Longer Than I Planned

I planned to just do a Cardio Day today since I hadn't been to the gym in 4 days. So I finished 30 minutes on the x-trainer, did a few pull ups and then the much neglected core. Kept my push ups to 50 though. And then I saw that the Smith was completely vacant and I was over there in a flash. There was even a flat bench nearby to swap out the adjustable inclined bench.

I'm the smallest one in the raft!

It wasn't as if I was a total spud all weekend. We drove to Hickory Run State Park in Pennsylvania on Saturday and set up camp with fellow Boy Scouts from our Troop, and non-Scout friends and family. Then a quick mile hike to a waterfall. I don't do icy cold wading pools but my son does. The next day we drove to the Pocono White Water Rafting company and paddled 12 miles of white water in the Lehigh River. A few people fell into the water, but were rescued. We got stuck on the rocks a few times, but managed to bump ourselves off. It was great fun and we got some great photos and amusing T-shirts for souvenirs. Once back to camp, it started to rain. Our tent was dry. We had also set up a giant tarp over two picnic tables. But our friend's tent, housing him and his two teenage sons, leaked like a sieve. He said he was dryer river rafting. We all abandoned camp the next morning. But we had a great time.

Monday was spent doing loads of laundry and sorting through camping equipment. Yesterday I loaded my car with 40+ photos and drove over to the venue in Montrose. Luckily I didn't have to hang the show by myself, and it got done in a few hours. So I've been busy, just not at the gym. But once I got to 100 lbs on the flat bench, the right shoulder started to ache and that worried me. Of course, while I was moving 120 lbs, the shoulder didn't hurt, but I was glad that I'd decided in advance to cut reps as I added weight. And I was mighty pleased to get my 25 reps at 90 lbs at the end. It wasn't even that hard. Which means I should either add weight, or reps.

Inclined presses were harder, and the DB lateral supersets were actually easier. Weird. The gym starts to fill up with the lunchtime crowd of HS boys and middle age men. I see a kid doing skull crushers and wonder why he doesn't do the two-part Rip Skulls instead. But of course, I'm not one to say anything to anybody, unless they're in imminent danger. I knock out my sets and then spend only 20 minutes on the elliptical. My pull ups suck today. But at least I can still do them.

Wednesday
Cardio Day after long weekend becomes a Push Day
5.31 total cardio miles

30 min x-trainer
Miles 3.61
Calories 148
Average Heart Rate 151

HGPU 26
Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50
Crunches 3 x 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

T, Y & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

Smith Flat Bench
Bar (30) x 15 Rt shoulder ache
80 x 12
100 x 10
120 x 8
90 x 25 feels okay

Smith Inclined Press
Bar x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
80 x 12

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 2 sets
20/25 x 15/20 x 1

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12 x 3

20 min elliptical
Program 1
Miles 1.70
Calories 192
Average Heart Rate 140

Wide HGPU 15

Pushing and Pulling

It's amazing how much slack you can afford yourself when you have a good enough excuse. Mine is that we're going white water rafting with our Boy Scouts this weekend, and I don't want to injure any important bits that I'll need for hiking and paddling. Because I plan to push heavy, I only do a 15 minute warm up on the cross-trainer. Shaggy is on the one I like, so I choose one behind the kickboxing machines. A tall sweaty senior guy is tossing jabs and hooks at the left machine, the machine with the two upper sensors that don't work. The machine defaults to 5 rounds and he walks away after the 3rd round. I'm not sure which program he was doing though, as the machine's Quick Start has all five programs clicked on. You have to unclick the ones you don't want to run. He gets on the treadmill for a cool down.

Well, that's at least one person other than myself who uses the machines, even though they're broken. I like them better than punching a heavy bag because I know I'll just resort to the same combinations and eventually get bored. The Nexersys tosses different combinations at you, and that keeps your skills sharper. It also strengthens your reflexes, not that the machine can hit you back if you miss. I do a set of shoulder width hammer grip pull ups, and then some quick knee-ins. And I totally bypass the mats so no crunches, no planks, and no push ups! Egads!

Instead, I claim the Smith machine, and gather up a pair of 3s and 5s to do shoulder warm ups. I still haven't gotten around to trying face-pulls with my silicone bands, mainly because I'm not sure where to put them in my workout. This section of the gym is empty and I happily drag a flat bench to the Smith while positioning the adjustable bench out of the way. Last time I got reps at 110 before the shoulder felt iffy. I'm a bit worried, of course. But, even though the shoulder feels stiff and a tad off, I can still bench. I get to 120 and decide that's as heavy as I want to go for now. And then, because I've already done multifple sets of 25 at 80 lbs, I finish with 25 reps. I'm confident I can try reps at 90 lbs next time. Progress is slow, but at least it's progress.

The next big movement I want to do are RDLs. I've done them earlier this week, but it doesn't really hurt to do them again. I'm not even worried that benching will affect the lifts, because honestly, I'm not lifting all that much. I could probably pull more if I cut my reps though. I don't check my log, but I happen to pull exactly the same as I did on Tuesday. That's reassuring, knowing that I could pull more if I cut my reps. Of course, I remember pulling 160 and 170 just a few years ago. But I was on the near side of 50 then.

I'm hoping this forestalls the dreaded sarcopenia, or inevitable muscle loss due to aging. Having decent stamina, strength and flexibility are suppose to be important to living a long, active life. Of course, all research is contradictory. Research tells us to take 15,000 steps daily to stay healthy. And to cut our calorie intake by 25%. And to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep. And to get adequate amounts of B vitamins, omega-3s, magnesium and zinc. But you can't eat enough food to get the prescribed amounts without putting on weight. And being underweight helps your cells age better. It's enough to make you want to blot everyone out and bury your head in the sand.

I get on the elliptical for 20 minutes, and then I do a set of wide hammer grip pull ups. It's truly thrilling to have my head pop up past the Cage roof, but of course, it's much harder to do that towards the end of the set. I also knock out most of my Mat Stretch, because stretching keeps me from being too sore. And I know I'm going to be sore. The gym scale reads 108.8 lbs. Well, that's okay. Once I get home, I calculate how much weight I've moved. 17,900 lbs. Not too shabby.

Friday
Big Lifts Day ;-)
3.45 miles

15 min x-trainer
Calories 74
Miles 1.75
Average Heart Rate 126

HGPU 30 left hand
Knee-Ins 50

Y, T & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

Smith Flat Bench
Bar (30) x 15
80 x 12
100 x 12
120 x 10
80 x 30 reps

Smith RDLs
Bar x 15
80 x 12
100 x 12
120 x 12
140 x 8
150 x 6

20 min elliptical
Program 3
Miles 1.70
Calories 193
Average Heart Rate 135

W HGPU 20

When the Body Knows Better

I don't actually realize how sore my body is until I go walk the dog up the hill. That my upper arms and back are a bit stiff is no surprise, but even my glutes seem tight. Again, I get to the gym late enough to miss the morning crowd. The lunch rush hasn't started yet either, probably because the weather is downright dreary with a cold rain and temps in the mid 50s. I'm barely two minutes into my 30 minute cross-trainer session when the power goes out. I keep pedaling because I can even if the display has gone dark. That's not the case with the treadmills though. After a minute, the lights start to flicker back on. The TVs need to re-initialize. I punch in 25 minutes and continue to pedal through the 5 minute cool down. Well, at least my mileage will be plus 6.

I'm really tired today, which is awful because today is Cardio Day. I haven't done a full 60 minutes of cardio all week and I'm not sure I'm going to survive today. I'm hungry already, and that annoys me. I've already had coffee with cream and sugar, and a fruity Greek-style yogurt with my Optic Nerve vitamins, and B-12 and D. I knock out my hammer grip pull ups and then knee-ins. I'm no longer tempted to do more than 50 push ups at a stretch, especially since I need to do crunches and planks. But I'm not ready to face Intervals yet, so I kill time by parking myself on a flat bench and doing my shoulder exercises with the 3 and 5 lb baby bells.

