Letting Go

My son and I are cut from the same cloth: we're both night owls, which means we're both going to have a terrible time adjusting to the new Middle School schedule. Classes start at 7:38!  Good grief! The local librarian tells me that this was set up so kids could get back in time to help their families with crop harvesting. Uh, news flash! Not many agro families around here that require the help of their school-age kids! I'd rather he sleep in later and get home later. Now I have to figure out a schedule for his afternoons. Busy kids are kids not getting into trouble.

Today I leave the house a bit late. It's 10:20 but my son is still asleep. I leave a note on the bathroom mirror telling him I'll be home around 1:30 pm. Yes, with time for travel, changing clothes and showering, it's about 3 hours.

I get on a totally different LifeFitness cross-trainer today. My right foot starts to tingle a little more than halfway through the 30 minute session. Before it's over, my left foot also starts to get numb. Ugh. I think I had a dream about buying those toe-spreading cushions just to see if they'll sort things out with my feet. My two pull up sets were bears. But I decided to add a few more push ups at the end. I didn't really have time for a full Mat Stretch, or to play with any iron. For now, doing enough cardio, core and body weight exercises are my priorities.

The Mat area is full and I keep on walking to the back of the gym where there's one large classroom. Luckily, it's empty and I can grab a small personal mat for crunches. I snap a few quick selfies in the mirrored room. The lighting is weird, and my image is distorted. I put on a few pounds this weekend, having drank too much at our lake association BBQ Saturday night, and subsequent foray to the awesome Big W's Roadside BBQ joint on Sunday. Followed by dessert at PeachWave. Yes, I'm pretty relieved that the scale only reads 111.6 lbs this afternoon! But I'd be happier if it was back at 108.

At some point I'll be strong enough to actually complete rep 41 on Hammer Grip Pull Ups. 31 reps is now my new minimum. I add a few push up variations that I suddenly remember: T-push ups, and Dand (Hindu) push ups. When I walk by the mirror, my triceps have a great pump. Guys are jealous. No, I'm kidding. Or not.

I see other middle-age women and I want to drag them off the machines where they're mindlessly flailing their limbs. I feel this way especially with women with such poor muscle tone that their arms are mere bones poking through flabby hanging flesh. And what would I do with them? I'd make them do push ups. Unless they had serious shoulder issues, I'd have them start with kneeling push ups. What's nice about push ups is that by changing the position of your hands, you can change the angle of the exercise, adjusting it to bypass shoulder, elbow and sometimes wrist issues.

Ladies don't seem to understand that shoulders and arms take work. Serious work, not just reps on a machine while staring into space. That's probably as effective as pushing a door close a few dozen times. Personally, I've been looking at a movement called the Cuban Press for shoulder work, but I haven't tried it out yet. Obviously, I'd have to use super-light DBs since I have a wonky right shoulder, but that's not a problem. Unless I'm forced to use those plastic pink Beauty Bells. Ugh.



Monday's Abbreviated Workout
6.1 miles total cardio

30 min X trainer
144 cal
3.55 miles
7.09 average speed

HGPU 36
Knee Ins 50
Push ups 100
Crunches 3 X 50
Bird Dog Planks 2 X 60 sec

30 min elliptical
Prgrm 1
288 cal
2.55 miles

Knee-ins 50
HGPU 40.5
T-push ups 25
Dand push ups 25

When Losing Count Is A Good Thing

My turkey balls simmering

I was mildly disappointed in the turkey meatballs I made last night. In spite of following the directions to a T, the meatballs seemed a bit bland. Even with an entire tablespoon of chopped garlic! I'm going to have to tweak this recipe because I prefer my own turkey meatballs... the ones with minced onions for texture that I pan-fry on the stove top.

I got up this morning not really feeling like a Gym Rat. Maybe it's the Spring post-nasal drip that's giving me a vaguely sore throat. Maybe it's the sudden drop in temp due to a brilliantly sunny arctic blast. But March is fraught with Early Dismissals and Spring Break, which means super abbreviated workouts, so I should get my full workouts in while I can.

