Unexpected Furlough

It's Friday 1 pm, and I still don't have my car back from the shop, which means I haven't been to the gym for 2 days. It's too cold for me to exercise in our unheated garage at 16°F when I can feel my gloved fingers throbbing even just from briefly walking the dog. Instead, I've opted to do fun things like scrub the bathroom. The thermostat in our house is set low, about 63°F, and I find myself shivering while embracing hot mugs of tea throughout the day.

The only pleasantry I've discovered today is that I can listen to the entire new album of The Wallflowers direct from their website without having to purchase it. It's available on iTunes but cheaper (much cheaper) on Amazon if you're just purchasing the MP3 album. While it's not something I'd do cardio to, it makes unpleasant chores go faster. The best part is that the website actually posts all the lyrics as they're being sung! I really appreciate that instead of trying to read the "mouse print" in the CD liners or on the downloadable PDFs.

I'm not sure if the embed function works in this blogsite so I've also attached the website link: http://www.thewallflowers.com/splash-2/

The weekend is already over-scheduled because it's my son's birthday tomorrow and we promised him that we'd take him to ToysRUs after he & my husband went to tae kwon do classes. Then we have his swim class Sunday morning, followed by his swim party later that afternoon, and I still need to finish all the "goody bags" -- which of course I can't do until I get my car back! Damn, I'd better have my car back before Monday so I can go to the gym. I'm getting cranky already...

Sick is No Reason to Slack

After an entire weekend of running around but not at the gym, I wake up to an unexpected plethora of celadon nastiness in my lungs. If it's possible, I think it's spreading back upwards into my sinuses because of the vague burning sensation there which whispers busted micro capillaries. Bleah. Yeah, there's a wee bit of blood in the phlegm. (I can tell from the brownish green color.) Well, I have my annual physical exam in two days so I'll mention it to the doc then. Meanwhile, I'm off to the gym with my son in tow.

I know I should abbreviate my work out so I only spend 35 min on the elliptical and I make it an easy pace (only 180-200 strides per min vs my normal 195-220), and only manage to get 3.69 miles. I'm coughing up snot and barely sweating so I know this isn't going to be a great workout. But damnit, I'm still working out.

 B is struggling to bench at the Smith, and I offer to spot her if I can work in. It's suppose to be a heavy day for me, but I'm not going to do the max today. Instead I opt for 3 full sets at 135 lbs, and I don't actually need B to spot me. B bemoans her loss of strength but then again, she hasn't been benching lately so what does she expect. It's also her birthday. She turned 60. She looks good for 60. She looks good for 45. I tell her she just needs some consistency.

I finish by squeezing out 25 reps at 95 lbs and move on to Cage Stretch and kicks. Then back to the free weight area for delts. 20s feel, as always, heavy. But I do them anyway. Even sick, I'm still fairly strong. Tricep extensions, twisting sit ups and lower ab kick outs, followed by Mat Stretch. I'm feeling okay. My nose isn't running, and other than occasionally clearing my throat, I don't really feel sick either.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min cardio hill #6 = 3.69 miles
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ 95 / 12 @ 115 / 3 x 12 @ 135 lbs / 12 @ 115 / 25 @ 95 lbs
Cage stretch & kicks
Front & Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 12 @ 15 / 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Rear Seated Inclined Dumbbell Raises: 5 x 15 @ 20 lbs
One-Arm Tricep Dumbbell Extension: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Twisting Sit Ups: about 120
Lower Ab Kickouts: about 100
Mat stretch

The scale reads 109.0 and my face seems puffy. It's the pulled pork I simmered in stewed tomatoes and garlic, and poured over mac 'n cheese we had for dinner, and the really salty pastrami sandwich and beef jerky we ate at the Renaissance Fair yesterday. Eating a cheeseburger with pickles on Saturday at Quassy Amusement Park didn't help either. But what's done is done, and my son had a great time. I'm relieved that weekends only come once a week. Hopefully, this cold has peaked and I'll be back to my daily 5+ mile cardio workouts. I feel better just thinking about it.

