Still not making it to the gym as early as I'd like, but at least I'm making it there. The rain got steadily worse as I drove until it was torrential. Flood watch warnings in effect. Temps rising from the mid 30s to the 50s, totally unseasonably warm for December in New York. I've decided to make today a Cardio Day, but I still want to do the Norwegian 4 x 4 routine. Well, that'll be different. I figure I'll compensate by making the other two cardio events just 15 minutes in duration. But I still have hammer grip pull ups and core, as well as ending with Walking Lunges and 2:1 Lying Leg Curls.
There's a lot less people at the gym today. I see the Gym Rat couple: they've been here all week, regular as clockwork. They look to be both in their late 30s: he's swarthy and well-built, bald with glasses; she's almost as tall as he is, also bespectacled, but pale with a blonde ponytail. He's obviously training her and in the months that I've seen them, I see her making noticeable progress. She's gotten trimmer, and stronger, flat benching with a pair of 45s on an Oly bar. They keep to themselves but don't seem amorous. Just as it should be in a public space like the gym.
It doesn't occur to me until I'm struggling to pedal on the Expresso Bike that the HIIT cardio has taken a toll on my system, at least momentarily. Obviously, my score isn't as good as last week's. However, I still enjoyed it and 15 minutes goes by in a flash. The Step Mills are both occupied so after another set of pull ups, I look around and decide that 15 minutes of Octane is good. I did it yesterday as well, but I'm just not in the mood for the cross-trainer, which is kind of crowded anyway. The Octane leaves my toes numb. Ugh. I still have one more set of pull ups to do as well, but I'll wait until after the Lying Leg Curls. Starting at a slightly higher weight seems appropriate. I can't maintain it though and drop back down to 20 lbs for the last set. Doing Walking Lunges immediately after is a bit challenging though. At least I don't fall on my face.
Not sure if I'll make it to the gym on New Year's Eve. I'd like to. Working out is so peaceful. I've said it before: I can do this for hours. There's nothing more zen than the gym, with the right playlist of course.
mirrors are deceiving
Friday Is Cardio
Norwegian 4x4 5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33 Calories 271 Miles 2.55 HR 133-173 (105-110)
HGPU 20 Push Ups 50 Crunches 30 x 2 Bicycles 50 Side Planks 2 x 60s Bird Dogs 2 x60s
15 min Expresso Bike Dragons Island 4ever to load!
same room different mirror
Calories 51 Miles 2.57 Points 132,790
HGPU 20
15 min Octane Default setting Calories 105 Miles 1.39 Steps 1950 Floors 33 HR 130-207
2:1 Lying Leg Curls (toes numb) 20lbs x 12 25 x 12 20 x 12
I can't seem to get out of the house earlier than 10 am, mostly because there's so much to do before I leave. I'd like a cup of coffee so there's making coffee, and refilling the bird feeder, putting away dishes in the rack so I can clear the sink and stove from last night's dishes and pots, retrieving the newspaper and putting out the trash, setting up the laundry. Okay, now I'm ready to warm up the car. My hubs stumbles out of bed just as I'm packing up my gym bag. I ask him if he wants to come, but he'd need to put his contact lenses in and that's always unpredictable as to how long it will take him. (I often find contact lenses all over the bathroom, wedged behind the baseboard, under the sink, stuck to the wall.) I actually don't know how people work out with glasses on since I always fog up my sunglasses and reading glasses with the slightest of exertions.
There's a solid wall of folks on the treadmill, but the Octane is free so I hop on that for 20 minutes. My pulse rate is more erratic than usual, but that might be the machine itself. Of course, a reading of 57 that suddenly jumps to 187 is kind of crazy. My kind of erratic crazy, like my blood pressure and my IOPs.
I'm pressed for time since we've agreed to a 2 pm "play date" for my son and a friend he hasn't seen since this summer. No pull ups today since I did a set yesterday. No time for push ups or core either if I want to grab my chance at the Smith. I wish RDLs got easier but it doesn't feel that way, although I am able to knock out 3 sets of 12 reps at 120 lbs. Briefly, I ponder 5 x 5s and realize that that's 25 reps, but 3 x 12 is 36 reps, and heavy reps equals strength.
