End of the Week

I actually didn't make it to the gym yesterday. Instead, I spent hours online looking for a display case for all my son's Cub Scout items, and his Arrow of Light. He's the type of kid who never really makes much of a fuss about anything so I never quite know if something is important to him or not. Several of this year's teachers have had the kids make projects about themselves to give the teachers a better idea as to who they are. It's probably because my son and most of his friends are in the "looping" program which means they get to keep the same teachers from 7th to 8th grade. These teachers appear to be extremely enthusiastic (unlike a few of last year's crop). 

So I was surprised when my son asked how he could represent his Arrow of Light without actually bringing it to class. He had included it as one of his Life Changing events. Secretly, I'm proud of that in him. But it also means I should gather all the patches and pins he's accumulated, and put them into a display for his bedroom wall. I find something suitable, but not from Amazon. Instead, I can purchase it on Etsy, and I do. And then, because they've rewarded me with $15, but in $5 increments toward 3 separate orders, I spend an hour looking for items my son might like for Christmas. Because I hate having coupons (that are actually worth a substantial amount of money) expire.

My son shows me a rash he's developed under his pants and I'm horrified enough to set up an appointment with a pediatrician immediately after school. He tells me they're bug bites. Not like any I've ever seen! The dermatologist isn't open on Fridays. (Later he's diagnosed with impetigo, a skin infection that can be attributed to staph or strep, and easily treated with antibiotic ointment. Ugh.) Which means I don't have a lot of time this morning. I go to the gym, but I'm not in the mood to whack the machine. Shocking! And I'm also not feeling like it's a Cardio Day, mostly because I woke up with my pinky toe throbbing for no good reason.

Instead, I do cardio on the elliptical, and then proceed with my 2nd Push Day of the Week. It's a light workout, at least for the Inclined Benching. When I see Gym Owner, I mention the sticky tract on the Smith and he tells me he's on it. Later, he tells me he's fixed the Smith. That's cool.

At the gym, I see a few regulars and some new middle age guys. There is one man who comes fairly regularly around lunch time, and I'm worried that he's trying to catch my eye. Ugh. It's not that I don't like having guys around, it's just that I'm not terribly interested in talking to them. Or specifically, I'm just not interested in talking. (And if they're not nice to look at, well, what's the point? Seriously.)

I move from the DB area to a breaker bench and drop my hoodie on it. I'm setting up for Rip Skulls and I see a new old guy strut around the cable stations. Sorry, I have no respect for guys who wear lifting belts for every exercise. It's like they're using it as a girdle to keep their tums from flopping out. This guy in the red shirt has a decent physique. Maybe he worked out in his younger days. He sees me grab the 40 lb BB and drop it on the bench. Probably thinks I'm going to bench this, like I've seen some girls do. He's smiling to himself. Except I'm not benching this. I've got my dead man's grip on the bar, then bend the elbow so the bar comes close to the forehead, then extend the arms so the barbell drops down behind the head. Use one long powerful motion to sweep the barbell back up and over. Repeat 11 more times. The smile is gone from Red Shirt's face. He seems uncomfortable. I smirk to myself. Two more sets and I'm done.

Today is my wedding anniversary. Been married for 16 years. We've known each other for 20. Seems like forever. Except for a whole 'nother life we've both had before. I'd almost forgotten except a friend sent me a card today, and I was like, Oh yeah... And yesterday I'd made online reservations for 3 for a local steakhouse. I'm looking forward to a glass of pinot noir.

Friday
Quick Push

35 elliptical
Program 3
Miles 2.99
Calories 339
Average Heart Rate 152

HGPU 26
Push Ups 50

Smith Inclined Bench
Bar (30) x 13
50 x 12
70 x 12
80 x 12

BB Front Raises s/s Upright Rows
20lbs x 15/15reps x 3 sets

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 3sets

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12reps x 3sets

Is the Day Longer Yet?

It almost reached 40°F today, but that wasn't warm enough to do anything about the snow and ice on our front lawn. I wear gloves when I drive because the steering wheel is painfully cold. My new used Subie does have heated seats though, a luxury I didn't realize the car came with until just a few months ago. I'm enjoying that feature immensely.

This is an XL sports bra!

