Vertigo Does Not Like Downward Dog

I still have vertigo. It's annoying. It didn't keep me from taking my son to a birthday party yesterday at ClubFit where he got to play nerf tag. Meanwhile, I used the postcard invitation to check out their cardio and weight equipment. My husband initially didn't want to come but when I told him it was a family pass and he could come with me to try out different equipment, he donned his sneakers with a big grin. I felt like a 9 year old flitting from elliptical to cross-trainer to stair-stepper. They definitely have a greater variety of cardio equipment, but an odd array of iron split between two floors. I got a couple of miles in before my husband and I decided to stretch out and cool down. He didn't want to get back to the gaming area completely sweaty. Having vertigo makes sit ups and crunches a bad idea. It's also very nasty when stretching into a Downward Dog. My son's hair was plastered to his head, and his cheeks were totally red. He gets that from me. When I'm flushed, I feel like the poster girl on the Mao communist propaganda wall art.

This is either an ear infection or allergies. I'm not sure what to think because this is the first time that I've woken up without having to blow my nose or clear gunk out my throat. It's probably all backed up in my sinuses and ear canals instead. Still, I go to the gym although it takes me longer than usual to get out the door. My head feels like I'm swimming through jelly so it's hard to get dressed. After my son boards the school bus, I'm moving in slow-mo to get through the day.

The first 2 miles of cardio doesn't really do much for me because I'm trying to keep my heart rate within range. It skyrockets and drops, ricochets without any discernible cause even as I keep a steady pace. I'm not even breathing hard. I'm certainly not sweaty either. The free weight area is oddly empty for a Monday. It's a Push Day and I'm hoping for the best. Benching just the bar is fine. 95 lbs is fine. But 115 lbs is a bit taxing. I do my 8 reps and I feel fairly strong. But every time I lay my head down on the bench, waves of disorienting vertigo hit me hard. I don't want to chance feeling as if the bench is moving while I have 115 lbs up over my chest and neck. I strip the bar back down to 95 lbs and do a 20-repper. And because I'm still fairly fresh having only done one set at 115 lbs, I knock out another 20-repper without issue.

There's no way I'm going to do Inclined BB Press feeling like this. I grab a pair of 20 lb DBs and figure I'll do a few sets of Inclined Flyes. Again, as I sit back and lay my head on the bench, I get a wave of dizzying motion. I'm not quite nauseous but it's not fun. I only do 3 sets. My right shoulder feels a little off. Standing up is better and I use the 20s for my DB Lateral Raises. There are several girls in front of the DB rack doing curls, lateral raises and other assorted movements with shiny beauty bells. I'm glad I'm standing on the other side of the squat rack. There are several college boys I've never seen before . One is doing BB Rows, first with the bar alone, then with a pair of 45s, then adding 10s. He's about 6 foot 6. I decide to skip the Bent Over Reverse Flyes because I don't think I can stand to have my head down.

Normally I'd finish the Push Day with Triceps but there's no way I'm going to attempt Rip Crushers or Tricep Press Downs or any movement that makes me move my head at a severe angle. Instead, I use the 20 lb DBs I already have to do some alternating twisting curls. Then I grab an EZ bar and toss a few plates on for BB curls. Finally, I use a solid straight BB for Reverse Grip Curls. Sit ups and crunches are out. I tried a few yesterday and Vertigo does not like that movement. The Torso Twist machine is okay. I hop back on a Precor and get my 3 miles. This time I'm a bit sweatier. My right ear feels really hot, and I've developed an odd knot in my right upper trap. I definitely need to do a Mat Stretch to address the knot.

I can do everything in my Mat Stretch, even bend over to touch the floor with my elbows, except bring my head down to touch my shins. That is the point where the vertigo kicks in. Well, it's better than when I started out this morning. I decide to keep the 30 second plank with 30 seconds of alternating knee to elbow moves. I count to 28 so that's 14 per side which is better than last time when I only got 10 per side. The gym scale reads 113.4 lbs which is less than I was expecting for a Monday. It makes me happy. What makes me unhappy is feeling as if I've been poured into my clothes. It's 80°F today and last summer's shorts are feeling decidedly tight. I don't like it.

I also have to figure out how I'm going to modify my program. Again. Apparently elementary school ends on June 26, a Thursday. And that entire week is early dismissal or half days. I'm not even sure what the point of school is at that point because it's only a 2.5 hr school day. Which means I need to create an abbreviated workout. I wonder if I cut out squats and SLDLs will my glutes get smaller? Hhmmm.

Vertigo Monday Workout

 Exercise Name

1RM

Lifting Logs

Elliptical Training

N/A

Calorie :   171 CAL
Distance: 2.03 mile
Speed :    --
Lap/Rep :  --
Duration : 00:23:00

Barbell Bench Press

158.33

Set 1 : 45x12
Set 2 : 95x12
Set 3 : 115x8
Set 4 : 95x20
Set 5 : 95x20

Dumbbell Incline Fly

28

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

28

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12
Set 4 : 20x12
Set 5 : 20x12
Set 6 : 20x12

Dumbbell Alternate Bicep Curl

28

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x8
Set 3 : 20x12

Barbell Curl

66.5

Set 1 : 15x12
Set 2 : 37.5x12
Set 3 : 47.5x12
Set 4 : 47.5x12
Set 5 : 47.5x12

Barbell Reverse Curl

66.67

Set 1 : 40x20
Set 2 : 40x20
Set 3 : 40x20

Elliptical Training

N/A

Calorie :   254 CAL
Distance: 3 mile
Speed :    --
Lap/Rep :  --
Duration : 00:34:00

Plank

N/A

Set 1 : 00:00:30

Plank with Side Kick

N/A

Set 1: 14 Lap/Rep
         00:00:30

Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 Dive Bomber Push Ups, splits, upper & lower back stretch, etc

Caution As Excuse

I woke up at 4 am just as my husband was getting ready to leave for Boston. He didn't wake me up though. It was the unusual pain under my left arm. Lats. My lats are in spasm. The right side as well, but not as badly. The vague sense of heartburn made me wonder if poor digestion was the culprit because I've linked past episodes of back spasms to something I ate and my stomach ultimately rejected... a stray watercress stem, apple skin, a sliver of red pepper. I swallow two ibuprofens with some water and then go back to bed. When the alarm sounds this morning, I'm unusually tired, although my back no longer hurts.

