Shred Program Day Three

I knew it was cold outside. I just wasn't expecting it to be -7°F. I also expected the 2 hour school delay because that always happens after a snowfall. At least that gives me time to clean my car off and shovel what my husband didn't get to before he left for work. I let my car run for a good hour before shifting it into gear. It's an old car. Last time it got this cold the door locks wouldn't work so I'm surprised they work today. Must be the extreme dryness in the air.

I get to the gym after 11 am and it's not very crowded. Good! Today I get to repeat Program A (Upper Body) but at least I know what I'm doing this time. Because my glutes and hams are uncharacteristically sore from yesterday's Lower Body (B) program, doing HIIT is much more daunting. I think it was all the lunges even though I didn't use much weight. Still, I'm surprised when I actually log slightly more mileage.

Readings are blurry because if you stop
moving to take the photo, the screen goes
blank and tells you to peddle faster.

The only part of this program I really really like is benching. Today I up my weight to 85 lbs. I don't have time to find blocks to put under my feet so lately, I just put my feet up on the bench with my knees bent. Since it's not nearly the max weight I can press, I figure I'm stable enough. It's only when I get to my last set that I feel my legs trembling a little. Still, I know I can do more than the 20 reps even at set 4 so I'm thinking of upping this weight yet again next week. Maybe to 90 lbs because I'm not sure if I can get 4 sets of 20 at 95 and I hate having to drop back. If I can get 4 sets at 90 next Monday, then Wednesday I'll definitely move the weight up again. It's a plan at least.

One-Arm DB rows seem a tad easy at 30 lbs so the 2nd go-round I up the weight to 35 lbs. It's not hard until I get to rep 18. Someone is using the 30 lb BB so I opt to use a pair of 15 lb DBs for the Military Press. The first set is okay, but the 2nd set requires a pause at rep 15. This happens after the 10 minute cardio interval as well: 3rd round good, 4th round not so good. This must be the weight I need to be at. At least I like how my shoulders look when I'm doing the movement.

Because there is only one 30 lb BB, I grab the 40 lb BB to do Curls. I can do 20 reps, but the very last set of program is a bit daunting. Still, I finish. The 15 lb DB seems light for Tricep Kickbacks but I'm not sure I can get 20 reps with 20 lbs. Next time I should grab 2.5 lbs in magnets for this movement. I take a brief break to say Hi to R and ask about his new baby. He seems a little spacey so I'm guessing he's not getting much sleep. The baby was a sunny-side up breech delivered C-section over a week ago but happy and healthy. I tell R I'm extremely happy for him and then I'm back to my break-neck routine. The second round of cardio, although only 10 minutes, is much much harder than it's been. The first 5 minutes of LISS are boring, but I have trouble keeping my pace anywhere near 200 Strides Per Minuate with the next 5 continuous minutes of High Intensity. Mostly I'm panting furiously at 185 SPM.

Afterwards I drop onto the Mat and do most of my Mat stretch routine. Dive Bomber Push Ups seem easy. The plank is hard. I see D in the locker room and we compare notes about the Intermediate Level Avatar on the Nexersys. She's also found and downloaded the manual for guidance, and tells me that I should adjust the pads so that they're lower for elbow strikes. I demur, telling her that then the pads would be too low for everyone else cause I probably wouldn't adjust them back. The gym scale reads 112.6 lbs but I've managed to drink most of my water bottles. This morning, because I had time, I managed to weigh myself at home. An even 110 lbs. The BF reading is still 20.8% but at least it's not crept back to 21.5%.

Day Three (A) Upper

20 min Precor elliptical: 1 min walk / 1 min run  = 1.84 miles
This circuit down twice without rest:
Bench Press: 20 reps @ 85 lbs +10 lbs
One-Arm DB Rows: 20 reps each arm @ 30 lbs (2nd round 20 @ 35 lbs) +5 lbs
DB Overhead Press: 20 @ 15 lbs (each arm)
BB Curl: 20 @ 40 lbs +10 lbs
DB Tricep Kickback: 20 reps (each arm) @ 15 lbs

10 min Precor elliptical: 5 min walk / 5 min run  = 0.84 miles
This circuit down twice without rest:
Bench Press: 20 reps @ 85 lbs
One-Arm DB Rows: 20 reps each arm @ 35 lbs
DB Overhead Press: 20 @ 15 lbs (each arm)
BB Curl: 20 @ 40 lbs
DB Tricep Kickback: 20 reps (each arm) @ 15 lbs

Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs, 60-second plank, splits, upper and lower back stretches

Week Three Day Three: A Feel Good Wild Card

Intervals 7 and Hill 5 today

There are some days that I really don't know what I'm going to do until I actually do it, letting some hidden part of me decide my course of action. This morning I slept in a bit, not getting up until 8 am. Perhaps the extra hour of sleep did me good because when I mounted the Precor I felt very energetic. I'd planned to do only 30 minutes of cardio and then Triceps and Biceps, but 35 minutes of Interval #7 felt really great, and I wanted to take advantage of this "good feeling" by punching in another round of cardio. Normally I do the hill first and then intervals, but today I reversed the order. It didn't seem to make any difference as my mileage was consistent for whichever program I punched in.

The gym seems crowded today but the Cage is empty so I get Cage Stretches out of the way. Then I strip off my sodden hoodie, don my elbow braces and grab a pair of dumbbells. I see Mo and we greet briefly. Ranger Rick wants to use the inclined bench she's perched on and there's some discussion of alternating users, but I've already put my headphones back on. Later I notice R working out as well. I've never seen him do Standing Lateral DB Raises before. R and Ranger Rick seem to be spending a lot of time chatting, so I'm not surprised to see Ranger Rick performing one-arm barbell presses, a signature R move (I've never seen anyone else do it here). I assume it works the core and shoulder much harder in order to stabilize the weight. Discussion boards on bodybuilding.com and other places deride the movement as dangerous and inefficient. I suspect that's just snobbery.

Tons of day lilies this year!

The alternating DB curls hurt the inside bottom of my left elbow, just as yesterday's cable rows initially did. I do these to warm up the joint, knowing that bicep work isn't doing my elbows any favors. I skip the barbell curl in favor of concentration curls even though I know this is really going to hurt. And it does. But only my left elbow. The Press Down cable station is free and already has the correct handle affixed to it. How fortuitous! I'm only attempting three sets because I know I'm running out of time. I knock out 12 reps for the first two sets, but the last set is hard and I can only squeeze out 11 reps before completely losing my breath. Still, it feels pretty good.

My last weight movement is Reverse Grip BB Curls for forearms. Four breathless sets and I'm done. Off to the Mats. Three girls occupy three mats, but two of them appear to just be taking up space and oxygen. One is staring into her phone. The other is sitting cross-legged, deep in reverie. I move her water bottle a tad and she wakes, embarrassed and scurries off the mat. Just as well. The first half of my routine takes up the entire length of the Mat anyway. My splits seem good, at least the vertical ones. Because my right knee is a bit sensitive today, I don't push my horizontal split with a forward roll. Instead, I merely spread my arms out at 180° and push my feet as far as I can manage. The gym scale reads 109.8 lbs. I haven't even finished my water, but I'm so hungry that I can't wait to shower, dress and leave.

Week Three Day Three: Wild Card Workout
35 min intervals #7 = 4.64 miles + 35 min hill #5 = 4.03 miles Grand Total 8.67 miles. Wahoo!
Gosh, this is soooo much better than yesterday!
Cage Stretch with bw heel dips and side kicks
DB Curls alternating with One Arm Tricep Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Concentration Curls: 3 x 12-10 @ 25 lbs
Tricep Press Downs: 12, 12, 11 @ 50 lbs
Reverse Grip BB Curls: 4 x 20 @ 40 lbs
Mat Stretch with splits

At the gym exit, my son stops to examine a poster on the door. I see ZZ working the cable station. There are sporadic regulars present. I spoke to B this morning in the locker room. She never looks very happy to see me even though I'm certain I'm pleasant enough to her. The Mayor, M and Nixon are missing today, but Hoodie Tattoo, Ponytail Tattoo, Skinny J and Skinny Mustache are there. When my son and I get to our car, I hear chatting behind us and realize that R and Ranger Rick have also strolled out together. I wonder what's happened to Skinny Blonde because I thought that perhaps Ranger Rick and she were dating. Or not. He's a nice enough looking guy, shorter than R but most people are. He resembles Jesse Porter (Coby Bell) on Burn Notice although not nearly as tall. He also has a nice build, from what can be seen from the wife-beaters and long pants he favors. He's certainly in better shape than The Mayor who's over-sized polo shirts don't fool anyone. A lot of guys hide their legs, guts and upper arms with T-shirts and pants. But its always a nice surprise when a guy suddenly wears shorts and a tank, and there's actually delts and and triceps to look at. Like Nixon, a dark horse working his way up the stretch.