Solo Workout

It's been four days since I worked out so I knew today was going to be hard. It always is after more than two days off. I had a doc appointment on Thursday where my IOPs were measured (twice) at a disappointing (for me) 13-14. My doc was actually happy that my pressures hadn't gone up. I was hoping that my pressures would drop 3 points since the new drops (Rhopressa) are so expensive that my health insurance declined to cover them, which meant CVS refused to even tell me how much they cost!

I've been making do with sample bottles provided by my doc's office. Even if my doc convinces my insurance company to cover the drug, the copay is still going to be astronomical. Ugh. My left eye also turned red in the lower outer quadrant, which was worrisome. Luckily, a few weeks later and it seems to be clearing up. Someone in my glaucoma support group said she got these all the time from straining and to just have patience. I'm at the gym so I keep reminding myself that if anything I do results in straining or holding my breath (the Vasalva maneuver), then I have to stop and do something else as it can lead to increased IOPs. It's the main reason that weightlifting is discouraged for glaucoma patients even though some studies indicate that the increase is temporary and returns to normal levels after time.

Being a compulsive gym rat with glaucoma presents challenges. I've modified my workouts over the years to include more cardio and less weightlifting. I've deleted exercises that feel as if they're increasing pressure in my head because it's damn near impossible to feel increasing IOPs in your eyeballs unless you're having an acute glaucoma attack, which is sight-threatening and painful enough to warrant an emergency room visit. So, no more pushups or downward dogs. And no more heavy lifting. It's a bit depressing but not as bad as going blind. And that still might happen because my glaucoma seems to be very stubborn. I have what's considered normal pressures, but visual field (VF) exams show progression in blind spots in my peripheral vision, which signifies vision loss and optic nerve damage. Ugh.

At the gym today, I notice that both Nexersys screens are dark. I guess they're both dead now. Bummer. I wanted to smack the machine tomorrow since I'm a solo gym rat this week. My son is at Boy Scout camp upstate. I do my HIIT cardio and pull-ups. I do my core exercises, and try 20 pushups just to see how they feel. While my body can do them fairly easily, my head starts to feel an increase in pressure after the first ten. It's the same congested feeling I get when I put my head down below my heart, let's say for toe-touching. Yep, probably shouldn't be doing any of that...

It's early afternoon and not too crowded. I decide to do a Push Day with Smith Inclined Presses followed by DB supersets. That's fairly routine. My right elbow has been sore from sleeping with my arm too tightly bent so I replace Rip Skulls with V-bar Tricep Press Downs. It's not until I start wrestling with a set at 50 lbs that I notice my head feeling congested again. Ugh. It's because 50 lbs is the limit of the weight I can push. I retreat to the elliptical and pedal for 25 minutes before an abbreviated mat stretch. I like the privacy of the classroom, but I'm not a fan of the slippery wood floors that make me wary of sliding too hard into a few of the hamstring stretches.

We drove to Rutland, Vermont on Saturday and spent the night there before driving the rest of the way to Brant Lake in the Adirondacks. I didn't want to drive nearly 4 hours to get to camp and then drive another 4 hours back the same day. My husband's car doesn't have a radio. I don't think any of the newer models do. Instead, he streams stations or playlists through the blue tooth connection to his phone. (I have an older model but I'm very happy to have a radio and 6-CD player.) We listened to Sirius Radio's Top 15 YouTube hits and other stations. I'm not a fan of Billie Eilish, but I recognize that low droning, oddly catchy music. I'd rather listen to Alec Benjamin, who seems to be getting a lot of air time. I'm glad. I downloaded two of his songs to add to my workout mix: Jesus in LA and If I Killed Someone For You.



Sunny Solo Monday Push

Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 293
Miles 2.68
HR 142-176 (84)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 21

PushUps 20
Crunches Legs Up 50
Bicycles 50
Crunches knees bent 50
Horizontal Scissors 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Smith Inclined Press
Bar (30) x 12
50 x 12
70 x 25, 25, 25

DB Laterals s/s Rev Inclined Flys
20 lbs x 12/15 reps x 3 sets

V-bar Press Downs
40 x 12
50 x 9
45 x 10
40 x 9.5

20 elliptical + 5cd
Program 2
Miles 2.06
Calories 230
HR 144-175 (85, 91)

Mat Stretch

Strike While the Iron is Hot

You'd think I have ADD by the way I fidget and flit from web page to web page. I've spent the better part of two hours doing research and planning for an "impromptu trip" into the City tomorrow. My son asked me about finding exhibited works by MC Escher (for a paper he had to turn in today) and the first item that pops up in a Google search is the current exhibit in NYC that will only run until Sunday. Apparently, this extended exhibit has been open since last June. Too late for my son's paper, but he's still interested in going.

