Look Better Naked

A quick photo before
I leave for the gym

Looking better naked is one of the hooks that nerdfitness.com uses to lure people to visit its site. Looking good in clothes is great, but honestly, who doesn't want to look better naked, if only for our own smug sense of satisfaction? Working out hard has its rewards, one being body parts not currently being exercised still look good. It'd be a shame if the only body part that looked good was the arms on arm day, or legs on leg day. We'd either never leave the gym, or get out of bed!

Day-glo shorts!

Today is Leg Day and I'm not at all concerned about how my legs look. I toy with my day-glo socks this morning but decide that comfort outweighs flash so I put on my dull, seamless-toe, navy blue, Land's End trouser socks instead. I'm able to make both my quotas on the elliptical machine which makes me happy in spite of the intermittent abdominal stitch, numb toes and fingers and oddly achy knee. The Manchurian is using the Smith machine so I opt to Cage Stretch & Kick instead. He's not really manchurian; I just call him that because he looks like Ming the Merciless from Flash Gordon. One-legged Pistol Squats are saved for later since I don't want to get too tired. I know SLDL (Stiff-legged dead lifts) are going to suck because I worked back yesterday. And I'm not wrong. After each set of dead lifts, I'm panting so hard that I have to stand with my head against the rack post for a few moments before I can regain my composure. I stretch my forearms after each set as well because both the Squat and Dead Lift seem to put stress on my elbows even though they're leg exercises.

I spy Mo at the other end of the gym but I'm not inclined to break my routine to say Hi so I don't. I note Nixon, Loud Mouth, ZZ and a few others, but no Mayor. M shows up later dressed in a uniform. He's a retired cop so I assume he's just coming off a security job. I see R at the next bench over. He's not usually here this early so after I've caught my breath from the SLDLs, I wander over to say Hi and see how he's doing. He's doing light standing leg presses interspersed with DB lunges. I've never ever seen him do legs before! Three spine shots of anti-inflammatory meds, lots of physical therapy and he's doing okay but he still hurts all over, especially his knees when it rains. He tells me it's going to be like that forever, the best it's ever going to be. He's had to ease off from full intensity workouts. I tell him that if he wants to live forever he needs to take care of himself. I know Ranger Rick and Nixon are both watching our conversation from across the weight area. Then I ask R if he's added any new ink. His guy is at his other shop in Spain for the next 6 months so he'll just have to be patient and wait. Good things are worth waiting for, and I agree with him.

Over 700 calories burned! Cool!

I don't want to do my Pistol Squats right there in the Smith Rack so I wander back to the Cage Stretch Rack but Skinny Mustache is busy rearranging a bench there. As a last resort, I peek into the room where classes are normally held. It's empty except for J (who sometimes works the front desk) and a friend. They're busy doing odd jumping calisthenics and the chilly, mirrored room is big enough so that I can do my Pistols in the corner without feeling self conscious. Ranger Rick appears at the door and he stands there talking with an older skinny man I've never seen before. Later, at Mat Stretch, I see Ranger Rick and R chatting. My sister tells me that men are as bad as old hens with gossip, and I can only wonder.

Today's Leg Day Workout:
35 min hill #5 = 4.07 miles + 35 min intervals #7 = 4.49 miles  Grand Total = 8.56 miles Wahoo!
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Smith Rack Squats: 12 @ bar (butt to heel) / 12 @ 95 lbs  (thighs parallel to floor) / 12 @ 115 / 12 @ 135 / 3 x 12 @ 155 lbs
The last 3 sets are godawful heavy and my left elbow twinges painfully. I have to strip off my sopping wet hoodie and put my elbow braces on before doing dead lifts.
Smith Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 95 lbs / 6 x 12 @ 115 lbs
After each set, I'm panting so hard that I momentarily stand with my head pressed against the post and my eyes closed. I stretch my forearms. Time for another set!
Alternating Pistol Squats: 12 each leg
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Seated Leg Curl: 3 x 12 @ 105 lbs
This is a popular machine and I don't want to sit on it too long so I only do 3 sets.
Seated Leg Extensions: 6 x 12 @ 75 lbs
Mat Stretch: horizontal split is a skosh better than yesterday; vertical split feels okay today. I've hardly had any back spasms or knots since I started incorporating back stretches in this routine so I'm quite happy.

