Knees Be Complaining

Yesterday's abbreviated Leg Workout kicked my butt. I'm not sore or so tired that I can barely move. But my time to log 2 miles is considerably slower than it's been. My knees are a bit achy again as well. My time to log 3 miles after my kickboxing the machine session is totally abysmal. Okay, I did do my 4 min of Tabata at "warm up", and 5 min of Tabata at "cool down" but since I always do that, it's not a valid excuse. The ball of my right foot complains, but only during the second cardio session. 5 miles may be asking too much of my joints on a regular basis. Bummer.

I don't normally do Legs midweek either. Next week I'll switch back to doing Legs on Friday. I did make it through an entire 15 rounds of kickboxing, but my performance was better on Tuesday. Today I actually had a chance to better examine the accuracy and power readings. I'm definitely right-handed when it comes to power. My cross punch and power kick score 175-186%. I guess if it goes over 200, the warning buzzer stops the machine. In comparison, my jab and lead kick only score 89-106% power. I don't miss any punches, but stopping the machine counts as a miss. I'm not sure what the reason is for that other than to discourage you from punching as hard as you can.

Punching isn't painless either. Even with cotton wraps and padded kickboxing gloves, landing a punch makes my knuckles sting. I kick with the ball of my foot. During the 14th round, D shows up and starts boxing the machine to the right of me. She's a much bigger woman and her mass is behind her blows. I'd hate to have her mad at me. I drape my hoodie over my head as I unwrap my hands because I don't want to drip sweat all over the filthy gray gym carpet. I doubt if they really clean it. Still, I don't want to add to the gym aroma.

The 2nd round of Tabata is always hard. I toy with the idea of only doing 3 minutes instead of 5, but I never let my thoughts interfere with my intentions. It sounds funny, but you can talk yourself out of anything. I'm trying to keep my heart rate from skyrocketing. My right foot aches and both knees are intermittently sore. If this was a consistent soreness then I'd be worried. But my joints tend to complain sporadically. Excruciating bone pain in my hand, foot, arm, or rib seems like a phantom nerve ailment because it only lasts for a few seconds, and then may not reoccur for months. I'm not crazy. But I'm attuned to the quirks of my body. Well, at least it still works.

After cardio, I check to see if the Torso Twist machine is vacant. It's not. It's a very popular machine. I'll probably do it tomorrow. I haven't done them in weeks and my waist is wider than I'd like. Instead I pull my hoodie on all the way and take my ponytail out to do a few crunches. Then a few bastardized pulse-ups. Then more crunches. I'll end the week tomorrow with a full Mat Stretch. The gym scale wavers with peculiar numbers. Then I realize someone has set it to kg instead of pounds. 111.0 lbs. I'm good with that.

Thursday Double Cardio Workout

2 miles Precor elliptical with 4 min Tabata 

Nexersys 15 rounds Beginner Follow Me (60 min)
  Accuracy 97% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 135%

3 miles Precor elliptical with 5 min Tabata 

50 Crunches / 50 Pulse-Ups / 50 Crunches

photo posted for actual stats:

Feinting Left

It rained buckets last night but it's still hot this morning. The women's locker room is small enough to be comfortably air-conditioned. The gym itself is another matter. The back door is open even though I'm sure the A/C is running. The cardio platform feels hot and humid as I begin my elliptical workout. I can't wonder why or whether I should do Tabata this morning. I just do it. 2 miles takes me a bit over 20 minutes but that includes the 4 minutes of high-intensity gasping like a fish. It takes me a lot longer than 10 seconds to drop my heart rate down to normal, but I think that's the point. Sometimes I'm walking so slowly the machine flashes Pedal Faster.

After a quick Cage Stretch (my vertigo seems almost non-existent today), I wrap my hands and tap in 9 rounds Beginner Follow Me. I realize that punching and kicking too hard is lowering my accuracy rating, but I don't really care all that much. Some of the rounds leave me bent over and breathless for air. It's my own fault for choosing to punch as hard and fast as I do. After 9 rounds, I take a few moments to cool down before deciding how many rounds of Intermediate I think I can handle. Last week I did 3 rounds. Today I tap in 4. During the first round, though, something happens with my left leg and the bottom inside of my knee twinges when ever I raise my knee up. Uh oh, that's not good. But it doesn't hurt when I land a front (lead) kick. It's only the Lead Knee-In that I absolutely can't do because it hurts. I have 3 more rounds to go and everything else feels okay.

I decide to fake the Lead Knee-In with my right knee (Power) but using much less power to tap the center pad on the machine. Playing it safe, I also use my right leg to tap the lower pad for a Lead Sweep. This slows my pace down considerably, and drops my power. But the Accuracy rating isn't horrible, and my knee feels okay after I'm done. While I'm at the machine, people float behind me en route to the far cable station or to the older LifeFitness Cross-trainers behind me. Island Jerk comes by to get something and I can just see him dip low in my peripheral vision, as if he was saying something. Whatever. Luckily, I'm so plugged in and my music is so loud that I can't even hear the angry beeps the machine makes when I stop it by punching too hard.

The moment of truth comes for my knee when I go back to the ellipticals to finish my cardio. I'm worried I won't be able to do the 5 minutes of Tabata. But oddly, my On speeds are even better than the first round of Tabata during warm up earlier today. What bothers my knee is when I raise the incline past 6, so I keep it between 3 and 6 for the remaining time until I hit the 3 mile mark. My knee doesn't hurt otherwise. It does bother me a tad when I drop onto the Mat to stretch out my lower back. I know I still have vertigo when I sit up too quickly and the room spins. And my forearms are sore, not from boxing today, but rather from the One-Arm DB Rows. My back, however, feels fine.

I'm not sure how it's going to fare during Leg Day. But I might have my son with me tomorrow, so that might just be an Abbreviated Workout anyway. My hubs is still in Boston. Testing the new systems isn't going well. Plus, his car is at the dealership shop. It needs a new compressor for the A/C to work properly. If he returns tomorrow (he's car-pooling with a co-worker who lives in Ct.) I'm not sure how he's going to get home.

The gym scale reads 111.0 lbs. I've also finished all my water which hasn't happened in a long time. I dread going outside because I'm freshly showered and dry now. Well, at least the supermarket is chilly.

Double Cardio Thursday

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   167 CAL
Distance: 2.02 mile
Duration : 00:23:00

Boxing

Lap/Rep :  13 Laps/Reps
Duration : 00:52:00

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   249 CAL
Distance: 3 mile
Duration : 00:34:00

photos posted for actual stats:

Abbreviated Cardio

Waking at 3 or 4 am to pee makes for a good assessment as to whether the vertigo is gone. It's not. Everyone I know is tired. I'm tired. My husband is tired. The weekend wasn't particularly physical either. Today I'm having trouble with my cardio routine. Bad enough I have to be mindful of the time so I don't miss the school bus.

I'm surprised that I can actually get on a Precor today. Usually they're all busy. The 4 minute Tabata is hard, but it's never been easy. The Cage Stretch is easy and my head doesn't feel too bad when I bend my face to my shin, my leg 90 degrees straight out. I wrap my hands to box and kick the Nexersys. After 9 rounds at Beginner Level, I realize that I'm beat. I usually do another 5 rounds at Intermediate Level but I know that I can't. Not today. Instead, I do 3 rounds. Because doing 3 rounds is better than not doing it at all.

Those three rounds are tough, perhaps due to the high humidity. The gym tends to rely on cross-ventilation via open doors early in the morning, reserving air conditioning for the heat of the afternoon. I'm also mindful of the time. Each round is 3 minutes, with a minute between rounds. I have limited time. My pink kickboxing gloves are soggy, the wraps are soaked through. I wonder if I can wash the gloves because I really hate the way they smell lately. Fabric refresher doesn't seem to last long enough and since my hands are always up by my face unless I'm striking, I get a good whiff of sweat-stink leather.

