Abbreviated Leg Day

My priorities today are to get a good cardio workout, and work those hamstrings a bit because they lag behind my quads. Just as my biceps lag behind my triceps, I suspect there is a genetic component to how we are shaped in spite of our best efforts to mold ourselves. I have my son with me and he's hopeful that there will be boys his age in the gym's Child Care room. There are only two girls in the room when we get there.

The parking lot is promisingly crowded. A lot of women take morning classes there: BodyPump and Yoga, Zumba and Spin. It's not for me. I get on the LifeFitness cross-trainer for 30 minutes and do a quick hamstring stretch afterwards. The Smith machine is vacant but I'm short on time. I only do Smith Split-Leg Squats, but I've upped the weight so I feel pretty good. Assuming the bar alone is 30 lbs, I'm moving more weight with a Split Leg exercise than with a regular two-legged Smith Squat. But even without Smith Squats and Smith SLDLs, my lower back is tired enough to give me pause during the GHRs at the Lat Pull Down machine. Then more cardio. I tap in Performance Program #1 on the Precor elliptical for 30 minutes.

There is a man who does several hours of cardio every time he is at the gym. First an hour on the cross-trainer. The floor is slippery with the sweat pouring off him. Then the recumbent bike. Later the treadmill. Sometimes, but rarely, he does a few pathetic sets at the Lat Pull Down machine or another station. He's middle-aged and overweight, and never seems to get any thinner.

I have just enough time to do a decent leg and back stretch, dropping into my splits and knocking out a few Pistol Squats as well. I'm actually really surprised at how easy the Pistol Squats have felt lately. I see R out of the corner of my eye, but I don't have time to chat. After a quick shower, I rush to the Child Care room 10 minutes late. He's the only kid there. And he's not at all thrilled that he has to accompany me grocery shopping. Oh well...

Abbreviated Leg and Cardio Workout
(6.26 miles cardio; 5,570 lbs moved)

Cross Trainer

Steady State

Calorie :   147 CAL
Distance: 3.71 mile
Speed :    7.4 mph
Duration : 00:30:06

Smith Machine Single Leg Split Squat

126

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 70x12
Set 3 : 90x12
Set 4 : 90x12
Set 5 : 90x12 Yaaay!

GHRs

Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 12 Lap/Rep

Elliptical Training

Steady State

Calorie :   288 CAL
Distance: 2.55 mile
Performance Program #1
Duration : 00:30:00

One Leg Bodyweight Squat

131.83

Set 1 : 113x5
Set 2 : 113x5

Old Habits Die Hard

Cut my cardio down but still did Smith machine Squats and SLDLs. Not as much as I have in the past, but enough to know I did some work. GHRs, Torso Twist Machine and mostly a full Mat Stretch (plank and Dive Bomber Push Ups). Maybe I should replace the Dive Bombers? Only concession was the paltry amount of Pistol Squats today.

My old printer is officially useless. And of course, there's one image I didn't print but now I have to print because the library is using that image (which I sent them this summer) on their promotional flyer. Sigh. I did get all my other images matted and framed properly, but while I was upstairs in my detached, unheated garage, I realized that neglect is taking a toll on the building. One of the skylights leaking and the framing is rotting out and I think I see a small tree growing out of the gutter. Oh jeeze...

Wednesday Abbreviated Leg Workout

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   96 CAL
Distance: 2.34 mile
Speed :    6.96 mph
Duration : 00:20:10

Torso Twist Machine

Set 1 : 50x25
Set 2 : 50x25

Smith Machine Squat

172

Set 1 : 30x21
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 100x12
Set 4 : 120x13

Smith Machine Stiff Legged Deadlift

182

Set 1 : 30x13
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 100x12
Set 4 : 120x12
Set 5 : 130x12

Glute Ham Raises

Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 12 Lap/Rep

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   178 CAL
Distance: 1.62 mile
Duration : 00:20:14

Plank

Set 1 : 00:01:10

Dive Bomber Pushup

20

Set 1 : 20 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 20 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 20 Lap/Rep

One Leg Bodyweight Squat

141.87

Set 1 : 112x8

Unhappy Knees

Today is another abbreviated workout. I know, some people only have an hour for their workout and it's damn near impossible to do everything like cardio, stretch and lift weights, and then shower and change all within 60 minutes. And here I am complaining about the two hour window I have when my son is in the Child Care room. Island Jerk hasn't glommed all the Oly bars but I don't want to rush through my Back workout, so I swap it for Legs. And I front-load the cardio. Five miles on the elliptical. It takes me 54 minutes because I'm a tad slow today. My knees aren't real happy with me. Actually a lot of my joints are sporadically achy lately. For all my insect bites and touch of poison ivy (I'm sure the dog gave it to me), I don't think I have any tick bites. So I'm ruling Lyme disease out.

