Paying the Piper

Today is Tuesday, Back Day and again, it's uncharacteristically chilly for September. Forty-four degrees this morning, and I again don gloves to walk the dog. I'm resisting taking out heavier jackets. Resisting swapping the screens for storm panels. Resisting the inevitable truth: Winter's coming. It's not White Walkers that I fear, or the drudgery of shoveling the driveway and 2-hour school delays due to inclement weather. It's getting sick. I hate getting sick. Since I stopped commuting to the City some two plus years ago, my health has been greatly improved. Less stress. Less money, but less stress. So why do I feel as if my eyes are burning? That's usually the first sign for me that I've become run-down. That the sniffles, congestion and then an unruly cough lurk in my foreseeable future. Sigh.

My husband assures me that it's allergies. On his drive to Boston, he says he can feel the allergens accumulate as he approaches the New York area. Apparently there's less pollen in Boston. I'm not so sure, although lately my eyes water as if they've been poked with a stick. There's ragweed everywhere. And a stray dandelion on my walkway. That's why I workout at the gym. Inside. With filtered, conditioned air. It's a beautiful day and with the exception of the chatty ladies who take classes, the gym itself is fairly empty. Just the way I like it! I punch in Interval 7, pull my hoodie down over my eyes and sing along to my iPod. Eventually I warm up.

Still, I feel tired. Perhaps I haven't fully recuperated from yesterday's workout? Maybe it's the bee bread I added to my oatmeal this morning? I'm not at all convinced that it's really good for people, even if it's great for bees. My elbows are achy and sore when I awoke this morning. Yesterday wasn't really an elbow-intensive day. Uh oh. My grip isn't strong today either. I manage to do Wide Grip Lat Pull Downs but I end with only one heavy set. Saving my grip strength for the DB Rows and Close Grip Pull Downs. After a Cage Stretch that did not leave me sweaty and breathless (either it's too cold in here or I really am getting sick), I wander back to the Cables and Free Weights. I pass the Nexersys stations and wave at the gal I spoke to last week. She's really much bigger than I am, so if she's having problems with the Intermediate level, well...

M, the Mayor and a few other people are chatting in front of the Pull Down so I use this as an opportunity to change my routine. I like One-Arm DB Rows, just not sure if they like me. Again, I'm good with the lighter weights, but my grip fails during the last two reps at 50 lbs. Still, I AM stubborn. Because I'm pissed at failing, I add another set. Of course. Because that's the adult thing to do, isn't it? The Mayor, 7-ft Tall Dude and a few other guys are also on the benches by the DBs. Mostly they're staring up at the TV, shaking their heads, because the Giants are failing abysmally. Changing the routine means doing Lower Back Extensions next. With the seat belt, I can up the weight again. It makes me giddy.

I don't do much abs today because they're uncharacteristically sore. My abs are sore? They're sore, oddly enough, from a Mat Stretch move: with legs splayed apart, plop body forward until chest & face are on the mat in front (I put a towel down just for this). Then roll your body back and upward, starting with the hip, stomach, upper abs, chest, neck and finally head. It should have a puppet-like look to it, like a doll being pulled up by a string. It's apparently a killer ab workout as well. Who knew!

Last are Close Grip Pull Downs. I'm usually better, but today I have to concentrate really hard on using my lats to pull the handles down until they kiss my chest. My biceps are burnt. Between sets I see a skinny, half-shaven guy with enormous headphones on. He's alternating benching with flyes. I have trouble taking anyone seriously who has those kind of headphones on because I don't believe you can really workout in them. I can also bench more than he can, but he's probably just starting out. I don't feel much energy for the Mat Stretch but I do it anyway. If anything, I'm cold and starting to stiffen up so my splits are tighter and more difficult. I can see that it's bright and sunny through the plate glass windows so I hurry to shower and change. The gym scale reads 110.4 lbs.