I only have time for two more exercises so I choose Lat Pull Downs and Reverse Grip BB Curls. To grab the handles to the Lat Pull Downs, I have to stand atop the seat and reach up. I have a good view of the free weight area. The only folks who come to the gym on successive days are gym rats. Most of the regulars from yesterday are not here today, except for Ballet. Today he's wearing capris pants that zips up past the knee, exposing the tattoo on his calf. Through my earbuds, I can hear him squeaking a grunt for each rep doing single arm cable curls. The Mayor has his blonde skinny teenage son in tow. Together they alternate taking turns benching. At least he's quieter these days.
The weather is suppose to be awful starting late tonight into tomorrow afternoon. I still plan to either have a cardio day or whack the machine. I haven't decided. What I have decided is to cancel dinner plans with another family because what started out as a 4 pm early dinner morphed into "Can you come for lunch instead?" We had trouble making a 2 pm today, so I tell her that late lunch might be okay, say about 2 ish. She wants to know if we can do noon. Ugh. Nope. Not rushing through another workout again. I cancel and tell her we'll reschedule. My boys would rather stay home on a dreary rainy day anyhow. Am I a gym rat or what?
Rushed Thursday
20 min Octane Default setting Calories 126 Miles 1.71 Steps 2372 Floors 39 HR max 203 (57-188)
I never did make it to the gym on Christmas Eve, but I make it today, two days later. So, I've only been sedentary for 4 days, which while not ideal, isn't totally awful. I also get to the gym mid-morning, which means I've missed the morning crowd. Yaaay! I don't want to stay too late though, since holiday weeks are traditionally when late-rousing teens fill the gym by early afternoon.
I note the regulars from my perch on the cardio platform while I do my HIIT routine on the elliptical. I wish I could make sense of why my apparent pulse rate starts at 145 when I first get on the machine, peaks near 180, but drops to 105 while I'm three quarters through a high intensity section. It never fails to entertain me though, even if it's befuddling. I only recognize a few regulars, like Nice Goatee, who again looks rather disturbed. Maybe I should rename him? I haven't seen Loud Goatee in a while though. People's schedules change for various reasons.
When I'm done with hammer grip pull ups, I turn and see Ballet suppress a smile to himself. I call him Ballet not because he's particularly graceful, but he's always dressed like a ballet dancer in a simple white T and trim sport pants. I think he's smiling because everyone else is doing assisted pull ups, which is basically not doing pull ups. That machine does not train your body to use the correct muscles, the lats in your back, to pull you up to the bar. Everyone mistakenly believes you need arm strength to pull yourself up, but it's all in the back.
I knock out core movements and then drag an adjustable bench to the Smith. A young man is sitting on the ground inside the adjacent MaxRack cage, looking at his phone between sets of Inverted Rows. I recognize Maroon and a few other regulars. There's a really big guy setting up on the breaker bench behind me. He looks vaguely familiar but I can't place him. I think the fluorescent yellow T he's wearing makes him looking more mountainous than he is.
There are new faces at the gym. Some are older men and some are fat young women who are there with their friends. Because I've adjusted the inclined bench steeper than usual, pressing is harder today. Also, my left shoulder has been bothering me since the middle of the night, for no apparent reason. As in, no apparent trauma, other than the possibility that I slept on it weird. The DB Laterals super set with Reverse Inclined Flyes goes much better. I might think about upping the weight a bit.
I see Big Yellow T trying not to stare. Suddenly it occurs to me that I met this person at the gym holiday party some weeks ago. People looks so different in workout mode, And the only reason he's at the gym now is because the government is in a partial shut down and he's a town worker for a place further south.
I move on to Rip Skulls and worry about my wonky right elbow. Everything is fine until the last set, when I decide not to risk total failure and the potential for injury. A fat older man occasionally stares. He's hopelessly out of shape, but perhaps will gain some inspiration to work harder. I don't acknowledge Big Yellow because I know one of my gym friends, widowed with several boys, found him cute. She told me so at the holiday party. She's a big woman, so naturally she's interested in big guys. Her hubs died a few years ago during surgery for a dissected aneurysm during the holidays. Death is always hardest on the survivors. And while she's not considering ever remarrying, she does get lonely for a little fun and companionship.
