Exploring Equipment

It's been raining all weekend. I admit to having little incentive to doing much of anything. I didn't even get to my garage workout until after 5 pm today but mostly because I went to the grocery store with my son and also to shop for a friend who hasn't left her house in two weeks. She's 76 years old and widowed, with only a sick cat for company.

I guess as much as I claim to be a creature of habit, boredom can be problematic. Especially since I'm not working out to exhaustion to alleviate my anxiety. It's not just the home confinement and close quarters. It's not just the news reports of ever-increasing infection and death rates amidst the threat of economic collapse. Our county adds a dozen people each day to its roster of the coronavirus infected and today the count is 142 people. Worse is the fact that my own sibling is afflicted, and he's not the most robust person. Although he's in his 50s and doesn't suffer from anything like diabetes, heart disease or asthma, he is borderline hypertensive (high blood pressure) and has glaucoma and other eye issues. Yes, I'm really stressed. We're not super close, but he is my brother.

Because I'm really stressed, I'm actually surprised that the elliptical doesn't register a higher HR. I would like to think that I'm acclimatizing to this workout so my mileage and HR might be a tiny bit better each session. I do my pushups with my elbows angled out about 30 degrees and although the left one clicks, it's not painful. I have a bit of trouble with my last pullup and only count it as a half. Part of me suspects I'd do better if I had worked out yesterday, and earlier in the day. To make up for this, I decide, after doing some uncomfortable (for my knees) bodyweight squats, to try the Power Straps dangling from the ceiling. It's a knockoff of the TRX cables. My husband has a cool deck of cards that has a different exercise on each card. I give it a quick look. Some of them look really complicated.

The one main problem with these straps is, as my husband warned me, using them without sliding across the floor. Even though I'm wearing my Skecher Go Walk super soft sneakers, the soles don't provide any traction. I wind up bracing myself by planting a foot against the base of the bench under the pullup bar before I do a set of Inverted Rows. Twice. It's not a difficult move but I'm pleased to feel lat involvement.

After some quick lunges, I take a closer look at the EZ Bar. The collars are plastic and ridiculously light! Nothing at all like my Rogue collars. I slip two tiny 2.5 lb plates on the bar, clip the collars shut and do my Rip Skulls and RG BB Curls. Next time I'll use 5 lb plates.

Sunday Home workout

Vision elliptical

Program: manual

35 min

Miles: 3.06

Calories: 283

HR 64-137 (average 95-105)

Crunches 60/60

Elbow Plank 60s

Bench Knee-Ins 30

Bicycles 60

Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Pushups 25 elbows flared (Left click no pain)

HGPU 15+

Bodyweight squats 25

Power Strap Inverted Row x 12 x 2

Lunges 25

EZ Bar +5 (20) Rip Skulls 25

EZ Bar RG BB Curl 25

Quick stretch

Cold Hands

It's a perfectly beautiful spring day. The thermometer registers 56F, which isn't that much cooler than inside our house. It's really nice standing in the yard, watching goldfinches, cardinals, juncos and tufted titmouse birds flit from our hedges to the sunflower seed-filled feeder. The garage, though, seems much colder than 56F. So much colder that I have trouble holding the metal handles of the elliptical for the first several minutes.

I wear fleece gloves but my boney fingers are still painfully icy. (We have a "point and shoot thermometer" and as a lark, my husband aimed it at me. I was in the kitchen at the time, washing dishes. My forehead registered 93, and my hands were 87F. Not even reasonably normal.) Once I warm up, my fingers throb as if I've just come in from below-frigid temps. I'm sure it's the Raynaud's Syndrome, but at least my feet don't go numb while I pedal.

My phone's battery is at 94%. Today I switch it to Airplane Mode in order to conserve power. Although my husband thinks the cold is draining the battery, I suspect it's the fact that the garage is far from the house, so the phone is in constant search mode for signals. Our road is a dead zone and we use boosters to have adequate cell service inside our house. Besides, the ancient iPod and my earbuds seem decently powered. I'm able to get three days out of them before needing to recharge, but of course, my workouts are a lot shorter these days. Today it is only 1 hr 15 minutes. When I leave the garage, the battery is still at a decent 85%.