12 rounds and I'm done. I walk over to the Mats to unwrap before finishing my cardio workout. Another 20 or so minutes and I'll be done. Normally I finish with 3 more miles. Today I only do a total of 4 miles, but I make it up by adding 5 minutes of Tabata. It's painful. I'm hoping to improve my cardio vascular endurance. The gym scale reads 112.4 lbs. I'm so sodden that I'm blotting my hair with my hoodie. Is it silly to dry off before heading to shower?

Today I have a date with my son to see How To Train Your Dragon 2. But before that happens, my dog, in ill-fated youthful exuberance, tries to leap over a large package in front of the door and lands unceremoniously and painfully at the bottom of the steps. Nothing's broken but he's badly bruised. Hugs, kisses and after a gentle but firm examination, we decide to go to the movies anyway because if no one's home, he'll get bored and go to sleep. And we want him to rest instead of following us restlessly from room to room. He seems a bit better when we get home. His appetite is good. He's an old man in dog years. He just doesn't know it.

Tuesday Abbreviated Workout

 

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   168 CAL
Distance: 2 mile

Duration : 00:22:00

Boxing

Lap/Rep :  12 Lap/Rep
Duration : 00:48:00

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   166 CAL
Distance: 2 mile
Duration : 00:22:00

Photos posted for actual stats:

In the Groove

I dropped my son off at school at 8:10 this morning because he has his last Extra Gym Class which allows kids to run around a good 45 minutes before class starts. I would've gotten to the gym at a reasonable hour if I hadn't been trapped behind a white Chevy Impala who needed to break at every curve in the road, couldn't make up her mind whether to make a left turn in rush hour traffic, changed her mind and then sat so far back from the intersection that the light had changed before she finished making her turn. My husband agrees that the worst drivers seem use Impalas as their vehicles of mass frustration. And these aren't the land-yachts of my childhood. But their drivers seem to think they are.

Today is Leg Day but I've missed the opportunity to mount a Precor elliptical. I trudge over to the LifeFitness Cycles, the only other ellipticals I sort of fit into. I don't like them because the resistance stresses my ankles, even at the lowest level. Today, I get a good warm up, logging in only a bit over three and a half miles. I'm also getting a blister on my right foot from it. The Precors are suddenly all vacant, so for the next leg of cardio, I trudge over to my favorite machine and punch in Interval 7. It's starting to make grinding noises like the tractor (Precor #2) but not as loud or rough. I can deal with this and I find myself singing (silently) along to Meatloaf on my iPod. I make over four miles and I'm happily drenched. I seem to need at least a day or two of cardio before I feel really great doing it. Monday and yesterday's cardio sessions weren't as good as today's. I'm not sure why, but how I feel doesn't lie. I probably won't feel this good tomorrow, but maybe I will.

The Smith is empty. Yay! Smith Squats and Stiff-Legged Deads are on the menu. They are the mainstay of my Leg Workout, with Curls and Extensions less important. I only do one set of Speed Squats with the bar for 25 reps. I really don't want bigger legs, or a bigger butt — I like my pants the size they are! After warming up, I just do 10 rep sets. I notice my right hip, but not my lower back. Then I prepare to do Smith Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts, mindful of my form, trying to slow the negative movement. I don't really feel it in my hammies although I know they're being worked because I have trouble with the Leg Curls that follow. It's odd to have muscles fatigue without actually feeling them work. I use the VGs when I get to my max weight and do sets of 8 reps. It's the same weight as last week but I've managed one more set. Yay! And I don't feel like throwing up afterwards anymore, although I am breathing hard.

The Seated Leg Curl is surprisingly hard today, proof in my mind that I was doing the Deads correctly. I bail after a mere four sets and knock out some side abs on the Torso Twist machine while I wait for the Leg Extension to free up. Those I can get full 12-rep sets while steadily increasing the weight. But I don't want Tom Platz legs so I stop after five sets. No Cage Stretch today. Instead, I set up my timer and plop myself down for Mat Stretch and 60-second plank. It feels okay, stretches are all good, and I'm moving at a fast enough pace for it to leave me pink-cheeked and a bit sweaty. I feel really good!

The gym scale reads 113.0 lbs and I'm uncomfortably resigned to being bigger. The last time I put on unexplained weight, it turned out I was pregnant with my son. Somehow I don't think that's the case now. At least I hope not! Tomorrow I'm planning cardio and boxing the Nexersys because my shoulders, a bit sore today, should be recovered enough for me to whack the avatar for a few rounds. I'm soooo looking forward to THAT!

Thursday Leg Workout:
35 min LifeFitness = 3.67 miles + 35 min Precor Interval 7 = 4.26 miles  Grand Total = 7.93 miles
I try to avoid the LifeFitness machines but it was better than not doing cardio at all.

Smith Squats: 25 @ bar BTH as fast as I can go / 12 @ 80 lbs / 10 @ 100 lbs / 10 @ 120 lbs / 3 x 10 @ 140 lbs (assuming bar is 30 lbs)

Smith SLDLs: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 80 lbs / 10 @ 100 lbs / 10 @ 120 lbs / 3 x 8 @ 130 lbs Yay!

Seated Leg Curl: 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 90 lbs
At 120 it's almost as if I can't feel my legs contract so I drop the weight back down to the start.

Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs

Seated Leg Extension: 12 @ 75 lbs/ 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 135 lbs

Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs, 60-second plank, splits, etc.

The Ugly Truth

The Ugly Truth is that I'm putting on weight, and not in a good way. Is there a good way at this age? I've been noticing subtle changes in my body composition since early Autumn. Now it's undeniable. My body is laying down a thick cushiony layer of fat just under the skin. I can see it on my abs and it's especially noticeable on my back. Ugh! Back fat! I've searched the internet but there is surprisingly little useful information on women and menopause-related body fat accumulation other than to state that the phenomenon is real. Belly fat collects with surprising speed during menopause. There's little advice on how to combat this other than diet and exercise. But what if you're already exercising like a fiend? That leaves only diet. And I hate the term "dieting" because it suggests a temporary quick fix. This is more a lifestyle change, because menopause is a life change.

I'd been hoping to avoid all this with my current habits, but apparently it's not enough. And I'm not one to take changes like this without a good hard fight. Okay, I look in the mirror and I don't look horrible, but I'm a lot smoother, and thicker than I used to be. I'm not any weaker although that depends on the day and if my various joints are bothering me. If my elbows, wrists, thumbs and shoulders aren't complaining, then I'm able to move weight and with volume to boot. Is this what aging is about? There's no reliable reference material so I guess I'm my own living experiment. Figures. I subscribe to "Blonde Bomber" Dave Draper's weekly column about being smart in your workouts, but he's in his 70s. I'm a long way off from that! Still, he's amusing to read.

Yesterday was a snow day (no gym) and today there was a two-hour delay so that the schools could get their buses cleared off. I shoveled yesterday and my hands are sore and tired today. It wasn't much of a cardio workout, but the temperature was low enough to make my gloved hands ache and sting. I kept wondering if this is how frostbite begins, and images of blackened digits lost by climbers on Everest danced in my head. My son also shoveled (unbeknownst to me while I was at my computer) and later complained that it was hard work and hard on the back. Such wisdom from a child!

Today I bite the bullet and punch in a double cardio session although I don't get my favorite Precor. I get the hard one. Still, I manage to make my eight mile quota so that's okay. I'm not as hot and sweaty as I'm used to and I wonder if that's from missing a few days of cardio, or another sign of menopause. I've made better mileage but today isn't horrible. Today's tying up loose ends because I'm saving Leg Day for tomorrow. Today's just some delts and maybe biceps, figuring the triceps got a pretty good workout on Monday.