The scale tells me I've overindulged because it reads 113 lbs. Yep. Roasted duck legs for Christmas Eve dinner, and venison stew for Christmas dinner. Plus lots of short bread cookies and wine. I'll be at the gym tomorrow, hopefully a tad earlier. Later, we're taking my son to visit a friend at a nearby trampoline place because there are few alternatives to video gaming during Winter break.
Post Christmas Wednesday Norwegian 4x4 5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33 Calories 271 Miles 3.57 HR 142 / maximum 183 (low 109)
HGPU 20
Push Ups Crunches 2 x 30 Bicycles 50 Side Planks 2 x 60s Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Smith Inclined Press (Woke up left shoulder twinge)Bar (30) x 15 50 x 12 70 x 12 90 x 12, 10, 8 60 x 25
DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes 20lbs x 12/15 reps x 3 sets
It started raining last night and will continue to do so until the wee hours tonight. Meanwhile, there's a Flood Watch warning in effect. Temps are ridiculously warm, peaking at 62 F this afternoon. I refill the bird feeder anyway. I also have to make a bag lunch (pressed turkey & cheese sandwich, fig cookies and juice bag) for my son to take to school since his class will miss cafeteria time today. Today is a trip to the movies.
I have a love-hate relationship with my old electric sandwich press. I love that it has a non-stick surface and improves ordinary sandwich fare with heat and pressure. I hate the scallop-shell pattern that makes it difficult to wipe the surface clean. It's also not an immersible appliance. I've tried scrubbing the outside of the press, but aerosolized grease seems immune to my efforts. Eventually, it will just become too disgusting to handle.
It's the Winter Solstice so perhaps the weather is appropriately dreary. At least I'm not cold once I'm at the gym. Being tired and spacey means I forget to set my time for 20 minutes on the elliptical and I wind up doing 30 plus the 5 minute cool down. I feel better now. At least I remember to do pull ups between all my cardio sets. I even manage to do core although Snow Bird takes up an awful lot of space for one skinny old man. He keeps offering people tiny balls of candy wrapped in wax paper. I find them on the floor where they might've fallen out of his pockets. Ugh.
Watching my heart rate on the elliptical is still amusing. Watching other people is also amusing. There's one older fellow who has decided to make his own gym clothes by taking the sleeves off of button down work shirts and pairing them with loose jeans. I see some of the regulars. Lazy Pedals is missing. Nice Goatee seems to be on his cell a lot, or staring at it because he's waiting for a call back. It feels like he's been stood up. I'm seeing his dark side now. Too much melodrama! Later I see Hollywood breathlessly chatting with him, and I wonder if they're more than just gym friends.
There are other people on the Expresso Bikes, blithely chatting as they pedal. I'm the only one chasing dragons and coins. This week I fare much better than last week, scoring higher in less time. Probably because I knew where I was going instead of wasting valuable time dithering about. A few weeks ago, the gym participated in an Expresso Bike challenge and everyone was pedaling for mileage. I'm glad that's over. Gold's Gym has posters everywhere trying to recruit members to partake in next year's Transformation Challenge. There's a big poster of K next to the locker room. K, the fellow who had the heart attack right after winning the challenge, and $6K. The posters try to wow you with $100,000 in prizes, but the fine print breaks it all down to substantially less.
After dancing on the Step Mill (where I have a great view of the rest of the gym), I do my last set of pull ups. My left hamstring is a tiny bit sore. I'm assuming that's because it's the weaker leg. That's also my cue to do Walking Lunges. The only issue I'm having is people getting in my way. I actually have to wave Snow Bird aside when he stops right in front of me with a giant exercise ball in his arms. Ugh. He knows damn well what I'm doing. (Other people do walking lunges and farmer's walks down this side aisle as well.)