When a 14-year old boy says he's interested in taking an excursion with his mom to see art, well, best to strike when the iron's hot. True, he's neither a macho sports kid nor a fussy clothes-horse, but I was still a bit surprised (and pleased) that he wants to go. It's been a while since I've taken the train during the week, and now I have to figure out where I'm going to park my car since there's a dearth of spots near the commuter stations. (And hell no, I'm not ever driving into NYC.) Then there's which subway to take, which station to make the proper connection since there's no direct route, and what else is in the area we will be visiting. Yeah, I'm a bit compulsive. I'm like this when we go on vacation too. It's exhausting. But it's extremely productive.

It's the way I am at the gym too. That probably makes me somewhat unapproachable, which I don't think is a bad thing, at least from my point of view. I get a lot done, and I like to think that that's the reason I have visible results. Or I could be wildly delusional, and blame it all on my genetics. The gym is busy today with a lot of regulars and a few new faces. One woman stares at me while I'm moving some DBs around. She's probably just staring at my arms. Because none of the other gym rat women have arms like me. Not even close. It's not Arm Day, it's Push Day.

Loud Goatee has beaten me to the Smith so I do a few sets on the Incline Bench. I don't have the safety of a fixed bar so I can't use my standard thumbless grip. That puts a lot of focused pressure right on my tiny bony palms. And I'm almost too short for this bench. I'm also having a bit of trouble with my breathing again since I can't seem to inhale when the bar descends. That's what you're supposed to do: inhale with the descent, and exhale with the ascent (or push). The bench angle is fixed. There are only two stays on the rack so there's a lot of non-adjustable factors here. With heavier weight, I run out of breath by rep 8. I only go to 85 lbs here instead of the 90 I use at the Smith machine. And because a free-standing bar is more difficult to handle than a fixed bar, I only use 55 lbs instead of 65 for the high-rep last set.

Big Tank, M, Lazy Pedals, Loud Goatee, and a few others have gathered around the fixed barbell rack. Even Big Eagle is here this morning. They're all working out but spend time more gabbing than anything else. I move quickly from Incline Benching to the DB supersets, using the same bench because there aren't any others available. Again, I toy with the idea of using 25s but stay stubbornly with the 20s. I'm worried about the elbows. Rip Skulls don't do those joints any favors. I'm constantly thinking about dropping the reps for each set, but I muscle through anyway, in spite of my misgivings. I'm good at ignoring that little voice in my head. I tend to ignore everyone else as well. It's the only way to be happy. And I'm very happy once I'm warm again.

I've cooled down a lot so it's hard to get back on the elliptical for the last cardio session. As I warm up, I speed up and sing along to my tunes. Luckily, no one else is on any of the cardio machines surrounding me. I feel really good when I'm done and ready to stretch my shoulders, back, hamstrings... But I might be sore tomorrow when we trek all over Industry City.

Another Humpday Push

Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 285
Miles 2.64
HR 134-186 (97)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 23

Push Ups 60
Crunches 30/50
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Breaker Inclined Press
Bar (45) x 15
65 x 12
75 x 12
85 x 10 (out of breath), 8, 8
55 x 25

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20 lbs x 12/15 reps x 3 sets

Rip Skulls
40 lbs x 12, 12, 12

20 min elliptical + 5cd
Program 3
Miles 2.07
Calories 233
HR 154-194 (84)

Mat Stretch

Dietary Confusion

Old news is new again. A recent article declares the Okinawa diet to be as healthy if not more so than the fabled Mediterranean diet. The latter promotes a menu rich in vegetables supplemented with omega-3 derived from seafood. The Okinawan diet is even more restrictive in that its carb to protein ratio is 10:1 and Okinawans eat even fewer calories.

These are comparable by degrees to the Pritikin diet and Ornish diet for heart disease except those are caloric and fat-restrictive. Studies show significant longevity increase in monkeys and other animals when subjected to restricted calories (but nutritionally supplemented with vital minerals and vitamins).

