The good news is that summer has been prolonged. I think we used to call it Indian Summer when I was a kid. Temps are up in the high 70s but the humidity makes us all wonder if we should carry umbrellas. The bad news is that leaves are dropping en mass. Of course, due to plentiful summer rainfall, the maples are edged in firetruck red in a stand of golds, greens and some early paper-bag brown.
The good news is that I'm at the gym at my usual time, just as women are streaming out of the locker room. I get on the LifeFitness, punch in 30 minutes and start pedaling. The bad news is that I feel tired and it's only the last 5 minutes of panicky pedaling that propels me past the 3 mile mark. The good news is that the Cage is free and I do a quick hamstring stretch. I've been foregoing the side stretch just to baby my hips a bit. Perhaps there can be such a thing as too much stretching. Too much flexibility can lead to arthritis.
The bad news is that there's a 45 lb plate on the bar at the Smith machine and I see Island Jerk and his new trainee standing right next to it. I immediately turn heel and head back to the Cage because I'm so not interested in having a conversation. I'm glad I have an alternate plan for days I can't get use of the equipment I want.
The good news is that the difficulty of push ups is more in my head than in my body. I can knock out the first two sets without pausing. I'm interspersing Hammer Grip Pull Ups between my push up sets so my arms are horribly pumped and my hands are numb by the time I'm done. The last set of push ups is a tad harder, but I only have to pause at rep 45 before finishing the set. I'm not sure if I should try to add more reps next time or see how far into a 4th set I can go. How cool would that be, doing 200 push ups?
I stop off at the Torso Twist machine because it's a popular machine and I nab a set when I can. There's no one at the Smith but there's still a 45 lb plate on each end of the bar. Island Jerk is notorious for this. After I politely ask the dude DB pressing next to the Smith if he's using it (he's not) I pull off the plates to re-rack and I'm fairly noisy about it. These plates are a lot lighter than I remember. Or maybe I'm just annoyed.
I use a bare bar and set it two notches from the bottom of the rack to do Inverted Rows. These are hard. I actually have to pause at the 8th rep for a moment before finishing the set. Done. Three sets of weird push-up GHRs at the Lat Pull Down machine, then up to the elliptical for 2 more miles. Because my right calf has been odd for the past two weeks, threatening to cramp sporadically, I make sure to vary my incline and to pedal backwards occasionally. It seems to help. The steeper incline also helps.
I see the blonde woman with the nice arms stretching out at the Mat. She's got that swimmer build: wide shoulders, long body and narrow hips. I'm just very sturdy. I knock out three sets of Dive Bomber Push Ups, a plank (still hate them) and then Pistol Squats. Afterwards I stretch hamstrings, lower back, upper back and shoulders. Done. Yaaay! I know my weight and BF have crept up again because my eating has been poor lately. But today's another day to start fresh.
Tuesday Workout
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
Day One. Again.
I don't get to the gym today until nearly 11:30 am because my hubs is leaving today for Boston and he'll be gone for two weeks straight. Normally he's back on the weekends. You'd think I'd get used to "single parenting" by now, but even I need a break every now and then, or at least someone to share it with. I had a very good time at the Saturday archery seminar my hubs took me to. It ran from 9 am to 5:30 pm, but it was a good 2 hrs travel time each way.
We were told we'd discover muscles we never knew we had. Actually we didn't. And Sunday, we spent time in our yard practicing the basics of the first things we'd learned about stance, arm positioning, grip, and aiming. We're looking for consistency and tight groupings at a measly 5 yards from the target, but you'd be surprised how difficult it is to maintain the same anchor point, the same stance, the same grip each time you shoot once you find a combination that works for you. I bought a kid's bow at Kmart, thinking it'd be easier to shoot for long periods of time rather than using my 22 lb recurve. But I was wrong. The 15 lb (draw weight) kid's bow actually seemed harder to pull! Oh well. My son can grow into that one since his compound is probably about 10-12 lbs.
I get my 10 minutes of cardio (4 min of Tabata) while D is finishing up her last rounds whacking the left side Nexersys. The right side machine is too flaky and most regular users of this machine prefer the left one now, in spite of the glare. As do I. I'm slacking today, so I punch in 15 rounds (60 minutes) at the Beginner Level. There's a sign under the screen that says Users should restrict themselves to 7 rounds or 30 minutes, but I figure as long as no one is waiting in line, WTH.
During the 14th round though, a fellow comes by, looks at my screen and then pulls his gloves on to box the right side machine. He seems to be doing the Intermediate Sparring, judging by the sweeps and knee-ups. As soon as I'm done with my 15 rounds, he moves onto the left side machine. Because it's less flaky. And we all know it. Not to say that it's perfect. The machine's accuracy scoring is suspect again. I still haven't figured out how it can give me a score of 92% when I've hit all my targets (as evidenced by 100% strikes)? There is one round that the machine seems unable to register strikes properly and ghost targets light up the screen. Oh well... When I'm done I do another 10 minutes on the elliptical, with 6 minutes Tabata time. It doesn't feel all that bad anymore. A quick lower and upper back stretch on the Mat with some ab work, and I'm done! Yay!
Monday Workout
10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 4 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.81 miles
Nexersys 15 rounds Beginner Follow Me (60 min)
Accuracy 93% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 143%
10 min elliptical = 2 min steady state + 6 min Tabata + 2 min steady state = 0.78 miles
50 Crunches / 50 Alternating Bicycles / 50 Pulse Ups
photo posted for actual stats:
We were told we'd discover muscles we never knew we had. Actually we didn't. And Sunday, we spent time in our yard practicing the basics of the first things we'd learned about stance, arm positioning, grip, and aiming. We're looking for consistency and tight groupings at a measly 5 yards from the target, but you'd be surprised how difficult it is to maintain the same anchor point, the same stance, the same grip each time you shoot once you find a combination that works for you. I bought a kid's bow at Kmart, thinking it'd be easier to shoot for long periods of time rather than using my 22 lb recurve. But I was wrong. The 15 lb (draw weight) kid's bow actually seemed harder to pull! Oh well. My son can grow into that one since his compound is probably about 10-12 lbs.