My sciatica still aches at predictable moments, like when I'm driving, or worse, in the bathroom. I'm not killing myself doing cardio these days, so if I make over 6 miles, I'm good. My shoulders feel tired, which is my cue to do a slightly different routine today. I still do sets of pull ups, planks, and push ups. But I do some light Smith Incline Benching followed by light DB delt work. My reward is evident in the last set of pull ups, after my last 30 minutes on the elliptical. I lose track of my reps and am startled to suddenly find myself at 20. Then I do one more and drop down. Wow, that was easy!

Program 2 on the Precor always reminds me
of the Grand Tetons, or a pair of boobs...

I add a few light sets of DB Seated Shoulder Press even though they make my shoulders hurt at 20 lbs. The solution is to drop to 15 lbs so I can actually do a few sets. I still don't like this movement or any overhead pressing movement, but I'm careful to keep my reps and sets low. If I start to pump up, my right ear will feel congested from nerve impingement due to the overabundance of blood vessels in that area of my neck and shoulder. Not pleasant, and a little scary.

I try Tiger Push Ups one more time, and manage to get to 10, but I still don't think I'm doing them right. I don't feel them in my triceps like Diamond Push Ups. Instead, my front delts and core are getting killed. I'm not sure it's worth it. Tomorrow I'll probably try to pull heavier on the RG BB Row. But it all depends on how I feel.

Wednesday Workout
(6.33 miles total cardio; 15,676 lbs moved)

Elliptical Training

Steady State

Calorie :   144 CAL
Distance: 3.64 mile
Speed :    7.28 mph
Duration : 00:30:04

Hammer Grip Pull Up

190.4

Set 1 : 112x21

TorsoTwistMachine

91.67

Set 1 : 50x25
Set 2 : 50x25

Wide Hand Pushup

100

Set 1 : 100 Lap/Rep

Plank

Elbow/Straight

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

Wide Hand Pushup

100

Set 1 : 100 Lap/Rep

Plank

Side

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

Wide Hand Pushup

100

Set 1 : 100 Lap/Rep

Crunches

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 50 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 50 Lap/Rep

Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

112

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 70x12
Set 3 : 80x12
Set 4 : 50x25

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

30

Set 1 : 20x15
Set 2 : 20x15
Set 3 : 20x15 SuperSet with

Dumbbell Seated Bent Over Reverse Fly

33.33

Set 1 : 20x20
Set 2 : 20x20
Set 3 : 20x20

Dumbbell Seated Shoulder Press

25.33

Set 1 : 20x8
Set 2 : 15x12
Set 3 : 15x12

Hammer Grip Pull Up

190.4

Set 1 : 112x21

Elliptical Training

Prgm#2

Calorie :   292 CAL
Distance: 2.58 mile
Duration : 00:30:00

Hammer Grip Pull Up

190.4

Set 1 : 112x21

Seated Flat Bench Leg Pull In

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep

Tiger Pushup

10

Set 1 : 10 Lap/Rep

Working Through and Not Around

Even though Winter Storm Petros has passed, we're still reeling from the aftermath. There are downed trees everywhere, and several neighborhoods are still without power. Convoys of utility bucket trucks cruise the main roads. Our road was mostly spared, until late last night when I heard my generator kick on and all the clocks went dark. The power was still out this morning so no microwaving my hot water for instant coffee. No oatmeal and egg for breakfast. Because I try to keep the fridge closed during outtages, I don't even root around for my yogurt and maple syrup. I can light my propane gas stove with a match to get a kettle of water going. My son is bummed but because he's not distracted by his phone or the TV, he's actually dressed and ready for the school bus before the alarm goes off. Yes, I have timers on my cell phone for everything, from administering my eye drops, to getting my son up, to meeting the school bus later in the afternoon.

The itchiness on my neck has returned with a vengeance after I almost thought it was all clear. At some point I'll be forced to contact a dermatologist who will prescribe a cream that probably won't do anything. I'm always worried that it's something much much worse, like throat cancer that's manifesting itself as itchy skin. Well, at least my dog's not sniffing me nervously. My sciatica is a bit worse since Tuesday's kickboxing session. Moves like Knee-Ins are especially bad when you have an inflamed sciatic nerve.

