Tuesday Nights are Hard

My son had so much homework yesterday that we skipped kung fu to give him more time to finish. By the time we drove to Scouts, he still had a few items to complete. We don't get home until after 9 pm so Tuesday nights are really hard for us to get enough sleep. It doesn't help when we both get distracted by cool videos on YouTube. I started watching one with Pentatonix and Lindsey Stirling. My son proceeded to show me a few of his favorite Lindsey Stirling videos. I do wonder if Stirling is actually playing her instrument while doing all those dance moves... especially in the fountain. While I greatly enjoyed Master of Tides and Moon Trance, I think we both favor Roundtable Rival for the theatrics.


Watching these videos makes me wish I could play strings. I'm not sure that this would work in a workout playlist, but there's been some research showing how music affects the brain. Although one study put a negative spin on "background" music because it interferes with the brain's ability to verbalize, I find this perfectly explains why music is so helpful when doing physical things: it stifles the voice inside your head, enabling you to just do it. (Click here to read about the limited study. Note that the article states that the purpose was to test students' creativity in problem-solving, but the tests given were word-based.)

I don't like to chat when I work out, but I do listen to music, the more upbeat and faster-paced, the better. With that in mind, I've had to remove a recent addition to my playlist: The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel. While I love the song, unfortunately, older tunes seem muted when added to my iTunes playlist, even if they're digitally remastered. I'm tired of having to increase the volume just for this one song and then drop it down for everything else on the list. This also happened to the short musical intro to the show Frontier (with Jason Momoa). Loved the strings and vocals, but the weak sound couldn't compete with all the other tunes on my iPod.



This morning, I'm completely shocked that I have to sweep snow off my car, walkway, and driveway. No one said anything about snow last night! Ugh. Now I'm doubly tired!

Today is a Pull Day, or some would call it Back and Biceps. Of course, I don't actually do any biceps work. Not directly anyway. I know from last week that attempting to do Lat Pull Downs after Smith RDLs is not going to be productive. Time for a change anyway. Smith RG BB Rows felt better than T-bar Rows so I do those today. I see WannaBe's "client" walk past on her way to a BodyPump class. I don't see WannaBe though. I've decided to focus on the One-Arm Seated Cable Rows, inching up in weight with 5 lb incremental blocks. A single magnetic disc is stuck to the station frame. Figures. I grab it and stick it on the 30 lb BB for my reverse grip curls later.

As the morning crowd dissipates and the early lunch crowd arrives, I find my section suddenly very crowded. Guys to the left, right and across from me. WTF? I hate crowds. But, I take my time with the Cable Rows, always starting with the left arm since it's the weaker limb. Unlike regular Seated Cable Rows where good posture and a straight back is required to prevent lower back injury, doing One-Arm Rows means you can lean forward (at a great angle to rest) as long as you're not pulling from your lower back. I straighten up slowly and pull from the mid-back and shoulder, working to activate the lats, biceps, and forearms since I'm also twisting the handle from a pronated (palm down) grip to a neutral one where I touch the side of my rib. It's a good long stretch.

I can only get 8 reps at 50 lbs so that's the weight I do for sets. I use neoprene grips instead of gloves at this point because grips offer superior padded protection for my boney little fingers. Sometimes my hands and fingers go numb from the pressure. Sometimes I have to shake out a spasm in my hand. I switch back to padded gloves for RG BB Curls. I have several pairs of gloves but only one pair of neoprene grips, and these are starting to rip so I only use them when necessary. They're not as stiff and slippery as leather ones (yes, I own a pair of those too).

Frigid Wednesday Pull

30 min elliptical + 5 cd
Program 3
Calories 325
Miles 2.90
HR 162-198 (87, 95)

Push Ups 50
Crunches 30/30
Bicycles 50
Knee to Elbow in 60s (51)

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

Smith RG BB Row
80lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

Seated 1-Arm Cable Rows
30lbs x 12 reps
35 x 12
40 x 12
45 x 12
50 x 8 x 3 sets

RG BB Curls
35lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

Quick Mat Stretch