I get my 10 minutes of cardio (4 min of Tabata) while D is finishing up her last rounds whacking the left side Nexersys. The right side machine is too flaky and most regular users of this machine prefer the left one now, in spite of the glare. As do I. I'm slacking today, so I punch in 15 rounds (60 minutes) at the Beginner Level. There's a sign under the screen that says Users should restrict themselves to 7 rounds or 30 minutes, but I figure as long as no one is waiting in line, WTH.
During the 14th round though, a fellow comes by, looks at my screen and then pulls his gloves on to box the right side machine. He seems to be doing the Intermediate Sparring, judging by the sweeps and knee-ups. As soon as I'm done with my 15 rounds, he moves onto the left side machine. Because it's less flaky. And we all know it. Not to say that it's perfect. The machine's accuracy scoring is suspect again. I still haven't figured out how it can give me a score of 92% when I've hit all my targets (as evidenced by 100% strikes)? There is one round that the machine seems unable to register strikes properly and ghost targets light up the screen. Oh well... When I'm done I do another 10 minutes on the elliptical, with 6 minutes Tabata time. It doesn't feel all that bad anymore. A quick lower and upper back stretch on the Mat with some ab work, and I'm done! Yay!
Monday Workout
10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 4 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.81 miles
Nexersys 15 rounds Beginner Follow Me (60 min)
Accuracy 93% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 143%
10 min elliptical = 2 min steady state + 6 min Tabata + 2 min steady state = 0.78 miles
50 Crunches / 50 Alternating Bicycles / 50 Pulse Ups
photo posted for actual stats:
Friday, September 26, 2014
End of the Week
It's catching up to me, staying up too late and eating poorly. I let my son sleep in so we don't get to the gym until 10:30 am. Ten minutes of cardio is hard, especially since my glutes and hams are a tad sore from yesterday. But they don't actually hurt. My upper back, however, is fairly stiff and I attribute that to DOMS although nothing actually hurts. Nothing like a good kickboxing workout to loosen things up! Being tired makes it hard to stay consistent but I am able to maintain decent power and accuracy. I'm not feeling as fresh as usual by the end of round 12, but I tap in 3 rounds at Intermediate anyway. I figure WTF. Again, the machine gets flakey when I make certain combo blows and the screen lights up when it shouldn't. Since I know the Intermediate Level has this tendency, I'm not as annoyed and try to make the best of it. I know I'm punching harder because in spite of taping my knuckles and stuffing my wrapped hands into kickboxing gloves, my knuckles are pink and slightly bruised when I'm done. My wraps are always sweat-soaked so they go into the laundry with all my gym gear.
While the Beginner Level leaves me sweaty and warm, the Intermediate Level has me positively sodden. I pull my hoodie back on and clamber onto an elliptical to finish my cardio. Because I did 6 minutes of Tabata on Tuesday, I do 6 minutes today out of my 10 minutes of cardio, but I've modified it slightly. Now it's 15 seconds On, 15 seconds Off. And I'm breathing as hard as I can, sucking air deep into the recesses of my lungs, trying to store as much oxygen as possible. I think it aids my ability to recover whether it's pushing weights, knocking out push ups or smacking the machine.
I'm running short on time but I still manage to squeeze in Dive Bomber Push Ups, Pistol Squats and most of my Mat Stretch. Since I'll be participating in an archery seminar tomorrow, I don't want my upper back to be knotted up from today's workout. My husband texts me while I'm in the locker room. He's almost home from Boston and wants to meet us for lunch to check out the Cubano sandwich I had yesterday. My son has a different crepe, one filled with pecans, banana and dulce de leche. I have the chicken sandwich with melted swiss, honey mustard and diced onions. My husband tells me that this sandwich is okay but the one's in Miami are so much better. Yeah, well, when I'm in Miami I'll have to check it out.
Friday Workout
10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 4 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.81 miles
Nexersys 12 rounds Beginner Follow Me (48 min)
Accuracy 97% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 140%
Nexersys 3 rounds Intermediate Follow Me (12 min)
Accuracy 82% / Strikes 102% / Average Power 108%
10 min elliptical = 2 min steady state + 6 min Tabata + 2 min steady state = 0.80 miles
Dive Bomber Push Ups: 2 x 15
Pistol Squats: 8
photos posted for actual stats:
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Mental Toughness
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| Soggy Selfie |
I'm a little nervous about Push Ups after a quick Cage stretch. I haven't done them since last week and I always worry about falling on my face. After I knock out my first set (not as hard as I feared), I brace myself for the Hammer Grip Pull Ups. These are so much harder than pull ups, and not just because I worry about tipping the cage over (since it's not really meant for this movement). During my 2nd set (with a minute or two to catch my breath and take a swig of water), the Father-Son Tag Team comes into the area to use the the two cable stations in the corner of the gym. The father is obese and is probably younger than he looks. The son is tall and muscularly slender, like a high school athlete.