The scale surprises me with 108.2 lbs because I'm so used to seeing the number over 110 lately. I'm also so hungry that I'm reconsidering putting the egg back in my breakfast oatmeal. I woke up hungry. And I'm hungry again! My home scale reads 106.4 lbs but tells me oddly that my body fat is up slightly, and my bones are lighter (4.4 lbs from 4.6 lbs). Luckily, I don't really believe any of that because that's just silly.

I discovered a lovely tiny spider web on the deck a few days ago. Perhaps an orb-weaver or garden spider. But certainly not a wolf spider or common jumping spider, of which we have plenty. The day is cool and sunny and my snow peas have finally sprouted in the garden. I planted zucchinis as well, but more for their beautiful, edible blossoms than actual squash themselves. We like to eat them stuffed with goat cheese. My son actually just prefers the flowers with strips of American cheese instead. Wild caught salmon is on sale at the supermarket so I have errands to run today while I can. Tomorrow's going to rain. Again!

New Term: De-Load

This unitard reminds
me of my grandma's
long line girdle!

I like to scan a few other websites (nerdfitness.com and marksdailyapple.com) and belong to two other weight lifting forums because I can get feedback and information there that I can't get at my gym. Actually I've never really tried to get any lifting information other than the occasional chat with R because he's a personal trainer for semi-pro football and hockey players. And once M backed me when B and I had a disagreement over lifting heavy. But I'm not the only one who posts daily lifting stats and I've learned a lot from reading logs on muscleandstrength.com. Not as much on bodybuilding.com but both sites have lively discussions. Last week I learned a new term: de-load. It basically means take a week off from working out. I'm thinking maybe I'll take this Monday off since it's Memorial Day and the gym'll probably be packed with one-a-year members trying to work off all those hotdogs, burgers and beer. It'll be good for my elbows, although bad for my waistline.

Broken robin egg

It's a good day when I can tell myself I saw or learned something new. This morning, while I was walking the dog, I spied a tiny patch of beautiful blue in the grass and dead leaves. It was two halves of a robin's egg. The shell was a bit soft and rubbery so I wonder if the nestling hatched or if the egg was stolen and consumed, perhaps by a possum or raccoon. I've only ever seen robin eggs in photos so to see one in actuality was quite a treat even though I'm sure there's a robin's nest at the top of the red maple outside my front door. Today won't completely suck, I tell myself because after all, this is something special. And a lot nicer than the snakes and frogs I find freshly squished on the road, tire treads still visible.

Today's 2nd Push Day
35 min cardio #5 = 4.03 miles Yippee!
The gym is eerily empty this morning (except for the screams emanating from Zumba class) and I'm really happy that I have the weights all to myself.
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ 95 / 10 @ 115 / 8 @ 135 / 3 x 7 @ 155 / 12 @ 135 / 25 @ 115 lbs
Both elbows and right shoulder are achy today so I'm cautious about lifting but the more I press, the better the joints feel. 
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Seated Rear Inclined DB Raises (my right front delt twinges for the first two reps but settles down):
6 x 20 @ 25 lbs
I know 20 reps is ridiculous but I don't think my shoulders can make the jump to 30 lb DB so next week I can try affixing those 2.5 lb magnetic discs and see how that feels. Afterwards, I notice tightness on the left side of my neck and trapezius. Damn, I've developed a knot deep inside the trap muscle. I'll need my husband to press it out with his thumb. It's excruciating, but worth it to get rid of.
Lateral DB Raises: 3 x 15 @ 20 lbs
Lateral DB Raises SS w One-Arm Tricep Extensions: 3 x 15 @ 20 lbs (yep, this is getting aerobic)
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Just as I move to the other side of the bench, I see PJ Pants sitting across from me. I ignore him even though I think he's secretly getting off watching me do Lower Ab Kick Outs. He's a creepy middle-aged guy and I avoid him and a few others like the proverbial plague.
Lower Ab Kick Outs: 100
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Tricep Kick Backs (I don't really like this exercise but I'm looking for something that doesn't stress my elbow so I use a really light weight): 3 x 12 @ 15 lbs
As I straighten my arm back, I can feel how sore my triceps are and see the muscles move up my arm and the front delt wiggle as well. Okay, this exercise isn't soooo bad. 
Mat Stretch