The Okinawan and Mediterranean diets correlate to the Blue Zones, areas of the world where populations tend to live into extreme old age -- approaching 100 years. There are 7 to 9 designated Blue Zones, but only one in the US. Loma Linda, California contains a large Seventh Day Adventist population who eschew alcohol and tobacco as well as meat, and take regular exercise. It is reported that they tend to live 10 years longer than the average population due to their healthy lifestyle and vegetarian diet.

Of course, recent guidelines also state that older folks (over 50 years of age) should increase their protein intake beyond current recommendations of 0.8 gms protein per kg body weight to 1-1.2 gms of high-quality protein (like whey).

All this conflicting information makes it hard to determine what course of action to take. Obviously, the best food plan is the one you can actually follow and live by. It's not a diet per se but an actual lifestyle modification. It looks nearly impossible to eat properly without some sort of supplementation.

The key is to take baby steps and make small sustainable changes. I love English muffins, but in trying to cut unnecessary refined carbohydrates, I've stopped buying them. If they're not in my kitchen, they won't get eaten. It does pose the problem of how to make avocado toast without toast. Lately, I've put avocado and crushed fresh garlic atop oatmeal. Some days I replace the avocado and garlic with frozen blueberries, then add whey protein to the cooled porridge.

I'm still figuring out how to proceed, how to maintain my health and purported longevity. Although both my parents died younger than expected, I still hope to live past my grandmother's age of 93, but in much better health. While I'm cutting back on empty calories, I'm continuing to maintain a decent whey protein intake. Increase the vegetables, continue with snack nuts, raw garlic, avocado, eat less animal protein and keep an eye on alcohol intake. It's a plan.

Today was standard HIIT cardio followed by a Push Day routine. The only difference was that it ended with a proper V-bar Tricep Press Down drop set, which means little to no rest between sets once I hit the maximum weight of 45 lbs. This also means that I'm barely able to squeeze out any reps, unlike last week when I took at least a minute between sets. Amazing what rest time will do.

Monday Post Sprachfest

Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 286
Miles 2.65
HR 137-190 (123, 115, 97, 87)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 22

Push Ups 53
Crunches 30/40
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Smith Inclined Press
(60degree)
Bar (30) x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
90 x 12 x 3
65 x 25 (kinda EZ)

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20 lbs x 12/15 reps
22.5 x 12/15 x 3 sets

Rip Skulls
(Happy with 8+)
40 lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets

V-bar Triceps Press Down
20lbs x 12
30 x 12
40 x 12
45 x 9
40 x 7
30 x 5
20 x 12

Mat Stretch

Hard Choices

Fitness health isn't one-size-fits-all even though that would be so much easier. I'm currently debating how to maintain my fitness routine without causing additional damage to my vision. While exercise is generally thought of as healthful (and most of us don't get enough of it), strenuous exercise can cause internal eye pressures to rise, which is something no one with glaucoma wants. Increased eye pressure damages the delicate optic nerve crucial for sight. Once vision is lost, it's not recoverable.

Balance this against recent evidence showing the benefits of intense exercise not just in our telomeres, but in staving off nerve degeneration which might be related to memory-loss and retention. (Click here for the NYT article.) I'm also working hard to keep my blood pressure low as there is a family history of dangerously high hypertension and several premature deaths due to strokes and cerebral aneurysms. Knowing your family history can be scary.

Studies have long suggested that doing only cardio isn't enough to age well because bones need weight-bearing movements to keep their density. I just don't know how much is enough. Today I started cutting back reps on some of the heavier movements but added additional sets elsewhere. And I started the workout with HIIT cardio just to get warmed up. Perhaps I'd be able to lift heavier if I merely did a plain, steady-state cardio warm up for 10 minutes, but I'm not looking to be bigger, or even necessarily stronger. My goals are to maintain decent musculature and stamina, but what I consider "decent" might differ from the average gym rat. And because I'm old ('cuz I ain't a kid anymore), I have to push a little harder just to keep that equilibrium.

The human body is highly adaptive so I'm not surprised that I'm able to do the 4x4 HIIT cardio routine and then lift weights. Muscleheads will warn you not to do this because you'll be too tired to push your hardest afterward. Perhaps. But being big and muscley doesn't mean you're healthy, or even fit. I see the biggest competitors run out of steam during the Titan Games on TV if they haven't trained for stamina.