The Smith machine is free and I get my Squats done. I usually adjust my stance wide with my toes angled out slightly in order to keep my knees and lower back happy. I do a few SLDLs at the Smith as well but I've got one eye on the clock. Again, I keep twisting the bar as I pull up at the heavier weight, causing the bar to catch on the rack. It's annoying. I only do one set of 8 reps at the heaviest weight. And I completely skip Seated Leg Extensions today. But I make sure to do three sets of GHRs at the Lat Pull Down machine. The thumb to my right hand suddenly aches as if I've sprained it, making the weird push up movement a tad awkward. But I can knock them out okay. Then a Mat Stretch because my shoulders and upper back are tight from yesterday's 15 rounds. No plank. I can do abs tomorrow. The gym scale reads 111.8 lbs and I still have half my water bottle.

Tomorrow is another Tabata and kickboxing the machine day, but because my knees are feeling weird, I'm laying off the Intermediate Level for a while. There's no Sweep or Knee-In at the Beginner Level so I'll probably just do another 15-round session (60 minutes). But I'll have time to add another Tabata session afterwards as well. I'm liking it already.

Abbreviate Leg Day Workout

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   427 CAL
Distance: 5 mile
Duration : 00:55:00

Smith Machine Squat

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 4 : 140x12
Set 5 : 160x12

Smith Machine Stiff Legged Deadlift

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 4 : 140x12
Set 5 : 160x8

Dive Bomber Push Up

Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep

GHRs at Lat Pull Down

Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 12 Lap/Rep

Confessions of a Cardio Junkie

Well, today didn't start well at all. I got up early and thought I had everything packed and ready to go since it's our first day back to school after a luxurious week and a half off. I drive my son to the school bus stop because it's 19°F out and snowing tiny wet flakes that make the air sting. So far so good. The roads look good although the parking lot at the gym needs to be salted and plowed. In the locker room I discover that I've packed everything EXCEPT my trainers. Sigh. Not again! I toss everything into my locker and head back out to retrieve my Asics because I'm wearing boots and I can't work out in those.

I daydream about longer cardio
sessions. That's truly disturbing!

Once I'm back at the gym, I swap footwear and hop onto the elliptical to do my warm up. I keep it at 15 minutes (10 min plus 5 min cool down although I do the same speed for the entire session) with a leisurely 150-160 Stride Per Minute pace, sorta like jogging. Then my cell buzzes. My husband's just made it to Boston for a meeting and hopefully he'll be able to drive home this evening, probably during the height of the storm. The cell buzzes again. WTF? Our school district has decided to close early due to deteriorating weather conditions. My son's school will be closing at 11:45 am so that gives me an hour and a half to get my workout done, shower and change and head back home. Sigh.

I figure that I can get my usual sets of Smith Squats and some Deads in and time for 20 minutes of LISS, but the assistance work like Leg Curls and Leg Extensions will be sacrificed. During my warm up, I find myself really missing my old cardio workouts. Going slow is soooo boring. The only thing I enjoy about it is getting to sing (to myself) along with my iPod. Going fast is exciting (still sing along to my iPod when I go really fast). I use to end the last two minutes of each session going full throttle, getting the gauge to read anywhere from 250 to as fast as 295 SPM. Once I hit 300 for a second. I miss how I felt afterwards, lighter than air and completely "aerated". I wouldn't say I'm addicted to that feeling but I find myself daydreaming about how I can sneak a double cardio session back into my routine. What does that say about me? I'm also stubborn and tend to embrace the things I hate (because I suck at it), so I know I'm going to stick with the HIIT and LISS for the next several months.

25 + 3 (10) + 5 = 60 per side
plus 30 lb bar... 150 lbs!

The Smith is free and I see a lot of regulars in the gym like Latin Baseball (and his two friends), The Mayor, Jude, Hoodie Tattoo, M, MacGyver (he looks like Harry Dean Anderson), Ollie... I get sets of 12 reps for all my sets here even though my right knee is feeling a little odd. But not bad. What's odd is how my back starts to feel a little crunchy as I begin drop sets. Ten sets and I'm done. I drop the bar to the bottom position which isn't quite the floor on a Smith.

Today I feel like trying something different so I don't put the Step Platform under the bar which means I'll be grabbing it from halfway up my shin instead of down by my ankles. I do all my sets this way but I don't really like it. I feel the Smith SLDL more in my back and glutes today and not at all in my hamstrings. That doesn't mean they aren't involved, just that I need the bigger stretch of grabbing the bar lower. I play with keeping my wrist wraps on while using the VGs. Not so good for the left wrist, so the next set I just use the VGs. I'm worried about not having the 20 minutes for LISS so I cut my sets short and only do six although I do get a full 12 reps at 150. Yay!