Regulars seem to have taken the morning off but all show up by noon. Ranger Rick has chatted up a lovely tall blonde woman who's only been coming to the gym for a few weeks now. Eagle Eye, Nixon, Hoodie Tattoo, ZZ, Skinny J are interspersed among newer faces, not all of them High School boys. I guess Spring is here and with that, body-revealing clothes. I wave Hi to R and he nods back. Sometimes I think the weirdness is all in my head, but I can't help the fact that I'm just not a friendly person. I struggle to remember to smile at people I know when I'm in the midst of something because my inclination is to completely ignore them. Not that I mind working out in the middle of a bunch of guys. Actually I prefer it, as long as they're not in my way, because I'm fairly (although not 100%) certain that they won't drop the weight on me or otherwise do something stupid. I don't mind the few women in the weight area, but most of them are so timid that I find them perplexing. And they tend to clump right in front of the racks which makes it impossible to get to.

The gym scale is not kind and reads 110.0 lbs. My only solace is discovering, quite by accident, the feel of fuller leg biceps. My legs have always been lopsided: big quads in front, no visible hamstrings or leg biceps in back. Finally they're taking on a more balanced appearance and I find that quite exhilarating. Of course, I still want to be able to wear all my candy-colored Gap khakis so I have to be careful with where I put on size. I wonder what would happen if I just did cardio and stretching for a week and skipped the weights. I don't even know if I'd be able to do that because I'm so compulsive, and truthfully, lifting weights feels really good to me.

I love benching!

I started looking at the E-books provided by the muscle website looking to buy my before and after photos. It's 3 huge PDFs written by a guy who wants to be the next P90x. I just skimmed a few pages and then copied it onto a thumb drive for my husband to look at. It claims to forever change your life in a mere 45 days as long as you do exactly what he says. Hell, I can't do that. Not even for a mere 45 days, because I don't work out every day, and there's no way I'm eating 5-6 meals a day or giving up adult beverages (on weekends only). All his examples are big buff guys looking to hook up with skinny cheerleaders so I'm not even his target audience. Honestly, I don't know why he even approached me. Just one more day, a Pull Day, and then a long weekend. I'm looking forward to De-Loading. At least for a day.

The Magic Word is Persistence

The Google news top health story caught my eye because of it's sheer inanity. Sadly, it's probably true -- women, envious of Michelle Obama's toned arms are opting for liposuction to suck away all that excess fat and flab. Of course, if you have flabby, undeveloped muscles under all that dingle dangle, you're still not going to have that coveted "toned" look. But you will have scars. And possibly complications. And the fat will eventually come back. It's unlikely that if you have fat arms, that the rest of you is skinny. Unlikely, but not impossible. I suppose that's not relevant if you're wearing a nice loose tank top...

Or you could just exercise, and not eat a lot of crap. Hmmm. That would be too simple, and take too long. People don't seem to have the ability to focus on long-term goals anymore. Not without chatting with all their friends, making everything a fun group activity, a class, a party. Perhaps as much as we've aged (hell, I'm 53 and it's still shocking to me!), we haven't actually grown up out of high school. At least mentally. 

