Counterintuitive

I made it to the gym on the last day of 2021. It's New Year's Eve and the gym is open until 5 today, and actually open tomorrow for limited hours, just in case someone needs to get their new resolution solidified. Because I'm at the gym early, it's not too crowded. Lazy Pedals is on the treadmill (no slouching on that console) but another overweight middle-aged man is pedaling on the first elliptical. I've got the second one but it runs well without clomping so I'm not unhappy. Although I make decent mileage, I'm a little low on the steps. I'm not really sure how one can make 7,000 steps in 30 minutes (see the NYT article here) when I'm pedaling hard for 35 and never getting past 5500.

Still sweaty and breathing hard, I'm happy to make decent reps for pull-ups. Even push-ups feel easier today, which is odd considering how exhausting the Intervals program is, and the fact I got less than the optimal amount of sleep last night. Even more surprising is that I'm able to get one more rep for the second set of pull-ups, and they didn't feel all that hard until they were too hard to do at all. I've done more reps in a set but no point in dwelling on past glories. 

My delts are slightly sore today and that's reassuring. My sciatica is chronic and aches all the time, except when I'm pedaling. My middle back twinges sporadically and today the left knee and hip threaten to assail me with niggling complaints. Bird Dogs are the only "stretch" that makes the sciatic pain feel better so should I do them more often each day?

Because the pull-ups were satisfying, I only do Rip Skulls for triceps. No need to stress the elbows with questionable bicep curls. The Chatty Posse has carelessly left water bottle, towel and spray cleaner on the Breaker Bench I'd like to use for Rip Skulls. Ugh. I'm so adverse to interacting with these fools that I walk past to an unoccupied flat bench in the DB area instead. No one uses that Breaker Bench and eventually the idiot remembers to take his bottles and towel with him. Done for the year! 

It's 49F and overcast but dogs need their Bark Park time so I hurry to shower and change. Next week promises actual wintry weather with temps in the 30s. Well, at least getting up in the dark won't be such a shock when school starts again.

31 December 2021

Friday New Year's Eve & Sciatica

Precor elliptical

Program Intervals

Time: 30 min + 5 min cd (5328)

Distance: 2.87

Cal: 321

HR: n/a

HGPU 15

Crunches 60

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

60 Dead Bugs

Elbow Plank 60s

Quick Child’s Pose

Cat stretch 12x

Fire Hydrants 25 x 2

Bird Dogs 60s x 2

Child’s Pose

Push-Ups 25

Air Squats 25

Mild Mat stretch w 3 Eye Yoga

HGPU 16

RipSkulls

30 lbs x 15 reps x 3 sets