Born Again Gym Rat: When Standing Still Is Making Progress

Monday, February 22, 2016

When Standing Still Is Making Progress

I'm a bit frustrated with my weight because I'd seriously like to drop 3 or 4 lbs and I'm not having much luck lately. The gym scale reads 111.2 lbs today. Egads! But my sciatica seems to be improving incrementally. I can do most things now without actually thinking about whether my leg hurts, except getting in the car and hitting the gas. So that's an improvement. It's about time (it's only been over a month)!

No lunging moves, which means no lunging stretches, no one-leg squats, no pistol squats, no glute-hamstring raises. I can drop down into a full butt-to-heels position but I'm not pushing any weight except myself back up. I'm still 98% certain that this is piriformis syndrome, which means the sciatic nerve is being aggravated by the piriformis muscle that sits deep under the glute. My hamstrings are fairly loose so tightness or lack of stretching isn't the issue. If anything, I suspect over-stretching. I'm 56 and there's probably a limit as to how much an older body can adapt and recover from physical activity. My flexibility and strength have improved over the past several years, but I have to remind myself that I'm not in my 20s and making gains. I'm in my 50s, doing mostly "maintenance" and happily making small gains.

Maybe 100 push ups is a bit rough for a warm up, but it does get you warm! Not that I'm cold after 30 min on the cross-trainer and a set of pull ups. I've added back the Torso Twist machine. Maybe it's helping with my sciatica? It doesn't seem to have hurt me any. I dropped it after reading about the improbable damage of torquing weight on the spine and hip. But I also don't do much weight, with 50 lbs for 25 reps each side. Also added back the Flat Bench Knee-In but only for 50 reps because more than that, I start to rub a scab on my coccyx. Still only doing two sets of planks. Thought about crunches but planned to bench and didn't want my core too tired, especially with my "iffy" right leg.

Smith bench press and leg feels mostly okay today. I"d really like to add another 10 lbs and bench 130, but I'd like hamstring spasms to not be an issue when I do that. What the heck, let's do Inclined Smith Benching too. I do a lot less weight and reps on this movement, but it's rewarding none the less. Because I've put on some weight, I'm now more comfortable in the bigger tanks (Old Navy size S) I bought last year. But I'm not real happy that subcutaneous fat puffs out under my arm pits. It makes me self-conscious and I'm constantly adjusting my tank and sports bra straps.

The hard stuff are always the DB Laterals super set with Rev Incline Flyes. I've upped the sets for the latter movement because I'm trying to hit the posterior delts from three different angles: forward, side, back. The side motion is the easiest, so I do them last and add 5 more reps. So, that's 12 reps of DB Lateral Raises then drop face down on an Inclined Bench and do 5 Reverse Flyes with hands pointed forward (10 and 2 o'clock), then 5 reps with hands pointed back toward hips (7 and 5 o'clock), then 10 reps with hands coming up at the 9 and 3 o'clock position. No wonder my shoulders are sore lately. And it might be wishful thinking, but I think I can see changes in them. Yaaay!

Can't find the 50 lb BB so I skip the Drag Curls. Another set of pull ups. Then 30 min of the elliptical, program #1. Some lateral leg stretches and another set of pull ups, but I fully extend for the last 6 reps just to prove to myself that I can. Full extensions are hard on the elbows, or at least mine. With arms bent, doing pull ups directs more focus on the lats as the pulling mechanism. Besides, I kinda skipped biceps today. I know I could've done one-arm cable rows since I feel those mostly in the biceps and not the lats, but I'm leery of doing anything to aggravate my sciatica, especially since it seems to be healing finally.

A note on ageism at the gym: people always react badly when they find out how old I am. Rose is acting funny now because she thought I was in my 30s and finds out I'm in my 50s. At least the gym staff isn't freaked out. It's not like I'm Dorian Gray. Guys just get embarrassed because they're not suppose to know a woman's age anyway. But other women? I don't understand them. I'm learning to make peace with my hair too since it's now come to mid-back. My neck has suddenly started itching again in spite of taking a daily dose of antihistamines. Oh well...

Monday Workout
(6.47 miles total cardio; 23,696 lbs moved)