Perseverance

Change is suppose to be good. But I know from experience that change means learning to adapt, and that isn't always comfortable or beneficial. I get to the gym and there's a big truck with it's tail down in front of the open doors. I'd seen the gym owner yesterday, surveying the gym with a serious eye, as if he was mentally placing new equipment. Today there's new equipment being delivered in parts and pieces, and being assembled by a three-man crew. The mats are all up in front of the kickboxing machines. Are they being replaced as well? And where's the Stretch Cage?

It turns out that the restaurant next door has had a leak and flooded the gym. Egads. The floor is wet and one of the staff is mopping. I've already got moleskin pieces pasted to my knuckles and I'm bumming that maybe I won't be able to whack the machine. The machines are on but the thick black mats are sopping wet. The old guy behind the front desk manages to move a mat in front of the good Nexersys. Water squishes up between the edges where two mats meet. I hope my trainers have decent traction. 10 minutes of elliptical to warm up, and then I'm at the machine, taping and wrapping my hands, stuffing them into my gloves.

I do my standard 7 rounds Beginner Follow Me and 7 rounds Intermediate Follow Me. Wearing my leather Ryka's helps with scoring Lead and Power Kicks. I had issues with those last week when I wore the mesh Ryka shoes. What is an issue is the odd strain I feel on the top of my right forearm as I land my Cross punch and Power Digs. I suspect that yesterday's sets of RG BB Curls with the EZ curls bar have something to do with this. Next week I'll go back to doing those with the solid straight BBs because the curve of the EZ works against me on the RG movement.

The strain persists throughout my entire 7 rounds Beginner session, but otherwise I feel pretty good. After a few minutes to blow my nose, blot my face and sip some water, I punch in 7 rounds Intermediate. I'm starting to feel really good now, my forearm doesn't hurt anymore and I'm moving with the music and hitting all my marks. It's only toward the end, when my shoes are wet and slippery that I start to miss a lot of my Lead Sweeps. My foot just slips right off the pad without registering anything. Bummer.

I compare my stats with last week and they're better. I feel pretty good. Normally I do 10 min of HIIT afterwards, but since I'm already doing HIIT 3x week, I do a slow boring 20 minutes of LISS. I check my phone for the first 3 minutes, averaging 35-40 SPMs. The elliptical tells me to pedal faster. Sigh. I put my phone away and start jogging to the music. The SPMs are up to 170 and my heart rate runs the gamut from 120 to 180 so I slow down to 135 SPMs. I'm not really sure how fast or slow I should be going, but I'm dripping with sweat. The mats have been rearranged and the ab/dip bar station has been moved so that it sits inbetween all three mats. I don't like the new arrangement because now there isn't a single mat that sits evenly on the floor. Each sits on an uneven or lumpy spot but I still do the stretch portion, splits and all.

Tomorrow is Leg Day. I hear that there's a new Smith machine. And maybe the old one is still there although it's been moved to the mirrored wall on the other side of the classroom. It makes sense because one is less likely to cause floor vibrations with it, less likely to disturb the yoga folks. I guess I'll find out tomorrow if they've done away with the Stretch Cage for good. Oh well... it's another adventure.

Thursday Workout

10 minute elliptical steady state warm up
7 rounds Beginner Follow Me (28 min)
7 rounds Intermediate Follow Me (28 min)
20 minutes elliptical LISS

photos posted for actual stats:

7 Rounds Beginner

7 Rounds Intermediate

Spring is Here and So Are the Bugs

I'm so certain that the warm weather is no fluke I purchased two basil seedlings and two parsley seedlings to plant in my raised bed. I read that they make good companion plants for asparagus. I have some Mary Washington asparagus seeds, but apparently I need to soak them first. I may buy marigolds and tomatoes as well, but I'm not sure they'll survive the onslaught of grasshoppers that's sure to follow. Tiny grasshoppers decimated all the broccoli and bok choy two summers ago. And one summer we had weeks of several dozen dragonflies circling our yard so that all my son had to do was run about with a butterfly net and he'd be sure to catch a few. Of course, we always let them go after examining them. But we never know who's going to be in abundance. Except for the annoying gnats and flies that circle our heads, buzz our ears and get inadvertently inhaled. Yuck.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about the 15 min warm up on the Cross-trainer. Today I got fairly warm, probably because it's warm out and all the doors to the gym are open. I start with Smith RG BB Rows and then move to the Oly bar for RG BB Rows. I feel tired, but not enough for me to change my routine. The Mayor, Tattoo Tank, Skinny J, Loud Mouth, Ollie are all here. Chatty Guy shows up without Venus and spends a lot of time talking to The Mayor. Then I watch him load the Trap Bar with 3 big plates each side. He's tall and I wonder how he's going to get his knees past the bar when he stands up. But I don't want to stare so I move on.

