I Don't Want to Do It But I Do It Anyway

There are few exercises that I hate more than HIIT cardio but it's not so bad when I'm actually doing it. It's the anticipation of having to do it that gets me. So I don't listen to myself. Especially when I'd rather be doing other cardio. It's only 10 minutes, otherwise I might've bailed on it a long time ago. Luckily I do it toward the end of my routine, followed by LISS as a reward. Today I managed to get all the way up to 140 SPMs and still kept my heart rate under 120. Cool!

Back Selfies Are Hard and Tan Lines Don't Help

Monday I got to a max of 288 SPMs. Today I can only hit 280. But Monday I broke my HIIT into 5 minute blocks, followed by 5 minutes of LISS. Today I do 10 minutes straight through. My legs are a tad sore from yesterday's cardio and core workout. But what's really bothering me if the sudden stiffness in my left lower back just over my hip. It's probably because I jerked during the Seated Cable Row with 120 lbs. Usually it's my right side that gives me trouble so I'm taken off-guard by this. I modify my subsequent routine so as not to exacerbate any potential injuries. It's hard to tell at this point. I'll have to sleep on it and see how everything is in the morning.

I started out with my standard 15 min warm up on the LifeFitness cross-trainer. Tattoo Tank is on the Max Rack so I do two sets of RG BB Rows in the Smith. Luckily he's just about done and I do the rest of my routine there. The Smith kind of sucks for doing heavy RG BB Rows because my hands rotate and I catch the bar in the stays while rowing. Today I notice that I must be standing tilted in the Max Rack because the tracks don't allow any lateral movement. Odd. I do reps because I can't go heavier without destroying my form. I pyramid on the Seated Cable Rows, but still manage my standard routine for One-Arm Seated Cable Rows. These are real bicep-busters. My lower back feels stiff and I have yet to do Lower Back Extensions. I almost decide not to do them. Instead, I allow myself to do just 12 reps per set instead of 15.

I like the partial Drag Curls a lot because they don't hurt my elbows. I'm considering upping the weight because I get 14 reps on set 3. Maybe I should up the weight a tad on the RG BB Curls too. Now I have to do HIIT cardio and it's all I can do to ignore the whining in my head. My lifting gloves are coming apart at the seams and they smell bad. I've sprayed them with fabric refresher because I don't think they'd survive laundering. Usually I wear them during cardio to give my fingers a little extra padding. Today I go barehanded. The Precor nags me to punch in my weight and age so it can calculate whether my heart rate is in the right range. I don't understand what it tells me: max rate 160, average rate 129 and 3:19 in the zone 80-120. I've been watching the heart rate display and most of the time it read 115-120 so the 3:19 makes no sense to me. Oh well...

Tomorrow I'll have my son in tow. I'm planning to whack the kickboxing machine, and maybe take my son to visit the Buddhist monastery. He doesn't remember going there when my dad passed away because he was barely 4 years old.

Back and Biceps Workout
(4.15 miles total, 37,560 lbs moved)

Cross Trainer

Warm Up

Calorie :   71 CAL
Distance: 1.83 mile
Speed :    7.32 mph
Duration : 00:30:02

Smith Machine Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

Warm Up!

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x12

Max Rack BB RG
Bent Over Row

217.5

Set 1 : 55x12
Set 2 : 105x15
Set 3 : 125x8
Set 4 : 125x15
Set 5 : 145x15
Set 6 : 145x15
Set 7 : 145x15
Set 8 : 105x25

Cable Seated Row

pyramid

Set 1 : 90x12
Set 2 : 105x10
Set 3 : 120x8
Set 4 : 112.5x10
Set 5 : 97.5x12

Cable One Arm Seated Row

73.5

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 45x10
Set 3 : 52.5x12
Set 4 : 52.5x12
Set 5 : 52.5x12

Back Extension Machine

294

Set 1 : 210x12
Set 2 : 210x12
Set 3 : 210x12 slacking!

Barbell Drag Curl

(partial)

Set 1 : 45x12
Set 2 : 50x12
Set 3 : 55x12
Set 4 : 55x12
Set 5 : 55x14 Uh oh

Barbell Reverse Curl

82.5

Set 1 : 45x20
Set 2 : 45x22
Set 3 : 45x25 Uh oh

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   229 CAL
Distance: 2.32 mile
10 min HIIT
20 min LISS
Duration : 00:30:00

If You Think You Can't, Push Harder

I've got a 1/4" long scab on my left index knuckle. Well, it'd be a scab if it was dried blood, but it's just dried raw flesh where the skin ripped off. I have a smaller, real scab on the index knuckle of my right hand. It's not looking good for me to whack the machine tomorrow, much as I want to, unless I don those over-sized boxing gloves I got from my son's tae kwon do school a few years ago. I looked online for kid's padded MMA gloves. I like having fingers so I'm not looking at boxing gloves, but I'm not grappling either. I just want to punch, jab, knee, elbow, cross, hook and kick.

Today's Selfie

Some of the companies don't provide adequate sizing information so when I post a question asking if kid's gloves might fit me (I'd already read that they are more padded than adult gloves), I get a series of answers, most of them telling me that I don't know how to punch correctly, and none answering my question about sizing. One fellow (and these are all guys answering me) tells me I should be punching with the flat of my fist, not my knuckles. Really? In kung fu and tae kwon do, everyone is told the first two knuckles of your fist is what makes contact. With my boney little hands (I can see the sinews and veins leading from each knuckle over the top of my hands), there's no way I'd ever punch with the flat of my fist. I don't think he means the back of my fist either because that's a completely different strike. Is it me? Answer the stupid question, idiots.

