Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Unhappy Knees

Today is another abbreviated workout. I know, some people only have an hour for their workout and it's damn near impossible to do everything like cardio, stretch and lift weights, and then shower and change all within 60 minutes. And here I am complaining about the two hour window I have when my son is in the Child Care room. Island Jerk hasn't glommed all the Oly bars but I don't want to rush through my Back workout, so I swap it for Legs. And I front-load the cardio. Five miles on the elliptical. It takes me 54 minutes because I'm a tad slow today. My knees aren't real happy with me. Actually a lot of my joints are sporadically achy lately. For all my insect bites and touch of poison ivy (I'm sure the dog gave it to me), I don't think I have any tick bites. So I'm ruling Lyme disease out.

The Smith machine is free and I get my Squats done. I usually adjust my stance wide with my toes angled out slightly in order to keep my knees and lower back happy. I do a few SLDLs at the Smith as well but I've got one eye on the clock. Again, I keep twisting the bar as I pull up at the heavier weight, causing the bar to catch on the rack. It's annoying. I only do one set of 8 reps at the heaviest weight. And I completely skip Seated Leg Extensions today. But I make sure to do three sets of GHRs at the Lat Pull Down machine. The thumb to my right hand suddenly aches as if I've sprained it, making the weird push up movement a tad awkward. But I can knock them out okay. Then a Mat Stretch because my shoulders and upper back are tight from yesterday's 15 rounds. No plank. I can do abs tomorrow. The gym scale reads 111.8 lbs and I still have half my water bottle.

Tomorrow is another Tabata and kickboxing the machine day, but because my knees are feeling weird, I'm laying off the Intermediate Level for a while. There's no Sweep or Knee-In at the Beginner Level so I'll probably just do another 15-round session (60 minutes). But I'll have time to add another Tabata session afterwards as well. I'm liking it already.

Abbreviate Leg Day Workout


Calorie :   427 CAL
Distance: 5 mile
Duration : 00:55:00
Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 4 : 140x12
Set 5 : 160x12
Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 4 : 140x12
Set 5 : 160x8

Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep

Set 1 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 12 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 12 Lap/Rep

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Super-Duper Abbreviated Workout

I let my son sleep in a bit this morning so of course we were in a mad rush to get to the gym at a decent hour. We planned to see the noon showing of the new Transformer movie. I packed some popcorn (the movie theater popcorn hasn't been agreeing with me lately so now I buy the cheesy stuff at the supermarket and toss it into a zip lock), water bottles, Honest Kids juice bags, and a couple of protein bars with several cooler packs inside two insulated bags and toss the whole thing into a small cooler I keep on the front passenger seat.

There are a lot of kids in the Child Care area at 9:45 am so my son is quite happy. I only do 15 min of cardio but remember to incorporate 4 min of Tabata. I do a quick Cage Stretch because I think it's important to stretch before kickboxing, even if it's just the machine. My left knee still feels odd and I don't want to risk doing any further damage to it. After I wrap my hands and stuff them into my gloves, I tap in 15 rounds (60 minutes) at Beginner Level Follow Me. My right pointer finger is achy as well and I wonder if I sprained it using a spray bottle. I have such small, delicate joints that dislocate easily. No, I decide, it's probably an insect bite that's causing the sensitivity. The knuckles of both my index fingers are slightly discolored and rough from punching, but at least I'm not breaking skin anymore.

I need to pace myself. The air conditioning has been balky. Br at the front desk told me that it completely broke down last night and she was sweating just manning the desk, never mind the poor souls trying to work out. I get her to lower the blinds at one of the big windows to minimize the glare on my screen. I don't miss any punches or kicks, but whenever I stop the machine with too hard a blow, I lose accuracy points. I can see how I start to tire by the 9th round, but then pick up again with a second wind by the 12th. Maybe because I know it's only 15 rounds. I'm completely drenched when I'm done, but by the time I unwrap and towel off my head, I realize that I don't have time to do another 15 minutes with  5 min of Tabata. Not if I want to shower, change, drop my stuff at the car and get tickets before the movie starts. I hate people who walk in after the film's already started.