The Mayor is doing a modified Rip Skull, barely able to bring his arms over his head and dropping the bar into the cradle of a preacher bench set up behind him. I think he's missing the point to the movement without the drop behind his head, but I don't want to get into a discussion about it. He's put on a lot of weight since he's been away. There are a few women who seem to have made tremendous progress over the past several months, dropping girth and gaining confidence and shape. Women are showing more progress here than men. Men tend to already be in shape, or never seem to progress. Perhaps it's just maintenance. Perhaps that's what my routine is these days: maintenance.

I'm overdue for a "back selfie" so I don't even know if I'm making any noticeable progress. Seated Cable Rows are still hard at 120 lbs. And I'm always uncertain when I start sets on the Lower Back Extension. But everything's good and I get all my reps and sets. I set the elliptical for 30 minutes. Today I do 12 minutes of HIIT and 18 minutes of LISS. I'm still unsure how to measure LISS and that's troublesome. How much over resting should my heart rate be? Does it matter? I'm sweating profusely when I stop.

There's a old man in shorts on the big Mat, rolling his legs over his head. I'm kind of disgusted so I walk into the vacant classroom and do some stretches there instead. Because it's an air conditioned room, I keep my hoodie zipped up. Done. I'm cutting back on my Mat Stretches. It might seem counter-intuitive at first, but it's easier to drop into a split if I haven't done it in a few days. Puzzling. My best guess is that as easy as these stretches feel, there's still some stress and inflammation that follows. Doing these stretches every day actually makes me less limber.

Tomorrow I get to Whack the Machine, and I'm happy about that. But tomorrow is also the day I have to drive my son to school early, pick him up early to take him to kung fu, then rush home to make and eat dinner and feed/walk the dog before rushing off to a Cub Scout Pack Meeting. The one where we're delivering 50 paper robot kits for the boys to assemble. Meanwhile, the parents of the child who is always hungry, has reached out to our Cub Master to get a ride for their son to the Pack Meeting. I've already declined. They live across town, in the opposite direction of our school. They actually don't go to our elementary school but attend our Cub Scouts Pack because their school doesn't have Scouts. My husband, who is still in Boston, thinks we should retrieve the child for the meeting. I'm not at all happy about this. We'll see if he even makes it home in time. At least I get to whack the machine. That makes me happy.

Wednesday Back and Biceps Workout
(4.05 miles cardio; 37.142.5 lbs moved)

Cross-Trainer

Warm Up

Calorie :   72 CAL
Distance: 1.85 mile
Speed :    7.38 mph
Duration : 00:15:03

Smith Machine Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

140

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 100x12
Set 4 : 100x12
Set 5 : 100x12

Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

232.5

Set 1 : 45x15
Set 2 : 135x20
Set 3 : 155x15
Set 4 : 155x15
Set 5 : 155x15
Set 6 : 135x20

Cable Seated Row

152

Set 1 : 90x12
Set 2 : 105x10
Set 3 : 120x8
Set 4 : 120x8
Set 5 : 120x8

Back Extension Machine

315

Set 1 : 210x15
Set 2 : 210x15
Set 3 : 210x15

Barbell Curl

56.25

Set 1 : 17.5x15
Set 2 : 37.5x13
Set 3 : 37.5x15
Set 4 : 37.5x15

Barbell Reverse Curl

79.17

Set 1 : 37.5x25
Set 2 : 47.5x20
Set 3 : 47.5x20

Elliptical Training

12 min HIIT 18 min LISS

Calorie :   220 CAL
Distance: 2.2 mile
Duration : 00:30:00

Cardio Tuesday

It's been suggested that I take a de-load week because I am dragging. Eventually I get to the gym, but I find myself dawdling in the morning. But let me see what getting enough sleep might do first before I do something drastic. Like not lifting. Egads! Today is Cardio Day. I still feel slow and I'm not able to make the same mileage as in the past. But close. Today's cross-trainer and elliptical mileage comes to 6.76 miles. I don't even count the 20 minutes of LISS on the Step Mill because I don't really equate that motion with mileage.

