Bench Press Monday

This afternoon I was finishing up doing errands when my husband got home from running a few errands of his own. I had the tail of my Forester open with the 50 lb bag of sunflower seed bird food still sitting there while I hauled in groceries. He gallantly marched the bag into the house and set it down by the dog food, looked at me, then looked at the bag. "How did you get the bird seed into the car?" "I put it in," I replied. He looked at me again, then said, "Damn, I guess working out is paying off! I should've let you get the seed out of the car." I had to suppress a smile.

I had my son in tow this morning because my husband had a business conference call even though he's technically on vacation. Which meant I had to plan an abbreviated workout. I like the combination Chest/Back workouts but that takes too long. Last night I was reviewing a bevy of workouts when one caught my eye in the Women's Training section for Chest. It's simple, which I like, but it's hard and requires a spotter or partner, which I don't have. So I tried to incorporate the gist of it into today's workout, without killing myself. You basically start with your heaviest lift for 4 reps, then drop weight and go for 8 reps. Repeat for 12 reps. Then 16 reps. End with 20 reps. The routine starts with Inclined Presses, then Flat, then Decline and ends with a few sets on the Pec Dec which I don't do.  Flat Bench is the only exercise I have a good idea where I stand with this new equipment which is harder for me because I have to reach much further overhead to unrack the bar.

Since I've been getting sets of 8 at 115 lbs, I started with 120 lbs today after a quick warm up with just the bar. It was hard but I managed to make all my sets. Then I moved to the Inclined Bench which I'm not that familiar with. It's too big and too high but I figured WTH. I can't do the program here because I don't know how much I can lift. This was basically a progression to see how far I can get. Because I feel awkward and unbalanced doing this movement, my increments were smaller, in a "Better Safe Than Sorry" mode. I'm pretty burnt by the time I get to Decline Presses but at least I'm familiar with the feel. I'm done after five sets, but not quite ready to quit yet. I know I should do DB Flyes but I'd rather do DB Raises instead, so that's what I do. I've got a big ugly scratch on my shoulder from Friday than runs about 4 inches in length and a good 1/4" wide. I have absolutely No Idea when it happened, except that it was probably during my rounds with the Nexersys. At least it doesn't hurt.

I'm also toying with the idea of cutting my cardio down to 20 minutes from 35, but all the programs I've reviewed add another 20 minutes at the back end of the workout, and that's not something I want to do. I've already cut my stretching down to alternate days. But maybe I'll just cut cardio to 20 minutes on days I decide to lift heavy. The gym scale reads 113.4 lbs and I'm not surprised anymore. Tomorrow I'm psyched to do Back, upping my RGBB Row, and probably adding the One-Arm DB Rows back into the mix. When I punched my goals into a website calculator, it projected a weight of 125 lbs. I'd also need to drop my BF to 16% to achieve the look I want. Dropping 4% seems daunting only because I don't have a clear course of action. Yet.

Monday Workout:
35 min cardio Hill #5 = 3.84 miles

Bench Press: 12 @ 45 lbs / 4 @ 120 lbs / 8 @ 115 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 10, 3, 3 @ 95 lbs / 20 @ 75 lbs
The 5th set really took my breath away and I had to pause at rep 10, and rack the bar at rep 13 before finishing.

Inclined BB Press: 12 @ 45 lbs / 12 @ 55 lbs / 12 @ 65 lbs / 8 @ 75 lbs / 8 @ 85 lbs / 6 @ 95 lbs

Decline BB Press: 12 @ 45 lbs / 12 @ 75 lbs / 10 @ 95 lbs / 12 @ 85 lbs / 20 @ 65 lbs

DB Lateral Raises: 12 @ 20 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 25 lbs

Cage Stretch with BW calf raises & heel dips

Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Lower Ab Knee-In Kick-Outs: 100

Learning How to Rest

I'm getting to this late today because Halloween and Christmas are probably the two most socially-hectic holidays of the year. And Halloween is next week. Not that this is an excuse. I still went to the gym this morning. I still put in my 35 minutes of cardio, and still wished it was over when I peered at the display and it read 15 minutes. I still got my quota. And I still did my stretches. I ran into B as I paced between stations because everything I wanted to use was occupied. Someone on the Decline Bench. Creepy Hannibal Baggy Knees on the Olympic bench and he's not even benching. He's just sitting there with a 20 lb bar, doing waist twists. The Cage is occupied by a bandy-legged old man that I feel sorry for because he doesn't walk very well. The Smith has someone doing Overhead Presses. I didn't let B say anything as I ranted about the gym being too crowded at this time, and besides, I wasn't interested in hearing about her nail or hair appointment.

I find an unused Olympic bench and resign myself to doing bench presses when I really want to do Decline Presses.The Dip Station is too wide for my arms and puts a lot of stress on my elbows. Today is Arm Day and I always start my workout, after cardio warm up, with a big movement. After a quick two sets to warm up, I load the 25 lb plates onto the bar. It's then that the gal on the Decline strips her bar and moves to another bench. Yippee! I start all over as if I'd never even set up on the flat bench.