I've been adding exercises as I remember them. Today, after cardio and crunches, I add bench knee-ins for lower abs. I only do 30 because the bench isn't terribly well-padded and I have issues with seams chafing the tailbone. For pushups, I tuck my elbows in even further today until they are nearly under my waist. The left elbow still clicks unhappily, and now the right anterior delt (front shoulder) is upset as well. And the wrists feel very stressed. I do my 25 reps fairly slowly, but next time I'm going back to the spread winglike position. I'll probably add some mat stretches too.

After today's pullups (which I did manage to video), I see the Olympic bar on the ground and decide to see what doing a few RG BB Rows feels like. I don't have a rack for the bar so there's little chance I'll be popping any weights on it. The EZ curl is another story. Next time I might dig out the tiny baby plates and toss one on each end. I'm much warmer now, but not enough to actually drip sweat.

The one thing I've noticed almost immediately is that when I work out, my appetite is greatly diminished. I went to the gym only once last week and I was ravenous the rest of the week. This week, I've worked out three times, and my appetite is more reasonable. I won't lie: stress and being home all day has contributed to constant snacking.

Our county's COVID-19 numbers jump up every day. I called my doctor yesterday to see if I should still go to my scheduled Bone Density test on Friday and they said yes. Today, they called to reschedule me for next week. What changed? Well, there's no tech available tomorrow. Uh, okay.

This viral scare isn't just in the distant news. I have relatives in the tri-state area who either have symptoms (are in healthcare, are on medications, and have been tested but don't have definitive results yet) or know people with relatives who have tested positive. My husband's niece's father has lupus and I wonder if he is able to get the medications he needs. I have many friends who are older than 60, some in their 70s and 80s. And we also know people and a lot of young adults who still don't take this seriously and want to congregate with all their friends. That's worrisome.

Thursday Home Workout

Vision elliptical

Program: manual

35 min

Miles: 3.01

Calories: 279

HR 64-142

Crunches 60/60

Elbow Plank 60s

Bench Knee-Ins 30

Bicycles 60

Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Pushups 25 elbows tucked

HGPU 16

Bodyweight squats 25

Oly Bar (45) RG BB Row x 25

Lunges 25

EZ Bar w collars (20) Rip Skulls 25

EZ Bar RG BB Curl 25

Day Two Tuesday

There's just something really unpleasant about heavy wet snow falling from the sky. Yesterday, road conditions were hazardous with several accidents reported in local news. I only leave the house because dogs can't walk themselves and I'm happy that I had the foresight to bring firewood into the house on Sunday when it was warm and sunny. Today, I don't find time or motivation to drag myself off to the garage until mid-afternoon when the sun is blazing and most of the snow has melted. The sodden grass squishes beneath my boots. I know better than to wear my gym shoes across the yard.

I also remember to bring spare batteries for my phone. It's 45F and the garage is unheated, so it's also 45F inside the garage. The phone might be expending all its energy searching for WiFi and cell signals. I don't know but the phone battery power drops from 93% to the red line warning 1% in little more than 40 minutes. Crazy! I'm bundled up and my hands are icy when I start pedaling on the elliptical. I try pedaling backward for a few minutes, but my speed drops by a third and it's so frustrating that I give up and pedal forward for the remaining time. While I leave resistance at level 1, I play with the incline and increase it to level 4. I don't notice any difference so I'm not sure this function works.

Meanwhile, my HR appears to fluctuate between 70 and 130 bpm, dipping as low as 60 and maxing out at 139. That seems pretty good to me. Again, halfway through my cardio session, I build up enough body heat to warrant tossing aside my hat, gloves, vest, and jacket. While my phone slowly charges, I use the stopwatch function to keep track of plank and bird dogs. I tuck my elbows in, close to my waist when doing pushups today. My left elbow still clicks painfully. The only position where I find relief is keeping my arms almost 60 degrees from my body, and that's considered cheating, but I don't think pushups are supposed to cause you elbow pain. Today I do my 25 reps slower than usual, trying to mitigate the discomfort. It's not really working.