Revising the Workout?

Today's a bit cooler and less humid than it's been lately. It felt pretty good although the locker room seemed downright frosty this morning. I slogged through my 45 min of cardio and only got 5.21 miles. I hope tomorrow's Leg Day fares better. Today is Back and Biceps but I feel tired already. However, I get through all my weight sets, including a dozen close grip chin ups during Cage Stretch & Kicks, without too much angst.

To keep everything in perspective, I remember that I used to be able to do only 5-6 reps at 90 lbs at the seated cable row when I worked out intermittently at the Bally's Gym next door to my job in the City. But that was over two years and twenty pounds ago. I'm not quite sure why I'm heavier now than I've been for the last few weeks. Part of me says it's the heavier weights I'm lifting. Part of me worries that it's menopause killing my metabolism and making me fat. I'm definitely gnoshing more. That's bad. But I'm stronger. That's good. Hmmmm.

Today's Total Workout: 
45 min cardio = 5.21 miles
Rows: 1 x 12 @ 75 / 1 x 12 @ 90 / 3 x 12 @ 105 / 2 x 12 @ 90 lbs
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
Torso Twists: 2 x 25 @ 60 lbs
Cage stretch & kicks & 12 close grip chinups
Lat Pull Downs: 1 x 12 @ 75 / 5 x 12 @ 90 lbs
60° Inclined twisting situps: 125
Dumbbell Bicep Curls: 1 x 12 @ 15 / 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Reverse Grip Barbell Rows: 6 x 15-12 @ 50 lbs
Torso Twists (again): 2 x 25 @ 60 lbs
Lower Back Extensions (again): 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 3 x 20 @ 30 lbs
Mat Stretch for hams, calves, back, shoulders & neck

The scale reads 108.4 lbs and I'm a bit surprised. Wow. I really am heavier. My thighs look a little different as well. I can actually see the quads move as I walk to the shower. Maybe I should modify my leg workout, as in lessen them. After all, I just got new pants and shorts and I still want to be able to wear them!

I reread an excellent NYTimes article called The Fat Trap that was first published last December. Personally, I'm a firm believer in doing a lot of cardio to get your metabolism up, and then weight lifting to keep those fires burning. Today's article in the Science section of the NYT regarding kidney donators needing to lose weight first, mentions specifically a case where a man dropped 90 lbs by running for an hour every day and then lifting weights. And I mention this all because I really believe that calorie counting and nit-picking meals just makes a person obsessive-compulsive, and really doesn't help to change the body makeup, which is what really needs to happen to lose weight and keep it off.

But of course, you can also do all the calculations with the newest formula, which takes into account the fact that one's metabolism does slow as one loses weight. Click here for the link to the Revised Weight Loss Calculator. Unfortunately, my ancient Mac laptop doesn't seem to have the appropriate plug-ins to display this page correctly so I can't actually say what I think of it.

The Friday Fizzle

It's a hot dry summer so far. I don't even wear my hoodie to the gym but have stashed it inside my duffle bag. Today I feel like The Very Best of Billy Idol and use that for my entire gym workout. He's got some great workout songs, like Speed. But I'm a fan and have been since the 80s.

Billy Idol Playlist

There's a saying, "People don't change. They only become more so."
I lope along at first but eventually I feel the heat rising inside my hoodie, dampness, then actual sweat trickling down my face. 45 minutes gives me 5.21 miles and that's quite satisfactory for a Friday. Today is my 2nd Pull Day this week, so that's Back and Biceps. Rows are always good but I know the Pull Downs are going to suck today. Especially since I want to see if I can do chin ups. And I'm not wrong. Pull Downs suck today. I can barely keep my fingers from slipping off the bar. Even with gloves on.

