Base Coat Layer

I'm not happy about averaging less than 6 hours of sleep each night, but there's little that will change other than me constantly trying to hit bedtime at a reasonable hour. I skipped the gym yesterday so I absolutely have to go today. Once on the elliptical, I feel as if I've never done cardio before in my entire life. Yes, that's how tired and out-of-shape I feel. Afterward, even though my right forearm is a tad sore, I'm still able to muscle through my pullups.

Other than a slight discomfort in my lower back that makes me super cautious at the Smith doing RDLs, I feel fairly normal. Which means I'm able to pull all my weights. Granted, I'm mostly only performing each exercise once a week, except for shoulders. I've pulled back on my workouts from doing each body part twice weekly because I'm prone to injuring my tiny shallow joints through overuse. Happily, I seem able to maintain my strength and size in spite of this unconventional routine. I credit muscle memory for creating that critical base coat. Am I thinking in painting metaphors because the gym is still half-painted? Afraid so...

For years I was under the delusion that the human body replaced itself every 7 years because that's what we've all been taught. Except that's just an average since some cells only live a few days, and others, like specialized muscles of the heart, appear to have a lifespan of 40 years. (What happens after 40 years!?) Skeletal muscles, like those attached to our arms and legs, have a shorter span at 15 years. That doesn't explain how you can maintain muscle mass for more than 20 years. Muscles retain their "memory" for size and strength because the extra nuclei gained from satellite cells during exercise are stored when the muscles are dormant. You exercise again and the cells enlist all their stored nuclei to answer the call for more power and strength.

Fine. But if muscle turnover is every 15 years, then working out when I'm in my 20s wouldn't promise muscle retention when I'm in my 50s. Should we assume children and teenagers grow muscle cells and adults do not except every 15 years? What about the scientists who state muscle memory might be forever? I'm missing Step 2 here, specifically how this muscle memory is passed on to, I'm assuming, newer cells. Anyone else or am I the only one having a problem with this? Or maybe that's why we can't really build new muscle in middle-age? (Forget about seniors! When does that age start anyway? If I listened to AARP, I would've been classified as a Senior Citizen nine years ago!)

The painters haven't completely covered the dark orange paint that matches the vinyl backing of some of the free weight stations. I'm surprised to see a dark slate gray paint being applied to the far wall, covering what seems to be a light gray base coat. It kind of matches the Gold's Gym logo color scheme so I wonder if this is the intent.

I'm almost cold when I finish my last sets. Thank goodness I can get on an elliptical and warm up again. The stretch area is littered with ladders and drop cloths so I drag a foam mat to the CF area. Not ideal but at least I can do my cool down before showering. I pass two of the younger women regulars and give a quick glance, maybe a nod. What I see in their faces is... respect. I'm happy.

Frigid Dry Wednesday Pull

30 elliptical + 5cd
Program 2
Miles 2.86
Calories 318
HR 159-194 (117)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 25

Elbow Plank 60s
Crunches 60/60
Bicycles 60
Horizontal Scissors 60
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Smith RDL
Bar (30) x 15
80 x 12
100 x 12
110 x 12

Smith RG BB Rows
80 x 25 x 3

Seated Cable Rows
70 x 12
77.5 x 12
85 x 12
90 x 12
95 x 12
100 x 12

RG BB Curls
40 lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

20 elliptical + 5cd
Program 2
Miles 2.11
Calories 238
HR 152-188 (95, 81)

HGPU 25

Quick Mat Stretch

Stronger Because I Skipped A Day

I skipped the gym yesterday but I wasn't sitting at my computer all day. Instead, I was on my feet for 6 hours assisting a friend on one of her work projects. This involved a lot of running back and forth up and down stairs, lugging things from one end to another, sorting, folding, wiping, sweeping. Not terribly difficult but constant. I'm calling it an active rest day.

Today I got to the gym late morning. Because the sun is out and temps are mild, the gym is virtually empty but for a few seniors plodding along. I do my HIIT cardio and instantly start to sweat. It's too early in the season for A/C, but there are plenty of bugs. Thankfully, the gym doesn't have their doors wide open because that always leads to pesky flies trying to bite me while I'm exercising. Cardio always starts off difficult, but by the end of the session, I feel as if I could go for another half hour. Of course, I don't because I have other things to do!

