Vertigo Workout

I was a tad late to the gym because I waited until after 9 am to call my primary care doc to see if I could get a same-day appointment. She's on vacation but apparently she has a doc covering some of her patients who is located in my town. My primary is located at the hospital in the next town over. And I can be seen at 11:45 am. Which doesn't leave me much time for a full workout, but I can get my cardio in, and maybe a few other quick moves.

Since I already know I'm not going to be doing anything that involves a rapid tilt of my head, I set up to do 5 miles straight. After the 5 minute warm up, I can't resist tossing in the 4 minutes of Tabata just to get my heart racing. It's a thrill. I use the manual settings on the Precor to vary the incline. It makes the session more interesting than steady state jogging on a level plane. My heart rate is all over the place again. I can't figure it out. After 5 miles, I do a quick Cage Stretch. I figure I ought to try doing pull ups again since I'm not doing Back at all today. No RG BB Rows. No time. And I don't want to bend down and fall over on my face. I like doing Pull Ups at the Cage because I can grab two parallel bars so my hands face each other. This is loads easier on my elbows and shoulders. Other pull up stations are set with the handles too far apart and the bars are so thick that I can't really get my hands around them. I have very small hands.

The Step Mills are occupied otherwise I'd be tempted to do 10 minutes there. Instead, I do a quick Mat Stretch that just involves touching my elbows to the floor with my legs a bit wider than shoulder-width, and then walking out to a push up position for planks. Again it's only 30 seconds regular plank, and then 30 seconds of knee to elbow plank. This time I count to 32 which gives me 16 per side. I just have time to shower and drive over to the doctor. The gym scale reads 111.4 lbs, probably because I've barely touched my water.

The doc tells me that since I have absolutely no symptoms of a bacterial infection (no discharge, no fever, no sore throat), it's most likely a viral labyrinthitis. There's no real treatment for it although sometimes medications are prescribed to alleviate the symptoms of dizziness and/or nausea. The doc suggest Antivert (meclizine) but I politely decline. I'm not a big med fan. I can, however, continue to take just two 30 mg tablets of pseudoephedrine a day until this clears up. He thinks it should be greatly alleviated by this weekend. An internet search reveals that this condition may last longer, and poses the risk of hearing damage. Sigh. Another familial condition. While both my parents had bad sinuses, my mom also suffered from vertigo and constant problems with her ears. My brother developed Meniere's disease a few years ago. It's characterized by severe vertigo, exacerbated by strong perfumes and scents. His docs wanted to severe the damaged nerves which would lead to complete hearing loss. Docs are always so ready to ruin your life. Instead, my brother treats his condition with super-strong antihistamines. So far it's working for him.

I also read that some believe the virus to be related to those that cause chickenpox, shingles and cold sores. Great. I've had chickenpox as a child. Didn't we all? And I've had shingles. And cold sores. So this is just the virus expressing itself somewhere else, causing different symptoms. Well, at least it's not serious. Unless I drop a weight on myself. Which is why I've decided to just to cardio and stuff that doesn't involve me lifting things over my head, or bending over. It's a good thing I like cardio now. Really. I do. I think tomorrow's a boxing day.

Vertigo Cardio Workout

5.01 miles = 56 minutes Precor with 4 min Tabata (20 sec On / 10 sec Off)

Cage Stretch with front and side stretch, BW calf dips and raises

Neutral Grip BW Pull Ups: 10, 10, 8

quick Mat Stretch with 30 sec regular plank; 30 sec knee-to-elbow plank (16 per side)

Vertigo Does Not Like Downward Dog

I still have vertigo. It's annoying. It didn't keep me from taking my son to a birthday party yesterday at ClubFit where he got to play nerf tag. Meanwhile, I used the postcard invitation to check out their cardio and weight equipment. My husband initially didn't want to come but when I told him it was a family pass and he could come with me to try out different equipment, he donned his sneakers with a big grin. I felt like a 9 year old flitting from elliptical to cross-trainer to stair-stepper. They definitely have a greater variety of cardio equipment, but an odd array of iron split between two floors. I got a couple of miles in before my husband and I decided to stretch out and cool down. He didn't want to get back to the gaming area completely sweaty. Having vertigo makes sit ups and crunches a bad idea. It's also very nasty when stretching into a Downward Dog. My son's hair was plastered to his head, and his cheeks were totally red. He gets that from me. When I'm flushed, I feel like the poster girl on the Mao communist propaganda wall art.

