Willful Blindness

There's nothing wrong with ignoring the fact that you used to lift heavier, that you used to be thinner or leaner, that you were younger. Once. We all were. Once. Sometimes you have to be willfully ignorant of past history, otherwise you'd never get off the couch, mired in self-pity and excuses.

I haven't gotten enough sleep but that's not really an excuse. It will cause me some memory issues throughout the day because sleep is inextricably entwined with daily brain functions. I'm only concerned that this fatigue is going to negatively affect my workout today. Cardio seems surprisingly okay, although I've noticed that my endurance seems to ebb and flow. I don't make steady, continuous gains like younger athletes. Perhaps that's because I'm decades older than most athletes in their prime? Regardless, I'm here now and it's early enough that I can actually grab the Smith after my cardio warm up.

I haven't moved past 130 lbs on the Smith Bench even though I've done it in the past. But those attempts always left me feeling I had injured my right front delt. No need for that. I'm not trying to prove anything. I'm benching several pounds more than my body weight, and for a 55-year old woman who's not using supplements, I think that's pretty damn good. At some point I'll look my age, but hopefully that won't be any time soon.

Lack of sleep is catching up with me. I do a few sets of Inclined Benching on the Smith, adding reps for each set. It's counter-intuitive. It's also proof that I'm a lot stronger than I think I am. The DB area is really crowded today. R is here early and he's chatting with a lot of the other guys. He and his wife are expecting a baby girl in a few weeks. He's planning to relocate to a better school district in the near future, although his town has come up fairly high on the list of Best Suburbs to Raise a Family. He's not comfortable talking to me much when there are a lot of peers about. It's okay. I don't have anything much to say to him anyway.

DBs feel heavy doing Lateral Raises and Reverse Bent-Over Flyes. But I still do them. Benches are crowded so I skip Close Grip Benching for triceps and go straight to RIP Skulls by the DB area. It's crowded there too. Mostly it's a younger crowd though. High school and college boys, I'm guessing. I'm surprised to see that the cable station for Press-Downs is vacant. I haven't done these in a long time. They are harder than I remember. Bummer. I pyramid the weight up, and reps down. Then reverse. And I soooo don't feel like doing it, but I march back up the cardio platform and get myself in gear to do 10 min of HIIT cardio, followed by 20 min of LISS. It's not really feeling any easier.

I haven't done Dive Bomber Push Ups in a very long time, mostly because of my wonky right shoulder. I don't plan to start doing them today either. But I do my other stretches. I feel like I've been here all day between 45 min of cardio, weights, and stretching. Time to shower and change!

Monday is Push Day
(4.05 miles; 18,345 lbs moved)

Cross Trainer

Steady State

Calorie :   71 CAL
Distance: 1.91 mile
Speed :    7.62 mph
Duration : 00:15:03

Smith Machine Bench Press

164.67

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x10
Set 4 : 130x8
Set 5 : 110x12
Set 6 : 90x22
Set 7 : 90x3

Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

126

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 70x12
Set 3 : 90x8
Set 4 : 90x10
Set 5 : 90x12

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

35

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 25x8
Set 4 : 25x8
Set 5 : 25x12
Set 6 : 20x15 SuperSet with

Dumbbell Reverse Flyes

37.5

Set 1 : 20x15
Set 2 : 20x15
Set 3 : 25x12
Set 4 : 25x12
Set 5 : 25x15
Set 6 : 25x15

Barbell Reverse Grip Skullcrusher

52.5

Set 1 : 15x15
Set 2 : 37.5x12
Set 3 : 37.5x12
Set 4 : 37.5x12
Set 5 : 37.5x12

Cable Triceps Pushdown

60

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 40x10
Set 3 : 50x6
Set 4 : 40x8
Set 5 : 30x10

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   209 CAL
Distance: 2.14 mile
10 min HIIT
20 min LISS
Duration : 00:30:00

