Born Again Gym Rat: Sometimes There Are Surprises

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Sometimes There Are Surprises

I hadn't really anticipated coming to the gym today but I'm very adaptable. So I tossed my kickboxing gear into my gym bag and wondered how bad whacking the other machine would be. The other machine that doesn't register any blows at all to the Right Cross Pad, with the flaky screen that makes you crazy trying to log in because it might register your key stroke, or not, or assume you meant to hit that one letter six times. I do my 10 minute warm up on the elliptical and then a quick stretch. I glance over at the busted machine, and hey! it's not busted anymore! Whoopee! I broke it on Friday, and it's not even a week later and it's fixed! That is the absolute fastest anything has ever been repaired at my gym. Seriously.

The first combo is a killer!

Didn't score very well here.

I don't usually whack the machine after two straight days of cardio and weights. I'm sore, and I'm tired. But I'm game. I pull my punches a little because I don't want to break the machine again. The Beginner Rounds go fairly smoothly. The Intermediate Rounds get a little weird in the middle because the software glitches still haven't been fixed, and they might never get fixed. The Advanced Session is the one that gives me a real run for the money. There's combinations I still haven't been able to wrap my head around. I need to learn the steps to those dance moves before I can actually score decently. I'm drenched by the time I'm done, and I'm happy. Meanwhile, I note regulars in my periphery, working out nearby or passing through... Shaggy, The Mayor, Heckel and Jeckell, Soccer Boy, Tattoo Tank, Under Cut, Red, Hollywood...

I like to use the Step Mill when I'm done unwrapping my hands but there aren't any available so I get on the elliptical again. I only want to do 15 minutes and steady state is boring, so I punch through the different programs. Finally I settle on Intervals, but I don't do them as intensely. Then some crunches and lower back stretches to ease through the persistent stiffness. I get on the gym scale: 108.6 lbs. Weird. Usually my weight fluctuates a bit more than that. I recheck my weight when I get home: 106.4 lbs and my BF has dropped to 14.6%. What?! I'm not sure I believe it. I don't feel or look any lighter, or leaner. Maybe that's just my own prejudiced eye? Plus my clothes are tighter, especially my bras, which probably means back and lats. I actually think I look soft and a bit fat. Maybe I should shoot some new photos and take a closer look. Or, I can just be happy with what the scale tells me.

Wednesday Workout