I ease into cardio and don't quite make two miles on the elliptical. When I get to the free weight area, all the benches are occupied by several big guys, even the Smith machine. Bummer. I set up at the Inclined Bench and do a few sets, wondering if this will make me too tired to flat bench properly. My left wrist and thumb are achy this morning. My hands are cold and there's a vague throbbing inside my palm. By the time I get to the Flat Bench, most of the guys have dispersed, and I see a few women benching but hardly any weight. I don't understand why they're barely bringing the bar down either. Is this an exercise in elbow flexion? My wrist and palm still feels a bit off so I decide to only do one set at 125 if I can find someone to spot me. K isn't here today. I see B chatting with M, and I just don't want to ask M. I really hate it when he just grabs the bar from me. Ah, I see JF, one of the trainers. It must be his off day because he's just working out. He's a good spotter, never touching the bar, because honestly, I can get 6 reps at 125 by myself. I just wanted him there in case of an unanticipated failure.

B wanders over and asks me how my weekend went. Then she asks what's the secret to lifting heavy. Secret? I could say Not Chatting, but I don't. Instead I deflect by telling her that 1) I'm bigger and heavier than she is and 2) it's not that much weight. She's shocked. How much do you weigh? Well, it varies but probably about 110-112 lbs. She points to the bench. That's a lot of weight for someone your size. I'm bemused. You mean for a girl. I think you should be able to bench your own body weight. Or maybe that's just some gym rat mythology?

I toy with the idea of upping the weight. Perhaps next week. I've got to figure out the progression better. Instead, I do a drop set, finishing off with 20 reps at 95 lbs. Then back to the Inclined Bench for Inclined DB Flyes. I grab both the 25 and 30 lb DBs because I warm up with the 25s. I keep them for the DB Lateral Raises as well. I figure the only way to make my shoulders grow is to go as heavy as I can for sets of 12 reps. I think it's working.

Normally I'd use the BB Overhead Press Rack for the Bent-Over DB Flyes because it's old equipment, which means the seat isn't too high for my short legs. But a big dude is in it and I move all my stuff over to the DB area where I gingerly perch, nearly on tip toe, at the edge of a newer bench. 25 lbs to warm up. Then a set at 30 lbs. I check my Jefit log and realize I need to grab magnets from the front desk. Okay, now I have 32.5 lb DBs. After three sets, I blow caution to the wind, say WTF and grab the 35 lb DBs. Let's see how many I can do. And I get 12. Two young men are alternating on the Decline Bench across from me. I think they're as surprised as I am.

I clamber onto the Step Mill for 20 minutes, read my email and forum posts and then drop onto the Mat for Dive Bomber Push Ups, a plank and a full Mat Stretch. By the time I get to the locker room, my stomach is growling. The gym scale registers all the salty food I ate yesterday (corned beef with garlic mustard, pan-fried cabbage and sweet potatoes) so 114.0 lbs doesn't come as a complete surprise to me. At least my clothes still fit. And my new Avia sports bra didn't bite into my traps as I was working out, so I'm really happy. I should go buy a few more in that size, brand and style.

Later, I have to take the dog to the vet for his annual checkup, but I'm concerned that he's not quite right. His digestive tract is unusually sensitive and I've resorted to giving him boiled ground turkey and white rice for his meals, and Tylan powder, an antibiotic measured into bread and rolled into "bread pills" that I can push down his throat. He's 11 but he still wants me to chase him around the yard like we were both puppies.

St. Paddy's Day Workout

20 min elliptical = 1.91 miles

Inclined Bench Press
12x45 (bar)
12x65 lbs
12x85 lbs
3x8x95 lbs +2 reps

Flat Bench Press
12x95 lbs
8x115 lbs
6x125 lbs
8x115 lbs
20x95 lbs

Inclined DB Flyes
12x25 lbs
3x12x30 lbs +12 reps
12x25 lbs

DB Lateral Raises
12x25 lbs
4x12x30 lbs

Bent Over DB Reverse Flyes
12x25 lbs
12x30 lbs
3x12x32.5 lbs
12x35 lbs +2.5 lbs Yay PR

20 min Matrix Step Mill = 1051 steps

Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs, 60-sec plank, splits, upper and lower back stretches

Bench Press Monday

This afternoon I was finishing up doing errands when my husband got home from running a few errands of his own. I had the tail of my Forester open with the 50 lb bag of sunflower seed bird food still sitting there while I hauled in groceries. He gallantly marched the bag into the house and set it down by the dog food, looked at me, then looked at the bag. "How did you get the bird seed into the car?" "I put it in," I replied. He looked at me again, then said, "Damn, I guess working out is paying off! I should've let you get the seed out of the car." I had to suppress a smile.

I had my son in tow this morning because my husband had a business conference call even though he's technically on vacation. Which meant I had to plan an abbreviated workout. I like the combination Chest/Back workouts but that takes too long. Last night I was reviewing a bevy of workouts when one caught my eye in the Women's Training section for Chest. It's simple, which I like, but it's hard and requires a spotter or partner, which I don't have. So I tried to incorporate the gist of it into today's workout, without killing myself. You basically start with your heaviest lift for 4 reps, then drop weight and go for 8 reps. Repeat for 12 reps. Then 16 reps. End with 20 reps. The routine starts with Inclined Presses, then Flat, then Decline and ends with a few sets on the Pec Dec which I don't do.  Flat Bench is the only exercise I have a good idea where I stand with this new equipment which is harder for me because I have to reach much further overhead to unrack the bar.