The DB area is remarkably crowded with unfamiliar faces. I catch brief glances of R, Big Mustache, SnowBird, Ollie, ZZ but I'm too absorbed in adjusting my routine in the phone app to really pay much attention. Today I notice that there are two different adjustable incline benches, one with a much larger footprint. That's the one I don't want. I'm annoyed that the angle lever is on the side of the bench instead of behind it like the old ones. The lever gets in the way as I'm doing Reverse Inclined DB Flyes for the rear delts. 45° is too high but it's the lowest setting before going flat. The seat itself is too wide and I'm straddling it like a small child on a pony. Prancer and Dancer, two extremely trim, middle-aged Nordic guys who had flit in here last summer for a day or two, are back again, taking turns with a skull crusher EZ bar. I'm not sure if I prefer them on the adjacent bench or the two chubby Latina girls who giggled between bench dips while staring at a fellow on the other side of me.

I've taken the full complement of magnetic discs because there aren't enough DBs at the right weight for me at the moment. At least I can build my own with the 25s and not have to sit around waiting for a pair of 30s. There's a 30 in the rack but only one. The other three are elsewhere. Lateral raises are next and they feel hard. I start with 20s and inch up to 27.5 lbs. I could do 30s but they'd be ugly. I could also call it a day but I grab the 40 lb BB and move to the other mirrored wall. I know I can do 40 lbs so that's where I start to warm up. My left elbow and wrist is really unhappy, but not as much as if I was doing DB curls. The twisting motion of the DB curl is aggravating my joints lately so I've decided to skip them for a while. When my elbows warm, I up the weight in tiny increments, settling on 50 lbs for sets. It feels okay, looks okay. But the Reverse Grip BB Curls are much more daunting than I remember at the higher weight. I still grind through it.

It's getting late, never mind that I got here after 11 o'clock. Abs on are on the list so I knock out my sets of sit ups, kick outs and crunches. I'm intrigued enough by everyone's talk of the Ab Wheel to investigate it further. I've seen a few of the older guys doing it, but mostly they do Cable Crunches while on their knees on a yoga mat. My shoulders are too tired to even think about Dive Bomber Push Ups so I skip the Mat Stretch and only do a quick Cage Stretch. Then it's off to the showers. The gym scale reads 114.0 lbs and that's disturbing. I think it's mostly water weight because I'd made a chicken stew last night with fresh Chinese noodles that tend to have a high sodium content. It's not a good thing. Tomorrow is Leg Day, and the only thing I haven't decided yet is whether it'll be after a single or double cardio session.

Wednesday Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.15 miles + 35 min Interval 8 = 4.22 miles  Grand Total = 8.37 miles Yay!

Incline Reverse DB Flyes: 15 @ 25 lbs / 15 @ 27.5 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 30 lbs
Lateral DB Raises: 12 @ 20 lbs / 12 @ 25 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 27.5 lbs

BB Curl: 12 @ 40 lbs / 12 @ 45 lbs / 12 @ 47.5 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 50 lbs Yay!
No elbow pain at 50 lbs so I'm really happy with this.

Reverse Grip BB Curl: 3 x 20 @ 45 lbs
I have to pause for a moment between at the 15th rep before continuing during the 2nd and 3rd sets.

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

Cage Stretch for hamstrings, abductor, adductor, quads, combination BW calf raise/ heel dips

Breakfast of Champions

A breakfast of oatmeal, egg and pomegranate never tasted so good this morning! Washed down with instant espresso, I was stoked and ready to go. But first errands to get out of the way, like putting gas in the car before the snowstorm hits us tomorrow. By the time I got to the gym, it was 10 o'clock and two out of three Precors were in use. I got the "tractor" elliptical that makes a rough grinding noise as it raises and lowers the tract. But plugged in with good tunes, I barely noticed. My body noticed though because I don't normally do back to back Double Cardio days. I did make a total of eight miles, but just barely. Still, it felt good. My legs were a little tired but I didn't feel as if I'd run out of energy. Instead, my whole body's a tad sore from the past two days. I guess this new workout is agreeing with me!

I make it to the Smith machine before the burly dude I call Dirty Tat Sleeves, and he moves off to the Squat Rack. He's doing barbell shrugs with a completely loaded bar. I set up my cell at the edge of the cardio platform and take a few videos to view my form. My squats start off okay with speed squats Butt to Heels for the first two light sets, but my knees start to bother me as I add weight. I'm getting to just parallel at the heavier weight so I'm okay with it. I strip the bar and drop it to the ground for what I think are Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts. I take several videos because it's hard to get a position that actually shows my form. The plates tend to obscure the front of me when shot from the side. I push my hips out to touch the bar as I lift but I can't actually see that motion on the videos. Still, I'll post two of them below. I manage to go heavier, but my grip starts to fail and I'm not wearing my VGs. Next time I will. But I want to make sure my form is good before I attempt more weight.

I skip Cage Stretch today because I'll be doing Mat Stretch later. Instead, I get a few sets on the Seated Leg Extension, and then the Seated Leg Curls. Then some abs. By the time I get to Mat Stretch it's 1 o'clock and I have things to do. I still feel good enough to box a few rounds on the Nexersys, but I've been here three hours now. Never mind that over an hour of that time was doing cardio. The Mayor, Jude, Hoodie Tattoo and Latino Baseball are all here. R shows up in a thick, fire engine red hoodie you can't help but notice. Big Mustache and Ollie are here too. Ollie looks rounder than ever. I guess the Feast the Least program my gym instituted as a challenge isn't really working for some members.

The gym scale reads 111.4 lbs. It's not quite where I want to be at the end of the week, but it's okay. Next week is the last week before Winter Break but the schedule is again contorted. I'll probably stick with the combination Chest & Back workout on Monday, but the rest of the week is up for grabs. My husband's company Holiday Party is next Friday and I'm still debating which dress to wear. Most likely it'll be the shimmery silver sequins that remind me of a minnow fish. It's rare that I get a chance to dress up and go out so I'm looking forward to it. Just gotta put some more work in.

Leg Day Workout
35 min Interval 7 = 4.38 miles + 35 min Hill 5 = 3.77 miles  Grand Total = 8.15 miles Yay!

Smith Squats: 25 @ bar fast as I can go Butt to Heels / 12 @ 60 lbs fast as I can go Butt to Heels / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 8 @ 140 lbs / 12 @ 100 / 12 @ 80 lbs

Smith SLDLs: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 60 lbs / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 12 @ 120 [video] / 10 @130 / 6 @ 130 [video] / 12 @ 80 lbs

Seated Leg Curls: 12 @ 90 lbs / 10 @ 105 lbs / 2 x 8 @ 120 lbs / 10 @ 112.5 lbs / 12 @ 97.5 lbs
Seated Leg Extensions: 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 135 lbs

Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Ab Crunch Station: 100

Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs and 60 second plank, splits, etc

Smith SLDL at 120 lbs (assuming bar is 30 lbs)

Smith SLDL at 130 (2nd set)

Breakfast Dependent

Oatmeal and pomegranate

 Today is a short day so I'm mindful of the time. I see JL in the locker room. Every year she bakes mini-loaves of pumpkin bread that is quite delicious and hands them out to her friends. This is the second year she's given one to me and I wanted to reciprocate, so I have stuffed in my gym gear a small bag of Chinese "candies" based on preserved fruits. Her two children are adopted from Korea and I don't know anything about Korean food, but I can offer her these things that my son loves and my husband detests. I warn her that her kids might not like them, but she assures me that it's the thought that counts. Plus they're all "food adventurous". It's something new!

Today was also an experiment of sorts. I had so much to do this morning that I didn't leave myself enough time to eat breakfast although I managed a cup of coffee. Okay, I didn't take this loss that seriously. I've worked out fasted before, but not in a really long time. I wanted to know how much breakfast really impacted my workouts. I've progressed from a bowl of instant oatmeal to making 5-minute oatmeal with an egg and, lately, fresh pomegranate arils in place of raisins or summer blueberries.

