I Want To See Results NOW

Fridays have become very exciting because I'm never quite sure what I'm going to be doing exactly. It all depends on my whim, and what's available. And as long as I get three 20 minute cardio sessions in, it's a good workout! Of course, I've had to add three sets of hammer-grip pull ups at the end of each cardio run. And I can't ignore core, so there's crunches and planks.

My quads and glutes are a bit stiff today, I'm guessing from yesterday's 13 rounds of whack the kickboxing machine. Cardio is great for relieving stiffness! I try to always stretch afterwards, when the muscles are warm and limber. Stretching cold muscles just leads to tears, and possible injury. I'm a little taken aback at the wall of people on the treadmills. Fridays aren't usually this crowded! But it is the Holidays, and the weather's not been all that great.

Again, my pulse rate is all over the place when I get on the elliptical, starting at 170 and dropping down to as low as 109 right after a particularly grueling peak. (My maximum rate is suppose to be 167.4!) Program 2 contains two very steep peaks (incline level 13) and is broken into quarters, with the first quarter demanding you run forward, the 2nd that you pedal backwards. Pedaling backwards seems to hit the hamstrings much more. It's pointless to adjust my pace based on my heart rate since I have no idea what the cardiac lag time is. Today it feels like 90 to 120 seconds past the actual exertion, but I don't really know.

Snow Bird is in the Stretch Cage so I have to postpone my stretch and hammer-grip pull ups until after the next cardio leg. Ugh. Both the Expresso Bike and the Octane are available, but I've already done the Octane once this week, so Expresso Bike it is! I'm a little spacey when I start out and can't get my bearings so my score isn't nearly as good as previous runs. I still have an excellent time chasing dragons and treasure boxes. The gal next to me is chatting with another rider. I glance over at her screen: she's taking a leisurely trail ride. Hollywood once confided in me that using the Expresso bike motivates her to actually finish the mileage. I don't think I've ever had that problem, probably because I'm more competitive than I like to let on.

Navy blue NB shoes feel okay

My elbows won't put up with back-to-back sets of pull ups so I do push ups and core to give my forearms a rest. Meanwhile, there are workmen tromping through the gym with very tall ladders. The gym is having issues with their electric service. I get on the Step Mill for my last cardio endeavor. The man on the machine next to me is literally stomping his way up the stairs. He's not a heavy man, so I wondered if perhaps there was something wrong with his stair stepper. But when he gets off, he literally clomps across the cardio platform, causing foot fall vibrations. He's tall and skinny, like a giraffe, but not at all light on his feet. Think of The Kids In the Hall and Dave Foley's Mr. Heavyfoot.


I do another Cage Stretch, and note how much easier it is to do these movements. The pull ups feel the same, with tendinitis lurking just past rep 20. I stop at 20 because I've had tendinitis and it sucks. My hamstrings, glutes and quads are starting to tire. While lying leg curls aren't at all appealing, I don't mind Walking Lunges down the side of the gym, careful to touch each bent knee to the floor. The hamstrings have definitely noticed. I'm impatient. I'd like to see results. Now! Of course, that's not happening. It may never happen, just like I've never been able to see a 6-pack on myself. Well, I did once, but I was 93 lbs and had virtually stopped eating due to a painful back injury in college. That's not the way I want to see my abs.

April 2012

I have a checkup with my glaucoma doc on Monday. Having glaucoma makes me hesitant to do a lot of things I normally wouldn't give a second thought to, like RDLs. People with glaucoma aren't suppose to move heavy weights, but of course, heavy is a subjective term. I should be happy just being able to maintain what strength and size I have.

Of course, I haven't been able to get the scale to budge downward. It still hovers at 111-112, and I'd be okay with that if I wasn't cognizant of the fact that weight and fat creep up as you age. No, better to try and get a handle on this before the scale gives me an even higher number. I scroll through the archives and come across an old selfie a year into this gym membership. I'd finally managed to drop 20 lbs, but I looked kind of scrawny. I don't want to look like that again, but I still want to drop 3-5 lbs.

Cardio Friday

20 min elliptical + 5 cd
Program 2
Calories 223
Miles 2.02
HR 147-186 (109)

20 min Expresso Bike
Dragons Island
Calories 63
Miles 2.96
Points 114,280

Cage Stretch
HGPU 20

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

HGPU 20

20 min StepMill
Level 3
Total Steps 731
Floors 45
Calories 115
HR 135

Cage Stretch
HGPU 20

Walking Lunges
22 x 2 total

Stretch