Time for Rut-Busting

I've finally decided to download the My Fitness Pal onto my phone to track my food. Maybe it'll help me bust out of this carb-induced coma? I've been feeling lethargic even though the sun is inviting everyone outdoors. I was a worried that perhaps mega-dosing on lysine was having a side-effect so I stopped taking it as soon as my mouth felt normal. And I've finally remembered to take my daily fish oil and vitamin D. But I still feel tired, both mentally and physically. Actually, I feel good when I'm past the first leg of cardio. Once I can overcome the first 30 minutes, everything feels good. Even when it doesn't. My right side torso has been puzzling me since Saturday morning when I inexplicably had trouble putting my socks on! Nothing hurt, but I found myself being inflexible enough to struggle with getting my foot close to my hands! I don't actually feel soreness or pain either. But I know that the muscles over the right hip have been affected by the Smith Squats I did on Friday. I'm puzzled because I'm pretty sure that my form was good. Nothing hurts. But something's not quite right.

I get to the Smith machine and the over-sized Adjustable Inclined Bench is sitting there. The free weight area is actually too crowded for me to swap this bench out for a regular flat bench. I drop the seat and back down, but it doesn't actually lay flat. Instead, there's a slight hump right after the enormous gap between the seat and back. It's not at all comfortable. I do most of my routine, but my right side doesn't feel quite normal so I don't do the heavy set. I'm not injured and I see no reason to tempt the fates. The only good thing is that I can do Inclined Presses at the Smith right afterwards. At first the seat back is only slightly inclined and the movement is as painful as an overhead press. The I drop the back down another notch (probably about 60°) and it feels much better.

I do two warm up sets with the 20 lb DBs for laterals and reverse flyes, then up the weights to 25s. And because I'm always testing myself, I start upping the reps as well. I do a few reps at the Torso Twist machine just to loosen up a bit before I clamber onto the Precor for 30 minutes of Performance Program #1. I feel really good when I'm done. I've been waiting for the Smith to be free again so I can try doing Floor Presses. I'm probably too small to be doing this correctly here but I give it a try. The bar comes down as far as 5" above my chest when my elbows touch the floor. I add a bit of weight and do a few sets. Now I can do a Mat Stretch with Dive Bomber Push Ups and a hellacious plank. Planks are much much harder after doing both presses and push ups! Tomorrow I'm thinking of adding an Inverted Row Ladder to my Back Day routine. Should be fun, and it'll give me something to look forward to.

Monday Cardio and Workout
(total mileage = 6.43; total weight moved = 19,280 lbs)

CrossTrainer

Calorie :   150 CAL
Distance: 3.88 mile
Speed :    7.72 mph
Duration : 00:30:10

Smith Machine Bench Press

165

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 100x10
Set 4 : 120x8
Set 5 : 90x25

Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

126

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 70x12
Set 3 : 90x8
Set 4 : 90x8
Set 5 : 90x8
Set 6 : 90x12

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

35

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 25x8
Set 4 : 25x10
Set 5 : 25x10
Set 6 : 25x12 SuperSet with

Dumbbell Reverse Flyes

37.5

Set 1 : 20x15
Set 2 : 20x15
Set 3 : 25x12
Set 4 : 25x14
Set 5 : 25x15
Set 6 : 25x15

TorsoTwistMachine

91.67

Set 1 : 50x25
Set 2 : 50x25

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   286 CAL
Distance: 2.54 mile
Duration : 00:30:12

Smith Machine Bench Press

112

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

Plank

Set 1 : 00:01:01

Dive Bomber Pushup

20

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

Winter is Here

The Winter Solstice was yesterday but it wasn't nearly cold enough. Today it's even warmer, and by Christmas Eve, temps will be hovering near 50°F. Which is fine in Florida, but kind of a bummer in NY. Not that I like the cold. I just don't like bugs. And bugs love warmer weather. That being said, there's been a small (1/4" inch, maybe a tad bigger) furry, black spider ambling across the wall behind my computer. It's a tad bigger than the last time I saw it, so I wonder what it eats. Because it's furry, I'm not concerned that it's a brown recluse or its famous cousin, the black widow. Because it doesn't have white spots, I don't think it's a common jumping spider either. But I could be wrong. I just hope it doesn't decide to leap onto my head while I'm typing.