Fifteen minutes into my first cardio session, my stomach growls and I realize that I'm hungry. Bummer. I know it'll pass. I'm really happy with yesterday's workout and plan to continue it, maybe tweaking it a bit. I'm a bit tired but not unexpectedly so. What surprises me is how I can't recover for the second cardio session. I drop the resistance from six down to four. Sometimes I'm just barely trotting. Still, I make my quotas and I don't feel all that bad afterwards. I still make over eight miles. The Cage Stretch is next although I plan to skip the Mat Stretch. The outside of my left wrist is still bothering me and that impacts my shoulder workout. It's hard to hold the DBs comfortably.

I place 10 lb DBs under my feet while I'm perched on the bench to do Bent-Over DB Flyes. With my chest in my lap, I finally feel how sore my pectorals are. Wow. I haven't experienced that since the last time I decided to press 75 reps with a bare bar. I wrap and re-wrap my wrists several times. Twenty-seven point five pounds is as far as I can get but I grind through a few sets. The Mayor, Tall Pace and Jude are alternating spotting each other. Jude is doing Squats, The Mayor doing OHP, and Tall Pace some sort of DB Press. The Lateral Raises aren't much better. I do a few DB Curls, but again, my wrist is what's bothering me. Finally, I grab a BB and do just three sets of RG Curls. I use the same weight as last week, but these feel hard today and I have to pause a few times before I can finish. ZZ's pompadour pokes up over the equipment. I see a few other regulars. When I glance at the clock, I know I'll barely have time to shower and then rush off to meet the school bus.

The gym scale reads 112.0 which is good. Still, I'd be happier if it were under 110. And I wouldn't mind being heavier if it didn't show in my actually being bigger and somewhat smoother than I've been in the past. I'm not sure if it's my menopausal metabolism or something else. But I"m due for my annual physical anyway. Tomorrow I'm definitely eating breakfast. It's Leg Day! Yay!

Today's Workout:
35 minute Interval 7 = 4.27 miles + 35 minutes Interval 8 = 4.01  Grand Total = 8.28 miles Yay!
Cage Stretch
Bent-Over DB Flyes: 3 x 12 @ 25 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 27.5 lbs
Lateral DB Raises: 12 @ 20 lbs / 12 @ 25 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 27.5 lbs
Alternating DB Curls: 12 @ 20 lbs / 2 x 12 @ 25 lbs
RGBB Curls: 3 x 20 @ 45
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs

Hurts So Good

As much as I complain about cardio, I find that I feel much better especially after a grueling double session. Today I punched in Interval 7 for 35 minutes, then because I'm a masochist, I punched in Interval 8. The odd thing is that both ran the same duration, and I made the exact same mileage, but because I had to drop the level from 6 down to 5, the second session burned less calories according to the Precor monitor. It seemed a lot harder than Interval 7. Very odd, but I'm not going to quibble.

When I'm done blowing my nose and blotting the sweat off my chin, I amble over to the Smith. Someone has left plates on the face-high bar but no one claims ownership, so I strip the bar and claim it as mine. I actually remember to shoot a few videos while I'm there as well, but the overhead lights are so bright that they make for poor viewing. I check out my form doing squats with a pair of 25 lb plates on the bar. I know what I look like doing speed squats because I have a grainy video of it. At the heaviest weight, I feel the inside of my right thigh and oddly, the arch of my foot. Weird. I only do one set of 12 reps and I only go to parallel. I only do speed squats for the first two light sets because I've decided to cut back on the volume. I think it's making my glutes bigger and I'm not happy with how snug my jeans are getting. But I feel really good after all of this, like all the gunk has been cleared out of my system. I wish I could feel like this all the time.

I'm not sure now whether I'm doing Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts or Romanian Dead Lifts so I video that as well. I think my form is okay for doing it inside a Smith, but I'm not really sure. At least whatever I'm doing seems to be working my hams and glutes and my back doesn't feel bad, so I'm figuring I'm doing it right. I must be getting stronger as well, because I don't feel like throwing up after each set anymore. Later, in the locker room, I take a quick photo and I'm surprised at how big I look. Damn, am I unintentionally bulking? I'm thinking I might actually need to get leaner and I'm going to have to look into modifying my intake, and my workouts yet again.

While I'm at the Cage, I realize that a new stretch might be causing the problem in the arch of my foot. I'll have to nix that one. I'm already resigned to cutting my volume on the Seated Leg Curls and Extensions. But since I'm trying to balance out quad-heavy thighs with better hamstrings, I do a few more sets of Curls. And then I do Abs. And then the Mat stretch. This time I place the timer right under my face during the plank, and I manage to hold it for a full minute. I'm quite pleased. Meanwhile my hubby is texting me about going to kickboxing class after he and my son are done with tae kwon do. Sigh. I text back Sure, but I'm wishing I hadn't done so much ab work just now. (It actually wasn't a problem this evening as there was a sub instructor and I barely busted a sweat during the class.)

The gym scale reads 111.4 lbs. Yay, headed in the right direction! I plan to do another double cardio session tomorrow, and then box the full 15 rounds of the Follow Me avatar program. Next week is going to be problematic though with two days of early dismissal from school due to parent-teacher conferences. I may have to revert back to the 5 day workout just so that I'm done in time, and I'll probably be happy about it.

Thursday Workout:
35 min cardio Interval 7 = 4.19 miles (375.6 calories) + 35 cardio Interval 8 = 4.19 miles (360 calories) Grand Total = 8.38 miles Yay!

Smith Squats: 25 @ bar (Butt to Heels as fast as I can go) / 12 @ 60 lbs (Butt to Heels as fast as I can go) / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 140 lbs /12 @ 110 lbs / 12 @ 80 lbs

Smith SLDLs (now I'm not sure if I'm doing SLDLs or not): 12 @ bar / 12 @ 60 lbs / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 3 x 8 @ 120 lbs PB Yay!

Cage Stretch

Seated Leg Curl: 12 @ 97.5 lbs / 12 @ 112.5 lbs / 12, 10 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 12 @ 90 lbs

Seated Leg Extension: 12 @ 90 lbs, 105 lbs, 120 lbs, 135 lbs

Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Ab Crunch Machine: 100
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs

Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs and 60 second plank Yay!, splits, etc

Let's see if this video will embed:

Revising Leg Day Goals

I'd like to say I'm completely recovered but fact is the sniffles linger longer than the actual illness itself. As the rain falls, the temperature drops from 50°F down into the 30s, making for much confusion. Today is Leg Day, and tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a day of long travel and sumptuous feasting, only to return home late (dog will still need to be fed and walked) where we will not be able to sleep in but rather, travel distance again on Friday.

I'm late to the gym because I have errands to run beforehand, like putting gas in my car. The gas station is a zoo and the poor road visibility doesn't help at all. The gym actually isn't too crowded. I get on Precor #3 and punch in Interval 7 because that's what I normally do on Leg Day. My legs aren't actually sore, just tired. I'd thought that yesterday's Back Extensions would've had more of an impact considering it targets glutes and upper hams more than the actual lower back. I'm dragging, but I do make my quota so I'm pleased. And then I punch in another session at Interval 8. Because I probably won't be back here until next week. I have to drop the resistance from the default setting of 6 at the peak down to 5. It helps a little, but mostly I'm troubled by the ache in my palms, and the intermittent numbness in two or three fingers on my left hand. I suddenly remember that my brother's told me that he has gout, another inherited condition from my mother's side, and I wonder if I should mention this to my physician when I get around to scheduling an annual exam.

In total, I still log in over eight miles, but it was much harder this time. I could be sick, or it could be as inexplicable as those monthly hormones. I have no idea. I see a burly, thoroughly tattooed man in the Smith. I've seen him before enough to know that I'll just come back later. The Cage is free and I stretch my hamstrings and calves thoroughly before wandering back to the free weight area. Burly Tattoo has muddy tat sleeves on both hairy arms, and a big gym bag under the cardio platform railing. Damn it, I'm going to do Smith Squats and Smith SLDLs today even if I don't get around to anything else. I don't even care if I don't get to abs (they're actually a tad sore today and I'm amazed).

