After the Rain

I hadn't planned to do Inclined Presses today even though it's the first time I've been to the gym in four days. And it rained miserably those four days with temps hovering in the mid-40s. Not conducive to any sort of garden cleanup or even cleaning out my car since it sits in the unsheltered driveway. Dogs did not go to the park either and got cabin fever. Yesterday was their first day to romp after being cooped up and they were delirious. To the point of one of them catching (but not killing) a baby squirrel and proudly displaying the shrieking rodent to three other intensely interested pups. 

To spare the wee thing from being torn to shreds in a canine game of tug o'war, I grabbed my dog by his harness (that's why it has a handle) and kept him from scooping the squirrel back up once he'd dropped it to the ground. The other dog owners kept their pups at bay while we put the kit back under the tree we think it came from. But mama squirrel never came back for her baby and fearful that it wouldn't survive alone in the Bark Park, it finally got taken home and then to a wildlife rehab center. Whew! 

Today there's hardly anyone at the dog park. I get to the gym and nod at an old guy I haven't seen all year: SnowBird. He must be back from Florida. Yep, the regulars are trickling back in but it's not crowded and I'm glad. In the cool Aerobics Room, I note how flushed my face is. It always gets pink like that when I get hot. Sometimes I feel like a model for the propaganda posters for the communist Chinese back in the 70s and 80s. Just give me pigtails and a little red book. Kidding! Some people think that my natural coloring is actually applied makeup. Weird, right? 

After cardio and core, I have a mind to do Seated Cable Rows but the handle I want is affixed to the Lat Pull Down station where there are a couple of HS boys goofing around. However, the Smith is free and the big adjustable bench is nearby. I haven't done Inclined Presses in several weeks so I'm worried about how it'll affect my shoulder and sciatica. The big bench is definitely easier on my sciatica because it has a footrest. It's the little things that "makes or breaks" this well-worn body. 

Just as well that I don't do any pull-ups. I should probably cut back on my push-ups too since they might contribute to a higher than advisable IOP (internal eyeball pressure). The shoulder feels okay as I cautiously press with ever slightly heavier weights. It's actually my IOPs that I worry about because with just 50 lbs on the bar, I can feel myself start to hold my breath to press up. Not good. So 50 on the bar is my max because sight is more important. 

Tomorrow I'll do Seated Cable Rows and a few pull-ups... I'd like to get some yard work done but all the things I can handle are either manual or electric. As in electric weedeater and electric hedge trimmer. And electricity and rain don't mix. There's rain in the forecast for the coming weekend too. Manual trimmers and loppers work in any weather but they make my hands really sore. And I have no hope that they'll get any bigger or more muscular. They're just bony little hands...  

1 June 2021
Post-Holiday Tuesday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 2
HR 91, 149-189
Cal 323
Distance 2.89

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 50
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

Smith Incl Bench
Bar (30) x 20 reps
+20 x 15
+30 x 15
+40 x 15
+50 x 12
+30 x 20