I only do one set of pull ups today. My legs are still sore from Friday's workout. Those Walking Lunges combined with 2:1 Lying Leg Curls make this morning's HIIT cardio a challenge. In the mirror at home, I can see my right leg is slightly bigger than my left. It's the dominant leg -- when I'm pedaling as hard as I can on the elliptical, it's the right leg that pushes hardest and leads. You can't change "side dominance" in things like cardio, although weights should help to even things out. Of course, I'm not doing one-legged squats but maybe I should?

I get done with push ups and core just as the Boot Camp class starts and I make a quick exit. The Smith is free so once I wrestle the bench into position, I'm ready to go. I'm not willing to let go of Inclined Benching just yet, but worrying about increasing my IOPs causes me not to add 10 lbs and cut the reps to 5. That's what I should do -- bench 100 lbs for 5-8 reps. I've done it in the past, but I was less worried about my eye pressures back then.

I do add 2.5 lb magnetic discs to each dumbbell during my delt supersets. It doesn't feel that different. Maybe I'll move up to 25 lbs next week? I know I'll feel that. Past that weight and my elbows and wrists start to complain -- I don't want to risk injury. I decide to do Rip Skulls even though the elbows have given me warning twinges. My compromise is drop sets and it's only 3 sets anyway.

I see Gym Owner. Sometimes he works out with the rest of us regulars. I'm excited because now I can get him to attach the V-bar to the press-down cable station. He's talking to B when I wave the V-bar handle at him. B says that she also has trouble getting the handle affixed because she's only an inch or two taller than I am. (But I got 20 lbs on her!) He shows us a trick for the height-challenged folks: grab the carabiner clip and pull the cable down, then stick the pin in to keep the cable low while attaching the handle. Cool! I just don't know if I'm tall enough to reach the carabiner clip.

I haven't done V-bar press downs in ages. I add weight and drop reps, then reverse the sequence. What really starts to hurt though are not my triceps or even my arms. Nope. It's the side of my padded glove hands pressing against the metal handle. I have some boney little hands! I know I don't need bigger arms and triceps are two-thirds of your upper arm. Maybe I should do some bicep work? I've been letting all my back exercises serve double-duty by training biceps as well. I don't know that doing curls would serve any purpose, and there's always a concern that my elbows will develop tendonitis. I have such delicate, tiny joints.

Stretching lets me pay specific attention to my shoulders and back. I'm trying to prevent developing too many knots, but I'm a knotty person. I'm probably going to spend tomorrow inside, watching the snow turn to sleet. Winter Storm Maya is coming. Shoveling is a given. There's a good chance school will be canceled and a two-hour delay scheduled for Wednesday, which is the day I'm supposed to get my airbag replaced at the dealership. My brother told me to call them before going because his experience with his old Ford was showing up for a scheduled appointment and then being told that there were no replacements in stock. Ugh. I hope Subaru dealerships are more responsible than that!

Pre Storm Monday
(Sore from Friday)

Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 282
Miles 2.63
HR 140-199 (105)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 22

Push Ups 50
Crunches 30/30
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Smith Incline Press
Bar (30) x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
90 x 12, 12, 12
60 x 25

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20 lbs x 12/15 reps
22.5 x 12/15 x 3 sets

Rip Skulls
40 lbs x 12, 10, 8

V-bar triceps press down
20 lbs x 12
30 x 12
40 x 10
45 x 6
40 x 8
30 x 12

Mat Stretch

Back At It

It dawns on me this morning that perhaps I'm getting sick, even though I don't feel sick. I am a tad congested, but that can be attributed to the weird wet weather. I slept fitfully, even waking at 5:30 just to look at my clock and say, Oh good I've got another hour. And then, my alarm failed to ring. Ugh. Things in my house are sporadically failing to work, for no apparent reason. The dryer works today, but only 2 slots of our 4 slot toaster function this afternoon. I really need my phone to ring at 6:35 so I test it and change the ring tone, then add another alarm for 6:40 just in case. The alarm to warm up the car at 7:25 sounded without any issues though... Go figure.

I still got my son to school, and I went to the gym, although I spent 20 minutes in the car texting my sister in the parking lot. Her rescue dog Emily was recently diagnosed with bladder cancer. As a 10-year old Sheltie, she's susceptible to this rare disease, and with kidneys starting to fail, my sister doesn't want to put the pup on the recommended NSAID treatment because certain breeds (including Shelties) have adverse kidney reactions. A strong course of newer antibiotics has staunched her urinary accidents, and she seems happy. The vet gave her 4-6 months. Ugh.