Again, I end my workout with 2:1 Lying Leg Curls, but this time I start with 15 lbs and do two sets at 20. It's one way to get stronger, right? I'm tempted to attempt another set of pull ups, but 60 is probably enough for these tiny elbows. Maybe next week I'll go for 80 total. I need to have goals to shoot for, but I'm only competitive with myself.
When I get home, I realize that there's a pond in the middle of the road where the storm drain is clogged. Ugh. Shoveling doesn't really get me anywhere, but a pitch fork seems to move enough debris to clear the blockage. Now I'm really tired. I need a nap! No gym on Christmas Day, but I might be able to convince my hubs to come with me on Christmas Eve, even if just for a cardio day.
For somewhat obvious reasons, yesterday's song Broken reminded me of another happy song, Shut Up and Dance with Me, by Walk The Moon.
Winter Solstice Friday
30 min elliptical + 5 cd Program 1 Calories 309 Miles 2.80 HR 141-195 (85-125)
HGPU 20
15 min Expresso Bike Dragons Island Calories 54 Miles 2.67 Points 130,020
HGPU 20
Push Ups 50 Crunches 30/30 Bicycles 50 Side Planks 2 x 60s Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
20 min StepMill Level 3 Total Steps 697 Floors 43 Calories 111 HR 131
Cage Stretch HGPU 20
Walking Lunges 55 total
2:1 Lying Leg Curl 15 lbs x 12 alternating legs 20 x 12 x 2
Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice, but the forecast is for torrential rain, wind and lots of traffic. It doesn't feel like Christmas is just a few days away. I wake up depressed. It's a hard feeling to shake, but I hope time whacking the machine will alleviate this. I should stop reading the news. That would help. The amount of online and snail mail appeals for funds, with the requisite horror stories of environmental disasters, animal extinctions and canine cruelty make me want to curl up in my bed and not emerge until spring. Talking heads all say the economy is booming and unemployment is low. That's just the figure for people applying for benefits. It's not really how many people are jobless. How can the economy be booming when holiday stalwarts like ToysRUs, Sears and Kmart have shuttered their doors. GM is laying off thousands. Nope, everything is fine. It doesn't feel fine.
I read a few more chapters of Basket Case last night. One thing I can really relate to is the protagonist's obsession with how old people are when they die. Of course, that he's been relegated to the newspaper obituary column by the new owner of the paper makes this a salient character quirk. I often wonder how many years I have left, even though I tell myself that I'm going to live well into my 90s. The fact that neither of my parents lived longer than their parents worries me. I see trends where perhaps none exist, where children inherit diseases and disabilities that occur earlier and with greater ferocity in each generation.
I go to the gym to whack the machine and relieve this foul mood. It's freezing and again, I don't take off my warm up hoodie until I'm standing in front of the Nexersys. I can't put on all my hand protection until I strip off the hoodie because I'll never fit my fists through the sleeves. I see a few regulars scattered throughout the gym.
People are so oblivious it makes me crazy. While I'm whacking away, three middle-age women get off the treadmills on the cardio platform and stand behind me, gabbing. I can hear them through my earbuds. If I step back, I might actually elbow one of them. Part of me wants to pause the machine and yell "Ladies, what the fuck?! Back off!" and part of me can't be bothered, figuring if they get whacked accidentally, it's their own damn fault.
I start to warm up half way through the Beginner rounds, but I don't actually perspire until the Intermediate level. My lungs burn through a few rounds, but not every round. The pacing is inconsistent, as are the strike sensors. I blank the screen 3 times, but only get a Hitting Too Hard warning once, and I don't even know what strike it was for. I miss a few blows because I can't see the strike call-out due to the glare. The machine also doesn't know what day it is and consistently shows the wrong date. Ugh.
Although I'm thoroughly drenched by the time I've finished 7 rounds of both Beginner and Intermediate, I don't feel too bad. As in, I feel as if I could probably do something else. But how I feel, and whether I could actually do something else would actually have to be tested. I don't want to spend the time to find out since I've been here too long as it is. Tomorrow is another Cardio Plus Day... sigh.
