Can I Get Sunburned Through My Windshield?

LifeFitness Cross-Trainer

I decided to do an abbreviated workout today because I needed to drop bags of old clothes to Goodwill and a few pieces of tiny tot furniture to the Once Upon A Child store. It's worth the tax deduction to donate our old clothes, and I can get a few bucks for the furniture which is in really good condition, considering my son used to hang all over the tiny upholstered arm chair and loveseat. When I get to the gym, all the ellipticals are taken but I see B on a LifeFitness "elliptical". There's only two of them and they're not very popular. I just need 10 minutes to warm up so B convinces me to try this new machine. I don't like it very much. It has moving handles but they're just slightly too far for me to hold comfortably. Yeah, I got short arms and reaching for the handles makes my lower back ache a tad. The pedaling motion isn't as smooth as the Precor, but it's definitely different from the LifeFitness Cross-Trainers, which seems to move in a different arc.

LF "other machine"

I'm not really warm after 10 minutes, but I'm on a schedule. I put a long strip of moleskin over the knuckle ridge of each hand, secured it with white tape, and then put on the kid's RevGear kickboxing gloves. The right-side machine is still overly sensitive to my Cross and Power Dig. But I have to use a lot of core strength to get the Jab and Body blows to register decently. I do 5 rounds Beginner just to see how it feels. My left knuckles are chafing a little but I'm okay with it. So I punch in another 6 rounds Beginner. Maybe next week I'll split up the rounds between Beginner and Intermediate level.

I unwrap my hands and don my hoodie for a quick lower back stretch, and then a few shoulder rotations. Whacking the Nexersys, although great fun, seems to generate a lot of knots under my shoulder blades. My cheap Kmart foam roller is probably too big for me, but I still use it while laying on a yoga mat at home. It's just nubby enough to hit all the sore spots. Tomorrow will be cardio and arm day. Friday is definitely Leg Day. Today temps reach 52°F and I feel a bit of sunburn through my windshield as I'm stuck in traffic. The town is wisely taking this unseasonable weather to patch massive potholes, and there is nothing to do but sit and wait. Next week's forecast for snow and winter weather in the 30s. Maybe it won't happen.

Wednesday Kickboxing the Nexersys
(each round is 3 minutes followed by 1 minute rest)

5 rounds Beginner Follow Me
 Accuracy 93%  Strikes 98%  Average Power 132%

6 rounds Beginner Follow Me
 Accuracy 92%  Strikes 98%  Average Power 133%

photos for actual stats
(missed strikes only mean the machine discounted it because I was hitting too hard!)

Day Four is Leg Day! Hurray!

Nearly 6 miles! Yay!

I was so disappointed in my mileage yesterday (totaling 8.10)  that I was seriously considering repeating my double cardio session today. Worried that it would just reinforce a sense of failure (and no one needs that!), I compromised with a 45 min session of intervals instead, reasoning that I used to be able to get 5 miles in that amount of time on hills #5 and #6. My thighs didn't even start to burn (slightly) until minute 27 but the feeling passed fairly quickly. I haven't done 45 minute sessions since early spring 2012 and couldn't remember how many "steps" I needed to make 5 miles. I figured hitting anything over 7700 would be good so I was really happy when the mileage came up over five and half. Damn, that's the best I've ever done in a single session! I feel redeemed.

Day Four is Leg Day
45 min cardio interval #7 = 5.88 miles Wahoo! 
It takes me half the session to figure out that each interval now lasts 2 minutes and 20 seconds instead of 2 minutes so I'm always unprepared when the peddles adjust up or down. It's probably better that way though.
Smith Squats: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 95 lbs / 12 @ 115 / 12 @ 135 / 3 x 12 @ 155
The weight area is relatively empty and I'm happy to have the Smith to myself. I'm less happy about the creepy fat guy with coke bottle glasses who's doing shrugs in the machine directly behind me. But as long as he keeps to himself I figure he's fairly harmless.
Smith SLDL: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 95 lbs / 5 x 12 @ 115 lbs
These SLDL are still kicking my butt, but it's not nearly as dramatic (I don't actually feel like wretching) so I must be getting stronger!
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Pistol Squats: 15 each leg, alternating without resting
I'm concentrating so hard on not falling over and doing the movement in as few moves as possible, that by the time I'm done, sweat is running off my nose even thought the A/C is on full blast.
Seated Leg Curl: 12 @ 90 lbs / 6 x 12 @ 105 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Seated Leg Extension: 6 x 12 @ 75
These are my weakest exercise because I have such crappy knees, but they work and they're mine.
Mat Stretch: unexpectedly, my splits are good today! I'm really happy!

B chats with me in the locker room this morning and wants to know what's up. What's up? Nothing really. She tells me that I look like I got skinnier, which pleases me but I don't let on. "Are you kidding?" I tell her, "I put on weight." "Must be muscle," she mutters. But it's true, I do weigh more. I just don't know exactly where it is.

The gym scale tells me 109.6 lbs after I suck down the last of my 1.5 liters of water. I'm so hungry by the time I shower that I feel vaguely ill. At least the Ensure has remained fairly cool in the car. When I get home, I make myself a cup of cold instant coffee because I know I'm going to need the caffeine kick.

