Benefits

Watching American Ninja Warrior last night off my DVR got me thinking about "useful" muscles vs. "mirror" muscles, i.e., the ones you work on just to show off. Top finishers of the course varied in their physiques, but they were all super strong. Some had phenomenal muscles, and others were so long and lean that their actual strength was hidden. Until it came time to perform. And then it was strength and endurance that made good things happen. Sometimes there was bad luck, or bad timing. The one generalization I can make is that the lighter people had an advantage over those with more mass. Obviously, having long limbs helps immensely, but wasn't critical for finishing. And if a competitor had the length disadvantage, then being ridiculously strong for their size was a major bonus. Well, duh...

I'll never compete in anything like ANW, but I want to be super strong. I work hard on my endurance as well. Today, I do 15 rounds of whacking the machine, followed by 30 min on the elliptical, and then 31 hammer grip pull ups. Because the only way to build endurance and strength for me is to keep pushing long after the hunger pangs and vague feelings of fatigue. I'm surprised at how often I can push past all that. It's very gratifying!

But let's hope I'm not so tired that I forget how to float at tonight's swim lesson. 

Thursday Workout

10 min warm up
Elliptical 
96 cal
0.84 miles

15 rounds Nexersys

30 min elliptical
Prgm 1
275 cal
2.47 miles

HGPU 31

Photos for actual stats:

5 rounds Beginner

5 rounds Intermediate

5 rounds Advance

Skidding Along

As I drove my son to camp this morning, I suddenly realized that I'd have to move my Friday workout to Thursday, the very same day I have a swim class later in the evening. My husband has plans to be a tourist in NYC this weekend. I grew up there so I'm not sure what all the excitement is about. We have tickets to see The Lion King, a show I've wanted to see for years if only for the amazingly costumed performers. We also have a hotel room in Times Square, and reservations to area eateries. I hate NYC in the summer because it's hot and humid. The pervasive smell of rotting garbage is hard to escape. Throngs of people do not thrill me. They just make me paranoid because I'm small and easy to trample. Still, I'm hopeful that we will have an enjoyable experience.

Today is a Pull Day workout. I'm saving Whack the Machine for tomorrow. Because temps are in the low 70s with low humidity this morning, I'm surprised that the gym is virtually empty. But I shouldn't be. Anyone who's a runner will be outside, taking advantage of the mild weather. As the temp rises, the gym fills. I'm sure the inventor of the air conditioner has secured his place in heaven.

Avia tank too big!

I'm wearing shorts, the flimsy, filmy Avia tank and a hoodie for my warm up. The hoodie comes off after the first set at the Smith. The raspberry Asics seem tight on my right foot, but they're the best shoe I own for doing SLDLs and RG BB Rows. I see a few regulars like The Mayor and his teenage son, Maroon, and some HS boys. Later, I see Frankenstein lumbering between the Cybex machines. He glances a little too long in my direction. Definitely creepy.

Pull ups get slightly easy as my work out progresses. But I feel a weird discomfort in the base of my right palm. Uh oh... that's disturbingly familiar. Like carpal tunnel. I don't think swimming or kickboxing will aggravate it though. But I'm skipping Drag Curls. I haven't done much if any bicep work in months now, relying on the pulling motion of pull ups and rows to work those tiny muscles. For the most part, I feel vindicated. It's not like my biceps have melted away. I look at a photo of myself that's a few years old. Yes, my biceps really stood out then, but I realize, that it's only because I didn't have much in the way of triceps for counterbalance. So, I should stop being so envious of how I used to be, and just work on tweaking bothersome things. Like the fact I've put on 3 lbs in the past two months. Ugh!

Wednesday Workout
(6.39 miles total cardio)

X trainer 30 min
136 cal
3.79 miles
7.55 av spd

HGPU 31

Knee in 50

Push ups 100

CR 3x50

Smith SLDL
15@30
12@80
12@100
12@120
10@130

Smith RG BB Row
15@30
15@ 50, 80, 90, 100

HGPU  31

One arm seared cable rows
12@ 30
3x12@45

Elliptical
30 min prgm3
293 cal
2.58 miles

HGPU 31

Every Day is Monday

 I didn't get a chance to post my workout yesterday, and today I'm taking my son to see the latest Ice Age flick. It's going to be damn near 90F by this afternoon and what better way to avoid the heat than retreating into the dark cool confines of a movie theater? At least the grass was wet from last night's thunderstorms so the dog got a slight reprieve from the heat. But he's not a happy puppy by any means. I have several fans aimed at key spots in the house and there's where I find him.

Because I'm skipping workouts on Tuesday, Thursday and the weekend, every day I do work out feels like I'm starting anew. Like it's a Monday morning. Only I'm sore. Ideally, days off should lend to greater recuperation, but I find that it just makes me feel a bit more reluctant. I guess I'm a creature of habit, and "5 days on" has been my routine for most of my workout life. A "3 days on" routine means I'm not working out the majority of the time. And that's having a negative effect on my morale and my body. I'm gaining weight. I feel sluggish. Oh, and this heat wave doesn't help either.

Knowing that I only have three gym days this week makes me change my routine slightly. When I get to the elliptical, I do Intervals instead of a Performance Program. No need to worry about my sciatica and hammies at the beginning of the week. Monday is a Push Day so after my warm up routine, I'm at the Smith machine for flat bench presses and then inclined presses. I follow up with my standard DB laterals superset with Rev Incl Flyes.

While I'm in the DB area, I notice a few newbie girls. One is thin and spidery. A well-built young man helps her with her bench press. Maybe he's her BF? But they don't hover and chat like a couple. Then she's at the inclined bench. She's tall enough to use the regular benches without an issue. SpiderGirl has on a tank and form-fitting zebra-striped shorts. Another girl spends most of her time staring at her phone when she's not raising beauty bells overhead. She's wearing her tank tied just under her bust, and leggings. A lumbering middle-aged man comes over to use some DBs. He circles the area and benches where we are. I glance up and catch SpiderGirl's eye because we both think he's creepy. He's a regular with a hip replacement: I note the thicker sole of his right shoe that's meant to correct an uneven leg length. In my mind, I call him Frankenstein because he reminds me of Peter Boyle in that Gene Wilder classic. Middle-age guys are so creepy at the gym.

I'm wearing another pair of Old Navy boy shorts. These are also light and silky, and very comfortable to wear. I'm getting used to the higher waist band where I clip my iPod. (I sweat too much to attach it to my tank strap as I've already destroyed two before figuring out that over my hip is the safest place to attach this thing.) Most women wear form fitting shorts or leggings. I own a few pairs myself but I don't find them comfortable. The Fashion section of the NYTimes ran a review of a store in NYC that caters to trendy expensive fitness apparel, most notably leggings. And the reason that they run upwards of $100? Because they're compressive like shapewear, only designed to be visible as clothing, not something you wear under clothing. Oh jeeze...

I read an article about women in Cross-Fit, and the appeal to be judged for your abilities and strength, and not for how you look. Sorta the difference between bodybuilding and powerlifting? I don't have the joints to handle powerlifting, but I'm only slightly envious of those who can. I work with what I have. It's the only reasonable thing to do! My workouts are designed to improve my functional strength and endurance, and it's a great by-product that I'm happy with how I look because of those workouts. I see regulars at the gym, doing their 3 sets of 12 reps on the machines, walking 20 minutes on the treadmill, pedaling listlessly on the recumbent stationary bikes and I wonder if they're actually benefiting. Of course, some movement is better than no movement, so I guess they'd be worse off if they didn't come.