Today's Total Workout:
45 minutes Precor elliptical = 5.21 miles
Seated Cable Rows: 1 x 12 @ 75 lbs / 2 x 12 @ 90 lbs / 3 x 8 @ 105 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 90 lbs
Cage Stretch & kicks & 12 neutral (palms facing each other) close grip chin ups
Pull Downs: 1 x 12 @ 75 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 90 lbs
Lower Back Press: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 60 lbs
Reverse Grip Barbell Rows: 6 x 15-12 @ 50 lbs
Bicep Dumbbell Curls: 1 x 12 @ 15 lbs / 3 x 8-12 @ 20 lbs
45° Inclined Situps with 10 lb plate: 1 x 50 / 2 x 25 reps
Lower Ab kickouts: 125
Mat stretch for hamstrings, back, shoulders, neck and calves

I'm not the only one looking and feeling a bit beat.The gym is oddly empty. I see a few regulars but their workouts seem as abbreviated as mine feels. The scale reads 106.2 and I'm thinking wow, that's great considering I ate 3 slices of meatball & garlic pizza last night for dinner!

Something's Different

Something's different and it's not just this unusually hot weather. I remember June being humid and miserable, especially at school, which by the way, used to run until the end of the month. It's the last day of school for my son and of course, it's a half day so it's another abbreviated workout today.

Image from www.simplyfitnessgear.com

Yes, I'm wearing a hoodie as I do my 45 minutes on the elliptical, and I'm very happy with my 5.08 miles. Today is Back (pull) and Biceps although I won't be doing much of the latter. Rows feel okay with the standard 3 sets of 12 at 90 lbs and 3 sets of 8 at 105 lbs.

I want a stronger, more powerful back. Maybe even a little thicker. I injured my back a long time ago while working in the college dining hall (best paying job on campus). It took months of painkillers, muscle relaxants and non-activity for it to finally heal. I almost failed out of school and actually withdrew from some of my tougher classes, not that I would've passed uninjured.

A classmate tried to warn me that I was basically done. "Once you screw up your back, it'll always be screwed up." He was speaking of his dad. But of course, I'm stubborn. Yes, my back's acted up in the past but it's been at least 10 years if not longer since anything remotely resembling my old injury has bothered me.

I credit post-college weightlifting at places like Brooklyn's 5th Avenue Bodybuilding (it closed last June), Better Bodies (NYC) and Madison Avenue Muscle (NYC). Now everything's a fitness club. Even the Gold's Gym (the name is virtually synonymous with Arnold and bodybuilding) I work out at has very few hardcore muscleheads.

Of course, one of the reasons I started lifting weights again was because I was having trouble picking up my then 54 lb son when he'd fall asleep in the livingroom. Now he's 64 lbs and I can still carry him to bed. Yes, his feet may dangle over my knees, but I can still pick him up. Yay!

The weather's suppose to be cooler, only 90°F today but I still look like someone's tossed me into a pool. No, not cool and refreshed. Just wet. Pulldowns, alternating dumbbell curls, lower back extensions, torso twists, twisting situps, lower ab kickouts, reverse grip barbell rows. Time for stretching and then I gotta go. The schoolbus has been arriving earlier than anticipated although with my luck, I'll get there early and it'll be late. The scale reads 106 even. It must be the combination of breakfast and the extra protein shake I've been inhaling each afternoon. Or, I'm getting my period...

The Summer Solstice was Yesterday?

For years I thought that the solstices fell on the 21st day of June and December. Apparently that's changed because even though today is the first day of summer, yesterday was the longest day. Or the hottest. I know it's been hotter, but it was hard to put my hoodie on over my gym clothes this morning. I did anyway. Didn't zip it up until I got on the cardio machine though. 45 min gives me 5.08 miles and I'm drenched.

Why do I wear the hoodies? One, because I'm usually cold when I first start out in the gym, and two, and this is probably closer to the truth, I like pulling the hoodie down over my eyes because I "run" with my eyes closed. And apparently, as B has told me, I have a big grin on my face.