Again, my first two really light sets are performed as fast as I can go, as deep as I can go (Butt to Heels). I add weight, but after the 6th rep, my knees start to complain and I have to shift back to just parallel. Assuming the bar is 30 lbs, I go to 140 lbs and get 12 reps. Then I drop the weight back down, doing speed squats for the last two sets, but not the 25 reps I normally end with. I'm concerned that doing so many reps is making my pants fit a bit too snug in the hips. I'm concerned enough to actually cut my sets and reps on the Stiff-Legged Deads I do next, but I make it up by getting 6 reps at 120 instead of 3 sets of 12 reps at 110 as I did last week.

Now that those are out of the way, I'm way less concerned about the Seated Leg Curls and Extensions. Last week, I felt a weird pulling sensation on the inside of my right foot, just inside the arch. It was extremely unpleasant. I feel it again when I hit my max weight of 127.5 lbs but I get my 10 reps, then start dropping the weight down for the next two sets. The weird sensation goes away. I don't have any issues with the Seated Leg Extensions but I only do four sets, dropping the reps as I up the weight. I don't want bigger legs. I just want strong, shapely ones. The lure of the Ab Crunch machine is irresistible and I knock out a quick hundred before settling on the Mat. I see regulars like R and RR, Big Mustache and ZZ, Ollie, Towel Guy, Hoodie Tattoo and a few women that I occasionally chat with. One actually gives me a loaf of home-made pumpkin bread (she leaves it at the front desk for me), and another commiserates with me about children and homework.

The Mat Stretch feels pretty good, my splits are good, the Dive Bomber Push Ups are starting to feel easier although the regular stance ones still cause my shoulders to click oddly. Even the plank doesn't feel all that bad today. The gym scale reads 110.4 lbs which surprises me. Water weight fluctuates wildly in people like me who are sodium-sensitive. What doesn't surprise me is how snug my favorite ultramarine blue khakis fit. Well, at least they still fit.

Leg Day Workout
35 min Interval 7 = 4.32 miles + 35 min Interval 8 = 4.13 miles  Grand Total = 8.45 miles Yay!
Cage Stretch

Smith Machine Squats: 25 @ bar (30 lbs) as fast as I can go Butt To Heels / 12 @ 60 lbs as fast as I can go Butt To Heels / 12 @ 80 lbs (only get 6 BTH, remainder are parallel) / 12 @ 100 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 140 lbs / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 60 as fast as I can go Butt To Heels

Smith Machine SLDLs: 12 @ bar /  12 @ 80 lbs / 10 @ 100 lbs / 8 @ 110 lbs / 6 @ 120 lbs PB / 12 @ 80 lbs

Seated Leg Curl: 12 @97.5 lbs / 12 @ 112. 5 lbs / 10 @ 127.5 (weird pulling sensation at this weight inside my right arch) / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs

Seated Leg Extension: 12 @ 90 lbs / 10 @ 105 lbs / 8 @ 120 lbs / 6 @ 135 lbs

Ab Crunch Station: 100
Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs, 20 sec plank, splits, upper back, lower back, hip stretches, etc.

Slacker Leg Day

I took yesterday off and actually stayed in bed reading until it was damn near noon. I'd already had my coffee and oatmeal, although I did soup it up a bit by adding a scoop of whey powder to it, figuring it would hold me until I'd gotten all my errands done. I even took a half dose of pseudoephedrine and drank a lot of herbal tea. Today I feel better, although I'm still blowing snot out of my head. And instead of staying home, because I had to drive my son to school for his extra gym class anyway, I packed all my gym gear, put on my gym clothes and went to work out.

I'm still sick so I figure I'd do a slacker Leg Day routine but I tend to make that up as I go. I toy with only doing one cardio session but because the first one felt pretty good, I opt to do number two as well. I don't pull great mileage, but it's still over eight, and that makes me really happy. If I had to leave the gym suddenly at this point, say due to a call from the school nurse, or because the power grid failed throughout the entire Northeast (hey, it's happened), well, I can say, at least I got this done. The Smith machine is free and that makes me happier.

I remember that I was going to video the speed squats so I put my cell on the floor in front of the Smith. When I review the footage for speed squat sets one and two, I realize that the overhead lights are causing a glare problem. By the time I've done regular squats, I've figured out that I can gingerly place my cell on the ledge of the cardio platform and see if that's better. I do my last set, speed squats of 25 reps with just the bar and the footage looks decent. I toy with the idea of getting a video of my Smith machine Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts, but suddenly there's a convention of old people hanging about the cardio platform. I have to check last week's log to see what I should be doing and decided I'm going to do better. And I do. I get three sets of 12 instead of 10. That makes me feel really good.

I'm tired by the time I get to the Cage and although my stretches are good, the kicks are cursory. Only Seated Leg Curls and Seated Leg Extensions to do. I don't have the energy or the mind to do more than three sets, matching the weight from last week, but not the volume. I knock out sit ups and crunches, then head to the Mat to do Dive Bomber Push Ups, the single 20 second plank and more stretches. I'm soooo done. The gym scale reads 110.4 lbs and I'm good with that considering I'd completely drained my water bottle. Depending on how I feel tomorrow, I might be back for more cardio and to whack the Nexersys. That's worth getting up for!

Slacker Leg Day
35 min Interval 7 = 4.35 miles + 35 min Hill 5 = 3.81  Grand Total = 8.16 miles Yay!

Smith Machine Squats: 25 @ bar (30 lbs) fast as I can go Butt to Heels / 12 @ 60 lbs fast as I can go Butt to Heels / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 140 lbs / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 60 lbs fast as I can go Butt to Heels / 25 @ bar fast as I can go Butt to Heels 

Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 60 lbs / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 / 3 x 12 @ 110 lbs Yay!

Cage Stretch

Seated Leg Curl: 12 @ 97.5 lbs / 10 @ 127.5 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs
Seated Leg Extensions: 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 135 lbs

Flat Bench Twisting Sit Up: 125
Ab Crunch Station: 100

Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs & 20 second plank, splits and other stretches

Use Your Strengths and Weaknesses to Your Advantage

I won't lie. I'm really happy that I don't go to the gym on weekends, that I'm a total, blissfully inactive slug. Okay, there's always household stuff to be done, but that doesn't count. Today is Friday and although I'm none too eager about the Double Cardio session, I am quite happy to whack the Nexersys station. Just like I can always push some weights, no matter how tired or crappy I feel. But give me any excuse to get out of cardio, and I'm back in bed with the covers pulled over my head. So whacking the Nexersys is my reward for the prolonged agony of elliptical pedaling. (I need a new verb for this activity but so far I haven't come across any. Suggestions welcome!)

The forecast is a balmy 60°F later this afternoon, but when I leave the house, it's still in the low 30s. There's no more snow and ice but the leaves are mostly bare. The winter sun hangs low in the sky, and since there's no leafy canopy, it's simultaneously bright and bleak. The parking lot isn't too crowded, but there's a din in the gym that's unnerving. I've timed it wrong and I'm caught in the frenetic flurry of women rushing to Zumba, or Spin, or BodyPump. I'm not sure which. I stick close to the lockers with my hoodie pulled over my eyes and my iPod plugged in. At some point it'll be safe to exit and head for the cardio area. There are people on Precors #1 and #2 so I get #3 by default. Uh oh, I notice that the track is starting to grind when the glides descend from peak to trough in the program. It's still not as bad as Tractor #2, which I can hear rumbling over my tunes during a pause in the vocals. My legs are sore and stiff from Leg Day two days ago. I wonder if my arms will be sore tomorrow.