I'm gratified to read in today's NYTimes that research has finally "proven" that high reps with moderate weight is as effective in strength training as doing heavy weights. Apparently the key is muscle fatigue (whatever it takes to make your muscles tired)! Yes, that's the reason I end my big movements with high reps at a moderate weight.

Monday's Workout
(6.61 miles total cardio)

X trainer
30 min
137 cal
3.87 miles
7.74 av spd

HGPU 31

Push Ups
100

Crunches
3 X 50

Bird Dog planks
2 X 60 sec

Smith bench
30lbs @ 20 reps
80@12
100@12
120@12
90@25

Smith incl bench
30lbs @ 20 reps
50@12
70@12
80@12 X 3
50@25

DB Lat S/S w Rev Incl Flyes
3 X 20@12/20

Rip skulls
12@30, 35, 40
8@45 (elbow elbow starting to twinge)

Elliptical
30 min
Intervals
316 cal
2.74 miles

HGPU 31

Knee ins 50

It's a Heat Wave

ON boy shorts

I'm not a happy person when it's blazing hot outside. Neither is the dog. At least I don't have tons of fur that blow around the house like tumbleweeds. I poured water on his ramp and the walkway to cool his feet, but he got all freaked out and walked around the wet spots. Silly old dog. My son went to camp today, and I went to the gym wearing my new silver Old Navy boy shorts. I like how lightweight and silky they feel. The waist is a bit high, but in general I have no complaints. Because I'm whacking the machine today, I clip my iPod to the back of my waistband and thread the headphone wires up the back of my tank top. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this tank: I don't usually wear anything with white in it because I sweat so profusely, I'm worried that the white just under my armpits will become tea-colored. Not at all attractive. (After kickboxing, the white tape around my knuckles are all sweat-stained!)

Either I slept funny or doing a modified side-stroke kick in yesterday's Adult Swim class did a minor number on my left hip. It twinged all morning, and then it didn't. Actually, it felt like it got fixed during the 30 min elliptical session I did after kickboxing. Normally I do 20 minutes, but since I'm down to three days of working out, and I'm skipping my usual Friday Intervals, I figure an additional 10 minutes would be good. Performance Program 3 has a series of hills and valleys that's more interesting than Program 2 (which I call the Grand Tetons for reasons made obvious once you view the course). Pedaling forward for 7.5 minutes, then backwards for another 7.5, then forward, then back, as the course changes elevation, sometimes dramatically, feels really good. At first my hip twinges going forward, then settles down. Then it twinges going backwards, and then it settles again. And then, it doesn't hurt anymore! Fixed!

I'm exhausted from my workout, but there's still pull ups to do. If I were doing more than one set I wouldn't be so worried, but I'm not. My arms are tired from whacking the machine and I barely get my nose to the bar for the last few reps. But I'm not tired from yesterday's swim class, which I'm enjoying greatly. Now it's just the instructor and three middle-age women. Of course, the instructor tells me that my muscularity makes buoyancy a bigger issue for me than the other two. I struggle to stay afloat. The instructor tells me not to worry, that you don't need to be on the surface, just close to it. On the other hand, I seem to be picking up the instructions a lot quicker. Rolling from face down torpedo-shape to face up is actually kind of fun! We've added arm motions so next week we'll be doing actual backstrokes. I've only ever done a backward "breaststroke" so this should be interesting.

Even sold in supermarkets

I've got to put more cushioning on the bunion though. I have two pairs of black leather trainers for kickboxing: Rykas and Asics. The Asics actually fit too well. They're comfortable, but there's not enough room to cushion my toes when I front kick the pad. My toes are bruised afterwards, but the shoes are comfortable enough to wear during cardio. The Rykas are a tad bigger so my toes don't get quite so beat-up. But my bunion chafes painfully against the side-seam of the shoe during cardio, forcing me to change my gait as I pedal. I do own a "bunion sleeve" but felt as if it was strangling my toe. Maybe I'll try it one more time, because using moleskin isn't quite enough protection and I'm unsure about the double-thick moleskin. I'm starting to develop a callous there! Uh oh.

I'm surprised by how salty the sweat is trickling down my face. On the elliptical, I suddenly sense an ocean breeze and realize that the briny odor is probably coming from me! Yikes!

Friday Workout

10 min elliptical
0.85 miles

15 rounds Nexersys

30 min elliptical
Prgm 3
278 cal
2.48 mi

Hammer Grip Pull UPs
31

Photos for actual stats:

5 rounds Beginner
(totally awesome warm up)

5 rounds Intermediate
(only blanked the screen once today!)

5 rounds Advance
(I don't know why it insists I'm over power for my level, but I'm making good use of the session. I guess they have to say something.)

What The Hot Moms Are Wearing... Kidding!

Yellow Wood Sorrel is delicious!

Me and the dog are definitely enjoying the cooler weather! I know it won't last, but it's always good when I need a blanket to sleep. Unfortunately, our county just declared a drought warning and asked all residents to refrain from gratuitous watering. Uh, hmmm. I was planning to water the peas tomorrow, only the 3rd time this season that I've actually turned the hose on. The peas are going to be tough, but stir fried they'll still taste good. I also like to harvest the wild yellow wood sorrel that grows like wildfire in my raised bed, their luscious lemony leaves offering a bright counter point to bland salad greens. It's got a decent amount of Vitamin C, but also oxalic acid, which is not good for people with gout, rheumatism and kidney stones. Luckily, it's fairly safe in small quantities as a flavor accent.

Drawstring and pockets

Because it's cool out, I take the opportunity to try out the new Everlast "bermudas" I got from Kmart. They're made of sweatcloth, have both an elastic waistband and a drawstring, and deep front patch pockets. They come just to my knee although I'm sure they were meant to be slightly shorter. I don't like the drawstring because it leaves a weird belly lump under my tank top, but the shorts themselves are extremely comfortable. The Old Navy boys shorts arrived yesterday and they fit fine. I'll see how well they hold up during a workout next week. This is soooo exciting! Old Navy tends to run too big so I bought a tank size XS. This is probably the one time I should've just bought a Small because this tank is form-fitting skin tight. I can still wear it, but probably as an undergarment itself, because I don't think there's room to put a bra on under it. Seriously.

Today's a slightly better day for push ups. I took yesterday off because my son and I had a million things to do, from retrieving items left behind at Boy Scout camp from his Troop Mate's mom, to purchasing his 6th grade planner from Middle School, to getting tickets to the movies and then killing time at the local pizzeria, culminating in getting ready for Parent Night at his day camp that evening. Well, at least I didn't have to cook yesterday!

I'm wearing my raspberry and grey Asics because they are more supportive when I'm pulling heavy weight. They're not quite so much fun when I'm doing cardio. Still, I managed a decent mileage today, and pulled decent weight as well. I wish the old guys would stop looking so shocked when they seem me put plates on the Smith machine bar. Agreed that most women use the Smith for Squats and maybe Split Squats. Venus use to do Hip Thrusts there, but I haven't seen here in a very long time. Of course, now that I think of it, very few women consistently show up to Bench or DL here. Maybe at night, but not when I'm at the gym.