Okay, now I'm ready. But not really. I really just want to quit at 20 minutes but I punch in 30 anyway. Then I tell myself that I can take a break at the 15 minute mark and jog the minute I'm suppose to be going all out. But I don't. In fact, even though I tell myself I can just coast at 200 SPM because I'm so godawful tired and my legs feel like logs, I don't. I still hit 230 to 250 SPMs for the full minute. I do concede that I'm not always able to keep my speed between 160 and 170 during the second minute, and I need to work up to the jogging pace of 120 during the two minutes of OFF time. But I finish, and I actually feel better than when I got up this morning. Endorphins kicking in? Wouldn't've happened if I had listened to the little voice in my head. Instead, I let my body decide what it could handle, and it turns out that it can handle more than I think. Then, I knock out 20 wide hammer grip pull ups and then I'm done. Soooo done.

Some mornings I'm on auto pilot because my head feel disassociated, like I'm on antihistamines. But I'm not. Didn't have any beer last night. Even used the neti pot this morning to clear my sinuses, and heard that internal bubbling whistle when there's water in the eustachian tube. Maybe I just need more sleep?

I'm reading about a new term (to me): dysthymia, aka persistent depressive disorder. The medical industry now wants to treat us all with medication because that alarming feeling of doom isn't due to the state of the world. It's a mental disorder. Seriously? Yes, a lot of us suffer from anxiety and there's a lot of wrong ways to deal with that, mostly self-medicating with alcohol and opiates or synthetics. It's pervasive, not just in our American society, but across the world. I've always said that exercise was my drug of choice. Still is. Because I'm a very anxious person. Blame it on my childhood, or genetics or my mom who suffered from agoraphobia, PTSD, OCD and numerous other undiagnosed ailments. Or maybe it's just the creative temperament that runs in my mother's side of the family?

Tomorrow I plan to do leftovers. Or, if the Smith is free, Flat Bench and RDLs... I can dream. Inexplicably, the gym scale reads 107.8 lbs, a full two pounds lighter than yesterday. That's so weird.

Thursday
6.41 + miles

30 min x-trainer (+power outtage)
Calories 141
Miles 3.77+
Average Heart Rate 119

HGPU 30
Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50
Crunches 3 x 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

T, Y & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

30 min elliptical
Intervals
Calories 300
Miles 2.64
Average Heart Rate 145

WHGPU 20

Even More Broken

It's cool enough this morning that I pack a flannel shirt in my gym bag for later. But as the sun emerges from the clouds, the day heats up. The gym is moderately empty. I've been coming late enough to miss the morning gaggle of women participating in various classes. I like it better this way. I do my standard warm up: 10 min on the elliptical, and then those baby bell raises in the T, Y and I formation. I see a few regulars. They're finally realizing that I have absolutely no interest in interacting with them: a bunch of fat, broken horny old men. Yuck.

The Nexersys machines don't look any better this week. The dry sauna has been fixed, but I have no hope of getting my favorite machines repaired. They've been broken for far too long. I start off with the machine on the right because all the sensors work and I can log in with my profile. Unfortunately, the upper right pad hangs even lower now. Being short, I can't quite see the screen properly and miss a few combinations. Ugh.

I do the next 5 rounds at the machine to the left, the one with broken sensors in both upper pads. So it doesn't register jabs, cross, hooks or elbows. After 5 rounds, it tells me that I ought to cut back my rounds and concentrate on stamina and pacing because it thinks I actually missed all those strikes. I didn't, but it doesn't know that. I'm both annoyed and amused. I try to do 5 rounds Advanced Level, but am reminded that the machine defaults to SouthPaw for no good reason. It only does this at the Advance Level. It won't let me punch in a profile either. So I can use the other machine, where I'll miss half the combinations because I can't see the screen, or I can just do another 5 rounds at Intermediate. And that's what I do.

Afterwards, I just do some wide hammer grip pull ups. My left elbow complains as I approach 20, so that's as far as I get. I don't even think I can do regular pull ups because of how my elbows and forearms react. Well, at least this movement works biceps as well as back. For someone who doesn't actually do any curls (not lately anyway), the biceps are still decent enough.

Wednesday

10 min warm up elliptical
Calories 97.7
Miles 0.86

T, Y & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

Nexersys
5r Beginner (right machine broken left arm)
5r Intermediate (no upper sensors)
5r Intermediate again because Advance defaults to Southpaw

WHGPU 20

Not What I Expected

It's probably too soon to tell if my abbreviated cardio is having the intended effect. Today I'm exhausted. I don't think I slept all that well, now that temps are starting to climb again. My bug bites have necessitated the application of bandaids to keep my tender skin from the chafing edges of sleeves. I don't think my nerves have been quite the same since the shingles. Seriously. I also didn't eat all that well either, and today I'm regretting not eating more protein yesterday. Weird, right?

The 15 minute cardio warm up is fine, especially since I'm not on there long enough for my toes to go numb. I manage a good set of HGPUs so that makes me happy. The Mayor and two other middle-age guys are standing but a few feet away from the sit up bench where I do my knee-ins. A wallet and water bottle sit on the floor near the base of the machine. I'm not even going to bother to ask if anyone's using the bench, because obviously they're not. They've been standing in that one spot for over 10 minutes kibbitzing. I do 50 knee-ins and a guy finally goes to retrieve his wallet and water.

50 push ups are good. I don't want to lose my opportunity to use the Smith so I skip crunches and planks today. Besides, I did them yesterday! I'm still dragging around the Rogue collars in my gear bag though, just in case. The one thing I don't like about the Wilma Flintstone tank is that the fabric is only printed on one side. The underside appears whitish, instead of pink all the way through. All my other colored tanks are colored through and through. The tank also seems to pull to the right. Ugh. Just like the ridiculously breezy Avia tank I got at Walmart. Well, at least I'm wearing the hot pink sports bra underneath. They make it look more like an outfit, than something I just haphazardly pulled out of a dresser.

My back is a bit stiff and sore from yesterday. The RDLs are not so much heavy, as I am tired. I get my sets done, but I've done this feeling better. Not sure why though as there are too many variables. The RG BB Rows are okay though. Of course, One-Arm Seated Cable Rows are hard once I commit to sets at the heavier weight. Between sets, I see Gym Owner and Client with the multi-grip bar. Some call it a Swiss Bar. Afterwards, I see Client carry the bar into the locker room. My first thought is that he's going to wash it. Then I realize that Gym Owner probably can't tell him how much it weighs, and there's a digital scale inside. Well, that's one way to figure out how much you're lifting.

I'm glad I'm only doing 20 minutes on the elliptical, even though it's Intervals. Stuff I suck at, stuff that I hate, tend to be my favorite things to do. Kidding. But 10 minutes into the program, the back of my left knees feels odd, and for a moment, as if the tibia and fibula had twisted into each other. It's painful for a split second, and then it's just a little sore. This is the same spot where I still have remnants of the shingles rash. But I can't say I have shingles anymore, can I?
I'm happy when the 20 minutes are over. Time for wide grip hammer grip pull ups. Still not brave enough to attempt regular pull ups. And let's be clear: I am cheating on my hammer grips. I don't fully extend my arms because the pain in my left elbow becomes prohibitive. I'm not doing pull ups to give myself tendonitis, so however I can do them without messing up my joints is how I do them.

Tomorrow I'm planning to whack the kickboxing machine. Although the Gym Owner has fixed the Dry Sauna, I harbor serious doubts that he's going to invest in repairing the Nexersys machines. Which is too bad, because I really like using them.