Since I've been getting sets of 8 at 115 lbs, I started with 120 lbs today after a quick warm up with just the bar. It was hard but I managed to make all my sets. Then I moved to the Inclined Bench which I'm not that familiar with. It's too big and too high but I figured WTH. I can't do the program here because I don't know how much I can lift. This was basically a progression to see how far I can get. Because I feel awkward and unbalanced doing this movement, my increments were smaller, in a "Better Safe Than Sorry" mode. I'm pretty burnt by the time I get to Decline Presses but at least I'm familiar with the feel. I'm done after five sets, but not quite ready to quit yet. I know I should do DB Flyes but I'd rather do DB Raises instead, so that's what I do. I've got a big ugly scratch on my shoulder from Friday than runs about 4 inches in length and a good 1/4" wide. I have absolutely No Idea when it happened, except that it was probably during my rounds with the Nexersys. At least it doesn't hurt.

I'm also toying with the idea of cutting my cardio down to 20 minutes from 35, but all the programs I've reviewed add another 20 minutes at the back end of the workout, and that's not something I want to do. I've already cut my stretching down to alternate days. But maybe I'll just cut cardio to 20 minutes on days I decide to lift heavy. The gym scale reads 113.4 lbs and I'm not surprised anymore. Tomorrow I'm psyched to do Back, upping my RGBB Row, and probably adding the One-Arm DB Rows back into the mix. When I punched my goals into a website calculator, it projected a weight of 125 lbs. I'd also need to drop my BF to 16% to achieve the look I want. Dropping 4% seems daunting only because I don't have a clear course of action. Yet.

Monday Workout:
35 min cardio Hill #5 = 3.84 miles

Bench Press: 12 @ 45 lbs / 4 @ 120 lbs / 8 @ 115 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 10, 3, 3 @ 95 lbs / 20 @ 75 lbs
The 5th set really took my breath away and I had to pause at rep 10, and rack the bar at rep 13 before finishing.

Inclined BB Press: 12 @ 45 lbs / 12 @ 55 lbs / 12 @ 65 lbs / 8 @ 75 lbs / 8 @ 85 lbs / 6 @ 95 lbs

Decline BB Press: 12 @ 45 lbs / 12 @ 75 lbs / 10 @ 95 lbs / 12 @ 85 lbs / 20 @ 65 lbs

DB Lateral Raises: 12 @ 20 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 25 lbs

Cage Stretch with BW calf raises & heel dips

Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Lower Ab Knee-In Kick-Outs: 100

Numbers Never Tell the Whole Story

Today is universal bench press Monday so of course that was what I was obliged to do. First I had to get my warm up out of the way. I got to the gym a tad late and was crestfallen to see a gal up on the ellipticals. Imagine my surprise and relief when I saw that she was pedaling the tractor, leaving #1 open and free for me. Yay! I didn't notice sore glutes or any other body parts until I started pedaling, and I was moving fast and hard. Just barely made my quota. But at least I made it. Yay again!

I've been playing with the free version of a workout app called Jefit. I can't say I like it much, because I spend a lot of time scrolling around for my exercises to plug into a log. Some I can't even find, like the torso twist machine. There's a torso twist listed, but it only allows reps, not weight, so that's not the one I'm doing. The only thing I like is that after I punched in all my reps, weight and sets for Benching, it gave me a 1 rep max of 150 lbs. Which is 5 lbs more than the last website I checked gave me (punched in 6 reps at 125 lbs and got 1 rep max of 145 lbs). Which brings me back to Benching. There was a lot of chatting today, but when I'm plugged in, I don't hear anything at all. Just me arguing with myself.

I've cut back on my warm up sets and reps to see how it affects my benching, although I have to consciously limit the count. It's just waaay too easy to do a lot of reps. I do 3 sets of 12 reps, increasing the weight a bit each time. When I get to 115 lbs, I hesitate for a moment, but I've done this weight before (just last week for sets). I get 10 reps and brace myself for the next set which will be my heavy set. I know, it's only 125 lbs. But I still need a spot.

I ask The Mayor and he tears himself away from chatting with Sunshine, then tells me to position myself more under the bar. I'm not sure if I do or not, but I've got better control of the bar compared to the past few weeks. Again, I need a little help for the last 2 reps. The first 4, I'm proud to say, I get with no help at all. And my form is much better with more control of the bar on the descent. I know this is all true because I drop the weight on my next set and I can barely squeeze out 6 reps. But at 95 lbs, I can do a full 12-rep set and that's how I leave it. This is not how I've benched in the past, but I'm trying to up my weights and cut my sets and reps. At least for the next few weeks. Today's benching was an improvement even if the numbers stayed the same.

Breaker Benches Coming Soon!

My hamstrings and quads are stiff when I get to Cage Stretch, no doubt because I've cooled down a tad. I haven't stretched out in two days and I wonder what would happen if I limited my stretching to just two or three times a week. Just a thought. My kicks are fast and high so I'm happy. I grab 4 discs from the front desk on my way back to the DB area. It has brand new thick rubber flooring! I only have two more exercises to do today. For some reason, I don't really count abs or stretching even though I do them almost every day. Perhaps it's because I do them every day.