There's a Bowflex here somewhere

I try to set up my phone to shoot a video when I attempt Hammer Grip PullUps, but the phone slips and what I get is mostly a video of my big square butt moving up and down in the frame. I'll have to figure out something better for next time. The video is at least useful for counting reps, and seeing where my body starts to swing. Swinging makes pullups nearly impossible! I do notice my right bicep during this exercise, but I'm doing it for my back as well because other than BB Rows (I have an Oly bar) and DB Rows, there's not much else I can do. Unless I want to clear off my husband's Bowflex, which I do not.

There's not a lot of room inside the garage so I experiment with my footing to figure out how to do Lunges. Stepping back works better than stepping forward. I'm not sure why. Although I have Rogue collars in my gym gear, I find that the EZ Curl bar already has clamp lock collars on each end. I'm guestimating that they weigh about 2+ lbs apiece. The Rogues do, anyway. A standard EZ Curl is roughly 15 lbs. I do a few Reverse Grip Curls because it's been a long time, and forearms need love too.

Tuesday Home workout

Vision elliptical

Program: manual

35 min

Miles: 2.79

Calories: 268

HR 60-139

Crunches 60/60

Elbow Plank 60s

Bicycles 60

Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Pushups 25 elbows tucked (left!)

HGPU 16 

Bodyweight squats 25

Step Back Lunges 25

EZ Bar w collars (20 lbs?) Rip Skulls 25

EZ Bar w collars RG BB Curl 25

Getting Past Inertia

Even though I cleared out some decent workout equipment four days ago in my unheated garage, I hadn't had any desire to exercise until today. Well, that's not true. But because it's a good 30 yards across the muddy yard, it does take some planning. The weather swings from 60F and torrential rain to bright sunny cold. Today it's 40F and snow/sleet in the forecast for tomorrow.

There's also the issue with, as all things done from home, getting distracted or sidetracked by other more pressing issues. It's why I like going to the gym: once I'm there, there's nothing else to do but work out. Being a place specific to exercise hones focus on exercise, unless you're there to socialize. I miss the gym.

Today, I managed to get out to my garage with most of the things I needed, but only after walking the pups (with my son who promptly went back to bed afterward), doing a load of laundry, and cleaning all the dishes (because they were literally piled high enough to fall out of the sink. It's just past noon when I can grab my sneakers (in a bag), earbuds and tunes, water bottle, gloves, and several layers of fleece. Because it's cold in the garage!

The only thing I forget is a plug to charge my phone or a spare battery. Perhaps it's because the phone is old, or because the garage is cold, but the phone goes from 93% to 35% in less than two hours with me just snapping a few photos and taking some workout notes.

I select the 5k program on the elliptical, which is about 3.1 miles. What I don't realize is that because I selected "beach," the program insists on varying the resistance from level 1 to level 6 in a cycle. Disappointingly, there's no actual visual to go with the program. Worse, the machine can't maintain that low resistance, so it periodically raises the resistance and I have to manually step it down as I pedal. Surprisingly, the HR monitor seems more accurate. Or maybe it's just less sensitive. I try pedaling backward after 30 minutes and the machine grudgingly obliges, but it's not as easy so I don't think it's really meant to do that.

Next time I'll just select Manual mode and keep the resistance at 1. That's the easiest for my knees. The HR monitor is on the static handles, although there are moving plastic handles higher up on the machine. I might use those in the future. It takes me about 40 minutes to do my 5k, so I'm a horribly slow racer. But at least I got it done. I finally warmed up after 15 minutes and had to strip off the jacket, hat, vest, and gloves. Luckily, not too many spiders in the daytime. I did a few basic core exercises, but since I was wearing sweat pants and not my regular gym pants, I was concerned about seams chafing the backside. No sideways scissors.

The biggest challenge came from attempting pullups. We have a bar that my husband installed some years ago. There are ladders and other items against the wall under it and nowhere else to put them. Being short, I have to climb up on a bench anyway. And the bar is positioned so high up, that there's the danger of hitting your head on the support rafters in the ceiling. I only do a dozen slow, careful hammer grip pullups. There's certainly no leeway for swinging or kipping!

There's also a Power-60 power band system affixed to one of the ceiling beams (my husband again) that gets hooked over the pullup bar to keep it out of the way. I'm not planning on using that TRX knockoff as much as my husband raves about it. He admits that it's been a few years since he last used that. I'm not inclined to try although I'll probably play with the DBs and EZ bar. Eventually.