I skipped yesterday's workout in favor of resting the sciatic nerve, and finalizing the Cub Scout program for my son's Blue & Gold Banquet. I also had an eye doc appointment where my pressures checked out phenomenally well at 12 and 14. The laser procedures are apparently working, which is good, because lately I've noticed a disturbing grayness in the center of my visual field. It's not noticeable all the time, but when I do notice it, well... I'm freaked out about already losing some of my vision, and there's nothing I can do about it except what I'm already doing, which is exercising and administering my eye drops religiously.

Today I get to the gym and again feel sluggish to start. Once I warm up though, I'm a different person. The pull ups have been hard on my hands lately. I only do 3 sets today, but they're sets of 21 reps. I'm not planning to bench, and put all my energy into push up reps. I knock out 3 sets of 100 rep sets, and I have to admit that that makes me happy. Planks are still a bit shaky since my right wrist and shoulder have been bothering me. I do crunches as well, and notice for the first time that the inside of my thighs flex when I curl up. I am wearing workout pants, but not my usual ones.

Because I'm not going to kill myself doing massive amounts of pull ups, I decide that a few RG BB Rows will be good for my back. I can tell that different muscles are in play with this movement. But today I stop short of going "heavy" because I want to put more energy into the DB Lateral Raises superset with DB Reverse Incline Flyes. I see Shaggy today, and he's got a new girl friend. Finally. I almost laugh out loud, but manage to just smile to myself.

I do Drag Curls and then another set of pull ups. You'd think this would make it much harder, but it doesn't because it's not biceps pulling up, but lats. It's hard to explain, or even teach. I'd like to teach my son how to do this, but he's not quite there yet. For my last 30 minutes of cardio, I do Intervals on the Precor. No backward pedaling, but I like the pacing. I also do most of my Mat Stretch even though there are parts that really aggravate my sciatica. The piriformis stretch at the end helps to remedy some of that discomfort. The scale hasn't budged from 111.2 lbs. Maybe it's the protein powder I'm drinking for lunch? It's a strength-building blend, so it's probably formulated to increase size and bulk. Not ideal for trying to drop some fluff. Oh well...

Friday Workout
(6.49 miles total cardio; 26,426 lbs moved)

Cross Trainer

Steady State

Calorie :   138 CAL
Distance: 3.81 mile
Speed :    7.61 mph
Duration : 00:30:00

Torso Twist Machine

91.67

Set 1 : 50x25
Set 2 : 50x25

Hammer Grip Pull Up

190.4

Set 1 : 112x21

Seated Flat Bench Leg Pull In

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep

Wide Hand Pushup

100

Set 1 : 100 Lap/Rep

Plank

Regular

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

Wide Hand Pushup

100

Set 1 : 100 Lap/Rep

Plank

Side

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

Wide Hand Pushup

100

Set 1 : 100 Lap/Rep

Crunches

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 50 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 50 Lap/Rep

Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

202.5

Set 1 : 55x25
Set 2 : 95x15
Set 3 : 115x15
Set 4 : 125x15
Set 5 : 135x15
Set 6 : 75x25

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

35

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12
Set 4 : 25x12
Set 5 : 25x12
Set 6 : 25x12 SuperSet with

Dumbbell Reverse Flyes

41.67

Set 1 : 20x20
Set 2 : 20x20
Set 3 : 20x20
Set 4 : 25x20
Set 5 : 25x20
Set 6 : 25x20

Barbell Drag Curl

75

Set 1 : 50x15
Set 2 : 50x15
Set 3 : 50x15

Hammer Grip Pull Up

190.4

Set 1 : 112x21

Elliptical Training

Intervals

Calorie :   306 CAL
Distance: 2.67 mile
Duration : 00:30:00

Hammer Grip Pull Up

190.4

Set 1 : 112x21

Take Progress Where You Can

My sciatica is acting up today, perhaps from the kickboxing yesterday, or maybe from not doing a "cool down" with cardio. It's raining and is forecast to rain until tomorrow afternoon. Good grief. At least it's not snow. I can't use the cross-trainer that I favor, the one with the lowest resistance setting so I get on the one next to it. It's harder to pedal so my mileage isn't as good. It also, eventually, makes half my right foot go numb. Oh well.