I also do some abs because most of what I do, I only do once a week. Except for the HIIT cardio and LISS. This is Week 2 of the New Program so I really should be attempting to increase my HIIT time from 10 minutes to 15 minutes. If I think about it too much, I'll never do it. So I'll probably "Just do it" when the time comes. Like tomorrow.

What I like about Cardio Days is not just the obvious exhilarating feeling after I've completed a session, but also how clear and crisp my airways feel. Lungs and sinuses feel squeaky clean! Weird, huh? I make observations while I'm on the Step Mill. Old people seem to lead with their heads, their necks jutting forward at a 45° angle. I want to shake them straight. The very large people lead with their bellies, their backs in an uncomfortable arc. I see The Mayor, M, tall Pace, short Pace, PonyTail and several other regulars. A lot of women seem to yo-yo between their goal weight and obesity. A lot of men seem to work up a tremendous pink-face sweat, but never look any thinner, or stronger.

Tattoo Tank is on the Step Mill adjacent to mine. He's got his face in a towel on the console as he trudges. He's lost a bit of weight too, but it's hard to know what his goal is. I see Venus at the cable station although I'm not really sure what body part she's working. I haven't seen her partner in crime, Chatty Guy in quite a while. I do a quick Mat Stretch just to loosen my lower back and upper shoulders. Tomorrow is Back Day. WooHoo!

Cardio Tuesday
(6.76 miles)

Cross-Trainer

Calorie :   144 CAL
Distance: 3.75 mile
Speed :    7.48 mph
Duration : 00:30:05

TorsoTwistMachine

Set 1 : 50x25
Set 2 : 50x25

Seated Flat Bench Leg Pull In

100

Set 1 : 100 Lap/Rep

Crunches

50

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

Elliptical Training

Intervals

Calorie :   267 CAL
Distance: 3.01 mile
Duration : 00:30:00

Step Machine

LISS
Calorie :   137 CAL
Lap/Rep :  55 Lap/Rep
Duration : 00:20:00

Pulling From Your Inner Strength

I didn't get much sleep this weekend because we went into the City to meet our Cub Scout Pack at the Intrepid Sea and Air Museum for Operation Slumber, an overnight experience. While we didn't have much time to see all the planes, and the Space Shuttle Museum, the boys had ample opportunity to explore special hands on exhibits in the Exploreum. We were also able to take their 5-minute 4D Motion Ride, which was very similar to experiences at many theme parks. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep, and after the breakfast next morning, we went home. But it was too nice a day to stay inside and sleep. So, we went hiking on the Michael Ciaiola trail for a few hours. And then we ate great ribs at a local BBQ joint (Big W's Roadside BBQ), and the best banana gelato (Johnny Gelato) I've ever tasted.

Today is Push Day, and again I have half a mind to crawl back into bed and hibernate. Instead, I eventually get to the gym and do 15 minutes of cardio on the Cross-Trainer. I feel slow. Like a half-dead slug. After a slow stretch, I head toward the free weights. Venus is on the Smith machine, doing what looks like single-leg presses against a weighted bar. She switches between that and the Cable Station. I ask her how many sets and she says almost apologetically, Only one more. Dang if she isn't intimidated by little ol' me. So I ask her name, shake her hand and tell her mine. Meanwhile I do a few sets of DB Presses to warm up. I'm pretty sure I can bench more than the pair of 35 lb DBs but I don't want to expend all my energy just yet.

Benching feels heavy today and I'm sure it's because I haven't had enough sleep. Still, I insist on doing my routine. I'm too stubborn to quit. 120 lbs is heavy. 130 lbs is heavier. And then I think, WTH, and I put 5 more pounds on because I did 135 last week. And it feels just as heavy as 130 lbs, but not heavier. Six reps. Done! I drop the weight to 95 lbs and manage a respectable 25 reps. Yaaay! I should do sets at 135 but I'm not going to push my luck today. I'm happy I was able to get the 6 reps and not hurt myself.

