Humidity is Good for Working Out

A flash of lightning lit up my entire bedroom at 4 am. Pulses of the electric activity continued until just before dawn, although there was strangely very little thunder. Torrential rain was promised. The sun peaked out at 7 am and hasn't retreated yet. It's 3 pm. I moved a lunch date with my girlfriend to Friday because she was concerned about the weather, and The Terrace Club is right on Lake Mahopac. Not that I especially enjoy dining outdoors. We'll probably get rained out on Friday instead.

My iPod Cardio Mix

Wednesday is Leg Day and once again I'm outfitted in my UnderArmour shorts, tank top, sports bra and royal blue hoodie. My favorites elliptical #3 is available and I'm happily bopping along to my iPod cardio mix, all of which I've downloaded free from Shape.com over several months. 35 minutes on hill #6 gives me 4.05 miles. Intervals #7 is always fun for another 30 minutes plus 5 minute warm down, and that gives me an additional 4.26 miles. Total = 8.31 miles. Wahoo! I keep my hoodie on to mop up all the sweat pouring down my neck and off my face while I do some cage stretches. No kicks today. Not with these shorts anyway.

Because I don't know if the Smith has been fixed, I decide to go easy on the Seated Leg Curl and only do 3 sets at 75 lbs. I'll come back and do 90 lbs later. I might even do Leg Extensions but that's such a popular machine that I never really get a chance. Plus, I find that it doesn't really help me stabilize my knees in any way. I've got big quads as it is. I'd just like a little more definition. It's the inadequate hamstrings that concern me when I think about balancing my muscles.

The Smith glides easily with just the bar, but once plates are added, the bar sticks as if someone poured gritty caramel into the tracts. I'll just have to muscle through it, and luckily I'm not pushing too heavy. Just squats and stiff legged deadlifts. I have to take my hoodie off for the deadlifts because raising the bar puts a lot of pressure on my forearms and I absolutely have to wear elbow braces for that. Just as well. The soggy hoodie weighs about 5 lbs now.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min hill cardio = 4.05 + 35 min intervals = 4.26 = Totals 8.31 miles
Cage stretch
Seated Leg Curls: 3 x 12 @ 75 lbs
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Smith Squats: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 95 lbs / 4 x 12 @ 115 / 12 @ 95 lbs
Deadlifts: 6 x 12 @ 95 lbs
Torso Twists (again): 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Seated Leg Curls (again) 3 x 12 @ 90 lbs
60° Inclined Twisting Situps: 100 reps (I counted)
Pistol Squats: 6 each leg (right knees is twinging on the descent)
Mat stretch

I strip off my still-soaking-wet, stinky clothes and step on the scale. 107.0 even. I can deal with that. And I love the water pressure in the showers at the gym. At home, taking a shower is akin to standing outside during a gentle summer sprinkle — you might not get all the shampoo out of your hair.

Modified Monday

After spending the weekend being a slug (exercise-wise) and eating like the proverbial oinker (Big W's BBQ yesterday and Kamsen Chinese Food Market on Saturday), well, I go to the gym on Mondays with anticipatory trepidation.

45 minutes of cardio gives me only 4.91 miles. I'm slow today, and I woke up with my joints a bit achey — the bad elbow, a ping in the wrist, alternating aches in my knees. Must be the humidity. It's suppose to rain the entire week. The Smith machine is free and I figure, well, I feel heavier today, so I'm probably stronger. Go for it! I actually get 2 sets of 12 reps at 135 lbs although I have to admit the reason I only got 10 reps the first time was because I didn't think I could do it. As in, I was thinking too much about not being able to do it. Granted the 2nd set I almost failed on rep 12, and even on a Smith machine, this is a bit scary. I got my nerve back though and got my full 12 reps for the last set. Then I pyramided down with a set at 115 and a set at 95. It was sweet!

I'm wondering if switching to the thinner pretty chrome 15 lb "beauty bells" is what's effecting my elbow problems. My grip is different on these. I switched because the standard dumbbells were a bit thicker and my pinkies were developing callouses right at the fingertips as they grazed the knurled metal grips. I guess I'd rather have callouses (I can always file my fingertips) than chronic elbow problems, or perhaps this is completely coincidental.

Standard delt workout with 15 lbs. I'm getting a bit bored with doing 5-6 sets at 15 reps each, but I'm not sure I can handle 20 lbs. It's a big leap. I don't do military or shoulder presses at all. Not that I can't. It's just that when I have, my right ear plugs up and I can't hear out of it for a bit. A sports chiropractor I used to see in the City told me that I had some vascular peculiarities on that side of my neck, and I should probably not do those type of movements. I'm okay with that.