Pushups are easy except for that annoying click in my left elbow. Bodyweight Squats a little taxing by the time I get to 25. Maybe next time I should do Lunges instead? Maybe attempt some stretches too? But, I'm definitely bringing either a spare battery or a power cord for the phone...

Sunday Home Workout

Vision elliptical

Program: 5k

Minutes: 42.03 

Miles: 3.11

Calories: 293

HR 74-140 (low 69)

Crunches 60/60

Elbow Plank 60s

Bicycles 60

Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Pushups 25

HGPU 12

Bodyweight squats 30

Old Friends in the Garage

It was a bright sunny day but everyone in my household was too busy to help me take the pups to the park. My son had an online class lecture and a lot of assignments posted. My husband is mostly working from home. I went into the garage to uncover the buried elliptical we bought several years ago. It hasn't been used in such a long time that I had to brush cobwebs off the screen!

I flicked the power switch and it started right up. The glide is not as effortless as the Precors at my gym, but at least this is accessible. The Vision S7100 is meant for residential use. I pedal for 5 minutes, trying to get a feel for the machine again. I'm breathing hard but it's cold enough that I'm not going to break a sweat. The garage isn't insulated. We bought the elliptical as a replacement for the treadmill my husband used to pound, figuring this way we could both use it. My knees are a tad achy from the resistance (it's supposed to be zero but that's not true), but at least there's no clunk. If I bring my iPod and headphones, this won't be too terrible. I spend the next 2 hours moving and rearranging all manner of plastic totes and bins until I can access the pull-up bar attached to the far wall, and some of the free weights.

Somehow the Olympic bar on the garage floor feels heavier than the ones at the gym. We have an EZ Curl bar as well, and a few Dan Lurie cast iron weights on a plate tree. But I don't have an Oly bench anymore. My husband's old Bowflex is piled high with camping gear. I free up a shaky adjustable bench with ankle cushions. I guess I can do Rip Skulls. The EZ bar should be about 30 lbs. There's also two sets of those oddly square Powerblock DBs which are too big and unwieldy for me to use. We do have a few smaller cast iron DBs lying about. And I'm not sure about doing pushups on the concrete garage floor. Stretching isn't going to happen either: too many spiders and mice!


The gym sent an email inviting member to use an online digital personal training app called AMP. I logged in out of curiosity but so far haven't been able to access anything useful. It normally costs around $9 monthly but we're all still paying our gym memberships for a facility we can't use so this app and its services are supposed to be free. We'll see how useful this is or not...

Forced Hiatus and I'm Bummed

I got to the gym mid-morning and it was fairly quiet with just a few intrepid souls on the equipment. I think only 4 people showed up for the Body Pump class but the instructor and the music were still loud. I did my Core exercises in the tiny stretch area. With all the schools closed, as well as the libraries and movie theater, a few teenagers made it to the gym because there's really not much else to do. It was also kind of chilly with temps in the 20s when I woke up. Too cold to exercise outside!

A girl is doing squats in the Smith machine so I do a few sets of Inclined Presses with just the bar on the Breaker Bench. Then she plants herself at the end of the DB area with a few different DBs. I seize the opportunity to knock out a few assisted Inclined Presses at the Smith, then head back to the DB area as well. I knock out my supersets between emails and text messages from assorted friends.

One friend is advising me to wear a mask and stay home: forgo shopping! I tell her masks are for people who are already sick. She tells me the mask is to keep me from touching my face. Uh no. Not going to wear a mask unless I'm actually sick. I hate things on my face: they make my skin itch and then I'm constantly touching my face to readjust it. And I still plan to pick up a few groceries after my workout. While I was on the elliptical, I saw a middle-aged regular get herself set up on the treadmill and then put on a pair of blue latex gloves. I'm not sure she wiped down the machine before she started. Which is fine, except she kept touching her face with her gloved hand anyway, so what was the point to the gloves?

Another gym acquaintance comes up to me and tells me that the governor has closed the gym tonight. An agreement between NY, NJ and CT takes a unified approach to virus containment since the federal government appears to be lacking in directives. Apparently, people can't be trusted to understand and enact social distancing so the government is going to do it for them. This is readily apparent in all the photos of long lines of revelers waiting to get into already packed bars. Idiots. New Jersey has enacted a curfew from 8 pm to 5 am. Uh, what about night shift workers for hospitals, fast food, and suppliers that get their trucks on the road at 5 am. Someone has to load them.