Then I swap my flat bench for an adjustable inclined bench. I definitely feel this movement in the shoulders, especially the front delts. Ah, delts. I do my standard DB Lateral Raises superset with DB Reverse Incline Flyes. The Mayor hovers nearby. I'm not quite sure what his story is, but he has a desperate, needy aura about him. I can't help but ignore people like that. Venus is long gone. I see Tattoo Tank and PonyTail, Maroon and Soccer Boy. Again, I finish my last set with a flurry of reps, just to prove to myself that I could. The flat benches are all taken so I do Close Grip Bench Presses. I can't make my last set of reps, and only get 15 out of 25 at 75 lbs. Yes, it's a lot of reps, but when your weakest link is wonky joints, you take reps over weight where appropriate. Oddly, I think if I had done Rip Crushers first, I might've been able to have gotten all three sets at 25 reps. Like last week. The Rip Crushers are my last exercise before I go back to the cardio platform. I haven't moved up in weight in a long time but by moving this to the end of my routine and pre-exhausting my arms, I still feel it's a productive movement.

I"m on auto-pilot when I get on the elliptical, dreading the 10 minutes of Takata HIIT (15 sec On / 45 sec Off) before the leisurely 20 minutes of LISS. The first three cycles I'm barely hitting 265 SPMs, but then I'm able to reach 270, then 274 and eventually, just for a second or two, 281. I'm barely sweating though, and I don't like the LISS for exactly that reason: it feels like a cool-down and I worry that my Mat Stretch will be stiff and painful. But it's not. I keep my hoodie on during my splits and other stretches. It's almost effortless. Yaaay! But now I'm starving. Time to go.

Monday New Program Week 2
(cardio = 3.88 miles; 21,555 lbs moved)

CrossTrainer

Calorie :   75 CAL
Distance: 1.83 mile
Speed :    7.3 mph
Duration : 00:15:05

Dumbbell Bench Press

49

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 30x12
Set 3 : 35x12

Smith Machine Bench Press

174.17

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x10
Set 4 : 130x8
Set 5 : 135x6 Yay!Set 6 : 95x25

Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

126

Set 1 : 30x13
Set 2 : 60x13
Set 3 : 80x12
Set 4 : 90x12
Set 5 : 80x12
Set 6 : 80x12

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

35

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 25x8
Set 4 : 25x8
Set 5 : 25x8
Set 6 : 25x12 SuperSet with

Dumbbell Reverse Flyes

37.5

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

Barbell Close Grip Bench Press

119.17

Set 1 : 45x25
Set 2 : 65x25
Set 3 : 75x15 *sigh*

Barbell Reverse Grip Skullcrusher

52.5

Set 1 : 15x12
Set 2 : 37.5x12
Set 3 : 37.5x12
Set 4 : 37.5x12

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   174 CAL
Distance: 2.05 mile
Duration : 00:30:00

Friday is Workaround Day

Not having a working desktop is really challenging my ability to write a proper blog entry. I can't get my Bluetooth keyboard to link to my iPad either. So typing on this tablet, and having to negotiate workarounds for actions I took for granted, like cut and paste, are slowing me down considerably.

It's no so much that my desktop is dead, but that it's lost it's network connection. So no internet, no email, no iCloud, and no printing. But it has a strong WiFi signal. I'm not sure how to fix the network problem. Meanwhile, its cold and grey and flurrying outside. My ancient laptop still prints but can't access email through Safari anymore and I only use the web browser on it sparingly because software incompatibilies cause the hard drive to overheat. Sigh.

I stayed up way too late and I'm suffering for that indiscretion today. But instead of crawling back into bed and hibernating, which is what I really wanted to do, I went to the gym. Because today is Leg Day, I did a 30 minute cross-trainer warm up. My mileage really sucks today, giving credence to the idea that you lose what you don't maintain. Plus, I think the HIIT cardio is starting to take a toll. I hog the Smith machine and use it for Squats, One-Leg Split Squata, and a few sets of SLDLs.

I've figured out that the bench was to high for my Split Squats, causing knee pain. I use a Step platform with just two blocks and my knees don't hurt. But the Squats are still hard as ever, and I only do three sets. I should really cut my Smith Squats and concentrate more on the Split Squats. I'm fairly light on my Smith SLDLs, especially since I don't want to resort to using VGs. I keep losing my grip on a mere 100 lbs. and this doesn't bode well for the rest of the workout.