It could be my imagination, but I think I actually heard some faint cheering at the pull up bar when I dropped into a full extension at rep 30, and then managed one more full rep. There are a lot of regulars here today, and I'm visually familiar with most of them. There are some I just have no respect for because they never wipe down the machines once they use them. Being old and out of shape isn't a free pass! I see the middle-age redheaded Skinny-Fat chick on the treadmill with a cast on her right leg. Hmmmm. She walks for 5 minutes then gets caught up in conversation for the next 10 min. She was making great progress all winter and then she took a few days off during Easter. When she returned, it looked as if she'd put 20 lbs back on. Holidays are hard on people and their best intentions.

I add more sets to the RG BB Rows today even though I'm still trying to recover from SLDLs. Again, I see old guys staring, and not because they want to use the equipment. After I do a set of pull ups, they're too embarrassed to stare. The college boys arrive by the time I'm done with my last cardio session. They are really cute with great bodies so it's fun to sneak a glance at them. They're certainly a lot nicer to look at than the fat old guys who wander the gym, spending more time gabbing than exercising. I feel the faintest ache inside my elbow from Seated One-Arm Cable Rows, so no Drag Curls. I'd like to get one more set of pull ups today. I finish with most of my Mat Stretch. It's probably a bit intimidating, but I don't do it for other people. I do it for me. Friday I plan to whack the machine. Tomorrow I have a swim class, and no plans to go to the gym. I'm curious to see how I feel on Friday.

Wednesday Workout
(6.39 miles total cardio)

Xtrainer
30 min
136 cal
3.82 miles
7.63 av spd

Hammer Grip Pull Ups
Barely 31 Ugh!

Crunches 3 X 50

Bird Dog Planks
2 X 60 sec

Knee-in 50

SLDL
15 X 30
12 X 80, 100, 120
10 X 130
15 X 80

RG BB Row
15 X 30
12 X 50, 80
15x 90, 100 Hmmm

HGPU 31

One arm seated cable row
12 X 37.5, 45, 45, 45

Elliptical
30 min Prgm2
2.57 miles
292 cal

HGPU 31

Starting Anew

My husband sent me texts and photos all week from Boy Scout camp, and then they actually returned yesterday afternoon. I swear my son looks like he got bigger! Since there's no laundry facilities at the camp, they bring back all their clothes dirty. And my son, because he's an 11 year old boy, has mixed his dirty and unworn clean stuff together. So it all has to be washed, regardless of whether the item was ever deployed. Ugh.

It's been ridiculously hot. And everyone I know has been afflicted with bug bites from the tiniest unseen biting creatures. Surprisingly, my hubs said camp wasn't terribly buggy if you didn't count the swarms of moths dropping out of the sky. My son used them for fishing bait and caught two fingerlings, which he promptly tossed back. He said he had a good time, and he's come back as brown as a nut in spite of being sunscreened. My husband is thoroughly sold and can't wait to do this again next year. As I knew he would.

The OrtoCanis brace

The dog is suffering though from the extreme heat. Because he can't really stand for any length of time, I don't even consider the possibility of having him groomed. He's still not very happy with me when I rub his face and paws with a wet paper towel. The OrtoCanis neoprene sleeve-like brace arrived in the mail on Saturday. It fits fairly well, but the dog isn't very happy about it. After two days, I've decided to let him opt out for now. It's probably too hot. When he wears it, he avoids putting his foot down, which suggests that the brace is making it more painful for him to walk instead of providing support. Well, he's a difficult dog so maybe the SolvIt hip harness is the best I can do for him. I'd hate to spend huge amounts of money on a brace just to have the dog refuse to wear it.

I get to gym unusually tired and a bit spacey. It's probably because I woke up at 3:30 am and couldn't get back to sleep. I even tried lounging on the leather reclining sofa, but no go. Then, of course, just as the sun started to peak a hint of color in the pre-dawn sky, I feel asleep, only to have the alarm ring an hour later. My best sleep is in the early morning, probably when it's coolest. Mileage isn't so great today but it is over six miles. Yaaay for me!

My Sony headphones are annoying me because the light-weight wires don't hang properly. Instead, the one attached to the right earphone curls upward and rests against my neck most of the time. Ugh! I see regulars, and newbies. No one has their spawn in tow. Shaggy and The Mayor are actually chatting like old friends. Creepy. PJPants stares dolefully over his shoulder at me from the treadmill. Double creepy.

Today's a Push Day so after the preliminary push ups and pull ups, I'm at the Smith machine. I don't feel like wresting a small flat bench away from the DB area so I use the huge adjustable inclined bench for Inclined Benching. Then some DB shoulder work. Counter-intuitively, I'm back at the Smith afterwards, and I do flat bench pressing without the benefit of the smaller bench. It's okay because I'm staying at 120 lbs. Maybe next time, when I've had more sleep, I'll play with 125 lbs.

Several high school and college guys have come to work out. It would be nice if they not only picked up after themselves, but didn't stand literally an inch from the rack, effectively blocking anyone from actually using any of the other DBs. I only do two sets of pull ups today. They start off strong and impressive, but by the time I get to 25, it's a bit of a struggle just to keep afloat. Afterwards, I do a full Mat Stretch. The heel of my right food curls oddly during one movement, but I try to keep focused. Do I need more potassium? Should I be eating bananas?

This week I have my son in tow for two out of the five days. We plan to see The Secret Life of Pets. I read that it's preceded by delightful Minion short flix. Can't wait! He's getting kind of big for the Child Care Room, although he's not quite old enough to work out with me during peak times. Because he's a tween. Soon he'll be a sullen teenager, so I'm spending as much quality time with him now as I can. Before it's too late. He's already mostly bigger than I am. One day I'll turn around and he'll actually be bigger. And taller.

I'm seeing some promising leads for online work, but I have to open a PayPal account. Ugh. In this modern day and age, everything seems to have strings attached to it. To have a PayPal account, you need to verify that you are you. Sounds a bit Seussical, if it wasn't so damn Orwellian. You need phone, email, credit card, bank account — all to prove you are you. The whole process takes 2-3 business days so there's no immediate satisfaction. All this just to apply for a few online positions that barely pay dollars, but might be helpful for building confidence and experience. I have still to compile my list of things yet to do... lists are great. There's a fabulous sense of satisfaction once you get to cross things off! But the list has to be relevant, and correct. I started a list a few weeks ago, but then I had to add too many suddenly urgent things and the list became totally irrelevant. Time to start anew. And this time I'll use a bigger piece of paper.


Monday Workout
(6.18 miles total cardio)

X trainer
30 min
134 cal
3.67 mi
7.34 av spd

HGPU 31

Knee-ins 50

Pull Ups 100

Crunches 3 X 50

Bird dog planks
2 X 60 sec

Smith incl bench
30 X 15
50, 70 X 12
3 X 80 X 12
50 X 26

DB Lat S/S w Rec Incl Flye
3 X 20 X 12/20

Smith flat bench
30 X 20
80 X 15
100 X 12
120 X 12
80 X 25

Elliptical
30 min Prgm1
2.51 miles
281 cal

HGPU  31

An Epiphany, Of Sorts

The tank is actually
purple. Cute, right?