Tuesday
3.58 miles

15 min x-trainer
Calories 69
Miles 1.77

HGPU 30
Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50

Smith RDLs
Bar (30) x 15
80 x 12
100 x 12
120 x 12
140 x 8
150 x 6

Smith RG BB Rows
80 x 25
100 x 25
120 x 25

Seated 1-Arm Cable Rows
30lbs x 12
60 x 8 x 3

20 min elliptical
Intervals
Calories 208
Miles 1.81

Wide HGPU 20

Too Soon To Tell

I've cut back my cardio by nearly half so now I'm averaging about three and a half miles instead of over six miles. It saves me 25 minutes, and I'm hoping to feel not quite so exhausted by the end of the day. I take do take vitamins, especially since I don't believe I can actually eat enough real food to absorb the recommended amounts someone like me needs. It's nearly impossible unless you eat heaping portions of things, and I'm inclined to eat less, not more as the days grow longer. Longer, and oddly, chillier. Temps are hovering in the low 60s now, but that hasn't kept the pesky blood-suckers from nipping me and raising red itchy welts. Ugh. Spring is here. Of course, I've been bitten on hard to scratch pulse points, like my inside wrist, elbow and throat. Double ugh.

After 15 minutes on the cross-trainer, I grab myself up and knock out 28 shoulder-width hammer grip pull ups. I'm happy with that. Then knee-ins, and a good core warm up: crunches, push ups and planks. While I'm on the mat, I see a big guy stride over to the Smith to do some seated OHP. I hope he doesn't stay there for too long. Just as I'm about to set up on one of the Breaker benches, he leaves the Smith. Yessss! But there aren't any flat benches free, so I'm stuck with the larger adjustable inclined bench. I'm not comfortable pushing heavy when my feet aren't flat on the floor, so today it's another high rep routine. Inclined Presses are okay.

I see a couple at the MaxRack. At first I think it's high schoolers because they're fairly slender, but when I look closely, I see that they're both probably my age. He has blonde, grayish white hair. She's tinier and more flat chested than I am, with short brown hair. Her face has soft faint wrinkles so maybe she's in her late 40s or early 50s? It's hard to tell. She's also wearing those silly toe shoes that simulate being barefoot. They're both wearing extremely fitted long sleeve shirts and leggings that remind me of frogmen, or swimmers. I don't actually see her do much. Most of the time is spent with him setting up benches, boxes, bars and coaxing her to do a movement. Box squats? I hear her plaintive whine although I can't quite make out what she's saying.

I move to the DB area where there's a couple of high school guys. After the first super set, the joints finally feel "warmed up" and the next two sets go quick. And with extra reps. Yaaay me. Last are Rip Skulls. Because my triceps aren't huge enough. Kidding. Then I do 20 minutes on the elliptical. I'm running late, but I still have time to try the wide grip hammer pull ups. Today I get to 20 and I'm thrilled. Yesssss! A quick stretch to forestall knotty shoulders, and then a shower. Done! The gym scale reads 110.4 lbs, which is actually pretty good coming off a weekend where I did almost nothing except mat and frame photographs. Whew!

Monday 
3.63 miles

15 min x-trainer
Calories 71
Miles 1.86

HGPU 28
Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50
Crunches 3 x 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

T, Y & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

Smith Flat Bench (high bench)
Bar(30) x 15
80lbs x 25 reps x 3 (6,000 lbs)

Smith Inclined Press
Bar x 15
50 x 15
70 x 12
80 x 12

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20/25lbs x 12/15reps
20/25lbs x 15/20reps x 2

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12reps x 3 sets

20 min elliptical
Program 1
Calories 203
Miles 1.77

Wide HGPU 20 Yaaay Me!

Squeezing It All In

After I got my son off to school, I sorted laundry, cleaned a few dishes and then separated the one giant bag of unloved clothes into three smaller, more manageable kitchen garbage bags. That's my first stop because it's the one farthest from the house, in the opposite direction from the gym. I stop off at my dentist and drop a few postcard invitations on them. I also need to cash a check so I can have cash in my wallet. My bank insists that I use my debit card at least 10 times a month or they charge me a service fee. So I use it for the smallest of purchases, even if it makes more sense to use cash. But after sending out birthday and graduation cards, I'm cash poor. Chinese like to send money, not checks.

Then off to the one grocer that carries our beloved Chabasco ciabatta bread baked fresh in New Haven. The store windows are haphazardly bare and I know it's finally happened: the store is closing. Their lease expired at the end of March, but unlike the surrounding stores, they chose to fight to stay open. However, the store that is replacing them is exponentially bigger, with greater resources, and sway over the Town Planning board.

At the other end of the strip is the struggling Kmart. My son needs pants that aren't plaid flannel. I can't find any black ones that are lightweight enough, so I pick up two gray ones. One is a boy's XL, and the other a men's Small. I have no idea which one will fit him so I buy both. The price tag for the boy's pants says $14.99 and the men's $24.99. I'm not happy with the huge difference in price, but I am totally surprised and pleased that they ring up together for under $20. What?

I'm finally on my way to the gym and get there a bit before lunch time. The gym is again oddly empty. There are a few regulars. I'm one of them. I'm also tired. The heat makes it hard to sleep even with cooler night time temps and a fan blowing over my bed. I cut my warm up cardio to just 15 minutes, and it's enough to make me both sweaty and have numb toes. A set of pull ups makes me happy. Then knee-ins. I should do crunches, but I don't. Instead, I just do one set of push ups. Some bozo has left 45 lb plates on the Smith, and walked away. I don't see anyone near the equipment so I strip the plates. The racks are haphazardly loaded. That always annoys me.

Today I remember to warm up my shoulders with the T, Y and I baby dumbbell exercises. I should probably add face-pulls to my routine but the cable station is too difficult to rearrange to my height. And I hate having to ask for help just because I can't reach. Yep, height-challenged and pissed off about it.

I grab a flat bench and after using just the bar, decide to start with a pair of 25s. It feels fine so I keep pressing, all the way to 25 reps. That didn't feel bad at all. But now what? I'm wary of stressing the shoulder, so I do something totally different. I go for sets of high reps today. Which means I should be able to get 25 reps next week when I do a regular ascending routine. No promises though. I do a few sets of Inclined Presses, but the shoulder's not happy with those. Okay, that's more normal. I did delts yesterday, so looks like I can either do something big, like RDLs or small, like Rip Skulls. I choose small. Because I'm actually kind of tired. So tired that I only do 20 minutes on the elliptical. But I can still get a last set of wide hammer grip pull ups, although today I'm struggling with the last 2 reps. My back is also a tad sore. I'm not sleeping all that well.

Next week is the last week before we go white water rafting with the Scouts. It's also the last full week I'll have to get my prints matted and framed. It's too hot to do this now, but once temps drop into the more reasonable 60s, I'll be like a machine.

Friday
3.57 miles

15 min x-trainer
Calories 70
Miles 1.85

HGPU 26
Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50

T, Y & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

Smith Flat Bench
Bar x 15
80 lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

Smith Inclined Bench
Bar x 15
50 x 15
70 x 15 right shoulder twinge

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 8 reps x 3

20 min elliptical
Program 3
Calories 195
Miles 1.72

Wide HGPU 15

That Little Voice in Your Head

I retrieved two fans from the garage and cleaned the dust off before plugging them in. The house is well insulated, but still... I spend the morning sorting through summer clothes, especially shorts. It's hard for me to part with stuff I know I'll never find again, even if they don't fit anymore. I worry that I'll get fatter and have no clothes to wear. I hate being part of the consumer society, but at some point you have to nip the urge to save everything, lest you become a hoarder and wind up on some train wreck cable TV show. I toss several pairs of shorts and pants into the garbage bag I've slated for charity. There's probably more clothes I can get rid of, but I don't want to spend all day doing this. 

I pull out a pair of bright fuschia Nike shorts that I literally don't recognize. When did I buy these? I try them on and they are, remarkably, the best shorts. They fit without being too tight in the waist or the butt, and the leg holes don't gape. Nor is there a clingy liner pant which invariably rides up my big thighs as I pedal. I match it to a hot pink Spalding sports bra I bought on clearance. It's comfortable, but the myriad of back straps always twist and look messy. No wonder this was in the clearance rack. It's truly a pain to wear. If I was really anal, I could stitch the straps down to keep them from rolling under each other. But my OCD isn't THAT bad. I toss a purple tank on over it. These things are so billowy, I look pregnant half the time. I don't really care though.