Rear inclined DB flyes are next. I always wonder if I can do them and then I'm always surprised at how many I can actually do. I warm up with 25s. Add a magnet, do another set. Add a magnet, do another set. The DBs look silly with magnets affixed to both ends, but they're still more manageable than the actual 30 lb DBs which have plates too large to fit comfortably under the Inclined Bench. After those are the Standing Lateral Raises. Those I warm up with a set of 20s first. Then I move back to the 25s. A small blonde middle-aged woman (who've I've seen sporadically manning the front desk) is standing a few feet away. She's got those plastic beauty bells and she's flopping her arms without much control. I'm not sure if the weights are just too light, or if she really has no control over her limbs. I move to the 30s and I think she's intimidated. The first two sets I manage 8 reps. Oddly, I squeeze out 10 for the final set.

After doing sit ups, I see creepy PJ Pants. Several old men greet him as he waddles into the weight area. He's not even that fat, but somehow he reminds me of a Disney duck (Huey, Dewey or Louie, take your pick), probably because he leads with his belly. Just a few crunches, then a go at the Torso Twist, a tumble on the Mat and done! Yay! My hamstring doesn't cramp today so I'm fairly pleased with the whole Mat routine although I'm toying with the idea of adding a plank somewhere between regular-stance DBPUs and walking my hands back to my ankles.

The gym scale reads 110.2 lbs which is good considering I spent the entire weekend ferrying my child to his classes and birthday parties where the cuisine was pizza, chips and ice cream cake. I had a glass of wine which I nursed for two hours (one of my friends called me out on that because she just about chugged her glass) because hubby was away all weekend (absolutely no drinking and driving here) so perhaps it's just the liquid calories that I've really got to worry about.

Monday Work Out
35 min elliptical  Hill 5 = 4.01 miles Yay!
Olympic Bench Press: 15 @ bar (45 lbs) / 12 @ 75 lbs / 12 @ 95 lbs / 10 @ 115 / 4 + 2 (spot) @ 125 / 6 @ 115 lbs / 12 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch with BW heel dips & calf raises and Side Kicks
Inclined Rear Delt Flyes: 12 @ 25 lbs / 12 @ 27.5 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 30 lbs
Standing Lateral DB Raises: 12 @ 20 lbs / 12 @ 25 lbs / 12 @ 27.5 lbs / 8, 8, 10 @ 30 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 150
Ab Crunch Bench: 100
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch with 12 wide-legged DBPUs, 3 rolling, 12 regular-stance DBPUs, balance & hamstring movements, splits, lower & upper back/shoulder stretches, etc

Cutting Back is Harder Than it Looks

I didn't really have a solid game plan this morning so I wasn't really sure what I was going to do once I got to the gym. Although it was 66°F and humid outside, the A/C was on full blast inside. Probably to dissipate all the moisture. Zipped up, with my hands ensconced inside my hoodie sleeves, I mount my favorite elliptical Precor #1 and punch in Hill 5. I'm thinking perhaps I'll just do 2 miles in my allotted 35 minutes, but I'm too cold and I can't get warm until I step up the pace. My skin hovers at that unpleasant point between dry but hot and sweating, making me itch at all the major joints in my hips and legs. Once I break the "sweat threshold", I feel much better. I just miss making my completely arbitrary 4-mile quota, but it's not important. Mondays are always my worst cardio days.

I do the Cage Stretch with my hoodie on because I don't want to cool down too quickly. My hips and hamstrings are stiff from inactivity all weekend. I'm still debating whether to go a few rounds at the Nexersys today when I find myself wandering over to the free weight area. There are very few people there today. And then I give in to temptation and set up on the Bench Press. First just the bar. Then a few tiny plates to do a set at 75 lbs. Then just a set at 95 lbs. Okay, maybe another two sets at 95 lbs. I don't know what my 1RM (rep max) is but I can get 6 reps (with a good spot) at 125 so that's about 76%. So I figure 95 lbs is not too heavy, not too light. Then, trying to be mindful that this is a low intensity day, I drop the weights down to 75 lbs again. And then just the bar. I knock out 50 reps and pause for a moment to consider doing another 25 reps. I could do it. But I don't want to be here all day! Instead, I wipe down the bench and do the Mat Stretch, completely skipping abs and everything else I'd normally do on a Monday. Like delts.

I worry that I'll lose all the gains I've made recently, but it's only a week. Tomorrow should be Back Day but it's nearly impossible to do Back without involving elbows or grip. A voice in the back of my mind tells me I could probably get a dozen pull ups since I haven't done them in a long time. But they ultimately always stress my elbows. I should probably stick to my half-baked plan to do cardio, abs and then go a few rounds on the Nexersys. If nothing else, it'll make me warm and sweaty.

Low Intensity Monday Work Out:
35 min cardio Hill 5 = 3.98 miles
Cage Stretch with BW Heel Dips & Calf Raises and Side Kicks
Bench Press: 25 @ bar (45 lbs) / 15 @ 75 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 95 lbs / 15 @ 75 lbs / 50 @ 45 lbs
Mat Stretch with 10 wide-legged DBPUs, 3 rolling, 10 regular-stance DBPUs, splits, back, hamstring and neck stretches, etc

Good Day, Bad Day, It's Still Arm Day

I definitely felt Leg Day this morning when I noticed my sore glutes while walking the dog. Okay, I confess that my glutes are sore a lot of the time, but this morning they seemed a tad more than usual. And my hamstrings were tired. It's an odd sensation. When I get to the gym, my favorite Precor is in use and I get on #3 which glides smoothly but seems to have a higher resistance setting. Still, I warm up after 17 minutes of Intervals, but I'm not able to keep my speed up much. After 35 minutes, I barely make my 4-mile quota. It's a bit disappointing. But today is Arm Day so I leave my disappointment in the cardio area.