Someone else has remarked that social distancing is an introvert's dream. No, not really. It's just what we do most of the time anyway. Today the supermarket is devoid of any paper products whatsoever. You'd think they were closing the roads against an alien invasion. I buy the corned beef on sale with a coupon that's only good until tomorrow. The checkout lines are crazy with carts piled high with bottled water, cereal, cat food...

There are a few small bottles of bleach left on the shelves, but no bleach wipes or hand sanitizer. I use a lot of baking soda to clean my kitchen. And vinegar to degrease. Lately, I've added a splash of bleach to the sink, but I have to be careful not to mix it with the vinegar, lest I inadvertently create toxic chlorine gas. It's the same with ammonia and bleach. That combination will create chloramine vapors. The chlorine gas is worse and might actually kill you. Some people think that tea tree oil is a good anti-viral. While it has been shown to be a potent antifungal, and effective against skin ailments, research has not definitively shown it to have antiviral qualities. It might work against herpes simplex if applied topically. When aerosolized (as in an oil diffuser), it can be toxic to dogs.

I don't trust this

There's been a rash of dubious online ads claiming to sell hand sanitizer and other antimicrobials. The poor English diction and peculiar claims make them obviously suspect. It's too bad that they're allowed to advertise as legitimate vendors. You could always buy grain alcohol to mix with aloe vera gel. I think the gel might also be hard to come by. But not all alcohols are created equal. They absolutely have to be at least 150 proof for an alcohol content of 75%. (Anything less than 60% will not be potent enough to kill the virus.) That means there's very little leeway to add aloe to keep your hands from complete desiccation and to thicken it so the sanitizer doesn't drip out between your fingers. Click here to view a list of high proof liquors.

Since recommendations are to keep public gatherings at a minimum for 8 weeks, we're not sure what this means for our schools, restaurants and small businesses. Restaurants can remain open only if they provide take-out. People have been told to take their children out of daycare. Not everyone can work from home though. If you don't have paid sick leave and absolutely rely on that paycheck, then who watches your kids while you work? Not everyone has extended family or neighbors they trust. Others have had their retail hours cut, or have lost their jobs entirely.

I can't exercise in my tiny dog-filled house so I'm not sure what I'm going to do for all these weeks. I'm already anticipating higher anxiety and stress levels, with poorer sleep quality. And getting fat, weak and tired. Because it's not going to be over in 2 weeks. It might not be over until next Fall...

Covid-19 Monday Push

30 elliptical + 5cd

Program 2

Miles 2.92

Calories 329

HR 142-200 (89, 96)

Cage Stretch

HGPU 25

Elbow Plank 60s

Horizontal Scissors 60

Crunches 60/60

Bicycles 60

Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Pushups 26

Breaker Inclined Press

Bar (45) x 15 x 3

Smith Inclined Press

50 x 15

70 x 25, 25, 25

DB Laterals s/s Rev Inclined Flys

20 lbs x 12/20 reps x 3 sets

20/25 lbs x 12/20 x 3 sets

Rip Skulls

40 x 12, 12, 12

No Mat Stretch

Status Update

Early Saturday I received an email, a text message and voicemails informing me (and all other parents) that the school district has decided to close for the entire week. The County Executive then declared a State of Emergency. So no large public gatherings. Which means the movie theater closed. But the gym, restaurants and grocery stores are still open. My husband and I go to the store to buy a few items. The shelves are bare of produce, but only because the truck had just arrived and hadn't been fully unloaded yet. However, there's no hope of buying bleach, hand sanitizer or toilet paper. Oh jeeze. Happy Birthday to me! I turned 60 and am now officially "old."

We decide to go to Costco in Connecticut. My hubs calls this Disaster Tourism because he wants to witness for himself the empty shelves. Costco is the quietest I've ever seen it, but there are still shoppers although no more free samples of food. (HMart, on the other hand, was still offering sample bites of various products including curries and dumplings). We can now stroll leisurely through the aisles without dodging traffic. All the paper goods are gone. But we do manage to view new items we never knew existed, like dried seasoned snacking mushrooms! We also pick up a slab of vacuum-sealed sockeye salmon to cook in the next few days. Gas prices are better there too ($2.29/gal whereas our cheapest local gas is now $2.55) and there's no line!

