Progress is Sweet

A light I don't recognize comes on the dashboard of the car I've barely had for two months. It doesn't seem critical so I wait until I'm parked at the gym before consulting the manual. I've had to reference this tome more than with any other vehicle I've ever owned. Ah, it's a "tired pressure" indicator. I wish it would tell me which tire because when I step out of the car, they all look the same. I've packed a strappy summer dress to wear out of the gym, and that means I'm not going to be checking my own tire pressure. Instead, I'll take it to the local Valvoline because they've got machines to gauge tire pressure. And being guys, they're also willing to help someone like me, not that I play damsel in distress much. But automotive stuff is something I don't mind letting guys do for me.

It's different once I'm inside the gym. I do my 30 minute "warm up" on the cross-trainer, the good one that allows me to set the level to zero. My ponytail is getting too long, swinging wet and annoying. When I get to the Smith machine, I use barrettes to pin my hair up. Much better now. I know my legs and glutes are getting thicker, but my clothes still fit okay. Which means I can up the weight again for Split Leg Squats. I do 3 sets, because I can. Although my right knee starts to complain a little toward the end. I also add a few sets to the Smith SLDLs, but they're light. I'm less interested in pulling heavy here than in engaging the glutes and lower back in a different manner than split squats. The GHRs feel the same. I do all three sets and don't land on my face so I consider this a Win! Then back for cardio: 30 min of Intervals. I'm feeling pretty good even though I'm drenched. What makes me happy is that I've broken 7 miles today. Yaaaay!

Thick!

I do a few Pistol Squats at the beginning of my Mat Stretch. My towel is damp and smells vaguely like cheese. Eewe yuck! I always bring a fresh towel, so this is just me and common bacterial activity. Maroon is sporting huge arms today. He's a beefy guy but he seems to have gotten bigger. Ponytail isn't tossing his loaded bars around too much, probably because he's here with a girlfriend or sister, a very plump, kidney-bean-shaped woman who is pedaling on the elliptical next to me. The Mayor shows up late with a young skinny boy, maybe 15 yrs old, tall and blonde. His son? They go straight to DB OHPs. I don't understand why people don't warm up properly. At least he's not loud when he's "coaching" (t)his kid. I'm outta here until next week.Yaaaay!

Friday Cardio and Leg Day
(7.5 miles total Wahoo! 14,290 lbs moved)

Cross Trainer

Steady State

Calorie :   142 CAL
Distance: 4.23 mile
Speed :    8.44 mph
Duration : 00:30:04

Smith Machine Single Leg Split Squat

168

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 100x12
Set 4 : 110x12
Set 5 : 120x12 PR! Yaay!
Set 6 : 120x12
Set 7 : 120x12

Smith Machine Stiff Legged Deadlift

168

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 4 : 100x12
Set 5 : 80x15

GHRs

Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 12 Lap/Rep

Elliptical Training

Intervals

Calorie :   284 CAL
Distance: 3.27 mile
Duration : 00:30:00

One Leg Bodyweight Squat

139.33

Set 1 : 110x8

Time for a Change

Next week will be 10 weeks since I last took a break from my standard 5-day workouts, but that was

only because I got a horrible stomach bug that incapacitated me for 3 days. I'm not quite feeling run-down but I am noticing a waning enthusiasm toward my workouts. I don't let silly things like "motivation" actually affect my workouts though. If I go to work out, I give it everything I've got. Today I totaled  6.45 miles which is not the worst, nor the best I've done. I cut out regular Smith Squats and cut the sets of Smith SLDLs because they seemed non-productive. So that just leaves cardio, Smith Split Squats (which I upped the weight on twice today), a few Smith SLDLs to loosen my back up (what?!), and those dreaded GHRs. Which are still really hard, maybe more so since I upped the weights on Split Squats. Yep, that's how you know that the first movement is really working the muscles you intended.

After 30 minutes of Intervals on the Precor, I did a few Pistol Squats during Mat Stretch. I could do more. Maybe next week I'll just do as many as I can and see what that actually tallies out at. Because the following week I'm inclined to just do an easy cardio week. Yeah, right. Maybe just some bodyweight movements like push ups, and where the heck am I going to do hammer-grip chin ups now that the Cage Stretch is no more. Oh well, I'll figure it out. I may cut back on my blogs as well and just post my routines. This is taking a lot more time than I had expected and there's other things I'd rather be writing about.