Because my right elbow is sporadically sore, I only do a few light sets of tricep extensions and completely avoid doing press downs. My triceps are a bit warm anyway from the earlier bench pressing. But I have decided if I'm ever going to see a 6-pack, well, I should start doing some weighted situps. The first set I do is my standard twisting situp, about 125-150 reps followed by kickouts. Later I go back and incline the board about 30 degrees, grab a 10 lb plate to my chest and do 4 sets of 25 inclined situps. It doesn't feel hard. Just different.

I'm not really tired but I'm running out of things to do that I can actually do, so I go stretch. Afterwards, I figure, what the heck, and I knock out pushups just to see how many I can get. I'm always hesitant at first because no one wants to fall on their face in front of the whole gym, not that anyone is paying any attention. I get to 40 and slow down. Then I get to 50. Then 51 and I think, Oh, I guess I should stop now. I walk my hands to my feet for a stretch and then go shower. Next time, I think, I should stop thinking so much and just count. Before I get on the scale, I tell myself I feel like I'm 108. It reads 107.6 and I smile to myself.

No Closer to an Answer

Today's a beautiful sunny crisp Spring day. Today's also a Push day and I've decided that if I don't start pushing my maximum weights again, I'll lose strength. Not that that's ever happened. Muscles and muscle memory is surprisingly resilient.

I get on the scale at home this morning. 103.2 lbs. Hmmm. This continuous weight loss wasn't part of my plan. But I don't want to stop doing cardio either. I've cut back to 30 minutes so I'm only doing 18+ miles a week (still doing a double on Leg Day) instead of 25, but perhaps I need to rethink this. Lifting heavy might be the only thing that's keeping muscle mass on me -- otherwise I'd really look like a cardio junkie -- all sinewy skin and bones. My husband's told me that he doesn't like skinny chicks that look (to steal a line from SpongeBob) "all icky and corpsey". Too many hard angles.

I'm not used to having such a "boney butt". It makes sitting on hard things, well, rather uncomfortable. However, what I used to blame on a prominent coccyx (tail bone) is actually a caveat to be extremely vigilant about one's underwear and exercise pants. I'm talking about seams and tags! Things that chafe the delicate skin below your hips when you're doing outrageous sets of twisting sit ups. Shame on companies that sell "yoga" pants, etc that have major massive double-stitched seams right up the seat. I thought thongs were unpleasant, but developing a tail bone callous is definitely worse. Other observations include the fact that my navel has become very shallow, and my knees have odd protuberances I'd never noticed before when I was heavier.

I get on the scale at the gym after my workout and it reads 105.6 which is sort of what I was expecting. B points to my empty 1.5 liter water bottle and frowns. I shrug. I'm starting to lift heavier this week. It's the best I can do, and I'll just see what happens next.

When Numbers Lose Their Magic

Today's a Leg Day in spite of my having gone to cardio kickboxing last night. I do 35 minutes on the LifeFitness cross-trainer and another 30 minutes on the Precor. They have different programs and the motions are different. Altogether though, I clock in 6.38 miles and I feel pretty good in spite of the rather disconcerting number the gym's Body Fat meter gives me this morning.

Apparently I'm a whopping 26% fat. Wow. I feel like a stick of low cal margarine (it's still fat!) and I can't imagine how I'll ever get to 20%. Actually I don't really care what the number says, I just want to be able to see my abs when I flex them. I figure that'd be around 17% body fat but perhaps my assumptions are wrong. How low do I have to go to see something interesting?

The trainers explain to me that if you're dehydrated your body fat readings can be off, and conversely, if you're "over-hydrated" as well. Well, hell, how does one know for sure then without submitting to the immersion test (where docs measure the volume of water you displace after submerging you completely in a tanker of water after you've expelled ALL the air out of your lungs). Egads! I read online about a new x-ray machine test that costs $300 to determine body fat accurately as well. I guess I'm not THAT interested.

I've read about how doing a few quick measurements of one's hips, waist, wrist and forearms and body weight can be plugged into a Dave Draper equation at LiveStrong.com. But what if you don't fall into normal body measurement parameters? I have child-size wrists (bracelets fall right off) and forearms, and I'm one of those "not very interesting" body types -- that is to say, there's not a huge difference between my waist and my hips. I don't have big hips, and I don't have a tiny waist. But I dutifully plug in the numbers and voilà, it's 26.7%.