GHRs are the last thing I want to do. (The JeFit app doesn't list them so I use the entry for Glute Kickbacks. Normally I can edit the data if I copy it from the JeFit webpage, but I can't on a tablet, hence the screen grab.) I feel like I'm going to fall on my face, but I don't actually. Thank goodness. I get on the elliptical, fairly certain that I'm going to be pathetic. For the first two HIIT rounds, I can only max at 265, but I'm able to increase my max speeds for each cycle until I hit 284. But once I do, it's a slow decline. I'm not able to maintain that max for each cycle, dropping to 268 by the 10th minute. Then 20 minutes of LISS, blissfully jogging anywhere between 116-130 SPMs. I'm drenched.  And hungry. And tired.

Tomorrow our Cub Scout pack is visiting the Intrepid museum for an overnight trip. I've enlisted a dog sitter. And I suspect we will not be getting any sleep.

Friday Workout (6.11 total miles)

Session SummaryEdit+Add

Session 1f

Session Length

01:37:42

Actual Workout

01:19:42

Wasted Time

00:00:00

Rest Timer

00:18:00

Exercises Done

6

Weight Lifted

13050 lbs

Re-Calculate

Workout Logs

 Exercise Name

1RM

Lifting Logs

Elliptical Training 

N/A 

Calorie :   148 CAL
Distance: 3.8 mile
Speed :    7.56 mph
Lap/Rep :  --
Duration : 00:30:10

Smith Machine Squat 

210 

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 4 : 140x12
Set 5 : 150x12

Smith Machine Single Leg Split Squat 

98 

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 50x12
Set 3 : 70x12

Smith Machine Stiff Legged Deadlift 

140 

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 100x12
Set 4 : 100x12
Set 5 : 100x12

Glute Kickback 

12 

Set 1 : 8 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 12 Lap/Rep

Elliptical Training 

N/A 

Calorie :   177 CAL
Distance: 2.31 mile
Speed :    --
Lap/Rep :  --
Duration : 00:30:00

Fickled Weather Workout

I'm not used to weather changing so quickly, from a frosty 30-something degrees this morning to a windy 47F interspersed with snow flurries, torrential rain, and hail all in a period of just a few hours. Luckily my workout wasn't nearly as temperamental. Today I decided to return home after taking my son to his early morning elective gym class, so I could actually eat my oatmeal, egg and pomegranate breakfast. I also got all my moleskin pieces cut and positioned before I left the house again. My bird feeder appears to be an avian United Nations, with just one or two of several different species: song sparrows, goldfinches, purple finches, Downey woodpeckers, nuthatches, tufted titmouse, English sparrows, house wrens, cardinals, and chickadees. Actually, by mid-afternoon, there's nothing but a good dozen chickadees, a street gang of tiny acrobats. The mourning doves, cooing with their squeaky wings, don't visit the feeder. Nor do the robins racing across the lawns. However, squirrels and chipmunks make themselves right at home unless my dog is sitting outside, watching from the stoop.

The gym isn't too crowded. I spend 10 min on the elliptical for a steady-state warm up but I don't feel warm. Seven rounds of Beginner Follow Me is a warm up. The machine doesn't register my Lead Kick for several rounds. I'm wearing my new Ryka walking shoes to see if they're suitable for this activity. Sadly, they're not. Once I finally figure out exactly where and how I need to kick the Lead Kick pad, my left big toe feels a bit battered. I've actually cracked that nail down by the base (from just this sort of thing) and had to wait several months for it to grow out to a point where I could trim it off. I blank the machine a few times too. And there's two rounds where the machine goes crazy and runs a series of incongruous combinations that I totally miss. So my accuracy needs work.

I don't fair much better in the Intermediate program, although I quite enjoy the faster pace, and the greater force tolerance. I don't stop the machine nearly as often. After seven rounds, I feel pretty good. That's nearly an hour of whacking and kicking, sometimes in rapid succession. Today I feel like I need a change. Because I'm doing HIIT Cardio 3x week ( on days that I lift), I decide to do LISS Cardio on the Step Mill. I start off planning to do 15 minutes but do 20 on a whim. Even though my pace is fairly slow, I start to sweat. Thank goodness I put my hoodie back on!

