Strength Comes in Many Forms

The one thing I'm really happy about is that boxing the Nexersys absolutely does not aggravate my damaged index finger. I cut little rectangles of moleskin to stick to my knuckles, wrap my hands with white sports tape and do a 10 minute steady-state warm-up (while varying the incline) on the Precor elliptical. My quads seems a tad stiff and I feel slow. Not enough sleep. I'm barely warm when I settle in front of the kickboxing machine, but that's what 7 rounds of Beginner Follow Me are for. To be followed by 7 rounds of Intermediate Follow Me.

The machine is still flaky, still overly sensitive to my Cross and Power Dig, still barely registers my Lead Kick unless I kick it just right. I'm wearing my old Asics Gel GT-2160 cross-trainer shoes because I need to be able to kick the pad with my toe or it doesn't score properly. The leather shoes I have aren't flexible enough. (Today I'm expecting to get two pairs of Ryka shoes: one leather and one mesh. I've got fingers crossed that they'll actually fit my feet which are small, with small narrow heels and a wide ball of foot.)

I don't really feel great until the Intermediate program because I spend a lot of time resetting the screen during the Beginner rounds. It takes me a while to remember to pull my power on the Power Dig and Cross. I'm too short to Power Elbow or Lead Elbow and just use a glancing blow for those moves. Uppercuts are also tricky. I like the Power Body best because I don't have to hold back, and I can reach that pad comfortably instead of having to arc up for a Cross, Jab or Hook. I'm really dancing to the music, a blow or kick for every beat. It feels great. It's really my favorite thing to do at the gym. Of course, the machine advises me that I should add rounds. I wonder if I did 15 rounds straight, if it would still give that assessment.

I have just enough time to pull off my wraps and the tape and do 10 minutes on the elliptical. I prefer a few minutes of intense HIIT cardio. Today I start with 2 minutes steady-state, then 15 seconds of all-out Intensity (managing to get up to 284 Strides Per Minute), dropping down to 90-120 SPM for 45 seconds, and repeat 4 more times. Then 3 minutes of catching my breath and mopping my face (160 SPM). I'm surrounded by people pedaling obliviously. At least until I reach the Intensity portion of my program. They seem startled out of their trances, probably because the elliptical tends to clunk noisily at such high speeds. That, and the water bottle shakes ominously in the handle holder.

Tomorrow is Leg Day. Wonder what I'll do...

Thursday Workout

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   97 CAL
Distance: 0.85 mile
Duration : 00:10:07

Nexersys Kickboxing

Lap/Rep :  14 Lap/Rep
Duration : 00:56:00

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   74 CAL
Distance: 0.88 mile
Duration : 00:10:00

photos posted for actual stats:

7 rounds Beginner Follow Me program

7 rounds Intermediate Follow Me program

Working the Cardio Rest Day

There was a 2-hr delay for school due to the dusting of annoying snow we got early this morning. Too little to shovel, but enough of the slippery powder to make the ice underneath fairly treacherous. So I get to the gym after 11 am today.

I normally do a leisurely 10 min cardio warm up, whack the kickboxing machine a good 12 rounds and then finish off with 8 out of 10 min on the elliptical doing HIIT cardio (15 sec On / 45 sec Off). But since I'm "resting" my battered knuckles, I thought I'd do something different. I got on the Precor elliptical for 30 min of Intervals (only 2.54 miles) and then hit the free weights for Arm Day. I needed to warm up the joints though, so I opted to do 3 sets of DB Shoulder Presses with just 15 lbs. I don't normally do anything like Shoulder or Military presses because not only do I have shoulder issues, but the circulatory system on my right side causes issues with my hearing and balance if I get a pump there. So I don't.