Fitting Room

I'm not sure what to expect at the gym but today is Back and Biceps Day. And cardio. Because it feels too good to pass up. After 30 min on the LifeFitness cross-trainer (I went back to the ones by the front door), I wander over to the free weight area. The place is a mess but there's an Olympic bar free so I know I'm doing RG BB Rows. I have on new patterned leggings I bought last week at Marshall's. They are the same leggings that AM, the woman who teaches the Leslie Mill's BodyPump class, is wearing. They look better on her, mainly because she's taller, with longer legs. I have very short legs so the pants come to my ankles while hers are mid-calf capris. Figures. Oh well.

After RG BB Rows, I do just three sets of One-Arm DB Rows. Just like last week, I up my weight as I cut my reps. I want to get on the Lower Back Extension machine, but it's very popular so I have to wait. Meanwhile, I do 3 sets of Seated Cable Rows, keeping strict form and feeling it down the center of my back. So far my elbows having complained. If all goes well, I'll try doing a few Hammergrip Pull Ups at the end. The Lower Back Extension machine is free, and I move the pin from 70 lbs down to 210 lbs. I have trouble with the first set because the belt isn't tight enough and I pop up to a standing position. I get brave by set three and put a 7.5 lb brick on the stack to make it 218.5 lbs. I get 12 reps and realize that I might be able to do 225 next time. Scary thought! I do a quick 3 sets of DB curls, trying out windmills, then regular curls, then hammer curls. My forearms are so pumped it's hard to do BB curls afterwards. I can only get 3 sets at 40 lbs. I used to do RG BB Curls with 40 lbs! Oh well... time for cardio.

Blue shows my face;
Red shows hand placement

After doing the Interval program for 30 min on the elliptical, I go to the stretch Cage and knock out a set of pull ups. Twelve! Then I do a few sets at the Torso Twist machine before coming back for another attempt at pull ups. Ten is hard, but I manage to get my nose to the bar for 11 and 12. Note: this isn't quite the same as a regular pull up because 1) my hands are facing each other but separated by about 4" and 2) I can't pull straight up because the roof of the Cage is in the way, so I have to pull my chest up to my hands in order to get my chin to the edge. I can't move my hands closer to the edge because even though I'm only about 112 lbs, I'm worried about tipping the Cage over. But I'm real happy, and my elbows don't even hurt. Yaaaay! The Mats are full so I sneak into the empty classroom and do a few crunches, bicycles and pulse-ups. A quick lower back stretch and I'm done. Whew!

Wednesday Pull Day
(the JeFit app calculated 33,602 lbs lifted today; 6.41 miles logged)

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   149 CAL
Distance: 3.82 mile
Speed :    7.63 mph
Duration : 00:30:07

Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

232.5

Set 1 : 45x12
Set 2 : 135x15
Set 3 : 155x15
Set 4 : 155x15
Set 5 : 155x15
Set 6 : 135x20

Dumbbell One Arm Row

82.33

Set 1 : 55x12
Set 2 : 60x10
Set 3 : 65x8

Cable Seated Row

126

Set 1 : 90x12
Set 2 : 90x12
Set 3 : 90x12

Back Extension Machine

315

Set 1 : 210x15
Set 2 : 210x15
Set 3 : 218.5x12  PR!

Dumbbell Curl

Windmill : 20x12
DB Curl : 20x12
Hammer Curl : 20x12

Barbell Curl

Set 1 : 40x12
Set 2 : 40x12
Set 3 : 40x12

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   294 CAL
Distance: 2.59 mile
Duration : 00:30:10

Hammer Grip Pull Up

Set 1 : 115x12

TorsoTwist Machine

Set 1 : 50x25
Set 2 : 50x25

Hammer Grip Pull Up

Set 1 : 115x12

Abs

Crunches : 50 Lap/Rep
Bicycles : 50 Lap/Rep
Pulse Ups : 25 Lap/Rep

Copy and Paste from My JeFit Log

Exercise Name

1RM

Lifting Logs

Elliptical Training

N/A

Calorie :   175 CAL
Distance: 2.03 mile
Speed :    --
Lap/Rep :  --
Duration : 00:22:00

Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

232.5

Set 1 : 45x12
Set 2 : 135x15
Set 3 : 155x12
Set 4 : 155x12
Set 5 : 155x15
Set 6 : 135x20
Set 7 : 135x20
Set 8 : 135x20

Close Grip Front Lat Pulldown

171

Set 1 : 90x12
Set 2 : 120x8
Set 3 : 135x8
Set 4 : 135x8
Set 5 : 135x8

Barbell Curl

70

Set 1 : 50x12
Set 2 : 50x12
Set 3 : 50x12

Dumbbell Alternate Bicep Curl

28

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

Back Extension Machine

270

Set 1 : 180x15
Set 2 : 180x15
Set 3 : 180x15

Barbell Reverse Curl

66.67

Set 1 : 40x20
Set 2 : 40x20
Set 3 : 40x20

Elliptical Training

N/A

Calorie :   261 CAL
Distance: 3.01 mile
Speed :    --
Lap/Rep :  --
Duration : 00:31:00