Back Workout:
35 min Interval7 = 4.53 miles Yay!
Wide Grip Lat Pull Down: 12 @ 75 lbs / 12 @ 90 / 10 @ 105 / 10 @ 112. 5 / 8 @ 120 lbs
Cage Stretch with BW Heel Dips & Calf Raises and Side Kicks
One-Arm DB Rows: 12 @ 40 lbs / 10 @ 45 lbs / 4 x 8 @ 50 lbs
Lower Back Extension: 25 @ 105 lbs / 25 @ 112.5 / 25 @ 120
Torso Twist Station: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Close Grip Pull Downs: 12 @ 90 lbs / 10 @ 105 / 3 x 8 @ 120 lbs
Mat Stretch with 10 DBPUs & 3 rolling (I'm discovering that doing this with my legs wide apart is causing my sneaker to rub a scab into the inside of my ankle so I'm going to have to do something else), splits, etc. 

On my way out the gym, a guy stalls in the doorway to read the Blood Drive poster, and my finger gets wrenched because the ring is caught inside the metal molding of the door. That's so freakishly peculiar that I'm at a loss as how to extract myself. I need to disengage from the door frame! I didn't think there was any space to get caught there, but having such tiny fingers and jewelry means anything's possible. When I get to my car, I wrestle my ring off before my finger starts to swell, which it does, and apply the cooler pack from my protein drink. Thank goodness tomorrow's Leg Day! Won't need to grip anything too hard. And maybe I'll get warm.

The Weakest Link on Back Day

It's humid and warm when I get to the gym this morning. I'm hoping I've timed it right so that I miss the crowd in the locker room. Women are streaming out to the classroom. Soon we'll be hearing the instructor screaming over the piped-in music. My gym has been around a long time and its age is starting to show in the women's facilities: one stall out of three is out of order. One sink out of three is missing the faucet handle. Well, at least all four showers work, the TV is broadcasting, and there are vacant lockers. In general though, most of the equipment works and is functional. And the place is relatively clean although if you look hard enough, you'll find dust and dirt.

I wave at a gal as I head towards the Precors in the cardio area. Because I've already plugged in my headphones, I can't hear her say Hi but I see her mouth moving. I don't break stride because I don't want to chat. Forward momentum would be lost by chatting. B is busy chatting with her "gym husband" while they're both peddling LiftFitness ellipticals. She'll probably never talk to me again. Oh well...

I punch in Interval 7 and for the first 10 minutes I can barely keep my pace over 185 SPMs (Strides Per Minute). As I warm up though, my speed increases. By the 5 minute cool down, I'm cruising at 225 SPMs and my mileage comes in over 4 miles. I'm very happy. Why didn't I do intervals yesterday? I don't know. Sometimes I just get lazy, but that invariably bites me in the butt. It's Back Day so I head over to the cable stations near the free weights. R is there, looking miserable. I know it's the humidity. And the fact that the Giants blew their opening game. He's a big Giants fan. He probably even lost money on them. I merely wave at him, he waves back, and then I point to the Lat Pull Down and wiggle my finger, the universal gesture for "You using this?" He frowns and moves his hand horizontally. Naw. Great! It's mine!

I'm fairly possessive about my equipment and tend to sit at my station until I'm completely done. I don't like people who walk away to do something else and expect everything to be the same. It's okay if the gym's empty, but when it's crowded it's not nice to monopolize more than one station. I start with Wide Grip Lat Pull Downs because theses are the hardest, especially on my elbows. My left thumb feels slightly sprained so I don wrist wraps as well as grip pads. I have to lean back to keep my shoulders and elbows from injury, but I don't use my weight to pull down. Instead, I lean back into position and then pull down on the bar.

Afterwards, I wander to the front of the gym where the Cage Stretch is. After a few side kicks and heel dip - calf raise stretches, mostly with the other leg either perpendicular to me or over my head, foot on the cage side bar, I go back to the Lat Pull Downs and swap out the handle for the Close Grip that I'd normally use for Seated Cable Rows. My lower back isn't getting worse, but I can't actually say that it's getting better either. Because my hands are merely overhead instead of stretched outward, I can actually release these handles without having to scramble atop the seat when I'm done with each set. In both instances (Wide and Close Grip), I need to wrestle the heaviest weight by hooking my calves under the seat and using my thighs to pull myself down into position. It's not pretty, but at least I can do it without help. It's also quite an ego pump to move plates that outweigh you.

