Pull and Peel

It's June and my household is back to a sort of regular school schedule, except for all the state tests and final exams in the next few weeks. I get to the gym at my normal time. It's crowded, as if everyone is suddenly back from vacation. Maybe they are. More likely it's me since last week I got used to getting in later and avoiding the morning crowd. The weather's been great with sunny skies, moderate temps and rain every night.

I don't want to but I get on the elliptical, set it for 33 minutes and start my HIIT cardio. Since it's crowded, I'm on a machine that doesn't have a working HR monitor -- one less thing I have to pay attention to! I definitely feel better afterward so hammer grip pull-ups are really good until I hit 20. Really good means I can clear the bar with my chin. The last three pull-ups I barely get my lower lip there. The classroom is also crowded, but not with a class. There are a group of women who like to do their combination step-up, weights and isometric exercises in there before the actual BodyPump class starts. Always enough room for me by the far wall and I'm never there for more than 15 minutes. They're doing their workout, I'm doing warmups.

There's no one on the Smith and I'm shocked. I'm also happy. Because I can do my workout routine in the order I wrote it. Although mixing it up isn't bad, I tend to do big compound exercises first and save the smaller, more specific movements for last. I brace myself for Smith RDLs. The only thing that bothers me is my right knee. Whew!

Lately, my knees have been twingeing. On the elliptical, it was my left knee. As soon as I got off, it was fine. One of my knees complained during side planks. But not pushups. My elbow doesn't make itself known until Lat Pull Downs. But it's not horrible. Even three sets of RG BB Curls doesn't cause any bother. As usual, I've cooled down so back to the elliptical for 20+ minutes. Then a good stretch and a warm shower.

It's only in the shower that I notice how much my arms are peeling. It means the sunburn is mostly healed. I'm not used to such thin, gossamer strands of skin. Because I have ichthyosis vulgaris, my skin tends to clump in considerably thicker scale-like patches. The new skin is still tender, but at least not quite so pink. A few regular women sport deep all-over tans today. I'm the only one with the accidental tan -- not quite a farmer's tan because I wasn't wearing sleeves.

Lifevests cover most of your upper body and you are advised not to loosen or unclip your vest while rafting. One woman did, fell overboard and almost slipped out of her jacket when rescued. Because the dumb bitch didn't have her vest secured. Yep, people are stupid and no one thinks the rules apply to them.

Monday Peeling Pull

Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 291
Miles 2.67
HR not working

Cage Stretch
HGPU 24

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

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

Smith RG BB Row
80lbs x 25 x 3

Lat Pull Downs
85 x 12
100 x 12
115 x 12, 11, 10.5

RG BB Curls
40s lbs x 20+5 reps x 3 sets

20 elliptical + 5cd
Program 1
Calories 231
Miles 2.06
HR 157-194 (97)

Mat Stretch