The little voice in my head is constantly trying to get me to cut back on my cardio time. I could get by with just 15 minutes on the cross-trainer. Except that since I'm not planning to push any heavy weights today, I really shouldn't. The same little voice tries to talk me out of hammer grip pull ups as well. Today I only get 20 instead of 26 so I'm disappointed. No knee-ins while I'm wearing shorts. But I do manage push ups and crunches. I'm not in the mood for planks so I skip them. The Mayor is sporadically at the Smith. I'm not even going to bother. But I am concerned about shoulders so I do my DB lateral superset. However, I don't do the T, Y & I Shoulder Warm Ups. Because I'm wearing shorts and there are too many guys in the DB area. Normally I wear long pants, and normally I don't care, but 90 degrees in May isn't normal.

Back to the Cardio Platform. Time to do Intervals. Part of me wants to just do 20 minutes. I'm actually tired today, and a bit sore. I tap in 30 minutes and tell myself that I can just quit at 20 if it comes down to that. If I truly can't go on for another 10 minutes. Which is ridiculous. But what I do is go to 26 minutes and spend 4 minutes in a "cool down" mode. Not quite as intense as doing a full 30 minutes of 1 minute full throttle, 1 minute moderately fast and 2 minutes of jogging. The Mayor has joined a chat buddy on the treadmills. I don't understand what people have to say all the time. I stretch and then position myself for Wide Hammer Grip Pull Ups. I get 15 and I'm happy even though this is making my forearms a bit sore. My left wrist has felt strained all day, like I might be developing carpal tunnel. Which is ridiculous. Tomorrow is another scorcher of a day. I think I'll do a Left Overs workout, with maybe two big moves. If I can get on the Smith.

Thursday
6.49 miles

30 min x-trainer
Calories 141
Miles 3.75
Average Heart Rate 154

HGPU 20
Push Ups 50
Crunches 3 x 50

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 2
20/25 x 15/20reps

30 min elliptical (includes 4 min cool down)
Intervals
Calories 315
Miles 2.74
Average Heart Rate 147

Wide HGPU 15

Hotter Than The Sun

Temperatures rose from 47°F to 92 in a matter of hours today. Not unusual if this were the Mojave Desert. But this is New York and temps aren't usually so extreme. It'll be a scorcher tomorrow as well, and then we'll resume normal temps closer to 60 for the weekend. 60 is preferable to 90, especially when I have work to do in my un-insulated, un-air-conditioned garage/studio space. I don't want to sweat because I run the risk of dripping onto my prints. Can't run a fan with photos all over the place. Ugh. I need Goldilocks weather!

The gym has the back door open when I arrive. But it's still reasonable outside. After warm ups, I start whacking the machine. Doors are shut. The air conditioning kicks on, but it's not cold enough. I'm actually sweaty by the end of the Beginner rounds. And positively dripping by the last Advance rounds. It's still a good workout even if I feel a little out of shape. I shouldn't be quite so breathless, not that I'm gasping doubled over or anything even vaguely dramatic like that. I see Marine on the Espresso bike. He looks a lot less like Whil Wheaton now that he's shaved his beard off.

Several guys use the CF area to my right. One is particularly noisy when he drops his fully loaded bar onto the mat. So noisy that the lady on the Espresso bike adjacent to my kickboxing machine tells the fellow he's too loud. He's making her jump off her bike every time he finishes his one-rep set. Normally I'd look at the complainer askance. But this time she's absolutely correct. It's as if he's throwing his bar. The mirrored wall has a lot of cracks from where folks have lost their grip on the kettlebells. Or maybe they're just throwing their bars? If you can't control your weights, maybe you should use lighter weights. Some people are just jerks at my gym.

After I strip off all my hand protection, I do a quick hamstring stretch at the Cage. Ever since my bout with shingles last month, the back of my knees have been off. There's a weird soreness, verging on a cramp at the bottom of the hammie. It's disconcerting, and seems to be a residual effect of the viral flare-up. I hope it eventually subsides. I'm debating whether to do pull ups or not. Still not brave enough to attempt regular grip pull ups at the edge of the Cage, but I can do a few wide grips. Because all the strike motions seem to focus on pushing (delts and triceps), I'm fairly confident that I can get a decent set. Pull ups and chin ups still rely on pulling, biceps and back, and those haven't been horribly taxed today. When I get to 12, I realize that I can probably do more. Not a lot more, but more than 12. I get to 15 and I'm really happy. Maybe I'll just do cardio tomorrow, and make up for that interrupted Interval set. Or should I just keep to 20 minutes? I haven't decided yet.

Wednesday

10 min elliptical
Calories 89
Miles 0.81

T, Y & I raised
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

Nexersys
5r Beginner
5r Intermediate
5r Advance

Wide HGPU 15 Yaaay me!

Trading Off

Overall color sucks but
the tank is correctly violet

My upper back is achy and sore but not enough to keep me from doing anything. My shoulder hurts a tad too. The day starts out cold but promises to become nearly tropical within a few hours. Ain't Spring grand? I've decided that if I'm going to add Intervals to my routine twice a week, then I need to cut back the cardio somewhere else, most likely warm ups. Not kill warm ups entirely though. That's just asking for trouble! Instead, today I do 15 minutes on the cross-trainer before a set of hammer grip pull ups, knee-ins, push ups, crunches and planks. I'm warm but not sweaty.

Because I can never tell if I'll be able to use the Smith, I've tossed my Rogue Proloc collars into my gear bag. They make my gym bag much heavier than I'd like, because they weigh a good pound or so even though they're heavy duty nylon, not metal. (I can't remember exactly, but I do remember putting them on the digital scale once so I could calculate just how much weight I was moving. But that was years ago, and I've since forgotten.) Today I can use the Smith so I'm pretty happy.

My philosophy is to get the heavy stuff out of the way early in the week, adding leftovers and other sundries later on. It's a heavy pull day if I don't wimp out. Injuries are a great excuse not to improve. I'm a little tired of incremental weights on the RDL so I jump the weight from 120 to 140 instead of 130. I can inch up to 150 afterwards. I've gone heavier in the distant past. But it's been a long time. I'm just happy I can get 6 reps with decent form. The gym is humid now and there are a lot more lunchtime bodies milling about. RG BB Rows have been hard on my elbows so I've kept the reps high and the sets low. Perhaps I'll up the weight a tad just to keep some semblance of progress?

Seated One-Arm Cable Rows make my hands hurt so I always trade my gloves for neoprene grip pads. Yeah, there's a lot of stuff in my gear bag. Luckily, being small means all my stuff is fairly small too. By the last set, my left hand has started to lose it's ability to grip properly. Good thing I'm off to do cardio. My plan is to do 30 minutes of Intervals. I didn't charge my iPod or my headphones last night though. Usually they're good for two days. But not today. 17 minutes into the Intervals and a disembodied voice tells me Battery Low. It becomes more and more insistent until it finally shuts down. Not the iPod, the headphones. I shut my cardio down prematurely at 19 minutes, but it's not like I skipped Intervals completely. The gym music isn't quite loud enough to compensate for no working tunes, but I'm too lazy to rush back to my locker and grab the wired pair of earphones. Instead, I stretch and do a quick set of wide hammer grip pull ups.

I read a magazine article on doing drop sets starting with wide grip pull ups, then chin ups, then finally hammer grip pull ups. Looking at the Stretch Cage roof, I'm not sure I can do regular pull ups. Being at the very edge of the roof makes me nervous even though the unit weighs much more than I do (180 lbs), and I've seen much bigger guys do pull ups there. Most chin up/pull up bars are too wide for my tiny hands to fully grip and that's a problem. At some point I'll get braver. Just like I got brave enough to try wide hammer grip pull ups.

While I was on the cardio platform I notice two giggly high school girls on the treadmills. They're tall, blonde and slender with ponytails pulled tight. When they get off, they take turns on some of the Cybex machines. Two more high school girls join them. While they are of varying heights, they're all blonde and slender with hair pulled back off their faces like ballerinas. I'm sure they're the Popular Girls at school. When I was in Middle School, the popular JAP (Jewish American Princess) girls all had long brown hair parted down the middle, wore white jeans, buffalo sandals and Huckapoo shirts. (Yes, I'm a child of the 70s.) Well, at least they're sort of working out...

