or handstands. I don't do roller coasters either. But push ups have normally not been an issue. Especially since I can usually knock out a set of 50 the first time.

I got more reps on Monday, but I also didn't have a headache from push ups. I alternate between the increasingly more difficult pull ups, and push ups. Still, knocking out 20 reps for the last set is probably intimidating to a lot of the gym bodies. Planet Fitness would definitely kick my butt out of their gym. I'm happy to squeak out the last 8 reps for the last set of pull ups as well.

Inverted Rows

The Smith machine is empty so I decide to try Inverted Rows which are suppose to work one's back. I find it almost as stressful on the elbows as pull ups. But I still attempt three sets of 12 reps. I have a hard time finishing the last set and have to pause twice. The Jefit App is annoying because their database shows Inverted Rows as having a weight component. It's a body weight exercise so this is ridiculous. I see R and chat with him briefly about how he's doing. It must look odd because he's giant at 6'4" and 225 lbs.

After my second leg of cardio, I do a set at the Torso Twist machine and then a full Mat Stretch. I only do two sets of Dive Bomber Push Ups though. I'm in a hurry, and I retrieve my son just two minutes shy of 1 pm. He's watching the latest Scooby Do movie with the Child Care room attendant. She's normally very grumpy, but today she doesn't seem to mind. Maybe because I'm actually on time for a change.

Wednesday Day Three Workout

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   142 CAL
Distance: 3.46 mile
Speed :    6.86 mph
Duration : 00:30:00

Push Up

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 30 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 20 Lap/Rep

Pull Ups

Set 1 : 8 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 8 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 8 Lap/Rep

Torso Twist Machine

Set 1 : 50x25
Set 2 : 50x25

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   174 CAL
Distance: 1.6 mile
Duration : 00:20:00

Inverted Rows

Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 10 Lap/Rep

Plank

Set 1 : 00:01:02

Dive Bomber Pushup

Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep

Pistol Squat

Set 1 : 8 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 5 Lap/Rep

Abbreviated Week Day Two

My son and I get to the gym at 9:30 but since this is the last week of August, there are hardly any kids in the Child Care Room. He's bummed but not completely surprised. We are, aferall, going to see Guardians of the Galaxy again at 11:15, but this time with friends.

My right knee starts to bother me during the intense pace of Tabata. I'm a bit worried now. I'm warmed up and do a quick abbreviated Cage Stretch. No kicks or high stretches. There's a new employee at the front desk. Most disappear after a few days. Since he seems to be young and in reasonable shape, I ask him to move the left Nexersys so that it's totally on the mat instead of having it's left foot half on and half off. He actually has to move the other machine inorder to accomplish this, and when he's done, he's also inadvertently fixed the glare problem on my screen. Yay!

I don't have enough time to do the full hour of kickboxing, especially if I want to shower and change into clean clothes. I do 12 rounds and am thoroughly sweaty by the time I'm done. It's enough for today. We meet our friends at the theatre two doors down and get our $5 tickets. Guardians of the Galaxy is just as much fun the 2nd time around! The rest of the day is crazy busy as we go to lunch at a local diner, check out the archery shop for information on Youth Archery Leagues, and finally end with an impromptu play date at our house. My son is very happy.

Afterwards, I finally sort through the 6 pints of blueberries I've had in the fridge for the past week.Ten and a half cups of blueberries, 2 cups of sugar, juice of 1/2 lemon and zest of 1/2 lemon and cook for close to three hours. It's jam! The original recipe called for 6 cups of sugar and 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice, 2 tbsp of zest and 1/4 tsp of salt. Salt? I taste my jam and think it's fine the way I've made it. Yay! Tomorrow I get to do another abbreviated full body workout before attempting to process the 1/2 bushel of peaches sitting on my kitchen chair. Oh boy...

Day Two

10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 4 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.79 miles

Nexersys 12 rounds Beginner Follow Me Avatar (48 minutes)
  Accuracy 98% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 135%

Photo for actual stats:

 

Day One Abbreviated BodyWeight Workout

Today's Selfie

I warned my son that there might not be any kids in the Child Care room today because it's the week before school starts and a lot of families take vacation before the Labor Day weekend. There were a few kids but none of the regular crowd. Of course, he's not usually at the gym on a Monday anyway.

I'm mindful of the time so I've modified my workout this week to keep my 5+ miles of cardio but to utilize body weight exercises so that I'm not thwarted by equipment access issues. After 25 minutes on the LifeFitness Cross-trainer, I stretch out at the Cage and then do a set of pull ups. Since they're close grip, neutral palm (palms facing each other), I figure this is the least damaging pull up hand position. I can only get 8 real pull ups. Then I wander over to the Mats to see how many push ups I can do. I have to pause for two breaths at the 40 count. Then again at 45, but I get my 50 push ups. Yay!