On the radio, I hear another song that makes me smile and want to sing along. I've never heard of the band before, but I like the tune: Lovelytheband's Broken:
Winter Solstice Eve Thursday
10 min elliptical Calories 87 Miles 0.79 HR 141-176 (83)
Winter's definitely here. Nights drop to the frigid teens and days coast into the mid 30s. No snow though, so that's a relief although Friday promises torrents of unseasonably warm rain. That'll be the Winter Solstice as well as my son's class trip to the movies. I don't know why schools put movies in the curriculum, although I can't fault them for a private viewing of Hidden Figures. I watched it online this summer and found it very enjoyable. I also learned stuff I never knew about (it wasn't in any of my history books) since I lived through that era (yes, I watched the moon landing on TV) and of course, only "important" things were reported in the news, and the history books. Unlike today, when a celeb breaking a nail in the grocery makes headlines. Ugh.
I'm really tired when the alarm goes off. Stayed up much too late reading Hiaasen's Basket Case. So far, this is my favorite of all his fictional works, and I think it's because he writes this one in First Person. I have a soft spot for First Person. It's the perspective I'm most comfortable with in my own writing. I also like being able to read the protagonist's train of thought, whether expressed or not. It has a humorous tough-guy feel, vaguely like an old Jack Webb internal monologue, only more honest.
All this means is that I'm absolutely dreading the Norwegian 4 x 4 cardio on my program today. Again, I find my cardio rates very amusing. The lowest my pulse reaches is 85, and that's after the 2nd peak of high intensity pedaling. My toes go numb on my right foot. The bottom outer palm of my right hand has been frequently sore. (I suspect it's from the track ball on my PC. Unlike Macs, the Window OS means the track ball needs left and right clicks, so the track ball is right hand controlled. On a Mac, I can set all my buttons the same and use the track ball with either hand, relieving usage pressures on my hands and wrists.)
Today's also a Pull Day, which means Back & Biceps. Or maybe it just means Backside. The back of my left thigh is sore. Weird. I see the Smith but opt to finish core first. Mistake. Now there's a young woman doing Squats in the Smith. She must be super setting because she's also doing something with a solid state BB, but I'm not sure what exactly. She looks athletic. I ask her if she's done with the Smith because sometimes people space and leave their gear when they've actually moved on to another exercise. She tells me "I just got one more set!" I tell her okay and move off to the T-bar row. Because I hate it when people sit around waiting (No pressure!) so I don't do it either.
After I finish a basic warm-up set on the T-bar, she rushes over to tell me the Smith is free. Great! But when I get there, a big fat youngster is putting a plate on the Smith. I frown. The girl tells the dude that she's promised this to me. So sorry! We both apologize. She tells him that I've been waiting a long time. I haven't so I find that a tad embarrassing. He doesn't have any problem giving up the machine. I tell him I'll let him know when I'm done. It's the least I can do, right? Everyone is all smiles. I'm not used to people being nice to me. I try damn hard to reciprocate.
There are people who are not nice. Like Yankee Fan. I can't remember exactly what the slight was, but he was a total dick when I first started at the gym. Then he was gone for a few years, and has just recently started working out in the mornings. Other regulars greet him like long lost family. I noticed him trying not to stare last week. Yep, I'm still here. And he's probably still a douche.
I've been cutting my sets to get to the heavier weights faster. No point in wearing myself out when I've already done that with cardio beforehand! I'm wearing my squishy Rykas. Not ideal for RDLs but I wanted to give the NBs some time off. I realize now that sneakers need more than a day to recover otherwise their footbeds seem to break down. The Rykas feel okay, but my sock is driving me crazy. They're old socks, splitting at the seams that hold the binding together. I think my toe is caught on a hole as well. Ugh. After 3 sets at 120 lbs, I briefly consider doing Smith RG BB Rows. Then I remember the fat kid. He's at the breaker bench with no one to spot him. I'm not spotting him.
M and Lazy Pedals are at another bench. M sees the giant bald guy on the 3rd breaker bench and hurries over to offer a spot, even though Mr Clean hasn't asked for one. Mr Clean is relatively new, but has been fairly consistent in the free weight area for the past few weeks. I think I come to his waist or something when he walks by.