I'm at the gym slightly earlier and it's crowded, steamy and loud. Ugh. Today is my 2nd Push Day this week. I did toy with the idea of just doing cardio, and using tomorrow as a Left Overs Day, but since I rarely work out 5 days straight anymore, I figure I'd see how I hold up. I'd probably make better gains if I kept up this routine, but I'm not all that sure I want to get bigger. Already, my favorite fleece pajamas top feels tight in the shoulders. I'm a small person. It's not like I can just buy a bigger size when nothing else has changed! I'm already worrying about where I'm going to find sports bras to fit me since the XLs are getting a bit tight. And I'm not all that big! What the hell do the big gals do?! Or do they even worry about it?

The gym scale reads 110.8 lbs for the 4th day in a row. Well, that's never happened before. I can only surmise that either the scale is broken, or my body is stubbornly in stasis. Okay, I admit I'm not dieting or doing anything restrictive. I'm even enjoying a beer or hard cider every now and then. So at least my weight's not going up, right? 

I'm dragging a bit on my favorite cross-trainer. I muscle through the pull ups. Push ups aren't a problem, and neither are crunches or planks. The Smith seems to have been cleaned or greased! The bar glides up and down effortlessly now, so I'm very happy. My shoulder twinges and I skip the max weight for Inclined Presses. There's no reason to risk injury. However, I can handle the three super sets for DB lateral raises and Reverse Inclined DB Flyes. A bearded fellow who resembles Conor MacGregor (the UFC lightweight champ) is benching on the Inclined Breaker Bench behind me. Well, this guy might be shorter and a tad wider. Like a bull. Later, I see him doing bicep curls, moving both big-ass DBs up simultaneously. Yep, he's a bull...

I don't bother with the lighter weights for Rip Skulls. Why waste time and energy? I know I can handle 40 lbs so that's what I use. I might be able to get a few reps at 45, but not without risking my left elbow. Well, it also twinges after a hard set of pull ups. I blow off Tricep Cable Press Downs because they don't really benefit me. Then off to the elliptical for another 30 minutes. I'm still cruising to Billy Idol because I don't mind listening to the same album several times over. Finally, there's that last set of pull ups to do. I see HoodieBoy at one of the machines, although I'm still not sure what gender. Later, when I stretch out on the big blue mats, HoodieBoy ventures over to use the adjacent Hanging Leg Raises station. He's short, like me, but not as short. The other HS boys tower over him. I can finally tell he's a boy, not because I can see his face, but because his calves are hairy. No girl would ever come here and bare such furry legs! I hope he persists with the pull ups. Eventually there'll be something awesome under that hoodie.

The parking lot is emptier than it was this morning when it looked like someone must be giving free money away it was so crowded. The supermarket is only half as crowded as expected, but some shelves have been wiped clean. Like the bin for parsnips! WTH? I can't imagine they're that popular, but maybe that's the point. Whatever the store had has been sold. Bummer...

My hubs tells me that his office is closed tomorrow, although my son still has school. A no-learning day though... So my hubs and I will go to the gym together tomorrow. And we'll do our own thing. Maybe there'll be parsnips at the grocery? I'm planning on making a pot roast for the weekend. It's a dish I've never made before. Tonight I've got a corned beef baking in the oven, slathered in honey mustard. It's a corned beef from last March, when they went on sale. Hopefully it'll taste good.

Thursday Workout
6.24 miles total cardio

30 min x-trainer
Calories 148
Miles 3.63
Average Speed 7.26
Average Pace 8:15

HGPU 31
Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 100
Crunches 3 x 50
Bird Dog 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

Smith Incline Bench 60
Bar x 15
12 x 50, 70, 80
25 reps x 60

DB Lat s/s Rev Incl Flyers
25 lbs x 12/15 x 3

Rip Skulls
40 lbs x 12 x 3

30 min elliptical
Program 3
Calories 297
Miles 2.61

HGPU 31

Fighting Through Lethargy

Honeysuckles in the privet hedges

Tiny seed pearl spray dot the privet hedges and a light floral scent emanates from the star-shaped blossoms. Then a morning breeze shakes the lazy honeysuckles entwined throughout. Their heady fragrance means the best part of summer is here. It's a good thing I exercise inside a gym, otherwise I'd never get anything done, spend all my time sniffing the flora and watching the fauna. Last night I caught sight of frenetic hopping inside our lightly fenced raised bed garden. It was a bunny, about the size of a robin. It'd managed to make a hole in our nylon deer fencing and squeeze through. Before I could get the gate open, it'd found the hole and hopped off like a frantic Peter Rabbit. Now while bunnies are cute, they're also pests and I've got too much invested in my dwarf snow peas to allow hungry rodents pea leaf dinners. (Never mind the chipmunks I find lounging in the bird feeder filled with black oil sunflower seeds.) My husband buys a roll of chicken coop wire and attaches that to the fencing, so hopefully Peter Rabbit will find his meals elsewhere.

