Basic Leg Day Workout

I wake up feeling a bit more energetic than the past two days so that's a good start. My favorite Precor is occupied and I have a choice between #2 (the wobbly tractor) or #3 (smooth as molasses) elliptical. I opt for the wobbly tractor and punch in Interval 7. I'm still feeling stiff and sluggish but at least I manage a decent mileage. For the 2nd leg, I punch in Hill 6 because I'm already tired and this hill is a much gentler incline. I need a good sweaty cardio session before I feel properly warmed up. Today definitely felt good. The Smith Rack is empty although the bar is haphazardly loaded with a single 5 lb plate on one side and a 10 and pair of 5s on the other side. Weird.

Mo sneaks up behind me as I'm stepping into the Squat rack. "I was looking for you. Where were you?" I motion to the cardio area as I pull out one earpiece. She nearly steps on the back of my heels. "Oh good. Do some cardio for me," she says. "Oh I have. Double cardio today," I tell her. She's given up doing cardio because of her arthritis. She's only 4 years older than me but at least a full head taller if not a whole foot taller, and a good 50-60 lbs heavier. With long white hair and green eyes, she can be intimidating. I'm guessing that the Hello Kitty T-shirts and polka dotted fingernails are her way of minimizing herself. She's genuinely a nice person. I just don't have the time or energy to chat while I'm working out. I think she understands because she calls me "Gym Rat" and calls herself "Gym Mouse working up to be a Gym Rat".

I do a set of squats with just the bar and it feels okay. As I add weight, I assess how my back, knees and hips feel. When I get to 135 lbs, I note a peculiar sensation in my back, like jelly vibrating in the middle of my spine, which alarms me. I debate whether to up the weight (I usually do 3 sets at 155 lbs) or to ease up. I do another set at 135 lbs with my feet positioned slightly closer together and I don't feel the jelly wiggling. But I am worried enough to initiate drop sets, something I don't usually do during squats either. I know I can't go heavy with the SLDL today, figuring I'll just concentrate on my glutes and hamstrings. I pyramid up in tiny increments, hit 95 lbs and drop down. I definitely feel the movement in the back of my thighs and that's all that matters.

The Cage Stretch with heel dips and side kicks are fine although I'm still moving cautiously. I'm really bummed about having to replace Seated Cable Rows on Back Day. I guess I'm just not able to pull 135 lbs without damage. And I'm bloody well not doing Pistol Squats today after the excruciating pain during last week's attempt. And yet, during Mat Stretch, I can squat down on one leg with the other leg extended and push back onto the Mat without any problem. This "injury" is improbably much more complicated than it looks.

ZZ is on the Seated Leg Curls but the Leg Extension Station is free. I knock out 6 sets of 12 reps and look around at all the Cybex equipment. Nixon is two rows up on the Pec Dec. He's certainly developing some nice arms and shoulders although I don't have the nerve to actually tell him. At the Leg Curl Station, I debate how heavy to go and start off with 90 lbs, then move up to 105 and do sets of 8. The next plate up is 120 which is probably too heavy, even to do 5x5s, so next week I might just add a 7.5 lb brick to the stack instead.

The Mats are occupied with long-legged girls in teeny tiny shorts so I knock out sets of sit ups and crunches to kill time. Abs are good for that. Mat Stretches seem okay although my middle back does feel a bit sore when I roll forward to place my forehead on the mat while sitting cross-legged. I'm going to give my lower back a few weeks of rest by deleting all the potentially hazardous movements. I'm not sure what that leaves but as long as I'm still able to do cardio and the basic exercises, I should be fine. I'm looking at Double Cardio tomorrow, and arms -- yep, biceps and triceps. Should be fun!

Basic Leg Day Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.48 + 35 min Hill 6 = 3.89  Grand Total = 8.37 miles Wahoo!
Smith Squats: 12 @ bar / @ 95 / @ 115 / 2 x12 @ 135 / @ 115 / @ 95 / 15 @ bar
Smith SLDL: 12 @ bar / @ 65 / @ 85 / 2 x 12 @ 95 / 12 @ 85 / 12 @ 65 / 12 @ bar
Cage Stretch with BW heel dips and side kicks
Seated Leg Extensions: 6 x 12 @ 75 lbs
Seated Leg Curl: 12 @ 90 lbs / 5 x 8 @ 105 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 150
Mat Stretch

The gym scale reads 109.6 lbs which is better than yesterday, but not much. I can see and pinch the layer of fat under the skin of my quads and wonder how much weight I'd have to drop to lose it. I don't have fat legs anymore, the pocket of fat behind my knees has been gone for over a year, but I wonder how much effort it would take. Not that I'm itching to torture myself. But losing the ability to gain strength due to physiological weaknesses (joints, tendons, discs etc) is a bit disheartening. I know I'll just wind up redirecting my energy until something happens and I'll have to do something else instead. That's how it goes... there's always something, you just have to learn to adjust and adapt.