Today is hectic: I need to pick my son up from school. We're skipping Kung fu because we need to cut out 50 paper robot patterns for tonight's Cub Scout Pack meeting. My husband is leaving work early to pick up more ink for our printer. 50 is a lot of cutting! My desktop computer has been acting oddly today and after I reboot it, it loses all email and Internet abilities even though it's got a strong wifi signal. My hubs surprises me with a brand new iPad Air. Well, that explains all the weird questions he was texting me the other day! We don't have time for dinner as we cut the last robot pattern. Then we get the urgent email: Cub Scout meeting cancelled due to power outage at the school. Well, now we have time for dinner.

I'm really bummed about my desktop machine. It's where I do all my photography projects, where I print all my emails from, my son's Chinese school hw, and where I normally write my blog. I feel a little lost now. Hopefully I can get it fixed. Or I'll just have to adapt a workaround.

Thursday Workout

10 min Precor elliptical

7 rounds Beginner Follow Me: 92% Accuracy / 96% Strikes / 126% Average Power
7 rounds Intermediate Follow Me: 83% Accuracy / 96% Strikes / 102% Average Power

20 min Matrix Step Mill (50 flights)

Earth Day, Back Day. Just Move A Lot of Weight!

I just looked at the JeFit app where I log all my exercises. It says I've moved 44,500 lbs today. No wonder I feel a little spacey. Of course, I'm inclined to blame it on the 10 min of HIIT cardio, followed by 20 min of LISS. If I didn't have my iPod, I don't think I could do LISS, but at the end of my workout, I'm fairly content to sing along with my tunes while doing a slow jog. Actually, I have to look up exactly what constitutes LISS. Am I suppose to be breaking a sweat which is just residual from the HIIT? Is a pace of 130 Strides Per Minute good? Should I be paying more attention to my heart rate instead of my speed?

HIIT is easier: going as fast as you can for 15 seconds, and then dropping your speed to catch your breath for 45 seconds is pretty straight forward. For me, that means 274-280 SPMs for 15 seconds, followed by 70-90 SPMs for 45 seconds. Doing LISS has me trotting along at 130 SPMs which isn't taxing at all since I'm used to 180 for steady-state cardio. But should I be going slower? By the end, my muscles have cooled down and stretching is harder than normal. Today I only stretch my lower back and shoulders.

Tattoo Tank is at the Smith machine so my first movement is RG BB Rows. I do my standard routine. It feels okay. Venus and B are chatting. Chatty Guy and Tattoo Tank are chatting as well. Sometimes they lift weights. B flits about like a butterfly. I see a few more regulars, but it's hard for me to emerge from my workout mode and be social. So I don't. Tattoo Tank has finished OHP at the Smith so I take this opportunity to do Smith RG BB Rows. I use less weight and I'm much more parallel to the floor. I can hit different muscles. Before Cable Seated Rows, I do a few sets of Inverted Rows (at the Smith because there is no other place to do them). It's been a long time and these are hard on my elbows. I can see Venus in the mirrored wall as she does One-Arm Cable Rows. She could be a fitness model with her long, lean, muscular yet extremely feminine look.

At the Cable Seated Rows I notice a man with a definite attitude problem. He's on the adjacent Seated Row station, and the weights drop onto the stack, as if he just let go at the last rep. I have tremendous disdain for people who can't control their equipment. My last rep is always super slow and virtually silent. This slob, half-shaven and unkempt, also leaves the BB rack in disarray. As if he's purposely dyslexic. My nickname for him is Scuzzabutt. That's right, just like in South Park. Because he's beastly, but not in a good way.

I see Hollywood too. She reminds me of those 1950s movie stars, with the cat-eye glasses and short brown wavy hair. Think Liz Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren. But she's got a weird, high-pitched screechy voice that sets my nerves on edge. Oh well. She's got nice arms too, but not as nice as Venus. I almost forget that I'm adding a few sets of bicep work to my Back Day. I start off with BB Curls and my elbows immediately complain. Next time I'll try DB Curls, maybe windmills or hammer curls. Afterwards, I do a few sets of RG BB Curls. And I'm actually really surprised that I can do them at all so soon after BB Curls. Ugh.