Grinding through Interval 7 is difficult, especially since my left hand and thumb feel achy and sore. My quads, glutes and hammies are whining but I'm good at ignoring all this. My hands, less so. I don't like it when my toes go numb, or the bottom of my feet. But I really hate it when my fingers and thumbs complain. For a millisecond, I consider bagging the 2nd session, and then I toy with doing one of the Hill programs. But I punch in Interval 8 anyway. I know I'm tired because I'm not able to maintain my speed, and my only concern is actually finishing the session, not how much mileage I can log. That says fatigue to me right there. I do finish. Not my best mileage but not shabby either. I'm so tired I can't think about anything. Go to autopilot. Cage Stretch is next.

Bought a Dragon Lady
dress today just for fun

The Cage is relaxing after a fashion. It's two stretch seats and three bikes away from the pair of Nexersys machines. I haven't wrapped my left hand as tightly as I should so I have trouble stuffing it into the glove. Still, I manage to get my sopping wet hoodie, my stuff sack, towel, cell and water bottle all neatly under the body of the boxing machine. Last week I did seven rounds of Follow Me and three rounds of Sparring. I'd like to do 10 rounds of Follow Me but there's only two round increments so I opt to do nine rounds of Follow Me. The sign taped to the station says to do only 30 minutes or 7 rounds, but again, the other station is free, there's no line waiting for admission, so nine rounds it is.

During the first round, my glove catches the cord to my headphones and yanks them right off my head. I scramble to reapply them and tuck my cord into my waistband but the gloves are cumbersome. I miss a few punches in the interim. But I still manage improved accuracy and power throughout all nine rounds. The recommendation is again, add rounds. I'm still trying to learn how hard to punch because punching too hard pauses the machine while sounding a Warning Buzzer, and the punch doesn't get counted. Major bummer.

The maximum number of rounds is 15, but I doubt if I'll be there anytime soon. I don't do any Sparring today because I'd like to do the Dive Bomber Push Up portion of the Mat Stretch without falling on my face. It's always a worry when working arms and shoulders. The 20 second plank starts off hard, but by the 18th minute, I've either given up or fallen asleep, body rigid but eyes closed. I've actually fallen asleep with my eyes open, but only once, and only after being awake for three days straight. The gym scale reads 109.6 lbs and I'm good with that. I'm better with the piping hot shower. I get an email from our Chinese school notifying us that school is cancelled due to smoke conditions in Rockland County which is across the Hudson River. I'm puzzled. Just how big is this fire that the smoke is closing schools in Westchester County? But, it also means I don't have to get up tomorrow morning! Yay! Bring on slug-mode!

Friday Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.32 miles + 35 min Interval 8 = 4.15 miles  Grand Total = 8.47 miles Yay!
Cage Stretch
Nexersys: 9 rounds Follow Me Avatar, beginner female.
  accuracy 78%  /  strikes 99%  / avg power 127%
Each round is 3 minutes, followed by a 30 second round wrap-up, and then a 30 second introduction to the next round. I'm steadily improving when I look at stats from the past few weeks. Yay!

photo posted for actual stats:

Getting Leg Day Outta the Way

I wasn't prepared for 18°F when I took the dog for his walk this morning. Neither was the potted rosemary shrub sitting on our front steps. Oh well. It's probably too late to bring it in and over-winter it in the kitchen. Besides, temps promise to rise into the 50s later in the week. Of course, the rosemary will probably be dead by then. It's rarely used because my son doesn't care for it's flavor but I love how the air smells when you gently brush their pine needle branches. Walking down the hill to the school bus stop, I see what looks to be a giant brown holiday ornament hanging forlornly from a skinny bare branch. Snow caps the top of its irregular egg shape. It's actually an abandoned paper wasp nest, delicate strands flutter where the nest has been breached. Our privet hedges are full of chattering birds sniping at each other. When those branches become bare, all the nests will be apparent, a virtual apartment complex of avian life.

Pretty good considering I wasted 4 minutes
fiddling with my iPod and
then resorted to plugging into my cell.

I get to the gym late and hope that I can get on an elliptical. Today is Leg Day. Today is Double Cardio Day. The cardio area is moderately busy and I wind up on Precor #3. At least it's not The Tractor! But as I punch in the program, my iPod starts to act up. Or rather, it shuts itself down. I start it up again and after a minute, it goes into pause mode. It's never acted this weird before, but I know it's starting to have issues. The gyroscope doesn't work anymore so the face doesn't automatically right itself when you rotate the player. Today is much more serious, and after 4 minutes have passed on Interval 7, I yank out my headphones and plug them into my cell. I don't have a lot of tunes there, but enough to power a workout. This is one of the few times that I'm actually thankful that my iTune purchases are in the Cloud, and I was able to download these tunes onto my cell rather effortlessly. Of course, I don't have a holder, armband or pockets so my cell is sitting on the little shelf above the Precor display. I debate whether to drive to the Mall and the Apple store later to see if this can be fixed. Meanwhile, I've logged in a bit over 4 miles and I'm happy. Normally I then do a Hill program but I'm feeling ornery, so I punch in another interval program instead. Yep, glutton for punishment. But my mileage is better the second go round, and I'm very happy. Even if I am annoyed at my iPod.

The Smith Machine is vacant and I wander over to it, then remember I was going to give real squats a go. Except that there's someone in the Squat rack. My gym only has one squat rack, and one Smith machine. Okay, I can always go there when it's vacant sometime later. I do speed squats, add weight, do more with the Butt to Heels. At the 3rd set, with 80 lbs, I can only get to 6 reps before I have to modify my form and only go to parallel. I add weight and continue until I hit my max, then I start drop sets. When I get to 60 lbs, I try speed squats again. This time I can only get 12. My last set of 25 reps with just the bar is not painful, but it certainly leaves me a bit breathless. I guess that's good. My cell is wedged uncomfortably in my waistband with the excess cord wrapped around it. Good thing I have that fancy mil-spec waterproof case for it.

ZZ is hovering but I'm ignoring him and mostly everyone else. The gym is getting busier. I grab the step platform from the middle of the free weight area where someone abandoned a carefully composed setup of steps, platform and a half dome atop it. Not quite sure why but half the members leave their DBs and stuff all over the place as if mom was going to pick up after them. I check last week's Jefit log to see what's next. Ah yes, SLDLs. The idea of doing 3 sets of 10 reps seems a bit daunting but since I did them last week, I figure I can do them this week. And I do. I'm actually surprised that my lower glutes and hammies aren't sore from yesterday's Lower Back Extensions. My upper back's a little stiff, but not painful. Of course, the massage I got from my husband last night probably helped a lot too. I know what you're thinking, but I did get a real arnica oil backside massage.

I do a short stretch at the Cage because I've already spent too much time at the gym. Normally I head to the Leg Curls next, but that's busy so I grab the Seated Leg Extensions. I cut my sets down and start at 105 lbs instead of 90. At 135 lbs, I do sets of 12. I don't think I can go heavier, so my plan is just to up the sets. Maybe next week I'll just warm up at 90 lbs and do four sets at 135 lbs. The Seated Leg Curl is finally free so I amble over. After a warm up set at 87.5 lbs (there was a 7.5 lb brick on the stack, but it was set to 75 lbs so I left it there), I move right into 127.5 lbs because I know that's the heaviest I can go. I'm trying to get sets of reps, figuring I should still be able to do this. I'm good until the 3rd set, when I can actually feel the tank go empty. It's a weird feeling. I got my 10 reps but suddenly my eyes feel a little hollow. I go back to the free weight area to check out the Squat rack, figuring I could at least try it with just the bar, but again, someone's in it. Okay, maybe a quick set of Torso Twist and then the Mat. I don't find the Mat taxing or difficult even though the pacing does make me a bit breathless and sweaty. Again, the 20 second plank is my least favorite part of it, but I must be getting used to it, because today it doesn't bother me as much.

