Pushing the Push Day

Like my son, I really need to "sleep in" at least once a week to put a dent in the sleep deficit we run from getting up during the school week. I don't care what anyone says: being at the bus stop at 7:05 am is totally awful, especially in the cold. This weekend there was no sleeping in. Saturday we had to be at the park for the annual district Boy Scout Klondike event. Opening ceremony was at 9, but we had to be there a good hour earlier since we were the hosting Troop. We didn't get to leave until 3ish. The event itself was over at 2 pm, a series of 8 stations that tested Scout skills. Our Troop wasn't as prepared as they should've been, but that's mostly because few of the Senior Scouts showed up. The younger Scouts don't really know what they're doing, and the two senior-most boys are shy and quiet types that have a hard time being heard. Or listened to. Snow ball fights erupted at the end, which all the boys greatly enjoyed since there were 13 Troops represented. It's rare that my son gets to play with so many other boys outside.

Sunday we went into the City to see the Shen Yun dance troupe. It's been called a cult vehicle, and it might actually be. But we still enjoyed the performances. Except for the soprano. I could do without that. And the intermittent cries of persecution. My hubs and I agree that they are probably being censored by mainland China, and yes, they're probably a cult too. But, we're ardent anti-Communists so neither of us has a problem with seeing the show at Lincoln Center. Afterwards, we walked a few blocks to a tiny dumpling house with a modern take on fried dumplings.


The soup dumplings were more traditional, but with original fillings like pork and kimchi. I didn't care much for their version of scallion pancake with the beef and hoisin sauce, but the spicy beef noodle soup was quite good with large slices of well-seasoned meat. My hubs got the chili beef soup and he kept raving about how fresh it all tasted. The slender strands of meat were quite tender and flavorful, but with with a scorching kick that catches you in the back of the throat at the end. Click here for the link to the Yelp review of the La Salle Dumpling Room. My son looked sullen the entire time and wound up ordering pork fried rice. I'm sure he was just tired. We got ice cream at Grand Central Station and took the train back. At least there's free parking at the Metro North stations on weekends.

Once we got home, we relaxed by streaming The Toxic Avenger, which we all greatly enjoyed. It's grossly violent in a totally non-believable way, but perfectly captures the feeling of 1980s NYC. Seriously. Here's a clip from the movie:




So I'm obviously tired today. And what's better for a dreary Monday morning than starting off the workout with Intervals. Ha! But I did them. And pull ups. Even added 2 more reps! After push ups and core, I see that the Smith is free. It really needs to have the tracks cleaned though as they seem a bit gummy. I'm tired enough so that I don't want to do more than one set at my max weight of 90 lbs. I know that's not a lot of weight, but that's where I'm at and I'm okay with it. Besides, I feel as if the following two super high rep sets makes up for it.

As I settle into the BB super-set routine, I realize that the background din has gotten exponentially louder. It's not that the gym has become more crowded: it's just that The Mayor has arrived. Good grief. He's giving pointers to the middle-age couple who are at the cable stations. She's tall and thin, but with a lagging gait and a useless hand curled up to her side. He's shorter, with a large face and Bugs Bunny cartoon Tasmanian Devil proportions. They come to the gym at least two or three times weekly. At some point The Mayor will quiet down because he won't have anyone to talk to. He always looks pained when that happens.

I'm keeping my routine fairly light because I haven't had enough sleep, and I'm actually a little tired from the 30 minutes of Intervals. Otherwise, I'd be doing slightly heavier weights. Tomorrow I'm toying with a light Pull Day. We'll see... there's also suppose to be lots of rain and thunderstorms. My sump pump is still connected to a hose leading out of the basement window and snaking down the yard. Of course, the ground is still frozen and a "skating rink" has formed behind my house. There's a pool of ice under my bedroom as well, frozen ground water between the concrete supports of the cantilevered back end of the house. (Yeah, the old guy who originally cobbled this house together really had no idea what he was doing.)

Monday

30 elliptical
Intervals
Calories 305
Miles 2.67
Average Heart Rate 139 (191 max)

HGPU 28
Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15
Push-ups 60
Elbow Plank 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Elbow Plank 60s

Smith Inclined Press (sticky)
Bar (30) x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
80 x 13
90 x 12
60 x 25
50 x 25

BB Front Raises s/s Upright Rows
20lbs x 12/15reps x 3 sets

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

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12reps x 3 sets