Born Again Gym Rat: Winter is Here

Monday, December 22, 2014

Winter is Here

The Winter Solstice was yesterday but it wasn't nearly cold enough. Today it's even warmer, and by Christmas Eve, temps will be hovering near 50°F. Which is fine in Florida, but kind of a bummer in NY. Not that I like the cold. I just don't like bugs. And bugs love warmer weather. That being said, there's been a small (1/4" inch, maybe a tad bigger) furry, black spider ambling across the wall behind my computer. It's a tad bigger than the last time I saw it, so I wonder what it eats. Because it's furry, I'm not concerned that it's a brown recluse or its famous cousin, the black widow. Because it doesn't have white spots, I don't think it's a common jumping spider either. But I could be wrong. I just hope it doesn't decide to leap onto my head while I'm typing.

I'm still recovering from a head and chest cold. Although my symptoms are fairly mild, I'm ridiculously tired. I know it's only going to get worse when my nose stops running and the phlegm in my chest finally dissipates. I'm going to be so tired that even walking the dog will be a monstrous chore. However, the idea of not going to the gym is akin to curling up in bed and giving up. So I go. 30 minutes on the LifeFitness elliptical and I get my 3+ miles. I've done better. The Smith is free and I drag a flat bench inside the frame, wrestling the oversize Adjustable Inclined Bench out of the way. Just as I'm ready to swap benches so I can do Inclined Presses, a big dude with black frame glasses plops down with his phone. Bleah. I take my gear to the Breaker Inclined Benches. I hate the Breaker benches. The Mayor is on the other Inclined Breaker Bench, and I can hear him in spite of being plugged in to my tunes. I only do a warm up set with the bar before another adjustable bench opens up and I drag it to the Smith. Some days, I feel like I spend more time re-arranging furniture than working out.

My right shoulder is feeling a bit twingey so I stay light. And I cut my sets on the DB lateral raises that I super-set with Reverse Flyes. The gym is crowded. I recognize a lot of faces, Latin Baseball and his posse, Fireman, the cute SoccerBoy. Both EZ bars seem to be in use. They're loaded with plates but no one appears to actually using them. I grab a 30 lb solid BB for RIP Skulls. From the front desk, I borrow a pair of 2.5 lb magnetic discs. 35 lbs. Then I grab the 40 lb BB, while chiding a dude for putting the 50 lb BB on the wrong peg. Yep, got a touch of OCD.

No core work today and I hesitate before knocking out Dive Bomber Push Ups at the Mat. They still leave me a bit breathless. I'm still sick. I've done another two and a half miles on the elliptical and feel okay, but toss my hoodie back on because the front doors are open and I don't want to catch a chill. Doing a Mat Stretch with a hoodie isn't the most graceful maneuver, but it works for me. Tomorrow's Back Day.

Monday Workout