Even though the Smith is free, I decide to bench on the Olympic. But not heavy. Today is reps. I did 6 sets of 12 last week and I'll do it again this week. Warming up to bench always feels a bit arbitrary to me. Doing 25 reps with just the bar doesn't seem like enough so I do a set with 75 lbs. Then I do my first set at 95 lbs. It feels a bit heavy, but not hard. By the 4th set, I feel warmed up but a little tired. I'm trying to avoid stressing my right front shoulder. After I finish the 6th set, I feel unfinished so I drop the weight to 75 and knock out 15 reps. That seemed easier than the first time. With just the bar, I knock out 50 reps. I'm tempted to do more because I know I can, but I don't want to be here all day. I wipe down the bench and head to the Cage Stretch.

I see my neighbor V grab a coffee and newspaper from the front desk. Luckily he doesn't see me, and I can avoid (his) unpleasant attempts at conversation with me. Then I see Hannibal Baggy Knees on one of the seated stretch chairs adjacent to the Cage. He was hovering while I benched. I find him particularly creepy, an old man who can't take No for an answer, as in "No I don't want to talk to you, not even to be politely social because I'm not politely social". Of course, I've never quite said that. That would require actually talking to him. I'll walk the perimeter of the workout area just to avoid having to pass by him.

I sit down on a bench and grab a pair of 20 lb dumbbells to curl. They seem easy and I'm too lazy to go back to the front desk to grab any magnets. I grab a pair of 25s and put one of the 20s back. I only need one 20 for one-arm DB extensions. I know that, in spite of my wrist wraps, I can't handle more than 20 lbs in that position. I went heavier last week but my elbows have been complaining lately. At 25 lbs there's no pain whatsoever and I get a nice pump after 6 sets. Today I do kickbacks instead of press downs. Then barbell curls. The Mayor, Nixon, M and RR are floating about. I see a large black woman in sunglasses (indoors in a low-light gym), a do-rag covering shoulder-length dreads, doing reverse flyes with 20 lb DBs. Later, she loads the bar at the Squat rack and does shrugs. I don't know why women do shrugs. I know I don't want huge traps -- they make tank tops fit oddly. I grab a 50 lb BB and do 6 sets of 12 reps. My elbows don't hurt but my wrists are starting to complain a lot. I've not had that happen before.

My lower back feels stiff when I start doing sit ups but eventually it loosens up. After 125 it'd better be loose! Then a few ab crunches just for fun. Then back to the barbell rack to grab the 40 lb BB for Reverse Grip BB Curls. In the mirrored wall, I see Nixon standing at a bench, curling the bar with big plates on it. Impressive. R glides in with his baseball cap and hockey t-shirt, and is greeted by RR and the White-Haired Marine, a big mustached man who drives a big gray pickup. I float off to do my Mat Stretch but forget to adjust my routine for the Dive Bomber Push Ups. I'll have to do that tomorrow. When I'm done, I grab my hoodie off the railing and wave Bye at R. He smiles, surprised.

Good Day, Back Day, It's Still Arm Day:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.03 miles
Bench Press: 25 @ bar / 12 @ 75 lbs / 6 x 12 @ 95 lbs / 15 @ 75 lbs / 50 @ bar (45 lbs)
Cage Stretch with BW Heel Dips & Calf Raises and Side Kicks
DB Curls: 12 @ 20 lbs / 6 x 12 @ 25 lbs
One-Arm Tricep Extension: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Tricep Kickbacks: 15 @ 20 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 25 lbs
BB Curls: 6 x 12 @ 50 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Ab Crunch Station: 100
RGBB Curls: 4 x 20 @ 40 lbs
Mat Stretch with 10 DBPUs and 3 rolling; splits etc.

The gym scale reads 109.4 lbs. I don't have time to weigh myself at home, and I'm not really that concerned although I'm worried that upping the weights for legs is just going to make me stockier. I'm a short person. I don't need to look like a fireplug. Maybe I should cut back on my reps like everyone's suggesting. I'll have to do some research.

Arm Day Thursday

It's still warm and humid but the gym air-conditioning makes the atmosphere feel crisp and refreshing. It's a bit deceptive. Today is Arm Day but first I have to get my cardio warm up out of the way. The 7-foot tall dude is on the last Precor, which leaves the "tractor" and my personal favorite, #1, available. (I believe he's 7 feet tall because when he stands next to the Lat Pull Down station, his face is level with the handles. I have to stand on the seat to reach the handles.) I've been listening to the same mix now for several weeks so perhaps I'm getting jaded. Today I don't sing along with any of my favorite songs. Maybe I'm actually tired. Fifteen minutes into it, my stomach starts growling. I'm hungry? I had my standard breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries and a cup of coffee! This is not an auspicious start.

Again, I don't make four and a half but at least it's close. Someone is using the Smith but I'm not concerned because I fully intend to use the Olympic bench. It's Arm Day and I should be doing Close Grip Bench Presses. I do a set of 25 regular width presses with just the bar, and then bring my hands closer and do another 12 reps. I don't like the way my wrists feel today. Today my left palm seems achy, especially under the thumb. Holding the bar can be problematic so I favor a thumbless grip, otherwise known as a "suicide grip" or "deadman's grip". But I'm not planning to bench heavy so I think I'll be okay. I put a pair of 25s on the bar. It feels a little heavy. I don't use a close grip, moving my hands apart until they're just inside my shoulder width.

The first set feels a little tenuous because I'm not used to benching like this, but I still get 12 reps. The wrist wraps seem to help. I debate with myself whether to up the weight and go for a regular bench press day, or to stick with reps. It's Arm Day after all. I stick with reps and do six more sets of 12 reps. I realize that means I can do more weight, and I have done more weight, with a spotter. But there's no one I feel like asking today. I don't see RR. I'd ask Nixon (and finally break the ice because I know we've both been surreptitiously eyeing each other) but he's waiting for a spot from The Mayor or M. Nixon is a bad moniker. He's quiet, maybe in his 30s, cute with blue eyes and pale skin, but for that receding Nixon hairline. B is holding court with her "boy friends" and I'm not going to ask anything of any of them. She waves at me as she leaves and I nod. She's probably not aware of how possessive she is of her male companions, not that I'm interested in striking up conversations or friendships with any of them.