I still plan to go to the gym on Monday, if only because I'm not one to exercise outdoors. No jogging or biking for me and my knees, my flat feet with bunion and hammertoes. I'm not doing Core out in the park with all the bugs. Bugs love me. Besides, the gym shower has great water pressure and better lighting than my own bathroom.

Not the actual car

I just hope THAT woman (who I'm now referring to as Candy Purple) won't be there. For several months now, a woman (who arrives and leaves earlier than I do) has been washing half a bar of soap down the shower (with most of it all over the shower stall) and leaving a gross greasy smear of body lotion across half the bench facing the vanity in the locker room. Last week, I saw her exit the gym as I was parking my car. The first thing she does as she walks to her vehicle, which is in the Handicapped Parking spot across from the entrance, is light up a cigarette! Her sleek candy purple late model sedan is reminiscent of muscle cars from the 70s. She probably used to be a looker as she's still tall and leggy, but now bloated in middle (?) age and her shoulder-length blondish-gray hair falls over her puffy, wrinkled face. Wow, what a winner.

Yep, THAT Friday

The school district two towns over shut down after reports that a student's relative had symptoms akin to the novel coronavirus. I know that a few gym regulars hail from that town. One of them is a school bus driver. Is it just me, or am I right to be upset that she's shown up for BodyPump class today because school's been canceled? I confront her as nicely as I can after class is over. She confirms that it's a HS student, and her son attends that school and yes, she drives for the same. So, not only can she potentially become a transmitter through her son, but also as a school bus driver.

While tests have not confirmed COVID-19 yet, I'm really annoyed with this woman for not only potentially spreading the virus, but also putting gym members at risk since many are elderly. Half the group classes are attended by people over the age of 60. Apparently, "social isolation" doesn't mean anything to her unless she actually tests positive for the virus. But because a person can be asymptomatic for 5 or more days before showing signs of illness, it'll be too late. She's young and healthy. She may not show signs at all. I'm pissed. I think she's being cavalier and selfish. But maybe that's just me because I'm the person who drives down the lane in an empty parking lot instead of recklessly cutting across.

On the other hand, my husband went to Boston yesterday and will be back today. While all the universities and schools have shuttered their doors and sent students home, the airports remain busy. I'm hoping my husband hasn't had contact with any asymptomatic viral carriers. As I write this, I get a text from my son and a simultaneous email from the school: schools in our area will be closed on Monday and Tuesday for planning and deep cleaning of buses and facilities. The exceptionally warm winter means the district can use banked snow days and students can do their classwork online. Thank goodness our district upgraded their tech abilities so that all students can have online access via school-provided Chromebooks. But I'm still planning to go exercise, just maybe not quite as early? Unless my son needs to be in his online class at 7:20 am... 

Meanwhile, I go to the gym as usual, and have very little to do with anyone there, as usual. The old guys that normally huddle on the stationary bikes aren't here today. Fridays are generally quiet days and worse when there's fog and rain. It's also Friday the 13th. My legs have been slightly sore all week. I decide to mix things up today and do three sets of hammer grip pullups. I also give myself time to recover aerobically between the elliptical and the StepMill. In the Aerobic Room, the gym owner is stacking smaller white speakers atop the big old black ones affixed to every corner. It'll be even louder now! Core is easy. Pushups are easy. And while pullups aren't as easy as I'd like, they're easy enough to knock out reps.

My hammertoes and other body parts complain during Walking Lunges. The fewer steps, the longer my stride. I try not to touch my knee to the floor because they're already spotty with bruises from doing Bicycle Crunches during Core. At the Seated Leg Curl, I position the cross-pad in the same notch but it feels a bit snug. I wonder if my thighs are getting bigger?! Am I getting fatter, or is it actually muscle? I don't know. I am heavier than I'd like to be. (The hammertoes complain even more now and I suspect it's because I'm wearing my Ariat FatBaby boots again.) I watch a new regular, Little Red, walk laps around the gym between sets of something in the free weight area. He's a short muscular man with some arm tats and a flaming red beard worthy of a Viking. I saw MilkWhite earlier. And Polish Girl.