Lately, some of the women have been smiling at me. I'm dense enough to not know exactly why. In the locker room Eyebrows makes a point of smiling at me. Weird. I haven't seen her since last summer. She's grown several inches and towers over me with long slender limbs. I think she's the girl I yelled at for laying her sweaty body all over the locker room bench, but I could be wrong. (All these white girls look alike sometimes.) The last time I saw her out in the gym area, she had managed a half-ass kipping pull up at the MaxRack. Well, at least it wasn't at the Assisted Pull Up machine. I'm not an unfriendly person when I work out. I'm just very focused. I think that weirds a lot of the guys out, but too many of them spend too much time chatting. Like The Mayor.

Of course, there are a lot of guys who come solo and actually work. I find a few of them glancing over nervously. Do I make them nervous? Maybe that's a good thing. I've read that nothing makes men more competitive than having a woman around. Hhmmmm...

My postcards arrived today and I'm excited! Now I need to buy stamps and figure out my mailing list. I've created an emailable version as well. The hard part will be actually matting and assembling all my framed images. And then I'll probably wind up hanging the show myself because hubs will be in Houston or JFK... Oh well. Could be worse.

I'm just not sure what to do about the conflict my son will have since his belt test is the same day as my Artist's Reception...


Tuesday

15 min x-trainer
Calories 71
Miles 1.90
Average Heart Rate 157

HGPU 26
Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50
Crunches 3 x 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

Smith RDLs
Bar (30) x 15
80 x 12
100 x 12
120 x 12
140 x 8
150 x 6 Yaaay!

Smith RG BB Rows
80 x 25 reps
100 x 25
120 x 25

Seated 1-Arm Row
30lbs x 12
60 x 8 reps (bottom rt elbow twinges)
60 x 8 (bottom left elbow WTH?)
60 x 8 (left hand grip last 2 reps)

19 min elliptical low battery
Intervals
Miles 1.70
Calories 193
Headphones dead!
 
Wide HGPU 12

Slow And Easy

I'm done with physical therapy because the script for it expired the first week of May and I've no intentions of revisiting the orthopedist. I'm kind of done with docs at the moment, even though I have appointments scheduled for the annual Ob/Gyn as well as the glaucoma doc, and my son's dermatologist. That last doc prescribed an expensive skin cream for my son's dry skin reaction to the retinol cream for his back acne. Today I got a letter from the insurance company denying coverage for the cream, which is just as well. Last week, I had sorted through my drawer and found a tube of fluocinonide cream, which had been prescribed to me some years ago. I don't remember why or by whom. After reviewing all the different creams I own online, I decided that fluocinonide was the mildest and had the least to worry about. I've been using that on my son's scaly spots and they've been healing. Today's letter suggests that he use fluocinonide cream or ointment. I'm a psychic! Kidding.

It's cold and dreary when I get to the gym. But it's not very crowded. I do my 30 minute warm up and then only a set of push ups and knee-ins before glomming onto the Smith. There's a beat up flat bench nearby. It's missing a bolt to secure the "head panel" and the vinyl is all ripped up. Perfect. I always drape my blue hoodie on the equipment before I lay down on it. Otherwise it'd just be gross. I'm very wary about returning to flat benching and I take it slow. Today I'm only venturous to 110 lbs. I could probably do 120, but my shoulder still isn't 100%. There's a twinge and I adjust my elbow and shoulder. I also move slower. Again, I underestimate myself for the final high rep set. 60 lbs isn't enough weight. I knew that last week, but I'd stopped at 100 lbs. Next week I'll be braver and do 70 lbs for high reps. I'm wistful for the days when I'd do 90 lbs for reps. Maybe I'll even manage to bench 120 for a few. I'll have to see how I feel.

There are a few more young women here today. The Mayor trots over to a very tall and slender girl and starts giving her advice. Eventually she walks away. I don't think he scored any points. He doesn't even try with a second, shorter woman with tats running down her arms. I laugh to myself. Shaggy is here with his overgrown son. The boy looks absolutely thrilled to be here. Not. Maybe he's embarrassed that this is his dad? Shaggy's certainly no looker.

Breaker benches behind the adjustable,
behind the Flat bench in the Smith

Today Inclined Presses are harder than the Flat Benching. That's how it's suppose to be so perhaps my shoulder is truly on the mend? I do my DB superset. Arms always look good doing these! Then Rip Skulls at one of the breaker benches. I usually use the one right behind the Smith. The Mayor literally spends so much time chatting that I'm done with 6 sets of exercises before he's back for his second set of whatever. People seem to be partnering up with new gym buddies, a Spring time ritual. Today the Mayor kills time on the Step Mill, a rare occurrence to see him on any cardio equipment. He's only on it for 10 minutes before stepping off. Ah, he's waiting for his new bud to finish up, a huge bearded guy who looks like he should ace power lifting. But isn't all that strong in any of his movements. They're perfect for each other! Kidding.

30 minutes on the elliptical, a set of pull ups and I'm done. Until tomorrow.

Monday
6.47 miles

30 min x-trainer
Calories 143
Miles 3.89
Average Heart Rate 130

Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50

T, Y & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

Smith Flat Bench
Bar (30lbs) x 15
50 x 12
70 x 13 cautiously
80 x 13
100 x 12 heavy
110 x 12
60 x 25

Smith Inclined Press
Bar (30) x 15
50 x 15
70 x 12
80 x 12
60 x 26 reps

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flys
20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 3 sets

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12reps x 3sets

30 min elliptical
Program 1
Miles 2.58
Calories 293

Wide HGPU 12

Well, I Didn't Fall On My Face

I had an apple ale with dinner but made a point not to take anything else. Except a capsule of ZMA (zinc and magnesium supplement that's suppose to promote quality sleep and muscle recovery). Again, I wake every few hours but I don't really feel tired. However, the body is definitely sore. Not so bad that I can't go about my business, but enough to let me know I have definitely let myself go. Nothing is as bad as the one time I maxxed out on seated calf raises back in my 20s. Tears literally streamed down my face as I tried to negotiate getting down the subway stairs to get to work the next day. I can't quite remember which gym I belonged to at the time...

I've worked out at a lot of different gyms, from Madison Avenue Muscle (see YouTube link) to Better Bodies (of Brian Moss and Gladys Portuguese fame -- and another YouTube video) and Fifth Avenue Gym in South Slope Brooklyn (which is now closed and reminiscent of a prison basement). Yeah, I'm old. But I can still kick some serious butt.

However, today I'm taking it easy. Sorta. Just some cardio and a few body weight movements. After 30 minutes on the cross-trainer (where I surprise myself by making it past 4 miles), I knock out pull ups (hands about shoulder's width apart), knee-ins and a few push ups. Because I've neglected abs all week, I know crunches and planks are going to hurt. And they do. I finally strip off my blue hoodie to do my shoulder exercises with the baby bells. T, Y and I raises. A stocky middle-age guy doing DB curls while seating on a giant exercise ball seems a little surprised. Not sure if it's because I'm a woman, I'm Asian, or that I actually have arms. Unlike most of the ladies. Today there are a very few ladies in the gym, and those that are here, are on the cardio machines. Figures. Because I'm back on the cardio platform as well.

This time, I'm on the elliptical for Intervals. I know. I just did that on Wednesday. And yesterday I whacked the machine. But if you suck at something, then that's the thing you work on until you don't suck at it anymore. And I suck at cardio. Mostly because I have troublesome joints. It doesn't help that the rest of mainstream media has finally gotten on the bandwagon about NSAIDs and the risk of cardiac issues, like stroke or arrest. I feel compelled to get back in shape before I start looking seriously for a paying job. My back-to-back photography shows are a distraction, but at least I can put them on my resume, and update my website with pieces I'm proud to show.