I tell the kid the Smith is all his, then move on to the Lat Pull Downs. I know this is going to suck because I'm actually really tired now. Looking at my notes from two weeks ago, I see that I've been able to pull 115 lbs at least for one set. I'll just have to work up to it without completely wearing myself out. Pyramids kind of suck like that. To compensate for the fatigue, I allow myself to pull fewer reps so that I can get more than one set. It works! It might even be entertaining since I can't actually pull the bar down until I hook my feet under the seat bar. 115 is just a tad over body weight.
I see a few more regulars like Tasmanian Devil, Nice Goatee (vs. Loud Goatee), Maroon, and eventually The Mayor. Of course, by the time The Mayor shows up, everyone is done and out the door. He has to work out solo, and quietly. I'm sure it's killing him to keep his mouth shut. I've decided that Nice Goatee is probably a nice guy. I've seen him interact with Hollywood and a few other regulars. I think he's trying to figure out how to interact with me, but I don't make that possible because I'm compulsive about not making eye contact with anyone. (It's pathological!) Loud Goatee comes more sporadically. I see him also trying not to stare. I call him Loud Goatee because he looks a lot like Nice Goatee, except once he virtually screamed Hi at me while he was leaving and I was chatting with the front desk. It startled me and I didn't say anything to him at all -- just looked at him like he was an alien. Maybe barbarian is a better term.
Seated One-Arm Cable Rows is just courting tendinitis at this point so I skip any further arm/back movements. The sore hamstring makes me look at the Lying Leg Curl machine. The starting weight of 10 lbs is deceptive, because it feels so light with two legs curling up, but gets progressively heavier with just the one leg letting the weight down. By the time I get to 20 lbs, my legs are starting to ache. Perfect time to do Walking Lunges. I almost fall on my face as I traverse the walk aisle along Machine City. On the return trip, two big old guys stop to catch up and block my way. Ugh. I walk around them, and I don't even think they noticed. One more set of pull ups. Those are really hard now. Well, that's a bit disappointing. But I'm warm enough to do a Mat Stretch!
I added two new songs to my cardio mix this week, just because I heard them on the radio over and over again. No, that's not why. It's because they're the only songs I actually turned up the volume on when they came on, each time they came on. It's Fall Out Boy (The Last of the Real Ones) and Imagine Dragons (Natural), of course.
Tomorrow, I hope to whack the machine. I forgot to check to see if at least one of them was working. Not sure what I'll do if they're both dead... I guess I'll mourn. My anxiety seems to paralyze me into inactivity. It's very frustrating. Part of the problem is having too many things to want to accomplish, becoming overwhelmed by the list and not achieving any satisfaction in finishing anything. Ugh. I think I'm in the middle of 3 or 4 different books, but only one is enjoyable. The others are more educational, and while I enjoy learning new skills, or honing old ones, I get discouraged when I don't live up to my own expectations. As I've said before, I don't handle rejection well. I'm not bored or distracted at the gym, probably because it is so much easier to do things, to be active, than it is to sit and read. I can accomplish a lot of physical chores, but the mental ones? Well, that takes a lot more focus than I seem to have. I know -- I should probably start meditating. It might help, if I don't fall asleep doing it.
Wednesday Backside Workout
Norwegian 4x4 5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33 Calories 279 Miles 2.61 HR 140-200 (85-114)
Cage Stretch (left ham) HGPU 20
Push Ups 50 Crunches 30/30 Bicycles 50 Side Planks 2 x 60s Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
T-bar Row (waiting for Smith) Bar x 25
Smith RDLs Bar x 15 80 x 12 120 x 12 x 3
Lat Pull Downs (neutral) 85 lbs x 12 100 x 10 115 x 6, 6, 8
I managed to glance at the NY Times before taking my son to school this morning. The article that caught my attention was Is Aerobic Exercise the Key to Successful Aging by Gretchen Reynolds in the Health subsection of the Science section. There has been a lot of discussion about whether cardio or weight training is better for the aging body. I like to hedge my bets and do both. I know a lot of people don't have this luxury (of time) but as long as I'm unemployed, I might as well make the best of it. From today's article:
"These results would seem to indicate that exercise needs to be aerobically taxing to extend telomeres and slow cellular-level aging, says Dr. Christian Werner, a cardiologist and researcher at the University of Saarland in Germany, who led the new study."