Using light weights, I opt to superset tricep and bicep work first with Alternating DB Curls and One-Arm DB Extensions. Then with Rip Skulls and BB Curls. My tiny forearms are so pumped I decide to skip the RG BB Curls after a few sets of Cable V-handle Press Downs. I knock out a quick set on the Torso Twist machine, thinking I'll do a few crunches later. But later the Mat area is filled with teenage boys doing a modest cobra pose. I clamber back onto the elliptical for a few minutes, then 8 minutes of HIIT cardio. I'm expecting to quit early because my legs feel heavy, so I'm really surprised when I'm able to reach 280 Strides Per Minute for a second or two during the On phase (15 seconds). I drop to 55 SPM during the Off phase (45 seconds). Tomorrow is Leg Day. Yaaay! At least I'll get some cardio in.

Thursday Arm Day Workout

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   286 CAL
Distance: 2.54 mile
Duration : 00:30:02

Dumbbell Standing Press

Set 1 : 15x12
Set 2 : 15x12
Set 3 : 15x12

Dumbbell Alternate Bicep Curl

28

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12  SuperSet with

Dumbbell One Arm Triceps Extension

28

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12

Barbell Reverse Grip Skullcrusher

52.5

Set 1 : 15x12
Set 2 : 27.5x12
Set 3 : 37.5x12
Set 4 : 37.5x12
Set 5 : 37.5x12
SuperSet with

Barbell Curl

52.5

Set 1 : 15x12
Set 2 : 27.5x12
Set 3 : 37.5x12
Set 4 : 37.5x12
Set 5 : 37.5x12

Cable Triceps Pushdown

58.5

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 40x12
Set 3 : 45x9

Weight Plate Twist

91.67

Set 1 : 50x25
Set 2 : 50x25

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   73 CAL
Distance: 0.75 mile
Duration : 00:10:02

New Year's Day Workout

As much as I appreciate the brand new screen on the Left-side Nexersys machine, it's temperamental virtual keyboard makes punching in a program quite a challenge. After a mild 10 min steady-state cardio warm up, I logged into the machine. It wouldn't let me change from last sessions 3 rounds Intermediate to 7 rounds Beginner so I gave up and did the Intermediate rounds first. Then I gave up trying to punch in a new program and switched to the Right-side machine, which has its own problems, like an overly-sensitive Power Dig sensor.

I got myself new gloves last week because I've determined that the reason my right pinky knuckle is getting pummeled is due to equipment failure. Something is broken inside the right glove. The new gloves are bigger (unisex Small) and black and a different brand. They're also open-palmed, without the annoying grip bar. But they're big enough for me to worry about chafing so I use brand new wraps over the white tape and moleskin on my hands. My only complaint so far is that both my pointer finger first joints are sore from the seams on the edge of the glove fingers even though I took care to put protective white tape on both. I may need to cut those seams off. But my pinky knuckle, although a tad pink, isn't bruised. Yaaaay!

I take two minutes to acclimatize myself to the elliptical and then do HIIT cardio for the remainder: 15 seconds going as fast as I can (maxing at 283 Strides Per Minute) before spending 45 seconds trying to recuperate (average speed 55 SPMs) and then doing it all again for 8 minutes. A quick stretch on the Mat and I'm done. As I walk back to the locker room a very obese man smiles at me. I'm pretty sure he was at the Cable station behind the kickboxing machines when I was working out. Lots of New Year's resolutions here.

New Year's Workout

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   98 CAL
Distance: 0.86 mile
Duration : 00:10:07

Nexersys Kickboxing machine

3 rounds Intermediate Follow Me avatar program

  Accuracy 91% / Strikes 100% / Average Power 118%

7 rounds Beginner Follow Me avatar program

  Accuracy 93% / Strikes 98% / Average Power 136%

 

Elliptical Training

8 min HIIT 

Calorie :   72 CAL
Distance: 0.74 mile
Duration : 00:10:02

photos posted for actual stats:

 Intermediate Rounds

 

 Beginner Rounds

Tabata or Not?