I'm still recovering from a head and chest cold. Although my symptoms are fairly mild, I'm ridiculously tired. I know it's only going to get worse when my nose stops running and the phlegm in my chest finally dissipates. I'm going to be so tired that even walking the dog will be a monstrous chore. However, the idea of not going to the gym is akin to curling up in bed and giving up. So I go. 30 minutes on the LifeFitness elliptical and I get my 3+ miles. I've done better. The Smith is free and I drag a flat bench inside the frame, wrestling the oversize Adjustable Inclined Bench out of the way. Just as I'm ready to swap benches so I can do Inclined Presses, a big dude with black frame glasses plops down with his phone. Bleah. I take my gear to the Breaker Inclined Benches. I hate the Breaker benches. The Mayor is on the other Inclined Breaker Bench, and I can hear him in spite of being plugged in to my tunes. I only do a warm up set with the bar before another adjustable bench opens up and I drag it to the Smith. Some days, I feel like I spend more time re-arranging furniture than working out.

My right shoulder is feeling a bit twingey so I stay light. And I cut my sets on the DB lateral raises that I super-set with Reverse Flyes. The gym is crowded. I recognize a lot of faces, Latin Baseball and his posse, Fireman, the cute SoccerBoy. Both EZ bars seem to be in use. They're loaded with plates but no one appears to actually using them. I grab a 30 lb solid BB for RIP Skulls. From the front desk, I borrow a pair of 2.5 lb magnetic discs. 35 lbs. Then I grab the 40 lb BB, while chiding a dude for putting the 50 lb BB on the wrong peg. Yep, got a touch of OCD.

No core work today and I hesitate before knocking out Dive Bomber Push Ups at the Mat. They still leave me a bit breathless. I'm still sick. I've done another two and a half miles on the elliptical and feel okay, but toss my hoodie back on because the front doors are open and I don't want to catch a chill. Doing a Mat Stretch with a hoodie isn't the most graceful maneuver, but it works for me. Tomorrow's Back Day.

Monday Workout

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   147 CAL
Distance: 3.21 mile
Speed :    6.39 mph
Duration : 00:30:10

Smith Machine Bench Press

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 100x12
Set 4 : 120x12
Set 5 : 110x12
Set 6 : 90x25

Barbell Incline Bench Press

63

Set 1 : 45x12

Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

120

Set 1 : 30x0
Set 2 : 70x12
Set 3 : 80x12
Set 4 : 80x12
Set 5 : 80x15

Dumbbell Lateral Raise 

30

Set 1 : 20x15
Set 2 : 20x15
Set 3 : 20x15

      SuperSet with 

Dumbbell Reverse Flyes

30

Set 1 : 20x15
Set 2 : 20x15
Set 3 : 20x15

Barbell Lying Triceps Extension

56

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 35x12
Set 3 : 40x12

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   277 CAL
Distance: 2.49 mile
Duration : 00:30:15

Dive Bomber Pushup

20

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

Trying for Efficiency

I was a slug all weekend since Chinese school was cancelled on Saturday. That meant I stayed in my PJs all day, even to walk the dog. Sunday was swim class, then the reception. It was sparsely attended so I had a lot of pastries leftover. My husband volunteered to take them to his office. Yay! I might have a sale pending though. The one person I didn't recognize turned out to be the husband of a lady I'm friendly with at the gym. She's a concert pianist and gives lessons on Sundays. Her husband seemed quite impressed with the work and said there were two in particular he thought would be nice in their house. Because I didn't want to disappoint myself, I hadn't prepared a price list. A friend of mine started advising me on how to handle the sale after the fellow left. I got my fingers crossed.