My second set is harder because my arms are not only tired, they're pumped which makes it hard to do stuff. Like more push ups and pull ups. I get my full second set of push ups without pause and just slowing down slightly from reps 40 to 50. Going directly to Child's Pose before standing up helps a lot and I don't get the pounding headaches anymore. I can only get 11 reps on the Pull Ups though, but I knew that was going to happen. The Father-Son Tag Team leave while I'm in the midst of my 3rd set of push ups. This one requires a few pauses but it isn't really that bad. I note that my left arm feels noticeable weaker near the elbow. I'm in the middle of my last set of chin ups when a woman comes over to spray bleach solution into her paper towel. Most people have the presence of mind to face a wall or corner, and not spray from a foot away, making the air taste and smell like bleach. It distracts me and suddenly I can only get 9 reps. Bummer. I'm tired and I don't even want to try for another 3.
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| Crepe Alley's Cubano sandwich |
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| Banana Nutella Crepe |
I order a Cubano and snap a few photos to text to my husband. It's pretty good, except it needs a spicier mustard because I see mustard, but I don't taste any mustard. The unsweetened mint ice tea is really good too. My son has the sweetened version because he's a kid. Tomorrow he wants to try a savory crepe, but I don't think he'll like them. I might go for an omelete or chicken sandwich.
Thursday Workout
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Different Day, Different Ache
My lower back and legs seem fine today although my knees are occasionally twingey. 59°F is almost balmy when I take the dog for a walk. He's feeling very frisky for 11 years old and he wants to romp in the yard and roll in, what I can only guess is, deer and/or bunny poo. My hubs is off to Boston for a few days again, but last night he parked at the other end of our property so I can get out of the driveway. He doesn't actually have to be in Boston until 8 pm but he needs to check into his hotel which isn't as near the airport as he'd like. He'll get home on Friday and then Saturday, he and I are taking a bow seminar (designed to increase accuracy skills) at Practical Primitive in New Jersey. It's going to be another exhausting weekend. On the other hand, I put a few gooseberries in my oatmeal this morning. I like the way they taste, but I love the way they look in their papery leafy wrappers. Makes me want to put them into a collage of some sort. 10 min cardio warm up with 4 min Tabata gets me a tad warm. I stretch my hamstrings at the Cage before proceeding to the Nexersys kickboxing machine. My right shoulder has been a little twingey since last night so I wonder how I can get my workout done and not aggravate anything. Instead of 15 rounds Beginner Level Follow Me, I enter 12. If my shoulder holds up, I'll do 3 rounds at Intermediate Level because I miss it. And I feel as if I've been slacking.
Through "trial and error" I discover that if I keep my Cross low, my shoulder doesn't hurt. I can't quite figure out the Accuracy rating for the early rounds because I know I've hit all my targets properly, but I tend to Hit Too Hard and that always lowers the score. The one round I manage to make 100% is the one round where my power is the lowest, probably because I'm concentrating so hard on not stopping the machine. The 3 rounds at Intermediate Level move quicker so I'm actually working harder. It feels good once I get used to the new tempo.
My first round sucks, but I get progressively better. The 2nd round is quite telling though: I register 105% for Strikes because I'm hitting the pads every time they light up. Some of them aren't actually suppose to be lit, but the impact of my blows is causing a ripple effect in the sensors. I still hate the awkward cross-body combinations like Jab-Power Kick, Cross-Lead Sweep, and Cross-Power Kick. Those tend to throw me off balance for a moment as I change my footing for each blow. Once I get a rhythm going, however, it feels as effortless and graceful as dancing. I notice this especially when the U2 song The Miracle comes on. It has the perfect beat for stepping forward to Jab, pull back, Cross punch, pull back. Sessions like that make the entire 15 rounds worth it.
All the Precor's are taken so I resort to using the LifeFitness Cross-trainer for my last 10 min of cardio (and 5 min tabata). I actually do 6 min of Tabata because I'm a tad uncomfortable with doing 20 seconds of "move as fast as you can" followed by 10 seconds of "catch my breath but don't stop moving" on this machine. It's much harder to switch gears in such a short period of time, especially when the machine admonishes you to pick up the pace.
Afterwards, I do some abs (Torso Twist machine) and change my crunches to add a variation: alternate knee bicycling, crunches, pulse-ups. I'm so pre-occupied with remembering to go to the store after the gym that I completely forget to weigh myself. The kindergartner apparently has been home sick with pneumonia, or at least that's what the school bus drive told me this morning. I want to get a get well card and a small plush for me and my son to walk up to her house later today.
Tomorrow is suppose to rain buckets, but my son and I plan to go to the gym anyway. I'll do my abbreviated workout (push ups and pull ups and cardio) and then we'll check out the new creperie that opened next to the gym. My son has been dying to try a crepe. I see that they have Cuban sandwiches, which is one of my husband's favorite. If it's good, I'll have to snap a photo and send him some food porn to make up for all the photos of sushi boats and heavenly ramen bowls that he sends me. Yeah, it's that kind of relationship.
Wednesday Workout
10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 4 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.81 miles
Nexersys 12 rounds Beginner Follow Me (48 min)
Accuracy 96% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 141%
Nexersys 3 rounds Intermediate Follow Me (12 min)
Accuracy 87% / Strikes 100% / Average Power 109%
10 min cross-trainer = 2 min steady state + 6 min Tabata + 2 min steady state = 1.13 miles
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
50 alternating bicycles / 50 crunches / 50 pulse ups
photos posted for actual stats:
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Best Intentions Gone Awry
It's technically the first day of Autumn so I shouldn't've been too surprised that it was 39°F outside and I needed to dig out my fleece gloves to walk the dog. Luckily, I never put away my fleece hoodies and jackets and they're big enough for me to layer over my pajamas. There's no point to dressing in real clothes since I'm going to the gym as soon as I get my son on the school bus.
