Back to It

Gorgeous day so I'm surprised that there are people in the gym. I get there late but still have enough time for cardio, some core, and some weights and purposely skip Dead Bugs, Happy Baby, and push-ups: I did those yesterday. But I make sure to include hammer grip pull-ups today. 

There are too many boys in the DB area where I like to do Reverse Inclined Flyes. The other adjustable bench is wedged between a post and the back of the Shoulder Press rack. I drop my stuff on the latter and gather up a pair of 15s and a pair of 20s. Because my upper torso is not fully supported the way it would be if I were lying face down on an Inclined Bench, I find Bent Over Rows difficult, and my movement is restricted. 

I can't rest my chest on my knees because that causes my back to round and that's trouble. The only way for me to keep a straight back means belly in my lap but chest and face angled higher, suspended. I'm tempted to just use 15s today. I purposely changed out of my wet reusable cloth mask to a disposable one because the latter is much looser, meaning it breathes easier, especially if you're face down on a bench. New CDC guidelines for mask-wearing among the fully vaccinated haven't been instituted in the tri-state area as of yet. I'm not sure when/if gyms in NYS will allow members not in a breathless aerobic class to go maskless. 

I'd probably still like to keep my mask on inside supermarkets as well, just because people are gross and germy, and most have poor hygiene habits. There's a reason that shopping cart handles rank as number one on the list of germiest places in a grocery store. People still don't always wash their hands after leaving a bathroom stall! The soap dispenser, faucet, and paper towel holder have all been automated with sensors so you don't need to handle anything, which means there's really no excuse. And if you say "But I didn't touch anything" then how did you get in and out of the stall?

In the week or so that I've returned to more or less full lifting, targeted bodyparts have not garnered any soreness. But the peripherals, i.e., fingers, wrists, arms, and elbows, well, yes those have been sore. Weakest link and all that... 

14 May 2021
Beautiful Friday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program Intervals
HR 88, 139-180
Cal 329
Distance 2.93

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
Skip Happy Baby stretch
Skip 40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
No Push-Ups today
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

HGPU 17

DB raises supersets
lateral standing 15 lbs x 15 x 4
bent over flys (w/u) 15 lbs x 20 x 1
20lbs x 20 x 3

Nail Biter

I skipped the gym yesterday mostly because I didn't have my car. It was at the dealership getting its 60k mile maintenance done. I hadn't thought to get a loaner because I figure I could just do stuff around the house and the husband was working from home. By closing time though, I was told that there was a lot of dry rot on important things like the spark plug wires and the timing belt. Ugh. While spark plugs are included in the maintenance, the wires are not. Neither is the timing belt, doubling the cost since the engine has to be hoisted out. It's not the parts but the labor that's really expensive! But it's better than suddenly having your car die on the road. 

So today I'm driving a 2021 basic model Subaru Forester. Cars have changed a lot in 11 years. While this car has a really smooth ride, it seems smaller inside and there's a lot going on with the dashboard. It took me forever to find the windshield wiper spray because it's not a button at the end of the lever anymore; it's "pull the lever towards you." Ugh. That the doors automatically lock when you start to drive is a nice feature, but the warning beep that you've wandered out of your lane can be annoying when you're doing it on purpose. And I still haven't made much use of the backup camera because I'd rather stick my head out the window. Because the car is a base model, it has a CD player (upgraded models have MP3 players) but I'm more interested in the digital radio. Because analog radio in my area means 12 channels of static and maybe one clear channel sporadically. 

At the gym, I don't want to commit to time I might not really have so I repeat the cardio workout from two days ago: elliptical, core and stretches, stair climber. This time, after 5 minutes, I increase the speed to 6. Because I'm bored. So bored that I change my tunes to play the Celebrity Skin album (Hole, Courtney Love). It's a great album and I haven't listened to it in a long time. The songs are really good although some might prefer her previous album, Live Through This. That's also a winner. 

13 May 2021
Cardio Thursday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 3
HR 125-185, 77, 114
Cal 313
Distance 2.83

Crunches x 20 x 6
Piriformis Stretch
Happy Baby stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-ups 50
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

Matrix StepMill
10 min
Speed 5 (45-48)/6 (52-60)
HR 138
Cal 75
Steps 509
Floors 31

A Cardio Day

I won't be able to get to the gym tomorrow as I'll finally be getting my car to the shop for its 60,000-mile tune-up. Never mind that the odometer says sixty-six and change. But I'd like the vehicle to last past the hundred thousand mark and if I can keep the rust at bay, it should survive way past.

