Back to the Iron

I've resigned myself to not being able to lift heavy weights not just because it will raise my eye pressures (bad for glaucoma) but also because of that pesky arthritic lower spine which is probably the cause of my sciatica. Or I could have an injured disc. Movement is good for arthritis: I always feel better after trudging through the dog park and especially after doing cardio at the gym. It's all the other things I do or try to do that aren't so helpful and it takes a bit of time to figure out what's good and what's not so good.

The sciatica, always present but not screamingly so, doesn't interfere with doing Program 2 (the hardest of the 3 fitness programs on the Precor). Thirty minutes is broken into quarter periods with 7.5 minutes forward, the next 7.5 minutes backward, then forward, then backward. Finally, the last 5 minutes is forward. I'm wearing my new white NB sneakers with the old gray insoles. I still haven't figured out what to replace the older pink insoles: wearing the same insoles in both shoes defeats the purpose of having two pairs of shoes. 

I've modified my approach to the Dead Bug exercise by replacing two feet down/arms up with another set of alternating arm/foot. There's too much stress on the lower back with the two feet down movement and anything that stresses that area seems to aggravate the sciatic nerves. Out of all the core exercises and stretches I do in the Aerobics Room, Bird Dogs are the ones that offer the best relief. The Pigeon pose is definitely the one that causes my glutes to ache. 

I'm not really sure what's next as I leave the Aerobics Room, but when I see that the Smith machine is available, Inclined Press pops into my head. It's nearly 2 pm and teenage boys are wandering in with their friends. I haven't done Presses in several weeks so I'm not sure what to expect, but push-ups have always been a decent warmup. Still, just to be safe, I do a set with just the bar even though the bar alone barely weighs anything with the counterweight in the track. 

I feel pretty good and there's an empty bench across from the solid BB rack. Okay, Rip Skulls are back on the menu, but only 30 lbs. With each movement, I'm careful to use the left leg to stabilize even though my natural inclination is to use the stronger right leg. That always aggravates sciatica in that leg. The left leg isn't quite as sensitive although, when it flares up, it's akin to having shingles (which, by the way, was also in my left leg). 

I leave the gym feeling good even though it's been raining and dreary all day. On a plus note, I did see a lot of robins flitting about this morning. It's hard to remember that it's still March when temps are in the low 60s. I hope this summer's not going to be scorching... 

24 March 2021
Rainy Wednesday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 2
HR n/a
Cal 323
Distance 2.89

Crunches x 20 x 6
Piriformis Stretch
Happy Baby stretch
10 Dead Bugs x 4
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 50
Mat stretch w Pigeon pose

Smith Inclined Press
Bar (30 lbs) x 20
+20 x 20
+30 x 20
+40 x 20
+50 x 15

Rip Skulls (light)
30lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets