Halfway Thru the Week Wednesday Workout

This is finals week for the middle school so my son doesn't need to get to school until late morning. The bus schedule is a complete disaster so I just drive him, then head to wherever I need to be. It's gray and drizzly today, nothing like the torrential rain yesterday when flash flood warnings went into effect. I get to the gym at 11 and happily miss the morning crowd. 

I still feel like a slug though. I need that cardio kickstart to make me human. It's Wednesday, Hump Day and that means HIIT cardio on the elliptical. I can't say this has gotten any easier. If it was easier, I'd be tallying more miles per session because I'd be moving faster. Am I so exhausted that I can't do anything else when I'm done? No. But I've never felt that way. This is just a warmup. 

Twenty-three seems to be a good number for hammer grip pull-ups. Sixty is pushing it for pushups, although I'm sure I could eke out a few more if I really wanted to. But it's stressful on the elbow and shoulder joints so I don't really want to. And, in spite of what my doc says, I think it might actually raise my blood pressure, and potentially, my IOPs. I have to pay better attention as to what point I start to feel my head... maybe I should cut back to 40? 

I am paying more attention to my breathing during weight lifting movements. I have to wait for the Smith so I pass the time by doing a few light sets on a flat breaker bench. I forgot how light just pressing the Oly bar is and then I add 20 lbs and it's still fairly easy. (Seven years ago I was warming up with a pair of 25s on the bar, but I was so much younger then.) I'm impatient once I can access the Smith so I toss caution to the wind and immediately load a pair of 25s. That's only 80 lbs total, so I'm not being completely reckless. It's easy enough. Add another 10 to get to my standard 90 and find that it also feels easier today. So much that I wind up with sets of 13 reps. 

Glaucoma patients are warned to keep their heads above their hearts to prevent sudden spikes in IOPs. It's damn near impossible to tie your shoelaces that way. I dip my head briefly when stretching, or pulling my socks on. In the gym, I try to avoid laying flat, especially on my face as I can feel pressure rise in my head. So no more Lying Leg Curls. And I'm having to give Rip Skulls a second thought. I noted today that I hold my breath when I pull the bar back over my head. The "arms overhead position" makes breathing difficult as it limits rib cage expansion. I have this issue when I'm doing Inclined Presses as well, but I've learned to breathe through it, although oppositionally (inhaling as I press up). 

Or, I could just do regular Skull Crushers, and skip the movement that goes past the head altogether. I'm sure I'll miss that tricep stretch. I just don't want to be limited to the V-bar Tricep Press Down, although it's more satisfying than DB kickbacks. Those are just silly and don't do anything for me. The DBs might be too light, but my tiny sensitive elbows and wrists say otherwise. Meanwhile, the triceps don't get anything out of it. 

I did remember to take two pairs of DBs for the delt superset movement, 20s for DB Laterals (keeping elbows bent), and 25s for the Reverse Inclined Flys. There are a few unfamiliar faces floating around the free weight area... maybe kids back from college? WannaBe has perched herself across two flat benches, like a bridge, just to do DB rows while planking. I'm not sure what the point is except to use two pieces of equipment when one will do, and to again flaunt that push-up bra. It might be a desperate cry for attention, like The Mayor with his wild gesticulations and super-loud annoying voice. Lemme kick my tunes up a notch. 

When I get on the elliptical for my second cardio run, I see creepy PJ Pants on the treadmill. He is the only person I want to whack in the head with a rolled-up newspaper and yell "No! Bad!" when he lounges at a station and leers at young women walking by. 

I've been taking a dose of SuperBeets every day this month for the nitrate benefits. We'll see if it has any effect on my IOPs next week when I see my glaucoma doc. Nitrates dilate blood vessels and increase oxygen efficiency. It's also being used in the latest glaucoma medicine to lower IOPs. Lately, I've been reading more articles about how non-athletic people might benefit from additional nitrates. While dosing with nitrates, especially from beets, has proven useful to endurance athletes, there seems to be evidence that nitrates also increases muscle strength. I feel stronger, but I've been attributing that to cutting back to a mere three days a week. Because there IS such a thing as too much. I'm a gym rat. Do you know how hard it is to admit that?! 

I'm not so much tired as I am hungry while I'm pedaling. A fellow gets on the stationary bike in front of me. I recognize him from earlier when he was alternating standing BB presses with jumping straight up into the air and bringing his legs in, making it look like he was jumping half his body length. An optical illusion, but still kind of cool. 

I decided to calculate how much weight I moved today, but I'm not sure if I should count push-ups as a full bodyweight exercise. It certainly feels like it! When I use 111 lbs as my bodyweight (because that's roughly correct), I see that push-ups account for almost a third of it. And I'm surprised. 

Exam Week Wed Push
(21,013 lbs)

Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 298
Miles 2.70
HR 138-192 (85)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 23 (2553)

Push Ups 60 (6660)
Crunches Legs Up 40
Bicycles 50
Crunches knees bent 60
Horizontal Scissors 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Breaker Flat Bench
Bar (45) x15 (675)
65 x 13 (845)

Smith Inclined Press
Bar (30) x 12 (360)
80 x 12 (960)
90 x 13, 13, 13 (3510)
65 x 25 (1625)

DB Laterals s/s Rev Inclined Flys
20 lbs x 12/15 reps (240+300=540)
20/25 x 12/15 reps x 3 sets (720+1125=1845)

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12, 12, 12 (1440)

20 elliptical + 5cd
Program 2
Miles 2.09
Calories 235
HR 142-190 (94)

Mat Stretch