When I read that HIIT cardio entails hitting 90% of your max heart rate on the On portion, and 50% at the Off portion, I realize that there's no way I can do this. My heart rate jumps all over the place even during steady state and jogging at 150 Strides Per Minute is as likely to elicit a heart rate of 180 as it is 144. At 54, my maximum heart rate is suppose to be 220 - 54 = 166. It seems kind of ridiculous that every single 54 yr old person should have a max heart rate of 166. I read on a website that exceeding your max heart rate is fine if you don't have cardiovascular disease but gasp, you put yourself at risk for sore muscles and joints, and perhaps, even overtraining. Oh no!

I came across an article about Tabata cardio training yesterday. I've heard the term but never quite understood it. From what I gather, it's a more condensed, intensive version of HIIT where hitting your max can mean going to 170% of your heart rate. In my case, that would be 282 BPM, something I've never done although the elliptical heart monitors have screamed 212 at me. But you only do the max for 20 seconds, and instead of resting for two to three times as long as the On session, you rest for half the amount, or 10 seconds. The article suggests starting out with a 4 minute session after a 5 minute warm up. And that's what I do today.

And yet, I still want that 5 mile total, so after the 5 min warm up, the 4 min of grueling Tabata (oddly, the elliptical was unable to register my heart rate during this), and another 6 minutes of leisurely loping along, I decide to try doing another 2 minutes of Tabata, and then only as much steady state to get me to two miles, which turns out to be 22 minutes in total. I'm not sure if it's the accumulated cardio and high reps, but I was definitely a bit more tired when I got to the Nexersys.

I know the gym owner has had the machines serviced because now they require Users to log in, which means that passing idiots can't just whack the machine as they walk by. I have to log in for each session, but since it only requires a User Name and your own Password, it's not a big deal. I like how the type is huge and easy to read in the glare, but not thrilled that anyone on the ellipticals behind me can also ready my User Name and Password. I'm completely thrown by the new software in the machine and it messes with my accuracy and strike rating. Now, when the Avatar directs you to kick or punch, not only does the avatar light up, but a hollow arrow illustration "shows" you which direction the blow should come from. I don't know what to look at next and I miss several punches.

When I punch or knee-in too hard, the machine stops with the warning sign, but it also doesn't count the blow at all. The accuracy rating plummets as if you'd totally missed the blow. I pull my punches in order not to trigger the warning sign but eventually I get a bit frustrated and go back to whacking the machine as hard as I can. I've wrapped my hands fairly well so they're only a little pink when I finally strip off my gloves.

Back to the elliptical for a lazy 3 miles of pedaling. My heart rate bounces all over the place, but finally settles down at 155. By minute 17, my stomach is growling at me. Three miles takes 38 minutes. I'm not at all happy at how long this takes. I try to keep it in perspective by telling myself that a 5k is 3.1 miles. People get all excited by running 5ks. I think about the advice doctors give people, and about how unrealistic it is. Walk 5 miles everyday. If you're on your feet all day and inspecting equipment, okay, that's probably easily accomplished. But if you sit at a computer desk (as I used to), and drive everywhere (no sidewalks where I live), well, 5 miles is probably damn near impossible without a treadmill or elliptical. Just like it's damn near impossible to get 1200 mg of calcium everyday without resorting to eating a bit of dairy, or taking calcium citrate supplements. I know because I'm trying. Well, at least the sun is out and tomorrow's Pull Day (Back & Biceps). Yay!