I haven't had a flu shot in years, and don't plan to any time soon. I do take precautions, and because my son is in school, surrounded by other germy kids, he has had his flu shot. I feel tired, and sort of depressed, probably because it's still dreary outside. Later, the sun comes out and I feel better. But, at the gym, I decide that I'll do 30 plus minutes of cardio warm up before hitting the weights. I skip pull ups because my forearms are a little sore, and no one needs tendonitis. I barely get my 50 push ups done in the class room before the Zumba instructor marches in to adjust the temperature and blast music. Her class doesn't start for another 15 minutes, but I'm out of there fast. Instead, I find a corner next to the ball rack to do crunches and bicycles. There are two other people also doing planks and stretches there, which makes it feel crowded, and I'm not happy about that.

I am happy that the Smith is free, with the standard inclined bench. Even though it's smaller, I find that there's no good place to set my feet. You might think the floor, and you'd be right if your legs actually reached the floor. I can only get one foot flat and the other is braced tippy-toe, but I can still press the bar. It's very noisy in the gym between the shouts emanating from the classroom next door, the piped-in tunes, and the endless chatter around me. Today I realize that I'm not breathing properly when I press. Everything I've read says inhale as the bar descends and exhale as you press up, or as you're exerting. That seems natural. Except I seem to be doing the opposite, which makes it difficult to actually take a decent breath. I'm unable to correct the situation, even after 3 sets. But I'm okay when I do my high rep set. Ugh. Go figure...

The DB super set is actually easier this week compared to last week, not that it's ever easy. But I feel more like myself, especially with the Reverse Inclined Flyes. Rip Skulls have me hesitating because my left elbow got sore last week. But since my elbow doesn't actually hurt at the moment, I decide to try it again. Besides, the wrong handle is on the cable I'd use for V-bar press downs, which means I can't actually reach the short straight handles as they are way over my head. I'm just tall enough to grab the end of the V-bar, not so with other handles. Ugh. V-bar press downs used to be my alternative tricep exercise (as if I really needed bigger arms). I think DB kickbacks are worthless, and one-arm DB tricep press isn't practical (if you're worried about clocking yourself in the head). But my elbow is fine, and I knock out my 3 sets without any problems. Yaaay me!

There is a yoga class in session now so no class room to stretch out. The stretch space has Snow Bird doing something odd on an exercise ball and two ladders propped up against the wall. This space is also the entrance to the storage and supply room. Ugh. I grab two black mats and drag them across the gym to the Cross Fit area. There's not usually anyone there, and today is no exception. While I stretch, I notice a big bald guy on the treadmill chatting with a blonde woman. He's very pink and sweaty, with a muscle tank and lots of tats on his arms. When I look again, I realize that he's also carrying a big 45 lb plate while he's walking. Sometimes he holds it over his head. Well, I gotta admit, I've never seen that before.

I'm a bit relieved that the gym scale reads 112.6 lbs today. Whew! But still, I'm much too fat. More cardio, less food. Ugh. The dryer delivery is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, so looks like I'll be able to get a gym session in after all! Of course, the dryer works fine right now. Of course...

Regardless of what I do tomorrow, I'll have to give careful consideration to what sports bra I wear. Because these items are clearly not designed by women who work out. Yesterday, doing a Back (Pull) routine, and the hardware, i.e., the clips that allow you to adjust the bra strap length, were digging into my traps. And I don't have big traps! Ugh. Non-adjustable straps are more comfortable, but only if they're miraculously the right length for your torso. I hate thick straps since I obviously don't need the support, but skinny straps cut into your neck under strain. Double Ugh. It's always wonderful to find something that fits, then you have to remember where you got it, rush back and hope you can find it again in your size. Always hit or miss. Especially if you're looking for the cheap ones. Because I'm not spending $50 on a sports bra. Seriously.