I feel fairly energetic although I think the majority of morning drivers in my town are either smitten with allergies or antihistamines, judging from the way they drive. No one can stay in their own dang lane and they're constantly braking for no apparent reason. Oh wait. They're probably all on their stupid phones. I arrive to a locker room full of chatty women who are screeching about muffins and cookies of some sort. The first thing I do is grab my headphones and stuff them into my ears just to muffle the noise before I even get my jacket off, or my gear into a locker.
I'm feeling good enough that I get over 3 miles on the Cross-trainer. A quick Cage Stretch and then I wander back to the free weight area where the Smith machine is. One of the trainers, J, is coaching a new client on Smith Squats. She's a very large woman but the trainer has a bench behind her so she knows just how far to drop. He's probably the only good weight trainer at my gym since he actually lifts here on his off days. Most of the women trainers lead the Spin or Zumba classes, and one actually does use dumbbells, medicine balls and light barbells for her client's routines. But J is the only one I've actually seen put real plates on the bar — of course, his clients are mostly very big women. Because I don't want to rush J, I stand back and chat with B for a few minutes.
We commiserate on how hard it is for small women to use the equipment here. She says her doctor told her that most of these machines aren't made for people of our size. She's got an inch or two on me, but she's older, and battling arthritis and chronic tendonitis. J is finally done and moves his client to the Seated Cable Row. I drag an adjustable Inclined Bench to the Smith. I can get my feet flat on the floor doing Inclined Benches here, but not in a Flat Bench position. Benching feels pretty good although as I up my weight, I have to dig my wrist wraps out and put them on. Luckily I haven't had the need to dig my elbow braces (for golfer's elbow) out yet. With a 25 lb plate, a 10 and a 5 on each side, the bar feels kind of heavy and I only get six reps for that. Okay, bar is 30 lbs because it's a Smith. So that's... hey, that's 110 lbs. Cool! I can bench my own weight on the Incline Bench! Yay!
Today I have trouble with the RG BB Row because at the heavier weight my hands tend to rotate away from me which causes the bar to catch on the safety hooks. Ugh. I should've just stayed with 20-reppers at 80 lbs. Maybe I should try it facing the other way next time. I get to 110 lbs which isn't all that heavy, except I'm trying to keep parallel to the ground. My back feels tired. Still I move on to the next exercise: Smith SLDLs. I start with 80 lbs (bar + 25 lb plate both sides) which might've been a mistake. I figured I was warmed up enough from the Rows. The first set of 12 feels okay. But when I up the weight to 100 lbs, I get a bizarre sensation from my middle back down my glutes and back of legs. It's not painful but it's definitely not right, and feels vaguely electrical. It's worrisome enough for me to shut it down for SLDLs because I don't want lower back or sciatic nerve problems.
But I'm stubborn and I want to know if my other movements have been compromised. I move gingerly into position for GHRs at the Lat Pull Down machine, but it's not an issue. Lower Back Extensions aren't a problem either. I still feel a weird residual tingle down the back of my right leg into my toe so I don't think it's imaginary either. My right leg has been having odd issues lately with odd calf cramping as well. Maybe it's being 54 years old and working out like a 20 year old? Naw...
I still feel pretty good in spite of the lower back/leg weirdness and I get 2 miles on the Precor. It makes me happy. I've been listening to the new (free) U2 album on my iPod and find it a decent workout album, favoring The Miracle for cardio. I've been toying with the idea of one-arm push ups but I'm worried about falling on my face. So I wimp out and do three sets of Dive Bomber Push Ups. And a plank. And my regular Mat Stretch routine of splits and stretches. I'm still fat from pigging out this past weekend, but because my endurance is up, I'm still fairly happy with my workout.
Tuesday Workout
I feel fairly energetic although I think the majority of morning drivers in my town are either smitten with allergies or antihistamines, judging from the way they drive. No one can stay in their own dang lane and they're constantly braking for no apparent reason. Oh wait. They're probably all on their stupid phones. I arrive to a locker room full of chatty women who are screeching about muffins and cookies of some sort. The first thing I do is grab my headphones and stuff them into my ears just to muffle the noise before I even get my jacket off, or my gear into a locker.
I'm feeling good enough that I get over 3 miles on the Cross-trainer. A quick Cage Stretch and then I wander back to the free weight area where the Smith machine is. One of the trainers, J, is coaching a new client on Smith Squats. She's a very large woman but the trainer has a bench behind her so she knows just how far to drop. He's probably the only good weight trainer at my gym since he actually lifts here on his off days. Most of the women trainers lead the Spin or Zumba classes, and one actually does use dumbbells, medicine balls and light barbells for her client's routines. But J is the only one I've actually seen put real plates on the bar — of course, his clients are mostly very big women. Because I don't want to rush J, I stand back and chat with B for a few minutes.
We commiserate on how hard it is for small women to use the equipment here. She says her doctor told her that most of these machines aren't made for people of our size. She's got an inch or two on me, but she's older, and battling arthritis and chronic tendonitis. J is finally done and moves his client to the Seated Cable Row. I drag an adjustable Inclined Bench to the Smith. I can get my feet flat on the floor doing Inclined Benches here, but not in a Flat Bench position. Benching feels pretty good although as I up my weight, I have to dig my wrist wraps out and put them on. Luckily I haven't had the need to dig my elbow braces (for golfer's elbow) out yet. With a 25 lb plate, a 10 and a 5 on each side, the bar feels kind of heavy and I only get six reps for that. Okay, bar is 30 lbs because it's a Smith. So that's... hey, that's 110 lbs. Cool! I can bench my own weight on the Incline Bench! Yay!