I sleep in until 8:30, but then I have to tend to the dog. Gone are the days when I could just let him out to pee and then have him rush back up the steps for breakfast. I have to harness him up just to get down the ramp, then he'll meander for a few feet before relieving himself. Once urgent business is attended to, it's back up the ramp, unbuckling him and prepping his food and medications. Then I'll re-harness him so we can go for a walk where the more pressing matters are dealt with.

If you think it's a pain to pick up after your dog, try doing it while holding his butt harness and leash, and trying to keep him from walking away while bagging the poop with the other hand. If I restrain him too harshly, he'll just fall backwards, and potentially slip out of his harness. Don't ask me how, but he's done it. It's already too hot for fresh coffee so I'm glad I have some cold leftover coffee in the fridge. I don't bother with breakfast for myself. I am resigned to the fact that I'm going to be hungry in the middle of my workout. Ggrrr...

The gym is fairly empty when I get there because I'm right between the morning rush, and the lunch crowd. I'm going to take it easy today. It's Friday and I'm tired. Last night's swim class went well, and I wound up buying the goggles the school offers. They don't leak, but they do fog up. Because I had on a "loaner" pair, I didn't want to spit into the lenses, but that's probably what I'll do next week. They're pricey at $25, but at least they don't leak, and they leave minimal marks on my face. There's now so many folks in the class with varying degrees of skills that we've been separated into two classes, with the more "advance" swimmers coming 45 min earlier. That's good because I'm a bit frustrated being in a class with people who are afraid to put their face in the water. I can actually swim after a fashion. I just can't tread water. Which puts me in the Adult Beginner category anyway.

Yesterday's entry

I get 6.6 miles total cardio today, which is pretty good for the end of the week. I still can't figure out how to make the FitNotes workout data accessible. I can email or send the workout to my notepad, but it's still in the fnw format, which is useless. The lovely support people answer that it's something they're working on, and should be available in the next iteration. Oh jeeze...

I've set up a Workout entitled LeftOvers because it's basically the stuff I didn't get to during the week. Well, some of it is. Things like cardio, push ups, pull ups and crunches are just part of every workout. I like that I can add exercises on the fly as I think of them, or delete them. I'll get the hang of this eventually. When I get to the Smith, I'm pleased to see the small flat bench and no one around. I don't go for my max though. Every time I do, I worry about tweaking my shoulder. What I should do is not jump from 120 lbs to 130 lbs, but find those pesky 2.5 lb plates and do a few sets at 125 lbs. Yes, I have a plan! Just got to remember to do it next time.

I'm not wearing the right shoes for SLDLs. I have on my old Asics and they don't give my feet enough support for that movement. I wasn't really planning on doing SLDLs today anyway. Instead, I do RG BB Rows on the Smith, trying to keep my form proper. I used to lift heavier, but the movement morphed into a type of shrug. It made my back fairly thick, but not wide. Pull ups are giving me width. I do a few DB laterals because I feel that my shoulders need all the help they can get. Because I don't want to stress my forearms and elbows too much, I skip the heavier DBs. Drag Curls, even a light 40 lbs, start to aggravate the inside of my elbows... I don't want tendonitis. Three sets and I'm done. I skip the last set of pull ups until after Intervals on the elliptical to give my arms a chance to recover. Doing Intervals is an intense love-hate thing and I always like to end the week with them.

Because I'm wearing running shorts (albeit with a liner), I'm not comfortable doing any extensive stretching. There are waaay too many college guys here now. I see a few regulars and one pompous middle-age guy who looks like he used to be a HS jock. What I notice most about him, besides the gut and double chin, is the fact that he's chewing gum. While on the assisted pull up machine. Yikes. No one chews gum at the gym. Except the one time I found gum stuck to the side of the water bottle holder on the elliptical. Double yuck.

It dawns on me later, as I'm putting away several new pairs of LLBean flannel cargo pants for my son, that he and I are roughly the same size now. So I try on a pair of his new size 14 pants. And they fit. I've always wanted a pair of those plaid flannel cargo pants! These fit better than most of the women's pants because I'm shorter and smaller than most women who shop that catalog. My son has already outgrown his Keene® water sandals from last year. They fit me perfectly.

Great! Now I'm getting hand-me-downs from my 11 year old! The hoodie he virtually lives in, I bought several years ago and wore a few times, before he got big enough to fit into it. And then I wonder if I can't just wear boy's sports shorts to the gym? (The liner to my running shorts constantly ride up because I have such big thighs, and it's annoying.) They might fit as loose and comfy as my Danskin shorts. Old Navy is having a sale and I can get a pair for $6 so I order some XL gray ones. I'm never certain what size will fit, especially since Sizing Charts seem to have no basis in reality. Oh well... if they're too big, I'm sure my son will just grow into them!

Friday Workout
(6.6 miles total cardio)

30 min X trainer
138 cal
3.89 miles
7.77 av spd

Hammer Grip Pull Ups
31

Push Ups
100

Crunches 3 X 50



Bird Dog Planks
2 x 60 sec

Smith flat bench
30 X 20
80 X 12
100 X 12
120 X  12
90 X 25

RG BB Row
30 lbs X 15
12 reps X 50, 70, 90, 100

Split Squats
30 X 12 reps
50 X 12
70 X 12

DB Lat s/s w Rev Incl Fly
3 X 20 lbs X 12/15, 12/20, 12/20

Drag curls
3 X 40 lbs X 12

Elliptical
Intervals
30 min
311 cal
2.71 miles

Hammer Grip Pull Ups
31

The Vagaries of Women's Clothing Sizes and Other Observations

Yep, I'm still sore. It's tropical here in the Northeast, with temps in the 80s and high humidity. The glass storm door is fogged when I open the front door. Well, I've never seen that before. The dog is miserable in his thick fur coat so I aim a fan at him while he pants in front of the door.

Uh, just a tad big here...

I'm whacking the machine today so I put on my newest tank top, a light mesh Avia item I got from Walmart for $8. It's a size Small. In general, I take an XS but I'm not sure why, except that most women, I'm guessing, are much bigger than I am. This tank billows a bit under the arms, but I'm not all that concerned. What's funny is that my sports bra, an Everlast special, fits comfortably because it's an XL. This means it's impossible for me to buy any sports tank with built-in "support" because the XS are so tight I can't breathe, and I can swim right out of the XLs.

Which leads me to wonder if women regularly wear bras that are too tight? I see a lot of older women with the tell-tale bra lines under their T-shirts and tanks. I guess everyone thinks that's what normal is. I'm too pressure-sensitve to put up with that. I just need headlight protection for my high-beams, and material just secure enough to dampen any bouncing. I hate bouncing. That's when I know I've put on too much weight -- when I can feel my glutes and belly jiggle while I pedal furiously on the elliptical.

I warm up with 10 min on the elliptical and then proceed to the Nexersys. In general, it's fairly routine. I feel myself fading during the last set, so I suck it up (so to speak) because I'm determined to make the actual last round one of my better efforts. When I give in to feeling weak and tired, then my workout is weak and tired. Well, duh. It's sort of ignoring yourself to dig deeper and finding that you have more power and energy than you first believed, which is actually very cool. Trust me.

Looks okay from the back?