Then back to the Cage to do another set of pull ups. Again, only 8. Then down for push ups. This time I only get 40. The last set of pull ups is okay until I get to 6. The last two are hard. Then back down for push ups. I pause at 25. Then get another 5. Then pause. Another 5. I'm not sure where but I seem to have lost count. Aarg. Done.

I pedal on the elliptical for another 30 minutes and get my total mileage up past 5 so I'm happy. I have enough time to squeeze in a Mat Stretch but I start with crunches and pulse-ups because that's as much Mat as I can inch onto. A big tall dude and his two tweenage sons are hogging the mats and there's no where else to stretch out since the floors are being redone in the big mirrored class room. When they leave, I bounce into a full Mat Stretch and toss in a half dozen Pistol Squats just because. But of course, that's not in my log. I skip the plank but at least my upper and lower back are stretched.

Tomorrow I'll whack the Nexersys for an hour and do a bit of Tabata. Like I always do on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then we'll rush off to meet friends to see Guardians of the Galaxy again. They haven't seen it, but I don't mind seeing it again. At least that crazy song isn't stuck in my head anymore.


Elliptical Training
Calorie : 120 CAL
Distance: 2.97 mile
Speed : 7.15 mph
Duration : 00:25:00

Pull Ups
8
Set 1 : 8 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 8 Laps/Reps
Set 3 : 8 Laps/Reps

Push Up
50
Set 1 : 50 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 40 Laps/Reps
Set 3 : 30 Laps/Reps


Elliptical Training
Calorie : 254 CAL
Distance: 2.35 mile
Duration : 00:30:00

Crunches/PulseUp/Crunches
Set 1 : 50 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 50 Laps/Reps
Set 3 : 50 Laps/Reps

Dive Bomber Pushup
12
Set 1 : 12 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 12 Laps/Reps

EOW!

End of the Week! EOW! Yay! I'm tired. Yep. I admit it. But it doesn't keep me from doing what has become habit for me: going to the gym during the week. I only work each body part once a week but that doesn't take into consideration the 5 miles I do three times a week or the hour of kickboxing twice a week.

Today is Back and Triceps Day, so after my 2 mile warm up on the LifeFitness I'm a bit sweaty and warm, and ready to hit the RG BB Row. I'm annoyed that I have to tidy up the space first because the Trap Bar and other assorted bars are lying all over the floor. I don't want to trip over equipment so I put everything up against the wall. Now I grab an Oly, do a quick 20 reps and then wrestle the 45 lb plates onto it. Being annoyed makes me much more energetic and I actually knock out more reps than I intend.

Oh well. That just means that I have to pull back on other exercises. Like the One-Arm DB Rows. I get a set at 50, and manage to grab a 60 lb DB, but it's so crowded at that end of the DB rack with a posse of teenage boys and clueless old guys, that I decide to forgo the 65 lb Row. The 60 lb DB is hard enough today. Luckily, the Lower Back Extension machine feels easier. I manage 15 reps per set and that makes me happy.

Again, there are no flat benches available in the DB area, so I hijack one of the Breaker Benches to use for RIP Crushers (or Rippetoe Skullcrushers if you like). It's a difficult movement and even though I can get 12 reps per set, they are hard reps and I'm not confident I can do more weight. So I don't. Instead I add another set.

I know my triceps are too fried to do sets at 50 lbs at the Cable Press Down station, but I like this movement better than DB Kickbacks or One-Arm DB Extensions. I settle for doing a Drop Set starting at 50 lbs, then dropping weight as I add reps. I'm hoping this will increase endurance and perhaps add some shape to my massive arms. And yes, I'm a small person, but dang, I got big upper arms. I wish my forearms were more proportional but we work with what we got, right?

I do two sets at the Torso Twist machine and then finish my cardio on the Precor elliptical. I always feel good afterwards. Since today is Friday and the end of my workout week, I need to finish with a full Mat Stretch to prevent soreness. Today the three sets of Dive Bomber Push Ups don't feel that hard. The plank still sucks though, and if I didn't have the stopwatch function on my phone, I'd probably skip it altogether. I can feel and hear my spine popping as I hold the plank, feel my exhalation cause my torso to tremble, watch time slow to a maddening crawl.

Thankfully, the rest of the routine moves quickly. I've added Pistol Squats and perform them in a walking motion: lift right foot, squat with left leg, rise, place right foot directly behind left foot, lift left foot, squat with right leg. Then once you reach the end of the mat, perform the movement by stepping forward. My quads must be stronger because this is the easiest it's ever been. No crunches today. No pulse ups today. I've been here too long and I have things to do.