Cardio Tuesday

22 min elliptical including 4 min Tabata (20 sec On / 10 sec Off), steady state cardio, 2 min Tabata = 2.02 miles

Cage Stretch

Nexersys 5 rounds Beginner Female Follow Me Avatar
  Accuracy 91% / Strikes 96% / Average Power 137%

Nexersys 9 rounds Intermediate Female Follow Me Avatar
  Accuracy 67% / Strikes 93% / Average Power 105%

50 crunches / 50 knee to elbow crunches

38 min elliptical = 3.00 miles

photos for stats:

21-Day Shred program Day One

I found a program I think I can do because it's only three weeks long, and only requires four days at the gym, allowing me to reserve my weekends. I never go to the gym on weekends! It's a bit daunting at first because there's no rest time built in, which is actually a good thing. I'm less confident about the "diet" part since it seems to be a standard high protein, lots of veggies and a bit of fruit diet. Oh, and a ton of supplements, which I will not be taking. Today I decided to ease into the program by still eating my breakfast oatmeal with egg. My compromise was to omit the teaspoon of sugar and add a scoop of whey powder after the oatmeal had cooked.

I just don't like this brand of protein (ON Gold Standard 100% Natural Whey). It has no taste (suppose to be strawberry) and gets a bit rubbery in heat. I had to add more water to dissolve the graininess but the oatmeal still didn't taste very good. Today is a school holiday so I have my son in tow as well. It's a good thing this program is suppose to take just 45 minutes. It doesn't actually because it doesn't take into account the need to move from one station to another, to blot the sweat from your face or to take a swig of water. Still, it's a quick moving program and does get your heart racing.

First I need to do 20 minutes of HIIT but since it's a holiday, the cardio area is ridiculously crowded and all the ellipticals are occupied. However, some of the LifeFitness recumbent bikes are free so I get on one, pulling the seat all the way forward. I punch in Manual mode for 15 minutes, assuming that the cool down will be a standard 5 minutes. But it's not. It's only 3 minutes. Ugh. I'll have to make that up later even though I can hit the Add Time button, it only adds 15 second increments and I'm not satisfied that this is really 20 minutes of HIIT. I don't like the bikes, don't like how I seem to be sliding forward while I pedal. I'm constantly trying to straighten up my back, and I find it unpleasant to breathe hard in the sitting position (as if my ribs are cramped).

The program calls for 20 reps each of five exercises in quick succession: bench, one-arm DB row (20 reps each arm), standing military press, BB curl and DB Kickbacks. Unfortunately I'm not really sure how much weight to use so I'm kind of winging it today. I know I can easily do 50 reps with just an Olympic bar so I toss a pair of 10s on. 20 reps is easy but I'll have to adjust the weight next time. I don't really know what size DB to use for One-Arm rows for 20 reps so I pick 25 lbs arbitrarily. I can do 20 although it's making me flush and sweaty. Next session I'll see how 30 lbs feels. The Standing Military Press is something I don't normally do so safe to say, I go really light with this movement: only a 30 lb BB. Sadly, I can easily knock out 20 barbell curls at the same weight, but I've been doing curls a lot longer. 15 lbs is light for Tricep Kickbacks but figure that after 4 sets of 20, I'll probably feel them.

I goof in my workout by moving back to the bike to do the 10 minutes HIIT when in reality the program calls for two rounds of this circuit before doing more cardio. To make up for this, I do another round of weights, then a quick 5 minute round of HIIT on the finally available Precor elliptical. Then two more rounds of the weight circuit. I up my bench weight to 75 lbs which is still too easy for 20 reps (next time I'll do 85 lbs), but keep everything else the same.

Except the Military Press and Standing Curl. I couldn't get the 30 lb BB for the 2nd round (some guy seemed to be using it as a back-scratcher) and resorted to the 20 lb BB. What I should've done was grabbed the 15 lb DBs but honestly, I'm literally running back and forth all over the gym doing this routine. For the 3rd and 4th sets though, I got the 30 lb BB. Hard for the Military Press, too easy for the BB Curl. I'll adjust for the next Upper Body (A) Session which will be Thursday. Tomorrow is Lower Body (B) and promises to be interesting because I'll be doing movements I don't normally do. Like DB Lunges, and DB Calf Raises. I'd skip the Calf Raises if I had a suitable substitute. My calves are big enough as they are. Afterwards I do a quick Cage Stretch and a brief Mat Stretch. I probably shouldn't count those in my workout time.