The theater is half full but my son and I get decent seats. It's a very exciting movie. We have a play date tomorrow evening with a friend and her son. They want to see Earth to Echo and eat frozen yogurt. I plan to go to the gym with my son so it'll be another abbreviated workout but I'm not sure if I'm doing Legs or Back tomorrow. Probably Legs: pedal 5 miles and maybe get a few squats in. It'll be interesting to see if Island Jerk has glommed all the Oly bars because he's done it the last two Wednesdays running.

Tuesday Workout
N/A
Calorie :   107 CAL
Distance: 1.31 mile
Speed :    --
Lap/Rep :  --
Duration : 00:15:00
N/A
Calorie :   --
Distance : --
Speed :    --
Lap/Rep :  15 Laps/Reps
Duration : 01:00:00
photo for actual stats

Monday, July 7, 2014

Post-Pigfest Weekend Oink Oink!

It wasn't that I ate a lot of bad food, but more that I drank a lot of apple ale and sangria. And snacked on those puffed wasabi-flavored snap peas. Those are addictive. And salty. And I'm pretty sure I'm holding a bit of water since my rings feel tight. It's really hot and humid today. After I drop my son at camp, I go to the gym and actually feel a bit of dread. Mondays are always like that for me because two days of inactivity makes cardio so much harder. I don't feel rested, I feel sluggish. I'm not in the mood to see if my knee is better so I don't set the incline past level 6 for either cardio session.

The gym is crowded as usual with seniors, shift workers and SAH (Stay At Home) moms. I get on the bench that is wedged between another flat bench and an incline bench. It's my least favorite because it's hard to get in and out of. Its bench also seems a tad skewed to the upright stays. They must've tightened the breakers because they barely move when I grab the bar. Just as well. I get all my sets done with minor irritation to my right shoulder. Island Jerk is chatting up all the guys, but at least he seems to be using just one piece of equipment at a time. What's annoying is how he's planted his backpack, and cups on a stack of all the rubber mats. If anyone wanted to do deads they'd have to move all his crap just to get the mats. One cup is full of brown liquid, coffee or cola. He's doing inclined benches and I hope he finishes quickly so I don't have to interact with him.

After flat bench press, I do a few sets of inclined bench. Then I grab DBs for Lateral Raises. I find the adjustable Inclined Bench and do sets of Reverse Flyes. My right shoulder seems to cramp near the blade and I try to stretch it out between sets. Upping my weight on this exercise was inevitable, but there are always repercussions. Afterwards, I do a few sets of alternating twisting DB curls. I think they help the bicep peaks. The EZ bar curl is next. Near my last set, D comes by to chat. She's finally got her car back and two of her three sons are at the gym: one on the elliptical, and the other in the Child Care room. My husband is in Boston until Thursday, with a loaner 2013 Subaru CrossTrek from the dealership. He thinks they forgot to fix his car because of the holiday weekend, but since this loaner drives a lot like his Forester, he's not concerned.

Before I forget, I do crunches and pulse-ups and then head back to the elliptical for 3 more miles. This time cardio is more enjoyable. I do a full Mat Stretch with plank and splits. The gym scale reads 113.6 lbs and I'm not surprised. In the shower, I slowly tweak the water from hot to cold because I don't want to get all sweaty before I reach my car. I have a lot of errands to run, mostly dropping bags off at the Goodwill and Once Upon A Child. The latter has a good selection of lightly-used books, toys and clothes and I've found myself trading in several of my son's old baby books for a few more age-appropriate tales.

The fawn that spent most of the weekend in our yard was here again this morning, making us believe that something bad happened to mama deer. My dog spooks the little deer, but like a sullen teenager, he only jumps a few feet before nonchalantly ambling off into the woods at his own pace, peering over his shoulder to make sure we aren't following him. Tomorrow is Cardio/Nexersys Day but it'll have to be an abbreviated workout. Tomorrow is $5 Tuesday and my son and I plan to see the new Transformer movie.

