Happy Back and Biceps Day

The storm was pretty wicked last night but nothing toppled over, no trees went down and we didn't lose power so all in all, it was a good storm. I begged out of kickboxing and my husband seemed disappointed, but he had trouble getting up this morning, so it's probably a good thing we skipped it last night. I promised him we'd go next week. It's the end of the week and my body seems to be feeling its mileage. I get on the elliptical and it's at least 6-7 minutes before I'm not sore and stiff. It takes another 20 before I actually start to feel good, but at least I finish my Intervals #8 session and make my quota. Priorities, don't ya know!

I can't find the handles to the Seated Cable Rows that I like so I settle for the ones with rubber padding. This extra bit makes the handles harder to grip because I have such little hands although I do appreciate the extra padding because I also have boney hands. Using a thumbless grip, I'm actually able to complete all my sets with decent form. That makes me happy. PonyTail Tattoo is working out at the adjacent station and in spite of my cranked up iPod with MeatLoaf blaring, I think I hear him grunt in disbelief when I finish with drop sets. The gym's awfully crowded today and I don't speak to anyone, not even B. I see The Mayor, Hoodie Tattoo, Nixon, M, Tall Pace, ZZ, LoudMouth, Old Florida, PJ Pants... yes, the gym's damn crowded and I have to thread my way between stations and people chatting along side.

I don't up my weights today because I'm tired and I don't want to court injury. My elbows feel pretty good all the way up to BB Bicep curls when the left one complains incessantly, regardless of forearm stretching. I haven't done pull ups in weeks and miss doing them, but my elbow's too important to attempt doing those just yet.

Today's Back and Biceps Day Workout:
35 min Interval #8 = 4.49 miles Yay!
Seated Cable Rows: 15 @ 60 lbs / 12 @ 90 / 10 @ 105 / 8 @ 120 / 3 x 6 @ 127.5 lbs / 12 @ 112.5 / 15 @ 97.5 lbs These feel really strong and good today and I'm very pleased with myself
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Reverse Grip Bent Over BB Rows: 15 @ 100 lbs / 6 x 12 @ 105 lbs
My hands start to slip during the last reps but in general they don't hurt which is surprising considering I woke up feeling as if I'd sprained my right thumb/palm. 
Pendlay BB Rows: 6 x 12 @ 65 lbs
I can't say that these feel heavy, but I'm thoroughly exhausted when I finish each set and can't wait to straighten up afterwards. I may affix another 5 lbs to the BB next week and see how that feels.
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Up: 125
Lower Back Extension: 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
BB Curls: 6 x 12 @ 50 lbs
My left elbow really complains about this movement and I find myself modifying the exercise to minimize the pain. I may drop back to 45 lbs next week and just knock out more reps instead.
Reverse Grip BB Curls: 4 x 20 @ 40 lbs
Mat Stretch: splits are stiff today but at least I worked them.

My favorite blue pants

Mo plops down besides me as I'm stretching out. When I'm done, we chat for a few minutes. "Grass gotta get cut," she complains gently. "Why can't they create genetically modified grass that only grows 3 inches tall? I'd never need to mow it!" I tell her the lawnmower lobby probably put the kibosh on it. She tells me a joke an elderly lady told her: "Why are men like parking spots? All the good ones are taken, and the only ones left are handicapped." We both chuckle.

The gym scale reads 109.2 lbs again and I'm surprised. I'm not usually so consistent! I did have another egg with my blueberries and oatmeal this morning. Blueberries seem cheap right now so I'm game to buy several pints to wash and freeze. When I get home, I take a photo of my favorite blue pants next to my 2nd favorite blue pants. The cell camera sucks and makes my royal blue pants look mauve! Thank goodness for photoshop color correction.

After trying unsuccessfully to snap a photo of my back in the hall mirror, I drag out my tripod and set the camera timer so that I can see if all my hard work is paying off or if I should revise my workout again. I'm pleased with the results so far! At least I don't think I look scrawny anymore... LOL!

It's Spring and Damn I'm Hungry

Suddenly every shrub and tree is green and bushy. I don't remember that happening! Because we've kept our feeder stocked with sunflower seeds, the hedges are alive with happy chirping. It's like a Disney flick, only without the talking rodents. I've replaced the stolen suet cage, blaming Mensa-level squirrels when I should've been aware of ravenous raccoons. I have one last block of suet but I'll save that and the retrieved suet cage for the winter, when such bandits are hibernating.