This is either an ear infection or allergies. I'm not sure what to think because this is the first time that I've woken up without having to blow my nose or clear gunk out my throat. It's probably all backed up in my sinuses and ear canals instead. Still, I go to the gym although it takes me longer than usual to get out the door. My head feels like I'm swimming through jelly so it's hard to get dressed. After my son boards the school bus, I'm moving in slow-mo to get through the day.

The first 2 miles of cardio doesn't really do much for me because I'm trying to keep my heart rate within range. It skyrockets and drops, ricochets without any discernible cause even as I keep a steady pace. I'm not even breathing hard. I'm certainly not sweaty either. The free weight area is oddly empty for a Monday. It's a Push Day and I'm hoping for the best. Benching just the bar is fine. 95 lbs is fine. But 115 lbs is a bit taxing. I do my 8 reps and I feel fairly strong. But every time I lay my head down on the bench, waves of disorienting vertigo hit me hard. I don't want to chance feeling as if the bench is moving while I have 115 lbs up over my chest and neck. I strip the bar back down to 95 lbs and do a 20-repper. And because I'm still fairly fresh having only done one set at 115 lbs, I knock out another 20-repper without issue.

There's no way I'm going to do Inclined BB Press feeling like this. I grab a pair of 20 lb DBs and figure I'll do a few sets of Inclined Flyes. Again, as I sit back and lay my head on the bench, I get a wave of dizzying motion. I'm not quite nauseous but it's not fun. I only do 3 sets. My right shoulder feels a little off. Standing up is better and I use the 20s for my DB Lateral Raises. There are several girls in front of the DB rack doing curls, lateral raises and other assorted movements with shiny beauty bells. I'm glad I'm standing on the other side of the squat rack. There are several college boys I've never seen before . One is doing BB Rows, first with the bar alone, then with a pair of 45s, then adding 10s. He's about 6 foot 6. I decide to skip the Bent Over Reverse Flyes because I don't think I can stand to have my head down.

Normally I'd finish the Push Day with Triceps but there's no way I'm going to attempt Rip Crushers or Tricep Press Downs or any movement that makes me move my head at a severe angle. Instead, I use the 20 lb DBs I already have to do some alternating twisting curls. Then I grab an EZ bar and toss a few plates on for BB curls. Finally, I use a solid straight BB for Reverse Grip Curls. Sit ups and crunches are out. I tried a few yesterday and Vertigo does not like that movement. The Torso Twist machine is okay. I hop back on a Precor and get my 3 miles. This time I'm a bit sweatier. My right ear feels really hot, and I've developed an odd knot in my right upper trap. I definitely need to do a Mat Stretch to address the knot.

I can do everything in my Mat Stretch, even bend over to touch the floor with my elbows, except bring my head down to touch my shins. That is the point where the vertigo kicks in. Well, it's better than when I started out this morning. I decide to keep the 30 second plank with 30 seconds of alternating knee to elbow moves. I count to 28 so that's 14 per side which is better than last time when I only got 10 per side. The gym scale reads 113.4 lbs which is less than I was expecting for a Monday. It makes me happy. What makes me unhappy is feeling as if I've been poured into my clothes. It's 80°F today and last summer's shorts are feeling decidedly tight. I don't like it.

I also have to figure out how I'm going to modify my program. Again. Apparently elementary school ends on June 26, a Thursday. And that entire week is early dismissal or half days. I'm not even sure what the point of school is at that point because it's only a 2.5 hr school day. Which means I need to create an abbreviated workout. I wonder if I cut out squats and SLDLs will my glutes get smaller? Hhmmm.

Vertigo Monday Workout

 Exercise Name

1RM

Lifting Logs

Elliptical Training

N/A

Calorie :   171 CAL
Distance: 2.03 mile
Speed :    --
Lap/Rep :  --
Duration : 00:23:00

Barbell Bench Press

158.33

Set 1 : 45x12
Set 2 : 95x12
Set 3 : 115x8
Set 4 : 95x20
Set 5 : 95x20

Dumbbell Incline Fly

28

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

28

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12
Set 4 : 20x12
Set 5 : 20x12
Set 6 : 20x12

Dumbbell Alternate Bicep Curl

28

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

Barbell Curl

66.5

Set 1 : 15x12
Set 2 : 37.5x12
Set 3 : 47.5x12
Set 4 : 47.5x12
Set 5 : 47.5x12

Barbell Reverse Curl

66.67

Set 1 : 40x20
Set 2 : 40x20
Set 3 : 40x20

Elliptical Training

N/A

Calorie :   254 CAL
Distance: 3 mile
Speed :    --
Lap/Rep :  --
Duration : 00:34:00