Today I have trouble with the RG BB Row because at the heavier weight my hands tend to rotate away from me which causes the bar to catch on the safety hooks. Ugh. I should've just stayed with 20-reppers at 80 lbs. Maybe I should try it facing the other way next time. I get to 110 lbs which isn't all that heavy, except I'm trying to keep parallel to the ground. My back feels tired. Still I move on to the next exercise: Smith SLDLs. I start with 80 lbs (bar + 25 lb plate both sides) which might've been a mistake. I figured I was warmed up enough from the Rows. The first set of 12 feels okay. But when I up the weight to 100 lbs, I get a bizarre sensation from my middle back down my glutes and back of legs. It's not painful but it's definitely not right, and feels vaguely electrical. It's worrisome enough for me to shut it down for SLDLs because I don't want lower back or sciatic nerve problems.
But I'm stubborn and I want to know if my other movements have been compromised. I move gingerly into position for GHRs at the Lat Pull Down machine, but it's not an issue. Lower Back Extensions aren't a problem either. I still feel a weird residual tingle down the back of my right leg into my toe so I don't think it's imaginary either. My right leg has been having odd issues lately with odd calf cramping as well. Maybe it's being 54 years old and working out like a 20 year old? Naw...
I still feel pretty good in spite of the lower back/leg weirdness and I get 2 miles on the Precor. It makes me happy. I've been listening to the new (free) U2 album on my iPod and find it a decent workout album, favoring The Miracle for cardio. I've been toying with the idea of one-arm push ups but I'm worried about falling on my face. So I wimp out and do three sets of Dive Bomber Push Ups. And a plank. And my regular Mat Stretch routine of splits and stretches. I'm still fat from pigging out this past weekend, but because my endurance is up, I'm still fairly happy with my workout.
Tuesday Workout
140
Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 70x12
Set 3 : 80x12
Set 4 : 100x12
Set 5 : 110x6
Set 6 : 100x12
Set 2 : 70x12
Set 3 : 80x12
Set 4 : 100x12
Set 5 : 110x6
Set 6 : 100x12
154
Set 1 : 30x20
Set 2 : 50x12
Set 3 : 80x15
Set 4 : 90x12
Set 5 : 100x12
Set 6 : 110x12
Set 2 : 50x12
Set 3 : 80x15
Set 4 : 90x12
Set 5 : 100x12
Set 6 : 110x12
Monday, September 22, 2014
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
I'm not sure how the Sports Season cycle works but suddenly every store is having a sale on sports tape so I stock up on several rolls. Last year I couldn't buy a roll under $5, now the supermarket is selling them 3/$5.95 which is less than $2 a roll. And yes, they're the same 1.5" x 10 yards white sports tape. I had a bulk order in my Amazon basket but I'm the type to leave stuff in my cart for a few weeks while I determine whether I can buy it cheaper elsewhere. And it turns out, I can buy it at ShopRite cheaper than on Amazon. Yay!
The parking lot is crowded so I'm worried that the gym is too. Turns out that it's mostly women taking classes. There are new faces, and some returning old faces that've been absent all summer. They don't look any better for having been away. Tabata Cardio sucks on a Monday. My kickboxing seems off as well, but I'll blame that on the fact that the machine's left foot is only half on the rubber mat. I stop the machine a few times, it doesn't register a few of my kicks. I'm wearing heavier workout pants because it was chilly this morning, but they make me feel itchy as the rounds progress. Guess I won't be wearing these for kickboxing again.
This new tape is super sticky and I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to peel it off my right pointer finger. Back to the cardio platform for another 10 min of cardio (5 min of Tabata). I'm actually getting better at this even though I complain vociferously (to myself). Then back to the Mats for abs. I toy with the idea of doing an alternate version of crunches, say, bicycle twists, but I'm too lazy to do anything new right now. I just want to get my 50 reps per set, stretch out my shoulders and lower back and be done so I can go shower. I still want to take a nap, but at least I'm awake. More or less.
Monday's Workout
10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 4 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.79 miles
Nexersys 15 rounds Beginner Follow Me (60 min)
Accuracy 95% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 140%
10 min elliptical = 2 min steady state + 5 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.8 miles
50 crunches / 50 pulse ups / 50 crunches
photo posted for actual stats:
Friday, September 19, 2014
Welcome DOMS
It's not often I wake up with DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). Today my hamstrings and to a lesser extent, my glutes, are a bit sore. Must've been those Smith SLDLs followed by Glute Ham Raises on the Lat Pull Down station. I must be doing them right! The rest of me feels okay though, or at least I don't register any soreness until I start kickboxing the machine. Hmmm. My back is a tad sore too. Guess I did those Smith RG BB Rows right too. What's not sore is my chest, delts and triceps because, as I've said before, Benching isn't nearly as hard as doing Push Ups for reps. Don't believe me? Try getting three sets of 50 reps. Toss in a few Hammer Grip Pull Ups between your sets. Yep, I'm daring you.
My plan was to continue with cardio 3x next week, a body weight workout one day next week, and one day for actual weight training. Except I forgot that there's no school next Thursday and Friday due to the High Holy Days. So I'll have my son with me. Which means Abbreviated workouts. Okay, no problem. I'll just lift weights on Tuesday, and pray I can get use of the Smith machine. Today there's a father-son tag team on the Smith. Good thing I'm just doing HIIT cardio on the elliptical, and whacking the Nexersys. Oh, and some crunches and pulse-ups for good measure to end the week.
I see a few regulars today. The parking lot is ridiculously crowded but there aren't that many people at the gym. It's puzzling. It's a beautiful crisp Autumn day so maybe everyone's gone for a run outside? Again, I'm not really warmed up after 10 min of cardio. Round 4 is when I start sweating. But at least I didn't actually blank the machine today although I did stop it more than once. There is one combination round that continues to flummox me because I can't seem to center myself quick enough so my accuracy is lower for that round than any other. It's a right Cross followed by a Lead Kick. I usually stand with my left forward so I have to body cross to punch, and then step back slightly to use the left foot to lead kick, otherwise I'm too close and the kick is paltry and barely registers. But the power is good and I make most of my strikes. It's very satisfying.