My legs feel like logs, and not the type that roll by themselves. More like dead weight, so I'm surprised that I can actually keep my SPMs (Strides Per Minute) well above 200. Mostly I'm doing a minute at 240, then dropping to 160 for another minute. Then trodding for two minutes at 120, or someplace close. I actually hit 270 for a split millisecond. Boy, did that hurt. My lungs. Nothing else really hurts. Unless you count the growling tummy. But that's not really pain. Meanwhile, Gym Owner has Client on one of the erg machines, and they are chatting and laughing loudly. If you can talk, you're not working hard enough!

When I'm done, I stretch at the Stretch Cage and then examine the roof bars. I'm not exactly sure how wide the next set of rungs are, but since I'm at the end of my workout, I don't really have anything to lose. Because the roof arcs up, it's damn near impossible for me to get my chin past the edge. I manage 12 decent pull ups, which is actually more than I expected. Later I look up the dimensions of the Stretch Cage, but no one can tell me how far the bars are from each other. I guess, based on a width of 48 inches. At home, I put a straight edge to my shoulders and estimate I'm about 14" wide. So my first set of pull ups is at shoulder's width, and the 2nd set is 10" wider. I'm okay with that. It's more than any girl I've ever seen at my gym... and quite a few guys.

Friday
6.7 miles

30 min x-trainer
Calories 146
Miles 4.03
Average Heart Rate 155

HGPU 26
Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50
Crunches 3 x 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Push Ups 50

T, Y & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

30 min elliptical
Intervals
Calories 305
Miles 2.67
Average Heart Rate 146
Max Heart Rate 166

Wide HGPUs 12

Not Staggering Like a Drunk

I'm not sure if it's because I didn't have a beer last night after supper, or if I'd forgotten to take the gabapentin but I kept waking up every few hours. And it wasn't a groggy awake, but a crisp "I'm alert" kind of awake. It's a bit startling. I've come to enjoy the deep dreamless sleep of the past few weeks even though I feel as if it's never enough. But I think I prefer being able to think better than being able to sleep. Maybe I'll just have an apple ale tonight and see where that takes me without medication. I'm fairly certain I'm recovered from the bout of shingles. The shoulder is a bit sore most mornings but I suspect that has more to do with my mattress and how I sleep than my injury.

This morning my left elbow is what's complaining. Maybe it was the second set of pull ups yesterday? Tomorrow I might brave getting my hands further apart and seeing if I'm able to pull myself up at all. It's entirely possible that it'll just be a distance too great to surmount since the bars are a set width apart, and I'm a small person with tiny hands. The gym's not crowded because it's actually nice out if a bit chilly. Again, I'm wearing my down winter coat to walk the dog this morning because 37°F is too cold for just a hoodie. But I only wear a hoodie to the gym because I don't plan to spend much time outside if I can help it.

After 10 minutes on the elliptical, I do my T, Y and I baby bell warm up raises. Then back to the other side of the gym. I'm going to stick with the Right machine, the one with the broken Cross pad, because it at least has my profile and I can log into it. The other machine refuses to let me create a reasonable profile, which is vexing because I'm not Male or a SouthPaw or 25 years old. I can use the QuickStart, but the fact that both the Cross and Jab don't register is more than annoying, especially since I'm moving past the Beginner Level today. Yes, I initially planned to just do 2 Levels for a total of 10 rounds because I don't want to wreck my shoulders. But I'm just warmed up after 5 rounds of Beginner. 5 Rounds of Intermediate and I'm a bit sweaty. I like my workouts to be more demanding, so as much as I think about walking away, I can't resist the urge to program 5 more rounds at the Advance Level.

5 rounds from left to right: Beginner, Intermediate, Advance

The machine is truly broken, and some of the rounds are complete chaos. The screen blanks periodically and the avatar reappears lit in unexpected places. It's all good. I get to whack, punch, jab, kick and knee the machine. I get to toss combinations until I'm breathless and drenched. At the end of round 1, the bottom of my lungs hurt. HIIT cardio! But the pain dissipates quickly and I'm ready for round 2. By round 4, I'm no longer feeling breathless. I am a bit tired though. But I don't like to end the session half-ass, like I've run out of juice. Because, honestly, I haven't. Is it pride that has me finish the last round with as much energy, speed and intensity as if it was my first round? Does it matter as long as I'm not being reckless? After I unwrap my hands, I give a thought to doing some pull ups, but I'm running short on time so I figure I'll save my elbows for tomorrow, when the plan is to do cardio and body weight stuff. Just for fun. And maybe some Intervals too.


The local news is reporting chances are good for a nor'easter to hit us this weekend. My son is thrilled because he really doesn't want to go rock-climbing with the Scouts on Saturday. We both agree that Sunday is a good time to see Guardians of the Galaxy 2 since we're such fans of the first movie. And my hubs tells me that he won't have to fly to Houston until Monday, once he gets back tomorrow. Yaaay!

Thursday

10 min elliptical
Calories 95.3
Miles 0.85

T, Y & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

Nexersys Follow Me
5r Beginner
5r Intermediate
5r Advance

Some Days It's Best To Stay Home

I woke up yesterday and my head swam all dizzy like I'd been deep asleep and hadn't had my fill of REM. Normally that dissipates once I've had coffee, but yesterday it didn't. At first I suspect a weird gabapentin reaction, but that's highly unlikely. I'm only taking one 300 mg capsule around 10 pm with an ibuprofen. Then I wonder if I'm having some sort of tree pollen reaction which is disrupting my sinuses and other delicate membranes. I'm prone to vertigo when there's an imbalance in that system. Because I can't seem to shake the dizziness, I opt not to drive until it passes. Just as well. I have a lot of work to do for my photo show next month.

My head is better by late afternoon when I need to pick my son up from his after school program. By evening, I'm just tired. This morning I wake to little puffy bags under my eyes. Both my hamstrings felt as if they were on the verge of charley horses late last night. That's unnerving. And it can't be the shingles if both legs are involved. Ugh. But my head feels okay so I'm off to the gym. Outside, the air is lightly perfumed with lilacs and honeysuckle. And poison ivy sprouts dot the landscape everywhere.

Today is a Pull Day. Again, I skip the core crunches and opt for only one set of push ups. The Smith is free for me to do RDLs and RG BB Rows. Those feel okay. I'm hesitant about Seated One-Arm Cable Rows, but I start off ultra light. A set of 12 reps is easy, so I move up to the next 15 lb plate. And then, the next. This time I only get 6 reps, but that's more than I was expecting. I'm good. Next time perhaps I'll warm up with 30 lbs and then try to get 3 sets of 6 reps at 60 lbs. The shoulder feels okay. The opposing elbow, not quite. But elbows have been an issue for me since I started lifting, so I'm not surprised.

I do a few sets of RG BB Curls for the dainty, undersized forearms. I put the 40 lb solid BB near the mirrored wall across from the OHP rack and a shoulder machine. There's a bunch of 10 lb plates on the bar of the OHP and no one's been there in at least 20 minutes. I get to my last set of curls and The Mayor steps in, manages a quick lift and leaves the station. What was that? A rep? Or two reps? I stick to a station until I'm done, and I don't take very long breaks between sets. I don't want to cool down so there's no chatting either. Unlike some people.

Intervals is the hardest thing I do today. 18 minutes to go and my stomach is growling at me. I had coffee and a yogurt this morning so it's not like I'm working out fasted. Tomorrow I plan to whack the machine. I gave the gym owner the contact info for parts to the Nexersys. Now I'll see if he's going to spend the money to repair the kickboxing stations. I'll be so disappointed if he doesn't, but it won't be wholly unexpected. After all, the dry sauna still doesn't work either.

Wednesday
6.36 miles

30 min xt
Calories 139
Miles 3.62
Average Heart Rate 144

HGPU 26
Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50

Smith RDLs
Bar (30) x 12
80 x 12
100 x 12
120 x 12
130 x 12
140 x 8

Smith RG BB Rows
80 lbs x 25 reps
100 x 25
120 x 25

Seated One-Arm Cable Rows
30lbs x 12
45 x 12 inside left elbow/forearm
60 x 6! Yaaay me!