Afterwards, I do an easy 20 minutes on the elliptical while fending off hunger pangs. I hate being hungry in the middle of a workout! I see the Mayor with his boy in tow. And I see a few other regulars with kids in tow. It must be "take your kid to the gym day." Shaggy has a boy who is as tall as he is, and has probably 20 lbs on him. He's a big, dumpy kid and Shaggy looks almost petite next to him. I see another regular who's always doing furious amounts of cardio. I do see him on some of the Cybex machines, but he's got a skinny-fat kind of physique. And then I see his boy, a short chubby kid. Oh, now I get it: Skinny-fat used to be fat, too. Heck, I used to be fat. Yep, a good 20 lbs fatter than I am now. And because I never want to be fat again, I do furious amounts of cardio. Except I don't look skinny-fat. Because I'm not.

Today also seems to be a bonus day for new members. The gym staff is busy showing middle-age couples the equipment, and how to use some of the cardio machines. It's good, but annoying, because they need to not be standing right next to me while I'm punching and kicking the Nexersys. Seriously. The power goes out just as I start to stretch out. After a few minutes, everything is back to normal. When I get home, the microwave is blinking. I don't know if my generator kicked on or not. It's suppose to be fixed. And I'm suppose to be getting a $225 credit on my last bill, plus the fellow promised to knock another $200 off this bill, just for causing me so much aggravation. That's nice, but I'll believe it when I see it on my credit card statement. Yep, thunderstorms in the forecast. The swim school closes the pool if there's lightning. I wonder if I even have class tonight...

Thursday Workout

10 min elliptical
92.8 cal
0.83 mile

15 rounds Kickboxing

20 min elliptical
Prgm1
175 cal
1.59 mi

Hammer Grip Push Ups
31



Photos for actual stats:

5 rounds Beginner
(great warm up!)

5 rounds Intermediate
(this got harder because the program freaked out)

It's not often I see You Are Outpacing and Over Power on the Advance level. LOL!

5 rounds Advance
I really kicked it up in Round 5 so as not to end like a loser!

18 Miles is Good, Right?

I'm a tad sore, and my body is definitely not used to doing 5 days straight anymore. At least I make it past the 6 mile mark, which gives me over 18 miles in 3 days. I like to think that's good for someone like me. I'm not a distance runner, or a cardio bunny. And I still get to push decently heavy weights. Tomorrow I'm planning on whacking the machine. Even though I have an evening swim class, I figure that an hour of kickboxing is less taxing that doing an hour of cross-trainer/elliptical and pushing weight. Okay, I'll also be doing 20 min on the elliptical after whacking the machine, but that's just to help my hamstrings counteract the kicks and knee-ups from the Follow Me programs. Or am I just making excuses?

I don't quite get to the gym as early as I'd like. I have an eye doc appointment at 1 pm and it'll take me anywhere from 30-45 minutes to get there. (And I have to get gas because I have under a quarter tank and I don't know exactly how far that'll go. I'd rather be cautious and travel with a full tank.) That gives me an hour for cardio and maybe 30 min for weights. I can't underestimate how long changing and showering takes as well. I'm on a different Cross-trainer so my mileage isn't where I want it to be. All the LifeFitness cross-trainers tell you that they're at Level 1, but they definitely feel harder or easier, depending on which specific machine you get on. The Precor ellipticals aren't so distinctive. It's just that two of them "clunk" when you pedal backwards at a high incline, so I try to avoid those if possible.

I'm doubtful if I can make a full set at my first attempt (of the day) at Hammer Grip Pull Ups. But I manage to muscle through them, and I'm really surprised. It's not critical that I do pull ups today as long as I get one set in. Yes, it's a Pull Day, but I'm also doing SLDLs and some other back-bicep movements. I have to pause at rep 80 in order to finish the 100 reps for push ups. Damn, I'm tired and my pecs and triceps are sore. Crunches are okay. They're always okay. I've discarded most of the planks for just the Bird Dog because my wrist and shoulder seemed to be bearing the brunt of the exercise, and that's not the point. Because I'm not entirely certain of the FitNotes app, I also enter my data into my phone's notepad. It's the only way I can actually export the workout to my desktop to copy into this blog.

The nice people at FitNotes answered me within two hours when I emailed them about their phone app. They were ecstatic to hear that it had been recommended to me by a friend, but they also had to concede that there was no website I could access with my desktop (unlike JeFit). The files do export in a fnw format but I don't know what that means, other than fit notes workout? YouTubers suggest that the files can be opened in MS Excel. Uh, not gonna happen.

Smith SLDLs feel godawful hard today, and yet I manage to muscle through 12 reps at 130 lbs. So much for listening to my body. I can only get 15 reps once I drop the weight to 80 lbs. I would've thought I could get more: when I Smith flat bench and eek out 6 reps at 130 lbs (yes, it's been a while since I've done that weight), I can usually muscle out 20-25 reps at 90 lbs. It's a bit perplexing and the only thing I can think of is that the SLDL really takes my breath away because it's totally full body. Benching is, well, benching: shoulders, pecs, triceps, some core, some legs. Apparently not nearly as exhausting!

This looks like something I could try, but I'm happier with a hammer grip

I only do 3 sets of RG BB Rows, and I make a note to myself to up the weights next go round. These were a tad too light. But I don't have time today to add sets. The Seated One-Arm Cable Rows feel less like a back movement, and more like a bicep exercise. That worries me for the next set of pull ups so I skip them until after the last round of cardio. I think the trick is to not really think about pull ups at all. Just count and let the rest of your mind go blank.

I'd love to try a one-arm pull up, but I'm really concerned about totally messing up my elbow. Beastskills.com states flat out that elbow tendinitis is going to happen. They also distinguish between one-arm pull ups, and one-handed pull ups. The latter is easier, because the other hand grabs the pulling arm. I'm too chicken to chance the one-arm pull up with these tiny unstable joints. But because it's there, in the back of my head, I know at some point I'm going to try the one-hand pull up. Maybe just one.

T-Nation's advice on how to do them starts out with:

1. You need to be strong enough to do 20 pull-ups in order to master the one-arm pull-up. Also, don't be too fat.

Well, uh duh. Most sites start you off with doing a one-arm hang. I guess that sounds reasonable. It also sounds like a plan for elbow trouble, at least for me. Exercises to increase grip strength come into play. (I think of American Ninja Warrior and how my tiny little hands and fingers would never survive obstacles like that.) An interesting article in Men's Health suggests one-arm "horizontal rows" (see illustration above) for a hard body. That might be useful. I think the rest of us call them Inverted Rows, and those also give me tendinitis. Sigh. I have to really think this through now.

I see The Mayor with his son in tow again. And Shaggy. There are a few faces who've been MIA for some months but are back again. I've not seen the fantastically fit old guy lately, though. Skinny, and balding with a sparse crown of grey over his ears, this is the first person I've seen using the Assisted Pull Up machine, and doing actual pull ups with no assist. Cool. I think the old women get a thrill when I do pull ups. The old men are just intimidated. But that's not my problem.

My hubs has been texting me each day from the Boy Scout camp in Rhode Island. He sends photos and videos. It looks like my son is having a good time, when he's not stressing over Merit Badges. My hubs is having a great time too as I knew he would, finally doing the things he's missed, like hiking, swimming, shotgun shooting. He was worried that he'd get fat with three meals a day, but now he thinks he's losing weight from all the activities. It's an actual vacation for him, and I'm glad. 