I do a set of pull ups afterwards, and use the Torso Twist machine just to loosen my hips. I have some stiffness in my left lower back, but it doesn't bother me as much as the sciatica today. There are a lot of guys at the Smith and MaxRack stations so I keep busy on the Mat. Just for fun, I decide to see how many push ups I can do. My first set is a warm up set because I know I can do more, but I don't want to burn myself out just yet. Then planks. Then push ups. More planks. More push ups. Oh, let's do some crunches! Then push ups to finish. Except I'm not really finished. This feels more like a warm up. Seriously. There's something very satisfying about being able to knock out 50 push ups and get up without even breathing hard. It's badass! Okay, I'm kidding.

The MaxRack is clear, although the last users leave things behind, like a cup of coffee (which is eventually retrieved) and portable mats (also later retrieved). Today I'm going to test how much I can pull while doing RG BB Rows. At light weights I just move the bar off the floor into the RG BB Row position. But at heavier weights, I do a Romanian Dead Lift and pull the bar straight up, then cautiously bend forward until I'm in a position to row. I can't row parallel to the ground... it's too hard on my lower back because I have a long torso and short limbs. My angle is probably closer to 60 degrees instead. Once I get past 100 lbs, I have to use my Versa Grips because my hands ache from holding the bar. I have tiny hands with bony little fingers. It wasn't that long ago that I was pulling 155 to 165 lbs on a free Oly bar, but there's no room to do that any more unless I go to the other end of the gym to the CF station. No thanks.

Because I went heavy on Monday, I only do 3 quick light sets of DB Lateral Raises super set with Bent Over Reverse Flyes. All the Inclined Benches have DBs on them as place holders. I'm not interested in getting into a conversation with whoever so I just do a slightly different exercise than the one I had planned. My training philosophy is to not ever do the same routine two days in a row. And if I've benched heavy on Monday, then I'll go for reps instead. I might see how I feel about benching heavy on Friday, but that's not set in stone.

Looking very soft these days

I do another two sets of pull ups and 30 more minutes of cardio. I'm not happy that my weight is inching upwards, but I suspect that's because I've not been as strict with my food as I should be. The gym scale reads 111.2 lbs today. I'd like it to be back down to 107-8. I still have a few weeks before the banquet weekend. And I've tried several of my dresses on. Even at this weight, they fit fine. I just need to learn how to walk in something other than boots...

Wednesday Workout
(6.13 miles total cardio; 26,691 lbs moved)

Cross Trainer

Steady State

Calorie :   130 CAL
Distance: 3.57 mile
Speed :    7.11 mph
Duration : 00:30:00

Hammer Grip Pull Up

190.4

Set 1 : 112x21

TorsoTwistMachine

Set 1 : 50x25
Set 2 : 50x25

Wide Hand Pushup

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep

Plank

Elbow/Straight

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

Wide Hand Pushup

100

Set 1 : 100 Lap/Rep

Plank

Side

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

Wide Hand Pushup

100

Set 1 : 100 Lap/Rep

Crunches

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 50 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 50 Lap/Rep

Wide Hand Pushup

75

Set 1 : 75 Lap/Rep

Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

203

Set 1 : 55x20
Set 2 : 75x15
Set 3 : 95x15
Set 4 : 105x15
Set 5 : 115x15
Set 6 : 125x15
Set 7 : 135x15
Set 8 : 145x12
Set 9 : 105x25

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

28

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12 SuperSet with

Dumbbell Seated Bent Over Reverse Fly

33.33

Set 1 : 20x20
Set 2 : 20x20
Set 3 : 20x20

Hammer Grip Pull Up

190.4

Set 1 : 112x21

Elliptical Training

Prgm#3

Calorie :   290 CAL
Distance: 2.56 mile
Duration : 00:30:00

Hammer Grip Pull Up

190.4

Set 1 : 112x21