When the Body Knows Better

I don't actually realize how sore my body is until I go walk the dog up the hill. That my upper arms and back are a bit stiff is no surprise, but even my glutes seem tight. Again, I get to the gym late enough to miss the morning crowd. The lunch rush hasn't started yet either, probably because the weather is downright dreary with a cold rain and temps in the mid 50s. I'm barely two minutes into my 30 minute cross-trainer session when the power goes out. I keep pedaling because I can even if the display has gone dark. That's not the case with the treadmills though. After a minute, the lights start to flicker back on. The TVs need to re-initialize. I punch in 25 minutes and continue to pedal through the 5 minute cool down. Well, at least my mileage will be plus 6.

I'm really tired today, which is awful because today is Cardio Day. I haven't done a full 60 minutes of cardio all week and I'm not sure I'm going to survive today. I'm hungry already, and that annoys me. I've already had coffee with cream and sugar, and a fruity Greek-style yogurt with my Optic Nerve vitamins, and B-12 and D. I knock out my hammer grip pull ups and then knee-ins. I'm no longer tempted to do more than 50 push ups at a stretch, especially since I need to do crunches and planks. But I'm not ready to face Intervals yet, so I kill time by parking myself on a flat bench and doing my shoulder exercises with the 3 and 5 lb baby bells.

Okay, now I'm ready. But not really. I really just want to quit at 20 minutes but I punch in 30 anyway. Then I tell myself that I can take a break at the 15 minute mark and jog the minute I'm suppose to be going all out. But I don't. In fact, even though I tell myself I can just coast at 200 SPM because I'm so godawful tired and my legs feel like logs, I don't. I still hit 230 to 250 SPMs for the full minute. I do concede that I'm not always able to keep my speed between 160 and 170 during the second minute, and I need to work up to the jogging pace of 120 during the two minutes of OFF time. But I finish, and I actually feel better than when I got up this morning. Endorphins kicking in? Wouldn't've happened if I had listened to the little voice in my head. Instead, I let my body decide what it could handle, and it turns out that it can handle more than I think. Then, I knock out 20 wide hammer grip pull ups and then I'm done. Soooo done.

Some mornings I'm on auto pilot because my head feel disassociated, like I'm on antihistamines. But I'm not. Didn't have any beer last night. Even used the neti pot this morning to clear my sinuses, and heard that internal bubbling whistle when there's water in the eustachian tube. Maybe I just need more sleep?

I'm reading about a new term (to me): dysthymia, aka persistent depressive disorder. The medical industry now wants to treat us all with medication because that alarming feeling of doom isn't due to the state of the world. It's a mental disorder. Seriously? Yes, a lot of us suffer from anxiety and there's a lot of wrong ways to deal with that, mostly self-medicating with alcohol and opiates or synthetics. It's pervasive, not just in our American society, but across the world. I've always said that exercise was my drug of choice. Still is. Because I'm a very anxious person. Blame it on my childhood, or genetics or my mom who suffered from agoraphobia, PTSD, OCD and numerous other undiagnosed ailments. Or maybe it's just the creative temperament that runs in my mother's side of the family?

Tomorrow I plan to do leftovers. Or, if the Smith is free, Flat Bench and RDLs... I can dream. Inexplicably, the gym scale reads 107.8 lbs, a full two pounds lighter than yesterday. That's so weird.

Thursday
6.41 + miles

30 min x-trainer (+power outtage)
Calories 141
Miles 3.77+
Average Heart Rate 119

HGPU 30
Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50
Crunches 3 x 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

T, Y & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

30 min elliptical
Intervals
Calories 300
Miles 2.64
Average Heart Rate 145

WHGPU 20

That Little Voice in Your Head

I retrieved two fans from the garage and cleaned the dust off before plugging them in. The house is well insulated, but still... I spend the morning sorting through summer clothes, especially shorts. It's hard for me to part with stuff I know I'll never find again, even if they don't fit anymore. I worry that I'll get fatter and have no clothes to wear. I hate being part of the consumer society, but at some point you have to nip the urge to save everything, lest you become a hoarder and wind up on some train wreck cable TV show. I toss several pairs of shorts and pants into the garbage bag I've slated for charity. There's probably more clothes I can get rid of, but I don't want to spend all day doing this. 