"How can you be smiling going that fast?" she wants to know. But I can't imagine not because it feels so good. It's a weird kind of pleasure, not quite the breathlessness where your lungs ache. Sometimes I lip-synch along with my iPod. That'll definitely take your breath away! If I were a "hat" person, I'd have a baseball cap with the visor pulled down over my eyes. And third, the hoodie keeps my sopping wet hair from flopping all over the place and spraying innocent bystanders. (I've been having to wipe down all my stations with the paper towels and bleach solution the gym kindly places in strategic places.)

My shoulder is sore but I haven't changed my routine so that's puzzling. Muscles don't suddenly develop soreness for no reason. Aw hell, I decide to bench heavy today and get almost 3 sets of 12 reps at 135 lbs. On the last set I falter at 10 reps so to compensate, and because I'm disappointed in myself, I pyramid sets down without resting. Then off to do abs or cage stretching (and side-kicks) before I come back for the delts. Twisting situps and lower ab kick outs are so routine now that I lose count as soon as I hit 100. At the cage I realize that I'm knocking against it when I dip to do high side kicks. Hadn't noticed because I'd been too focused on hitting my targets (points on the cage) with my heel instead of the side of my foot. Gosh I'm such an idiot sometimes.

Not brave enough today to up my weights doing delts. 15 lb dumbbells for 3 sets of front raises, 6 sets of lateral raises and 6 sets of seated rear inclined raises. And I'm wearing braces on both elbows. At first I have the area to myself but soon the floor is inundated with gangly high school boys who really really have no idea what they're doing. Well, maybe the one or two jocks do, but the rest of them would be better off watching Schwarzenegger's Pumping Iron.

Tricep extensions ends my workout. I do a set with 15 lbs but I can get 20 reps. With my left arm (the weak arm). So I do another 2 sets with the 20 lb dumbbells. That's much harder, and my wrists aren't at all happy. I'm done. Just enough time to stretch out, shower and change. The scale works today and it reads 106.2 lbs. That feels right. I've actually been eating instant oatmeal for breakfast, and an extra protein shake when I get home. It's a great way to use spotty bananas! I'm looking to see a little increase in size somewhere (not my waist!) so I guess I'll just have to see what develops!

Heat Wave Wednesday

You know it's hot outside when the gym actually feels comfortably cool when you enter from the parking lot. Still, I had my hoodie on and was ready for Leg Day. Well, not really ready ready. I'm still feeling sluggish, and when I got dressed this morning, I looked down and thought my belly looked a bit bloated. If I wasn't 52 years old, I'd think I was ovulating or something. Or maybe I am. I have to admit that I always felt pretty good during the actual menstrual cycle, unless I had cramps, which wasn't that often.

45 min of cardio gives me 5.02 miles and since it's Leg Day, I opt to do another 20 minutes of intervals which gives me an additional 2.29 miles so that's 7.31 miles. Okay, I feel pretty good now and I take my drippy sweaty self to the stretch cage and do a bunch of side-kicks and calf stretches. 3 sets of seated leg curls for hamstrings (15 reps at 75 lbs) and then to the Smith machine for Squats. I do 6 sets of 15 reps at 95 lbs and I can't stop sweating even though I've stripped off the sopping hoodie and have drunk half my water already. Afterwards, I put my elbow braces on, set up a plastic step under the bar and do 6 sets of Deadlifts (12 reps at 95 lbs). I'm so tired afterwards I manage to only do 1 pistol squat just to see if I can still do them. I can but my quads (thighs) are complaining. I still need to do abs and stretch and shower before rushing off to meet the school bus!

Since the school doesn't have a/c, I'm kinda glad it's a half day. We don't have a/c either, but a system of fans that keeps our house at a reasonable temperature. I sigh. The gym scale needs a new battery so I have no idea what I weigh, and the ladies are all outside chatting with the saleswoman selling some sort of Age Defying Elixir. I weigh myself when I get home but that's not altogether all that accurate since the home scale tends to weigh lower. It reads 104.8 lbs and I know it's lying but I don't care. I read Gina Kolata's article in yesterday's NYT and laugh because now Exercise Addicted Scientist also claim that they exercise because it feels good. Well, duh!