Today I promised myself an "easy" just cardio day. And, just as I remember, the second day in a row on the elliptical is easier. Which makes me wish I could do cardio tomorrow. I skip push-ups but spend 10 minutes on the stair climber. I set it for Speed 5 and it hovers at 45 steps per minute when it should be at 50. Still, I was sweaty enough when it was done. 

11 May 2021
Cardio Tuesday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 2
HR n/a
Cal 321
Distance 2.88

Crunches x 20 x 6
Piriformis Stretch
Happy Baby stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
No push-ups
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

Matrix StepMill
10 min
Speed 5 (45-48)
HR 130
Cal 70
Steps 469 Floors 29 

Another Round

The dogs were bummed that no one showed up to play at the park this morning. Perhaps the cold wet weather put people off. I'm pretty sure that most dogs, like mine, don't care if it's drizzly and chilly. I get to the gym a little earlier than usual to do my standard Monday routine. It's not too crowded. 

I will admit that working out only 3 days a week has pros and cons: my pushups are much more consistent when I don't do them every day but cardio feels hard every time I get on the elliptical. If I do cardio 5 days in a row, by the end of the week, it's much less painful. This means I should be going 5 days a week, but not doing pushups each time I go, just like I only manage pull-ups once or twice a week. I'm happy I can still do them! 

Increasing my weight lifting routine has its problems as well: I've developed a nagging soreness in my right elbow and it's most noticeable as I'm pulling heavier on the Seated Cable Row. My sciatica hasn't disappeared either: I wake up with that tell-tale ache that runs the length of my leg and makes me stand lop-sided as I brush my teeth in the morning. A good romp through the dog park usually fixes that though, what with trudging up and down the woodchip-covered slopes. 

Every now and then I stop to snap a photo of something green poking up through the dirt. I have this nifty app my son turned me on to called Picture This. It's $30/yr but there's a limited free version and that's the one I use. It allows me to ID every plant I stumble across, including the microgreens one of my dogs is intent on sampling. A few minutes later and he barfs it up. The app says it's pokeweed, highly toxic to humans and mammals. I've seen it in its mature state, with deep purple berries affixed to a fleshy stalk. It's apparently benign and beneficial to birds. The other dog relishes eating stalks of new sweet grass. And baby thistle leaves. I might try offering them basil or parsley instead... 

10 May 2021
Moody Monday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 1
HR 145-198
Cal 314
Distance 2.83

Crunches x 20 x 6
Piriformis Stretch
Happy Baby stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 50
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

HGPU 17

EZ Seated Cable Rows
70lbs x 15 reps
77.5 x 12
85 x 12
92.5 x 10
85 x 12
77.5 x 12
70 x 12

Minimalist

I got to the gym and decided to do something just a little different. So instead of hopping on the elliptical, I clambered up the lone Matrix ClimbMill and walked up the stairs for 20 minutes. I started at Speed 5 but that only got me 45 steps per minute so halfway through I hit the + button and sped along at Speed 6, making it 55 steps per minute. I'm wiping sweat off my face when I'm done. 

After the basic core movements and some stretching, I had barely enough time to do a few pull-ups. If I hadn't had to rush home to get my son to an appointment, I probably would've done some Inclined Benching on the Smith. The gym wasn't very crowded because it never is on Fridays, and besides, the weather was perfect for an outdoor run if you're into that sort of thing. 

Even though I've reserved Tuesdays and Thursdays for doing chores, I still haven't gotten around to clearing the pile of wood in the middle of the yard, or weeding the raised bed where milkweeds might've survived the winter. Still waiting for bees to hum the dandelions. So far all we hear are birds and frogs, and while the scent of lilacs is wonderful in the air, it's troubling that no one has seen any wild bees... 

7 May 2021
Pleasantly Friday

Matrix StepMill
20 min
Speed 5 / 6
HR 129
Cal 146
Steps 988
Floors 61

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
Happy Baby stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 50
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

HGPU 17

Rainy Cinco

I'm always tempted to spell "cinco" with a "qu" replacing the second "c" because that makes more sense to me, but not to the Spanish/Mexicans who are celebrating victory over the French, or rather, Napoleon. It is not Mexican Independence Day which happens in the Fall. Today is dreary cold and wet, so not very celebratory although the Mexican restaurant next to the gym actually blocked off an area of the parking lot in anticipation of revelers. Or maybe a private party? 