I've been eating moderately better now that there's no one to cook for except myself. Last night I tossed a can of tuna into a bowl of salad greens with some black olives, and a sliced gala apple drizzled with raspberry walnut vinaigrette. I still eat dessert: half a blueberry scone from Salinger's Farm market. This is the first year they've not had any peaches. The late Spring frost killed all their fruit, and I worry that without products to sell, they'll go under. Maybe they'll have a few peaches in August. And maybe some apples in the Fall. I didn't want to leave without buying anything, so I got some pastries and muffins. The latter went into the freezer for when the boys come home.

Wednesday Workout
(6.23 miles total cardio)

X trainer
30 min
3.68 miles
7.33 av spd
143 cal

Hammer Grip Pull Ups
31

Knee in
50

Push Ups
100

Crunches
3 X 50

Bird Dig
2 X 60 sec

SLDL
30 x20
80 X 15
100 X 12
120 X 12
130 X 12 OMG!
80 X 15

RG BB Row
30 X 20
50 X 15
70 X 16 Too easy -- next time use 80-90 lbs or add sets

Cable row
37.5 X 12
45 X 12 X 2

Elliptical
Prgm 3
30 min
288 cal
2.55 mi

Old Dogs and New Tricks

I was planning to come to the gym earlier, but again I stayed up too late, this time watching Houdini & Doyle On Demand. I've sworn off of SuperNatural because it's just too addictive for me. I'll be up until 3 am and there's no recovering from that kind of late night. I'm already not getting enough things done, and that's just from going to the gym, doing groceries, walking the dog, trying to straighten things out with Kinsey Power on the phone, sorting email and trying to understand how to get the FitNotes app to work for me. I watched two YouTube videos just on that as well.

Which means I haven't actually gotten stuff done that I meant to: like signing up to do editorial work for Amazon.com, or fixing my ancient resume, or getting any closer to understanding how to set up WordPress to work with BlueHost so I can get my photo website up and running. And it's already Tuesday. Tomorrow I have an eye doc appointment with the glaucoma specialist across county. She's agreed to perform a specialized type of Visual Field test called a 10-2. I'm not exactly sure how it differs from a standard test, but there are technical websites that explain it. Quoting from a website called Optometry Review (clicking on the above 10-2 link will take you to it): "When severe field loss in advanced glaucoma is present, change to a 10-2 pattern to allow for more accurate assessment of the remaining visual field." Somehow, that doesn't make me feel any better. 

I'm tired, as usual but still push as hard as I can. There's no point to working out if you're not going to actually work out. I'm a bit baffled by some of the people I see. Today there's the obese fellow who comes to the gym a few days a week, does some cardio and weight machines. But before he even gets started, he eyes the Vitamin Water in the display case, and settles on a protein shake to drink before working out. Seriously? It's probably the last thing he needs as he waddles to the treadmill. 

I found some tank tops I'd put aside in a drawer. I have a faint recollection of not quite liking them after getting them from Old Navy online. Today I'm wearing a grey tank with interesting back straps. But the garment is vaguely sheet-like and shapeless. I feel like I'm wearing a pillowcase, and it's got wrinkles in weird places. This is definitely going into the Good Will bag once I get it home and laundered. I like my long Danskin shorts. I just wish I could find them again, but these are fairly old. The material is great, not clingy or too baggy, but like a heavy jersey or light sweat cloth. It's not revealing, and I'm comfortable with the just above the knee length. 

I'm still trying to figure out the new app I downloaded last night called FitNotes. It seems to have all the elements I'm looking for, but because I'm not familiar with it, I'm not quite sure how to set it up for today's workout. I've pre-loaded my different routines, but neglect to swipe right and hit Go! I'll try again tomorrow when I have a Pull Day. Well, at least I still keep notes on my phone notepad, which I can email to myself. 

I'm not able to get the small flat bench today so I start with Smith Inclined Benching, then a few super sets of DB laterals and Reverse Incline Flyes. Guys seem to materialize out of the wood work until I'm surrounded. Ugh. I don't like crowds.  I toy with the idea of doing Flat Benching now that there's a small bench available, but I can always do it Friday. Instead, I decide to do a few sets of Rip Skulls. It's been a long time and I'm not sure how it's going to feel. It's actually okay. But I notice that the bottom of my right elbow seems a tad sore as I prep to do more pull ups. It's probably that last set of Rip Skulls because my right arm is stronger, and carried more of the weight. Dam elbows!

There are new and old faces at the gym. Shaggy is back, tanner, thinner, and still shaggy with a 60s swinger-vibe. It's really not an attractive look. I haven't seen the Tow Truck Driver in several weeks. But The Mayor has his thin blonde teenage son in tow, so he's piped down a bit. There's an older, well-kept fellow testing the waters with the equipment. Kudos that he's kept his college-athlete figure. There are a lot of dumpy men, both young and middle-aged here, and a smattering of young athletes. The girls are lithe and chatty. The older women wear make up, and never bust a sweat. It's an odd mix. And then there's me. 

Tuesday Push Day
(6.65 miles total cardio)

X trainer
30 min
140 cal
4.02 mi
8.05 av spd

Hammer Grip Pull Ups
31

Knee In 
50

Push Ups
100

Crunches
3 X 50

Bird Dog
2 X 60 sec

Smith Incl
30 lbs X 20 reps
50 X 15
70 X 12
80 X 12 X 3 sets
50 X 25

DB Lat SS w Rev Inc Fly
20 lbs  X 12/20 X 3 sets

RIP Skulls
12reps X 30 lbs
12 X 35
12 X 40
12 X 45

HGPU
26

Elliptical
30 min
Prg2
300 cal
2.63 mi

HGPU
31

Not as Productive As I'd Like to Be

Sodden today

I stayed up late binge-watching SuperNatural, so of course, I got up a wee bit later than usual. The dog wasn't feeling well either, and threw up the peanut butter sandwich I give him every morning, laced with his pain and anti-inflammatory meds. Hhmmm. I get to the gym with just over an hour to do cardio, some minor movements, change and shower before my 1:15 doc appointment. So I have enough time to do the Cross-trainer, a set of pull ups, a set of push ups, three sets of crunches, and then the Precor elliptical. Done!

It's a follow-up appt with my Ob/Gyn about the Estrace creme he prescribed. I tell him why I don't like it and then show him the small jar of Smoky Mountain Estro-Life cream. I tell him that it makes me feel like I used to feel, whereas the Estrace made me feel swollen and sensitive, as if my cervix was going to fall out into my underwear. He tells me that it's not know for any sort of side effects like that, but everyone is different. He's not thrilled about the Smoky Mountain, but admits that there doesn't appear to be anything dangerous in the ingredient list. Yes, I already knew that, but I wanted him to know that I was using this creme. Too many people don't actually tell their physicians what they're self-medicating with, which makes it difficult later on, should something untoward happen.

Then we have a discussion about the latest published studies (specifically about mammograms and breast cancer screenings) and how they mislead the public in their recommendations because of their narrow focus. He believes women should get mammograms annually until they're at least 75 yrs old. The recommendation that women get "mammograms every two years after age 50" is meant to mean after menopause. But not everyone hits menopause at 50. And women still cycle hormones a good 5 years after their menses stop. So my doc believes that there is still a sizeable risk factor in skipping mammograms. I don't agree, but purely from my own perspective of having no risk factors except for dense breast tissue. And honestly, with AAA size breasts, I don't really think that's a big risk factor.