After my last set of pullups (which surprised me that I could pull this off because I haven't done three sets in one workout in a long time), I attempt to do a Pistol Squat. Without falling on my face or my butt. Going down on the right leg is easier than dropping down on the left, especially when the extended right front quad clenches in a mock spasm. It passes. I stand up, bend my knee and shake it out. Then I try again. Each time it's a bit easier. The 3rd rep is the best. But my legs are tired so I stop before I actually do fall on my face or butt. I remember being able to do 6 to 8 in succession not that many years ago. But hey, I'm turning 60 tomorrow, so I think I'm doing pretty good.

Friday 13th Cardio + Legs

30 min elliptical + 5cd
Program 1
Miles 2.94
Calories 331
HR 146-207 (100, 83, 96)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 23

Elbow Plank 60s
Crunches 60
Sideway Scissors 60
Crunches 60
Bicycles 60
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
PushUps 25

20 Step Mill
Level 4
Calories 128
Total steps 841
Floors 52
HR 116

HGPU 24

Walking Lunges
29+28= 57

1-Leg Seated Leg Curls
(Hammertoes cramping)
15lbs x 12
30 x 12
35 x 12
40 x 12

HGPU 25

Pistol Squats
3 each leg

Mat Stretch

Filthy Old Men

Our county has not reported any cases of the coronavirus so far. The school threat turned out to be a hoax perpetrated by a student hoping for a reprieve from classes. Still, the supermarket sold out of hand sanitizer within an hour. I missed my opportunity this morning so I'll have to check back tomorrow. Meanwhile, people seem to have forgotten about the protocols recently put in place. Or, should I say, the middle-aged and old men have. I'm not surprised that it's them, probably the most susceptible to catching disease and dying, and yet they've completely forgotten basics like wiping down their stations.

I have always wiped down the cardio machines before AND after I use them because I don't trust the previous user to do so. Today, while I'm doing Intervals on the elliptical, I see several regulars on the stationary bikes in front of me. One has a paper towel over his screen. When he's done exercising, he takes the paper towel and wraps it around his water bottle instead of wiping down the handlebars. I can see grody handprints on the shiny chrome parts. Another fellow comes by to chat with the old man in front of me. He leans all over the recently vacated bike, and finally, he climbs on and pedals for a few minutes. He never wipes down before or after.

I don't even trust these people to wash their hands after leaving the toilet. You'd think Boomers would be more conscientious, but I've found that they're just as susceptible to the "Rules are for Everyone Else Except Me" belief system. I do see one middle-aged, overweight man methodically wipe down the handles on the treadmill. He's new. He probably has glaring health issues and needs to lose weight. At least he's being cautious, and considerate.

I plan to work delts again and realize that I need a suitable warmup. So instead of doing the dreaded Side Planks, I do pushups again. Today they're easier. It's not as thorough as doing the T, Y & I raises, but also not as tedious and time-consuming. I get to use the small adjustable bench for Reverse Inclined Flyes so I'm happy. A lot of different women appear in the free weight area. I only recognize B and one of the Polish girls. If they're young and blonde, the chances are good that they speak with a Polish accent if they speak English at all!

I see CF Dad doing dumbbell work. He's been here sporadically over the years.  The Anorexia Queen is crouched down to do some uncharacteristically shallow pushups, but she is next to the Assisted PullUp machine. People also do Assisted Dips on that contraption so perhaps her arms are just too tired? She's filled out a bit and has great glutes and quads, sometimes showing off by doing handstand pushups against the wall, or talking about water skiing on holiday.

I'm sure the coronavirus scare has put a damper on gym classes. The locker room isn't as crowded this week. The stores are fairly quiet as well. The Scouting organization is trying to discourage troop meetings for this month, but none of us understand why it'd be okay to resume activity in April. We still plan to continue our regularly scheduled events where possible. And I'm still dosing myself with black elderberry syrup. Because it's still flu and cold season. And flu has killed more people than coronavirus worldwide.

