April Fools Workout

It's April Fools' Day but no one is pulling pranks. People are stressed and aggravated. I go to the CVS to pick up glaucoma drops I had already ordered yesterday. Each time I go to the store, I have to wait in line for 10-15 minutes, moving from designated Xs taped to the carpet to the next, like we're real-life Parcheesi pieces. Today, when I get to the counter, I'm told she'll expedite the order and for me to wait in my car for the next 30 minutes. I did that yesterday and told the counter person I'd come back today. Obviously, we had different ideas as to what that would accomplish. I thought that my order would be ready today. Instead, they just didn't process it because I wasn't coming back until today. Ugh.

After running around all day, I note that some stores have their employees gloved and masked behind protective plastic counter shields, and other stores have nothing but signage suggesting customers keep 6 feet apart. I wear fleece winter gloves that I can toss into the wash as soon as I get home but no face mask.

It's a bright sunny day and the thermometer reads 60F, but only in direct sunlight. Otherwise, it's 50F. And less than that inside the garage. I wear actual gym clothes today to work out. On the elliptical, I get warm enough to strip off my gloves and jacket although I keep my hoodie on most of the time. I'm pedaling hard enough so that my lungs hurt a little. But my heart rate peaks at 140, which isn't bad at all. Maybe it's a defect of the HR monitor?

I do all my routine moves including hammer grip pullups and pushups. I'm stuck at 16 reps for the former and much better with widely angled arms for the latter. I try the Power Straps again for a form of inverted rows, allowing my feet to slide until I'm literally right below the bands. I have less success trying to video this since the angle of activity is much greater than my puny iPhone 6+ can accommodate. I swap the 2.5 lb plates for 5 lb plates on the EZ Curl bar to do Rip Skulls and RG BB Curls.

Surprisingly, what cuts my sets short during Rip Skulls is the pressure of my bony shoulders against a poorly padded bench as I rotate my arms overhead. I've never felt this discomfort at the gym! The benches there are newer and in better shape. No problems doing RG curls though. I'm starting to cool off so I don't stretch before I leave the chill of the garage.

It's been almost 7 months since I stepped on my home scale. I admit that since I last went to my gym over 2 weeks ago (Monday, March 16), I was worried about getting fat and weak, but not enough to curb my appetite. Of course, on the days I do work out in the garage, any hunger I started out with dissipates. I really need to work out more! The scale told me that I'd put on maybe a pound and a half. No surprise there. But it said my body fat was 16% and muscle mass 39.3. I was actually a little heavier last August, with a BF of 16.8 and MM of 36.1. Weird, right? Of course, these home scales are notoriously inaccurate. Still, it makes me feel better about myself.

Wednesday Home workout

Vision elliptical

Program: manual

35 min

Miles: 3.09

Calories: 286

HR 74-140

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 16

Bodyweight squats 25

Strap Inverted Row 2, 6, 12, 12

Lunges 25

EZ Bar +10 (25) Rip Skulls 12 x 2

EZ Bar (25) RG BB Curl 25 x 2