My plan this week is to do a Push Day tomorrow, Pull Day on Wednesday (when I also have a doc appt across town, but it's my glaucoma specialist with a 10-2 Centralized Visual Field test), whack the machine on Thursday (and swim later that evening) and then Friday will be leftovers. As in, cardio, push and pull and whatever I didn't get to during the week.

I call Kinsey Power to ask when the service tech is coming. And why they haven't credited the $225 back to my credit card? Well, apparently the tech came on Friday when I wasn't home and effected the repair. Really? Why don't they leave a card, invoice, some indication of having been there? This is the least professional company I've ever done business with. The operations manager can't quite explain why the credit hasn't been put through. It's been over a month. He says he'll adjust my current bill because of all the aggravation they've caused me. Uh huh. I'm this close to filing a BBB report, writing a nasty review on their website, and asking the State Attorney General to investigate their business practices. Seriously.

I need to weed my garden which is overrun with... grass. Thick knee-high grass! I have 4 pea plants, one of which has a few pea pods. I don't think the zucchinis ever came up. Tomato cages support the pea vines while I use a thatch rake to thin out the grass. I wish the rest of my lawn look like this! Oh well. My boys will be back home on Sunday. My hubs has been texting me photos. It looks like everyone is having a great time. Ah, summer.

Monday Super-Abbreviated Workout
(6.35 miles total cardio)

X trainer
30 min
138 cal
3.79 mi
7.58 avg spd

Hammer Grip Pull Ups
112 X  31

Push Ups 100

Crunches
3 X 50

Precor elliptical
30 min
Prgm 1
290 cal
2.56 mi

Playing Catch Up

My "boys" left today for their week-long stay at Boy Scout Camp in Rhode Island. Which means it's just me and the dog for 7 whole days. I could probably get a lot of stuff done. I'm hoping at least. Meanwhile, I'm behind on logging my workouts because I haven't settled on one yet. I've looked at two (Strong and GymBook) and neither does exactly what I need. What I need is a large database and flexibility. I can create my own exercise labels on both apps, but I'm annoyed that it's difficult to add or subtract sets on the fly. I don't subscribe to the 12 reps and 3 sets for every exercise. That's just too robotic. I'm not tied to a set/rep specific routine, preferring to listen to my body. (Some days the shoulders just aren't up to it. And some days the wrists are shot.) I think I get damn good results this way, so I'm not about to change.

A decent hair knot eludes me

What used to be nice about the JeFit app, was you could set up your routines, and then log your current workout just by "pulling" on a specific exercise. It was easy to add or delete sets as you went along. (I never use the timer in these programs.) You could save the workout and find it later in the calendar. Next week, because I have time, I can use one of the two apps during an actual workout to see how it suits me. And yes, I've already fired off several complaint emails to the JeFit people. They sent a rote response, and then another email asking me to respond to a survey about their customer service. Are you kidding?

Thursday I did my 10 min warm up, kicked and whacked the machine for 15 rounds, did another 20 min on the elliptical and finished with a set of pull ups. It was rather routine and I felt pretty good. I picked up my son from camp, my husband got home early from Boston, and then our power went out. The most unreliable company in the world, Kinsey Power, still has not gotten around to installing the replacement voltage regulator for our generator. It's been nearly two months, and the only reason I have stuck through this is because they already have several hundred dollars of mine from their initial visit. Their latest excuse is that they forgot. Excuse me?

I drive my husband and son to swim class with me because two towns over, there's still power and WiFi. I'm taking an Adult Swim class because I'm not comfortable in water over my head, which, being 4'11.5, isn't that deep. I can swim, but I can't tread water. I've taken quite a few swim courses over the years and still never learned to tread water. Ugh. So I figure I'd give this swim school Wings Over Water, the one my son has been attending since he was a toddler (and now he swims like a jellyfish, effortless and splashless), a go and see if they can teach me how to do this one thing that has eluded my aquatic life so far. I borrow my son's goggles but they leak water. The instructor pulls the goggles so tight that there are pressure rings under my eyes for nearly 24 hours. Clearly I need new goggles that fit me.

I go to the gym Friday, and I'm unusually tired. I doubt I can make 6 miles, and the first set of pull ups is a struggle. I'm perplexed until I remember the swim class. The 45 minute class didn't seem all that taxing since all we did was practice kicking across the short width of the pool and learning how to pull our hands properly to stand up. There are some folks in the small class who are having trouble putting their faces in the water and floating. There are some who insist on bending their knees and kicking as if they were running. I don't have any of these issues. But the class is designed to help us "unlearn" our bad habits. The school has a very specific belief in teaching proper body positioning which seems to work for my son. I've got 7 weeks to see if this old dog can learn a new trick.

I manage to do a full set of pull ups the 2nd time around, but I'm pretty tired. (Am I being harsh when I call 31 reps a full set, and anything less feels like failure?) Still, I do Intervals, and then a full Mat Stretch to finish. I feel pretty good. I know that eventually I'll adapt to this new routine. And then summer will be over. Oh well... maybe my generator will be fixed by then.

Thursday Workout
10 min warm up elliptical
15 rounds kickboxing the Nexersys (stats at bottom of page)
20 min Precor elliptical program #1

Friday Workout
(6.4 miles total)

30 min X trainer
3.71 miles
137 cal
7.41 av spd

Hammer Grip Pull Ups
112 X 26

Push Ups 80

Crunches
50 X 3

Bird Dog Plank
2 X 60 sec

Smith Flat Bench
30 X 20
80 X 15
100 X 12
120 X 12
80 X 25

Smith SLDL
30 X 15
80 X 12
100 X 12
120 X 10
130 X 6
80 X 15

DB Lat SS w Rev Flye
3 X 20 X 12/20

Precor elliptical
30 min Intervals
308 cal
2.69 miles

Hammer Grip Pull Ups
112 X 31

Photos for actual stats for Thursday Kickboxing Workout

5 rounds Beginner
(always a good warm up!)

5 rounds Intermediate
(machine seems glitchy, or maybe it's me)

5 rounds Advance
(I actually think I like this better than the Intermediate program)

Ruining A Perfectly Good App

In Front of the DB Rack

We had a lovely holiday weekend, with friends over on the actual Fourth, Which meant we ate and drank too much, and now I have to work like the dickens to get myself back into reasonable shape. I didn't work out yesterday either since my son didn't have camp. There weren't any movies worth seeing so we took all his old Skylanders to the GameStop and sold them back for a song. 65 characters and my son got $45, of which he spent almost half on a "new" used video game. Oh well... I'm also giving him a $5 weekly allowance for feeding and walking the dog, which includes getting the beast into his hip harness. It's not so bad. I've placed an order for the Spanish OrtoCanis leg brace, which is more of a neoprene sleeve with a hip strap to see if it'll help the dog stabilize that left leg. It's been in the 90s so I don't blame him for not walking around much outside. I wouldn't either.

Once I get to the gym today, I'm dismayed to find that the icon looks different for my JeFitt workout tracking app. It's worse when I open it. Nothing is the same. It's bright and colorful, except when you need to read how to add sets, or change the view. Then you need to have your readers, or a magnifier. I get so vexxed with the app that halfway through crunches, I give up and resort to "jotting" my workout down on the notepad in my phone. And then I email it to myself.