Drain Fly (magnified)

I'm really happy to have my choice of ellipticals. Because I can't start off going as fast as I can, I jog for a minute while setting the machine parameters. I'm tired and feel as if I won't be able to do 10 minutes of HIIT. But I'm good at ignoring myself. Just do it. And I do. I expected my speed to slow after the first 5 minutes, but I'm able to hit 270-276 repeatedly during the Intensity phase. It's during the recovery phase that I'm gasping. But I don't feel bad for long, and the 20 minutes of LISS that follow has me singing along (silently) to my tunes. My triceps and lower abs are sore but not really noticeable unless I contract them. I've gotten my first nasty bug bite of the season too. It's a long welt across my collar bone that itches like the dickens. Probably a gnat. Or a drain fly, those odd tiny moth-like creatures that look like soot flying up out of the sink or shower. No one will admit it, but they can actually bite! Yep, Happy Earth Day.


Wednesday Back and Bicep Workout
(44,500 lbs moved; 4.13 total miles cardio)

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   71 CAL
Distance: 1.74 mile
Speed :    6.96 mph
Duration : 00:15:03

Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

232.5

Set 1 : 45x15
Set 2 : 135x20
Set 3 : 155x15
Set 4 : 155x15
Set 5 : 155x15
Set 6 : 135x20

Smith Machine Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

150.33

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x15
Set 3 : 100x15
Set 4 : 110x11
Set 5 : 100x15
Set 6 : 100x15

Inverted Row

161

Set 1 : 115x12
Set 2 : 115x12
Set 3 : 115x12 Ugh!

Cable Seated Row

152

Set 1 : 90x12
Set 2 : 105x10
Set 3 : 120x8
Set 4 : 120x8
Set 5 : 120x8

Back Extension Machine

315

Set 1 : 195x15 too easy!
Set 2 : 210x15
Set 3 : 210x15

Barbell Curl

67.5

Set 1 : 40x15
Set 2 : 45x15
Set 3 : 50x10
Set 4 : 45x12
Set 5 : 40x15

Barbell Reverse Curl

75

Set 1 : 40x25
Set 2 : 45x20
Set 3 : 45x20

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   189 CAL
Distance: 2.39 mile
10 min HIIT
20 min LISS
Duration : 00:30:00

Day 2 Cardio!

Today's Selfie

I'm not a natural athlete and have never considered myself a runner, etc but dang if I don't get all happy on Cardio Day. This is a relatively recent development if you consider 4 years out of the 55 I've been in existence. And I'd have to say that I really didn't like cardio until the past two years. Now I'm addicted to it's mood enhancing abilities. I did cardio yesterday, but not the way I'm used to, and I admit that when I got home, I didn't really feel satisfied.

Today I feel much better. 30 minutes on the LifeFitness Cross-trainer, some stretching, some abs and then 30 minutes on the Precor Elliptical Performance Program #2. I didn't push too hard and got a respectably total mileage of 6.68. I've been watching my caloric intake and the MyFitnessPal is good for that and keeping track of macros. But because it has a limited database, it doesn't always find foods we eat over the weekend. The app's bar code scanner is wonderful for packaged foods, but even then, some foods aren't in their database.

Right Side Selfie

I see B and Venus chatting at the far cable station when I'm on the cross-trainer. B has been looking for a new training buddy for some time now. I'm curious to see if she and Venus are a good match. I'm pretty sure B is upset with me for not talking to her, but when I'm in my zone, I don't talk to anyone. I just "do". It sounds very Asian: less talk, more do. It's what my dad used to say. And probably Yoda as well. Actually, he said, "Do or do not. There is no try."

I also have that Don't Mess with Me look, but that's just because I grew up in NYC, and my mindset is different from most of the women who work out at my gym. Smiling does not come naturally to me. There are a few ladies who also seem very serious. They look like 30 yr old ex-college jocks. And they move a lot of weight when they're here. But it's nice to see so many women actually working with real weights. I've seen two women (Venus was one) doing trap bar dead lifts. If I didn't have issues with my grip and fingers, I'd be tempted to try those too.

Tuesday Cardio and Abs Workout
(6.68 miles)

Cross-Training

Calorie :   149 CAL
Distance: 3.81 mile
Speed :    7.62 mph
Duration : 00:30:01

Weight Plate Twist

91.67

Set 1 : 50x25
Set 2 : 50x25

Seated Flat Bench Leg Pull In

100

Set 1 : 100 Lap/Rep

Crunches

50

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

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   256 CAL
Distance: 2.87 mile
Duration : 00:30:00