After Cage Stretch, I decide to brave Tricep Press Downs. I haven't done these in I don't remember  how long. I'm worried that I won't be able to handle a set at 50 lbs but I put the pin there anyway. The cable feels sticky and thick. Or maybe I'm getting weak. Still, I get two full sets of 12 reps and the 3rd set of 11 reps. Then I drop the weight and hope I can knock out another set. Only 10 reps at 40 lbs but I manage to grind out 12 reps, and just barely, at 30 lbs because I'm not resting more than 15 seconds between sets. I remember doing better, doing complete sets and getting 20 reps at 20 lbs. But I don't try 20 lbs. Instead I wander over to the dumbbells and plop myself on a seat to do curls. I don't remember how many and how much which is unusual for me. So I start with 20 lbs which is always a safe bet. After a set, I replace them with 25s. I seem to remember going heavier, or perhaps that was some other exercise? Then I remember that I can grab magnetic discs from the front desk!

I get a few sets at 27.5 lbs, then up the weight to 30 lbs. These are hard, unwieldy and I'm not satisfied by my limited range of motion in getting the weight up. I do two brief sets and drop the weight back down to 27.5 lbs. My elbows and wrists seem okay, but I've got them wrapped and supported. My gear sack is actually so full that I'd be hard-pressed to put anything else in it. A quick three sets of One-Arm Tricep Extensions and then I take a break by doing sit ups and crunches. Afterwards, I grab the 40 lb barbell, do a quick 12 rep set and smack 5 lbs on it. Another quick 12-rep set. I know I've done 50 lbs but I don't remember how my elbows felt about it. I put another 5 lbs on the barbell. It's 50 lbs and my elbows are silent for the entire 5 sets.

Arm Day Workout:
35 min Interval7 = 4.46 miles Yay!
Olympic Bench Press: 25 @ bar (wide grip) / 12 @ bar (close grip) / 6 x 12 @ 95 lbs (shoulder width)
Cage Stretch with BW Heel Dips & Calf Raises and Side Kicks
Tricep Press Downs: 12, 12, 11 @ 50 lbs / 10 @ 40 lbs / 12 @ 30 lbs
Alternating DB Curls: 12 @ 20 lbs / 2 x 25 @ 25 lbs / 12 @ 27.5 lbs / 2 x 8 @ 30 lbs / 12 @ 27.5 lbs
One-Arm Tricep DB Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 100
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Barbell Curl: 12 @ 40 lbs / 12 @ 45 lbs / 5 x 12 @ 50 lbs
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs
Mat Stretch with 10 DBPUs and 5 rolling DBPUs, splits, etc.

R slipped into the gym while I was doing Cage Stretches. I watched him in my peripheral vision and just before barbell curls, we crossed paths and waved vaguely at each other. He's not as attractive anymore, although I still think his tiger tattoo is one of the nicest I've ever seen. It's probably me, because I'm downright anti-social when I'm working out. I think like most men, he doesn't know how to respond to me. Ultimately, I gauge people by how they react to my intensity and the workouts I do. There is one fellow who've I've seen intermittently over the past two years, one of the few who boxes the Nexersys. He suppressed a smile when I was raining blows and kicks on it. That in itself makes me perceive him in a more positive light. Otherwise, I'm fairly oblivious to the people around me. Mostly, they're just in the way.

The gym scale reads 109 lbs today, but my home scale reads 107.4 lbs, the same as Tuesday. Nothing's really changed much, but I like the way my biceps look when I'm curling the barbell. I can definitely see the split at the squarish bottoms of the muscle, which I find very exciting. (I only wish I could get a photo of that but you can't curl a barbell and shoot photos.) Like I've said before, I don't want to be big, just strong. And fast. And flexible. I think I'm getting there.

Abbreviations Galore

I'm a normal human being so when I awoke to torrential rain yesterday morning, my husband's car blocking mine in the driveway, and the specter of hordes of wanna-be gym rats rushing to exercise before the gym closed at 1 pm, well, I decided that another abbreviated week wasn't going to hurt. So I took yesterday off. Of course, I have my son with me this week so not only is the week shortened, but my gym time as well because childcare ends at 1pm so no running late, no extra sets, and absolutely no chatting! Today my son was literally the last child there, looking forlorn and abandoned while peeking out from the childcare room windows.

It also means only enough cardio to warm up, so 35 minutes on the elliptical will have to do. I'm always better when I've been aerobically consistent: being a slug over the long weekend didn't help me at all. I was glad just to make quota! It took some effort to keep from sliding into a leisurely pace, even with my favorite tunes blaring on the iPod.

I wasn't too upset that the Smith was completely occupied by a dude I'd never seen before. There are 3 flat benches, a decline bench and two inclined benches in the free weight area and I can usually get on one of them. I don't actually know how much I can lift so I'm a bit tentative, mentally wrestling with which plates to put on the bar. I don elbow and wrist wraps as well as gloves. I see R across the gym; he's so tall I can see him through the cardio area, working arms on the cables by the Cage Stretch. If I can see him, he can probably see me: I'm small but I'm not invisible.

Because I'm not really sure how much I need to do to warm up, I start slow with just the bar and knock out 25 reps. Then a pair of 10s and 5s. Easy. Okay, swap those for a pair of 25s. Still okay. Add a pair of 10s. This is unexpectedly hard. I'm bummed that I can only get 8 reps the first set and 10 reps the 2nd set. It's only 115 lbs. I'm too unsure to add another pair of 10s so it's a pair of 5s instead. That makes it 125 lbs. Then I wait, nervously scanning the gym floor for someone to ask for a spot. I don't trust the two kids on the adjacent bench. I really hate the large puffy overweight man who looks like Oliver Hardy (Laurel & Hardy) because he keeps traipsing back and forth between the plate stand and the Preacher Curl Station, one weight at a time. And as he passes by, he has to stare down at me, as if I'd actually ask him to spot me. Eyes to yourself buddy! He's got a lot to learn about gym etiquette but I'm not inclined to talk to him.