The Work Around Workout

The day is not off to a promising start as I rush my son out the door so we can get to his TKD camp on time. Today they're going to SplashDown Water Park and he not only needed to wear swim clothes, but be sunscreened as well. In his back pack, he not only has dry clothes, a towel, a snack, a cooler bag with lunch in it, but also a book to read during "Quiet Time" and his DS for "Gaming Time". Because this TKD camp is also a "Before and After" program for working parents, kids can arrive at 7:30 am and don't have to leave until 6 pm when regular classes begin for the evening. As we pull into the parking lot, a big yellow school bus is already waiting.

I get to the gym earlier than I have lately but I feel sluggish and stiff again. I can't get on my favorite Precor (#1). Even though Precor #3 has a smoother motion, there is too much resistance even at Level 1 and I worry about spraining my ankles or stressing other joints. After 35 minutes, I barely make 4 miles even singing as fast as I can. Today is Back Day and I'm wary of putting too much stress on my lower back after last week's bout of sciatica. Remembering that this problem began with Seated Cable Rows, I start with a low weight: 60 lbs. My lower back is not at all happy and immediately stiffens up. I concentrate on pulling the cable to my lats and not bending forward. Then I up the weight to 90 lbs and do slow careful sets. My lower back's not happy, but it's not hurting either. It's just stiff, and there's a vague tingling under the skin, like it's been stretched uncomfortably. Well, I'm definitely ruling out Pendlays today, but maybe I can still do BB Rows with a lighter weight. Yes, us Gym Rats tend to be a bit pig-headed.

Cage stretch and kicks go well although I am moving slower than normal. I feel a tad foggy as well. Mo greets me and proceeds to tell me she's collecting food for the local humane society. Okay, and I tell her that I don't have anything to give them. Certainly not cat food. Well, at least she's not quite as manic as yesterday although since the gym is fairly empty, there's not really a lot of folks to talk to today. However, then B comes over to show me the 3 stitches she got at the beach yesterday when her sunbrella fell over and the point hit her in the face! Jeez! I knew sunbathing was dangerous in unexpected ways. I get sets of Lat Pull Downs in, but not before Mo asks me if I'll spot her benching. I decline, worrying that I'll really hurt my back. There's a lot of young guys in the free weight area, and one of them spots her without any issue.

Oddly, the muscles involved in the
offending exercise are NOT the area
affected by stiffness, tingling and pain.

Because doing Lower Back Extensions felt okay, I decide that I can do Reverse Grip BB Rows, just with a weight lower than my usual 105 lbs. I toy with the idea of 60 lbs briefly and then bite my lip and pick up the 90 lb barbell. It actually doesn't even feel that heavy so I do sets of 15 reps. My only issue is the stiffness in my lower back as I put the weight down after each set. I'm done, but I don't feel done. I knock out extra sets of abs just to keep my core warm. This hasn't been a particularly satisfying workout so I approach the Mat Stretch with some hesitancy. But my stretches all seem fine and my back doesn't bother me here.

Ranger Rick (RR) looks as if he's about to leave. Earlier I saw The Mayor, M, Hoodie Tattoo, Tall Pace, Short Pace, Skinny Mustache, Snow Bird, and Hannibal Baggy Knees. I put my head down on my shin and when I look up, RR and R are exchanging greetings. R's wearing a white tank which renders him virtually invisible. Normally he wears a bright primary color like red or blue. As I go to retrieve my hoodie and grips, I don't even notice him until after I've walked right past. 

Work Around Back Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.02 miles
Seated Cable Rows: 15 @ 60 lbs / 5 x 12 @ 90 lbs
Cage Stretch & heel dips & side kicks
Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 60 lbs / 6 x 12 @ 90 lbs
Lower Back Extensions: 25 @ 90 lbs / 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 200
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Reverse Grip BB Row: 6 x 15 @ 90 lbs
Lower Back Extensions (again): 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups (again):125
Torso Twist Station: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch with horizontal and vertical splits

Today I remember to weigh myself and it's not pretty. 110.2 lbs but I'm not too surprised.The hot shower feels good but I'm perplexed as to what's happening with my lower back. I should just call today the "90 lb workout" because that's where I've dropped my weights down to. Tomorrow's Leg Day and the only thing I'm looking forward to is the double cardio session. That's soooo sad. I hate cardio.