Today my legs are a lot stiffer and I'm hoping that my cardio warm up will loosen things up. The only Precor available is #3 which is the smoothest one, but also has a tad more resistance to the peddles. No matter. I punch in Intervals # 7 and peddle away. Because I manage more than 4 miles, I'm happy. It's not my best overall, but it was the best I could do today. The Smith is free so I adjust the bench and the bar. I'm tired and I need to adjust my workout as well. It's been a long time since I did high reps so I knock out 25 reps with 95 lbs. It feels pretty good. I knock out another 25 reps at 115 lbs. I know I don't want to bench heavy today so now I'm wondering what to do next. I add a pair of tens reflexively just to see how many reps I can get. Only 12. I'm disappointed but not horribly surprised.

I drop back down to 115 lbs and can only knock out 20 reps this time. But 95 lbs seems light and I can again press out 25 reps. Done! Yeah, if only. Next week I'll have my son with me at the gym 2 days a week for 5 weeks so I'll need to create a different workout plan with abbreviated days. Meanwhile, I try to make the most of the "unlimited" time I have today.

Today's Push Day:
35 min cardio Intervals #7 = 4.16 miles Yay!
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 25 @ 95 lbs / 25 @ 115 / 12 @ 135 / 20 @  115 / 25 @ 95
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Bent Over Rear DB Raises: 6 x 15 @ 25 lbs
The 25s always feel heavy in my hands but not so much so when I raise them for Rear Delts. This gives me hope that I can use them for the Lateral Raises.
Standing Lateral DB Raises: 6 x 12 @ 25 lbs
I have to cheat a little to get them up but in general the movement feels pretty good. I don't dare use the 25s with the tricep movement because they're too heavy for my tiny (5.25" circumference) wrists to handle.
One-Arm Tricep Extensions: 20, 15, 15 reps @ 20 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Ab Crunch Station (again): 100
DB Kickbacks: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
I'm so tired that I momentarily rest standing there with my head on the bench. It's not like me at all because I usually try to keep the momentum going by pacing or dancing around to my iPod.
Mat Stretch: the splits are stiff but not as bad as I feared. It feels good to just plop down like a rag doll with my head on my shins but no doubt it looks pretty weird. 

When I leave the Mat area I see Ranger Rick, Nixon, Ollie, R and a few other regulars in the free weight area. It looks pretty sparse in there. I feel as if some of them expect me to come over and chat with them, but I don't. What would I say to them anyway? I'm too tired to think about it. The only thing I want to do is stand in a hot shower. I've purchased replacement yoga pants but of course, it needs to have 6 inches lopped off the bottom so I don't trip. I like the Marika brand Balance collection even if I do wear a size M in their stuff. At least it's mostly cotton and shouldn't retain odors the way the completely synthetic pants do.

Need a haircut again!

The gym scale reads 109.6 lbs which is okay. My home scale tells me 107.4 lbs and I'm good with that. What I'm not happy with is that my right bicep seems to be declining. I thought it was just a bad photo, but my injured left elbow has a much nicer bicep (with the faint hint of that coveted bicep split) than the lesser injured right side. Hmmm. I can't decide whether I need to increase exercise for the right side or if it's overworked from babying the left side and needs a break. Maybe I won't even do biceps tomorrow. How radical would that be?! I'm so tired I could get good with that. Of course, I'd still have to do forearms... Maybe I won't even do abs! Whoa! Well, I took my measurements today and I'm still built like a fireplug so not doing abs for 3 whole days (Fri, Sat, Sun) probably won't have much effect. I'm good with that!

The Body is Stronger Than You Think

I woke up hungry again this morning, in spite of a tasty dinner of poached wild-caught salmon, rice and sautéed spinach in butter. I even ate dark chocolate spiked with chili peppers for dessert. Having purchased another carton of eggs this week, I proceeded to add one to my oatmeal this morning, along with fresh-frozen blueberries (you can get fresh pints fairly cheap at the supermarket), a dash of salt, spoon of raw sugar and water. The egg gives the oatmeal a light and fluffy texture, which is a delightful change of pace. Gotta keep things fresh!