There are a few HS boys I haven't seen before. They're cheering each other on, and spotting each other on the bench press and seated shoulder press. It's good to see. It's also apparent by their soft overweight bods that they're not jocks so it's doubly good to see them using the equipment. They wipe down the benches and rerack their weights! Awesome!

After my warm-up routine, I see that the Smith is vacant. I do RDLs. My lower back feels better so I'm assuming it was the shoes causing a problem last week. RG BB Rows are also routine. I'm careful to swap out the standard aluminum handles for the thinner old steel handles when I set up for Lat Pull Downs. This one change alone has made a big difference on whether I can complete a set at my max weight of 115 lbs. But I'm also not as tired as I usually am, which means I actually pull more reps. I'm attributing that to taking yesterday off. Normally my Pull Day follows immediately after a Push Day. I'm going to have to rethink my routine again.

There are new people here today and a few regulars. My "radar" tells me that some are staring but I don't know why. I'm insecure enough to wonder if there's something wrong with my clothes. Then I block everyone out of my mind, kick the volume up a tad and finish my workout routine by upping the weight on my sets of RG BB Curl. I know this exercise mostly stresses the brachioradialis (top of the forearm) because that's where I feel it. I'd have to go heavier and do regular BB curls to feel my biceps. Besides, I let the One-Arm Seated Cable Rows do "double duty," working biceps, lats, and forearms.

It's late enough in the day that the locker room is completely empty. I look at myself in the mirror and realize that although I'm heavier than I'd like, I don't actually look bad or fat. Whew! I also realize that my right inner elbow is tender when I bend it the wrong way, or if I press on it. Ugh. A friend has recommended something called VooDoo Flossing. There's a lot of YouTube videos showing you how to wrap the afflicted forearm and elbow with VooDoo floss, a stiffly elastic rubber strip. Then you go through a wide range of motion with the arm for a few minutes. Do this 2-3 times a day. It's supposed to be very effective. I've posted a video here. Decide for yourself. I might try the moves without the floss.


I'm hesitant to try it though, mainly because of my issues with compression. Although my glaucoma doc and my GP both believe I have Raynaud's (and Raynaud's is purportedly helped by compression gloves and socks), I don't quite fit the parameters and compression tends to cause me a lot of discomfort. Numb extremities are painful extremities. I suspect I have a type of faux Raynaud's that's not due to spasms in the microvessels in my extremities.

Instead, my symptoms are more aligned with a structural problem at the cellular level in my blood vessels and connective tissue, but it's not EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome). I don't have stretchy skin! I know someone with EDS and I definitely do not have her medical problems. However, I get a bit freaked out when I read a list of odd symptoms that people with diagnosed EDS report, because I have a lot of these issues, but not as severe. Lucky me! The 10 little-known symptoms: dysautonomia, blue sclera, difficulty scarring, irritation from adhesives, "bad" veins, Raynaud's Syndrome, soft & delicate skin, bruising in unusual places, hyperextension & dislocation of joints in hands and fingers. I don't think the last one is limited just to the hands and fingers though.

from WebMD 

This explains why I have "poor circulation" where my hands and feet go cold and numb if I sit for too long, my rolling veins and my horrible "allergic" reaction to adhesive tape (still got a discolored scar worse than the mole that was removed back in October!), why I can't wear turtlenecks, belts, knee socks or anything vaguely tight. I have problems with regulating my temperature -- I thought that was just the IV (ichthyosis vulgaris). This may explain why I can't walk barefoot as the little bones in my feet sometimes painfully dislocate. And my skin isn't stretchy, soft and delicate only because I have IV, a different inherited skin disorder due to a different errant protein.

I still don't think it's mild EDS, but perhaps something related... or maybe I'm just in denial. EDS is another heritable disorder. My mother and my grandmother had lesser forms of IV but also suffered from "poor circulation" with hands and feet that often went numb. I've had entire quadrants of my body go numb -- that wasn't any fun at all! My mother bruised easily, but we all thought it was because she was malnourished as she didn't like to eat and had digestive issues (another EDS symptom). I'm putting all these puzzle pieces together but it's unclear as to whether the picture I'm making is the correct one. Isn't science fascinating?!