Monday Workout

Calorie :   170 CAL
Distance: 2.02 mile
Duration : 00:23:00
Set 1 : 45x12
Set 2 : 95x12
Set 3 : 115x8
Set 4 : 115x8
Set 5 : 115x8
Set 6 : 95x20
Set 1 : 45x12
Set 2 : 65x12
Set 3 : 85x10
Set 4 : 85x10
Set 5 : 85x10
Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12
Set 4 : 20x12
Set 5 : 20x12
Set 6 : 20x12
Set 1 : 20x15
Set 2 : 25x12
Set 3 : 25x12
Set 4 : 25x12
Set 5 : 25x12
Set 6 : 25x12
Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12
Set 1 : 15x12
Set 2 : 37.5x12
Set 3 : 47.5x12
Set 4 : 47.5x12
Set 5 : 47.5x12
Set 6 : 47.5x12
Set 1 : 50 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 50 Laps/Reps
Set 3 : 50 Laps/Reps
Calorie :   257 CAL
Distance: 3 mile
Duration : 00:32:00
Set 1 : 00:01:00
Set 1 : 12 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 12 Laps/Reps

Friday, July 4, 2014

Jumper's Knee?

The gym is crazy crowded today but I find a decent spot in the parking lot. My son is looking forward to sharing games with other kids in the Child Care Room. Because I have only a 2 hour window, which I usually exceed, I need to organize my priorities. It's Leg Day and I front-load my cardio, doing all 5 miles first. Again, my left knee feels fine until I up the Incline to 7. After 25 seconds of growing discomfort, I drop the Incline down to 5. Five miles takes me 53 minutes and I vary the incline between level 3 and 6, but mostly I vary my speed to keep my heart rate within a healthy range. I'm lucky I can get on one of the Precors. Two other ellipticals are occupied by chatting women. I don't know how they can pedal and chat without giving themselves stiff necks from constantly turning to look at each other.

While I'm pedaling, I glimpse an extremely huge human in my peripheral vision. He waddles onto the end elliptical and pedals slowly while resting his entire upper body and arms on the console in front of him. He must be over 400 lbs. I wonder why he's not on the treadmill since that would be easier to get on, but then I realize that his joints are probably shot. And now I know why the end ellipticals don't ride as smoothly as the center ones.

The Smith machine is free and I'm happy that I can do Squats and SLDLs there. The rest of the gym has a lot of vaguely familiar faces. Perhaps they used to workout in the mornings but since the gym will be closed at 3 pm, they're here now? Or perhaps it's suddenly dawned on them that summer is here and they're not beach-body ready? There's a lot of HS kids as well since the gym runs a summer special: $99 for the entire summer, no contract, no commitment. I only pay $20/month but I had to pay out $200 first for the first year. This is year 3.

There are a lot of guys in the free weight area. Most of the women are either doing cardio, or using the Cybex circuit machines. Squats seem okay. The heaviest weight feels the best, which is weird. My lower back crunches oddly, like popping a knuckle. I'm having a bit more trouble with the SLDLs because again, I'm having an issue with my grip even with VGs. A guy wants to know how many sets I have left and I tell him 5. I cut my SLDLs short. People keep taking plates off the Smith rack and it's messing me up because plates I was planning to use at the next set aren't there any more. Grrrr,

I do a quick cage stretch, then a few Seated Leg Extensions. My knee feels odd doing these so I drop the weight. It doesn't hurt, but I normally don't feel my knee so I figure better to be cautious. Last is the Glute-Ham Raise at the Lat Pull-Down machine. After I grab a bosu and adjust the lap/knee pad for my ankles, three HS guys show up at the cable station 90 degrees from me. WTH? The running shorts probably don't help my cause. An extremely rotund woman flags me from the other side and asks if I'm using those cables. Uh, no. I do my odd-looking push ups. Three sets of 12 reps. I'm so glad I'm plugged in and can't hear anyone.