Friday Cardio and Leg Routine

Cross-Trainer

Steady State

Calorie :   144 CAL
Distance: 3.78 mile
Speed :    7.55 mph
Duration : 00:30:06

Smith Machine Single Leg Split Squat

154

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 90x12
Set 4 : 100x12 Yaaay!
Set 5 : 110x12 Yaaay!

Smith Machine Stiff Legged Deadlift

168

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12

GHRs

Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 12 Lap/Rep

Elliptical Training

Intervals

Calorie :   306 CAL
Distance: 2.67 mile
Duration : 00:30:00

One Leg Bodyweight Squat

140.6

Set 1 : 111x8

Abbreviated Leg Day

My priorities today are to get a good cardio workout, and work those hamstrings a bit because they lag behind my quads. Just as my biceps lag behind my triceps, I suspect there is a genetic component to how we are shaped in spite of our best efforts to mold ourselves. I have my son with me and he's hopeful that there will be boys his age in the gym's Child Care room. There are only two girls in the room when we get there.

The parking lot is promisingly crowded. A lot of women take morning classes there: BodyPump and Yoga, Zumba and Spin. It's not for me. I get on the LifeFitness cross-trainer for 30 minutes and do a quick hamstring stretch afterwards. The Smith machine is vacant but I'm short on time. I only do Smith Split-Leg Squats, but I've upped the weight so I feel pretty good. Assuming the bar alone is 30 lbs, I'm moving more weight with a Split Leg exercise than with a regular two-legged Smith Squat. But even without Smith Squats and Smith SLDLs, my lower back is tired enough to give me pause during the GHRs at the Lat Pull Down machine. Then more cardio. I tap in Performance Program #1 on the Precor elliptical for 30 minutes.

There is a man who does several hours of cardio every time he is at the gym. First an hour on the cross-trainer. The floor is slippery with the sweat pouring off him. Then the recumbent bike. Later the treadmill. Sometimes, but rarely, he does a few pathetic sets at the Lat Pull Down machine or another station. He's middle-aged and overweight, and never seems to get any thinner.

I have just enough time to do a decent leg and back stretch, dropping into my splits and knocking out a few Pistol Squats as well. I'm actually really surprised at how easy the Pistol Squats have felt lately. I see R out of the corner of my eye, but I don't have time to chat. After a quick shower, I rush to the Child Care room 10 minutes late. He's the only kid there. And he's not at all thrilled that he has to accompany me grocery shopping. Oh well...

Abbreviated Leg and Cardio Workout
(6.26 miles cardio; 5,570 lbs moved)

Cross Trainer

Steady State

Calorie :   147 CAL
Distance: 3.71 mile
Speed :    7.4 mph
Duration : 00:30:06

Smith Machine Single Leg Split Squat

126

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 70x12
Set 3 : 90x12
Set 4 : 90x12
Set 5 : 90x12 Yaaay!

GHRs

Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 12 Lap/Rep

Elliptical Training

Steady State

Calorie :   288 CAL
Distance: 2.55 mile
Performance Program #1
Duration : 00:30:00

One Leg Bodyweight Squat

131.83

Set 1 : 113x5
Set 2 : 113x5

Friday

Leg Day Today

I have a few thoughts I'm going to jot down before I get distracted. Some nutritional supplements are so totally worth it! A lot of times taking a multi-vitamin seems like an exercise in futility with me questioning whether it's doing any good, or just giving me expensive, fluorescent yellow urine. I have to say that fish oil has proven itself a great anti-inflammatory. We all have conditions we're susceptible to due to our genetics. Mine happen to be things like bad sinuses, super dry flaky skin, collapsible veins and loose shallow joints, glaucoma, a susceptibility to high blood pressure and cerebral aneurysms, and of course, hemorrhoids. Not big nasty ones, just little annoying ones. That shrink away to nothing if I take a daily dose of fish oil. I certainly know when I've forgotten to ingest the two capsules a day. Taking calcium and Vitamin D means I'm trimming my fingernails a lot more. I'm not sure that the mega-B complex is really doing anything for me. But when I get enough sleep, I have ridiculous amounts of energy.