Weight Lifted
35105 lbs


Elliptical Training
Calorie : 96 CAL
Distance: 2.31 mile
Speed : 6.85 mph
Duration : 00:20:00

Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row
247.5
Set 1 : 45x20
Set 2 : 135x20
Set 3 : 155x15
Set 4 : 165x15
Set 5 : 145x20
Set 6 : 135x25

Dumbbell One Arm Row
84
Set 1 : 55x12
Set 2 : 60x10
Set 3 : 60x12
Set 4 : 60x12


Back Extension Machine
292.5
Set 1 : 195x15
Set 2 : 195x15
Set 3 : 195x15

Torso Twist Machine
Set 1 : 50x25
Set 2 : 50x25
Set 3 : 50x25
Set 4 : 50x25

Barbell RIP Skullcrusher
52.5
Set 1 : 15x15
Set 2 : 37.5x12
Set 3 : 37.5x12
Set 4 : 37.5x12
Set 5 : 37.5x12

Cable Triceps Pushdown
66.67
Set 1 : 50x10
Set 2 : 40x12
Set 3 : 30x15
Set 4 : 20x25


Elliptical Training
Calorie : 309 CAL
Distance: 2.83 mile
Duration : 00:35:00

Plank
Set 1 : 00:01:02

Dive Bomber Pushup
Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 12 Lap/Rep

Pistol Squat
Set 1 : 10 Lap/Rep

End of Summer Blues

Yesterday's Selfie

I'm just logging my workout now at 11:30 pm because it's been one long long day starting with taking my son to the gym this morning and discovering not very many kids in the Child Care Room. Every one seems to take vacation right before school starts and I can't blame them. My son is hoping that the new Nintendo 3DS my husband ordered via Amazon Prime will be waiting for us when we return to the house so he' perfectly willing to do errands with me after the gym.

Ten minutes of cardio which includes 4 minutes of Tabata gets me a little warm, but not enough to perspire. I'm well into round 5 of 12 at the Beginner Level Follow Me program before I feel sweaty. The machine is still glitchy, especially in the Intermediate Level when the machine flashes so many different target spots that I'm not sure whether I should hit them or not. I've taken to wrapping tape over knuckles of both hands before using the cloth wraps. It makes it a bit difficult to stuff my hands into my gloves, but I manage and my hands don't look bruised when I'm done. Three rounds of Intermediate Level is enough for today since I want to finish with 10 more minutes of cardio (and 5 Tabata).

The TV on the recumbent bike just diagonally in front of my elliptical has a synchronization issue and I swear to myself that it's going to give me epilepsy. It's hard not to be affected by the erratic pulsing light flashing in my peripheral vision as I keep track of my time and speed. I'd like to turn the TV off but then I'd have to start over on my cardio and I really don't have the time. I do seem to move slower in the locker room when I'm changing to shower. Maybe it's true that things take longer after a workout because your brain is actually experiencing a time lag of sorts.

My son is surrounded by very small children when I retrieve him from the Child Care Room. We need to buy groceries and school supplies before heading off to Connecticut for a play date with his best friend. They've barely seen each other all summer since they go to different schools and different summer camps. Tomorrow will be my son's last day at camp, and in a way, I think he's relieved. He says he just wants to sleep in for a bit and this weekend seems perfect for that although we are planning to hit the Renaissance Faire again on Sunday. Tomorrow is also Back and Triceps Day. Yaaay! I'll have my son in tow all next week and for half the following week. I'm ready to adjust my workout again. Maybe a version of the Shred Program...

Thursday Double Cardio Workout

10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 4 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.81 miles

Cage Stretch

Nexersys Kickboxing 12 rounds Beginner Level
  Accuracy 97% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 135%
3 rounds Intermediate Level
  Accuracy 84% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 96%

10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 5 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.8 miles

Photos posted for actual stats:

Hump Day Leg Workout

The next week and a half will be abbreviated workouts because school doesn't start until Sept 4 which is a Thursday. Who starts school at the end of the week? Good grief! Today's Leg Workout is a luxury because I have more time. I do my split cardio routine with 2+ miles on the LifeFitness cross-trainer before I lift and then 2+ miles on the Precor afterwards. The Smith machine is free and I'm quite happy doing my Smith Squats and then Smith SLDLs.