My husband wants to go to kickboxing tonight because he hasn't had an opportunity to exercise since last week. The summer schedule is inconvenient, but we might make it yet. I realize that I don't really have to give it 110% when I go although it's in my nature to do so. I'm so excited about my improved mileage that I'm considering whether I should do a double session or just another 45 minute one. It'll have to be another abbreviated workout so I'm actually considering boxing the Nexersys machine after cardio. Just for fun. But I'll have to tape my hands because my knuckles are sliding inside those silly pink Everlast gloves. I still have a scab on my knuckle from the last kickboxing class. Gosh, I'm such a delicate flower. LOL!

Kickboxing is Kicking My Butt

Just did 8 miles. Time for
Smith Rack Squats and DL

I didn't exactly crawl out of bed this morning, but I certainly took my time getting to the gym. I was tired yesterday afternoon even before I took my son to his TKD class, and then met my husband for the 7:15 Cardio Kickboxing class. I skip all the running around, all the jumping jacks and hopping up and down. I avoid anything whatsoever that might impact my knees because I'd like to be able to walk down the steps to my car afterwards. I'm wearing my stupid pink Everlast gloves because my husband says it's better for me than the oversized boxing gloves that come free with sign-up. Those gloves are so big that my hands are suspended inside, and the wrist tabs are affixed around my forearms. Of course, my knuckles never get bruised in them either, while I can feel my knuckles slide past inside the gloves, and of course, after class, they're very pink and just shy of skinned. My husband tells me I just need to tape them. I see that Everlast also sells pink tape, just for the occasion. Jeez. No, I don't think so. The pink gloves are bad enough. I have plain ol' white tape...

This morning my glutes are sore and stiff, and my elbows are still complaining. But it's Leg Day so I'm not particularly concerned about the tendonitis issues. Digging through a bag of old workout clothes that are slated for donation, I find several more pairs of unitards that were once too tight, or just simply out of style. I also find a Reebok unitard that's no longer manufactured. The legs are short, the tank straps are literally thick cottony strings and it's a soft absorbent fabric. It also fits so I put it on under my UnderArmour Shorts, Fila tank and Lands End hoodie. I'm a bit worried that I'm too tired to make my quotas but after the first Hill session, I'm not at all concerned about Intervals. That is until minute 18 when the middle two toes on my right foot go numb. Then my ring and index finger on my left hand go numb as well. I'm putting too much pressure on these extremities and I need to readjust my footing as well as my grips.

So that's over 700 calories?
Cool! I usually never look there...

Today's Leg Day Workout
35 min hill #6 = 4.0 miles + 35 min intervals #7 = 4.36 miles  Grand Total = 8.36 miles Wahoo!
Smith Machine Squats (an old guy is at the Smith so I reluctantly head over to the squat rack, but by the time I've adjusted the pegs, he's gone and the Smith is mine. Yippeee!):
12 @ bar (butt to heels) / 12 @ 95 lbs / 12 @ 115 lbs / 12 @ 135 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 145 lbs
I could probably go heavier but 145 lbs was when it finally registered that this felt heavy. 
I'm so lazy! I probably should've upped the weights several weeks ago, but better late than never...
Smith Straight Legged Dead Lifts: 12 @ 95 lbs / 5 x 12 @ 115 lbs
These never feel easy so upping the weight kicked my butt and I'm glad all the hard stuff is over.
Cage Stretch & Kicks
12 Pistol Squats alternating Legs
Seated Leg Curl: 15 @ 90 / 3 x 12 @ 105 lbs
Seated Leg Extensions: 6 x 12 @ 75 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Mat Stretch

I've been told I have
"bull dog legs" but it
was said in admiration.

Two skinny HS guys come over while I'm squatting. I'm not sure why guys insist on doing shrugs with ridiculous amount of weights before doing other more meaningful exercises, like bench press or squats. I strip off my drenched hoodie to do dead lifts and the guys seem intimidated. I laugh to myself because I find it funny, but it'd be mean to gloat. Meanwhile ZZ is floating about, but he seems harmless enough these days. At least he's not getting in my way. There's not a lot of regulars today. I see M briefly, and B not at all. My knees and ankles feel pretty good doing squats. It's my left elbow that complains about it. But it's my right hip that seems to suffer from the Dead Lifts, although the elbows are not happy doing this movement either. Well, you can't make everyone happy all the time.

By the time I get to Mat Stretches I'm "stick a fork in me and call it done". Wednesday is an odd day because it's horrendously busy in the morning, virtually abandoned by mid-morning, and then shows new signs of life by noon, just as I'm leaving. Just as well. I hate crowds. The scale surprises me with a reading of 108.4 lbs, but my stomach starts growling while I'm showering. Wow, I'm not usually hungry so quickly. The Ensure soothes my belly while I sit in the car, but I'm ravenous again just a few hours later. I wonder what's going on! Well, duh... I am lifting heavier. And going to kickboxing. And eating things like arugula with cottage cheese instead of ciabatta bread and pepperjack cheese. Tomorrow we plan to go to kickboxing again. I'll probably need a nap first.