I succumbed to curiosity and purchased a container of the new Coke concentrated milk-product, FairLife, using it as a vehicle for my protein powder. It tastes okay, but somehow seems less satisfying than using soy or almond milk. I like to try different things. I'm still bummed that Abbott Laboratories has discontinued making the High Protein Ensure Ready To Drink shakes. Which is a shame considering the article I just read on Silicon Valley techs sustaining themselves on vaguely palatable meal-replacement drinks. It's a new opportunity and a new market that the Ensure High Protein, with it's vitamins and minerals, would gain easy entrance, if they expanded their flavors and improved their marketing. But apparently, no one at Abbott Laboratories sees that.

Today's Left Bicep

My arms are still a tad sore. Those Rip Skulls and Drag Curls are really working! After my 30 min warm up, and I'm losing ground on this cross-trainer, struggling to make three and a half miles, I wander back, through "machine city" to the free weights. Tall Skinny Mustache is just getting started on the Smith so I use the Star Trac Max Rack for Squats with just the bar. I'm not really comfortable with this set up because having to hold the bar on my upper back puts a lot of stress on my elbows and shoulders, which is not what I want to focus on when I'm doing squats. I have bad joints. I can't lean back into the bar so I worry about how my knees overhang my toes when I drop down. The bar is only 55 lbs but my knees complain. I decide not to add any weight at all and just do bar squats for reps and sets. Eventually the Smith will free up. I'm patient. And persistent.

When I finally get to use the Smit, I set up for SLDLs, and then Smith Split Squats. I did a few SLDLs on the Max Rack but I was so distracted by the movement of the bar that I didn't really feel my glutes and hams. I'm better using the Smith. I make up for the paltry Squat session by upping my sets for the Split Squat. It's getting easier to do, but I have to be careful of the bent back knee. When I'm careless, the knee feels wonky.

Last are Glute Ham Raises on the Lat Pull Down machine. My favorite. Kidding. Again, I'm okay with the first two sets but really struggle to finish the last set. I'm the only person I see doing these. I barely see Venus anymore. I think she's avoiding me. I see a lot of regulars though. Tattoo Tank, Ponytail, The Mayor, M, Skinny J, Jude, Shazam, Latin Baseball, Soccer Boy, Vest Girl, Hollywood and Texas. I haven't seen Texas in a long time. She had her second baby a few months ago, but since then she's put on a good 30 lbs. I think it must be stress as she tells me that her four year old is being tested for Asperger's, and that he's already been diagnosed with ADHD. But he loves his baby brother, so things can't be so bad.

I steel myself for 10 minutes of HIIT followed by 20 min of LISS. I can do this. And then I see that the Step Mill is free, so I do another 15 min of LISS on that. Done. Well, sort of. I still need to stretch. I see R and stop to chat with him. I haven't seen him in weeks so I ask him how his wife is doing. They're expecting their second child this summer. The conversation turns to home ownership and school districts. He is, by far, the most thoughtful person I've met here. And by thoughtful, I don't mean kind and considerate, I mean someone who thinks about consequences, someone who is is introspective. I'm going to miss him when he finally buys a home and moves away. I'd like to stay in touch, stay friends in the loosest terms, but how do you do that without coming across weird?

Friday Leg Workout
(5.62 miles; 14,280 lbs moved)

Elliptical Training

Warm Up

Calorie :   143 CAL
Distance: 3.5 mile
Speed :    6.97 mph
Steady State
Duration : 00:30:12

Max Rack Machine Squat

Set 1 : 55x12 (bar only)
Set 2 : 55x12
Set 3 : 55x12
Set 4 : 55x12
Set 5 : 55x12
Set 6 : 55x12

Smith Machine Stiff Legged Deadlift

168

Set 1 : 55x12
Set 2 : 75x12
Set 3 : 80x12
Set 4 : 100x12
Set 5 : 120x12

Smith Machine Single Leg Split Squat

112

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 80x12
Set 4 : 80x12
Set 5 : 80x12
Set 6 : 80x12

GHRs

Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 12 Lap/Rep

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   206 CAL
Distance: 2.12 mile
10 min HIIT
20 min LISS
Duration : 00:30:00

Step Machine

LISS

Calorie :   80 CAL
Lap/Rep :  31 Lap/Rep
Duration : 00:15:00

I Should Probably Be Tired

Leg Day Selfie

Every now and then, I twist oddly and realize that I might actually have a touch of soreness in my lats, or back of my arms. It's rare that I actually get DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) except for my glutes, and only when I do Split Leg Squats in the Smith machine. And today is Leg Day, so of course, not only am I going to do a full hour of cardio, I'm also going to push some weights. The women's locker room is marred by dirty black sneaker prints on the bench. Some women are total pigs. Church-going, cackling, crowing grandmotherly pigs.

