Some Days I Feel Like A Bruiser

This warm spell won't last but I'm enjoying it while I can. Today peaks near 60F and even though there are still banks of melting snow, I don't feel the need to wear my winter parka. Mud season has come early. I'm not sure if the gym is going to be cold or not so I put on leggings and an unpleasantly clingy tank. I'm too self-conscious to be comfortable in clingy clothes and prefer oversized baggy items. But baggy clothes tend to twist and get caught up when exercising. I see lots of large women with their ill-fitting bras squished under tight tops, and as much as I shouldn't judge, I also fear being judged. I know that I'm hardest on myself.

Seeing other women makes me feel less self-conscious, especially the ones who work out as hard as I do. Their clothes are not necessarily flattering either. Whew. The gym is sporadically crowded with regulars for class and regulars for weight-lifting. There are cardio buddies and spin pals. My cardio makes me warm and limber. I do minimal core and then head straight to the Smith for RDLs. When I stand slightly too far from the bar, my lower back aches. I toe myself a quarter inch closer, remind myself to keep my feet pointed slightly out, and all is well.

I see another woman in the MaxRack next to the Smith. Her workout is fairly impressive although I think I've got at least 20 years on her. That's right, I think she's maybe in her 30s. And I'm not. I keep forgetting that I'm close to 60. Damn! Do I have 30 years on her? Somehow that doesn't seem quite right even though I've got gray hairs floating around my face. Most of the time I've got my hair tied back, but the strands are so baby-fine that there's always a loose one tickling my face. It makes me crazy because that's as annoying as having a fly land on you continually. Except my hair won't bite, and flies often do.

Afterward, I look around and see that the Lat Pull Down stations are free. One has a standard bar, but the other one dangles the close grip neutral I favor. I don't know how much I weigh today, but I'm reasonably certain it's less than 115 lbs. My arms are tired and even though I'm able to pull down 8 reps, it isn't pretty. Repeat. My form starts to loosen after rep 5, but I push for 8 anyway.

I don't want to do Seated One-Arm Cable Rows today. Instead, I go back to the T-bar Row station even though I know now that at the heavier weight, I'm doing shrugs. I know this because over the weekend I noticed my own traps, as in, "Whoa, I have traps! Where did those come from?" In the mirror wall, I see someone big and a little dumpy. These clothes do not enhance my physique at all. I ignore the bruiser looking back at me and finish with reverse grip barbell curls. Next week I'll up the weight by 5 lbs.

I've been debating with myself whether to replace my microfiber hair towel. It works well and sucks the water from my hair quickly, but like a lot of microfibers, it has a tenacious grip on nasty odors. Lately, it's had a whiff of mildew that several launderings haven't been able to wash out. Then I remembered the stink-free sports detergent I bought some years ago. I only use it for the most stubborn of odors and this qualifies. One tiny capful creates bountiful suds. I toss a sleeping bag into the washer to keep the towel company. It's not a very big towel and it seems wasteful to do a load, even an extra small load, for just one towel.

After a turn in the dryer, I take a sniff. Like magic, the towel is odor-free. This product really works! My son's old kung fu teacher recommended it: he said he used it for all his hockey gear so he could vouch for it. I'm vouching for it too.

I came across this music video a few days ago. While I'm undecided as to whether I like the song Medicine (by Bring Me The Horizon aka BMTH) well enough to add to my workout playlist, the visuals are stunning and disturbing. I've embedded it here:



Balmy Tuesday Pull

30 min elliptical + 5 cd
Program 1
Calories 318
Miles 2.86
HR average154 / maximum198 (85-105)

Push Ups 50
Crunches 30/30
Bicycles 50

Smith RDLs
Bar (30) x 15
80 x 12
100 x 12
120 x 12, 12, 12

Lat Pull Downs
85lbs x 12
100 x 10
115 x 8, 8, 8

T-bar Rows
Bar x 25
25 lbs x 20
35 x 20
45 x 20, 20, 20

RG BB Curls
30lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

Quick Mat Stretch