Sunny Wednesday Pull

Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 290
Miles 2.66
HR 141-192 (107)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 22

Push Ups 60
Crunches Legs Up 40
Bicycles 60
Crunches knees bent 50
Horizontal Scissors 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Smith RDLs
Bar (30) x 15
80 x 12
100 x 12
120 x 12, 12, 12

Smith RG BB Row
80lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

Lat Pull Downs (narrow neutral grip)
85 x 12
100 x 10
115 x 10, 10, 10

Seated 1-Arm Cable Rows
30lbs x 12 each arm
40 x 10
50 x 8

RG BB Curls
40lbs x 20 reps x 3 sets (yaaaay!)

Mat Stretch

Diameters Matter

A lot of training articles assume that you have standard-size hands when they provide instructions on how to increase grip strength. There are a lot of reasons to want a stronger handshake, and not just to intimidate the people you greet. Multiple studies suggest that stronger hand and forearm muscles might not only serve as a general indicator of upper body strength and health, but also indicate frailty, potential disability, and possible heart disease later in life.

It would seem to make sense to increase hand strength where possible. But correlation is not the same as causation. Having weak hands doesn't necessarily mean you have a weak upper body. It might just mean you have ridiculously tiny hands for your body size.

Most training sites offer the same basics -- there are three types of grip: 1) crush grip for monster handshakes; 2) pinch grip (useful for rock climbing); 3) support or carry grip for endurance (think carrying lots of packages). Most sites will also tell you that each grip needs its own type of training. Squeezing a rubber ball isn't one of them. Most of them involve carrying or holding very heavy objects. To make the exercise more difficult you can add thick foam grips or a towel. This forces the hand open. I know from experience that it's much easier to pull yourself up if you can close your hand around the bar. I also know that my forearms don't get stronger or bigger when I stress them with unwieldy grips -- they just give my elbows tendonitis.

Top: too wide and thick. Bottom: too thick.

After my cardio warm-up today, I sat down at the Lat Pull Down station and tried the shoulder width neutral grip handles already affixed. The black rubber sleeve is cracked on the right side and I find that distracting. The handles themselves fall below the bar so that you must pull down past your chest. After two sets, my right elbow starts to complain. It's the same discomfort I get when I attempt too many hammer grip pull-ups.

Thinner neutral grip.

I swap the handle out for the feather-light aluminum close grip neutral one. During the heavy sets, I realize that my hands and forearms are more tired than the rest of me. It seems counterproductive to continue this way so I search out the thinner handles. They're an older pair made of steel, so they're also heavier. But for what I'm doing, the actual weight of the handle impacts me less than the grip diameter. I confess to leaning back as I bring the handles toward my chest. It's a bit like seated cable rowing, but I don't do that anymore because it aggravates my sciatica -- that type of pain borders on disability and that's something to be avoided at all cost.

I don't have a particularly weak grip, just extremely small hands and short fingers. My hands are 10-year old child-size with a ring finger taking a size 3.25. Average ring sizes for adults are 5-10. My grip is good enough, once I get my hands around the bar, for me to knock out almost two dozen hammer grip pull-ups. The neutral grip is vital since my shallow overly-flexible joints are prone to tendonitis. I've not discovered any means to get past this except avoidance. Avoid pull-ups and chin ups. Substitute where possible. Use a neutral grip, preferably one with a small enough diameter that can be fully grasped.

WannaBe is at the Smith with the obese client, mostly talking while the client is leaning on the bar for what seems like forever. I skip Smith RDLs today and move on to T-bar Rows. Later, I use the Smith for RG BB Rows. It's a Pull Day but without pull-ups. I do try to strengthen my hand and forearm muscles by doing high-rep sets of Reverse Grip BB Curls. These are tiny muscles. While my biceps, triceps, lats, delts, quads, and calves are fairly responsive, the hands and forearms remain slender and delicate. I've known people with thick muscular hands. It's not in my genetics and I will never be one of them.