I pull out a pair of bright fuschia Nike shorts that I literally don't recognize. When did I buy these? I try them on and they are, remarkably, the best shorts. They fit without being too tight in the waist or the butt, and the leg holes don't gape. Nor is there a clingy liner pant which invariably rides up my big thighs as I pedal. I match it to a hot pink Spalding sports bra I bought on clearance. It's comfortable, but the myriad of back straps always twist and look messy. No wonder this was in the clearance rack. It's truly a pain to wear. If I was really anal, I could stitch the straps down to keep them from rolling under each other. But my OCD isn't THAT bad. I toss a purple tank on over it. These things are so billowy, I look pregnant half the time. I don't really care though.

The little voice in my head is constantly trying to get me to cut back on my cardio time. I could get by with just 15 minutes on the cross-trainer. Except that since I'm not planning to push any heavy weights today, I really shouldn't. The same little voice tries to talk me out of hammer grip pull ups as well. Today I only get 20 instead of 26 so I'm disappointed. No knee-ins while I'm wearing shorts. But I do manage push ups and crunches. I'm not in the mood for planks so I skip them. The Mayor is sporadically at the Smith. I'm not even going to bother. But I am concerned about shoulders so I do my DB lateral superset. However, I don't do the T, Y & I Shoulder Warm Ups. Because I'm wearing shorts and there are too many guys in the DB area. Normally I wear long pants, and normally I don't care, but 90 degrees in May isn't normal.

Back to the Cardio Platform. Time to do Intervals. Part of me wants to just do 20 minutes. I'm actually tired today, and a bit sore. I tap in 30 minutes and tell myself that I can just quit at 20 if it comes down to that. If I truly can't go on for another 10 minutes. Which is ridiculous. But what I do is go to 26 minutes and spend 4 minutes in a "cool down" mode. Not quite as intense as doing a full 30 minutes of 1 minute full throttle, 1 minute moderately fast and 2 minutes of jogging. The Mayor has joined a chat buddy on the treadmills. I don't understand what people have to say all the time. I stretch and then position myself for Wide Hammer Grip Pull Ups. I get 15 and I'm happy even though this is making my forearms a bit sore. My left wrist has felt strained all day, like I might be developing carpal tunnel. Which is ridiculous. Tomorrow is another scorcher of a day. I think I'll do a Left Overs workout, with maybe two big moves. If I can get on the Smith.

Thursday
6.49 miles

30 min x-trainer
Calories 141
Miles 3.75
Average Heart Rate 154

HGPU 20
Push Ups 50
Crunches 3 x 50

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 2
20/25 x 15/20reps

30 min elliptical (includes 4 min cool down)
Intervals
Calories 315
Miles 2.74
Average Heart Rate 147

Wide HGPU 15

The post-Halloween Candy Diet

I bought a few bags of Halloween candy weeks before the actual event, and this year I only bought candy that I liked. Because I knew that we wouldn't have any "Trick or Treaters" even though we decorated. Because our road doesn't really have many young kids. My son was probably the only child on our road who managed to get candy from any of our neighbors. So we have a big bowl of candy in the kitchen. And we've been eating a few pieces every night for dessert. And oddly enough, I've been losing weight. Not a lot, but I was actually expecting to pack on a few pounds, especially after going to the Saturday night Halloween party with lots of great food. Great because I didn't have to cook it. And I could eat as much as I wanted.

Maybe because I started lifting weights again. Or because I started lifting heavy again. And upping my cardio again. I swear I look bigger in the mirror too. Maybe it's just my eyes playing tricks on me. Or a peculiarity of the Autumn lighting. I have noticed that sometimes my perception of how big something or someone is seems to change, especially proportions. I really thought my son's HW notebook was thicker and smaller than how it appears to be now. People I thought were much taller than me are maybe just a few inches taller than me. Perhaps just another weird thing to note and file away about myself and my perception of the world.