Really?! I've dropped over 22 lbs and put on muscle in my back, chest, arms and stomach, and it's 26%?! Over a quarter of my weight is fat? Today I'm either 105 or 103 lbs depending on which scale you believe (the gym scale reads heavier but that's right after my work out and 1. 5 liters of water). And I feel defiant! I'm not going any lighter -- I'd need to have all my clothes tailored!

Of course, if you search hard and long enough you can find anything, and I've discovered another web site with a body fat calculator where you punch in other measurements: age, weight, hips, thigh, calf. And the magic number is Ta-Da: 22.5%. I can deal with this. This number is OK. Go to http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html to check it out. 

Today's a Leg Day and after a good stretch and some faux side kicks, I do 4 sets on the seated leg curl. I get 15 reps at 75 lbs. Unfortunately, the Romanian dead lifts with a pair of 10 lb plates on the Smith machine still don't feel like much. Contracting my glutes as I straighten up helps me feel the movement better but I'm not convinced that it's a very effective hamstring exercise.

I do a set of pistol squats and after 6 reps I decide I'd rather do something else. Anything else. Boredom kicks in and I decided, what the hell, I'll do squats on the Smith machine, starting light with just the bar (45 lbs) and then adding a pair of 10s. I do 5 sets for 15 reps, going slow and steady. I wrap my towel (I always carry a hand towel with me to put between me and whatever bench I'm using) around the neck/shoulder pad before I squat. I can feel the lower quads over my knees, and a bit of my glutes. Here's my work out schedule:

Tomorrow I'll know by what's stiff and painful whether squats are something I'm adding to my routine. I'm bored again so back to the seated leg curl for another 3 sets. In between, when stations open up, I do sets on the side rotation machine, and twisting situps, and lower ab kick outs. Those always guarantee a nice slightly breathless warmth and I'm giddy with moisture. Honestly, if I work a body part and I'm not sweating, maybe I'm just phoning it in. I'd like to ban Sleep Exercising. I'd also like to ban Station Chatting. If you're on a station for more than 5 minutes and the only thing that's moving is your mouth, get off the machine and let someone else use it.

A Change in Tactics?

Yesterday was Friday, a "Pull" day so I concentrated on back and biceps after a 30 minute cardio jaunt. I feel a lot better and have been listening to different cardio podcasts I purchased from RunHundred.com. For just $10, you get 10 different cardio mixes put together by a professional DJ. It's a good deal! Plus Shape.com has monthly free cardio downloads. I've picked up a nice collection from them.

I'm now at the point where I can start to feel the difference in my thighs. Literally. I run my hand over the top and I swear I can feel muscle movements in a striated way. I attribute this development purely to non-impact cardio, a good 25 miles a week during the winter. Now I'm down to 18 miles. I don't work calves because I'm "blessed" with "bulldog legs" (yes, a gang of ghetto teenage guys once called that out to me as they passed by) which is another southeast Asian body trait. I can see the hearts in my calves from the back and they measure 13" so no additional size required.

From www.workout-routines-that-work.com

At some point I will get brave enough to ask the nutritionist/spin trainer at my gym to determine my body fat percentage. I'm just hoping to get away without having to sign up for any sort of "package". (I'm notoriously non-social, don't employ trainers or buy supplements. My gym probably hates me. No, I'm kidding. My workouts are apparently too intense, and I get puzzling looks from some of the guys. Well, at least they stay out of my way.)

Then I'll face a dilemma I never thought possible: do I lose more body fat ('cuz dammit, I really wanna see that 6-pack!) or should I work on building more mass. Photos are suppose to add 10 lbs to your image so I'm shocked to see how scrawny I appear in my own pics. Looking back on my weight loss (a painfully slow 1-2 lbs a month because I was also building muscle), I'm loathe to give up my cardio. It just feels too good. I'm an endorphin junkie.

So I just have to eat more. But more quality food. Body builders call it "eating clean". But I don't think I can deal with eating 6 small meals a day centered around protein and vegetables. I'm too lazy, and heck, I have a life! That's why I drink the Ensure High Protein in the car after every workout. 25 grams of protein and it doesn't make me ill! When I get home after running errands (grocery shopping, post office, bank, etc.), I might eat a bowl of instant oatmeal. Or fry an egg or two and have it over rice or toast. Or eat a bowl of Kashi high protein cereal. Before getting to laundry and dishes! And having to meet the afternoon school bus.

I'll credit an interview I read with TV's Dr. Oz who, as I recall, claimed not to be very interested in food, for planting a thought in my head. He only ate because it was necessary and he preferred powders and concentrates. Now I absolutely LOVE food, but I've grown pickier over the years. First because I can't process a lot of things anymore (lactose, peanuts, apple skins, etc.), but also because I figure that if I'm going to eat it, it has to taste good, and it has to be good for me, ie, not make me ill or fat. Except for dessert. Because I WILL eat dessert. I will eat ice cream, and not that gross artificially sweetened stuff. Real ice cream with real sugar. So I do the cardio, so I can eat the ice cream. So far it works for me.