The impending storm is wreaking havoc with the air pressure and humidity, and my sinuses and equilibrium as well. I feel as if I'm teetering on the verge of a vertigo attack, and it's not very pleasant. When I dip my head to rinse toothpaste out of my mouth, I hold on to the sink to make sure I don't fall over sideways. Still, after my son is safely aboard the school bus, I drive off to the gym. Sticking to my routine isn't all that hard, as long as I ignore the tiny voice that tells me sleeping in can be therapeutic. Plenty of time to sleep in now that weekend classes are over! Stiff and sore legs remind me that yesterday was Leg Day. It takes me about 6 minutes of brisk peddling (175-180 SPM) before my body warms and loosens. I punch in Interval #7 because I can deal with 2 minutes segments right now. Intervals #8 is definitely the harder program in my opinion. Again, I don't catch my second wind until the last few minutes of Cool Down, but I manage to make a good show and I'm happy with my mileage. Now I'm ready to go lift some weights!

While I'm benching B comes over. She accuses me of not looking up at her on the Stair Climber when I'm lying on the bench. Good grief. I tell her that I'm lucky I don't bump into people because I have such tunnel-vision when I work out that I really don't see people. That's nicer than telling her that I don't really want to interrupt my workouts for a lot of chatter. She proceeds to catch me up on the latest developments in her garden. She's now hand feeding the wild chipmunks who come to her bird feeder. By the time she leaves, I'ml cold. I have two more heavy sets to do and then two drop sets. The first heavy set feels awkward, but improves on my next attempt. Perhaps because I'm warmer. The drop set of 12 reps is easy, but the real test is the final set.

Yay horseshoe!

Lately I've not been able to do a complete straight set of 25 reps. Today I'm determined to do it properly. Although I have to pause momentarily at reps 20, 22 and then for each subsequent rep until I hit 25, I don't actually set the bar down, and this feels like an accomplishment. Someone is peering at me from the Stair Climber on the raised cardio station adjacent to the Smith machine. It's odd to watch someone watch you to see if you're actually going to finish.

When I get to the Cage Stretch, Old Florida is using it to hang and stretch. I don't like to rush anyone so I hang back and wait my turn, stretching my hamstrings doing a few slow lunges and then some slow toe touches. Except that I can put my elbows to the ground. After OF leaves, I stretch and kick, and head back to the free weight area. It's horribly crowded with The Mayor and an assortment of men, young and old. All the benches are in use except for the one under the Smith so I use that for Bent Over DB Raises.

By the time I get to standing Lateral DB Raises, superset with Tricep extensions, all the old guys have left for the cable machines, and it's just a bunch of college kids. And me. I don't intimidate easily so they're forced to work, and walk, around me. This becomes especially amusing when I decide to do DB Tricep Kickbacks because I have to bend over a bench with my arm parallel to my body. I set up so I can see my position in the mirror which coincidentally happens to be in front of the Seated Bicep Curl station, and next to overgrown boys trying to heave DB in front of themselves. Good thing I'm not wearing shorts today. In the grand scheme of things, I don't actually do much Tricep work, and yet, I have huge upper arms. Go figure!

Today's 2nd Push Day of the Week Workout:
35 min interval #7 = 4.50 miles Yippeee!
Smith Bench Press: 15 @ bar / 12 @ 95 lbs / 10 @ 115 / 8 @ 135 / 3 x 6 @ 155 / 12 @ 135 / 25 @ 115 lbs Yay! Finally! 
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Bent Over Rear DB Raises: 6 x 15 @ 25 lbs
Standing Lateral DB Raises: 3 x 15 @ 20 lbs
Standing Lateral DB Raises SuperSet with One-Arm DB Tricep Extension: 3 x 15 @ 20 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
DB Tricep Kickbacks: 15 @ 15 lbs / 3 x 15 @ 17.5 lbs Next week I'm going to see how the 20 lb DB feel but I'm leery of putting too much pressure on my fragile elbows. Still I do enjoy watching my triceps flex and the way the delts jump at the end of the movement.
Mat Stretch: I'm definitely feeling Leg Day today because the splits are a tad stiff.