Last are Dumbbell Rows. My hands are already tired from the Cable Pull Downs so I'm not certain how well this'll go today. I see RR, Nixon and The Mayor. The Mayor looks uncharacteristically disheveled and pink-faced, as if he's been working hard. My iPod is turned way up because I'm not interested in the chatter that invariably surrounds them. R has moved to the far end of the gym, out of sight. I start with the 40 lb dumbbell 'cuz I only need one. After a set of 12, I move to the 45. Getting 10 reps isn't too hard. I want 4 sets of 50 but I can feel that my fingers are tired, and they start to fail at rep 6 on the 2nd heavy set. I'm stubborn. I want 8 reps. By the 3rd set, I've pulled out the lifting straps but they're not the plain webbing I remember from my college days. These are thick with a neoprene padding inside the wrist loop. These are so thick that wrapped around the dumbbell stem, they make gripping the dumbbell even harder because I have such small hands. My left hand is weaker than my right so I discard that grip and use the strap to help me with the last two reps. And I only use the strap with my left hand for the last two reps of the remaining set. I'll have to figure out something better. Or let my hands rest more before doing this exercise.

Before I completely forget, I manage to get on the Seated Back Extension machine. The last occupant set it to 105 lbs and I'm lazy so I leave it there and finally use the seat belt to secure me to the machine. It's actually easier to do it with the seat belt than a lesser weight without the seat belt. Who knew? I'll have to remember this next time, and maybe I'll up the weight again. All that's left are abs, and stretching. Doing abs is like taking a nap before the Mat Stretch. I could make it harder but I don't want the bulk associated with using heavy weight so I just go for reps.

Back Day Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.55 miles Whew!
Wide Grip Lat Pull Down: 12 @ 75 lbs / 12 @ 90 lbs / 10 @ 105 lbs / 10 @ 112.5 lbs / 3 x 8 @ 120 lbs
Cage Stretch with BW Heel Dips, Calf Raises and Side Kicks
Close Grip Pull Downs: 12 @ 90 lbs / 10 @ 105 lbs / 8 @ 112.5 lbs / 3 x 8 @ 120 lbs
One-Arm DB Rows: 12 @ 40 lbs / 8 @ 45 lbs / 10 @ 45 lbs / 3 x 6+2 @ 50 lbs
I knew I could've gotten another few reps after I put down the 45, so I did another set.
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Seated Lower Back Extension Machine: 2 x 25 @ 105 lbs
These are soooo much easier to do with the seat belt! I'm going to have to up the weight.
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Mat Stretch with 10 DBPUs and 5 rolling DBPUs, splits, etc.

The gym scale reads 110.0 lbs even but I've sucked my water bottle dry and I'm starving. Today I remembered to bring a bottle of high protein Ensure in a double cooler pack so it's ice cold. Yesterday I had to go home and mix up a packet of Met-Rx chocolate, leftover from the days when my sister was married to a guy who spent all his time when not at work, either in front of the TV or at the gym. But the Met-Rx mixes up like chocolate pudding, which makes it hard to drink, and it's ultimately not very satisfying even if it purports to have more protein (32 gms) in it than the Ensure (25 gms).

I get home and my scale reads 107.4 lbs which makes me feel even better. I make myself a cup of tea with honey and bee bread, also known as bee pollen. When I look it up, bee bread is defined as a mix of pollen, honey, nectar, enzymes and assorted fungi and bacteria. Yum. It has a vaguely sweet taste and a chewy texture. When dissolved in tea, it makes the beverage cloudy and a little sludgy.

My husband, who purchase a jar of it from the local honey roadside stand, agreed to sample it only if I didn't tell him what was in it. He's the one who bought it. Now I'm probably the one who's going to eat it. Oh well...