This week's post on nerdfitness.com was especially relevant because it focused on the number one trait determining success. Steve (Kamb) calls it "grit" as in true grit, not as in "Kiss my grits." It's that nose-to-the-grindstone attitude that marks us as unsociable, unfriendly, determined, directed or just plain "too intense." Perhaps it's something learned in childhood when you're not the popular kid with a lot of friends and toys, but the weird kid off by him/herself tracking the progress of inchworms, or examining light as it refracts through water. It's also an indifference to what the rest of the world thinks, what's new and what's trendy. People are easily distracted with shiny new things that may or may not work. It's just new and shiny. I like the basics. I like simplicity. I do basic exercises. I don't have a lot of variety (I don't really need it). Yep, I'm a weenie-nerd.

Today's Pull Day Workout:
35 min cardio = 4.07 miles Yay!
I'm gratified to read in the NYT that research has now shown cool downs to be a waste of time. I peddle through the elliptical "cool down" as fast or faster than the previous 30 minutes without any issues. I'm generally not very sore the next day either. 
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 lbs / 10 @ 105 / 8 @ 120 / 3 x 6 @ 135 lbs
The last sets are heavy and not pretty, but I can control the weights enough to set them gently down when I finish each set. There's nothing I hate more than someone slamming the weights down at the end of each set. It's sloppy and shows a lack of control. 
Pull Ups at Smith Rack: 12+3 (legs curled to chest) / 12 (legs straight out)
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Pull Ups at Smith Rack: 12 (legs curled to chest) / 10+2 (legs straight out)
Reverse Grip BB Rows: 15 @ 90 lbs / 6 x 12 @ 95 lbs
The first set feels heavy but it gets easier as I warm up and I'm reluctant to end at 6 sets.
Seated Alternating DB Curls: 12, 10, 10 @ 25 lbs
My left forearm is twinging a bit and I can't complete the sets. I'm sure the pull ups are wreaking havoc on my forearms but I don't want to give them up.
Pull Ups: 12+2 (legs curled to chest)
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Lower Ab Kickouts: 100
Not sure if my husband and I are making it to kickboxing tonight, so I don't want to work abs too hard.
BB Curls: 15 @ 40 lbs / 4 x 12 @ 45 lbs
I think these are key to my biceps suddenly looking so good!
Reverse Grip BB Curls: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs
These hurt like hell but I just grimace and pace like a cage tiger between sets.
Chin Ups (just to see if I can!): 12 (legs straight out)
I only do one set because the Chin Ups hurt my left forearm worse than Pull Ups do.
Mat Stretch

I see a lot of regulars now that the threat of summer is imminent. Summer means T-shirts, tank tops and shorts, and no place to hide except inside. I note that B's arms don't seem to have ever recovered from her time off last winter when she and her husband went on vacation. They've lost their tone and look soft, but perhaps that's what happens when you're a sunbathing 60 year old. M, the Mayor, 5 o'clock, Skinny Mustache, Tall Pace, PJ Pants, Skinny J, even R. Yep, they're all here today. I don't notice the women much but I'm not one to make eye contact with anyone I don't know, and even some I do know. I catch sight of V in my peripheral vision and quickly move to another corner of the gym. Later, as I'm leaving, I see V having coffee with another guy, and I wave quickly and exit before V can say anything to me. I've learned my lesson and won't invite conversation, not even a "How're you doing?" because, like a needy 4 year old, he'll impose himself on your politeness. I have a kid, and he's a million times more mature and polite than V.

The scale reads 110.0 lbs. Very reasonable. In the mirror, I look soft and smooth. I'm putting on weight but I don't think it's fat. At roughly 19% body fat, I'm at the low end for my age but nowhere near the 12-14% required to appear hard and chiseled (for a woman). I don't need to do that. But I admit that I enjoy getting proper respectful attention. I've joined a few online forums (muscleandstrength.com, and bodybuilding.com) just for advice and feedback. When you work out solo, it's nice to get positive comments without worrying whether they're trying to hit on you. I don't believe in crazy diets, and I don't really supplement, except for the Ensure® 25 gm high protein RTD after each workout because I do believe that muscles need to be fed high quality protein in order to grow and recuperate. It helps that the Ensure is lactose-free with a neutral taste and good mouth-feel.