Mo joins me on the mats and we chat briefly before I go shower. The gym is full now. There are a lot of regulars and a lot of new faces. Ranger Rick is showing a newbie some basic weight exercises. Skinny Blonde is jogging away on the treadmill. Fish Guy, Hoodie Tattoo, Ollie, Short Pace, PJ Pants and Nixon are scattered throughout the gym. The scale reads 109.2 lbs but I'm ok with that. I don't feel fat and puffy. B tells me that I look as if I've lost weight again. Maybe my gym clothes are stretching out from wear and tear. I don my bright blue, Gap khakis (size 00) tucked into black snow&rain boots and I feel pretty good. I'm not sure I want to brave the weather this evening for kickboxing even though local news reports that the storm has headed southwards. I'm still feeling vaguely vertiginous. But I'm looking forward to upping the weights again next week.

There's nothing more satisfying than proving that you're really stronger than you think you are.

Reliance on Technology

My memory used to be better, or so I believe, but that's me relying on my memory to actually know. Lately I've taken to using my cell to snap a quick pix of my cardio screen when I'm done so that I don't have to remember what the numbers are. Now I find that what I remember and what's on my cell are often slightly different numbers! Perhaps I used to try harder to remember. Or perhaps my memory's always been faulty. I'll never know.

I'm still very happy with my cardio session this morning even though I struggled to start. My legs and butt were definitely stiff, feeling the effects of yesterday's workout. But there's nothing I like more than challenging myself. I am my own worst enemy. I punch in Interval #7 and do 30 minutes with a 5 minute cool down but I never slow down for that. I'm rewarded with good numbers and that makes me happy. And sweaty. The Smith Rack is free so I set up to bench press. My elbows have been a lot better lately so I'm hopeful that today will be good in spite of the fact that the Smith seems to be overdue to have it's pulley system cleaned. It still feels gunky but I decide that makes it's a tad more accurate in how much weight is being hoisted. I can justify almost anything.

Benching goes okay but I'm not entirely happy with my first two heavy sets. Then it dawns on me that I'm not quite positioned where I should be, and scoot myself down half an inch so that the bar is set over my armpits instead of over my boobs. That makes a huge difference although I still only get 6 reps to the set. Note to self: pay more attention to positioning!

Today's 2nd Push Day Workout:
35 min cardio Intervals #7 = 4.67 miles Yippeee! Did I really burn 393 calories? No wonder I'm starving by the time I head for the showers!
Smith Rack Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 95 / 10 @ 115 / 8 @ 135 / 3 x 6 @ 155 / 12 @ 135 / 22+5 @ 115 lbs Yep, I'm a bit upset that I can't make 25 reps straight. On the other hand, I did knock out 27 reps on my last set and it felt pretty good.
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Bent Over (chest in lap) DB Flyes: 6 x 15 @ 25 lbs
These always feel so heavy when I first pick them up! But then each set actually gets easier.
Lateral DB Raises: 3 x 15 @ 20 lbs
Lateral DB Raises SuperSet with One-Arm Tricep Extensions: 3 x 15 @ 20 lbs
Flat Bench Sit Ups: 125
Lower Ab Kick Outs: 100
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Tricep DB Kick Backs (I'm feeling very self-conscious about doing these but when I look in the mirror I see that my body profile looks pretty good, and I get a thrill from seeing my tricep and parts of the delt flex as I kick back the DB): 3 x 15 @ 15 lbs
I'll probably add 2.5 lbs to this next week and see how it feels. Mostly, I like that this movement spares my elbows.
Mat Stretch (Verticals are good today although a tad stiff from yesterday's leg workout, but horizontals kinda suck. Still I keep trying.)

I see Mo flop down next to me as I stretch out on the Mat. We chat briefly about not having spotters and whether guys would spot someone they didn't know, and if that would lead to social awkwardness. Regulars like The Mayor and M, Ranger Rick, Nixon and Fish Guy are all present. I see a young woman in skin tight spandex doing sidebends and bench dips. She giggles as she talks to The Mayor but thankfully I can only hear my iPod. She does have a very round butt, like a small beach ball, but otherwise, there's nothing memorable about her. There are a few new faces today, mostly younger faces. I make note of two big football player guys because they're huge, and wonder if they'll be back for the summer, or if they're just scouting the equipment.