Tuesday Blahs

30 min elliptical + 5 min cd
Program 2
Calories 295
Miles 2.73
HR 144-184 (113)

Push Ups 50
Crunches 30/40
Bicycles 50

Smith Inclined Press
Bar x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
80 x 12
90 x 12 x 3 reverse breathing!
60 x 25

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20lbs x 12/15 reps x 3 sets

Rip Skulls
35lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets

Stretch

Pushing the Push Day

Like my son, I really need to "sleep in" at least once a week to put a dent in the sleep deficit we run from getting up during the school week. I don't care what anyone says: being at the bus stop at 7:05 am is totally awful, especially in the cold. This weekend there was no sleeping in. Saturday we had to be at the park for the annual district Boy Scout Klondike event. Opening ceremony was at 9, but we had to be there a good hour earlier since we were the hosting Troop. We didn't get to leave until 3ish. The event itself was over at 2 pm, a series of 8 stations that tested Scout skills. Our Troop wasn't as prepared as they should've been, but that's mostly because few of the Senior Scouts showed up. The younger Scouts don't really know what they're doing, and the two senior-most boys are shy and quiet types that have a hard time being heard. Or listened to. Snow ball fights erupted at the end, which all the boys greatly enjoyed since there were 13 Troops represented. It's rare that my son gets to play with so many other boys outside.

Sunday we went into the City to see the Shen Yun dance troupe. It's been called a cult vehicle, and it might actually be. But we still enjoyed the performances. Except for the soprano. I could do without that. And the intermittent cries of persecution. My hubs and I agree that they are probably being censored by mainland China, and yes, they're probably a cult too. But, we're ardent anti-Communists so neither of us has a problem with seeing the show at Lincoln Center. Afterwards, we walked a few blocks to a tiny dumpling house with a modern take on fried dumplings.


The soup dumplings were more traditional, but with original fillings like pork and kimchi. I didn't care much for their version of scallion pancake with the beef and hoisin sauce, but the spicy beef noodle soup was quite good with large slices of well-seasoned meat. My hubs got the chili beef soup and he kept raving about how fresh it all tasted. The slender strands of meat were quite tender and flavorful, but with with a scorching kick that catches you in the back of the throat at the end. Click here for the link to the Yelp review of the La Salle Dumpling Room. My son looked sullen the entire time and wound up ordering pork fried rice. I'm sure he was just tired. We got ice cream at Grand Central Station and took the train back. At least there's free parking at the Metro North stations on weekends.

Once we got home, we relaxed by streaming The Toxic Avenger, which we all greatly enjoyed. It's grossly violent in a totally non-believable way, but perfectly captures the feeling of 1980s NYC. Seriously. Here's a clip from the movie:




So I'm obviously tired today. And what's better for a dreary Monday morning than starting off the workout with Intervals. Ha! But I did them. And pull ups. Even added 2 more reps! After push ups and core, I see that the Smith is free. It really needs to have the tracks cleaned though as they seem a bit gummy. I'm tired enough so that I don't want to do more than one set at my max weight of 90 lbs. I know that's not a lot of weight, but that's where I'm at and I'm okay with it. Besides, I feel as if the following two super high rep sets makes up for it.

As I settle into the BB super-set routine, I realize that the background din has gotten exponentially louder. It's not that the gym has become more crowded: it's just that The Mayor has arrived. Good grief. He's giving pointers to the middle-age couple who are at the cable stations. She's tall and thin, but with a lagging gait and a useless hand curled up to her side. He's shorter, with a large face and Bugs Bunny cartoon Tasmanian Devil proportions. They come to the gym at least two or three times weekly. At some point The Mayor will quiet down because he won't have anyone to talk to. He always looks pained when that happens.

I'm keeping my routine fairly light because I haven't had enough sleep, and I'm actually a little tired from the 30 minutes of Intervals. Otherwise, I'd be doing slightly heavier weights. Tomorrow I'm toying with a light Pull Day. We'll see... there's also suppose to be lots of rain and thunderstorms. My sump pump is still connected to a hose leading out of the basement window and snaking down the yard. Of course, the ground is still frozen and a "skating rink" has formed behind my house. There's a pool of ice under my bedroom as well, frozen ground water between the concrete supports of the cantilevered back end of the house. (Yeah, the old guy who originally cobbled this house together really had no idea what he was doing.)

Monday

30 elliptical
Intervals
Calories 305
Miles 2.67
Average Heart Rate 139 (191 max)

HGPU 28
Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15
Push-ups 60
Elbow Plank 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Elbow Plank 60s

Smith Inclined Press (sticky)
Bar (30) x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
80 x 13
90 x 12
60 x 25
50 x 25

BB Front Raises s/s Upright Rows
20lbs x 12/15reps x 3 sets

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 3 sets

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12reps x 3 sets