Adapting to New Equipment

It's unusually hot for May in New York, topping out in the low 80s. The bugs make me want to douse myself in DEET every time I leave the house. The cops are out ticketing speeders. I wish they would be more vigilante with distracted drivers instead. Part of main road has been relegated to one-lane for a half mile to give workmen ample space to saw apart and remove a long section of guard rail. It must be Federal money because the massive potholes, though patched, still pock-mock the road like gopher holes in a field. That would be County money. The parking lot of the strip mall where my gym is located is finally getting repaired. Orange cones dot all the areas where fresh asphalt fills massive craters. It's been a hard winter. Seems like summer will be equally harsh. Luckily, the gym is cool and mostly empty.

Star Trac® Max Rack

After 15 minutes on the Cross-trainer, I feel sufficiently warm. I still miss the Cage Stretch and do a few awkward lunge stretches for my hamstrings, quads and hip extensors. Then off to the free weight area. Someone has left the skinny neck pad and a pair of 10s on the Smith machine, but I'm more interested in the new equipment, a Star Trac® Max Rack. Because the bar can move forward and back, but not horizontally, it means that I don't have to worry about my hands accidentally rotating the bar and catching it on a safety as I pull up with heavier weight. I look at all the diagramed exercises affixed to the rack. None of them are RG BB Rows. Oh well. There's always got to be someone, right? And today, that someone is me.

There's no entry for this equipment in the JeFit app on my phone so I use one for Smith Machine RG BB Rows. I'm surprised at how heavy the bar alone feels. There seems to be a springy downward resistance on the bar from the locks that hold the bar in place. I tap in 50 lbs for the bar because I know this is heavier than an Oly bar. Later I chat with one of the trainers who confirms my suspicions but he tells me he estimates it's about 55 lbs. Oh well... I do a lot of sets, trying to get a feel for how much weight I can use. I even pull out my VGs. At 140 lbs (assuming bar is 50 lbs), I nearly tip over forward when I pull up. Oh, don't wanna do that! But I like this better than using the Smith for this movement. I'll probably stick with the Smith for presses although I'd use this if the Smith was busy.

Both Seated Cable Machines are in use so I grit my teeth and grab a 55 lb DB for One-Arm DB Rows. I figure as long as I stay light, my joints will be okay. My finger, wrapped in a foam cell bandage, hasn't complained so far. I haven't done these in a really long time, and they are dang heavy! Still, I grind through my sets and get them done. I pass Flirty Girl on the Seated Cable and note how nice her arms and delts look. I can see the fingers in the cap and I'm a bit jealous. But when she stops rowing, all the muscles disappear and her arms, though shapely, lose their defined athletic look.Okay, not jealous anymore. I drop the weight down 15 lbs for the Lower Back Extension Machine just because the DB Rows have been hard on my back. 195 lbs is easy but I don't raise the weight. Maybe next week.

I finally get on the Cable Seated Row and do my standard sets, each last rep for each set done super slowly and silently. I can feel all the different muscles in my back including my lats when I do this movement. I wonder briefly if I have finger delts when I do this, but there's no way for me to know. I look around and a tall skinny guy is on the other Cable Seated Row. He smiles and gives me a weird shrug. Is he flirting with me? I think he's a high schooler. I'm daydreaming about doing cardio when I realize I have yet to do biceps. Ugh. BB Curls have been stressing my lower inside elbows so today I just do Seated DB Curls, alternately raising and twisting each arm. I get a nice pump but nothing like what Rip Skulls do for me. Finally, RG BB Curls and I'm done. Because I did HIIT yesterday, I just do 30 minutes of LISS today.

LISS = 50–70% of Max Heart Rate. Using the newer method of calculating Max Heart Rate (211– 64% age [55] = 211–35 = MHR of 176. 50-70% = 88–123 bpm. The Precor nags me to punch in my body weight and age and then tells me that I've only had 11 minutes out of 30 within the proper Heart Rate range. Heart Rate range for what? It doesn't even know what my goals are! As far as I can tell, I've had my heart rate within the proper range the entire time.