My beloved yoga pants reek and I'm forced to conclude that I need to explore new laundry solutions because they smelled bad pulled fresh from the clean laundry bin. I had to spritz them with Bodycology gardenia spray to mask their odor (from me) when I put them on this morning. It's the synthetic material that won't release nasty body odors the way natural fibers like cotton and wool do. Ugh. The Kung Fu instructor recommends Willy's Stink Away as a way to neutralize those nasty smells. It's one reason I stopped wearing the LLBean Fitness Fleece hoodies: couldn't get the stink out of them! It's $15 for a bottle, not including shipping, handling, tax but it'd be worth it.

The scale reads 109.2 lbs but I don't care. My stomach is growling as I shower. When I get home, my own scale reads 106.8 lbs and I'm happy. My face doesn't look puffy and swollen anymore. But I had a dream that I got my period, and that was a shock because I'm pretty certain I won't be seeing those any more. Still, my body tells me that it's cycling hormones and in hindsight, I definitely felt crampy and menstrual last week. I'm still contemplating upping my cardio, but not just yet. I want to see what adding intervals to Thursday and Friday workouts will do for me in the long run.

Well, Cinderella I'm Not...

I got to the gym this morning and discovered that I'm missing one of my lifting gloves. Damn. I had them yesterday because I use them for squats and dead lifts and mat and cage stretches. One must've fallen out in the parking lot on the way to the car. I'm bummed. I don't really want to buy a new pair of gloves, especially when my "new" grips (purchased just a few months ago on my birthday) show signs of cracking and needing to be replaced. I'm hard on my gear. I keep hoping my glove'll show up, so I've asked the front desk at the gym, looked all over my house, and completely forgot to check the parking lot. But after yesterday's downpour, anything I find out there will be completely trashed anyway. I keep hoping someone will find my glove and return it to me, but who am I kidding? I'm not Cinderella waiting for Prince Charming to show up with my lost slipper. (I've always wondered why her glass slipper remained when everything else turned back into pumpkins and mice but I'm a stickler for stupid details like that.)

I'm tired and I didn't make my cardio quota today although I did try. My husband says that he enjoys kickboxing much more when I'm there because he has trouble keeping up with me, so I'm a competitive incentive to work harder. Awe, that's sweet. What really kills him is the drill where you punch the bag four times and then drop to do two pushups. I can usually pop back up before he's even finished his two so we're racing each other. "Push ups are easy," I tell him. He tells me that he's got to work up to where he can say that as well. I just think they're easy compared to benching heavy, or benching reps.

Today's 2nd Push Day Workout:
35 min cardio = 3.90 miles Bleah! I developed a stitch under my right rib cage that lasted until the cardio session was over so that's about 12 minutes of peddling in extreme discomfort. 
Olympic Bench: 25 reps bar /12 reps 65 lbs
oooh, the Smith is free now!
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ 95 lbs / 10 @ 115 / 8 @ 135 / 3 x 6 @ 155 / 12 @ 135 / 25 @ 115 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Seated Rear Inclined DB Raises: 6 x 15 @ 25 lbs
I don't think I can go heavier without injuring my front delt so I'm at a loss as how to step this up.
Lateral DB Raises: 3 x 15 @ 20 lbs
Lateral DB Raises SuperSet with One-Arm Tricep DB Extensions: 3 x 15 @ 20 lbs
This movement almost become aerobic because I'm moving through the reps so quickly.
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Lower Ab Kick Outs: 100
Close Grip Benching (for triceps): 25 @ 45 lbs / 25 @ 65 lbs / 2 x 15 @ 75 lbs
Mat Stretch

I see M on the mat doing a modified crunch while holding a kettle bell in one hand. It looks painful. He's carrying on a conversation with Nixon (he has a receding hairline like the late prez) but Nixon looks dubious. The mats usually see very few men and a handful of women stretching out. When I look up from my routine, I see Mo doing her thing. By the time I'm showered and dressed, she's done with her entire exercise routine. That's quick. Suddenly the gym is full of HS boys and a bunch of regulars like Ranger Rick, Mustache and BigTruck. I overhear Skinny J and R discuss how "inflammation sucks". Well, duh, yeah.

The gym scale tells me 109.4 lbs today. It's not really a surprise. I'd like to be lighter, but I don't want to be weaker. And my clothes still fit, so I'm good with this for now. I don a pair of shorts and a tank top because temps have risen to near 80°F and I have a lot of errands to run. My one glove is still missing so I'm resigned to having to purchase another pair. I can't wait around hoping "some day my prince will come". Damn it, I'm the Warrior Princess.