Friday Workout
10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 4 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.81 miles
Nexersys 15 rounds Beginner Follow Me (60 min)
Accuracy 98% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 142%
10 min elliptical = 2 min steady state + 5 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.83 miles
50 crunches / 50 pulse ups / 50 crunches
Photos posted for actual stats:
My plan was to continue with cardio 3x next week, a body weight workout one day next week, and one day for actual weight training. Except I forgot that there's no school next Thursday and Friday due to the High Holy Days. So I'll have my son with me. Which means Abbreviated workouts. Okay, no problem. I'll just lift weights on Tuesday, and pray I can get use of the Smith machine. Today there's a father-son tag team on the Smith. Good thing I'm just doing HIIT cardio on the elliptical, and whacking the Nexersys. Oh, and some crunches and pulse-ups for good measure to end the week.
I see a few regulars today. The parking lot is ridiculously crowded but there aren't that many people at the gym. It's puzzling. It's a beautiful crisp Autumn day so maybe everyone's gone for a run outside? Again, I'm not really warmed up after 10 min of cardio. Round 4 is when I start sweating. But at least I didn't actually blank the machine today although I did stop it more than once. There is one combination round that continues to flummox me because I can't seem to center myself quick enough so my accuracy is lower for that round than any other. It's a right Cross followed by a Lead Kick. I usually stand with my left forward so I have to body cross to punch, and then step back slightly to use the left foot to lead kick, otherwise I'm too close and the kick is paltry and barely registers. But the power is good and I make most of my strikes. It's very satisfying.
Friday Workout
10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 4 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.81 miles
Nexersys 15 rounds Beginner Follow Me (60 min)
Accuracy 98% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 142%
10 min elliptical = 2 min steady state + 5 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.83 miles
50 crunches / 50 pulse ups / 50 crunches
Photos posted for actual stats:
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Too Easy On Myself
Some mornings I wake up and feel as if I've snorted adrenaline before I hit the gym. It's just instant espresso (which my husband claims has no caffeine in it whatsoever) and oatmeal. I reverted back to adding an egg and honey, and some dried strawberries just for fun. At the school bus stop, it's just me and my son. We haven't seen the little girl who just started kindergarten or her mom for the past few days. "She's done", I tell myself. "Her mom needs a hobby", my son tells me. I laugh to myself.
At the gym, Shaggy is on one of the LifeFitness cross-trainers. I clamber onto the one at the end with the TV that is permanently stuck on channel 4. Because I don't care. I don't watch the tv while I pedal with my hoodie pulled low over my face so I can just see the cross-trainer screen. I switch between hands and feet to just feet every 5 minutes. I'm feeling pretty good and I log in over three and half miles in 30 minutes. Then I stretch a little at the Cage before wandering over to the Smith with my fingers crossed that it's vacant.
Island Jerk is in the DB area with a new "client", a young woman I saw him assisting yesterday. At least he's not in my way, and he's not monopolizing scads of DBs, BBs and everything in between. Yay! I decide to do Smith Inclined Bench Press because 1) I can actually place my feet flat on the floor using the adjustable inclined bench and 2) Inclined Presses have been less stressful on my front delts. Because I haven't lifted in a month, I start off easy. Perhaps too easy. I add weight after finishing each set. After 6 sets, I know I need to start with a heavier weight next week.
There are regulars like the Mayor, M, Jude, Tall Pace clustered at one of the Breaker Benches. I see a tall blonde woman doing DB flyes by the BB rack. She has nice arms. Very few women at my gym have decent arms so I tend to notice those who do. I pull off my hoodie because it's going to get in the way of doing BB Rows (it's a boy's XL so it's a little big on me) and I immediately feel people staring while trying not to stare. I'm actually amused, but I don't let on.
Sticking to my Full Body plan means doing a new movement today: Smith RG BB Rows. Again, because I don't really know how much I can lift, I'm conservative with upping the weights. My body is definitely more parallel to the ground with this movement so I don't want to stress my lower back. I can feel my lats so I figure the weight is good. But when I get 20 reps on the last set, I realize that I should really up the weight.
I skip Squats because I think Pistol Squats are already thickening my quads again. I don't need my legs to be any bigger than they are because my pants fit just fine, thank you. But I do only three sets of SLDLs at the Smith, bumping my hips into the bar at the end of the movement. Then three sets of GHRs at the Lat Pull Down Station. Done! Yay! I scramble back up to the cardio platform to pedal for another 25 minutes, and then back down for a Mat Stretch. I realize that benching isn't nearly as hard as doing sets of 50 rep push ups so I go back to 3 sets of Dive Bomber Push Ups, but I add a few reps. While I'm doing those, I can see someone on the adjacent mat in my peripheral vision. It's a guy. I'm not sure but I think he's having trouble with regular push ups. Okay, I'm not even looking at him.
Thursday Workout
At the gym, Shaggy is on one of the LifeFitness cross-trainers. I clamber onto the one at the end with the TV that is permanently stuck on channel 4. Because I don't care. I don't watch the tv while I pedal with my hoodie pulled low over my face so I can just see the cross-trainer screen. I switch between hands and feet to just feet every 5 minutes. I'm feeling pretty good and I log in over three and half miles in 30 minutes. Then I stretch a little at the Cage before wandering over to the Smith with my fingers crossed that it's vacant.