Non Sequitur: 
I discovered Alec Benjamin a few weeks ago and I swore it was a girl singing. But he's a young man. With a voice like an angel... I haven't decided if anything is appropriate for my workout mix yet, but I'll share a song popular on the radio:


Cold Sunny Tuesday Pull

30 min elliptical + 5 cd
Program 3
Calories 333
Miles 2.95
HR 145-207 (87)

Push Ups 50
Crunches Legs Up
30 Bicycles 50
Crunches knees bent 40
Horizontal Scissors 50

Lat Pull Downs (medium dip grip)
70lbs x 12
85 x 12 (right elbow)
Change grip to close neutral
100 x 12
115 x 8, (narrower grip) 10, 12
100 x 12

T-Bar Rows
Bar x 20
10 x 20
25 x 20

Smith RG BB Row
80lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

Seated 1-Arm Cable Rows
(Thinner handle grip)
30lbs x 12
40 x 12
50 x 10, 8, 8

RG BB Curls
35lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

Mat Stretch

Toxic Beauty

I'm tired, as usual, but make my way to the gym, following a small Ford Focus that only seems to have two speeds: fast and brake. I've only heard of drivers (other people's parents) who learned to maneuver their vehicles by either stomping on the accelerator or the brake, but never developed the nuance of taking your foot off the gas and allowing the car to coast. I expect the driver to be someone elderly, but instead, I see a middle-aged woman who really should know better.

I won't do HIIT cardio two days in a row so I pick a program in the elliptical Performance menu. It gives me lots of hills and valleys over 30 minutes, alternating between 7.5 minutes forward and 7.5 minutes backward pedaling. I find backward pedaling activates the hamstrings better than forward. Again, the pulse monitor amuses me by dropping from 179 to 119 in a few seconds. The lowest my pulse ever gets to is 97, although it also careens over 200, which is probably a bad thing.

Today's my day to skip hammer grip pull-ups but I still do a Cage Stretch, push-ups and crunches. I skip most of the planks except for the knee-to-same-side-elbow, which in 60 seconds, I manage to increase the reps by almost a third. There's no one at the Smith although the bar has a pair of 10 lb plates on it. Because people have been walking away without reracking their weights, I don't look too hard before stripping the bar and dropping it to the floor. If you're going to walk away from the station, don't expect it to be yours when/if you come back. I see WannaBeTrainer with a pair of 15s in her hand eyeing the Smith. I don't know if she's the one, but she's not getting this back.

Normally I don't think badly of people, or anything at all actually, but a locker room friend told me that this woman had been harassing her to use WannaBe as a personal trainer. Now, my friend is a large woman but she puts in a lot of effort. WannaBe is a skinny young blonde who seems to be eyeing a lot of people in a weird predatory way. She's also a relatively new member, but she's not chatty friendly the way Hollywood is, or even how B is. B will talk to anyone, especially guys. And I'm known as "the girl who doesn't talk to anyone." Seriously. Someone told me that. People who know me know that I have a sort of "gym tunnel vision." If I have earbuds in and I'm working out, I don't see or hear anyone because I'm so focused on my workout. And if I see them, they might not actually register as someone I know and should acknowledge. Sorry!

As I'm doing Smith RDLs, I'm amused to see WannaBe perform DB laterals in the middle of the gym with her 15s. I'd stand closer to the mirror, but that's me. She's got toned skinny arms and a flirty walk, but I don't see anyone wanting to chat her up. Big Tank is doing one-arm lateral raises with a solid 20 lb barbell while hanging off the BB rack. I've seen the monstrously big (not necessarily fit, but ridiculously tall and wide) WWF Fanboy doing lateral raises with a 40 lb solid barbell. I know barbells provide more of a balance challenge than using a dumbbell. Still, it's kind of cool to see people doing it.

There are other regulars including PO Goatee, M, Skinny J, WeightBelt Gal, Magenta Ponytail, Ruffles, and CF Guy. WannaBe has moved on to the T-bar Row so I decide to do Smith RG BB Rows again. It's been a while, and these feel pretty good to my lats and back.

I know my arms are too tired, but I attempt to get a few sets of Close Grip Lat Pulldowns anyway. I'm discovering that my gym shoes are affecting this exercise in an unexpected way. I don't like to wear my softer Rykas when I need stability for the RDLs. The Rykas are great for HIIT cardio though. The stiffer, more supportive Saucony shoes are okay for general cardio, but not my first choice. These shoes also seem to catch the bottom of the pulldown station weirdly and I don't feel as securely anchored when wearing them to do Lat Pulldowns. Weird, right?