There are a few regulars here today, like The Mayor who was trying out the new Chest Press Machine. Pass. Maroon deadlifts 3 big plates on each side of an Oly. His form looks really good. There's a small space to do this behind the Smith and the Max Rack but the floor is crowded with equipment. One of the front desk gals worries that someone is going to get hurt tripping over it all. You certainly have to plan your trek across the floor because you'll be dodging and weaving under and around BBs and benches everywhere. I do a quick lower back and shoulder stretch and then I'm really done.

Tomorrow I'll whack the Nexersys because I hope to be chaperoning my son's class trip on Thursday. If not, then I'll just do cardio. Because cardio never hurts. Studies are cropping up all the time talking up the benefits of intense exercise, not only to the aging body, but to the aging brain. And my brain needs all the help it can get.


Tuesday Back Workout
(33,535 lbs moved; 4.14 miles cardio)

Elliptical Training

warm up

Calorie :   74 CAL
Distance: 1.88 mile
Speed :    7.47 mph
Duration : 00:15:08

MaxRack Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

210

Set 1 : 50x12 (Bar is heavier than OlyBar)
Set 2 : 90x15
Set 3 : 100x12
Set 4 : 120x15
Set 5 : 140x15
Set 6 : 120x15
Set 7 : 100x15
Set 8 : 100x15
Set 9 : 100x15

Dumbbell One Arm Row

77

Set 1 : 55x12
Set 2 : 55x12
Set 3 : 55x12

Back Extension Machine

292.5

Set 1 : 195x15
Set 2 : 195x15
Set 3 : 195x15

Cable Seated Row

152

Set 1 : 90x12
Set 2 : 105x10
Set 3 : 120x8
Set 4 : 120x8
Set 5 : 120x8

Dumbbell Alternate Bicep Curl

28

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

Barbell Reverse Curl

75

Set 1 : 40x25
Set 2 : 45x20
Set 3 : 45x20
Set 4 : 45x20

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   186 CAL
Distance: 2.26 mile
LISS
Duration : 00:30:00

Perseverance

Change is suppose to be good. But I know from experience that change means learning to adapt, and that isn't always comfortable or beneficial. I get to the gym and there's a big truck with it's tail down in front of the open doors. I'd seen the gym owner yesterday, surveying the gym with a serious eye, as if he was mentally placing new equipment. Today there's new equipment being delivered in parts and pieces, and being assembled by a three-man crew. The mats are all up in front of the kickboxing machines. Are they being replaced as well? And where's the Stretch Cage?

It turns out that the restaurant next door has had a leak and flooded the gym. Egads. The floor is wet and one of the staff is mopping. I've already got moleskin pieces pasted to my knuckles and I'm bumming that maybe I won't be able to whack the machine. The machines are on but the thick black mats are sopping wet. The old guy behind the front desk manages to move a mat in front of the good Nexersys. Water squishes up between the edges where two mats meet. I hope my trainers have decent traction. 10 minutes of elliptical to warm up, and then I'm at the machine, taping and wrapping my hands, stuffing them into my gloves.

I do my standard 7 rounds Beginner Follow Me and 7 rounds Intermediate Follow Me. Wearing my leather Ryka's helps with scoring Lead and Power Kicks. I had issues with those last week when I wore the mesh Ryka shoes. What is an issue is the odd strain I feel on the top of my right forearm as I land my Cross punch and Power Digs. I suspect that yesterday's sets of RG BB Curls with the EZ curls bar have something to do with this. Next week I'll go back to doing those with the solid straight BBs because the curve of the EZ works against me on the RG movement.

The strain persists throughout my entire 7 rounds Beginner session, but otherwise I feel pretty good. After a few minutes to blow my nose, blot my face and sip some water, I punch in 7 rounds Intermediate. I'm starting to feel really good now, my forearm doesn't hurt anymore and I'm moving with the music and hitting all my marks. It's only toward the end, when my shoes are wet and slippery that I start to miss a lot of my Lead Sweeps. My foot just slips right off the pad without registering anything. Bummer.