Because I'm running out of time but I need to stretch, I do an abbreviated Mat Stretch with splits and only one set of Dive Bomber Push Ups. No plank, no crunches. Done! I see a few guys standing across the gym, staring. I ignore everyone. The gym scale reads 111.2 lbs and I'm rushing through my shower to change and collect my son. When I get home I look up knee pain and find a useful diagram which I'll post here. I'm thinking I have some mild form of Jumper's Knee since it only started during the 10th round of kickboxing the Nexersys yesterday, and it doesn't hurt except if I bend my knee at an extreme angle, as in bringing my leg up for a Knee-In, or pedaling on a severe Incline. That suggests an impact injury exacerbating the lower tendon that hold the patella to the tibia (shin) bone. The solution is rest, and perhaps an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen.

Yay! My hubs is on his way home in a rental car and it's momentarily stopped raining. I'm going to make teriyaki salmon and fresh sauteed snow peas for dinner tonight. And maybe kick back with a beer. Happy 4th of July!

Leg Day

Calorie :   433 CAL
Distance: 5 mile
Duration : 00:53:00
Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 4 : 140x12
Set 5 : 160x12
Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 120x12
Set 4 : 140x12
Set 5 : 150x8
Set 1 : 75x12
Set 2 : 105x12
Set 3 : 120x12

Set 1 : 12
Set 2 : 12
Set 3 : 12
Set 1 : 12 Laps/Reps


Thursday, July 3, 2014

Feinting Left

It rained buckets last night but it's still hot this morning. The women's locker room is small enough to be comfortably air-conditioned. The gym itself is another matter. The back door is open even though I'm sure the A/C is running. The cardio platform feels hot and humid as I begin my elliptical workout. I can't wonder why or whether I should do Tabata this morning. I just do it. 2 miles takes me a bit over 20 minutes but that includes the 4 minutes of high-intensity gasping like a fish. It takes me a lot longer than 10 seconds to drop my heart rate down to normal, but I think that's the point. Sometimes I'm walking so slowly the machine flashes Pedal Faster.

After a quick Cage Stretch (my vertigo seems almost non-existent today), I wrap my hands and tap in 9 rounds Beginner Follow Me. I realize that punching and kicking too hard is lowering my accuracy rating, but I don't really care all that much. Some of the rounds leave me bent over and breathless for air. It's my own fault for choosing to punch as hard and fast as I do. After 9 rounds, I take a few moments to cool down before deciding how many rounds of Intermediate I think I can handle. Last week I did 3 rounds. Today I tap in 4. During the first round, though, something happens with my left leg and the bottom inside of my knee twinges when ever I raise my knee up. Uh oh, that's not good. But it doesn't hurt when I land a front (lead) kick. It's only the Lead Knee-In that I absolutely can't do because it hurts. I have 3 more rounds to go and everything else feels okay.

I decide to fake the Lead Knee-In with my right knee (Power) but using much less power to tap the center pad on the machine. Playing it safe, I also use my right leg to tap the lower pad for a Lead Sweep. This slows my pace down considerably, and drops my power. But the Accuracy rating isn't horrible, and my knee feels okay after I'm done. While I'm at the machine, people float behind me en route to the far cable station or to the older LifeFitness Cross-trainers behind me. Island Jerk comes by to get something and I can just see him dip low in my peripheral vision, as if he was saying something. Whatever. Luckily, I'm so plugged in and my music is so loud that I can't even hear the angry beeps the machine makes when I stop it by punching too hard.

The moment of truth comes for my knee when I go back to the ellipticals to finish my cardio. I'm worried I won't be able to do the 5 minutes of Tabata. But oddly, my On speeds are even better than the first round of Tabata during warm up earlier today. What bothers my knee is when I raise the incline past 6, so I keep it between 3 and 6 for the remaining time until I hit the 3 mile mark. My knee doesn't hurt otherwise. It does bother me a tad when I drop onto the Mat to stretch out my lower back. I know I still have vertigo when I sit up too quickly and the room spins. And my forearms are sore, not from boxing today, but rather from the One-Arm DB Rows. My back, however, feels fine.