It's a Beautiful Sunny Friday and I'm Where?

You can tell us "gym rats" because we scurry toward the badly lit areas on a bright gorgeous sunny day. Yes, we go to the gym. Like we always do. Because it's Friday. No excuses needed!

It's Friday and I've gotten used to scarfing down the packet of instant oatmeal with my instant coffee before I head off to sweaty bliss. My butt's a bit sore from yesterday and the hamstrings are stiff, but nothing that a good bout of cardio won't fix. Seriously. If you're sore and achy, go DO SOMETHING PHYSICAL. Get the blood moving and your recovery time will be greatly improved. I spaced out while keying the input so only did 40 minutes on the elliptical for 4.44 miles. It felt good anyway so I'm satisfied.

Fighting the urge to do Big Movements (chest/back/legs), I did 6 sets of close grip bench presses to work triceps. The further apart your hands are, the more you work chest (pectorals). I wore both my Golfer Elbow braces for the 3 sets at 85 lbs because I could feel my forearms twinging. Can't imagine enough exercises to justify just doing arms (and abs) today so I toss in shoulders as well. I love doing shoulders because it's so damn rewarding! There's nothing to boost the ego more than glancing in the mirror at nicely defined delts, especially now that summer's here and it's tank top weather.

Resisting the urge to up my weights, I stick with my 15 lb dumbbells and do lateral raises (6 sets), front raises (3 sets because benching also works front delts), and finally, seated inclined rear raises (6 sets at 15 reps). I do 3 sets of light (30 lbs) barbell upright rows but the left forearm is complaining, even with the elbow brace. Back to triceps. 3 sets of one arm dumbbell extensions with 20 lbs. Be careful not to clock yourself in the back of the head when doing this!

I alternate with sets of seated alternating dumbbell curls for biceps. The right forearm gets a nerve zing so I have to loosen that brace slightly. All this movement will cause your arm muscles to engorge with blood. It's a good thing, and it's very temporary. I still can't find the angled press down bar (the straight bar hurts my wrists and forearms) so I opt to do sets of 25 reps of French presses: lay on a bench with a light EZ curl bar (15 lbs), keep arms straight up, bend at elbows so that bar comes slowly down to your forehead (pronated grip). Again, don't clock yourself in the head doing this! For biceps, I do 3 sets of 21s. Yup, as its name suggests, the exercise is based on 21 reps per set: 7 reps of full curls with a light bar (I use a 30 lb barbell), then 7 reps of half reps going from shoulder to chest, then the remainder 7 reps going from belly to hip. It's killer! But hell, you'll have nice arms!

The scale reads 106.0. Must'a been those glasses of Barefoot moscato wine I had last night. I know wine doesn't keep and I used half the bottle to poach the remainder salmon. I'm not a dry white drinker (it gives me massive heartburn) but sweet whites are okay. I toss leftover sour cream into the poaching liquid and add mustard to make a sauce for the salmon. It was nice. I've got cod for tonight, and my son made me promise to make chicken & noodles (soup) this weekend. Like I keep saying, Work out like a Demon and eat like a... Civilized Human Being!

The Tuesday After...

I went to the Bronx Zoo yesterday with my son's first grade class and it was a lot of fun. Not only was it a blisteringly hot day with enough clouds to threaten rain, but several other schools were on their annual outing as well. Still, it was fun and we got to ride the Monorail, visit the Reptile House, see tigers, peacocks, camels, assorted rodents and experience the Butterfly House (not quite as personal as Rainbow's End Butterfly Farm) with its huge variety of beautiful fluttering wings.

As I loaded my gym bag into the car, I kept thinking about how much I didn't really feel like working out. Three days of being a slug was starting to feel attractive. Nevertheless, with everything set on auto-pilot, I drive the familiar route to the gym, stow my stuff in a locker and get my iPod plugged in. Nothing like a routine to force you to do the things you should.