The incline feels different and I realize that someone's placed a 6" foam block under the foot of the Decline Bench. I'm too lazy to remove it and I've never benched at this angle before. Hmmm. I'm guessing this is closer to 45° than 30° now. I bench the bar just to get used to the feel as I press. I think I actually like it better now. Methodically, I up my weight and drop my reps until I get 6 reps at 115 lbs. Because I don't like to end with so few reps, I drop back to 95 lbs and knock out a quick 15 reps. It feels good. Between sets I notice The Mayor, Jude and Tall Pace taking turns at the Squat Rack. But only Jude is squatting. I count 3 big plates (45s), a 25, and a 5 on each side and he gets 6 reps but barely parallel. Still, pretty impressive.

The gal who was on the Decline Bench is now doing presses with an EZ Curl bar and maybe 7.5 lbs each side. I'm a bit perplexed since she was using a full Olympic bar with15 lbs each side for the Decline. She's loads taller, bigger than I am so perhaps I take it for granted that bigger people should push bigger weights. I'm starting to become reliant on this Jefit app and check my cell to see what I've scheduled to do next. Ah, dumbbell curls. I do standing Alternate curls with 20 lb DBs to warm up and then remember to grab magnetic discs from the front desk. "Two?" the girl asks. I hold up four fingers, knowing that I'll be using the 25 lb DBs because they're smaller than the 30s.

When I grab the 25s, I also grab a bench because I prefer to do them seated to keep my body from swaying. By the time I've stuck all my magnets on the DBs, R has glided in and is planted on the bench next to me. He's deep in conversation with RR, occasionally spotting RR during his OHPs. R never seems to need anyone to spot him. He rolls the 125 lb DBs to his bench and looks up as I nod at him. "Hey, what are you going to do when you run out of weights?" There are no heavier DBs. He smiles amused, as if he's never thought of that possibility. "I don't need to go heavier. I do my 8 to 10 reps. I'm as strong now as I was when I weighed 70 lbs more." I can't imagine him bigger, he's imposing even as slender as he is, at 6'4 (seems taller) and 220 lbs.

He tells me that he doesn't listen to what everyone says, he's had the advantage of working with pros for 4 seasons. I laugh and tell him it's okay to hear people out, that it doesn't mean you abide by it. "Besides, I can always put magnets on them," he says. "Bigger than these?" I ask, motioning to the 2.5 lb discs I already have. "Oh yeah." "They got 'em here?" "Naw," he shrugs. I'm done with alternating DB curls and Skull Crushers, so I wander away. I have to check my cell to see what's next and am chagrined to find that I still need that 40 lb BB so I retrieve it and plant myself in front of the mirrored wall. BB curls of course. I pace between sets, knowing that I'm not resting enough but I'm impatient to be done already.

The 40s are easy. I slap on a pair of magnets and do a set at 45 lbs. It's still okay and instead of reracking the 40 lb BB because I'll be needing it for Reverse Grip BB Curls, I just slap another pair of magnets on. Now they're 50 lbs and I brace myself because last time I did this weight, my elbows screamed at me. Today they're okay. Go figure. I finish with 3 sets of RGBB Curls and even these don't feel all that painful. By the time I get to the Mat, I'm bouncing to my tunes. Again, I only do 20 seconds holding the plank because it's awful to lie still when the music makes ever fiber in your body want to twitch. The gym scale reads 109.2 lbs. Go figure. Tomorrow's a Double Cardio Day, and whacking the Nexersys. Yay!

Arm Day Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.57 miles Yay!

Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 100 I usually do these later in my workout but this was the only station available and I didn't want to cool down too much from cardio

Flat Bench Press: 12 @ bar (45 lbs) / 12 @ 75 lbs
Decline Bench Press 45°: 12 @ bar / 10 @ 75 lbs / 8 @ 95 lbs / 6 @ 105 lbs / 6 @ 115 lbs / 15 @ 95 lbs

Cage Stretch with BW heel dips & calf raises and Side Kicks

Alternating DB Curls: 12 @ 20 lbs / 10 @ 25 lbs / 8 @27.5 lbs / 3 x 6 @ 30 lbs
last four sets superset with 
Skull Crushers: 12 @ 40 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 45 lbs 
Again, the last two reps for each set are really hard but I'm too stubborn to give in

BB Curl: 12 @ 40 lbs / 12 @ 45 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 50 lbs
RGBB Curl: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs

Mat Stretch with 12 DBPUs, 3 rolling, 20 second plank, 12 regular stance DBPUs, splits, lower back and hamstring stretches including 5 hip bridges, etc.

DB Area Closed to Install New Flooring

I'd finally had enough of the maggot-infested possum corpse at the edge of the road where the school bus stop is, so I got my portable shovel out of the car (every northerner carries one in the trunk as a precaution against blizzard conditions that necessitate digging your car out of a sudden snow bank). The possum was a lot bigger and heavier than I had estimated, and I was afraid it would fall off and splatter grossness as I moved it deeper into the wooded brush. Not as good as burying it, but at least we don't have to step over it anymore.