Beyond that, I was completely and totally inactive. Probably why I felt a tad energetic at the gym. Logged in 5.7 miles between the LifeFitness Crosstrainer and the Precor Elliptical. The Smith machine was free so I did my Flat Benching and Inclined Benching. And then, taking a page from someone else's workout log, I supersetted my DB Lateral Raises with Inclined Reverse DB Flyes. I used the same 15 rep, 20 lb DBs for both movements. It seems a more efficient use of time and I'm certainly tired after that. Just for fun, I add back the Rip Crushers (or Rip Skulls, or whatever they're called) starting off with just the EZ bar (15 lbs).

I feel pretty done but still do my full Mat Stretch. I'm thinking I must've put on at least 5 lbs so I'm surprised when the gym scale reads 110.6 lbs. I'm good with that. I haven't increased any weights lately,  mostly because my left wrist is still bothering me from last week's pressing. This week I just put my feet on the head rest of the adjustable bench and benching felt much better rolling the bar out (away from me). And yet it's okay when I'm doing Inclined Presses. Of course, I can't move as much weight either. Oh well...

Monday Workout

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   145 CAL
Distance: 3.67 mile
Speed :    7.28 mph
Duration : 00:30:15

Smith Machine Bench Press

168

Set 1 : 30x25
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 100x12
Set 4 : 110x12
Set 5 : 120x12
Set 6 : 100x20

Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

123.33

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 100x7
Set 4 : 90x10
Set 5 : 80x12

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

30

Set 1 : 20x15
Set 2 : 20x15
Set 3 : 20x15

Dumbbell Reverse Flyes

30

Set 1 : 20x15
Set 2 : 20x15
Set 3 : 20x15

Barbell Lying Triceps Extension (Rip Crusher)

52.5

Set 1 : 15x15
Set 2 : 27.5x12
Set 3 : 37.5x12
Set 4 : 37.5x12

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   223 CAL
Distance: 2.03 mile
Duration : 00:25:16

Plank

Set 1 : 00:01:10

Dive Bomber Pushup

20

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

One Leg Bodyweight Squat

130.67

Set 1 : 112x5
Set 2 : 112x5
Set 3 : 112x3

Back in the Saddle

The show is up and my new printer seems to work the way my old one did so I'm pretty happy. Which means I can concentrate on other things I've been meaning to get to, like cleaning out the clothes closet and emptying a corner of the living room of accumulated toys that my son really no longer plays with. I just have to do it while he's not home. It's November already, which also means I should probably get the repair guy to come fix my oven. Sigh. The electrician is suppose to stop by this week and service the generator, and replace my kitchen ceiling light. I'd like to have a fixture that actually works regardless of whether it's raining or not. I should probably set new mouse traps as well. The disgusting smell in the hall last week was just one tiny little mouse body.

It's 37°F when I take the dog for a walk so I bundle my son into the car and drive him down to the school bus stop. We could walk but he's got his viola to carry as well. At the bottom of the hill is the kindergartner and her dad. Usually it's her mom. We chat until the bus comes and then, since I have all my gear in the car anyway, I get to the gym early. I only have to be mindful of my time since I have an eye doc appointment at 1:45 pm across the county and I have to stop off at the post office and the bank on the way. Luckily, it's not a very big county.

I haven't added any tricep work back into my routine yet but I do extend my cardio time to make my 5+ miles today. There's a woman doing T-bar rows at the Smith so I plop myself onto the Breaker Inclined Bench for a few sets. I still hate this equipment, but not as much as I hate the Flat Breaker Benches. Once she vacates the Smith, I grab all my gear and claim it before someone else realizes it's free. The adjustable inclined bench is facing the wrong way for me to do Flat Benching but I leave it because it's facing the right way for Inclined Benching. Next time I'm going to put my feet where I put my head today because it makes a big difference to my wrists when I'm flat benching and I need to rotate the bar out (away from the frame). I get my sets, but my wrists are sore from it.

