Post Petra Workout

Last night, after tiny snowflakes fell for hours, it rained. But it was 26F so it didn't remain rain. Bright sunlight and warm temps greeted me this morning as well as a cascade of droplets, but only under branches where ice was hastily melting. I was pelted in a downpour of runoff! I still had to shovel up the inch thick ice and frozen snow because even with a promise of 50F, the ice won't melt if there's no blacktop to absorb February sunlight. Never underestimate the power of dark colors! Still, it's the weirdest experience to drive with sunglasses on and have to flip on the windshield wipers every time we pass under an overhanging tree branch.

It took me nearly 45 minutes to break up and shovel the ice, so I could consider that my warmup for the day. I get to the gym mid-morning due to the two-hour delayed school start. Three out of four ellipticals are in use and I hope the one I get on actually works. Sometimes the display is glitchy or the level can't be properly adjusted. Mine is just noisy but no noisier than people chatting and the ambient music piped in overhead. I'm a little tired from shoveling. Doing HIIT cardio doesn't help at first. But when I'm done, I feel pretty good even though my face is flushed with sweat and I'm breathing hard.

After basic pull-ups, push-ups and core exercises, I wander back to the free weight area. I don't really want to do RDLs so I'm glad it looks like someone's using the Smith. I'm not really sure though because there's a pair of 45s on the bar, and a water bottle on an adjacent bench, but no actual person. I decide to do Lat Pulldowns instead. As I pull down on the lightest weight (80 lbs), I feel a slight tug on the underside of my upper right arm. I assume it's a part of the tricep, but I don't know exactly what part or why I'm feeling it, except that shoveling ice this morning has something to do with it.

I have trouble with the last sets of pulldowns but I still do them. LoudMouth, the old guy who needs a hearing aid, decides to use the cables closest to me to do overhead tricep pulls. I hate hovering old men. Seriously. The Mayor is in rare form, bellowing across the gym while Skinny J and Little R kibbitz like old hens. Taz joins them briefly. I change the handle on the Seated Cable Row from the two to the one-hand.

I notice that my forearms seem tight and I'm guessing that's from shoveling. I also notice that someone has stuck the magnetic discs on the side of the cable station. Ugh. My last exercise is the RG BB Curl and I'm happy that I can use the 30 lb barbell. My forearms, although targeted specifically by this movement, are able to complete the reps without too much grimacing.

I'm torn between doing a cardio day or kickboxing the machine tomorrow. Since I plan to do some indoor rock climbing (for the first time) over the weekend, and I need my legs not to be sore or weak, I'll do rounds at the Nexersys. It's a good cardio workout and I should be able to recover sufficiently by Saturday.

Post Petra Thursday
(after shoveling ice)

Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 287
Miles 2.66
HR 140-211 (94)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 23

Push Ups 55
Crunches 30/30
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Lat Pull Downs
85lbs x 12
100 x 12
115 x 6+2, 5+3, 5+3

Seated 1-Arm Cable Rows
30lbs x 12 each arm
35 x 12
40 x 12, 10, 8

RG BB Curls
30lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

Mat Stretch