The gym scale reads 110.4 lbs. Well, at least it's moving in the right direction. My clothes reek so badly that I hold my breath until I've got them safely stashed in my dirty laundry bag. I've resorted to using a sports stink-away detergent to make my synthetics unoffensive. Nothing worse than pulling clean clothes out of the hot dryer only to have them smelling like you just fished them out of the sewer. Yuck! Right now I'm testing 2Toms Stink-Free Sports Detergent I got from Amazon. I'm really happy that today is Wednesday because that tells me I've gotten all the major body parts done for the week. The next two days are just for fun.

Leg Day Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.24 miles + 35 min Interval 8 = 4.31 miles  Grand Total = 8.55 miles YAY!

Smith Machine Squats: 25 @ bar (30 lbs) Butt to Heels as fast as I can go / 12 @ 60 lbs Butt to Heels as fast as I can go / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 60 lbs Butt to Heels as fast as I can go / 25 @ bar (30 lbs) Butt to Heels as fast as I can go 

Smith Machine Stiff Legged Dead Lifts: 12 @ bar (30 lbs) / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 3 x 10 @110 lbs it's not as taxing as it's been in the past so I hoping that means I'm improving! Yay!

Cage Stretch

Seated Leg Extension: 12 @ 105 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 135 lbs
Seated Leg Curl: 12 @ 82.5 lbs / 3 x 8 @ 127.5 lbs

Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch (20 second plank between a dozen DBPUs), splits, etc

There's No Hump When It's Leg Day

It's warmer compared to the past few days and the song birds are all confused, especially since I tossed a bag of dried meal worms into the feeder just for fun. Well actually, it was something new I'd seen at the local supermarket and the packaging promised that it would attract new birds. The dog keeps shedding though, and we wonder why he's not bald yet. I get to the gym just as Zumba class is about to begin and standing amid the flurry of women scrambling for the door is akin to being a gate post during a cattle stampede.

There's few people in the cardio area and I'm happy to get on Precor #1. Today is Leg Day and even though I'm feeling a bit tired, I punch in my standard 30 minutes and the Interval 7 program. The bruise at the base of my left finger has seeped into my hand, but it doesn't hurt unless I press into it. Gripping the handles of the elliptical is the most uncomfortable part of doing cardio today. I'm happy to make over four miles and blithely punch in another 30 minutes for Hill 5. This is so much harder. Both my hands are achy and I can't find a good position to rest my palms, my thumbs chafe against the bar no matter where I place my fingers, the toes in my right foot are going numb. Finally I'm done and a tad disappointed that I couldn't make four miles this time. But overall, the total is good.

The Smith Machine is occupied so I head directly to the Cage to stretch out. I've read various caveats about stretching before heavy lifting, how stretching weakens muscle strength. I'm not totally convinced, although I don't normally stretch until after my heaviest movements. I see the Manchurian leave the gym, neatly attired in button-down shirt and suit pants and for some reason I think he's in the medical profession. The free weight area is fairly empty now, just the way I like it.

I always start with Smith Squats because I don't think I'd be able to squat if I did Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts first. First a high-rep set of Speed Squats with just the bar, then I add a few pounds and do a regular 12-rep set, again Butt-to-Heel. As I add weight, my knees start to complain and eventually so does my lower back. By the time I've got my max weight on the bar, I'm only barely able to go parallel. Drop sets follow. In the interim, a broken man in a wheelchair is maneuvered into the tight space between the Smith machine and another bench, leaving me no way to re-rack my plates. The man is given a 25 lb DB by his male health aide and manages to do a few curls. His head lolls to one side, his face distorted, mouth slightly agape. I'm not sure if it was a stroke or some other catastrophic injury, but the health aide unnerves me because I saw him staring while I stretched out at the Cage. There is no way that I'm asking him to move his charge, so I plop my plates on the floor and re-rack when they've moved on to another station.

I strip the bar and do a set of Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts. ZZ is busy with DBs so at least he's not hovering about the Smith like he was last week. Actually, he's been keeping his distance since he saw me and my family walking across the parking lot at a local store. [I noticed him because he drives a black WRX -- the hood scoop's a dead giveaway on a Subaru -- and who else wears a pompadour? My husband's a fairly formidable guy for someone who should work out more often.] I'm trying to get better at SLDLs so I do as many reps and sets as I can handle. I don't throw up. But after each set, I feel a little light-headed and I'm breathing hard. There's a sign I just noticed in the BB area that says "Do Not Dead Lift while Yoga Class in in Session. Please consult Class Schedule." I don't think that applies to me, especially since the Smith is in the opposite corner, sandwiched between DBs and the raised cardio platform area.

Only two more exercises to go but I feel like I've been here all day. I need to find a new seated Leg Curl because this Cybex machine has been fixed and adjusted so much that the motion feels odd, as if the cables have been pulled too tight. I only do a few sets. My hammies are tired anyway. But I make it up at the seated Leg Extension machine and push out three sets of 12 reps at my new max weight. Done! Well, not quite. Again, there's a bit of abs to do first, and then the Mat stretch. Then I'm done! Yay! The gym scale reads 109.2 lbs and I'm more than good with that.

Tomorrow I have to bring my son to school an hour early because I signed him up for the PTO's extra gym class, figuring little boys need all the running around they can get while at school. So I'll be at the gym early. I hope it won't be crowded... there's usually a new bevy of faces during the holidays because there's a sudden awareness of how people want to look, and reality. Yes, I'd like to look like a Super Hero please. Cape and boots with that bodysuit? Sorry, no magic pill, no radioactive spider bite. Just lots and lots of consistently hard work. No hump here on Wednesday. It's Leg Day.

Leg Day Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.51 miles + 35 min Hill 5 = 3.92 miles  Grand Total = 8.43 miles Yay!
Cage Stretch

Smith Machine Squats: 25 @ bar (30 lbs) Butt to Heels as fast as I can go / 12 @ 60 lbs Butt to Heels / 12 @ 80 lbs Not quite as Low / 12 @ 100 lbs Just under parallel / 12 @ 120 lbs  Just under parallel / 12 @ 140 lbs Parallel as lower back and knees not really happy / 12 @ 100 lbs Below parallel / 25 @ 50 lbs Butt to Heels as fast as I can go

Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts: 12 @ bar (30 lbs) / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 3 x 10 @ 110 lbs

Seated Leg Curls: 12 @ 105 lbs / 10 @ 120 lbs / 8 @ 127.5 lbs

Seated Leg Extensions: 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 135 lbs

Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 100

Mat Stretch

Maybe It's that Egg?

Well, Halloween last night was cancelled yet again due to wind, rain and the fact that we have enough candy in the house already to power a small army. Yay! I still hit the snooze three times before getting up because something about it still being dark outside strikes me as wrong. The sun hits me in the face and I'm up, otherwise I'm sleep walking toward the kitchen to get the kettle on, the oatmeal measured out, the dog fed and if it's chilly, I toss my son's clothes into the dryer to warm them up. Today it's ridiculously warm (70°F) but the wind is whipping all the leaves off the trees and the wet ground. I half expect it to form some ancient angry ghost spirit... guess I've been watching too many bad Syfy flicks lately.

For the past two days I've reverted back to tossing an egg into my oatmeal. I've also gone back to drinking my post workout high protein Ensure. And I feel loads better. Yeah, my glutes are still sore. But they're always sore. It's probably the cardio. Because I only work legs once a week and I don't really feel sore from that. But I have big legs. Appearances are deceiving. In pants I don't look like I have big legs, but I've done the before and after shots of me in long pants and me wearing the same clothes, just with zip-off pants legs. It's weird. Now I understand why that woman last year stood in the locker room staring at me, or rather my legs as I got dressed. I'm pretty sure she couldn't believe that my big legs fit into size 0 jeans. But they do. Comfortably.