LISS is sooo boring!

Latin Baseball and his friends are trying not to stare. There's another skinny dude doing preacher curls and he's also trying not to stare. Maybe next time I should just use the 45s instead of piling three 10s and a 5 on after the 25 lb plate? But having lots of smaller plates makes it easier to add and drop weight quickly. I don't like getting cold so I put my hoodie back on (took it off for the deads) to climb back up to the cardio area. Then a quick abbreviated stretch at the Cage (no kicks or overhead leg stretches) and off to shower. The gym scale reads 112.8 lbs and I'm a bit surprised considering I'm not sweating much and I've sucked down 2/3 of my bottle (about 1 liter water). I get home with 10 minutes to spare before I have to meet the school bus. It's 15 minutes late anyway. The school bus driver wishes me a good weekend because she's skeptical that there'll be school tomorrow. Sigh. I wonder if I can still get my HIIT in tomorrow. I hope there's school because whacking the Nexersys for 12 rounds is the next best thing to a double cardio session. Or at least that's how it feels to me.

Super-Abbreviated Leg Day Workout:

15 min cardio = 1.57 miles

Smith Squats: 25 @ bar (30 lbs) as fast as I can go heels to butt / 12 @ 60 lbs / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 140 lbs / 12 @ 150 lbs PR reps Yay! / 12 @ 130 lbs / 12 @ 110 lbs / 12 @ 80 lbs

Smith SLDLs: 12 @ bar (30 lbs) / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 140 lbs / 12 @ 150 lbs PR reps Yay!

20 min cardio LISS = 1.3 miles

quick Cage Stretch for hamstrings, calves, lower back

Abbreviated Leg Day

I'm really missing doing double cardio days. Well, my mind is. And probably my lungs. Probably not the rest of me as was evident today when I upped my Leg Extension weight after sets of Seated Leg Curls. I even skipped doing Dead Lifts today because I was worried about my time management. Plus I'd been waiting for the Smith so when I got on, a crestfallen dude seemed to be hovering near by and I didn't want to completely monopolize the station. The tall black woman (TBW) using the Smith to squat had a big plate and a tiny one on the bar. I didn't stare so I'm thinking a 45 and a 5 per side. Instead, I asked how many more sets and she said "Just one more." I nodded and then I added, "Good weight" because it's nice to see some real weight on the bars when women lift. She actually smiled a little. Cool.

I think she might be like me, not really interested in chatting and a bit leery of overly-friendly people. (I know Mo doesn't like her, but Mo is a bit manic sometimes. I"m not sure if it's menopause because she can't afford hormone therapy anymore, or if she's always been like that.) I suppose I could've tried Dead Lifts with just the weighted barbells, but I didn't, probably because Nixon, M and The Mayor were hanging out chatting by the mirrors there. Tomorrow I'm going to do two cardio sessions because I don't feel as good as I should on a leg day. Perhaps I'm going through cardio withdrawal.

Program Interval 7 seemed just as hard as yesterday except that I left the low intervals at incline 5 instead of upping them to 6, which is what I normally do. I realize that it lessens the difference between the highs and lows of the Interval program so today I just left everything to the default setting, except for the resistance because Level 6 is a bit rough on my knees. So I dropped it to Level 5. Still, I managed to do over four and a half miles so I was happy.

I really only did three exercises today, excluding abs and stretching: Squats, Seated Leg Curls and Seated Leg Extensions. It feels a little pathetic, almost as if I've cheated. It's not something I'm comfortable with, so I'll be back to my regular schedule next week as soon as school starts!

Abbreviated Leg Day Workout:
35 min cardio Interval 7 = 4.59 miles Yay!
Smith Rack Squats: 25 @ bar (butt to heels as fast as I can go) / 12 @ 95 / 12 @ 115 / 12 @ 135 / 12 @ 155 / 12 @ 135 / 12 @ 115 / 12 @ 95 / 25 @ bar (again, heels to butt as fast as I can go)
Cage Stretch with heel dips and side kicks
Seated Leg Curls: 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 105 / 12 @ 112.5 / 3 x 6 @ 120 lbs
I go slow on the last two reps of the heavy sets just to feel the negative movement.
Seated Leg Extensions: 2 x 12 @ 75 lbs / 12 @ 82.5 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 90 lbs
I'm really surprised that this doesn't hurt more because it has in the past.
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Up: 125
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch with 10 rolling Dive Bomber Push Ups (because my iPod isn't full blast, I can actually hear my shoulders clicking every time I push forward) and 3 with hands under waist, splits, etc...

The gym scale reads 110.6 lbs today. My home scale reads 108 lbs. Yep, I think I'm actually getting a tad bigger, much as I don't really want to. I just want to be stronger, but I think that's really hard to achieve without putting on some density.