Colder Still

I wasn't expecting it to be even colder this morning, but it was. The thermometer read 13 F but at least the car started up right away. It did take a while before I could see through the windshield though. It's almost 15 F when I drop my son off, but then the temps drop back down to 13 F as I circle the big lake on the way to the gym. It's going to be cold inside. That's as good an excuse as any to do HIIT cardio first thing. Nothing else gets you warm and sweaty as quick as that.

I read a few articles over the weekend pertaining to health and fitness. One even mentioned the Norwegian 4 x 4, but I'm not sure about the author's math... If the warm up is 10 minutes instead of 5, then total minutes should be 38, not 40. Maybe she was rounding up? Seems spectacularly vague for someone reporting on a fairly specific program. I'm a tiny bit relieved when she reports that the idea is to keep your heart rate at or perhaps slightly above your maximum for the 3-5 minutes of each high intensity cycle. (BTW, it should be 4 minutes. Research says 4 minutes.) Then drop to a walk or jog for the resting phase. With a minute of all-out effort and 3 more minutes going fast enough to keep my HR around maximum (sometimes above and sometimes below), I feel confident that I'm getting a proper cardio workout.

What I'm really amused by is a 2011 blog post by a group of Norwegian fitness researchers, Cardiac Exercise Research Group (CERN), who don't rely on formulas to determine maximum heart rate, because let's face it, we're all different even if we're the same age. No, they tell you how to figure out your actual maximum heart rate by doing actual intervals as hard as you can. That makes mine somewhere in the low 200s. Hmmm. Is that right? If I wait until the 3rd set of high intensity pedaling, my heart rate drops to its lowest point in the entire duration, 105 today. That doesn't seem right either, but I'm an odd duck. Click here to read their blog posts.

At least I'm not cold anymore. The one lone set of pull ups seems easy, and it's reassuring to know I could've done more. When I slide back into the free weight area (after doing core in the classroom), I see that the Smith is vacant and the big adjustable bench is inside. Great! I actually like the big bench better for Inclined Presses because there's a support bar to put my feet on. My pants are a bit too short even for someone like me and my striped socks peek out like the Wicked Witch. I think hers were green though.

The pants also poof out at the hips in a weird way, but I'm not really concerned. At least it has a waistband I can clip my iPod too, unlike some of my other gym pants. These were my son's pants but he's several inches taller than I am. I bought a pair of sport pants the exact same size and they were noticeably longer than this pair, so I swapped mine for his. His new pants are still a little too short for him, not that he cares because he doesn't, but they're not floodwaters.

The replacement Bluetooth earbuds arrived in the mail today, but I need to charge and pair them before I can use them. The sellers are anxiously awaiting my response because they'd like me to revise my review of their product. Being an Amazon seller is very competitive. I'd like truly wireless earbuds but those are too expensive and appear somewhat unreliable for me to even consider. Meanwhile, I'm perpetually untangling myself from the corded earbuds during my workout.

Today is a standard Push Day routine: Inclined Presses, DB super sets, Rip Skulls. Done. The fact that HIIT cardio was my warm up doesn't seem to affect my workout. That's good! It might mean that I'm adapting, or it's the fact that it's been 2 days since I was last at the gym.

Cottage pie with sauteed shrooms

I'm trying to look at things differently, even mundane tasks like cooking. I made a cottage pie over the weekend and it turned out great. Cottage pies are usually made with ground beef -- I used turkey, and stewed tomatoes. (Shepherd's pies are made with lamb but my son won't eat lamb.) I guess I'll be making this more often. I also decided to cook the boneless pork rib ends differently. Usually I'm not very happy with just pan frying them. I bought my hubs an Instant Pot for Christmas, but I'm a bit put off by the required 18 oz of liquid in order to use the pressure cooker function. It's too much fluid and dilutes the flavor of the food.

Foil pork, noodles and kale

Online, I read about enclosing the meat in an aluminum foil packet, to bake at 350 F for an hour. Several recipes suggest using BBQ sauce. I have an opened bottle of Stubbs Hawaiian style sauce and pour it liberally on the meat before sealing the foil. The meat is moist and flavorful when done, and the foil makes clean-up super easy. I've only ever seen foil packet meals suggested for cooking chicken during Scouting campfires. I'll be doing this more often, playing with seasoning and adding more ingredients.

Tomorrow I'll be late to the gym. I put off my annual physical from September because of my glaucoma surgery. Now I have a 9:45 appointment to draw fasting blood. Ugh. No coffee for me in the morning, and that is going to suck. And the venipuncture is going to mess up my Pull Day routine. But here is a random clip of Spike from the Buffyverse (actually from Season 5 of Angel). It's one of my favorites...



13F Monday

Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 278
Miles 2.60
HR 138-180 (105)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 20

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

Smith Inclined Press (big bench)
Bar (30) x 15
50 x 12
70 x 13
90 x 12, 12, 12
60 x 25

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

Rip Skulls
(Happy with 8+)
40 lbs x 12, 12, 12

Mat Stretch