The gym scale reads a hefty 113.8 lbs but I'm carrying a lot of water weight because my face is very puffy. Yesterday's dinner and lunch was dumplings liberally dotted with spicy rooster (sriracha chili) sauce and soy-roasted duck my husband bought from the Asian food market. I'm not worried. I've barely drunk half my water and I'm not really hungry after my workout. Other than my shoulders, the rest of me feels okay. The program calls for Lower Body tomorrow, Upper Body (like today) on Wednesday, active rest on Thursday, and Lower Body again on Friday. I'm thinking the Nexersys looks good for Thursday. Gotta have something to look forward to!

21-Day Shred Program Day One (A):
20 min HIIT: 1 minutes On / 1 minute Off  (no idea what the mileage was on the LifeFitness recumbent bike)
Bench Press: 20 reps @ 65 lbs
One-Arm DB Rows: 20 @ 25 lbs
Standing Military BB Press: 20 @ 30 lbs
BB Curls: 20 @ 30 lbs
Tricep DB Kickbacks: 20 @ 15 lbs
10 min HIIT: 1 min On / 1 min Off (about 2 miles on the LifeFitness recumbent bike)
Bench Press: 20 reps @ 65 lbs
One-Arm DB Rows: 20 @ 25 lbs
Standing Military BB Press: 20 @ 20 lbs
BB Curls: 20 @ 20 lbs
Tricep DB Kickbacks: 20 @ 15 lbs
5 min HIIT: 1 min On / 1 min Off (Precor elliptical)
Bench Press: 2 x 20 reps @ 75 lbs (upping the weight to 85 lbs on Wed)
One-Arm DB Rows: 2 x 20 @ 25 lbs (upping the weight to 30 lbs next time)
Standing Military BB Press: 2 x 20 @ 30 lbs
BB Curls: 2 x 20 @ 30 lbs (upping the weight to 35 lbs next time)
Tricep DB Kickbacks: 2 x 20 @ 15 lbs
Cage Stretch
Abbreviated Mat Stretch

Day Three and I'm Over the Hump. Not.

The fog was so thick as I drove to the gym, I began to wonder if I'd been transported to a chilly version of Venus. Zero visibility apparently shut down several airports this morning. I admit I was a bit worried that I would fail miserably at HIIT today, wondering if I was still recovering from yesterday's cardio exertions. I'm not sore. I'm not tired. But I could tell once I got on the elliptical, that the lungs and legs weren't really happy with me. At least I didn't have a wicked stitch in my side like yesterday. Felt like I'd been gripped by a giant lobster claw just off the right side center of my abs. Usually a stitch hits me under the rib cage so this was different. But instead of pausing or slowing down, I just try to "run" faster, hoping it'll go away on its own. It did, eventually.

I toyed with the idea of only doing 7 or 8 minutes of the 1-minute On/Off intervals today instead of 10, but once I got to 8, well, it's only 2 more minutes. The first two minutes were okay, with peaks at 260-275 Strides Per Minute. Troughs are a leisurely 70 SPMs while I'm trying frantically to catch my breath. But the next several minutes had my peaks drop dramatically from 255 to barely making 240 SPM. Wow, that was hard. Then I dropped to 30 seconds On/Off and I was able to recover enough to up my speed back to the 250-275 SPM range. Yay! Not sure how I'm going to fare doing 20 minutes of this if I start that new 21-Day shred program on Monday. Yikes!

The Cage Stretch feels good and I'm pleased that neither hammies or lower back seem inordinately stiff. I plop myself on the floor in front of the Nexersys and proceed to wrap my hands. Today I cut a patch of moleskin and stuck it to my scabbed knuckle for additional protection. Again I punch in 9 rounds for the Follow Me Avatar. The first round is a bust because the machine doesn't register several kicks and my accuracy rating falls abysmally. But I improve and figure out just where the sweet spot is that I need to whack with my foot in order to register a good power kick. Afterwards, even though I know I'm a little tired, I punch in 3 rounds of Sparring. I love it because you can punch and kick in any combination you like, as fast and pretty much as hard as you want. It's rare that the machine stops you with a Warning Buzzer, and then the next blow will reset it most of the time. I wail on the machine, landing twice as many blows and kicks as called for (hence why my Strike stats are over 200%). But I am tired and I conserve my energy by pulling a lot of my punches. I'm not completely sure, but I think today might be a high score for points for me. Again! Yay!