I manage to get 5 clean reps before having to ramp up to get two or three more. That's why my notation is written 5+3. Those last 3 aren't clean reps, but I did manage to pull the bar down, just not to my chest. I move on to RG BB Curls, and as promised, I added 5 lbs to the barbell. I find one magnetic disc on the BB rack and the other one stuck to the cable station. When I'm done, I bring them both back to the front desk. Adding 5 lbs isn't noticeably harder, although I'm not going to lie and say that this was easy. There was definitely some grimacing.

I walked by a newbie who was cautiously using an unloaded EZ-Curl bar (15 lbs) to do skull crushers. He's a decent sized fellow, and I resisted the impulse to show him how to do Rip Skulls because his dad (or whoever he's with) is looking on from the preacher curl station. Why would you just do skull crushers when Rip Skulls are so much more effective for size and strength unless you were unaware of their existence? Weightbelt Gal is doing tricep kickbacks with a 10 lb DB. I'd also like to tell her those are worthless, but I keep my mouth shut. No one likes a "budinski."

Ruffles is chatting animatedly with CF Guy in the Stretch area. I put down my two mats and ignore them. The only reason people speak that loudly is because they're flirting with exuberant nervous energy. Another budding gym romance? Perhaps... In the locker room, a woman is busy blow-drying her hair. I hate the noise. Although dryers have gotten quieter since the 70s, they're still anywhere from 50-70 decibels, which is enough to damage your hearing. I don't use a blow dryer. The heat alone would cause my skin to shrivel up and flake off. Also, I'd like to maintain my hearing without needing aids, no matter what AARP tries to sell me. (And no, I haven't joined them yet either.)

Her hair is still damp but she sprays an awful smelling product into it several times. Even after she's gone, the mist persists and both I and a trainer simultaneously gag and cough. My eyes actually tear up from the spray which reeks of alcohol. The ingredients to most hairsprays include (but aren't limited to): polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), vegetable gums, alcohol, propylene glycol, isobutane, propane, and fragrance. I suppose this isn't as awful as smoking a butt before coming in to work out? Except that so many women douse themselves with a bevy of chemicals, both in the shower and afterward as they dress and style their hair.

Lately, manufacturers have been desperately pushing body wash by offering coupons for their many flavors and varieties. It's not like there's a shortage of soap, but body wash is more profitable. It's just not necessary. It also contains as many chemicals as shampoo, if not more. There is endless chatter in the locker room about hair coloring products, nail gels, and fashionable workout attire. I just keep my mouth shut. Yep, I'm the girl who doesn't talk to anyone. Probably because I wouldn't have anything nice to say.

There's another storm warning in the forecast for Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Apparently, we've gone through the alphabet and are back at E again as Winter Storm Evan makes its approach. Whoa. The northeast is only supposed to get a few inches of the white stuff. Right now we're dealing with high winds, but the sun is shining in the bitter cold. Dropping to 15F tonight. Brrrrr...

Frigid Tuesday Pull

30 min elliptical + 5 cd
Program 2
Calories 319
Miles 2.87
HR 160-205 (97, 119)

Push Ups 50
Crunches 30/30
Bicycles 50
Knee to Elbow Plank 60s (55)

Smith RDLs
Bar (30) x 15
80 x 12
100 x 12
120 x 12, 12, 12

Smith RG BB Row
80lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

Lat Pull Downs
85lbs x 12
100 x 10
115 x 5+3, 5+3, 4+2

RG BB Curls
35lbs x 25, 25, 25

Mat Stretch

Some Days I Feel Like A Bruiser

This warm spell won't last but I'm enjoying it while I can. Today peaks near 60F and even though there are still banks of melting snow, I don't feel the need to wear my winter parka. Mud season has come early. I'm not sure if the gym is going to be cold or not so I put on leggings and an unpleasantly clingy tank. I'm too self-conscious to be comfortable in clingy clothes and prefer oversized baggy items. But baggy clothes tend to twist and get caught up when exercising. I see lots of large women with their ill-fitting bras squished under tight tops, and as much as I shouldn't judge, I also fear being judged. I know that I'm hardest on myself.