45 min later, I've got 4.91 miles, a soaked hoodie and I'm eyeing the vacant Smith machine. I only get 11 reps at 135 lbs, basically because I start to doubt myself on the 10th rep. I get 3 sets, always faltering at the 11th rep. I've gotta stop playing mind games with myself. The ab stations are full so I go stretch and throw out side kicks at the stretch cage, then come back to the weight area to do shoulders: delts. Standard 3 front dumbbell raises supersetting with lateral raises. I really need to either add weight or something. 15 lbs is getting too easy and I'm not sure I really want to do more than 15 reps per set. I do 3 more sets of lateral raises then 5 sets of rear inclined seated raises. Yup. I've got to up the weights or something.

After abs, I go back and do Declines benching but only get 2 sets of 12 reps at 95 lbs. My elbows are sore and I've been sporting the Golfer Elbow brace like a big mourning band. But since everything else I'm wearing is black, well, I figure it just sort of blends right in. I don't do triceps, toying with the idea of doing pushups later on, but I don't do those either.

I'm thinking tomorrow I'll do Back and Legs on Thurs, and perhaps see how an Arm Day (bi's and tri's) feels for Friday. It's not a routine I'm used to but this is a short week and if you're feeling bored, the best thing to do is to change the routine. The scale reads 107.2 which is what I expected. I psyche myself to go to the local Marshall's because I really need to get some inexpensive gym clothes that fit. My sport bras are all too big now so I'm afraid to bend over! I like my pants loose but apparently that's not how sport pants are suppose to fit. Que sera...

Some people think I don't eat which is so not true. Some people think I eat like a hog all the time and never put on weight, which is also soooo not true. The whole point is to change your lifestyle to include enough exercise (cardio to burn calories and hopefully fat, weight lifting to build muscle to increase strength, and metabolism) so that you can eat like a human being (and not a rabbit) and still maintain an attractive size. That means eating in moderation most of the time. It's not a diet. It's a way of life so it has to be "sustainable". Everything else is fantasy.

Backs and Fronts

Today I did something out of the norm: I ate before I went to the gym! About 2 hrs before my workout, I scooped up a cup of steel cut oatmeal that'd been in the rice cooker overnight and ate it with a spoonful of White Oak Apiary local honey. I've got to adjust the water to oat ratio better as this was a 4:1 as per stove top cooking directions, and the results were a tad gummy but otherwise palatable. I had my instant Starbucks coffee at 7:30 with a spoon of raw sugar and some "fat-free" half 'n half. Then off to the races...

At least the delts look good.

Well, I was definitely slower today on the cardio: 45 min got me as far as 4.89 miles which is below what'd I'd been doing all winter. I didn't feel slower, I just was slower. But I worked up a good sweat and my elbow didn't bother me too much so I got through rows, pull downs, reverse grip barbell rows and a cursory 3 sets of dumbbell curls. I figure if I do 3 sets of rows for 15 reps at 90 lbs and then another 3 sets for only 6-8 reps at 105 lbs, maybe my back will respond with a little size. But at least I'll get stronger!

My abs were definitely uncomfortable laying in bed this morning, so I took that as a sign to continue doing those inclined sit ups: 4 sets of 25 reps with a 10 lb plate held to my chest. I still did a set of twisting situps (about 125 reps) and lower ab kickouts (again, about 125 reps) and a set on the torso twist. I can do 25 reps on each side at 50 lbs so I'm tempted to up the weight, but I don't really want big beefy external obliques. I think they're big enough. It's the center (rectus abdominus) that need help, hence the addition of weighted situps. 

Hey the diagram shows a navel! Cool!

I'm not tired as I head to the showers. I've just run out of things to do here. Again. Normally I'd do at least another two exercises for biceps (21s and either concentration curls or seated incline dumbbell), but now I've got the name of a sports doc (chiropractor) in my town who everyone at the gym swears by, so I'll have to check him out and see if he can't help fix my elbow. The scale reads 106.8 then bounces to 107, then back to 106.8. Two out of three takes it so it's 106.8.Whatever. It's just a number I'm writing on my calendar when I get home.