Ignore the last two rows:
only the first three rows show
stats from the Spar Round

Tomorrow I'll do my basic cardio workout, some push ups, sit ups, maybe check out the ab wheel again, and end it with another boring 20 minutes of LISS. The gym scale pops back up to 113 lbs but since I've sucked down everything except two mouthfuls of the entire water bottle, I'm not surprised. And it doesn't bother me because in the mirror I feel like I look better. Maybe it's in my head, but I feel leaner and lighter. And I'm much happier.

Wednesday Cardio Week Day Three

Precor elliptical: 5 min warm up (180 Strides Per Minute); 10 min HIIT (1 min On/ 1 min Off); 5 min HIIT (30 sec On / 30 sec Off) = 2.07 miles  Glad I survived that! Whew!

Cage Stretch with BW heel dips, calf raises and side kicks

Nexersys Boxing machine, Beginner Female
Follow Me Avatar, 9 rounds
  Accuracy 87%  /  Strikes 105%  / Avg Power 129% 
Increases in accuracy, strikes and power! Yay!

Sparring Avatar, 3 rounds
  Strikes 219%  / Avg Power 87%  / Poinsts 964
Increases in number of strikes, power and total points! Yay!

De-Load Day One

Over the weekend I read up on a new (to me anyway) 21-day program that's suppose to spare muscle but kickstart a shred. I don't need to be shredded, just a tad leaner. But nothing I've tried so far is getting me anywhere. I'm bigger and stronger, but I'm also fatter. Not my plan. I'm not ready to test out the 21-day program yet but this week I've scheduled cardio and then some. Because the 21-day program calls for an actual 20 minutes of HIIT, and I know for a fact I absolutely cannot do 20 minutes of that, I figure I'd give myself a head start.

Today I upped my HIIT by another 5 minutes. It was really really hard, leaving me panting and gasping for breath. That's 5 minutes for warm up (around 180-190 Strides Per Minute), then 1 minute going full tilt (250-279 SPMs), then 1 minute of gasping (70-80 SPMs). By the 7th minute, I was having trouble keeping myself over 250 SPMs, and by the 10 minute, I was happy just to stay at 250. Then I spent the next 5 minutes doing the Intervals at 30 seconds. After a minute to recover, I was once again able to kick up to 270 SPMs for the remaining 2 sets. My husband is giving the increased Interval durations a go but he's happier with 45 second intervals. I can't do math while I'm huffing and puffing and my phone is too inconvenient for me to hit the timer. I'll stick with full and half minutes.

The Cage Stretch feels nearly normal today. My right front hip only twinges occasionally. The hamstrings are okay, but the lower back is a tad stiff. Again, it feels like core stiffness. I toss out a few side kicks and stretch before wrapping my hands and stuffing them into gloves. Again, I only do 9 rounds on the Follow Me avatar program, and another 3 rounds for all out Sparring. When I'm done, I pull my hoodie back on and lay down on the Mat to stretch my lower back. Mo texts me and I'm surprised because I haven't seen her in months. She's sorry she missed me, perhaps tomorrow. I probably won't see her then either. Bt remarks in the locker room that I'm unusually focused, "I don't mean that in a bad way at all, but you're so focused you don't see anyone! That's good!" "Yeah, I got tunnel vision when I work out," I admit sheepishly because another lady tells me she saw me last week and I have no recollection of seeing her since before the holidays.

