More Cardio

No more redness.
Whew!

It's still cold in the gym but doing the Octane for 20 minutes gets you warmed up pretty quick, except my heart rate stayed in the low 50s for a good several minutes! WTH? On Fridays, I've been doing 3 different cardio machines, and some body weight exercises in between. Today, I also allow myself the 3-5 minute cool downs that each machine tacks on the end of everyone's session no matter how hard or easy the intensity, or how short or long the duration. I change my routine ever so slightly, but enough to have actual consequences. Those are the best changes -- the ones you don't really notice.

Octane motion is a lateral ellipse

Today, I follow each cardio session with the challenge to knock out some hammer grip pull ups. In the midst of the routine, I make sure I do my basic core movements: push ups, crunches, alternating knee to elbow bicycles, planks. What I skip today are walking lunges and pistol squats. Honestly, after 20 minutes on the Octane, my quads felt worked! That's not a good sign if you plan to do something as quad intensive as pistols. And since I'm not feeling the need for big thighs, I opt to skip them today. (I probably should've done walking lunges though, but when I looked up at the clock after the 3rd set of pull ups, it was time to go. It doesn't seem like walking lunges would take all that much time, but everything adds up and before you know it, another 20 minutes has passed. WTH?)

I try to loosen my legs up with 20 minutes on the elliptical. Yeah, I'm on the Precor elliptical a lot during the week because it's what I use to do the HIIT cardio Norwegian 4 x 4s at least twice a week, and some days I'll do one of the Fitness programs because it not only varies the incline, but also has you switch from forward to backward pedaling. I can't do any of the programs that rely on a heart rate goal because mine is too erratic. That leaves Manual, Intervals and the Fitness Programs 1, 2 and 3. I think the Intervals program is actually harder than the 4 x 4, but perhaps that's just me justifying why I'm doing it twice a week. I'm using HIIT to improve my endurance, which has been a weak link in my chain for years. There's something very satisfying about being able to go a full 15 rounds kickboxing, not that I'm there yet. Working on it though.

Because the Expresso Bike is also quad intensive (at least the way I ride), I skip that today and get on the Life Fitness cross-trainer. It's not my favorite machine. But I'd already done the Step Mill this week, and I hadn't done this. I'm not in any hurry so the pace starts out leisurely. What I'm trying to do is see how accurate the pulse rate monitor is in the handles. Every machine reads differently. When my pulse rate finally registers, it hovers in the 130s. Towards the end of the session, I pick up the pace and my heart rate increases accordingly.

In total, I've done a little over 6 miles in an hour with 13 minutes of cool down time. Not particularly impressive by any means. Most of these exercises work the quads and glutes. I know because I'm a bit sore afterwards in just those spots. But what I should focus on are my weaknesses, such as leg biceps.

My push muscles are much bigger and stronger than my pull muscles. Hence the big quads, glutes and triceps. Leg biceps not only look nearly non-existent on me, they harbor weak spots. I'm still wary of stressing the right leg bicep too much, ever since it spasmed while I was doing a flat bench press. That seems to have predisposed it to being jumpy and sensitive to over-stimulation. The idea of it going into spasms again actually scares me a little. I can feel the back of the leg twitching when I plant myself for Rip Skulls. Not coincidentally, this is also the side that suffered from piriformis sciatica. So perhaps I'm right to be wary? 


Cardio Friday

20 min Octane + 3 min cool down
Default setting
Calories 136
Miles 1.87
Steps 2587
Floors 4
HR 108-max153 (low 50)

HGPU 20

20 min elliptical + 5 cd
Program 1
Calories 212
Miles 1.96
HR 146-max190 (low 120)

HGPU 20

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

20 min x-trainer + 5 cd
Calories 187
Miles 2.37
HR 127-150

HGPU 20

Stretch