Equilibrium

I got to the gym and B was already on the cross-trainer. I haven't seen her since she wrecked two of her wheels hitting a pothole on the main road around here. B likes to talk and since I hadn't seen her since last Thursday, I felt obligated to listen, which meant my iPod was on low, and I wasn't going very fast on my 30 minute cardio trek. Finally L came by to chat, and she and B went off to a different cardio station. That left me less than 20 minutes to make up for lost pacing and mileage. Crank up Titanium (Bulletproof) and I'm off to the races and finish my cardio with a respectable 3.15 miles.

It's bloody hot outside and I'm thankful that the gym has good air conditioning and I can wear my hoodie until it's drenched. It's so hot that I'm having doubts about going to kickboxing tonight. I don't think slow-motion ceiling fans and open windows are enough. Today is a Pull Day, a back and biceps day. I do rows and pull-downs, biceps curls, reverse grip barbell rows and the infamous 21s. I skip the close grip pull-downs since my right inside elbow is still tender. Doing chin-ups yesterday on my husband's newly installed chin-up bar probably didn't help at all. But I wanted to see if it had a small enough grip and was positioned narrow enough for me to do pull-ups and chin-ups. It is. I'm pleased.

My husband said, "You make it look so easy."
"What are you talking about? I could only get 6 of each type."
"Yes, but you just pulled yourself straight up and down with your legs extended perfectly still. None of that wiggling and flailing and struggling to get yourself up the bar."
"Ahhh."

I don't tell him that wiggling makes the movement harder, and that all the pros at the gym (and on Ninja Warrior on G4TV) can pull themselves up with perfect control of the rest of their body. My husband is pretty strong, but he's also pretty big. And not in a good way. He needs to lose some weight. If he were lighter, he'd find it easier to do pull-ups and chin-ups. I think he ought to do more cardio but the treadmill is broken. I want to get him a treadmill for Father's Day or his birthday. He suggested something we could both use, so that makes the treadmill a cross-trainer elliptical instead.

He also mentions the Big Green Egg ceramic grill and I know he'd really rather have one of those than another piece of exercise equipment. Yes, we're both "foodies". He bought a meal plan book to go with his new workout system in our garage gym. It calls for a lot of small meals and foods we don't normally eat. I think he should just adjust his portion sizes down a bit and stop snacking instead. But it's hard to tell other people what to do. You can only suggest. And lead by example.

I get on the scale today and it reads the same 107.4 as yesterday. Wow, that doesn't usually happen. Of course, I don't usually have an ice cold beer with dinner either, but last night I did. I'm not worried. I remember weighing 107 in HS and thinking it was too much because I was still having trouble fitting into the size 5/6 dresses my mother insisted I wear. Of course dressmakers have let out their seams to make everyone feel better about themselves (so that 5/6 is probably now a 3/4). My clothes fit great now (I like them a bit loose). And cold ice cream on a hot day seems like the perfect dessert.

Let me scream "WaHoo!" quietly

I've resigned myself to weighing more on Mondays than on Fridays, and at 107.6 lbs I'm not disappointed. Although I've forgotten (and this is why it's good to write things down) that for the past 2 Mondays, I've weighed in at 108 even. So today's actually better!

 And it's getting even better. 30 minutes of cardio (after two days of being a spud) and I've got 3.27 miles down. I'm warmed up and the Smith Machine is free so I get adventurous, toss caution to the wind and decided to lift what I can lift. Which basically means, do a warm up set or two, then toss 45 lbs on each end of the bar and see if I can't get more than 8 reps. I get 12! That's a full set. I get 3 sets (the last 2 reps were kinda breathless but they still count). I'm ecstatic! That's 135lbs! WaHoo!

Above is an image I pulled off the internet from ShapeFit.com showing bench pressing with a Smith machine. For a different video and description of this exercise go to this link at bodybuilding.com.