The frigid arctic air has wreaked havoc with my genetically tropical skin. As much as I hate the summer humidity and heat, my skin hates the dry winter air and now resembles ashy scales peeling off my arms and legs. After a quick shower, I sit in the sauna. A steam bath would be better but we only have a dry sauna. Still, it's enough to loosen the itchy tight layers and I again shower. My stomach growls. The gym scale reads 113.8 lbs which is slightly better than last week. I'll see what it says by week's end, and then I'll take my BF measurements again. It's been creeping up and the reading is alarming at 21.5%. It'll be a few months before I can get in to see my doc for a physical but by then I'll know whether what I'm doing now is working.

Cardio Day One
Elliptical: 5 min warm up, 10 min HIIT  1 minute on / 1 min off, 5 min HIIT 30 sec on / 30 sec off  = 2.1 miles

Cage Stretch with BW heel dips, calf raises and side kicks

Nexersys boxing Beginner Female
Follow Me Avatar: 9 rounds
  Accuracy 84% / Strikes 103% / Avg Power 128%
Sparring: 3 rounds
  Strikes 205%  / Avg Power 86%  / Points 928

Lower back and hamstring stretch

Maybe It Was Just PMS Without the M

Today I felt a lot better so I suspect that my blue feeling might've been a bit of PMS, without the messy menses. Hormones will cycle for years after the last period but now I have no way of knowing unless I want to subject myself to rigorous blood work. Nah! It's also bright and sunny albeit bitterly cold. I drove my son to the bus stop we normally walk to because the thermometer said -0. It was 5°F by the time I got to the gym and luckily I had all my gear with me. Yay!

The HIIT program as I read it isn't doing much for me so today I change it a tad, inspired by a few other logs I track. Since 10 minutes is the minimum time I can punch into the Precor, with an automatic 5 min cool down, I use the first 5 minutes as a warm up, pacing myself at roughly 200 Strides Per Minute. Then I do a full minute as fast as I can go (250-276 SPM), followed by a minute of panting-hard trotting (79-86 SPM). By the 5th minute, I'm having trouble keeping my speed up after 45 seconds. For the last 5 minutes, I change to 30 second intervals. Now this whole program feels much better. I'm going to try and work my way up to a full 10 minutes of 1 minute on, 1 minute off. I'm warm and feel like a human being now.

I could go home but I figure I'll do a body part that's been neglected lately: shoulders. DB Laterals, Barbell Upright Rows, DB Bent Over Flyes, and maybe a go at that Ab Wheel. I'm glad I have my old routine logs in my cell because I don't remember where I'm suppose to be. DB Laterals feel fine and I manage to muscle my way up in reps to full sets at my max weight. Yay! Then I decide to see how painful BB Upright Rows are. I move cautiously from 30 lbs to 50 lbs. It's my wrist and fingers that start to feel weird and crunchy during the last set. I have my elbows and wrists wrapped by I don't know how to alleviate the pressure on my wrists from this movement. I may substitute a different movement next time, although I'm not sure what.

The Bent Over DB Flys are last. I warm up with the 25s and these feel hard but previous logs states I can do more. So I add a 2.5 lb magnet to each DB and do another set. Then I add another magnet to make them 30s and do three more sets. There are two sets of DBs from 5s to 25s, but there are only single pairs for the rest of the weights. Without the stack of magnets, I'd be waiting around for the 30s, and getting cold. The Mat area (where the Ab Wheel is located) is full of people so I kill time at the Cage and stretch out my hamstrings. Then I wander back. This Ab Wheel has padded handles to grip, and peddles with straps so you can use your feet with it as well. I pick an area of floor situated between all three Mats so that there is a natural stop for the wheel as I roll forward. I should've looked at a few instructional videos before I started this so I don't know if I'm doing it correctly or not. I feel a stretch down the center of my abdominals but nothing else otherwise. Perhaps I'm not doing them right. Later I find a good video online that gives excellent pointers on form (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl_Hp1Wf52k).