Island Jerk is in the DB area with a new "client", a young woman I saw him assisting yesterday. At least he's not in my way, and he's not monopolizing scads of DBs, BBs and everything in between. Yay! I decide to do Smith Inclined Bench Press because 1) I can actually place my feet flat on the floor using the adjustable inclined bench and 2) Inclined Presses have been less stressful on my front delts. Because I haven't lifted in a month, I start off easy. Perhaps too easy. I add weight after finishing each set. After 6 sets, I know I need to start with a heavier weight next week.
There are regulars like the Mayor, M, Jude, Tall Pace clustered at one of the Breaker Benches. I see a tall blonde woman doing DB flyes by the BB rack. She has nice arms. Very few women at my gym have decent arms so I tend to notice those who do. I pull off my hoodie because it's going to get in the way of doing BB Rows (it's a boy's XL so it's a little big on me) and I immediately feel people staring while trying not to stare. I'm actually amused, but I don't let on.
 |
| Three Quarter Back |
I skip Squats because I think Pistol Squats are already thickening my quads again. I don't need my legs to be any bigger than they are because my pants fit just fine, thank you. But I do only three sets of SLDLs at the Smith, bumping my hips into the bar at the end of the movement. Then three sets of GHRs at the Lat Pull Down Station. Done! Yay! I scramble back up to the cardio platform to pedal for another 25 minutes, and then back down for a Mat Stretch. I realize that benching isn't nearly as hard as doing sets of 50 rep push ups so I go back to 3 sets of Dive Bomber Push Ups, but I add a few reps. While I'm doing those, I can see someone on the adjacent mat in my peripheral vision. It's a guy. I'm not sure but I think he's having trouble with regular push ups. Okay, I'm not even looking at him.
Thursday Workout
140
Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 50x13
Set 3 : 70x12
Set 4 : 80x12
Set 5 : 90x12
Set 6 : 100x12
Set 2 : 50x13
Set 3 : 70x12
Set 4 : 80x12
Set 5 : 90x12
Set 6 : 100x12
133.33
Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 50x12
Set 3 : 70x12
Set 4 : 80x12
Set 5 : 80x12
Set 6 : 80x20
Set 2 : 50x12
Set 3 : 70x12
Set 4 : 80x12
Set 5 : 80x12
Set 6 : 80x20
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Constant Progression is Difficult
This week is a bit crazy so I'm glad I haven't signed my son up for any martial arts classes yet besides the one kung fu class he takes after the two hour Chinese school class on Saturdays. Yesterday we'd volunteered to be part of the recruitment table for Cub Scouts at our grade school's "Back To School" night for grades K-2. Tonight is grades 3-5 so my son and I will have to be at school by 6:30 pm to ensure we get a parking spot. Tomorrow is the Cub Scout Pack Meeting which runs from 7 to 8:30 pm. Through all this, my son has agreed to do 30 min on the elliptical in the garage right after school (while watching youtube videos on his iPad, because the iPad has a timer) in order to win a pack of Pokemon cards each week. But we also want to get all his grade school and Chinese school HW out of the way, which doesn't leave much time for dinner, much less feeding and walking the dog. Luckily, we can usually reheat leftovers for the first few nights. Last night we ate dinner after we got back from school. It would probably help if he got home sooner than 4 pm, but that's not the case.
I'm tired when I get up this morning. Instead of putting an egg in my oatmeal, I decide to add a scoop of protein powder to it after it's cooked. I don't like the results because the oatmeal is too soupy. The dog's unhappy because usually I let him lick the bowl, but since this is mocha-cappucino flavor, the bowl goes directly into the sink after I'm done. Tomorrow I'm putting an egg in it. The dog will be happy too.
It takes me a while to get to the gym. I have to call the plumber again because even though the leak is fixed, the water flow seems restricted for both the cold and hot water taps. Now I have to order new parts from Kohler and then the plumber will return to install them. Again.
I'm also concerned about my new eye drops because they appear different in the bottle. Normally it's difficult to discern the level of the clear, colorless liquid in the bottle. This time, the meniscus appears thick and foamy, like egg whites and that's disturbing. The pharmacist checks her other bottles but they all appear the same way. My ophthalmologist notes my concern but hasn't heard anything regarding any new formulations of this particular drug. Okay, maybe I'm just paranoid. But news of those patients who died from fungal contaminated steroids is still fresh in my mind.
I tape my hands before I get to the gym and make a mental note to buy more sports tape (but I completely forget while I'm grocery shopping afterwards). Ten minutes of cardio (4 min of Tabata) barely warms me up. I don't actually break a sweat until the 3rd round of whacking the Nexersys. I actually hit the machine so hard with a right Cross that the screen goes completely blank for a moment. Uh oh. I've broken it. But then it flashes back on again. Whew! Kickboxing the machine is a constant battle between punching hard but not too hard (detracts from accuracy points) and scoring accurately, but not pulling back so much that the blow registers less than 100%. By the 14th round I start to lose a little focus, and I have to remind myself that I should finish strong.
I do 10 more minutes of cardio (5 min Tabata) and stretch out my lower back on the Mat. Oh yeah, I should do some abs. Knock out some crunches, pulse-ups and then more crunches (sets of 50). Done. Yay! Tomorrow I'm going to give some serious thought to using the Smith machine again. If I can get on it. I'd still like to keep the body weight movements in my routine, but maybe whittle that down to once a week. Just to change things up. Change is good.
Wednesday Workout
10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 4 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.79 miles
Nexersys 15 rounds Beginner Follow Me (60 min)
Accuracy 98% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 139%
10 min elliptical = 2 min steady state + 5 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.80 miles
50 crunches / 50 pulse ups / 50 crunches
Photos posted for actual stats:
I'm tired when I get up this morning. Instead of putting an egg in my oatmeal, I decide to add a scoop of protein powder to it after it's cooked. I don't like the results because the oatmeal is too soupy. The dog's unhappy because usually I let him lick the bowl, but since this is mocha-cappucino flavor, the bowl goes directly into the sink after I'm done. Tomorrow I'm putting an egg in it. The dog will be happy too.