A few tips on bench pressing:

1. Make sure you are properly positioned so that your feet are flat on the floor, and your head and shoulders also lay flat on the bench. Do not raise your head or shoulders during this exercise! If the bench is too high off the ground, lay 25 or 35 lbs weights flat on the ground under your feet to give you a level base.
2. Make sure your arms are spaced shoulder's width apart and that you have a comfortable grip on the bar. Use gloves or neoprene grips for better control.
3. Remember to breathe! Exhale as you push the weight up, and inhale as you control the bar's descent. Count out loud if possible to help focus. 

Abs and shoulders (delts) come next with 3 of front dumbbell raises, supersetting with 3 sets of lateral raises. Then 3 sets of lateral raises solo. Then 6 sets of inclined bench rear delt raises. My shoulders are kind of tired now, but the Decline Bench is open so I hop on that to do a few sets. I'm not expecting much though since the shoulder muscles do play a role in supporting the bar as you raise it up over your chest. I get a few sets in, maxing out at a wispy 95 lbs and call it quits when the guys next to me turn on the floor fan. The blast of cool air is distracting and I'm too annoyed to do anything except leave the station.

Instead, I go and do more abs, then triceps, and finally, my stretch routine as a cool down. I'm parched. 1.5 liters sometimes doesn't last past triceps and I'm wondering how to put on a little more size, i.e., what and when to eat more. I'd like to get stronger, maybe a tad bigger. Definitely more defined. As always, there's more research to be done!

When Numbers Lose Their Magic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just how much does 1.5 liters weigh?

The weight reading changes depending on where I put my home scale, always nudging itself lower and lower. This is silly. I'm just going to rely on the gym scale, and it gives me a higher reading (oooh, a whopping 106.6 lbs). Of course my friend B's complaint that I've just sucked down 1.5 liters of water during my workout echoes in the back of my mind so I have to find out exactly what that translates into weight-wise. Turns out it's not an insignificant 3.3 lbs. Point to B. On the other hand, what difference does it make since it's all relative, and I've been weighing myself this way since I started in March 2011.

I got up this morning and did a chest/delt/tricep workout. But I always always start out with cardio to warm up and get all the stiffness (kinks) out of my system. The gym's virtually empty, at least until the Zumba class lets out. Then the din and cackling is so loud I have to crank up my iPod just to hear myself count. I'm still only pushing 85% on the Smith machine today (115 lbs instead of 135). Then shoulders.

I just love doing delts because I can actually see all the muscles flexing in the badly lit mirrors. It's very satisfying to be able to say "I wanted shoulders and I got shoulders."

Non Sequitur Note: I remember Gladys Portugues way back in the 80s, and how Brian Moss (Better Bodies Gym) taught her to hold her dumbbells as if she were pouring pitchers of water. He's actually uploaded onto YouTube an old VHS tape made in 1982. I've attached the link here. And there's quite a few websites and blogs with images and videos from Better Bodies. This one is particularly good: http://80smuscle.blogspot.com/2011/06/brian-moss-muscle-opera.html

Brian Moss                               Gladys Portugues

Then I see that the Decline bench is vacant and I do a half dozen sets there although I normally do heavy (Smith) and decline on different days. It'll make up for a paltry tricep workout since I'm skipping tricep press downs today. There's something about some of the creepier guys at the gym which makes me get creative and substitute exercises so I can avoid a station. Not that I think I'm in any danger. They're just creepy.

My legs were a bit sore from yesterday but not where I expected. Lower quads, or the muscles just over my knees seemed to have suffered the brunt of yesterday's exuberance. Hamstrings? If I contract them, I can feel a little soreness. And my butt's (glutes) always seem sore during the week. But soreness doesn't mean growth because my hip measurement's shrinking.

I know I should do lunges and squats for hamstrings, but that'll wreak havoc with my knees. I need to do more research. Meanwhile, I'm amused by the NYT article today about Boomers solving their midlife angst with skateboards!