Because my workout is short today, the locker room is a complete zoo when I go in to shower and change. The gym scale reads 115.0 lbs again but I'm not surprised. Not only have I not been able to access the rest rooms, but I've drunk more than 3/4 of my 1.5 liter water bottle. Tomorrow is Back Day and I'm starting to feel excited again. Yay! That HIIT is just what I needed today.

Tuesday Abbreviated Workout:

Precor elliptical: 5 min warm up, 5 minutes of 1 min on / 1 min off; 5 minutes of 30 sec on / 30 sec off  = 1.56 miles

DB Lateral Raises: 15 @ 20 lbs / 12 @ 25 lbs / 10, 12, 12 @ 30 lbs PB Yay! / 12 @ 25 lbs

BB Upright Rows: 12 @ 30 lbs / 12 @ 35 lbs / 12 @ 40 lbs / 12 @ 45 lbs / 12 @ 50 lbs

DB Bent-Over Reverse Flys: 15 @ 25 lbs / 12 @ 27.5 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 30 lbs / 12 @ 25 lbs

Cage Stretch with BW heel dips, calf raises and side kicks
Ab Wheel: 3 x 12 but I don't know if I'm doing them correctly (try again tomorrow)

Cardio Friday

We'll see if HIIT works for me.

My husband remains skeptical that starting out with just 5 minutes of HIIT three days a week will amount to anything fitness-wise. Perhaps 5 minutes isn't enough. It wasn't enough today. I had my son in tow (my husband decided he needed to fulfill an urge to go winter hiking on Storm King Mountain) so I knew my workout would have to be shorter anyway.

The Precor ellipticals don't allow you to punch in time less than 10 minutes, and then it automatically adds a 5 minute "cool down" period. Okay, I can use that. I walk for the first 5 minutes at roughly 150 Strides Per Minute just to loosen up. Usually my glutes are sore after Leg Day, but today my hammies are stiff, a sure sign that I'm doing those Smith SLDLs correctly.

Today's Selfie

I move from 150 SPM to 250-270 SPMs for the next 30 seconds and then drop back down to 150 for the next 30 seconds. I repeat this for the next 5 minutes. I'm a little breathless, but I can do more. So I continue doing this for rest of the 5 minute "cool down". Now I'm a bit sweaty, and a bit more breathless. Now I'm suppose to be done for the day and go home. I stretch at the Cage and toss a few side kicks. I still have an hour and a half left! Both Nexersys stations are vacant and I love boxing this machine so I wrap my hands and stuff them into my stupid pink gloves.

I can't decide whether I'm doing 12 rounds of Follow Me or a different combination. When I inadvertently hit 9 rounds, it's set. I'll add another 3 rounds of Sparring afterwards if I feel up to it. It's 3 minutes of punching and kicking, followed by 1 minute of resting. Nine times. Again, I'm punching too hard and some of my blows don't register at all, and the warning buzzer's cautioning me that I could break the machine. Not likely I tell myself. Heck, much bigger guys whack this thing. I'm just a wee woman. Because I'm used to whacking this system after an hour of cardio, I have a lot more energy and power than I'm used to. Afterwards, I program in 3 rounds of Sparring just for fun. Then I can really wail on it. And I do. I'm thoroughly drenched by the time I'm done. And very happy. I don't even care that the scale reads 113.6 lbs. I retrieve my son just as the two hours are up.

Friday Cardio Workout:
5 min walking warm up, 10 minutes HIIT (30 seconds at 150 SPM, 30 seconds at 250-270 SPMs)

Nexersys Boxing System:
9 rounds Follow Me Avatar, female beginner
  Accuracy 81% / Strikes 101% / Avg Power 130% 
3 rounds Sparring Avatar, female beginner
  Strikes 206% / Avg Power 91% / Points 922

Photos posted for actual stats: 

Follow Me 9 rounds

Sparring 3 rounds