Cardio Plus Delts Thursday

30 min elliptical + 5cd
Program Intervals
Miles 2.85
Calories 311
HR 137-198 (100, 95)

20 Step Mill
Level 4
Calories 127
Total steps 828
Floors 51
HR 130

Cage Stretch

Elbow Plank 60s
Crunches 60
Sideway Scissors 60
Crunches 60
Bicycles 60
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
PushUps 25 (shoulder warmup)

DB Laterals s/s Rev Inclined Flys
20 lbs x 12/20 reps x 3 sets
20/25 lbs x 12/20 x 2, 12/25 x 1

Mat Stretch

The Pan in Pandemic is for Panic

Now that temps are warming up, the hope is that the coronavirus panic will dissipate. Statistically, flu and cold viruses tend not to do well during the summer months because they thrive and are more transmissible in cold, dry air. There's a chance the coronavirus will also succumb to heat and moisture. Meanwhile, stores have begun to announce a quantity limit to consumer purchases of hand sanitizer, bleach disinfectant, rubbing alcohol, aloe vera gel, and toilet paper. I wished they'd thought of that earlier, before their shelves were laid bare by panicked shoppers.

The gym has big tubs of disinfectant wipes at either end of the cardio platform. They're more convenient and seem to last longer than the paper towel dispensers and spray bottles of bleach solution. Of course, if you try to order one online, you'll find that they're on backorder until next month. That means by the time you get your doomsday supplies, the pandemic will be over. Or so we all hope.

Out of an abundance of caution, our Scout district closed the two local Scout camps, which makes no sense. Now we have to reschedule our tent camping event, necessary for rank advancement for some of the boys. Rumors of our school closing tomorrow have been found wanting. A local student rock band is still slated to perform at the HS for the next three nights. Ten dollars at the door. The gym not as crowded as it would be normally mid-week, but then again, it's sunny outside and runners will hit the bike trails instead. Or everyone's in a panic and plan to shelter in place until it all blows over. Whenever that will be...

While I'm on the elliptical, I watch a senior regular wipe down his stationary bike. That's probably the first time I've ever seen him do that. It also seems as if he's never cleaned anything before because he only brushes the wet towel against the top of everything. Handlebars are circular: you have to wipe all the way around, not just the top. Jeeze, I'll bet his wife does the dishes and the laundry in his house. 

There are already two women in the Aerobic Room by the time I walk in to do my Core exercises: Floppy Girl with her 5 lb plates, and a different woman doing an assortment of exercises she's written down on a notepad. The only time I pay any attention to the latter is when she crouches down on her knees to do pushups. She manages to drop maybe an inch, which is to say, not very far. She does three. I want to tell her to try wall pushups, and to lean all the way into it for the stretch. Because I don't think what she's doing is going to help with anything. But I don't say anything. Because maybe she's got injuries or joint issues? I'm not a trainer, and I'm not going to pretend to play one on TV. Then, I drop and knock out 26 pushups before I leave the room.

My right forearm is a bit sore after pullups so I nix the idea of doing another set later. I find myself massaging the tendons between sets at the Seated Cable Row. Not good. I also realize that I really need two days to recover from my DB superset workout. That means not doing them until tomorrow. Today I'll focus on just pulling motions (Back & Bi's) although I don't do any specific bicep work. Because biceps get worked in every pulling exercise!

Too close to the mirror!

In the end, I give in and do Smith RDLs but so much lighter at 100 lbs that I manage 20 reps per set. It's virtually aerobic at this point. The backs of my thighs are surprisingly stiff from yesterday's Intervals session. I guess I'll do that again. I look over at the MaxRack, wondering why there are no plates on the rack itself. Then I realize that the dodos who moved the rack (to put up the aluminum sheeting along the base of the wall) pushed the rack back too far. There's no room for the diameter of plates! Yep, dodos.

Wednesday Pull Day

30 + 5 cd elliptical
Program 3
Miles 2.92
Calories 328
HR 152-198 (100, 96, 86)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 23

Elbow Plank 60s
Crunches 60/60
Bicycles 60
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
PushUps 25

Seated Cable Rows
70 x 12
77.5 x 12
85 x 12
92.5 x 12

Smith RG BB Row
Bar (30) x 15
80 lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

Smith RDLs (light)
80 x 20, 20, 20

Mat Stretch