Change is Good

I had trouble getting out of the house this morning but eventually arrived at the gym an hour later than usual. Which meant I didn't have time for everything if I wanted to get the pups to the Bark Park while there was a chance to play with friends. Between 10 and 11:30 is the optimal time during the week so I have to hustle.

As chance would have it, elliptical #2 is occupied so I don't want to use #1 (too close) and I really don't like #3 or #4 very much. However, the stair machines are both vacant and it's been a while, so I give myself 20 minutes there. While I don't burn as many calories nor work up as big a sweat, I do get a good cardio workout and playing with my stepping routine means my hips are looser. I can definitely feel the difference when I stretch out in the Aerobics Room! I also notice that in my bid to keep my neck straight and my head up while doing push-ups, I worry about not going deep enough but inadvertently find my quads tapping the floor. (Well, at least it's not my belly.) I do have big legs and not a big chest. 

Today, the one-leg hip thrusts are felt primarily in the quad of the extended leg, quite different from the last time when all the stress was in the anchored bent leg. I credit my antics on the StepMill today. And I admit that 20 minutes wasn't all that bad so maybe I'll extend the time by another 5 or 10. But tomorrow I plan to get to gym earlier because the free weight area seemed like a circus today with everyone out of school. Too crowded for my liking. 

Crowds make the next several weeks problematic since I'll be dropping my kid off at his summer camp job at 8:15. Unlikely I'd be able to hit the gym earlier and make it home in time, and I don't want to bring the pups to the park too early when no one will be there to play with. Which means hitting the gym around 8:30 and dealing with the crowd. Ugh. I'm also wondering where I'm going to do my core exercises and stretching since there's a class in the Aerobics room at 9:30 and the instructors starts setting up around 9:15. The other spaces that were used for stretching pre-pandemic are filled with equipment now. Aarg.

I cut 15 minutes off my cardio workout so after doing core and stretches I have a choice of doing more cardio, or pushing a few weights. I opt to do some tricep exercises because it's been over a week. There are two breaker benches on the other side of the free weight area so less foot traffic, less ambient chatting. Because I'm wearing AirPods just for laying on my back with my braid unclipped, and they don't work nearly as well as my wired earbuds for keeping stray conversations out of my tunes. Skull Crushers and Rip Skulls feel okay but I won't know until tomorrow when I'm either sore or not.

23 June 2022
Rainy Late Thursday

Matrix StepMill (R)
Manual 20 min
Speed 6 (52-55)
Steps 1078
Floors 67
Cal 158
Hr 136

Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
(10 one leg hip thrust)
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
Pull-apart band 25
Gentle upper body stretch
Eye yoga x 3

Skull Crushers / Rip Skulls
30 lbs x 12 reps each x 2
32.5 x 12 x 4