My elbows are still sore. Worse yet is being hungry at 3 am.  When the sun pokes me in the eye at 7 am, I'm still trying to make sense of the dream I'm still submerged in. I rub a dab of DMSO into my elbows and immediately taste garlic and oyster sauce. Well, I know it's the real thing. I'm careful to wash my hands afterwards, and after my son boards his school bus, I'm off. I've made sure to give myself at least an hour between breakfast and the gym so I don't arrive until a bit after 9 am. It's crowded. There's Zumba, and Yoga, and Spin Class... The din is so disturbing that I immediately retreat into a bathroom stall to plug in my headphones before heading to the cardio area. And just to mix it up a tiny bit, I punch hill #5 into the Precor instead of hill #6. Surprisingly, I make my 4 mile quota. I'm happy.

I see B at the cable station and she gives me a brief update on her whole week. Then she's off to say Hi and Bye to everyone else she knows at the gym while I settle into doing Seated Cable Rows. They feel fine until I get to my heavy sets. My hands hurt, my left elbow feels weak, and I can't quite put my back into it the way I should. But I knock out my sets and eye the Smith Rack longingly. Okay, maybe just one set of Pull Ups. I space my hands a little wider than usual and pull myself up with my legs curled to my chest. I don't straighten my arms completely because the strain on my forearms and elbows is too great. But I can get a reasonable set of 12 reps. Throughout my workout, I do an occasional set of Pull Ups. It doesn't hurt too bad so I don't think I'm doing damage to my elbows.

Today's 1st Pull Day Workout:
35 min cardio = 4.05 miles Yippeee!
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 lbs / 10 @ 105 / 8 @ 120 / 3 x 6 @ 135 lbs
Pull Ups: 12 (they don't hurt as much as I expected them to)
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Pull Ups: 12
Reverse Grip BB Rows: 6 x 15 @ 95 lbs
(yep, next week I need to move the 100 lb barbell)
Alternating DB Curls: 3 x 12 @ 25 lbs
Pull Ups: 12
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 120
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Up: 125
BB Curls: 6 x 15 @ 45 lbs
(I return the magnetic discs to the front desk to buy my arms some time to rest, and then come back for the Reverse Grip Curls)
RG BB Curls: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs
Lower Back Extensions Again: 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Mat Stretch

The gym is really crowded today and I find myself working out with half a dozen guys. I see The Mayor, Tall Pace, Short Pace, Fish Guy and a friend, the Latin Guy from last week, and a whole bunch more. I even see R today but it's so crowded that I'm focused solely on getting through my workout, and getting out. I don't even say Hi to the Fish Guy even though I sensed he wanted me to. Maybe I'll smack the NexerSys tomorrow since tomorrow is Leg Day. I'm not even sure if I'm gong to kickboxing tonight or not. On the way out the door, I see V sitting with a lady I've said Hi to in the locker room. "Oh, yes, she's my beautiful neighbor," V says to her as I wave Hi and Bye at both of them without stopping. I'm pretty sure I'll never see her sitting with V again either.

Thicker but not well-defined.

The scale tells me that I weigh 110.2 lbs today. Or at least right then and there. When I get home, my scale tells me I weigh 107.4 lbs. I'm also ravenously hungry even though drank my Ensure in the car before I purchased groceries. I have a hankering for the fresh arugula I just bought, slathered with cottage cheese and pineapples. It's very satisfying. Later, I brew a cup of Tazo Focus tea which contains not only black tea, but roasted yerba mate, both of which contain caffeine. A spoonful of local honey makes it downright tasty but I skip the creamer because it contains lemon and rosemary as well.

I'm still debating whether I want to be bigger, or even if I have a choice since I plan on lifting heavier as long as I can do it. At some undetermined point in my life, I won't be able to lift heavy so why quit prematurely? My back's probably not going to get much wider (it'd look too odd with my short muscular arms anyway) but it can certainly get thicker, although that's probably not a really aesthetic look for a small short woman. What I'm puzzling over is the reaction of male acquaintances when they see my arms. I suspect that I'm provoking feelings of inadequacy for some. Not my problem though. I finally like my arms! Makes me want to wear tank tops all the time now, and that's how we should feel about our bodies: proud.

Meanwhile, a gal on the strength and fitness forum I've joined, posted a youtube video of the type of training that goes on at her mom's 3-story gym. It's pretty inspiring! Here's the link in case it doesn't embed properly...