Seeing other women makes me feel less self-conscious, especially the ones who work out as hard as I do. Their clothes are not necessarily flattering either. Whew. The gym is sporadically crowded with regulars for class and regulars for weight-lifting. There are cardio buddies and spin pals. My cardio makes me warm and limber. I do minimal core and then head straight to the Smith for RDLs. When I stand slightly too far from the bar, my lower back aches. I toe myself a quarter inch closer, remind myself to keep my feet pointed slightly out, and all is well.

I see another woman in the MaxRack next to the Smith. Her workout is fairly impressive although I think I've got at least 20 years on her. That's right, I think she's maybe in her 30s. And I'm not. I keep forgetting that I'm close to 60. Damn! Do I have 30 years on her? Somehow that doesn't seem quite right even though I've got gray hairs floating around my face. Most of the time I've got my hair tied back, but the strands are so baby-fine that there's always a loose one tickling my face. It makes me crazy because that's as annoying as having a fly land on you continually. Except my hair won't bite, and flies often do.

Afterward, I look around and see that the Lat Pull Down stations are free. One has a standard bar, but the other one dangles the close grip neutral I favor. I don't know how much I weigh today, but I'm reasonably certain it's less than 115 lbs. My arms are tired and even though I'm able to pull down 8 reps, it isn't pretty. Repeat. My form starts to loosen after rep 5, but I push for 8 anyway.

I don't want to do Seated One-Arm Cable Rows today. Instead, I go back to the T-bar Row station even though I know now that at the heavier weight, I'm doing shrugs. I know this because over the weekend I noticed my own traps, as in, "Whoa, I have traps! Where did those come from?" In the mirror wall, I see someone big and a little dumpy. These clothes do not enhance my physique at all. I ignore the bruiser looking back at me and finish with reverse grip barbell curls. Next week I'll up the weight by 5 lbs.

I've been debating with myself whether to replace my microfiber hair towel. It works well and sucks the water from my hair quickly, but like a lot of microfibers, it has a tenacious grip on nasty odors. Lately, it's had a whiff of mildew that several launderings haven't been able to wash out. Then I remembered the stink-free sports detergent I bought some years ago. I only use it for the most stubborn of odors and this qualifies. One tiny capful creates bountiful suds. I toss a sleeping bag into the washer to keep the towel company. It's not a very big towel and it seems wasteful to do a load, even an extra small load, for just one towel.

After a turn in the dryer, I take a sniff. Like magic, the towel is odor-free. This product really works! My son's old kung fu teacher recommended it: he said he used it for all his hockey gear so he could vouch for it. I'm vouching for it too.

I came across this music video a few days ago. While I'm undecided as to whether I like the song Medicine (by Bring Me The Horizon aka BMTH) well enough to add to my workout playlist, the visuals are stunning and disturbing. I've embedded it here:



Balmy Tuesday Pull

30 min elliptical + 5 cd
Program 1
Calories 318
Miles 2.86
HR average154 / maximum198 (85-105)

Push Ups 50
Crunches 30/30
Bicycles 50

Smith RDLs
Bar (30) x 15
80 x 12
100 x 12
120 x 12, 12, 12

Lat Pull Downs
85lbs x 12
100 x 10
115 x 8, 8, 8

T-bar Rows
Bar x 25
25 lbs x 20
35 x 20
45 x 20, 20, 20

RG BB Curls
30lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

Quick Mat Stretch

Tuesday Before The Polar Vortex

The phone rang 20 minutes before my alarm was set to go off. Ugh. The school district has announced Early Dismissal today so students will be arriving home before noon. The weather isn't due to arrive until the evening commute, but logistics and liability worries cause everyone to err on the side of caution. (Yes, I've seen that horrible movie, The Sweet Hereafter.) The weather app says it's snowing. I look out the window. No, it's not. Not yet.

I drop my son off at school and tell him that after the gym, I'll stop by the supermarket to pick up a few items. I'm not sure how the storm will affect travel over the next few days, and I see that avocados are on sale for 79 cents apiece. I'm also low on fresh garlic. It's not so much the snow and ice that I'm worried about, although that does concern me. It's the wind chill that promises to drop temps way below zero. Ugh. If there's enough snow, it will be protective and I won't have to worry about frozen drain pipes for my septic and sump pump. Otherwise...