I compare my stats with last week and they're better. I feel pretty good. Normally I do 10 min of HIIT afterwards, but since I'm already doing HIIT 3x week, I do a slow boring 20 minutes of LISS. I check my phone for the first 3 minutes, averaging 35-40 SPMs. The elliptical tells me to pedal faster. Sigh. I put my phone away and start jogging to the music. The SPMs are up to 170 and my heart rate runs the gamut from 120 to 180 so I slow down to 135 SPMs. I'm not really sure how fast or slow I should be going, but I'm dripping with sweat. The mats have been rearranged and the ab/dip bar station has been moved so that it sits inbetween all three mats. I don't like the new arrangement because now there isn't a single mat that sits evenly on the floor. Each sits on an uneven or lumpy spot but I still do the stretch portion, splits and all.

Tomorrow is Leg Day. I hear that there's a new Smith machine. And maybe the old one is still there although it's been moved to the mirrored wall on the other side of the classroom. It makes sense because one is less likely to cause floor vibrations with it, less likely to disturb the yoga folks. I guess I'll find out tomorrow if they've done away with the Stretch Cage for good. Oh well... it's another adventure.

Thursday Workout

10 minute elliptical steady state warm up
7 rounds Beginner Follow Me (28 min)
7 rounds Intermediate Follow Me (28 min)
20 minutes elliptical LISS

photos posted for actual stats:

7 Rounds Beginner

7 Rounds Intermediate

Fickled Weather Workout

I'm not used to weather changing so quickly, from a frosty 30-something degrees this morning to a windy 47F interspersed with snow flurries, torrential rain, and hail all in a period of just a few hours. Luckily my workout wasn't nearly as temperamental. Today I decided to return home after taking my son to his early morning elective gym class, so I could actually eat my oatmeal, egg and pomegranate breakfast. I also got all my moleskin pieces cut and positioned before I left the house again. My bird feeder appears to be an avian United Nations, with just one or two of several different species: song sparrows, goldfinches, purple finches, Downey woodpeckers, nuthatches, tufted titmouse, English sparrows, house wrens, cardinals, and chickadees. Actually, by mid-afternoon, there's nothing but a good dozen chickadees, a street gang of tiny acrobats. The mourning doves, cooing with their squeaky wings, don't visit the feeder. Nor do the robins racing across the lawns. However, squirrels and chipmunks make themselves right at home unless my dog is sitting outside, watching from the stoop.

The gym isn't too crowded. I spend 10 min on the elliptical for a steady-state warm up but I don't feel warm. Seven rounds of Beginner Follow Me is a warm up. The machine doesn't register my Lead Kick for several rounds. I'm wearing my new Ryka walking shoes to see if they're suitable for this activity. Sadly, they're not. Once I finally figure out exactly where and how I need to kick the Lead Kick pad, my left big toe feels a bit battered. I've actually cracked that nail down by the base (from just this sort of thing) and had to wait several months for it to grow out to a point where I could trim it off. I blank the machine a few times too. And there's two rounds where the machine goes crazy and runs a series of incongruous combinations that I totally miss. So my accuracy needs work.

I don't fair much better in the Intermediate program, although I quite enjoy the faster pace, and the greater force tolerance. I don't stop the machine nearly as often. After seven rounds, I feel pretty good. That's nearly an hour of whacking and kicking, sometimes in rapid succession. Today I feel like I need a change. Because I'm doing HIIT Cardio 3x week ( on days that I lift), I decide to do LISS Cardio on the Step Mill. I start off planning to do 15 minutes but do 20 on a whim. Even though my pace is fairly slow, I start to sweat. Thank goodness I put my hoodie back on!

Today is hectic: I need to pick my son up from school. We're skipping Kung fu because we need to cut out 50 paper robot patterns for tonight's Cub Scout Pack meeting. My husband is leaving work early to pick up more ink for our printer. 50 is a lot of cutting! My desktop computer has been acting oddly today and after I reboot it, it loses all email and Internet abilities even though it's got a strong wifi signal. My hubs surprises me with a brand new iPad Air. Well, that explains all the weird questions he was texting me the other day! We don't have time for dinner as we cut the last robot pattern. Then we get the urgent email: Cub Scout meeting cancelled due to power outage at the school. Well, now we have time for dinner.