I feel a bit slow on the cross-trainer although my mileage is decent. I'm fairly sweaty when I get to the Smith machine. It's unoccupied! Yaaay! I'm on it for the next three exercises but the gym's not that crowded today. Some old guys are benching behind me. I see Latin Baseball wandering through the free weights. Not many women here either. Smith Squats feel okay. Even Split Squats feel okay. But by the time I get to Smith SLDLs I'm a bit tired. I feel sloppy towards the last set. Just then, a woman I've seen sporadically, asks me how many more sets. I tell her I'm done and re-rack all my weights. She does a few squats but she's not there very long. I'm disappointed.

Glute Ham Raises are always a challenge so I'm impressed with myself for getting through the first two sets okay. I struggle to keep my form for the last three reps of the last set. And then I'm done. Well, not quite. There's the rest of my cardio to deal with. I like to experiment. Instead of doing 10 minutes straight of HIIT (15 sec On/ 45 sec Off) followed by 20 min of LISS, I do 5 min of HIIT followed by 5 min of LISS to recuperate better. Then another 5 min of HIIT, followed by 15 min of LISS. 30 minutes goes by so much quicker!

I take a few minutes to do an abbreviated Mat Stretch, doing a set of Dive Bomber Push Ups and a 90 sec plank to start, before I completely forget. My lower back is tired and needs the stretch. The hot shower feels really good. Lately, I've been finishing with cold water for a few seconds just so I don't start sweating immediately afterwards as I'm trying to dress. Some sports literature suggests that this cold shower increases the minute amounts of testosterone to help build and maintain muscle. One of the female trainers does it, but she immediately dashes into the sauna afterwards to get to room temperature. Seems counter-productive to me. If the cold water hits my head first, I can deal with it a few seconds longer than if it hits my back and shoulders first. Probably the insulating factor of having so much hair. When I get goosebumps I'm truly done.

Leg Day Friday Workout
(5.84 miles; 17,640 lbs moved)

Cross Trainer

warm up

Calorie :   143 CAL
Distance: 3.71 mile
Speed :    7.42 mph
Duration : 00:30:03

Smith Machine Squat

210

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 4 : 140x12
Set 5 : 150x12
Set 6 : 100x15

Smith Machine Single Leg Split Squat

112

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 70x12
Set 3 : 80x12 +10 lbs Yaay!
Set 4 : 80x12
Set 5 : 80x12

Smith Machine Stiff Legged Deadlift

168

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 4 : 120x12
Set 5 : 120x12

GHRs

12

Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 12 Lap/Rep

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   206 CAL
Distance: 2.13 mile
10 min HIIT
20 min LISS
Duration : 00:30:00

Dive Bomber Pushup

Set 1 : 20 Lap/Rep

Plank

Set 1 : 00:01:30

Feels Like Coming Home

Friday is Leg Day. And I use it as an excuse to do cardio as well. Not that HIIT/LISS isn't cardio. But I'm not a fan of the 10-15 minute warm up before I lift on those days. I figure I'd conserve a little energy and put it towards my lifting but I'm not sure I see any advantages to this strategy yet. I know that I'm limited by the amount of weight and stress my joints can handle, not what my muscles can push or pull. I can't make my joints stronger, only the surrounding muscles. I can't make my ligaments and tendons stronger either, just take care not to injure them. But, I still think I'm making slow steady progress towards my goals of being stronger and leaner. I'm going to give this program another couple of weeks before I decide whether to keep it or up my cardio again. I miss the 30 minute cardio warm up! It feels like "coming home" on days I incorporate it. Like today.

Leg Day is always a good excuse for 30 minutes of steady state cardio on the Cross-trainer. I alternate every 5 minutes between the stationery handles and the moving ones. Sometimes I find my arms driving the pace, forcing my legs to move quicker. Odd. I stretch a bit and see that the Smith is occupied by a woman doing squats. I decide to do more cardio. I'm the type of person who believes that human nature, for the most part, is lazy. In our current society, there is a large population who don't understand manners or common courtesy. Like the person who left gum stuck to the side of the elliptical today. Really? It was relatively fresh so I could remove it easily with a paper towel. I'm guessing it was one of the chatty young women who show up  I tell the front desk about their disgusting clientele and they tell me that I haven't seen the half of it. I'm glad I don't own a gym.