Plank

N/A

Set 1 : 00:00:30

Plank with Side Kick

N/A

Set 1: 14 Lap/Rep
         00:00:30

Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 Dive Bomber Push Ups, splits, upper & lower back stretch, etc

Slow Out of the Gate

The alarm went off and I rolled over to hit the snooze. Then I had to wait for my head to catch up with my brains sloshing about inside. Or at least that's how it felt. Vertigo and inner ear problems seem to be a familial issue. It's most-likely caused by extreme sensitivity to fragrances and allergies, and the subsequent effects on sinuses and the human equilibrium. Since I didn't have any other symptoms, like congestion or a cough, I was perplexed. I get vertigo a few times a year but usually in conjunction with a sinus infection or head cold. I've been lucky for the past two years, ever since I skipped the annual flu shot. Go figure.

Vertigo makes dressing difficult this morning, but I manage to get my son and the dog fed, my son off to school and the dog walked before I head out to the gym. I figure it's either going to make it better, or worse. I feel better outside and driving to the gym poses no problems. My head feels oddly heavy so I wonder if I'm just mildly allergic to something in the air. I sip my water before and after my cardio warm up. Today I do 3 miles to start but because I don't have my hoodie on over my head, it takes me a long time to warm up. But my heart rate is erratically all over the place, peaking at 202 even though I'm at a steady 150 SPM pace. I can't explain it. My hair is annoying as it sticks to my face and neck.

Maybe I'm dehydrated? The more water I drink, the better I feel. The free weight area is oddly empty, but not only is it Friday, it's also nice outside. I'm a bit tired so I'm not completely assured of making all my reps or sets on all my weights. I do it though. Even the 3 sets of Smith SLDLs at 160. Again, it's my grip that starts to fail on the 8th rep. But then it's done. I do a quick Cage Stretch, and just for fun, I grab the inside top of the Cage to see if I can still do a few Pull Ups. My hands are close, facing each other in a neutral grip position. I do 10 easily. I could struggle for two more but I worry about damaging my already fragile elbows and wrists.

Three sets at the Seated Leg Extension and then I look around to see if I can use the Lat Pull Down station (there are two). I grab a bosu and set myself up for those peculiar Glute-Ham Raises, making sure to move slowly and deliberately. I'm wearing shorts but they look like black sweatpants cut off just above the knees. Not terribly flattering, but very comfy. I see R doing Tricep Push Downs so I say Hi to him. He's says he's crazy busy with work, but he and his wife plan to take a week to vacation at a resort in Mexico as a combination Mother's Day / Father's Day get-away. "You're not taking the baby, are you?" I ask. "Oh no, but it's so hard to leave him," he tells me. His in-laws will baby-sit. I'm jealous. I'd like to go on vacation every year, but we don't. Instead, we might go to Florida for a week in October, to visit my ailing Mother-In-Law but also to take my son to Universal Studios. Harry Potter World has a new attraction.

I do 2 more miles on the elliptical, and then a full Mat Stretch because my left shoulder and lat felt odd while I was Squatting. Stretching helps me recover better. I have a lot more energy now and I literally bounce into my splits and stretches. It's worth noting that while I may not bust much of a sweat pedaling on the elliptical, I'm always breathless and sweaty during my stretch routines. Again, I incorporate a knee to elbow movement for the last 30 seconds of the 1-minute plank. It definitely makes the time go faster. My vertigo is gone as well.

The gym scale reads 112.4 lbs. My home scale says I'm 111.2 lbs but still 20.5% BF. However, I can see tiny and subtle changes so I'll stick to this routine for now. Until my son goes to camp, then I'll have to figure out how to incorporate two shorter workouts into my program.

Friday Leg Workout

Workout Logs

Exercise Name

1 RM

Lifting Logs

Elliptical Training

N/A

Calorie :   257 CAL
Distance: 3 mile
Speed :    --
Lap/Rep :  --
Duration : 00:34:00

Smith Machine Squat

224

Set 1 : 30x20
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 4 : 140x12
Set 5 : 160x12

Smith Machine Stiff Legged Deadlift

202.67

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 4 : 140x12
Set 5 : 160x8
Set 6 : 160x8
Set 7 : 160x8

Leg Extensions

189

Set 1 : 90x12
Set 2 : 120x12
Set 3 : 135x12

Elliptical Training

N/A

Calorie :   173 CAL
Distance: 2.01 mile
Speed :    --
Lap/Rep :  --
Duration : 03:42:00

Close Grip Chin Up

148

Set 1 : BWx10

 
    3x10 GHR at lat pull down station