Some people can work up a sweat moving weights, but lately I find that I'm cold by the end of my workout session. It's not like I'm resting a lot or standing around chatting either. This observations coincides with the realization that my hands and feet get painfully cold when I'm not actively moving. If I'm reading or typing at my computer, my hands are invariably freezing. Cold hands and/or feet have woken me from a deep sleepl. I don't think it's just the Raynaud's syndrome, which attributes this phenomenon to contractions in the small blood vessels of the extremities. That seems so simplistic. My personal belief is that "cold extremities" is linked to issues with tissue structure. It isn't just my hands that go numb with pressure. My whole body is sensitive to compression, so something in the body's internal scaffolding isn't quite up to par. (I suspect it's linked to my IV skin condition, but there's no actual research to support my personal theories.) The standard answer to why older people feel the cold more seems to make sense: loss of elasticity in the blood vessels; loss of insulating body fat; decrease in metabolic activity. It would explain all the seniors bundled in their puffy jackets walking the treadmill. It doesn't explain why I need to do some light cardio at the end of my workout just to feel warm enough to stretch. I've seen other middle-aged gym rats put their hoodies back on after working out, but only because they're standing around chatting.
I don't remember getting cold to the point where I had to do more cardio just to get warm enough to stretch. Maybe the gym is colder than usual? Maybe my metabolism is slowing down? I upped my weights for the last movement today, Rip Skulls, and it was only the threat of a nasty failure that kept me from finishing the last rep of the last set. But I was still cold when I got done. Luckily, 15 lazy minutes on the cross-trainer, watching SuperNatural on the attached TV, got me feeling limber enough for basic Mat Stretches. In general it was a good workout. I woke up with my left elbow sore for no apparent reason. Must've been battling dragons in my sleep. But it didn't bother me during Smith Inclined Presses. What started to twinge was my right glute, because it's my right foot that I plant to brace myself during the heavier lifts, while my left foot sits tip-toe on the floor. A short-leg problem. Couldn't get into any of the inclined benches as suddenly there were a lot of guys in the gym all wrestling with BBs and DBs, so I did my DB super sets with Bent Over Flyes. The Rip Skulls felt pretty good all the way until the last set, when the left elbow made itself known again. And failure is not only not pretty, it's dangerous so I let the last rep go. Push Tuesday (Wonky Left Elbow)
30 min elliptical + 5 min cd Program 3 Calories 305 Miles 2.78 HR 148-180 (80)
Push Ups 50 Crunches 30/40 Bicycles 50
Smith Inclined Press Bar (30) x 15 50 x 12 70 x 12 90 x 12 x 3 (rt glute) 65 x 25
DB Laterals s/s Bent Over Flyes 20lbs x 12/15 reps x 3 sets
Rip Skulls 40lbs x 12, 12, 11 (left elbow)
15 min LISS X-trainer Manual 1 Calories 100 Miles 0.90 HR 125-131
I had a doctor's appointment scheduled after my gym time. Normally I get an early afternoon slot, but since the office has moved to a more congested road, I decided to take the first available late morning appointment, figuring there'd be less traffic to wrestle with. That severely limits my normal workout routine, so I make today an Abbreviated Cardio Day. It's not as good as a normal Cardio Day, but it's definitely a decent workout. I can't complain!
Last night's wintry mix was evident on my windshield this morning. My hubs had to drive to Boston to be there before 8 so he left at 4 am. At least he didn't have to actually go to Houston this weekend. He was already at the airport Saturday morning when he got the call not to get on the flight because Houston wasn't ready. Then he drove home and went right back to bed. We did enjoy a great meal last night though. A friend took down two bucks and offered us some venison. I made the back strap pan-fried in bacon grease, with sauteed mushrooms and a rice pilaf. It tasted amazing!
