Born Again Gym Rat: Rip Skulls

Showing posts with label Rip Skulls. Show all posts

Friday, October 6, 2017

End of the Week

I actually didn't make it to the gym yesterday. Instead, I spent hours online looking for a display case for all my son's Cub Scout items, and his Arrow of Light. He's the type of kid who never really makes much of a fuss about anything so I never quite know if something is important to him or not. Several of this year's teachers have had the kids make projects about themselves to give the teachers a better idea as to who they are. It's probably because my son and most of his friends are in the "looping" program which means they get to keep the same teachers from 7th to 8th grade. These teachers appear to be extremely enthusiastic (unlike a few of last year's crop).

So I was surprised when my son asked how he could represent his Arrow of Light without actually bringing it to class. He had included it as one of his Life Changing events. Secretly, I'm proud of that in him. But it also means I should gather all the patches and pins he's accumulated, and put them into a display for his bedroom wall. I find something suitable, but not from Amazon. Instead, I can purchase it on Etsy, and I do. And then, because they've rewarded me with $15, but in $5 increments toward 3 separate orders, I spend an hour looking for items my son might like for Christmas. Because I hate having coupons (that are actually worth a substantial amount of money) expire.

My son shows me a rash he's developed under his pants and I'm horrified enough to set up an appointment with a pediatrician immediately after school. He tells me they're bug bites. Not like any I've ever seen! The dermatologist isn't open on Fridays. (Later he's diagnosed with impetigo, a skin infection that can be attributed to staph or strep, and easily treated with antibiotic ointment. Ugh.) Which means I don't have a lot of time this morning. I go to the gym, but I'm not in the mood to whack the machine. Shocking! And I'm also not feeling like it's a Cardio Day, mostly because I woke up with my pinky toe throbbing for no good reason.

Instead, I do cardio on the elliptical, and then proceed with my 2nd Push Day of the Week. It's a light workout, at least for the Inclined Benching. When I see Gym Owner, I mention the sticky tract on the Smith and he tells me he's on it. Later, he tells me he's fixed the Smith. That's cool.

At the gym, I see a few regulars and some new middle age guys. There is one man who comes fairly regularly around lunch time, and I'm worried that he's trying to catch my eye. Ugh. It's not that I don't like having guys around, it's just that I'm not terribly interested in talking to them. Or specifically, I'm just not interested in talking. (And if they're not nice to look at, well, what's the point? Seriously.)

I move from the DB area to a breaker bench and drop my hoodie on it. I'm setting up for Rip Skulls and I see a new old guy strut around the cable stations. Sorry, I have no respect for guys who wear lifting belts for every exercise. It's like they're using it as a girdle to keep their tums from flopping out. This guy in the red shirt has a decent physique. Maybe he worked out in his younger days. He sees me grab the 40 lb BB and drop it on the bench. Probably thinks I'm going to bench this, like I've seen some girls do. He's smiling to himself. Except I'm not benching this. I've got my dead man's grip on the bar, then bend the elbow so the bar comes close to the forehead, then extend the arms so the barbell drops down behind the head. Use one long powerful motion to sweep the barbell back up and over. Repeat 11 more times. The smile is gone from Red Shirt's face. He seems uncomfortable. I smirk to myself. Two more sets and I'm done.

Today is my wedding anniversary. Been married for 16 years. We've known each other for 20. Seems like forever. Except for a whole 'nother life we've both had before. I'd almost forgotten except a friend sent me a card today, and I was like, Oh yeah... And yesterday I'd made online reservations for 3 for a local steakhouse. I'm looking forward to a glass of pinot noir.

Friday
Quick Push

35 elliptical
Program 3
Miles 2.99
Calories 339
Average Heart Rate 152

HGPU 26
Push Ups 50

Smith Inclined Bench
Bar (30) x 13
50 x 12
70 x 12
80 x 12

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

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

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12reps x 3sets

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Blue inspite of the sun

It's 11°F when I take the dog out this morning. There is a potential blizzard in the forecast for the weekend. I look at the stack of unsplit logs at the end of my driveway and wonder if I can split them myself. Not today, but maybe before the blizzard hits I'll be tempted to try whacking a few of the smaller logs. The snow may blow out to sea, which would be great since my son not only has a Cub Scout Pinewood Derby to attend, but a kung fu belt test to get his orange sash.

I get to the gym fairly early so I'm surprised when I leave nearly 4 hours later. Where does the time go? I spend an hour doing cardio, time stretching, pull ups, push ups, planks and then some weights. My elbows are twingey and the sciatic pain in my right leg is only slightly abated. Maybe it's because I'm also spending a bit of time doing stretches for what I assume is piriformis syndrome. When I get home, I'll try to remember to do some foam roller movements as well.

The JeFit app requires a body weight number for movements like pull ups and pistol squats. I've been eating terribly all weekend, mostly just snacking. I punch 112 lbs into the app because that's how I feel, but the gym scale tells me 110.2 lbs. Well, that's actually a pleasant surprise. I don't put much stock in apps or sites that have you rate your enthusiasm level. There doesn't seem to be any point to it. For me at least. Because I'll do the same workout regardless of how I feel. Unless I'm sick. No, that's not true. Even if I'm sick.

Because my elbows and other joints sound and feel a bit iffy, I cut back on my reps for T-push ups. I don't do Diamond push ups at all, and instead write Rip Skulls back into my program. It's been such a long time though, that I don't know what weight to start with, so I start light. 30 lbs. And I grab 4 small (1.25 lbs) magnetic discs from the front desk. By the time I get to 45 lbs, my arms are pretty tired. Perfect. Time to go for another set of pull ups. I see a bunch of regulars, and some new ancient faces. Those old guys just can't help but stare. I guess it's been decades since they were last in a gym, before they let women have the vote, and driver's licenses. They've probably never seen a small woman with muscles before. Welcome to the 21st century fellas.

My second cardio set in on the elliptical, and it makes my leg feel better. Oddly, the pull ups tend to exacerbate the sciatica just slightly, probably because of the angle I have to pull myself up to the edge of the roof of the stretch cage. I do a full Mat Stretch and none of that bothers my leg. I have a lot of errands to run so it's good that the sun is bright in spite of the polar vortex. Because I still feel sad and gray inside. Regardless, tomorrow I get to whack the machine. Yaaaay!