I'm not sure how it's going to fare during Leg Day. But I might have my son with me tomorrow, so that might just be an Abbreviated Workout anyway. My hubs is still in Boston. Testing the new systems isn't going well. Plus, his car is at the dealership shop. It needs a new compressor for the A/C to work properly. If he returns tomorrow (he's car-pooling with a co-worker who lives in Ct.) I'm not sure how he's going to get home.

The gym scale reads 111.0 lbs. I've also finished all my water which hasn't happened in a long time. I dread going outside because I'm freshly showered and dry now. Well, at least the supermarket is chilly.

Double Cardio Thursday

Calorie :   167 CAL
Distance: 2.02 mile
Duration : 00:23:00
Lap/Rep :  13 Laps/Reps
Duration : 00:52:00
Calorie :   249 CAL
Distance: 3 mile
Duration : 00:34:00
photos posted for actual stats:



Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Lemonade

It's been so hot and humid that the gym has been forced to kick on the A/C early in the morning now. I can't get on the Precors so I settle into one of the older LifeFitness cross-trainers, alternating between the stationary and moving handles. After my 2 miles, I wander off to the free weight area because it's Back Day and I normally start with RG BB Rows. Sigh. That Islander Jerk is at it again. He's got a towel draped over one of two inclined benches with weight on that bar. But he's also got three other Oly bars on the ground with different configurations of plates. And DBs. And a yoga mat with an Ab Wheel. WTF? He's not even training anyone. Worse yet, he's somewhere else in the gym. Double WTF? I'm so disgusted I turn abruptly and head off to the DB area and grab a flat bench. I haven't done DB Rows in a while so here's my chance.

I'm a bit hesitant because I can't remember the last time I did One-Arm DB Rows. It's been a few months at least. Where should I start? Am I weaker? WTF. I grab a 55 just to see how it feels. I get 12 reps. Okay, that's not bad. I can up my weight and drop my reps. Turns out I haven't really lost any strength in this at all. Cool! I do a set at 60 lbs, and then 3 sets at 65 lbs. I do remember that's where I was the last time I did these.

Because not doing the Bent Over BB Row spares my lower back, I find doing Lower Back Extensions much easier than I expected. After the first set of 15 reps at 180 lbs, where I've been stuck for some months, I gingerly add a 7.5 lb brick to the stack. 15 reps is easy. So I go to 195 lbs. Not a problem. Wow. I'm happy and surprised. I think not doing Leg Curls has really helped a lot too. Next time I'll try doing all three sets at 195 lbs to see how that feels. Way cool.

Unfortunately, my arms are tired from the DB Rows so the Close Neutral Grip Lat Pull Downs are a bit of a challenge. It was probably finishing with a 20-repper with the 45 lb DB that killed me. I struggle through my sets. Meanwhile, Island Jerk pulls his yoga mat and ab wheel over to the cable station next to my lat pull down. WTF? He's still got Oly bars all over the place but now he's doing Seated Cable Rows? I grab my gear and drop my towel on a flat bench back in the DB area. Then I grab the EZ bar for Rip Crushers. (I know, some people call them Rip Skulls.) These seem harder than usual. I have to pull my hair out of the ponytail because it's dang near impossible to lay flat on a bench with a big knot of hair poking you in the back of the head. Done! Well, not quite. I drop onto a Mat and knock out a few crunches and a set of bastardized Pulse Ups. I like to do them with my upper body curled up and my arms over my face, instead of with my upper body flat on the floor and hands by my hips. It's just easier on my lower back that way.

The Precors are free so I clamber up the cardio platform for my 3 miles. I'm singing along to all my iPod tunes but I'm mindful to sing silently so basically I'm just forcefully mouthing my words. The Island Jerk gets on one of the treadmills in front of me and fist-bumps Mr PJ Pants who is doing his cardio stroll. Later I see Island jerk chatting with The Mayor. I avoid him like the proverbial plague but I don't talk to anyone anyway. I do a full Mat Stretch with Dive Bomber Push Ups, a 60-sec plank, splits, upper and lower back stretches. Really done now.