I'm really bummed about my desktop machine. It's where I do all my photography projects, where I print all my emails from, my son's Chinese school hw, and where I normally write my blog. I feel a little lost now. Hopefully I can get it fixed. Or I'll just have to adapt a workaround.

Thursday Workout

10 min Precor elliptical

7 rounds Beginner Follow Me: 92% Accuracy / 96% Strikes / 126% Average Power
7 rounds Intermediate Follow Me: 83% Accuracy / 96% Strikes / 102% Average Power

20 min Matrix Step Mill (50 flights)

Cardio and Legs Today

Top: Precor elliptical warm up
Bottom: Matrix Step Mill LISS

Yesterday's Storm Rex was kind of a bust, with slippery fine powdery snow that made the roads treacherous because of the underlying ice. My son and I cleared the driveway and walkway of what we could scrape up. I pointed out a spot near the top of the driveway where I'd slipped and landed hip-first into my snow shovel. My son promptly landed on his backside, completely laid out. Luckily, he was dressed in snow gear from head to toe and the padding kept him bouncy and uninjured. Then we attacked the icy stalactites hanging like ominous teeth over the windows and doorways. Finally, the snow stopped, the sun came out and we packed ourselves into the car to take advantage of $5 Tuesdays at the local cinema. The Lego Movie has been playing for a few weeks now, and the 3-D version is only $6 a ticket, and well worth it. I'd see that movie again, and my husband is happy to hear it since he was at work for all this.

Chest looks decent enough.

Today is Leg Day. I'm a bit sore from Monday but that's not a surprise. It shouldn't impede anything I do today. I get on the Precor elliptical and do 20 minutes of cardio, averaging between 180-200 Strides Per Minute. Just enough to get me warm and sweaty, but not enough to make me feel exhausted. Then I glom onto the Smith machine for Squats, and then SLDLs. The Squats feel okay as long as I go to parallel and use a wide leg stance, otherwise my right knee complains. Even the SLDLs feel okay. But both my right shoulder and right elbow are a twingey today. My grip starts to fail as I add weight to the bar. I feel a little guilty about being on the Smith so long so when I lose my grip at rep 7 at 140 lbs, I decide that's my last set. I could pull out the VGs but I already know there's at least two guys hovering, waiting patiently for this contraption.

Cage Stretch then Seated Leg Extensions. Since it's been a month, I start at 75 lbs. After each 12 rep set, I up the weight, stopping at 135 lbs. The Seated Leg Curl is harder. I thought perhaps taking a month off would alleviate the problem I've been having with my right foot and heavier weights, but the issue is still there. I start at 60 lbs which feels easy. As does 75 and 90 lbs. At 105, I feel the arch of my right foot curl slightly. I also feel weaker. So it's 3 sets at 105 lbs, and I can't even finish the last set. I look around and see that both Step Mills are free so I put my hoodie back on and clamber aboard one, set the pacing to 4 and start reading my phone. 20 sweaty minutes and 837 steps goes by fairly quickly.

My shoulder is sore and my upper back feels very tight so I drop onto the Mat for a stretch. I know I'm holding a lot of water weight just from looking at how puffy my face is. The gym scale reads 114.6 lbs. No surprise there. I snap a few selfies just for the record. What surprises me is how decent my arms look considering I didn't work them today. Maybe I'll box the Nexersys tomorrow and do another chest and back workout on Friday, but all the other excises I didn't have time for on Monday. At least it's a plan.

Getting Back to Leg Day
20 min Precor elliptical = 1.79 miles

Smith Machine Squats: 20 @ bar (30 lbs) / 12 @ 75 lbs / 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 110 lbs / 12 @ 130 lbs / 12 @ 150 lbs
Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts: 12 @ bar (30 lbs) / 12 @ 65 lbs / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 10 @ 120 lbs / 7 @ 140 lbs

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

Seated Leg Extension: 12 @ 75 lbs / 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 135 lbs
Seated Leg Curls: 12 @ 60 lbs / 12 @ 75 lbs / 12 @ 90 lbs / 10, 10, 8 @ 105 lbs

20 min Matrix Step Mill LISS (837 steps)
Mat Stretch with 12 wide stance DBPUs & 12 regular stance DBPSs, 60-second plank, upper and lower back stretches, splits, etc