My husband teases me that we ought to invent a contraption that puts paying clients into a coma that allows us to exercise their bodies for months, so that when they wake up, they'll have the hard bodies they want, but without any memory of having endured such grueling workouts. It's too bad I can't put persistence in a bottle and market it. I'd make a fortune.

Happy Earth Day

I ignore the fact that my cardio sucked today when I head over to the free weights. M is already on the Smith doing inclined benching so I warm up with 25 reps with just the bar (45 lbs) at a flat bench. Lucky me, M is stripping the bar at the Smith so it's all mine. Yay!

I saw B in the locker room so there's no chance she'll be interrupting me while I bench. Besides, now she's busy chatting so long with all her guy friends. I have to chant to myself what reps I'm doing at what weight so that I'll remember and not screw myself up.

Descending reps with increasing weight: 12, 10, 8, 6.... Jeez, I hope I can get 6 reps at my maximum today because I want to do 3 sets. I've also started jumping my weights in 20 lbs increments (a pair of 10s at a time). So that's a 25 lb plate, then three 10s on each side of the bar. My front right delt twinges slightly so I'm cautious. If I had a spot I might push harder than 6 reps but at the 6th rep I note that I can't quite descend as fully because I'm starting to tire. That's my cue as a solo flyer because you can't go to failure if you don't have a spotter to rescue you. And I'm done with asking for help for now.

Today's Total Workout: 
35 min cardio = 3.86 miles Bleah
Warm Up: 25 reps bar (45 lbs) on a flat bench
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ 95 / 10 @ 115 / 8 @ 135 / 3x6 @ 155 /
12 @ 135 / 15 @ 115 / 25 @ 95 lbs
Nerdfitness.com has a link to an article in Men's Journal (Nov 2010) about fitness and gym workouts. In it were references to a book by Mark Rippetoe called Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training. The article summarized an approach to strength gains and made the assertion that there's strength training, and then there's adding power, size and endurance and that each goal had it's own optimal number of reps. Yep, and here I am mixing it all up, going for the whole shebang!
Cage Stretch & Kicks
I see the gal who's making great progress now that she's lifting weights as well as doing cardio. I tell her that she looks great and to keep up the good work! She smiles as her partner grunts away at the cable station. Later he comes by to thank me for my kind words. "It's just what she needed to hear!" he tells me. "Well, I used to see her working out with another woman and honestly, it didn't look like she was getting anything out of it." "Yeah, she's finally listening to me! She's my wife!" and we both grin. I know how important it is to have someone give you a kind word out of the blue.
Seated Inclined Rear DB Raises: 6 x 15 @ 25 lbs
Lateral DB Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Lateral DB Raises SuperSet with One-Arm DB Tricep Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Tricep Press Downs (I can't find the angled handle that I like and use a larger one with rubber grips. It's really hard to hang on to and imprints my palm even though I'm wearing grips): 3 x 12 @ 50 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Lower Ab Kick Outs: 100
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Mat Stretch: this feels pretty good today. Afterwards, I swap my iPod, gloves, grips, elbow brace, and towel for my pink gloves and wail on the Nexersys station for 3 quick Try Me rounds. I'm getting better at it although I'm still punching "too hard".

The scale reads 110.8 lbs, exactly the same as last Monday. I probably drank too much beer over the weekend, having just discovered Blue Moon Tequila Ale. Damn, it's a whopping 175 calories, which still isn't as bad as the Angry Orchard's 200 per bottle. The Stella Artois feels downright dietetic at 125, not that I let things like calories get in the way of a sunny afternoon's enjoyment.

I finally see Mo again. She's been out for two weeks because she injured herself using exercise elastic bands. Good grief. She should just stick to basic barbell and dumbbell exercises. They're safer, and get great results. But I don't try to talk her into anything. That's not my nature. I'm off to Staples with a half dozen ancient printers and laptops that I'm bringing them to recycle. It's Earth Day after all!