Nixon had been standing behind me but he's moved to the Cybex machine area and I'm not going to trek across the gym for a spot. I really don't want to ask ZZ because things are just starting to feel normal. (Or at least he's stopped staring at me in an uncomfortable way.) Then I see RR warming up his shoulders. I've seen him spot other women so I feel that this'll be okay and not weird. And he's good, asking me if I need help with the bar or just with the elbows. When I look at him perplexed, he says "Never mind, I've got this". I grab the bar and get 6 hard reps, the last one with a bit of assistance. He doesn't linger to chat either. Good. A good spot. I'm happy.

My right shoulder feels a little tired but what's more worrisome is that my right ring and pinky finger seem to be a bit numb. Not tingly numb, but numb like they've lost all sensation although I can move them. I unwrap the wrist wraps and wiggle my fingers between every set. I pull the 10s off and keep the 5s to get a set of 12 reps. On the last rep, RR grabs the bar to steady it. I hadn't even seen him step in to spot me (not that I needed it) but I'm so surprised that I start to laugh a little. I thank him and he goes back to squats and behind the neck presses. I keep alternating between a regular grip and the thumbless grip. The thumbless grip is less painful but definitely less stable and I only use it when I have a weight I can completely control. I start to knock out reps, ending the bench session with 50 reps with just the bar.

25 lb vs 30 lb DBs

Remembering how unwieldy the 30 lb dumbbells are, I grab 4 magnetic discs after Cage Stretch. There's no room on the floor so I leave the inclined bench inside the Smith and do my rear delts there after I grab a pair of 25s. There are very few women here today with the exception of the yoga class and the cardio area. There are always a few on the Cybex machines as well, but I'm disappointed not to see last week's crowd. Summer's over.

I like using the 25s with the added discs instead of wrestling with the 30s. Standing Lateral DB Raises are another matter. After a set of 12, I only add one disc per dumbbell. My shoulders are getting tired and I'm running out of time. No Upright Rows today. I'm lucky if I can still do a few ab exercises and perhaps a shortened Mat Stretch. When I look up, I barely have 15 minutes to change and shower before the childcare room closes.

Abbreviated 1st Day Workout
35 min cardio hill #6 = 4.03 miles
Bench Press: 25 @ bar (45 lbs) / 12 @ 75 / 12 @ 95 / 8, 10 @ 115 / 6 @ 125 / 12 @ 105 / 12 @ 95 / 25 @ 65 / 50 @ bar
Cage Stretch with Heel Dips and Side Kicks
Inclined Rear DB Flyes: 15 @ 25 lbs / 12 @ 27.5 lbs / 4 x 8 @ 30 lbs
Standing Lateral DB Raises: 12 @ 25 lbs / 5 x 8 @ 27.5 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Mat Stretch (10 total Dive Bomber Push Ups) with vertical and horizontal splits

The gym scale reads 110.8 lbs and that's a pleasant surprise considering that we'd spent the weekend enjoying late summer festivities like a lakeside BBQ with requisite bonfire, and a day at the New York Renaissance Faire (Sterling Forest, Tuxedo NY), accompanied by beer, wine, cider, mead, ice cream, deep fried macaroni and cheese, truffle oil macaroni and cheese, skirt steak, bacon and sunnyside eggs, fried calamari, stuffed scallops... Well, you get the idea.

My son scarfs down a Fruitables® juice and veggie box and a S'more's 14 gm protein bar while I sip the vanilla Ensure that's become a staple of my post-gym routine. Now it's off to see Monsters U, playing next door for $5 per person. Tomorrow is Back Day but we'll have to get to the gym earlier. Because our town doesn't start school until next week, there's sure to be a lot of kids in the childcare room. My son is quite looking forward to it.

The Good, The Bad, and the Mediocre

I was a slug for three days instead of my normal two this past weekend because driving to Philadelphia is about 6 hours round-trip. Yep, a long butt-numbing ride where the only thing we exercised was our patience and the capacity to marvel at why more people aren't killed on the highways with all the stupid maneuvers they pull. There's not a lot of great scenery to view either, unless you count the actual trek from Cherry Hill, New Jersey over the bridge into the city of brotherly love. However, the trip was well-worth missing a workout because my consultation with the glaucoma doc revealed lower IOPs (intraocular pressure) for me that were well-within the target range for someone with low-tension glaucoma.

After a state-of-the-art Visual Field test which was compared with tests from previous years, the doc determined that yes, my tests are consistent with someone with glaucoma, but that with pressures at 11 and 13, he didn't feel surgery was necessary at this point. He also suggested an eye drop different from my current generic latanoprost: Lumigan® which is in the same family as Xalatan® but might have better efficacy. Yeah, well, we'll just have to see how much it costs and whether insurance will cover it or not because health insurance tends to blindly insist that generics are just as good as brand names, and the Philly doc disagreed, pointing to literature to support his claims. I don't need literature. My own brother can verify the difference in efficacy with his own IOP.

I got the gym much much later today than I was planning. My car was suppose to be ready this morning, and of course it wasn't so I had to wait until the part arrived from the dealership, and then it had to be soldered in where the old rusty parts had fused together. Subarus are known for a lot of things, and unfortunately rust is one of them. The auto repair shop tells me that I might want to start shopping because it's an old car that'll start "nickel and diming" me until it just won't be worth fixing. I'm not at all pleased that Subaru redesigned the Forester on the Legacy frame, making it bigger and heavier. More like a real SUV I suppose, but I've always loved the old Forester's tight handling (based on the Impreza). I'm not prepared to look for a new old car yet. Sigh.