Once I get home, I find that several fitness trackers have all updated at roughly the same time, and the reviews are brutal: apps are pretty much useless and no longer work properly. I can say the same for the JeFit app I've used for the past several years. Now I'm looking at three different apps based on the online reviews. I'm not sure if any of them will work on my old iPhone 5, but I can try. I'm considering either Strong, GymBook or WorkOut. All got decent reviews but I need a tracker that allows me to include cardio and other non-weight-lifting exercises as part of my routine.

Meanwhile, I did my standard routine, muscling my way through the pull ups, but feeling pretty good with everything else. Except the damn bug bites on my ankles, toes, finger, forearms and other places where clothing chafes against the skin. Those are making me crazy, especially under the ankle bone because I gotta wear socks and sneakers. I'll be whacking the machine tomorrow. At least the gym's got A/C, and it hasn't been too crowded. Yaaay me!

Wednesday Workout
(5.47 miles total cardio)

Cross trainer 30 min:
143 cal
3.22 miles

31 Hammer Grip Pull Ups

100 Push Ups

3x50 Crunches

2x 60 sec Bird Dog Planks

Smith Inc Bench
30 @ 20 reps
50 @ 17
70 @ 15
80 @ 12 X 3
50 @ 25

Smith SLDLs
30@ 15 reps
80 @ 12
100 @ 12
120 @ 12
130 @ 12
80 @ 15

Smith RGBB Row
30 @ 15 reps
50 @ 13
70 @ 15

DB Lat S/S w Rev Inc Flyes
20 lbs X 12/20 X 3
25 lbs X 8/12, 10/16, 12/20

Seated One Arm Cable Rows
36.5 @ 12
45 @ 12 X 2

HGPU
112 X 30.5 (I barely got my nose to the bar)

Precor elliptical
30 min
Prgm# 1
Cal: 278
Dist:2.49

HGPU
112 X 31

Familiar Faces

The day did not start off auspiciously. Yes, it was pleasant out and my hubs had left fresh-pressed coffee for me this morning. The UPS (uninterrupted power source, or basically, a back-up battery) showed its worth by keeping the micro-cell up and running in spite of last night's power blip. I remember waking briefly in the middle of the night because the UPS tends to scream loudly when it senses a power interruption. It's very annoying, because if you're awake, well, then yes, the lights have all gone out, the TV has stopped, and there's no actual need to be startled by an alarm. The microwave blinks madly because it needs to be reset, and the bathroom light develops an irritating low-level hum that apparently only I can hear. But it tells me that the power blipped. And then I reset all the things that need to be reset. Things that no one else in my house ever notices.

While sipping coffee and getting my son ready for camp, I get a text from my hubs saying his car died. What?! Later he texts me that it died on the highway while he was driving to work but he had enough momentum to safely get across to the side of the road. He was having the car towed to the dealership. It's 11 years old and whatever part was broken, well, no point in going anywhere but to the dealership. Eventually they give him a loaner car, and the option of replacing the engine with one that has only 79K. His car has well over 250K miles on it. A broken timing belt pulley completely totaled the engine. Either fix it, or get a new used car. Ugh. I guess we're going to look at new used cars tomorrow, although he's leaning towards just replacing the engine. I worry that after the engine, it'll be something else. But everything seems okay on the car. Except for the tail hatch, and the dashboard light. We do love our Subies.

Once at the gym, I settle into my routine, but using my new Sony earphones. The sound quality is better than the earplug earbuds, but it doesn't block out peripheral noise as well. At least the sound quality doesn't change when I tilt my head. I feel tired but that's probably because I skipped yesterday. You'd think that would make me feel more energized, and in reality, I do have more energy. I just don't recognize it. However, I'm able to get 31 reps of pull ups for all my sets. Must be more energy? I can knock out 100 push ups without the pause at rep 80 or 90. That's so far from when I struggled to do sets of 50 push ups, interspersed with pull ups. 12 pull ups was hard. But I hadn't figured out the proper technique yet, saving my elbows and using my back. Yep, sometimes you just don't appreciate how far you've come until you stop and really think about where you used to be.

It's summer and there are familiar faces here. Faces that have been MIA for months, if not years. ZZ is greeted by the Mayor like a long lost friend. I see a few other guys, but there are several missing women. The anorexia queen seems to have put on a few pounds so she's not so painful to look at. There's one guy who looks like he could be Kyle Clark's kid brother. But I know KC doesn't have a kid brother because KC is a fitness model, actor, spokesperson and FaceBook presence who lives in LA with his too cute Pomeranian, Koda. But this kid is nice looking, and I glimpse him without actually staring. Finally, someone with a nice bod to look at. Seriously. A gal's' gotta have some distractions. And I'd have to be stupid not to think that he knows I'm looking. Because everyone looks. Just not blatantly.

This is Kyle Clarke

I can't get on the Smith right away so I do three sets of RG BB Rows on the Max Rack. I don't miss doing this movement. All the small benches are in use so I do sets of Smith Inclined Benching. For reps. Then, not quite an after thought, Smith SLDLs. I'm lucky to get 8 reps at 130. Again, I feel my form start to break down so I cut my reps, then I drop the weight and try for more reps. This is the one truly exhausting movement! Nothing compares to this.

I need some smaller movements before my next set of pull ups, and DB laterals fits the bill. I'm toying with the idea of heavier weight and fewer reps, but not just yet. Besides, the DB is suddenly really crowded. Ugh. And because I need to balance out these monster triceps (kidding), I do a few sets of Seated One-Arm Cable Rows. They're almost more a bicep exercise than lat movement. At least for me. Especially after knocking out a set of pull ups, because as much as I try to isolate my back when doing this, the biceps and forearms are still involved.

I can't resist doing Intervals today and they really kick my butt. It feels good. I'm exhausted. And I can still do another set of pull ups! Yaaay! Then some quick stretches and off to shower. We're having some friends over on the 4th so I have groceries to buy. And a big party package of "sparklers", because they're suddenly legal in NYS now.

Happy Fourth of July!

Friday July 1 Workout
(6.47 miles total cardio; 30,611 lbs moved -- Wahoo!)

Cross Trainer

Steady State

Calorie :   144 CAL
Distance: 3.78 mile
Speed :    7.53 mph
Duration : 00:30:00

Hammer Grip Pull Up

227.73

Set 1 : 112x31

Seated Flat Bench Leg Pull In

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep

Wide Hand Pushup

100

Set 1 : 100 Lap/Rep

Crunches

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 50 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 50 Lap/Rep

Bird Dog Plank

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

142.5

Set 1 : 55x20
Set 2 : 75x20
Set 3 : 95x15

Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

112

Set 1 : 30x20
Set 2 : 50x15
Set 3 : 70x12
Set 4 : 80x12
Set 5 : 80x12
Set 6 : 80x12
Set 7 : 50x25

Smith Machine Stiff Legged Deadlift

168

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 100x14
Set 4 : 120x12
Set 5 : 130x8
Set 6 : 100x12

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

28

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12 SuperSet with

Dumbbell Reverse Flyes

33.33

Set 1 : 20x20
Set 2 : 20x20
Set 3 : 20x20

Hammer Grip Pull Up

227.73

Set 1 : 112x31

Cable Seated One Arm Row

63

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 45x12
Set 3 : 45x12

Elliptical Training

Intervals

Calorie :   308 CAL
Distance: 2.69 mile
Duration : 00:30:00

Hammer Grip Pull Up

227.73

Set 1 : 112x31