BB RG Curls
40lbs x 25 reps x 3

30 min elliptical
Intervals
Calories 314
Miles 2.74

HGPU 26

What's With the Wrinkled Egg?

I shouldn't've complained about 54°F being chilly because temperatures plunged down into the 30s last night. I have flowers on my lone blueberry bush, and the milkweeds have sprouted 5" so I was a bit worried. They look fine this morning, but I had my down coat on to walk the dog. I find a wrinkled egg in the refrigerator. I've never seen one before, where the shell is not just ridged, but wrinkled. The eggs from the store are also extremely thin-shelled, and prone to breaking if you look at them wrong. Quite different from the exorbitantly priced free-range eggs sometimes available from the honey truck parked near the interstate. Those eggs have shells that must be broken with intent and some sizeable amount of force.

Online research suggests that the egg-layer is suffering from a calcium deficient diet. I like to buy the jumbo or extra-large eggs. Apparently those come from older chickens. My husband would like us to raise chickens, but our town just raised the required plot size from 1/2 acre to one whole acre just to have a few measly chickens. Plus, like the dog, I'm sure I'd be the one to care for the critters, like I don't have enough to do... Still the best tasting eggs I ever ate came from someone who used to let her birds free-range in her vegetable garden. The egg yolks were an amazing marigold yellow. I know other people who feed their chickens from the feed store, and the eggs don't taste any different from the super market variety.

It takes me longer than I like to get to the gym, but luckily, the gym's not horribly crowded. Still, I'm worried about getting on the Smith, especially since I can't get in the Stretch Cage because 20-minute Guy is back to his old habits of staring at his phone while barely bending a knee. So, I only do Knee-Ins and one quick set of push ups before claiming the Smith machine. The fellow at physical therapy told me to try flat benching every week. I'm a bit reluctant, but what the heck. Plus, I've cut down to one ibuprofen caplet before bed. I'm too lazy to drag the shorter flat bench over, so I just use the taller adjustable Matrix bench. It means I can't get my feet flat on the floor because they don't reach. Instead, I keep my knees bent and my feet flat on the bench itself.

I'm actually surprised that I can bench all the way up to 100 lbs. Only then does my right shoulder twinge slightly. I don't chance injury by pushing heavier. But I definitely need to up the weight on the high-rep set at the end. Then I do Inclined Presses. Those are a bit harder because I'm actually a little tired. So I'm surprised that the DB Laterals superset with Reverse Inclined Flyes feel so much easier than they have been. I do more reps. The Mayor is so loud that I click the volume up twice. Good grief, I guess asshats think that talking louder makes them... what? More obnoxious?

Even the Rip Skulls don't feel awful, although my right shoulder does feel a bit of a pull as the bar goes overhead and down. It's the stretch. The left elbow isn't really happy either. And later, at pull ups, it's the left elbow that shuts down the last rep. Oh well... I'm feeling a lot better these days. But stress is having its way with me. Now that the shingles is mostly gone, a spot on my lip is tingling with a slight burn. Uh oh, I can't see anything but I know what that means... cold sore. Ugh! I put Abreva on it, and take lysine with my vitamins.

Monday
6.38 miles

30 min x-trainer
Calories 142
Miles 3.84
Average Heart Rate 167

Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50

T, Y & I raises
15 reps x 3lbs
15 reps x 5lbs

Smith high flat bench
Bar (30) x 15
50lbs x 15
70lbs x 15
80lbs x 16
90lbs x 13
100 x 13 slight twinge rt shldr
60 x 25 (up this 10 next time)

Smith Inclined Bench
Bar x 15
50 x 13
70 x 12
80 x 12
60 x 25

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20/25lbs x 15/20reps x 3

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12 reps x 3

30 min elliptical
Program 1
Calories 286
Miles 2.54

Shoulder a bit achy
HGPU 26 left elbow twinges

Freakin' Friday

It is downright nasty today, pouring cats, dogs and the occasional frog with an unseasonable chill at 54°F. I'm tired and I don't really want to go to the gym. It's easy to procrastinate when there's dishes, laundry, and oh yeah, let's reboot the firestick a few times and see if I can't get the kodi to work. Well, I'm partially successful and wind up watching an episode of Supernatural while packing my gym bag.

I do luck out and manage to get on my favorite stations without too much fuss. Probably because the weather sucks and it's Friday, and oh yeah, it's also Cinquo de Mayo. I'm dragging my butt on the cross-trainer and I'm just happy to make it past the 3.5 mile marker. The guy who stares at his phone for 20 minutes while at the Stretch Cage wanders into it while I have 7 minutes to go. I don't even bother to stop off there, figuring he's going to be another 15. So I'm surprised to see him hop off and actually do a few exercises. Maybe he took his vitamins today? I see that the Smith is free and because I don't want to miss my opportunity, I skip push ups, crunches and planks. Today is my day to make up for having a crappy RDL session at the MaxRack.

I'm really happy with the Smith RDLs. I've started making little notes next to my sets. Unfortunately, my ancient desktop at home isn't very happy processing the mail when it arrives with emojis. It's almost as cumbersome as sending full resolution images! As long as my computer holds it together for my two photo shows, I'm good. Fingers crossed! Satisfied with the RDLs, I drag the bench back into the space and do some Inclined Presses. This time I actually get 25 reps at 60 lbs. It's a bit pathetic considering I used to do that with 95 lbs on a flat bench. Oh well... I also used to be younger. I skipped delt work because I figure whacking the machine counts towards that. But in the same vein, it should also count toward tricep work. But I don't skip that.

I see Towel Guy, but he doesn't have a trainer today. Later, I hear him greet another old guy who asks him about his grand kids. "Jeeze," I think, "he must be old." But then I realize that in 3 years I'll be the age my grandmother was when I was born. And my mom was no Spring chicken herself when she had me. Of course, there's a huge difference between having a kid at 29 (my grandmother), 31 (my mom) and 44. It's probably not all that strange that I relate better to women in their late 30s and 40s because their kids are the same age as my son, instead of people in their 50s and 60s who have grown kids. Unless they're super cool 50 and 60 year olds. Which I fully intend to be.

I do a few sets of Rip Skulls before my 2nd set of cardio. I can hear The Mayor but that's peculiar because he doesn't usually show up on Fridays. Even more peculiar is that he's on a reclining bike. Not so peculiar is that he's chatting non-stop. Later, he's walking the treadmill with the same chat buddy. Perhaps he's decided to invest in a cardio day. God knows he really needs it. Seriously.

I've only seen two gym members here who have made dramatic transformations, and manage to maintain them. One is an old guy who might've had bariatric surgery to drop over a 100 lbs. I see him occasionally on the treadmill or elliptical. The other is a woman I nicknamed Rough Trade a few years ago. I almost didn't recognize her since she's dropped maybe 30 lbs. She looks younger now, walking and running on the treadmill. Sometimes she skips backwards. Most people, mostly women,  who lose weight and start to look really good, suffer a crisis of some sort, and then regain all their weight and then some.

I know my weight can teeter precariously close to being uncomfortable, but never anywhere near what I weighed when I first joined the gym. But that's because I've got OCD and weight myself several times a week if possible. Vigilance is important. I don't weigh my food or restrict myself to crazy fads, but I am conscious of the things I'm ingesting. So yes, I'm going to have hard cider and maybe a shandy. I won't turn down ice cream for dessert either. But I don't do it every day.

I change my mind twice about whether I'm actually going to do Intervals again this week. Finally I decide to bite the bullet. Five minutes into the program, my stomach growls at me because I'm suddenly starving. Of course. But I ignore that and keep going. So my total mileage isn't great, but I'm happy that I survived, and not too shabbily. Afterwards, I do a set of pull ups for fun, then a quick Mat Stretch. I even toss in a few crunches just so my abs won't feel neglected. The gym scale tells me 109.4 lbs today. I'm good with that. I'd still rather be 107 lbs (because my pants would fit better), but I'm sure that's coming if I can maintain some discipline. It's only 2 freaking pounds! But it IS Friday.