The gym is eerily vacant because I've missed the morning rush and it's not quite lunch time yet. I jump on my favorite Precor with my hoodie zipped up and punch in Hill #5 because I'm not really sure how I feel today. I make decent mileage and feel pretty good, but just as I reach the free weights, the 7 foot tall dude claims the Smith so I plop down on one of four free weight Olympic benches. Wrapping my wrists really helps here and I knock out a few sets until I get to a weight where I think I might need a spot (25 lb plate + pair of 10s each side = 135 lbs). There are two kids on the next bench over but I don't want to ask them. RR has wandered away after pretending to fix the broken cable station that one of the gym staff guys has been fiddling with. I'm pretty sure I can get a few reps but I've been using a thumbless grip which is inherently dangerous. Suddenly I see that the Smith is free so I grab my gear and drop it on that bench before stripping the plates.

I probably should've stayed with the Olympic bench though because the Smith again felt sticky and heavy. I start with 95 lbs (which I had no problem with on the free bench) and it feels odd. It's the same with the 115 lbs, which again I had no problem with on the free bench. The next progression feels really heavy and my right shoulder twinges. Sets at 155 are completely disappointing. Benching felt unexpectedly better on the Olympic bench so I think I may have to actually find a spotter next time. Next time I'll come earlier and there will at least be people I trust to spot me.

25 lb DB (left) are so much
smaller than the 30 lb DBs (right)!

The rest of the workout seemed a bit mediocre with Cage Stretches and then back to the free weight area to wrestle with dumbbells. At least I have access to the Inclined Bench, a coveted piece of equipment. I've also got a pair of 2.5 lb magnetic discs because I don't quite know what my shoulders can handle today.

I like the 25 lb DBs but it's time I moved up from 15 rep sets so I only do one set. Then I add 2.5 lbs and do another set. That feels okay. I grab the 30 lb DBs and do 4 more sets at 8-10 reps although I find myself losing count so maybe it's 8-12 reps? But I don't like the 30s because they're too big and it's hard to get a decent grip on them because the plates are too wide. Next time I'll grab 4 discs and affix to both ends of the 25s instead.

Next are standing Lateral Raises and start with 20 lb DBs. After a set, I add the magnets. Then I move up to the 25 lb DBs. These are heavy but I can still do a complete set so I add the magnets. My goal is to reach a weight where all I can do is 6-8 reps. I can barely get 4 sets at 27.5 lbs so this is a good weight for me now.

Because this is a shortened week for me I ponder what to give up and I decide it's going to be Arm Day. I just like boxing the Nexersys too much on Fridays to give that up, and I still need to work Back tomorrow and Legs on Thursday. I briefly consider adding some Tricep work today but I'm actually too tired and feel guilty that it's early afternoon already. Besides, there's still abs and Mat Stretch to do. I don't remember to do Upright BB Rows either but since my front right delt is bothering me, I'm not that concerned with missing the exercise. Abs are a no-brainer as I can do a lot more than I actually do, so there's nothing to really work up to here. I stopped using weights for abs because I tend to bulk and no woman wants a bulky waist no matter how muscular.

The Mat stretch goes as expected, the right hamstring a tad more limber than the left (old college injury has left it a bit tight) but in general everything feels good. My lower back doesn't really bother me, but it is stiff and because I don't know what's wrong with it, I'm going to resist doing anything that will stress it. Maybe it's a disc on the verge of doing something it shouldn't? I'm tired of doctors for now so I'm taking a break from dealing with them. I finally badgered my internist's office about the 24-hour urine test but I'm not wholly satisfied with their answer. Instead of telling me that my micro-albumin levels are normal, they tell me they've consulted with the Nephrologist who says everything's fine. In fact, they never confirm that they've actually run the test they mentioned. My husband believes that they goofed up and are just covering their tracks now.

Today's Chest and Delt Workout:
35 min hill #5 = 4.07 miles Yay!
Olympic Bench Press: 25 @ bar (45 lbs) / 12 @ 65 lbs / 12 @ 85 lbs / 12 @ 95 lbs / 12 @ 115 lbs
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ 95 lbs / 10 @ 115 / 8 @ 135 / 4, 6 @ 155 lbs / 8 @ 135 / 12 @ 115 / 23+10 @ 95 lbs (I had to pause at rep 23, rest for 5 seconds and then push out 10 more reps)
Cage Stretch with heel dips and side kicks
Inclined Rear DB Raises: 15 @ 25 lbs / 15 @ 27.5 lbs / 4 x 8-12 @ 30 lbs
Standing Lateral DB Raises: 12 @ 20 lbs / 12 @ 22.5 lbs / 12 @ 25 lbs / 3 x 8 @ 27.5 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch with 10 Dive Bomber Push Ups + 3 Hands Under Waist plus splits and other stretches

I'm not too surprised when the gym scale reads 112.0 lbs because I've been a slug all weekend, and we ate sushi for dinner last night, and I tend to retain a lot of water when I eat foods like that. What's surprising is how measurements change for something as simple as taking a pee. I weighed myself on my home scale and right afterwards I had to pee so out of curiosity, I weighed myself again just to see what readings would change. Everything except bone changed! And not in the way you would expect! Weight went from 110.6 to 110.0 -- okay, that seems normal. Body Fat went from 20.1% to 20%, Total Body Water Percentage went up from 50.8 to 51.1 (??) and Muscle Percentage dropped from 39.2% to 38.8. All from peeing. And I'm sure that by the end of the week, all the measurements will have changed again. So all I'm really looking at are Big Round Numbers and Trends. All the rest is just micro-nutia and not worth worrying about.