Today is Election Day and my son's school is closed for Voting. I take my son to school to vote (he finds this hilarious), get gas and then head to the gym. Oddly, school is in session in the town where my gym is located. I'm feeling more adventurous with my cardio lately so I play with the setting on the Precor elliptical until I have Intervals for 20 minutes. I can knock out a quick Back Workout between cardio (if I don't dawdle) starting with RG BB Rows. Then the Lower Back Extension machine. My tiny hands means my grip tires very quickly, so I use VGs on both the BB Rows and the One-Arm DB Rows. Since I haven't done DB Rows all summer, I just grab a 45 lb DB and do 3 sets. The DB area is ridiculously crowded so I lug my gear over to one of the Breaker Benches. No one's using any of them at the moment. I haven't decided whether I should just do 6 sets next time, or up the weights. I've done sets at 65 lbs but I'm not sure I want to go there that quickly.

I only do 15 min of Intervals afterwards because I'm running out of time. (I still need to shower and change!) Yesterday the gym scale surprised me with the 110.6 lb reading. Today I'm even more surprised when it wavers between 109.8 and 109.6 lbs. My son and his iPad are providing the only entertainment for two other kids in the Child Care room. He's loathe to leave but I'm so hungry I can hear my stomach growling and rumbling. And I did eat my oatmeal, egg and pomegranate breakfast this morning. My son wants a Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie and I have a 3-egg NY omelet (ham, bacon, cheddar, tomatoes) with buttered rye toast. My son eats almost all my toast because he's never had rye toast before. And then off to see The Book of Life. Because it's $5 Tuesday!

Tuesday Abbreviated Back Workout

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   183 CAL
Distance: 1.65 mile
Duration : 00:20:00

Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

232.5

Set 1 : 45x20
Set 2 : 115x12
Set 3 : 135x15
Set 4 : 145x15
Set 5 : 155x15
Set 6 : 135x20

Back Extension Machine

292.5

Set 1 : 195x15
Set 2 : 195x15
Set 3 : 195x15

Dumbbell One Arm Row

63

Set 1 : 45x12
Set 2 : 45x12
Set 3 : 45x12

Elliptical Training

Calorie :   142 CAL
Distance: 1.27 mile
Duration : 00:15:14

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:

The Body is Stronger Than You Think

I woke up hungry again this morning, in spite of a tasty dinner of poached wild-caught salmon, rice and sautéed spinach in butter. I even ate dark chocolate spiked with chili peppers for dessert. Having purchased another carton of eggs this week, I proceeded to add one to my oatmeal this morning, along with fresh-frozen blueberries (you can get fresh pints fairly cheap at the supermarket), a dash of salt, spoon of raw sugar and water. The egg gives the oatmeal a light and fluffy texture, which is a delightful change of pace. Gotta keep things fresh!

The impending storm is wreaking havoc with the air pressure and humidity, and my sinuses and equilibrium as well. I feel as if I'm teetering on the verge of a vertigo attack, and it's not very pleasant. When I dip my head to rinse toothpaste out of my mouth, I hold on to the sink to make sure I don't fall over sideways. Still, after my son is safely aboard the school bus, I drive off to the gym. Sticking to my routine isn't all that hard, as long as I ignore the tiny voice that tells me sleeping in can be therapeutic. Plenty of time to sleep in now that weekend classes are over! Stiff and sore legs remind me that yesterday was Leg Day. It takes me about 6 minutes of brisk peddling (175-180 SPM) before my body warms and loosens. I punch in Interval #7 because I can deal with 2 minutes segments right now. Intervals #8 is definitely the harder program in my opinion. Again, I don't catch my second wind until the last few minutes of Cool Down, but I manage to make a good show and I'm happy with my mileage. Now I'm ready to go lift some weights!