Friday
6.47 miles

30 min x-trainer
Calories 142
Miles 3.79
Average Heart Rate 147

Knee-Ins 50

Smith RDLs
Bar (30 lbs) x 12
(right hand outside blade seems sore)
80 x 12
100 x 12
120 x 12
140 x 8 get closer to the bar! 😤
150 x 8

Smith Inclined Bench 30°
Bar (30) x 15 front right shoulder
50 x 15 no pain!
70 x 12 right delt fatigue?
80 x 12
60 x 25 Yaay!

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12 x 3

30 min elliptical
Intervals (2nd day! 😮)
Calories 306
Miles 2.68

HGPU 26
Crunches 2 x 50

Docs and I Don't Agree

There's a tender spot just above my right ear. This is the ear that has a weird little bump inside the ear canal, making it difficult to wedge an ear bud in tightly. Last night I discover a hard sore spot just behind the ear lobe. I think it's a swollen gland. I can't actually see it, but this is the side of my head where I came away with bloody fingers and no reasonable explanation just a few weeks ago. I make a quick appointment with my primary care physician. But she's fully booked so I get the covering doc instead. I have enough time to get a quick work out in if I hurry.

Can you see me?

I get to the gym a tad late because I'm searching for more moleskin. I've just enough to cover my knuckles for today, but no more! I also have to secure permission for my gabapentin refill. Everything takes so much time, mostly because I'm on hold forever even though I am apparently the only caller in the queue. At the gym, I run into an acquaintance I haven't seen in months. She tells me her father passed over the Easter holidays. He'd been sick with cancer for a very long time so it wasn't totally unexpected, but she's a widow with three boys. At least now her mom is moving in with her, so that's a good thing. And her eldest is going off to college in September. Another good thing.

All this empathy eats into my workout time but I can't say anything. That would be amazingly rude, even for someone like me. I warn her about the two broken kickboxing machines. It's also the one thing she loves to do: whack the heck out of the Nexersys. She starts off on the Left, but it blanks the screen enough, and then resets itself to Tutorial Mode. Then she switches to the Right machine. I'm good with giving both machines a shot. Or two. After warming up, I do 5 rounds on the Right machine, and then 5 rounds on the Left machine. The screens blank occasionally, but nothing resets, maybe because I make a point of flipping the power off for a few seconds and rebooting the system. It's a computer, after all. I just have enough time to unwrap my hands and knock out a quick set of pull ups. I'm 5 minutes late to my doc appointment, but they don't seem to notice.

The doc tells me that it's too soon to take blood for Lyme disease (a positive test means you have Lyme, but a negative test doesn't mean you don't have Lyme), that I don't have any of the symptoms for any of the other really serious tick-borne illnesses. She says I'd be hit with the worst-flu-ever-feeling if I'd contracted ehrlichiosis or something else like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, or babesiosis. I ask her to look in my hairline over my ear to see if there's a bite or a mark. She sees nothing, and then tells me that ticks don't like human scalps because there's too much hair. That they prefer bare skin creases. Uh, deer and mice are covered in fur.  And ticks. I don't think fur is that much different from hair. She tells me that the hard sore bump behind my ear lobe is probably nothing. Uh, why does it hurt then? I leave with unanswered questions, but my gabapentin is refilled.

I take my son to his dermatologist appointment to see what's happening with some hard scaly patches on his back. The doc says it's not psoriasis so I'm relieved, because that runs in my family. He thinks it's just a reaction to the cream he prescribed. But instead of adjusting the dosage, he proceeds to prescribe another cream, a super-strong, cortico-steroid, anti-inflammatory that he warns might be rejected by my health insurance company. Uh, maybe I don't want to use that on my son? I have super strong versions of hydrocortisone creams at home.

Later, I go to the pharmacy and I can only pick up my refill, but not the cream for my son, I'm secretly relieved. I'm starting to think the dermatologist is a bit script-happy. He'd like me to take my son to a pediatric dermatologist down in Tarrytown just to check out his cheeks. Yes, he has large pores but so does my brother, and so did my mom. He's convinced that this is a hallmark of ice-pick acne scarring, but my son has never had acne on his cheeks, unless you count the baby acne he was born with. That eventually subsided by the time he was 6 months old. My son signals to me that he's not interested, so I tell the doc we'll pass on that. We're going to pass on the cream as well. I'm not very happy with docs lately...

Thursday

10 min elliptical
Miles 0.84
Calories 93.3

T,Y & I raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

Nexersys
5rounds Beginner Left
5rounds Beginner Right

HGPU 26

The Sweet Spot

I didn't get quite enough sleep but I didn't wake up in a fog either. Taking the ZMA an hour to two hours before dosing with ibuprofen and gabapentin seems to work better for me. Taking 3 caplets of the NSAID also works better than 2 for me since I didn't feel my wonky left leg at all today. Yaaay me! The gabapentin runs out on Friday so I best renew the 'script. Not quite sure why I need "permission" since it's not an opioid.

Today's my last physical therapy appointment so I'm in a bit of a rush at the gym. I get my cardio in, but there's a dude on the Smith doing inclined presses. I wouldn't mind so much if he didn't wander off to chat with The Mayor halfway through his set. I go the the CF section and start doing light RDLs with the trap bar. Then this middle age guy shows up to use the cable machine immediately behind me. Ugh. Not only is he standing waaay too close to me, I can smell the stench of cigarettes on him. I'm so allergic to smoke particles that I won't ride an elevator with heavy smokers because my eyes and sinuses will burn as if I'd been maced. This guy's not that bad smoke-wise, but he's still creeping me out. The minute I leave, he's at the front desk chatting and buying a protein drink from the cooler.

At the MaxRack

I make no bones about hating the MaxRack. The bar is heavier, and because of how it's constructed, I feel as if I'm constantly fighting the bar to keep it from pulling me forward, instead of focusing on my lift. I don't have that issue with the Smith. An RDL there works the entire back, shoulders, glutes and hammies. I'm going to stop using the MaxRack so at some point I'll have to start bringing my own Rogue collars again. I found ONE flip collar in the CF area today. ONE is useless for RDLs.

I spoke to the gym owner about the busted kickboxing machines. He says he's waiting on parts from Nexersys, that the Austin-based company has been floundering. I don't think its last product, a digitally-monitored speed bag (called a Cross Body Trainer), was very well received. It sells for under $200, but it's not something I'd ever buy. (See below.) Personally, I love whacking their kickboxing trainer, but that's me. I've gotten excellent responses from Nexersys's FaceBook site, so I may post a query there to ask why it's so hard to procure new sensors for one machine and a new arm for the other one. Or, the gym owner, who also needs to fix the dry sauna in the women's locker room, and at least one exercise bike, and reupholster a lot of the benches, just doesn't want to spend the cash. It's a hard economy.

I just have enough time for 30 minutes on the elliptical. Ever a glutton for punishment, I choose to do Intervals. Eventually I hope to work them into my program twice weekly. Just like eventually I hope to achieve a wider-than-shoulders-width pull up. I'm fresh enough to ramp up to 270 SPMs (Strides Per Minute) for a few seconds. Haven't done that in a really long time! Mostly I manage to stay in the 220 range, although, by the last few minutes, it's hard enough to stay above 200. But I feel really good when I'm done, and I'm drenched.

And then, because I have two minutes, I stretch and knock out a set of pull ups.
Yaaay me!

Wednesday
6.61 miles

30 min x-trainer
Calories 144
Miles 3.92
Average Heart Rate 154

Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 80, 50, 30
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Crunches 3 x 50

Trap Bar DL
63 lbs ? X 12 x 2
(guy behind me reeks of cigarettes)

MaxRack RDLs
Bar (55 lbs) x 12
75 x 12
95 x 13
115 x 12
135 x 12

30 min elliptical
Intervals
Calories 308
Miles 2.69

HGPU 26