Born Again Gym Rat: Cutting Back Is Harder Than It Looks

Monday, March 2, 2015

Cutting Back Is Harder Than It Looks

Winter Storm Sparta seemed gentle enough with the constant precipitation of tiny, rain-like snow flakes. Shoveling Sunday night while the snow was still falling was probably a bit silly, but my son and I wanted to get some sort of head start. We figure there would be a 2-hr delay and I wasn't disappointed by the 5 am text and subsequent prerecorded phone call. I've learned to keep the phone close to my pillow on nights like that. This morning I spent an hour and a half re-shoveling the walkway, the driveway, clearing my car and then moving it so I could shovel up everything that fell off it. We got a good 8 inches of powder so dry it doesn't always stay put in your shovel. That makes it difficult to catapult over the snow banks lining the driveway. Worse yet, cleared snow has a tendency to blow back with the wind, causing minor white-outs along portions of the roadways.

The school bus is late because the substitute driver is unfamiliar with the route. I get to the gym and realize that I've forgotten my blue hoodie. I'd cleared the snow wearing my gym clothes under my winter parka, and I didn't want to overheat, so I hadn't worn the hoodie. Bummer. I choose the cross-trainer farthest from the front door. My paranoia kicks in and I think everyone is staring at me. Normally I've got my hoodie pulled down over my eyes and I don't really see anyone. I wonder if there's something wrong with my clothes.

I'm tired from shoveling so I tell myself it's okay if I only do 5 miles today. When 30 minutes is up, I realize that I've logged 4.01 miles already. The Smith is free so I do my standard Smith Bench Press. At first my left elbow is achy. Probably from shoveling. But as the weights progress, the elbow feels fine and it's my right shoulder that starts to ache. I have to be careful because benching heavy inevitably causes an issue with that joint. Surprisingly, 25 reps at 90 lbs feels really good. I used to be able to do this on the free bench with 95 lbs, but since the gym installed over-sized Matrix Breaker Benches that are too tall and too wide for me, I haven't been comfortable doing free weights.

It takes me a few moments to swap out the small flat bench for the adjustable inclined bench but I want to do a few sets of Smith Inclined Presses. I'm able to up my weights here so I'm excited. Then I move on to the Super Set movement: DB Lateral Raises and DB Reverse Flyes. I cut my reps on the heavier 25 lb sets until the last set. That one, I grind out. Because I can. Because I know that the fatigue I felt in the first 3 sets was just in my head. And 12 reps at the 6th and last set proves it.

I like to finish with more cardio to warm up before I do any sort of Mat Stretch. 30 minutes on the elliptical on Performance Program #1 gives me another 2.54 miles. Wahoo! That's a total of 6.55 miles. Pretty good for feeling kind of tired. I'm having a really hard time cutting back to 5 miles. I'm not sure I know how to do it other than cutting back on the time I spend doing cardio. And yet, endurance is something I've worked so hard to achieve that I am absolutely loathe to give it up. I must be feeling better. I found a nearly pristine bottle of l-lysine in my cabinet so I've started taken 3 capsules (500 mg ea) 3 times a day. The Livestrong.com website suggests taking 3,000 to 9,000 mg daily in divided doses. I definitely think it's helping me recover.

When I get home, I cut apart a black plastic garbage bag and cover my cellar doors with it because tomorrow's forecast is for snow, rain and maybe sleet. There is a flood warning alert, especially since storm drains are inaccessible due to several feet of icy snowbanks. Winter Storm Thor is a monster system that reaches across the country, raining hail and ice everywhere within it's reach. The hose from the sump pump protrudes from a pillow of fiberglass insulation between the doors, and insulation does not work well wet. I also don't need any more water getting into my basement than what already seeps in through the walls. It's a wet basement, and even though I live on a big hill, the water table is extremely high. The entire county can suffer a drought, and my well would be fine.

My son is bummed that the impending storm means his MineCraft meetup might be cancelled. If the storm lasts the projected three days, Cub Scouts, Chess class and Kung Fu will also be impacted. I can't wait until Spring, although I am enjoying mosquito-free life right now. Sigh.

Monday Cardio and Workout
(total miles = 6.55; 12,810 lbs moved)