Another things I've just figured out is that I'm waaay asymmetrical. Not just handedness (yes, I'm asymmetrically ambidextrous which means I can do things with both hands but not usually the same things) but in fact, something more obvious and yet subtle. I've been struggling to understand why my left arm, which is weaker, is bigger with better definition. Its the same with my left pectoral muscle. And then, suddenly I had the answer from a question I had as a child, why is the left side of my rib cage bigger and rounder than the right? I'd always thought that people were born symmetrical and that somehow I'd become misshapened as a baby. My left profile is very different from my right, from the shape of my eye to the height of my cheek bone. My asymmetry isn't as pronounced as Stephen Fry's weirdly bent nose, but it's evident to me. I've read that models aren't chosen necessarily for their beauty, but for their pleasing symmetry, because humans in general are not born that way. Our hearts are placed on the left, livers on the right, so internally we're not quite symmetrical either.

Today is Double Cardio Friday and I'm not able to get on my favorite Precor. When I barely make 4 miles on the first leg, I'm completely discouraged. Still, I punch in program Interval 8 for 30 minutes and close my eyes while I peddle. Lately I'm always pleasantly surprised when the mileage reads more than 4 miles. Yay! I'm really happy. Cage Stretch is next. I'm eyeing the Nexersys as I peel off my hoodie and wrap my hands. It's hard to stuff my hands into the gloves at this point so I'm glad I cut the wraps in half. I take great care to wrap my knuckles because I don't like the dark bruises that form when I punch too hard.

I'm feeling ambitious today so I go for 7 rounds of the Nexersys Avatar Follow Me program. My accuracy has improved, and my power is the best it's been in a long time. The sign on the Nexersys says 7 rounds maximum or 30 minutes. There's no one using the station next to me so I'm comfortable with additional rounds. I haven't done the Sparring program in a while so I decide to do the minimum 3 rounds. Because I'm concentrating on blocking punches and landing a lot of blows, my power is less. I'm also starting to tire. Afterwards, instead of heading to the locker room, I wander to the Mat area to do my stretches. N, who is competing in a Fashion & Fitness show in a few weeks, has noticed. I'd greeted her earlier in the day, remarking that I didn't normally see her at this time. "Class got cancelled," she said brightly. I think she saw me boxing earlier as well, and when I see her in the locker room later, she seems a bit uncomfortable. Maybe I am intimidating. Yep, scary scary me. LOL!


Double Cardio Friday Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.01 miles + 35 min Interval 8 = 4.30 miles  Grand Total = 8.31 miles Yay!

Cage Stretch with BW heel dips & calf raises and side kicks

Nexersys 7 rounds Avatar Follow Me, beginner female
accuracy 82% / strikes 101% / power 126%

Nexersys 3 rounds Avatar Sparring, beginner female
strikes 200% / avg power 89% / points 928

photos with stats posted:

my power comes back with a vengeance for the last round but my accuracy's not so good then...

 I get a lot of strikes in which pleases me.

Again, my power comes back at the last round.

Still Tired, Still Going...

I cut back on my workout today because I'm tired. Note, I didn't say that I didn't work out, I just cut back. Oh, I still did my double cardio, and I did on the rickety "tractor" Precor because the two others were occupied. But after a while, I didn't even feel the grinding bumps on this elliptical, and when I did notice, I was hoping that it'd be enough to jar my toes out of the tingling numbness they sometimes experience. I admit to be surprised that I made my quota on both sessions of cardio today, especially since I looked at the screen every ten minutes during the second session, wondering how much longer I was going to put up with this insanity. Because I'm still tired from the weekend. We actually have no plans this coming weekend, other than the standard morning Chinese school and swim class, and I think we're all looking forward to being lazy. If only I could sleep in... but that's not going to happen until Winter Break. Sigh. I know my son is tired because Monday he didn't come home with his coat. Tuesday he came home with someone else's coat. Today, he came home with the three jackets I've been searching the house for, AND his coat from Monday.

Again, the free weight area is sparsely populated. It's nice but a tad unnerving. Is it a holiday that someone forgot to tell me about? No, 'cuz that would mean more people at the gym, not less. Hmmm. I try a few Squats at the Smith machine, going lower than I normally do. But first a set of butt-to-heel speed-squats with just the bar (30 lbs). I keep adjusting my feet and stance until I'm comfortable. Then I add a mere 15 lbs per side to the bar and try below parallel squats. It's a weird balance in positioning footing and stance because at one point my knees are uncomfortable, at another point, I feel pressure in my lower back. Then there's that Goldilock's spot where everything's just right.

I swap out the 15 lbs for a 25 lb plate on either side. I can still go below parallel at this weight so I do a set. But when I up the weight again, I feel my knees and then my lower back so halfway through my set, I only go to parallel. As I add plates, I drop my reps. At 140 lbs I'm only doing 6 reps. I can get more but I don't like the way my lower back feels about it. I strip the plates and do another set of butt-to-heel speed squats. There's a young Italian guy watching, like a puppy. I think he might just be barely out of HS. Even though I have my eyes aimed up at a point on the Smith that I can see facing the mirrored wall, I can see him in my peripheral vision. I'm counting my reps. He seems to be counting along with me.

I strip off my hoodie because I'm too warm and feeling a little light-headed. I'm only going to do a few sets of SLDLs because I don't want to stress my lower back too much. First just the bar. Then I plop the 25 lb plate on either side. Okay, this isn't exactly easing into a set, but I know I can do it so WTF. Last week I did 3 sets at 110 lbs but I'm tired today. The combination of maxing out on the Lower Back Extension yesterday (felt like it was all glutes and hams), and ZZ hovering at the adjacent bench makes me cut the work out short. I even cut kicks at the Cage short although I do all the hamstring stretches. Seated Leg Curls are still hard at 127.5 lbs and I only do one short set after warming up to it. Seated Leg Extensions are easier but I've cut my sets back to four, getting 12 reps at 135 lbs. I don't even want to do Sit Ups, not in these shorts anyway, so I plod over to the crunch station and knock out a quick 100.

Even the Mat Stretch seems daunting, but at least I have it to myself. Today the regular-stance DBPUs seem harder than normal, and the plank is just godawful boring. I lift my head as if I've awoken from a deep slumber after matching a twenty count for twenty breathes. My splits are good though, unusual for Leg Day. Every day seems to be different. By the time I get up from the hip bridges, the entire free weight area has changed cast members, with the lunch crowd making an appearance.

June 14 (left)  vs. October 29 (right)

The gym scale reads 111.0 lbs which is heavier than I'd like to be mid-week, but my clothes still fit okay. I think it's water weight from all the salty Chinese food we've been snacking on lately. Well, it's better than the 112.2 it registered yesterday. I could probably do to lose a bit of fat. When I compare a recent back photo with one taken four months ago, I see that now I'm a tad bigger, and less defined. Sigh. I like lifting heavier so I'm not giving that up any time soon.

Tomorrow is Arm Day. And Halloween. I'm toying with the idea of wearing my Halloween pajama pants to work out... they're orange and black with flaming skulls on it. I wonder if anyone will notice.

Leg Work Out:

35 min Interval 7 = 4.41 miles + 35 min Hill 5 = 4.01 miles Grand Total = 8.42 miles Yay!

Smith Machine Squats: 25 @ bar (30 lbs) butt to heels as fast as I can go / 12 @ 60 lbs below parallel / 12 @ 80 lbs below parallel / 12 @ 100 lbs parallel / 8 @ 120 lbs parallel / 6 @ 140 lbs parallel / 25 @ bar (30 lbs) butt to heels as fast as I can go

Smith Machine SLDL: 12 @ bar (30 lbs) / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 12 @ 110 lbs

Cage Stretch with BW heel dips & calf raises and side kicks

Seated Leg Curls: 12 @ 90 lbs / 10 @ 105 lbs / 8 @ 120 lbs / 6 @ 127.5 lbs
Seated Leg Extensions: 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 135 lbs

Ab Crunch Station: 100
Mat Stretch with 12 wide-legged DBPUs, 3 rolling, 12 regular-stance DBPUs, 20 second plank, splits, upper and lower back/hamstring and hip stretches, etc