While I'm benching B comes over. She accuses me of not looking up at her on the Stair Climber when I'm lying on the bench. Good grief. I tell her that I'm lucky I don't bump into people because I have such tunnel-vision when I work out that I really don't see people. That's nicer than telling her that I don't really want to interrupt my workouts for a lot of chatter. She proceeds to catch me up on the latest developments in her garden. She's now hand feeding the wild chipmunks who come to her bird feeder. By the time she leaves, I'ml cold. I have two more heavy sets to do and then two drop sets. The first heavy set feels awkward, but improves on my next attempt. Perhaps because I'm warmer. The drop set of 12 reps is easy, but the real test is the final set.

Yay horseshoe!

Lately I've not been able to do a complete straight set of 25 reps. Today I'm determined to do it properly. Although I have to pause momentarily at reps 20, 22 and then for each subsequent rep until I hit 25, I don't actually set the bar down, and this feels like an accomplishment. Someone is peering at me from the Stair Climber on the raised cardio station adjacent to the Smith machine. It's odd to watch someone watch you to see if you're actually going to finish.

When I get to the Cage Stretch, Old Florida is using it to hang and stretch. I don't like to rush anyone so I hang back and wait my turn, stretching my hamstrings doing a few slow lunges and then some slow toe touches. Except that I can put my elbows to the ground. After OF leaves, I stretch and kick, and head back to the free weight area. It's horribly crowded with The Mayor and an assortment of men, young and old. All the benches are in use except for the one under the Smith so I use that for Bent Over DB Raises.

By the time I get to standing Lateral DB Raises, superset with Tricep extensions, all the old guys have left for the cable machines, and it's just a bunch of college kids. And me. I don't intimidate easily so they're forced to work, and walk, around me. This becomes especially amusing when I decide to do DB Tricep Kickbacks because I have to bend over a bench with my arm parallel to my body. I set up so I can see my position in the mirror which coincidentally happens to be in front of the Seated Bicep Curl station, and next to overgrown boys trying to heave DB in front of themselves. Good thing I'm not wearing shorts today. In the grand scheme of things, I don't actually do much Tricep work, and yet, I have huge upper arms. Go figure!

Today's 2nd Push Day of the Week Workout:
35 min interval #7 = 4.50 miles Yippeee!
Smith Bench Press: 15 @ bar / 12 @ 95 lbs / 10 @ 115 / 8 @ 135 / 3 x 6 @ 155 / 12 @ 135 / 25 @ 115 lbs Yay! Finally! 
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Bent Over Rear DB Raises: 6 x 15 @ 25 lbs
Standing Lateral DB Raises: 3 x 15 @ 20 lbs
Standing Lateral DB Raises SuperSet with One-Arm DB Tricep Extension: 3 x 15 @ 20 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
DB Tricep Kickbacks: 15 @ 15 lbs / 3 x 15 @ 17.5 lbs Next week I'm going to see how the 20 lb DB feel but I'm leery of putting too much pressure on my fragile elbows. Still I do enjoy watching my triceps flex and the way the delts jump at the end of the movement.
Mat Stretch: I'm definitely feeling Leg Day today because the splits are a tad stiff.

Mo joins me on the mats and we chat briefly before I go shower. The gym is full now. There are a lot of regulars and a lot of new faces. Ranger Rick is showing a newbie some basic weight exercises. Skinny Blonde is jogging away on the treadmill. Fish Guy, Hoodie Tattoo, Ollie, Short Pace, PJ Pants and Nixon are scattered throughout the gym. The scale reads 109.2 lbs but I'm ok with that. I don't feel fat and puffy. B tells me that I look as if I've lost weight again. Maybe my gym clothes are stretching out from wear and tear. I don my bright blue, Gap khakis (size 00) tucked into black snow&rain boots and I feel pretty good. I'm not sure I want to brave the weather this evening for kickboxing even though local news reports that the storm has headed southwards. I'm still feeling vaguely vertiginous. But I'm looking forward to upping the weights again next week.

There's nothing more satisfying than proving that you're really stronger than you think you are.