I have big legs and I don't want them to get bigger. Really. What I do want is for them to have better muscular balance because not only does that look good, but it's also prophylactic. Weak hamstrings and strong quads beg for hamstring injuries. I've had a few when I was younger. Not fun at all. As we age, our muscles lose their strength and flexibility unless we actively maintain and exercise them. I might be fighting a losing battle since I'm a woman in her mid-50s. Not only do I need to ramp up my metabolism to keep post-menopausal weight-gain at bay, but I'm also trying to gain muscle. Crazy, right? Or not. Because estrogen levels are falling, this might actually be an opportune time to concentrate on building muscle mass while I still can. Eventually my body won't be able to do it anymore. Eventually. But I don't know when that will be. So go for broke now!
I'm slow today and only log in a total of 6.22 miles. On good days I can hit close to 7 miles. I like the LifeFitness cross-trainer because I fit into it, AND it has stationery and moving handles. But the pedals are angled such that my right foot tends to tingle halfway through the session. That tingling is my foot falling asleep from the pressure of pedaling. Sometimes it's the ball of my foot, sometimes just the toes. It's unnerving and makes me think of diabetic nerve pain. But I'm not diabetic. Once I'm done with the cross-trainer, the tingling goes away and I forget how uncomfortable it was. I do a quick hamstring and hip stretch before wandering into the free weight area. Because I only stretch out a few times a week instead of every day, my stretches have become easily more limber. Very counter-intuitive.
I skip Smith Squats and focus on Smith One-Legged Split Squats since they're more productive. Today I add 10 lbs and do 4 sets of 12 reps. Not too bad. I do a quick 3 sets of Smith SLDLs just to loosen up my hips afterwards, and this time I use the VGs for the last set. My hands aren't going to get stronger. Just more injured. Already my left hand has sporadic tender spots (on the palm side) I can't explain. GHRs are super hard today. Probably because I upped the weight on the Split Squats. I still manage to do my 3 sets but I won't lie: I was grinding out the last 3-4 reps of every set.
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| Good lighting hides loose skin! |
Back to cardio. I get on the Precor elliptical and punch in the Intervals Program because it's my compromise between doing HIIT cardio and a Performance session. Then 10 minutes on the Mat with a few Pistol Squats for fun. It's much harder doing them on the Mat than the solid floor as you balance on one leg while descending and then rising up. I don't see anyone doing these either. There are some regulars. They look the same as they have for years. There are some HS girls coaching each other through basic routines. And yoga people walking barefoot through the gym with their mats rolled up on their backs. The gym scale tells me I'm 109.6 lbs. My home scale tells me I'm 15.5% BF. Pretty good for a 55-yr old woman. Since I've no plans to ever compete (because the Master Class starts at age 35), there's no actual reason (except vanity) for me to get my body fat much lower. I'd like to see my abs one day, but that's not going to happen with all the loose baby skin that never shrank back after I had my son 10 years ago. Oh well...
Friday Leg Day Workout
(6.22 miles cardio; 9,640 lbs moved)
Steady State
Calorie : 145 CAL
Distance: 3.54 mile
Speed : 7.07 mph
Duration : 00:30:04
140
Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 70x12
Set 3 : 100x12 Yaaay!+10
Set 4 : 100x12
Set 5 : 100x12
Set 6 : 100x12
Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 12 Lap/Rep
Intervals
Calorie : 307 CAL
Distance: 2.68 mile
Duration : 00:30:00
139.33
Set 1 : 110x8
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