It takes me a while to get to the gym. I have to call the plumber again because even though the leak is fixed, the water flow seems restricted for both the cold and hot water taps. Now I have to order new parts from Kohler and then the plumber will return to install them. Again.
I'm also concerned about my new eye drops because they appear different in the bottle. Normally it's difficult to discern the level of the clear, colorless liquid in the bottle. This time, the meniscus appears thick and foamy, like egg whites and that's disturbing. The pharmacist checks her other bottles but they all appear the same way. My ophthalmologist notes my concern but hasn't heard anything regarding any new formulations of this particular drug. Okay, maybe I'm just paranoid. But news of those patients who died from fungal contaminated steroids is still fresh in my mind.
I tape my hands before I get to the gym and make a mental note to buy more sports tape (but I completely forget while I'm grocery shopping afterwards). Ten minutes of cardio (4 min of Tabata) barely warms me up. I don't actually break a sweat until the 3rd round of whacking the Nexersys. I actually hit the machine so hard with a right Cross that the screen goes completely blank for a moment. Uh oh. I've broken it. But then it flashes back on again. Whew! Kickboxing the machine is a constant battle between punching hard but not too hard (detracts from accuracy points) and scoring accurately, but not pulling back so much that the blow registers less than 100%. By the 14th round I start to lose a little focus, and I have to remind myself that I should finish strong.
I do 10 more minutes of cardio (5 min Tabata) and stretch out my lower back on the Mat. Oh yeah, I should do some abs. Knock out some crunches, pulse-ups and then more crunches (sets of 50). Done. Yay! Tomorrow I'm going to give some serious thought to using the Smith machine again. If I can get on it. I'd still like to keep the body weight movements in my routine, but maybe whittle that down to once a week. Just to change things up. Change is good.
Wednesday Workout
10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 4 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.79 miles
Nexersys 15 rounds Beginner Follow Me (60 min)
Accuracy 98% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 139%
10 min elliptical = 2 min steady state + 5 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.80 miles
50 crunches / 50 pulse ups / 50 crunches
Photos posted for actual stats:
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Seeing Progress is Gratifying
This week I'm going to whack the kickboxing machine 3x and only do my 5+ mile cardio / body weight routine 2x. Or maybe not even that. Maybe I'll actually go look at the Smith again on Thursday and see if I can't monopolize it for benching, rows and maybe SLDLs. At least I don't walk away from it fully loaded with the bar at the top of the rack like some jerks at my gym. Today was pretty good. I got about five and a half miles of cardio between the Cross-trainer and the elliptical, three sets of 50 push ups and am getting closer to full sets of Hammer grip pull ups.
But doing the push ups and pull ups took their toll on me at the Smith where I attempt three sets of Inverted Rows. I did 12 reps but I only counted 10 for the last set because reps 11 and 12 were really weak. And for fun I also got my three sets of Lower Back Extension at 195 lbs, which is the weight I left the machine at some weeks ago. Then some GHRs at the Lat Pull Down station. My hoodie is totally sodden and I strip it off and tie back my hair once I drop onto the Mats. The plumber is coming this afternoon so I can't tarry with crunches or pulse ups. I'll just do those tomorrow. Because I'm on the short mat (I can just about reach both edges of the mat with my feet in a split) I don't do many pistol squats (only 6 per leg and I forget to log them). My legs are a bit fried anyway.
The Dive Bomber Push Ups are feeling easier again so even though I'm still only doing 2 sets, I've added a few reps. And back to a plank. I hate planks. I make sure to stretch out my shoulders and upper back with some new movements as I'm prone to knots in my traps and under my shoulder blades. The new scale looks just like the old scale, but the surface is smooth instead of being lightly ribbed. It reads 109.4 lbs and I'm good with that considering my hair is dripping with sweat and I've sucked down half my water bottle. My home scale rewards me with 107.8 lbs and 19.6% BF. Oh that's soooo much better than 19.9%! I'll take progress in miniscule doses because it's progress!
Tuesday Workout
Set 1 : 15 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 15 Lap/Rep
But doing the push ups and pull ups took their toll on me at the Smith where I attempt three sets of Inverted Rows. I did 12 reps but I only counted 10 for the last set because reps 11 and 12 were really weak. And for fun I also got my three sets of Lower Back Extension at 195 lbs, which is the weight I left the machine at some weeks ago. Then some GHRs at the Lat Pull Down station. My hoodie is totally sodden and I strip it off and tie back my hair once I drop onto the Mats. The plumber is coming this afternoon so I can't tarry with crunches or pulse ups. I'll just do those tomorrow. Because I'm on the short mat (I can just about reach both edges of the mat with my feet in a split) I don't do many pistol squats (only 6 per leg and I forget to log them). My legs are a bit fried anyway.
The Dive Bomber Push Ups are feeling easier again so even though I'm still only doing 2 sets, I've added a few reps. And back to a plank. I hate planks. I make sure to stretch out my shoulders and upper back with some new movements as I'm prone to knots in my traps and under my shoulder blades. The new scale looks just like the old scale, but the surface is smooth instead of being lightly ribbed. It reads 109.4 lbs and I'm good with that considering my hair is dripping with sweat and I've sucked down half my water bottle. My home scale rewards me with 107.8 lbs and 19.6% BF. Oh that's soooo much better than 19.9%! I'll take progress in miniscule doses because it's progress!
Tuesday Workout
Set 2 : 15 Lap/Rep
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