Two Days Before Gluttony

The sky is bleak and dreary, mostly because of the low gray cloud cover and the damp chill. Although it's not actually snowing, or raining, it sure feels as if the skies will open at any minute. Temps peaked at 37 F, which isn't warm, but warm enough to keep frost at bay. My son's class went to West Point today for a field trip, although he couldn't tell me how it would be relevant to any of his coursework. The gym isn't very crowded considering that it's just two days before the great turkey feast. I'm not even sure if the gym is doing their Feast The Least program, which normally starts before Thanksgiving and ends right after New Years. Winners get a T-shirt, just like winners of their cardio challenges. I'm sooo not competitive like that.

A lot of people are opting to eat other things (tiny turkeys, chickens, ducks), if you believe online news sources. (Go ahead and google millennials and tiny turkeys!) Later in the day, a very tall, distinguished gentleman ahead of me in line at the grocery, turns to tell me that he had a friend who used to dine on fish for Thanksgiving. All went well until his children became school-aged and learned that they were suppose to be eating turkey. The genleman has his free frozen turkey on the conveyor, courtesy of the supermarket promotionals. Spend $400 from mid-October to Thanksgiving and get a free frozen turkey. Or Tofurkey. Or kosher chicken. Or family-size lasagne. Or a big salty ham. I have my free 10-lb picnic pork shoulder that we plan to smoke next weekend, if my husband gets around to it.

I cut my cardio down to 20 minutes today (from my normal 30) and tap in Program 1 on the elliptical. I want to save a little extra in the tank. Today's a Push Day, if I can get on the Smith. I see B rolling out a mat beneath the cable station so she's going to do weighted kneeling crunches. Which means she's not on the Smith! There's a cluster of regulars at stations near the Smith though, which is worrisome. I hurry through my core workout, which includes push ups as a warm up for shoulders, chest and triceps. The really big adjustable bench sits inside the Smith cage. It's cool. I can work with this. Although I prefer a bench where I can plant my feet flat on the floor, those are hard to come by since I'm short. And not just short, but short with a long body, long thighs and woefully short calves. Oh well... there's worse things than being height-challenged.

The big inclined bench has a crossbar foot rest under the seat. I anchor my feet there. It's not as stable as the floor, but better than having to use the breaker benches. The two smaller adjustable benches are across the gym in the DB area. Which is fine, since I'll be headed there after I finish Inclined Presses. My back is noticeably sore from yesterday, and that's a pleasant surprise. Only gym rats are glad to feel their workouts the next day. I'm past worrying that soreness is a sign of being woefully unfit, especially since I've started upping the weights in my routine.

It actually doesn't even occur to me that the weights might be too heavy to lift. Mostly, because they aren't. The mechanics of an Inclined Press (or Inclined Bench) means that most of the same muscles are being worked (anterior or front deltoid, upper pectoral, triceps) as would be worked during a flat bench. But the lower pecs aren't really involved and there is less stress on the rotator cuff as long as the bench angle is roughly 45 degrees. I'm not sure why the latter is true though because I can't find anything that explains the actual mechanics of the rotator cuff during pressing movements. (I guess I need an advance physiology degree or something. I do know that the closer the bench is to upright, the closer the movement is to a shoulder press. And those are definitely painful for me.)

I know to lift less because I'm not using the entire pectoral muscle group so perhaps that's why my shoulders are okay. I also don't have the same issues with having to clear the bench since I'm a small person. During flat benching, I'll rotate the bench and put my feet at the headrest, where it's widest and put my back against the narrower portion. Also, when I flat bench, I tend to lift heavier. Once I get past 120 lbs, my right shoulder is at serious risk for injury. I've already suffered a labral tear in that shoulder, but not from benching. Nope. It was from a few extra Hindu push ups after having successfully knocked out a good dozen. I probably got sloppy in my form. Or maybe those tissues are just much more sensitive to abuse -- I'm no Spring chicken after all. I haven't done them since because I don't want to risk another debilitating injury like that again.

90 pounds is probably the most I've Incline Benched in a really long time. I'm not sure I'd push it further so after 3 sets, with a few minutes rest between sets, I opt to finish with lower weight and higher reps. 25 reps isn't all that bad at 60 lbs. I'm not sure I feel the pump in my chest, but my arms are definitely worked. I see a lot of regulars throughout the gym. M is at the big heavy bag, showing a young woman how to throw a gloved punch. I'm not certain, but she looks like the same woman that Little R was coaching a few weeks ago. Of course, all young brunettes with long hair look the same to me since I'm not really focused on human features when I work out. I just look enough to keep from bumping into people, and maybe give someone a quick wave if they're in my face. I'm terrible at being social at the gym.

The DB super set is routine. I realize that I don't raise my arms very high and I keep my elbows bent. However, I still feel it in my delts and that's all that matters. The same goes for the Reverse Inclined Flyes. I can feel the little muscles behind my shoulder, which I'm guessing means mostly the teres major. Cool. Last are the Rip Skulls... I use the same weight, but eventually I feel an odd clicking sensation in my left elbow. Ugh. I have to adjust the angle of my forearm ever so slightly as I bring the bar down to my forehead, and the drop it past the bench. It's a bit awkward, but I get my sets done. Whew! Time to shower! Maybe I'll whack the machine tomorrow...

On the drive home, I spot a turkey crossing the road. They're never usually solo so I stop my car, put on my hazards and pull out my phone. Sure enough, a flock of wild turkeys are gobble gobbling in someone's front yard. There are also a few small, antlerless deer. Another turkey crosses the road. And then a deer. Two of the other deer wander off in a different direction. No flashes of white tail. No one's in any hurry. They know they're safe here. The rest of the flock continues to nibble while I drive away...

Dreary Tuesday

20 min elliptical + 5 min cool down
Program 1
Calories 217
Miles 1.99
HR 151-200 (80)

Push Ups
Crunches 30/40
Bicycles 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Smith Big Inclined Press
Bar x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
80 x 12
90 x 12 x 3
60 x 25

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

Rip Skulls
35lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets

Stretch