I ask my husband if he thinks our society is doomed to fall like Rome because we've grown so complacent as a society that bad behavior is tolerated as amusement? Gladiatorial fight to the death anyone? But, I'm really speaking of reality TV shows, which I loathe. Everything is geared towards ratings. Sell, sell, sell. I can see why we're ripe for a fall. People have no discipline anymore, no ability to ignore the lure of instant gratification. Everyone wants to be famous. Even if it's only for 10 minutes. No one wants to put in any work. Sometimes it feels like that at my gym. But I'm gratified to see solo regulars who spend their time working out. I can see improvements in their form and especially in their muscle tone, but I don't say anything to them because they might become self-conscious or embarrassed.

The Smith is free and I do most of my workout there. I see a milky-white, tall, skinny girl with curly carrot-red hair. I've see her almost every day for some months now. Today she's in the Squat Rack doing light squats, getting her form down. Her arms are starting to develop some shape, the curve of a bicep here, the shadow of a tricep there. The solo lifters are the serious ones. Most of the women come in pairs or with their boyfriends, as if they need backup in order to step foot in the free weight area. The problem with relying on a buddy is that you rely on them, and if they can't make it, well, you don't either. I haven't seen Venus in over a week although I do see The Mayor, Tattoo Tank, LoudMouth, Hannibal Baggy Knees, Soccer Boy, Maroon and Latin Baseball.

The Mayor is doing standing OHP in the new Max Rack. He's got a 10 lb plate on each side of the bar. Between sets of 5-6 reps, he does a few reps on the new chest press machine or runs off the chat with a few guys by the cable station. On the other side of the Smith are two fat young newbies. I guess they're each others moral support. They lift weights but mostly they chat. And stare. It's not nice of me to say it, but I hope they get bored and stop coming to the gym.

Smith Squats are just a warm up for Smith Split Leg Squats. For some reason I'm having trouble with my right knee today. Squatting with my right is fine. I used just the step platform to raise my back foot a little. But squatting with my left leg is causing some issues with my right knee. It's not until nearly the end of my sets that I realize it's how I'm dropping on my left side that's causing the discomfort in the opposing knee. Ugh. I've got to remember this for next week! I move the platform forward until it's under the bar and do some Smith SLDLs, pulling out my VGs for the last three sets.

There's a middle age man casually trying not to stare as he does BB presses in the breaker bench behind me. I'm not the only woman here. Not quite sure what the issue is. I re-rack everything and move to the lat pull down station with a bosu ball just for Glute Ham Raises. I'm pretty sure I'm going to fall on my face at some point. Because I don't want to hurt my lower back, I'm satisfied to do drop sets. I scrunch up my face during the last set, unsure if I'm actually going to make 8 reps without my form totally disintegrating. Then I dust myself off and plop all my stuff onto the big Mat for a full Mat Stretch routine. It's been ages since I did this and I wonder how Dive Bomber Push Ups will feel. They're actually not bad, but they do make the 60-second plank that follows immediately after kind of difficult.

from gymflow100.com

As I drop into my splits, I'm busting a sweat all over again. I'm usually so focused that I don't really see anyone unless they're in my way. I look up for a moment and that middle aged man seems utterly and completely crestfallen. Not sure why he's suddenly so defeated, but I can guess. I am a crusher of dreams. Yep, I've gone and said it. But what really thrills me for the moment is the newly pronounced brachioradialis in my forearms. I have very small forearms, but the RG BB Curls seem to be actually doing something. Yaaaay!

Friday Workout
(6.78 miles cardio; 14,825 lbs moved)

Cross-Trainer

Steady State

Calorie :   147 CAL
Distance: 3.78 mile
Speed :    7.56 mph
Duration : 00:30:03

Elliptical Training

Intervals

Calorie :   264 CAL
Distance: 3 mile
Duration : 00:30:02

Smith Machine Squat

210

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 4 : 140x12
Set 5 : 150x12

Smith Machine Single Leg Split Squat

98

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 50x12
Set 3 : 70x12
Set 4 : 70x12
Set 5 : 70x12

Smith Machine Stiff Legged Deadlift

160

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x8
Set 4 : 120x8
Set 5 : 120x10