The gym is less crowded today. Everywhere I hear murmurs of Early Dismissal. Yes, there are a lot of parents at my gym. I plan a Pull Day, but I'm never guaranteed that the equipment I want to use will be available. After 30 plus minutes on the elliptical, I'm thoroughly warmed up and just do a few core exercises before claiming the Smith machine. I'm tired because of course, I haven't gotten enough sleep. On a school night, I tell my son to shower at 9:30 and be in bed by 10 pm. But of course, that rarely happens, because ultimately, he's forgotten something he had to do for homework and needs to get it done right that minute. Eventually, we're all flossed and brushed and I can go to sleep after reading a few pages of Christopher Buckley's They Eat Puppies Don't They? I've renewed this book twice from my library, but it looks like I might be able to finish it in a few days. Whew!

At the Smith, I do my standard routine. While I can't really say that 120 lbs is awfully heavy, I admit that I am breathing hard after each set. I also have to be careful about how close I stand to the bar since too close or too far results in an unhappy lower back. I'm worried about being too tired at the Lat Pull Down, but then discover that I actually can't even get on because both stations are in use. And I am not the type to work in between someone else's sets. Instead, I do T-bar Rows.

There are a lot of regulars today. I keep running into Ballet, The Professor and PO Goatee. I see Hollywood and a few others but those folks are not in my space the way these guys are today. WTF guys? I see B trailing after her new gym hubs and his adult son, and later overhear her saying how much she likes having them show her new exercises. Whatever. I do a lot of research before I do a new movement, if only because I've got delicate and wonky joints.

I'm well into doing Seated One-Arm Cable Rows when the Lat Pull Downs free up. But my arms and hands are too tired. It's also my grip that fails me at the end of the cable rows so I'm toying with the idea of using my VGs in the future. That would take my puny little hands out of the equation and let me focus more on the lats and arms. But I can still grip a barbell so I do 3 sets of Reverse Grip BB Curls for the first time in several weeks. Then a quick stretch and a shower.

In the locker room, there's fervent talk about how crowded the supermarket will be because it's currently snowing. (No, it's not. It's flurrying.) Will there be panic now or later. It's later as the store isn't very crowded when I arrive. Part of the issue is the massive remodeling which has relocated the store entrance and closed off an entire drive aisle in the parking lot. My son is rejoicing in a free afternoon without after-school activities. Most schools have scheduled early dismissals. A few further north just closed for the day and never opened. Depending on the weather tonight, there may be a school delay in the morning. My son has winter coats but hasn't worn them. I'm making him wear one tomorrow.

When I get home, I'm surprised to find the bird feeder still half full of sunflower seeds. The suet is well-pecked though and I decide to hang a second suet cage to provide additional fat calories. I think one of the neighborhood cats is keeping the squirrels at bay and that's why the feeder still has seed in it. But I've had to reapply cayenne pepper to the garbage bin that holds the 50 lb bag of seed. Fresh gnaw marks on the lid shows a renewed interest in a sunflower seed bonanza. We have firewood in the house, and our generator does a weekly test run. At this point, I'm very happy not to have to walk any pups, especially if temps drop as much as forecasted. We won't get it as bad as the midwest, but it's still going to be unpleasant. I'm glad I got my oil changed and the serpentine belt replaced, but I have a feeling my idiot tire pressure gauge is going to flash. It'd be nice if the gauge told you how much your tires were off by, but it doesn't. Most of the time it's a pound, which seems ridiculous, but I don't know -- I'm not a mechanic.

Just discovered the name of a song that I like. I'll probably buy it and add it to my workout mix. It has a disturbing video which I won't embed here (yes, more disturbing than Fall Out Boy's The Last of the Real Ones), but here's the video that contains the song lyrics...




Early Dismissal Tuesday Pull

30 min elliptical + 5 cd
Program 3
Calories 313
Miles 2.83
HR 149-190 (105)

Push Ups 50
Crunches 30/30
Bicycles 50

Smith RDLs
Bar (30) x 15
80 x 12
100 x 12
120 x 12, 12, 12

T-bar Rows
Bar x 20 (triceps!?)
25 x 20
35 x 20
45 x 25, 25, 25

Seated 1-Arm Cable Rows
30lbs x 12 each arm
35 x 12
40 x 12

RG BB Curls
30lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

Quick Mat Stretch