While I'm working out, I think I see the kindergartner's dad at the cable stations across the room. But I'm not actually going to go see if it's really him. Because I'm in the middle of working out. It wouldn't be the first time that people who know me vaguely have been surprised to see me at the gym. Not so much surprised that I'm at the gym. Just surprised at how I look, and how much weight I can push/pull. Because I'm not a very big person. And that's the way I like it.

Monday Workout

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   145 CAL
Distance: 3.67 mile
Speed :    7.32 mph
Duration : 00:30:09

Barbell Incline Bench Press

105

Set 1 : 45x12
Set 2 : 65x12
Set 3 : 75x12

Smith Machine Bench Press

168

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 100x12
Set 4 : 120x12
Set 5 : 100x12
Set 6 : 90x20

Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

140

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x15
Set 3 : 100x12

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

28

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

Dumbbell Seated Bent Over Reverse Fly

37.5

Set 1 : 20x20
Set 2 : 25x15
Set 3 : 25x15
Set 4 : 20x15

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   227 CAL
Distance: 2.05 mile
Duration : 00:25:03

Plank

Set 1 : 00:01:10

Dive Bomber Pushup

20

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

One Leg Bodyweight Squat

128.33

Set 1 : 110x5
Set 2 : 110x5
Set 3 : 110x3

Saving the Treat for Halloween

I've decided to lift weights most of this week, with some mild cardio, and then have a go at whacking the machine on Friday. I don't like those big gloves so I hope my knuckles will be healed up enough by Halloween for me to use my regular gloves (and tape, and wraps). I didn't want to glom the equipment so I've cut back on a lot of my exercises. Only 20 minutes on the LifeFitness and Precor today, which also means I cut back on my mileage. I absolutely did not get a good sweat going and I feel a bit unsatisfied after my workout.

I only used the Smith for Flat Benching and got all my reps for all my sets. I should probably up the weight again. Because the bar is counter balanced, it looks like I'm pushing more weight that I actually am when I've got a 25 and pair of 10s on each side of the bar. I use the Inclined Breaker Bench but I still don't like it. Then I grab a pair of 15 lb DBs because I don't even remember the last time I did Lateral Raises. I can get 15 reps no problem so they're obviously too light. 20s are okay for sets of 12. I could go heavier but I don't want to court injury. Bent Over Reverse Flyes make my lower back twinge a little and I wonder if I'll get knots in my shoulder blades from them.

Another 20 minutes on the Precor, some light abs and then a Mat Stretch. Dive Bomber Push Ups are getting too easy, even the last set after the 70 second plank. I'm impatient to leave the gym because I have errands to run and still half my show to frame. I spent the weekend wrestling with my old printer and coaxing it to print a few more images, then matting everything. Now I only have half of the 32 images to frame. It's tedious and time-consuming, but it has to be done. My husband is going to be in Boston from this Thursday until next Friday. I'm not at all happy since he was suppose to help me hang my show. Now I have to do it all by myself although my son has offered to help me. He's so sweet. But he's shorter than I am, so he's not really going to be much help. Sigh.

Monday Workout

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   96 CAL
Distance: 2.28 mile
Speed :    6.8 mph
Duration : 00:20:00

Smith Machine Bench Press

168

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 100x12
Set 4 : 110x12
Set 5 : 120x12
Set 6 : 90x25

Barbell Incline Bench Press

105

Set 1 : 45x15
Set 2 : 65x12
Set 3 : 75x12
Set 4 : 75x12
Set 5 : 75x12

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

28

Set 1 : 15x15
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12
Set 4 : 20x12

Dumbbell Seated Bent Over Reverse Fly

30

Set 1 : 20x15
Set 2 : 20x15
Set 3 : 20x15

Torso Twist Machine

91.67

Set 1 : 50x25
Set 2 : 50x25

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   184 CAL
Distance: 1.65 mile
Duration : 00:20:15

Plank

Set 1 : 00:01:10

Dive Bomber Pushup

Set 1 : 20 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 15 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 15 Lap/Rep

One Leg Bodyweight Squat

130.67

Set 1 : 112x5
Set 2 : 112x4
Set 3 : 112x3