Of course, I'm paying for my indulgences today when I get on the gym scale later (112.2). The Norwegian 4 x 4 seems easier, but I'm sure that's just an illusion. At least I'm still amused by the HR monitor where the lowest BPM reading is 87 immediately after the 3rd peak in the HIIT program. My heart rate is already at 145 when I first get on the elliptical and start pedaling for the warm up. Go figure. Admittedly, I have been extremely anxious and stressed about my lack of employment and looming bills. The dryer works okay, but I know the kitchen faucet really needs to be replaced since it leaks every time I open the hot water. It's also 25 years old and Moen doesn't make this style anymore (3-hole, single lever with soap dispenser on an above sink base). I'm looking at other brands now. And our plumber has a two-month wait list.
After the HIIT cardio, I do my Cage Stretch and then hammer grip pull ups. It's early enough that I can use the classroom to do push ups and core stuff. There's still time to add a shorter cardio session so I hop on the Octane for 15 minutes. This time I'm better prepared and take several quick photos of the screen during cool down so I can get accurate stats, not that it matters to anyone except me. Just for fun, I go back to the Cage and do another set of pull ups. These are actually easier than the first set! I stop at 20 although I'm pretty sure I could've muscled through another 2 or 3 more. When I drop down, I see a small Latina staring at me from the standing hamstring kickback machine. Her eyes are wide, like she can't believe what she's seeing. I'm guessing so few people do pull ups that seeing a woman doing any is just amazing. Really, I wish more women availed themselves of actual strength building movements besides squatting in the Smith.
hamstring kickback
The doctor's appointment is uneventful. Her office is full of new trainee staffers. One takes my IOPs and doesn't understand that if you catch my eyelashes between the device and my eye, the readings are going to be way off. And they are. I try not to freak out when he tells me that he shouldn't tell me but his readings say 22 and 28. That would be the highest readings I've have ever had in my life. He also screws up the standard vision test. The one where you read letters at a distance and then the letters get progressively smaller. He uses one vertical strip of letters. The same strip of letters for both eyes. Testing like that is worthless. I tell the senior staff that the newbies need more training. My doc takes new IOPs: 14 and 16. The 16 is a bit high, but she can't tell anything from the readings because as we all know, my numbers are all over the place. I need to have a Visual Field test to determine whether my vision is stable or degrading, whether these numbers are okay or if I need to do something more drastic. Ugh. This does not help my anxiety.
I ask her if I should cut back on my exercise? If push ups are okay? She says as long as my heart is not above my head, anything I do is fine. No decline push ups. No downward dog. No headstands. Not a problem. Tomorrow I'm going to try to do a Push Day since I'd like to put a Pull Day between Pushing and Whacking the Machine. I consider punching and kicking to be on par with a cardio push day, since even a Hook is an outward movement. Really, these are the only things I look forward to.
Pre Doc Monday
Norwegian 4x4 5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33 Calories 266 Miles 2.53 AHR 142 / max 176 (low 87-111)
HGPU 20
Push-ups 50 Crunches 30/30 Bicycles 50 Side Planks 2 x 60s Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
15 Octane + 2 cd Total steps 1770 Floors 28 Miles 1.29 Calories 95 AHR 127 / max 147
It doesn't occur to me until I'm struggling to pedal on the Expresso Bike that the HIIT cardio has taken a toll on my system, at least momentarily. Obviously, my score isn't as good as last week's. However, I still enjoyed it and 15 minutes goes by in a flash. The Step Mills are both occupied so after another set of pull ups, I look around and decide that 15 minutes of Octane is good. I did it yesterday as well, but I'm just not in the mood for the cross-trainer, which is kind of crowded anyway. The Octane leaves my toes numb. Ugh. I still have one more set of pull ups to do as well, but I'll wait until after the Lying Leg Curls. Starting at a slightly higher weight seems appropriate. I can't maintain it though and drop back down to 20 lbs for the last set. Doing Walking Lunges immediately after is a bit challenging though. At least I don't fall on my face.
