Creeping Into Leg Day

Yesterday I tossed all my size 0 and 00 pants into a kitchen trash bag. My son's school is holding a social this evening, and kids who bring in donations of used clothing, shoes and household linens will receive an extra raffle ticket. Last time my son won a FitBit 2, which he gave me for Christmas, but still sits unopened in its box. I've come to terms with the fact it's highly unlikely I'll ever be thin enough to wear those pants again. Actually, it was too much work: all cardio and not really any lifting. I can't see myself doing that again. I still don't want big legs, or rather, bigger legs. That fear alone has kept me from pushing weight for the quads and glutes. Residual tenderness in the right hamstring from too many bouts of sciatica make me leery of leg curls and the like.

However, I have been toying with doing something more than just cardio. So today, Cardio Day, I add a set of super light Smith squats to the mix. I jump on the chance to use the cross-trainer, so no Intervals. (I can only do those on the elliptical.) The machine I've chosen, fairly new, clunks slightly with each rotation. Something's either out of alignment, or there's gunk in the flywheel. Ugh. Regardless, I do my 30 minutes. Then some pull ups. The Smith is empty so I'm there in a heartbeat. I'll do Core afterwards. I have a lot of trouble with my elbows and a regular Olympic bar when I've tried to do squats in the Squat Rack, hence the Smith.

The Interstitium?

In the Smith, I can drop down to my heels with just the bar, which is about 30 lbs. Once I add some small plates, I'm only able to dip slightly below parallel before my knees complain. I have finicky knees. When I'm positioned correctly, I have no issue with my slightly tender lower back or quads, or knees. But as I add weight, the bottom of the back of my neck complains. I'm not a big enough person to sit the bar across the back of my shoulders and hold it there comfortably. I use my hoodie as well as the foam pad, but the weight still bothers me. I have a huge issue with compression because I suspect that my dry skin (ichthylosis vulgaris) is related to other structural issues. The latest news claims a new organ has been discovered just under the skin, called the Interstitium (composed of connective tissue and fluid). I'll bet mine crushes easily, which would explain rolling collapsible veins, Raynaud's syndrome and problems I have with restrictive clothing. Ugh.

Well, I wasn't planning on going heavy anyway so I'm perfectly happy with just 90 lbs. After Core, I try out a few pistol squats. After 3, my quads are a little sore. I could keep going but I'd rather do the Step Mill for 15 minutes. Then the Expresso Bike. I'm still really warm when I'm done, so doing the Mat Stretch is much more pleasant today. The gym scale says 110.8 lbs. Well, that's not horrible.

I'm wearing a gray Old Navy® tank. It's a bit clingy but not too annoying. I've plugged my old earplug earbuds into my newer iPod Nano because the old Nano suddenly got funky with different volumes for each and every song. Very distracting to constantly have to adjust the volume in the middle of a workout! The LLBean fitness pants are great now that they've been hemmed, and the ill-conceived pocket has been removed. People who design pants with waist band pockets where the zipper pull sits in the center of your back when closed are people who have never ever "worked out and wanted to lay down to stretch."

I read an article recently about some women who are rebelling against the tyranny of consumer fashion by creating sturdy, well-made, unisex one-piece jumpsuits. Not caring how you look is very freeing. It saves a lot of time when you stand in front of your closet and bemoan whether your clothes look okay or not. It's wonderful not to be judged on how sexy you look in a skirt or pants. I agree that this culture is overwhelmingly geared towards consumerism with disposable clothing and appliances, because that's the driving force behind capitalism. But these gals take it a bit far, and tread dangerously on communist waters. They go so far as to address each other as comrade. Ugh. But they're too young and naive to understand the tyranny of Mao's unisex suits, and the dehumanization of being nameless and faceless. You can rebel in other ways... I prefer to wear boy's flannel shirts that last forever. And utilitarian pants and shoes. But my gym clothes, well, they make me feel good if they fit right. And I don't care what anybody thinks about it.

Leg Day Wednesday

30 x-trainer
Miles 3.77
Calories 243

HGPU 26

Smith Squats super light
Bar (30) x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
80 x 12
90 x 12

Push Ups 60
Elbow Plank 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Elbow Plank 60s

Pistol Squats 3 each leg

15 min Step Mill
Level 5
Calories 109
Total steps 739
Floors 46

Expresso Bike
Evening Bliss 69 ft 2.37 miles
Time: 12:21
Calories 71