Born Again Gym Rat: The Body Adapts

Monday, October 19, 2015

The Body Adapts

Post Delt workout

Well, my body's starting to adapt to the magnesium in the acid-blocker, but that's not to say that everything is hunky-dory in my GI tract. I still have heartburn although it might take more than 4 days to see relief. I was able to do five sets of pull ups on Friday. Today I was barely able to do three due to the pain just under my rib cage that just got worse with each set. I'm not so sure it's a GI issue but I see my doc in a week and I guess I'll have to get some tests done. Bleah! What I'm really worrying about, of course, is something terrible, like stomach cancer. Because perfectly normal, healthy people succumb to cancers every day, right out of the blue. No one in my family has died of that, but there doesn't need to be familial history for it to occur. I don't have any of the risk factors, but that's not required.

The weekend didn't allow any of us to sleep in and we spent Saturday braving the wind for the Scout Thunderbird Games, and Sunday, braving the cold (and snow flurries) for Cub Scout popcorn sales in front of a supermarket. My son and I were only out there for two and a half hours, but by the time I got back to the car, my feet were numb and I had chemical hand warmer packets inside my gloves. In spite of wearing several layers under a winter parka, I was still shivering uncontrollably. This is probably the wrong time of year and the wrong climate to have low body fat! Oh well...

Soggy and
Disheveled

So, today I'm tired and stressed. My stomach gets upset easily even though I eat a cup of soothing high protein Greek style yogurt for breakfast. It's probably the instant espresso, but I can't function on less than optimal sleep without a cup of caffeine. I have given up drinking alcohol for now and I'm surprised to see at the end of my workout that my weight is the same as it was on Friday. Normally, with less activity and more reckless eating, I gain a few pounds. Not lately. Which shows me just how fattening alcohol (i.e., a few hard ciders or glasses of sangria) is for someone like me.

It's 27F when I take the dog out but a bit warmer when I get to the gym. Still, I keep my hoodie on for the 30 min warm up on the cross-trainer. My stomach doesn't feel right today. I do a set of pull ups, and I can feel pain just under the sternum, but it's not horrible. On to planks and push ups. I grimace through the last 20 reps of a 100-rep set of regular push ups. Done. Planks offer a brief respite. I muscle through the Diamond and Dand push ups as well, forcing myself to finish 45 reps for each set, as well as for both sets of One-Leg-Raised Push Ups. I almost fall on my face at the end, but bend my knees and transform into Child's Pose for a stretch. Saved.

I know I'm not going to be able to do 4-5 sets of pull ups because my abs are sore now. But I can knock out SuperSets of DB Lat Raises with Reverse Incline Flyes. I only do 3 sets with 20 lb DBs. Then a quick jaunt on the Cybex Torso Twist machine before attempting another go at pull ups. These hurt worse now, but I still finish my 15 reps. It's not my lats or arms, but my abs and the pain is stretching itself down from under the rib across my belly. Ugh. I get on the elliptical and do 30 minutes of Performance Program #1 at a moderate pace. I don't normally get stitches at this point in my routine, but today I have them. When I'm done, I stretch at the Cage and do my last set of pull ups, almost hitting my chin on the edge of the Cage because I'm moving so forcefully. This is waaay too painful. I'm almost kipping to make it go faster and be over and done with.

I use the Mat Stretch to calm down and focus on other parts of the body. The gym has been relatively empty for a Monday, but fills up with the lunch crowd. Creepy PJ Pants stares from the ab crunch machine. Today there seem to be more women in the free weight area than men. That's unusual. I see a tall brunette with big black-frame glasses. She comes quite regularly, by herself mostly and has been working hard. It shows. She's lost a lot of weight although I suspect she's looking to build more muscle than she's got, and I surmise that from the baleful look she gives me as I walk by. It's okay. Let them stare. It gives them hope and shows them what's possible. Of course, I'm not at all thrilled today when the mail delivers a Senior Guide newsletter addressed to me. Senior? Who? Me? WTH? But that just drives me to work harder. Tomorrow I'm gonna whack the machine. Yaaaay!

Monday Workout
(6.43 miles total cardio)