The gym has more people than I'm used to but I can still access all the equipment I need so I'm not upset. What's upsetting is that I can't turn up the volume of my music with these AirPods, and in spite of its noise-canceling qualities, my own music is drowned out by the incessant grind of the blender making protein drinks. And as much as I like listening to the Stones, I don't need to hear Jagger over my own tunes, especially when I'm pedaling furiously. It's enough to make me consider switching out my AirPods for the MPow Flames and the only thing that stops me is the fact that I'm headed to the Aerobics Room where ambient gym noises are mostly muffled. Mostly. But I can still hear some meathead slamming plates. 

Today there are a few new young women at the gym. Or perhaps I'm only noticing them now because I've managed to get here a tad earlier. They look college-age and work out solo from each other. One is in the Aerobic Room doing Mat Work: she is slender with a lithe dancer's body. The other is in the free-weight area on a breaker bench with a few small plates on an Oly bar. Nice! It's so rare to see women there. Rarer is that she intersperses other exercises between sets, including a few hammer grip pull-ups with the handles atop the Max Rack adjacent to the LF Smith machine. She only manages 4 or 5 per set but she does a full extension so that's impressive. Not only can I not reach those handles, but I also can't get my tiny hands around them thus limiting my ability to pull myself up. That's why I use the bars of the Stretch Cage for pull-ups. Don't believe me? Use Fat Gripz and do a set of pull-ups. 

After the deltoid routine, I still have time so I hook up the V-bar to the cable station and do a few sets. While laying face down on the inclined bench did stress my sciatic nerve a little, it still wasn't as aggravating as doing Rip Skulls. I'll be doing V-bar Press downs for now until something else starts to fail. It's gonna happen. The one thing I will not be doing is Overhead DB Extensions: it's not that I'll hit myself in the head with the iron; it's that my elbows can't take the extreme angle. V-bars seem less stressful. For now anyway... 

5 May 2021
Rainy Cinco Wednesday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 2
HR 148-194, 85
Cal 317
Distance 2.85

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
Happy Baby stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 50
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

DB raises supersets
lateral standing 15 lbs x 15 x 4
rev inclined flys (w/u) 15 lbs x 20 x 1
20lbs x 20 x 3

V-Bar Press Down
20 lbs x 15 reps
30 x 15
40 x 12
35 x 15
30 x 15

Gym Rat Workout

The gym is more crowded than it's been in months. While I'm glad people aren't dead, I'm not thrilled that they're at the gym during my workout time. Still, I have access to my elliptical of choice and there's no one in the Aerobics Room. The weight area is noisy with guys who can't control their egos or their weights and it's a lot noisier than I'd like. The AirPods do little to drown out the ambient music and endless chatter and I'm tempted to fish the wired MPow earbuds out of my gear bag. But I don't. I like the MPows better, except for that pesky wire that if not draped over my hair clip, sticks to my neck and throat. 

I'm tired when I start cardio but always feel energized by the time I get to the weight area. It's already mid-afternoon but I'm determined to do a "regular" Seated Cable Row routine which means doing a pyramid: increasing the weight for each set then decreasing it while adjusting the number of reps accordingly. Meanwhile, I see a young woman, a regular who might be in HS, who routinely attempts a muscle-up between machine crunches and chair dips. 

Today's muscle-up is more ungainly than I normally see from her: she struggles to hoist herself up past the chin-up bars so it's not the smooth two-step move we're all used to seeing. I'm not sure if I've ever seen her do anything else for her triceps besides dips. I hate dips: they really kill my elbows because I have short arms and don't fit at the proper angle. Chair and bench dips are easy though and I don't really consider them much of a workout. 

I'd like to try a muscle-up but haven't figured out where I could do it. The girl's small but still taller than I am and drags a box over to the center handles bridging the two separate cable systems, then makes a leap to reach the handles. Her hands are bigger than mine too as I can't get my hands around any of the pull-up/chin-up bars. And if you can't get your hands around the handle, it's nearly impossible to hoist yourself up. It's why I use the Stretch Cage. But that piece of equipment isn't stable and might tip over on top of me if I attempt that move. Better to be safe than maimed. 

Still, the pyramid routine for Seated Cable Rows felt good and didn't stress my lower back. I have to be careful not to aggravate whatever has happened to those vertebrae because sciatica's a bitch and just might be forever. 

3 May 2021
Cloudy Monday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 1
HR 142-188
Cal 311
Distance 2.81

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
Happy Baby stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 50
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

HGPU 16

EZ Seated Cable Rows
70lbs x 12 reps
77.5 x 12
85 x 12
92.5 x 8
85 x 10
77.5 x 12
70 x 15