Thursday seems to be National Truck Day and although there were no patrol cars along the main corridor, traffic was heavy and the sky overcast. Not a promising start. Again, my favorite elliptical is already in use so I trudge off to Precor #3 and punch in Interval 7. I'm stiff and mildly sore from yesterday's Leg Workout. Intervals seems a lot harder today and I wonder if I'm going to even make four miles in the 30 minutes of actual program and five minute "cool down" which I never use to cool down. I'm pleasantly surprised by the mileage reading but a tad disturbed by the ruckus in the free weight area. There's a sign up declaring Breaker Benches Will Soon Be Here! That's nice but only if I fit into the new equipment.

The DB area has been shifted into the Olympic bench space because the gym owner and two of his trainers are replacing the rubber floor mats. It's a good thing. They've frayed at the interlocking edges and it's not unusual to trip over them. I decide to do my Cage Stretch first and deal with weights later. While I'm stretching and kicking, a man comes over. He has dark Slavic features but newly shorn hair. I'm not sure if I recognize him as one of the regulars or not. I pull my earpiece out because it seems like he has something to say or ask. "You are the most flexible person I've ever seen," he says to me. I wasn't expecting this so I'm a bit flustered. "Uh, you just gotta practice," is what I lamely manage to answer. "I know. I see you train all the time!" "Oh?" Sweat is dripping off my nose even though I still have my hoodie on. "It's great the way you can move." "Uh, thank you," I finally mange to say before putting my earpiece back in. I think I have a fan or something but I'm more concerned with getting through my routine.

I can weave between the benches in order to get to the one Decline Bench. I haven't done those in a long time. My right front delt tends to get sore so I'm very cautious with my form today. I do sets of 12 reps all the way to 105 lbs. I could probably go heavier but I'd rather find the DBs and do some curls. Very few regulars brave the chaos. Nixon, whom I'm renaming Jude because he has a vague resemblance to Jude Law, receding hairline included, a big Latino (he always travels with a gym bag stuffed with protein powder containers), RR, a couple of skinny white dudes I've only ever seen a few times. Eventually, even the Slav also makes his way over to the temporarily relocated DBs. I'm too lazy to go back to the front desk and grab the 2.5 lb discs so I have to wrestle with the 30 lb DBs that threaten to eclipse my thighs as I position myself. The 25s are so much more manageable.

I notice RR hovering and his mouth is moving so I remove an earphone. Can he alternate using the seat I'm on? No problem. It's my last set anyway. He's hoisting ridiculously heavy DBs overhead, his face turns purple and I'm glad I'm not standing next to him. The Latino is spotting him. I look around for a free bench not attached to a benching platform because I want to do Skull Crushers. I find one lone bench between the cable stations so I grab the 30 lb BB. I'm unsure what I can handle so I figure I'd start light. I need to grab the discs because 30 is too easy. 35 is easy. 40 is harder. 45 lbs is good. Heavy enough to make the last two reps of each set a bit of work. I can tell my right tricep is working harder than the left but I'm not sure how to rectify it. What's worse is that I've noticed that my left pectoral is actually bigger than my right. No, not boobs, but pectoral muscle. Sigh. The weaker left side has nicer biceps, triceps and pecs. Go figure.

Time to go!

The middle-aged dude (who was giving unwanted advice to the tall thin gal a few weeks ago) has stepped off his stair-stepper and is doing assisted pull-ups. Then he crosses to the dip station, so I have to stand in front of him to do BB curls which I'm supersetting with Skull Crushers. I'm glad he has enough sense to keep his advice to himself with me. I want to forget to do Reverse Grip BB Curls but of course, I don't. A quick three sets and I can knock out abs and then Mat Stretch. The Dive Bomber Push Ups, especially the wide-legged ones, are easy enough to do, but the regular stance ones have my shoulders clicking oddly. I keep adjusting my hand position to make the noise stop. My lower back has been very stiff lately so I'm not entirely certain that the lower back stretches are helping at all. Today I decide not to do them just to see how it feels tomorrow.

The gym scale says 109.4 lbs. I've sucked down a lot of water today. The hot shower feels so good I just want to stand in it all day, but of course I can't. But I'll be back tomorrow. Tomorrow is Double Cardio Friday and I'll get to whack the Nexersys!

Arm Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.34 miles Yay!
Decline Bench Press: 12 @ bar (45 lbs) / 12 @ 65 / 12 @ 85 / 12 @ 95 / 12 @ 105 / 12 @ 85 lbs / 15 @ 65 lbs
Alternating Seated DB Curls: 12 @ 20 lbs / 12 @ 25 lbs / 3 x 6 @ 30 lbs
Skull Crushers: 12 @ 30 lbs / 12 @ 35 lbs / 12 @ 40 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 45 lbs last three sets superset with
BB Curls: 3 x 12 @ 45 lbs
RGBBCurls: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Lower Back Kick Outs: 100
Mat Stretch with 12 wide legged DBPUs, 3 rolling, 12 regular stance DBPUs, splits, upper back, shoulder, hamstring stretches...