Working Through Discomfort

I wake up feeling unusually sore in my arms. It's a rare occurrence for me. Must be those Rip Skulls I did yesterday! But does that explain the sore pecs? Push ups are push ups. The Rip Skull offers a great stretch at the top of the movement. Normal skull crushers (see image at left) bring the weight to the forehead. A Rip Skull goes past the head and bench so that there is a great stretch in the triceps, shoulders and upper back. It requires faith, especially on the return movement back over your head. I can't find any images of the Rip Skull so you'll just have to trust me, or try it yourself with light weights. You can do this with a barbell or dumbbells. I prefer a straight bar that allows me to add tiny increments (1.25 lbs) of magnetic discs.

My sciatica is a lot better today although not gone. I don't notice it walking the dog, but sliding into the car is another matter. Driving really seems to exacerbate it. I have trouble believing that it's due to tight muscles as I'm fairly limber. But hips are funny things. My right leg has had issues for several years with toes and parts of my foot going numb or tingly from the pressure of pedaling a cardio machine. Yes, I'm that sensitive!

Piriformis syndrome looks right. The nerve diagram shows all the achy and/or tingly parts of my leg. I have issues anyway with hips, feet, toes but luckily not in the same place on each side. My left hip has it's own issues, with a dull ache and tightness in the left lower back, and a twinge inside the hip. Damn, that could be the other thing that simulates sciatic pain! But I don't have pain in my left leg or tingly numb toes.

Whacking the machine requires attention to detail and the willingness to unwrap and wrap again. I flex my hands and note that my right first knuckle feels odd. It's been double-patched with moleskin, and taped, and wrapped, but still. I always have trouble wrapping my right hand with my left. I feel the sting under my glove during round 2 of Intermediate and worry that I've actually torn the skin under the tape. It hurts like that! Pulled my punches trying to focus on better accuracy scores. Not quite as successful as I would've liked. My power is way off today. When I unwrap, I'm pleasantly surprised to find my knuckle discolored but not skinned. No scabs, no blood. Whew!

Lately I've been having trouble staying warm, but the fat under my belly skin tells me it's not for lack of insulation. Sigh. I've sent back two down coats from Lands End. And I just got a down parka from LLBean delivered today. Nothing is quite what I want. The LE coats were too snug, and short on pockets. Plus they kept leaking down from their seams. The LLB parka has pockets and promises to be waterproof as well. But it's shorter than my older coats. Sigh.

Wednesday Workout

Elliptical Training

Warm Up

Calorie :   94 CAL
Distance: 0.84 mile
Duration : 00:10:00

KickBoxing

Follow Me

Lap/Rep :  15 Lap/Rep
Duration : 01:00:00

Step Machine

Calorie :   124 CAL
Lap/Rep :  53 Lap/Rep
Duration : 00:15:00

Hammer Grip Pull Up

183.33

Set 1 : 110x20

Photos posted for actual stats:

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back.

The gel padding for my bunion worked well today so I'm going to give up using moleskin for that particular sore spot. I'm not having such great luck with the moleskin squares on my knuckles though, which were stinging even before I started wrapping my hands to box. It dawns on me that even though I wear leather workout gloves (that are beat to crap and need to be replaced soon), my knuckles are sore from the 50 knuckle push ups I did yesterday. Sigh. There are those weird handles that I sometimes see guys using. Maybe I'll give those a go on Friday?

I wish I could say I was totally over my cough and sore throat, but that's not true. This is a lingering ailment, although I don't let it get in the way of things. The throat only hurts when I think about it, so it can't be strep, right? The cough is more a taste of lint in my throat than anything else. Eventually it'll go away. Meanwhile, I suck on honey-licorice cough drops, and sip hot water.

I haven't done a full Mat routine all week and my shoulders and back are a tad stiff from not stretching after workout. Still, I'm quite pleased with today's bout with the Nexersys. I compare my stats from last week and see improvement. But what I'm happiest about is that I could actually call up inner reserves of power for the final two rounds, and still improve on Accuracy and Strikes. Normally, after 12-13 rounds, I'm feeling myself tire and get sloppy.

Today I pretend "it's real" with the need to strike like a tiger. It's a great workout. It's so much better than the boring routines I see, people plodding away on the treadmills or Cybex machines, with no real connection to anything they're doing. They're just going through the motions. I see Shazam at the Seated Cable Station doing One-Arm Cable Rows. I want to tell him to rotate his hand when he pulls, but I'm on the Step Mill several yards away. Plus, I don't give unasked for advice, unless I think the person is going to kill themselves if I don't.

I've never owned a black car in
my entire life. Can't wait to get
my Subie back!

I can't resist 15 minutes on the Step Mill. Afterwards I do a few crunches and stretch out my lower back. I'm working tomorrow, and then taking my son to swim class. Thursday is suppose to be horrid weather, and I'm so nervous about driving this "new" car that I'm seriously considering staying home. I assume it's front-wheel drive, but I don't know if it has ABS brakes, or how it really handles in bad weather. The Saw Mill River Parkway is notorious for flooding during heavy rain. In the back of my mind is the constant thought that since my husband is out of town until Thanksgiving, there is no one to care for my son should anything happen to me. As an only child, he is acutely aware that he is all alone... that it's just me and him. And the dog.

Tuesday Workout

Elliptical Training

Warm Up

Calorie :   94 CAL
Distance: 0.83 mile
Duration : 00:10:03

KickBoxing

Follow Me

5 r Bgnr
5 r Intmd
5 r Adv
Lap/Rep :  15 Lap/Rep
Duration : 01:00:00

Step Machine

Level 6

Calorie :   124 CAL
Lap/Rep :  53 Lap/Rep
Duration : 00:15:00

Crunches

Regular : 30 Lap/Rep
Bicycle : 50 Lap/Rep
Regular : 30 Lap/Rep

Photos posted for actual stats:

5 rounds Beginner
(Imagine how many times The You Are Hitting Too Hard buzzer would've gone off during this session! So glad I turned that off!)

5 rounds Intermediate

5 rounds Advance