After I change and shower, I stop by the front desk to complain about Island Jerk. Apparently I'm not the only one. Those women last week weren't his clients. He just tries to coerce women into working out with him. I tell her about all the Oly bars today and last week. She tells me that the gym owner is planning to have a chat with him because of all the complaints. Whew. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has issues with him. Islander jerk reminds me of a guy who tried to chat me up once while I was walking my dog at a local park. I was 15 yrs old but probably looked older. He wanted to hang out and then suggested moving in with me. WTF? I told him it'd be awfully crowded. He sounded confused. I said I lived with my sister, and brother. And my parents. Parents? Then I told him I was 15 and he suddenly stood up and ran away. He was an Islander jerk too.

Back Day Workout

Calorie :   98 CAL
Distance: 2.03 mile
Duration : 00:20:00

Set 1 : 55x12
Set 2 : 60x10
Set 3 : 65x8
Set 4 : 65x10
Set 5 : 65x10
Set 6 : 45x20

Set 1 : 180x15
Set 2 : 187.5x15
Set 3 : 195x15

Set 1 : 75x12
Set 2 : 105x10
Set 3 : 135x8
Set 4 : 135x8
Set 5 : 135x7
Set 6 : 90x15

Set 1 : 17.5x12
Set 2 : 37.5x12
Set 3 : 47.5x11
Set 4 : 42.5x12
Set 5 : 37.5x12
Set 6 : 32.5x12

Set 1 : 50 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 50 Laps/Reps

Set 1 : 50 Laps/Reps

Calorie :   259 CAL
Distance: 3 mile
Duration : 00:32:00

Set 1 : 00:01:00

12
Set 1 : 12 Laps/Reps
Set 2 : 12 Laps/Reps

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Super Abbreviated Cardio Day

The heat and humidity is kicking my butt. Doesn't help that the gym doesn't run the A/C in the morning, preferring to air the place out first by leaving all the doors wide open. My son and I plan to catch the 11:30 showing of Maleficent so we get to the gym just at 9 am. More kids show up as their moms jockey for space in Zumba or yoga class. I already know this is an abbreviated workout since I have to leave myself time to change and shower.

Right Arm Today
If I do anything close to 1/2 my daily mileage, I'll be happy. My first cardio session breaks down into 5 min of LISS, 4 min of Tabata (20 sec On / 10 sec Off), 6 min Steady State = 1.3 miles. I do a quick Cage Stretch and see B chatting with Island Trainer. I'm sure she's pestering him for advice. I wrap my hands and set up on the far Left Nexersys. I've been dousing my stupid pink kickboxing gloves with fabric refresher to lessen the stink. Online opinions say that washing them destroys them, and I don't want to have to buy new ones. At first the machine doesn't register my Lead (left) Kicks. It's annoying and killing my Accuracy Score. People like to cluster at the main desk which doubles as a coffee and shake bar. It's only a few feet to my left and it's distracting having a gaggle of ancient folks chatting there. I'm afraid I'll accidentally knock one down and they'll break a hip or something.

Left Arm Today
I get better as the rounds progress. I know my face is really pink because it feels hot, my hair plastered to my head and sweat dripping off the end of my ponytail. I almost suck down the entire 1.5 liters of water in my bottle. When I'm done, I check the clock. I have enough time to do a bit more cardio and then shower and change. With so little time I want to make my cardio count so 15 minutes breaks down to 5 min LISS, 5 min Tabata (I'm gasping like a fish and my lungs are burning throughout most of this), 5 min Steady State, logging in 1.32 miles. That's a total of 2.62 miles. Done! I'd do a few crunches but the Mats (there are three of various widths and lengths) are all occupied.

The gym scale reads 111.6 lbs. I'm good with that. I'm going to be hungry later though as I only had time to drink some iced coffee before leaving this morning. My oatmeal is sitting on the kitchen table. I'll eat it when I get back. Cold oatmeal doesn't bother me when it's 86°F outside.

Super Abbreviated Cardio Workout

15 min elliptical = 1.3 miles

Cage Stretch

9 rounds Nexersys Beginner Follow Me Avatar
  Accuracy 96% / Strikes 100% / Average Power 132%

15 min elliptical = 1.32 miles

photo posted for actual stats:

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