My lower back still feels crunchy, but it feels that way when I bend over, with lower vertebrae popping like bubble wrap. Maybe I should use a lifting belt? I can't remember whether I tossed or kept my old leather belt. Everything leather eventually gets moldy in my house. I might've tossed it. I'm not sure I'd really want yet another piece of equipment to drag along to the gym. I'm tired but I've never let that deter me from a decent workout. I'm blaming Shark Week for sleep deprivation, since I've been staying up to watch and delete all the sharktacular episodes of jaw-dropping marine footage.

After Seated Leg Extensions, I stretch at the Cage, and after the area is clear of guys using the cable machines in that corner, I do a set of Pistol Squats to see how many I can do in succession. 10 per leg is pretty good! Then I wander back to the main gym area and do sets of GHRs at the Lat Pull Down machine. That always causes people to inadvertently stare. But not as much as putting my leg over my head at the Cage. Hey, it's not like I haven't been working at this for some years now.

I've cooled down a lot so doing a second leg of cardio helps warm up my muscles for the Mat Stretch that follows. I can't wait until the 3rd set of Dive Bomber Push Ups gets easier. The plank still feels like an eternity at 62 seconds. Only my splits feel effortless. I do another set of Pistol Squats but only get 5 (each leg) going backwards and 3 forward as that lands me in the middle of the Mat where I need to be to do the rest of my stretches. Finally, after the shoulder, neck, upper back and lower back stretches, I do a set of crunches, then pulse-ups, then another set of crunches. Done! Yay!

Leg Workout


Elliptical Training
Calorie : 96 CAL
Distance: 2.31 mile
Speed : 6.85 mph
Lap/Rep : --
Duration : 00:20:00

Smith Machine Squat
224
Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x15
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 4 : 140x12
Set 5 : 160x12
Set 6 : 130x12

Smith Machine Stiff Legged Deadlift
224
Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 4 : 140x12
Set 5 : 160x12
Set 6 : 130x12

Leg Extensions
189
Set 1 : 75x12
Set 2 : 105x12
Set 3 : 135x12

Pistol Squat
Set 1 : 10 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 8 Laps/Reps

GHRs
Set 1 : 12 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 12 Laps/Reps
Set 3 : 12 Laps/Reps

Elliptical Training
Calorie : 314 CAL
Distance: 2.86 mile
Duration : 00:35:00

Plank
Set 1 : 00:01:02

Dive Bomber Pushup
Set 1 : 12 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 12 Laps/Reps
Set 3 : 12 Laps/Reps

Crunches/PulseUps/Crunches
Set 1 : 50 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 50 Laps/Reps
Set 3 : 50 Laps/Reps

Working for that Sweat

There is nothing more disconcerting than huffing away after a breathless 4 minutes of Tabata on the elliptical, only to find that you're barely warm. I do a full 10 minutes of cardio which included the 4 minutes of 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off, and I'm not sweating. Not even a little. After a quick Cage Stretch to relax my hamstrings, I amble over to the Nexersys and pull off my hoodie. I'm not hot, but this is the one exercise that is guaranteed to soak your clothes. Today I have tape over both my knuckles because I noticed that my left hand is starting to get a bruised look. Maybe I'm my strength is starting to even out?

I only tap in 13 rounds (54 minutes) Beginner Round because I'm at the gym a tad late (let my son sleep in a bit) and then we're off to catch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 3D at the cinema next door. We don't normally see the 3D flicks, but this one starts at 11:15 am and the regular 2D showing doesn't begin until 12:45 pm. There's nothing to do in the interim except go grocery shopping but that would necessitate actually unloading groceries at home and then making a return trip just for the movies. No point in doing that!

I catch glimpses of regulars working out all around me while I kick, jab and punch the machine. The men and younger women seem intrigued, the older women intimidated. Not my problem. They can just as easily get a pair of gloves and do a few Beginner rounds.

The Turtle movie is entertaining but seems visually dark. Maybe it's the 3D but even Megan Fox seems muted and muddy. It still doesn't help at all that the theme song from Guardians of the Galaxy is STILL running through my head. Oh well. Tomorrow is Leg Day.

Next week will be a totally abbreviated workout week since there's no more camp and school hasn't started yet. Which means my son will be with me the entire week. My husband is in Boston this entire week and celebrated his 47th by taking himself out for sushi dinner. Next week he'll be in Canada. Business of course.

Tuesday Abbreviated Cardio Workout

10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 4 min Tabata (20 sec On / 10 sec Off) + 3 min steady state

Nexersys: 13 rounds Beginner Follow Me Avatar 
  Accuracy 97% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 135%

Photo posted for stats:

The Jam is in the Peach

This summer seems relatively short so we've begun jarring home-made peach preserves, cutting the sugar to 1/5 of what recipes call for, and eliminating the pectin altogether. Our foray into wineberry preserves was disappointing because the pectin muted the flavors. A one to one ration of berry to sugar was also too heavy on the sugar. Now wineberry season is over and we're looking at local farm peaches and Jersey blueberries instead.