GHRs

Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 10 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 8 Lap/Rep

Plank

Set 1 : 00:01:01

Dive Bomber Pushup

Set 1 : 20 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 20 Lap/Rep

One Leg Bodyweight Squat

134.17

Set 1 : 115x5

The Difference Between Mental and Physical Fatigue

I was quite unhappy that the thermometer read -2°F this morning when I took the dog for a walk. The dog wasn't too happy either. And the birds are decimating the suet block and sunflower seeds in record time. They arrive at sunup, which is about 7 am, and seem quite disappointed until I manage to refill everything. I do manage to make and eat my oatmeal and egg breakfast because I didn't want to be hungry all day. Hunger is distracting and I have too many things to do.

I keep a cooler in my car with two water bottles in it. I don't even need to put ice packs in the cooler with my protein shake because the water bottles are frozen rock solid. The protein shake is brain-freeze cold by the time I get to it, but it tastes better than at room temperature. I'm tired, and not happy about having to get up early for the Cub Scout Klondike event tomorrow morning at 9 am. Through a chain of emails, we parents discover that our identifying banner is missing so I volunteer to make another one for the Junior Webelos sled. Which meant that I was up late, painting and snipping and gluing felt together. I'm tired this morning. But today is Leg Day. I have to do some cardio. And then I'll see about whatever else.

I have my pick of cross-trainers so I grab the one closest to the front door. I've got my hoodie on and use the overly-long sleeves to hold the metal handles until I get warmed up. I also have shorts on, but my legs don't really get cold. My toes, on the other hand, like my fingers, turn numb and blue in an instant. I get myself nice and sweaty and log 3.75 miles. Better than yesterday even though I feel, or I think I feel tired. Maybe it's all the thoughts I have floating around in my head, like the commuter train wreck, and the fiasco MindCraft meetup this past Tuesday. I wrote the librarian a letter comparing the setup to an online Lord of the Flies with overtones of Animal Farm. She responded by promising to resolve the issues. I've told one of my son's friend's parent that "yes, I'm the pushy parent." Because when there's a problem, I will tell you to your face.

I'm happy that the Smith is free although someone left the 25 lb plates on the bar. But there's absolutely no one in the area. Mine. I do Smith Squats because those seem like a good basic way to warm up. Okay, yeah, cardio is warming up, but it's not quite the same. Afterwards, I do a few sets of Smith SLDLs. I've decided to cut sets and weight on these because I'm not feeling it where I want as much as I thrust my hips into the bar as I pull the weight up.

The Smith Split-Leg Squat is another matter. I start off with just the bar (30 lbs). Then gingerly add 10 lbs to each side. The added weight makes the movement harder on my knees. Then I add another 10 lbs per side but I'm only doing 3 sets. At least for now. I suspect my hamstrings are toast so I delay GHRs by doing 30 minutes on the elliptical, Performance Program #2, half of which is done pedaling backwards. When I finally get around to the GHRs at the Lat Pull Down machine, my hamstrings are still a little shaky and I grimace under my hoodie to get my sets done. I'm not so tired anymore. Cardio does that for me, but I'm not sure why.

I'm babying my shoulders today because they feel odd, so no push-ups although I do a good long leg and upper body stretch on the mat. I even toss in a few pistol squats for fun. I'm hoping I don't have to shovel this weekend, but weather's so unpredictable.

Friday Cardio and Leg Workout
(total mileage today: 6.31; mileage for the week = 25 miles; weights moved = 16,365 lbs)

Cross-Trainer

Calorie :   149 CAL
Distance: 3.75 mile
Speed :    7.46 mph
Duration : 00:30:12

Smith Machine Squat

210

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 100x12
Set 4 : 120x12
Set 5 : 140x12
Set 6 : 150x12

Smith Machine Stiff Legged Deadlift

168

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 100x12
Set 4 : 120x12

Smith Machine Single Leg Split Squat

98

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 50x12
Set 3 : 70x12

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   289 CAL
Distance: 2.56 mile
Duration : 00:30:09

GluteHamRaises

12

Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 12 Lap/Rep

Seated Flat Bench Leg Pull In

100

Set 1 : 100 Lap/Rep

TorsoTwistMachine

91.67

Set 1 : 50x25
Set 2 : 50x25

One Leg Bodyweight Squat

134.17

Set 1 : 115x5