Not PrinceSpaghetti Day...

Wednesday, goes the old commercial, is prince spaghetti day. Two weeks ago, before I got sick, Wednesday became my leg day. Never mind that I don't work legs except for the 30-45 minutes on the Precor Elliptical Cross-trainer at my gym, and the stretching, and side-kick hops I do every time I go to the gym. Today is Leg Day, and day 4 of antibiotics for the nearly completely banished sinusitis.

But when I get to the gym, the ellipticals are all occupied so I hop on a Life Fitness Cross-trainer for 30 minutes. 3.11 miles and I've busted a decent sweat at the 20 minute mark. I want more. Oh heck, it's a leg day anyway so what the hell. I hop on the now vacant Precor machine and go for another 30 minutes, and another 3.12 miles. I feel really good now. Sweat is streaming off my face under my hoodie.

No calf exercises for me!

I go to the stretch cage and make the unfortunate discovery that grey workout pants are bad for sweaty girls, especially those with sweaty joints. Ahem. I pull my black tank top down to my thighs while I stretch and do a series of faux side-kicks. Tap tap tap. Then off to do abs: side twists, twisting situps, lower ab kickouts. 4 sets of seated leg curls and then off to the free weights.

 The Smith machine is empty and I use the 45 lb bar to execute some slow and easy bent over deadlifts. Deadlifts are suppose to strengthen the lower back and hamstrings.

Here's a link to how the exercise should be done:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/barbell-deadlift

I add 20 lbs to the bar and do 5 additional sets, then do 2 sets of pistol squats. I love pistol squats but I'm pretty sure they're hard on the knees, if only because I'm pretty much sitting on my heel at the bottom position. These squats work both quadriceps (front thighs) and hamstrings, as well as engaging your core (balance) body muscles.

Here's how a pistol squat should look (I googled it and pulled the image off the web):

from www.youtrain.me

I'm still feeling pretty good so I'll see how much my knees are complaining tomorrow. Meanwhile, here's the Wednesday Leg Workout and no, I don't do calves (here in the northeast, winters can be fierce and I need to be able to fit into my boots!):

Hallelujah antibiotics!

I just got back from my morning workout and feel pretty good albeit not 100%. I've been taking a course of antibiotics since Sunday for the stubborn sinusitis. I can tell I'm winning though!

Once again I only did 30 minutes on the elliptical and eeked out a paltry 3.16 miles. Today's a back and bicep day so I did sets of rowing, pull downs, close-grip pull downs, lower back press, and of course, practiced my side kick combinations and did a good set of abs (lost count after 100 reps). Either the gym is warmer today or I'm working more efficiently because I busted a decent sweat and it felt good. After a few sets of bicep curls (inclined and straight seated), I sheepishly remembered a new exercise I'd added only two weeks ago: reverse grip barbell row. Those jokers commenting on this exercise in the bodybuilding.com forum are right though, you can really feel your lats when you do this exercise. No need to state the obvious: do the form slowly and strictly for 4 sets of 15 reps.

Since I don't have any pictures or videos of myself doing this movement, I've added a link to the bodybuilding.com site to show you what this form should look like:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/reverse-grip-bent-over-rows

And here's a photo of why I'm so intent on working back. As I wrote earlier, I don't think you should see your ribs from the back!

I'm a bit dismayed at seeing my ribs from this angle. Egads!

Here's the new Tuesday/Friday workout:

The 70% Workout

I actually went to the gym yesterday (Monday) morning and did a mild 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical (translates to 3.12 miles). While I didn't get that wonderful endorphin rush from cranking it for 5 miles, I felt mildly flushed and warm. Only the specter of extended productive coughing kept me from trying harder. I kept my sets and weights moderate and didn't get tired. I bench pressed on the Smith machine, worked delts and triceps with the same weights, but less actual sets just to ease into things. Sadly, abdominals winded me enough to precipitate some mild coughing. I just have to bring more tissues.

Here's the Modified Monday workout:

Original Recipe

Here's a chart with some details to my workout routine for the last 6 months. My apologies if it's hard to read — next time I'll be more specific and the chart will be smaller. I'm about to modify my routine though, in order to accommodate more of a leg workout, and to maintain my new weight. I'm also hoping to put a little size on my back (lats). But of course, joint issues are my weak links so I'll have to just see how well I can adapt.