Born Again Gym Rat: Working Through Discomfort

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Working Through Discomfort

I wake up feeling unusually sore in my arms. It's a rare occurrence for me. Must be those Rip Skulls I did yesterday! But does that explain the sore pecs? Push ups are push ups. The Rip Skull offers a great stretch at the top of the movement. Normal skull crushers (see image at left) bring the weight to the forehead. A Rip Skull goes past the head and bench so that there is a great stretch in the triceps, shoulders and upper back. It requires faith, especially on the return movement back over your head. I can't find any images of the Rip Skull so you'll just have to trust me, or try it yourself with light weights. You can do this with a barbell or dumbbells. I prefer a straight bar that allows me to add tiny increments (1.25 lbs) of magnetic discs.

My sciatica is a lot better today although not gone. I don't notice it walking the dog, but sliding into the car is another matter. Driving really seems to exacerbate it. I have trouble believing that it's due to tight muscles as I'm fairly limber. But hips are funny things. My right leg has had issues for several years with toes and parts of my foot going numb or tingly from the pressure of pedaling a cardio machine. Yes, I'm that sensitive!

Piriformis syndrome looks right. The nerve diagram shows all the achy and/or tingly parts of my leg. I have issues anyway with hips, feet, toes but luckily not in the same place on each side. My left hip has it's own issues, with a dull ache and tightness in the left lower back, and a twinge inside the hip. Damn, that could be the other thing that simulates sciatic pain! But I don't have pain in my left leg or tingly numb toes.

Whacking the machine requires attention to detail and the willingness to unwrap and wrap again. I flex my hands and note that my right first knuckle feels odd. It's been double-patched with moleskin, and taped, and wrapped, but still. I always have trouble wrapping my right hand with my left. I feel the sting under my glove during round 2 of Intermediate and worry that I've actually torn the skin under the tape. It hurts like that! Pulled my punches trying to focus on better accuracy scores. Not quite as successful as I would've liked. My power is way off today. When I unwrap, I'm pleasantly surprised to find my knuckle discolored but not skinned. No scabs, no blood. Whew!

Lately I've been having trouble staying warm, but the fat under my belly skin tells me it's not for lack of insulation. Sigh. I've sent back two down coats from Lands End. And I just got a down parka from LLBean delivered today. Nothing is quite what I want. The LE coats were too snug, and short on pockets. Plus they kept leaking down from their seams. The LLB parka has pockets and promises to be waterproof as well. But it's shorter than my older coats. Sigh.