This is also the last week of camp for my son and he's only there three days. Today I do my split cardio routine as well as Chest, Delts and Biceps. I don't even look at the Breaker benches as I drop my towel on the bench under the Smith Machine. It's also an oversized Matrix adjustable bench that sits too high and too wide. I can't reach the yoga blocks on the floor so I keep my knees bent and my feet on the bench and I'm flipped around so that my head is over the narrower portion, the bottom of the bench. That gives my shoulders and elbows better mobility.

I'm not benching as heavy, but I feel more in control. Better yet is the ability to adjust the bench upward so I can do Smith Inclined Benching immediately afterwards. I get a better chest workout here. I'm going to stick with the Smith machine much to the chagrin of The Mayor and his posse. Afterwards, I find a different Inclined bench to do DB Flyes, keeping my arms bent at the elbows but getting a decent chest pump for my efforts. I don't like to monopolize equipment if it's not necessary unlike Island Jerk who is still draping his towel over benches with loaded bars and then disappearing for 20 minutes at a stretch.

Teenagers show up and I grab my DBs to move to another mirrored wall away from the DB rack where everyone seems to be congregating. Delts are done. I stay at 25 lbs because 30s are doable but not pretty. I make up for it by doing sets of high reps. Lastly are biceps and I almost forget to do them. Good thing I check my phone app before hitting the elliptical. I'm still annoyed that the Jefit app doesn't include Dive Bomber Push Ups or Pistol Squats in their exercise database. I have to manually edit the log to add these exercises in. It's not in my log but I do 5 Pistol Squats per leg.

I need to do a full Mat stretch since I've been fairly inactive all weekend. Going to the NY Renaissance Faire doesn't really count although my husband kept plying me with mead so I'm not surprised that the gym scale reads 112.0 lbs even. We also went to Round Up Texas BBQ for dinner. Again the brisket and ribs were excellent and I can't rave enough about the fried okra. But not everything is worthwhile there. The pulled chicken was dry even with sauce. I wouldn't bother with their sausage either. My son likes their mac & cheese. I used a gob of the cheese on the garlic mashed potatoes. The corn bread is too cakey in texture. The beans are watery with a ketchup vinegar aftertaste. Nope, the only things worthwhile are the ribs, brisket and fried okra.

Tomorrow will be some Tabata cardio and a few rounds of kickboxing the Nexersys. Then off to see Ninja Turtles. The 3-D movie is showing at 11:15. I don't think we want to wait around for the 2-D movie at 12:45 since we're off to the Mall afterwards to find a used Pokemon X&Y 3-DS game for my son's "new" electronic device. Yay summer! But I've got that song from Guardians of the Galaxy running through my head all the time. I might just have to see it again!

Monday Workout

Exercise Name

1 RM

Lifting Logs

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   96 CAL
Distance: 2.26 mile
Speed :    6.71 mph

Duration : 00:20:00

Smith Machine Bench Press

154

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x13
Set 3 : 100x12
Set 4 : 110x12
Set 5 : 110x12
Set 6 : 90x20

Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

126

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 70x12
Set 3 : 80x12
Set 4 : 90x12
Set 5 : 90x12
Set 6 : 90x12

Dumbbell Incline Fly

35

Set 1 : 25x12
Set 2 : 25x12
Set 3 : 25x12
Set 4 : 25x12
Set 5 : 25x12

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

35

Set 1 : 20x15
Set 2 : 25x12
Set 3 : 25x12
Set 4 : 25x12
Set 5 : 25x12
Set 6 : 25x12

Dumbbell Seated Bent Over Reverse Fly

37.5

Set 1 : 25x15
Set 2 : 25x15
Set 3 : 25x15
Set 4 : 25x15
Set 5 : 25x15

Dumbbell Alternate Bicep Curl

28

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12

Barbell Curl

56.25

Set 1 : 15x15
Set 2 : 37.5x15
Set 3 : 37.5x15
Set 4 : 37.5x15

Elliptical Training

N/A

Calorie :   311 CAL
Distance: 2.84 mile
Speed :    --
Lap/Rep :  --
Duration : 00:35:00

Plank

N/A

Set 1 : 00:01:02

Dive Bomber Pushup

12

Set 1 : 12 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 12 Laps/Reps
Set 3 : 12 Laps/Reps

Crunches

50

Set 1 : 50 Laps/Reps