Freakin' Friday

I won't lie. I was damn tired when I got to the gym this morning. I had my son in tow as there was no school today but I think it was the culmination of the week's workouts, plus the fact that yes indeed, I do have my period. Of sorts. I got to the gym a half an hour late, and still the cardio stations were fairly vacant. But instead of climbing aboard elliptical #3, I decide to use  #1 just to mix things up. 25 minutes into my set, the sweat dribbles down my face and I start to feel good. 45 minutes gives me an even 5.0 miles. Great! I was thinking that I'd be lucky to make 4 1/2 miles when I started out. It helped just a teensy bit that I'd added Katy Perry's Firework to my cardio mix. (Yeah, I'm a teeny bopper at heart, a middle-age woman who just can't act or look her age. Is that a problem?)

I can't find the handles I like for the Seated Cable Rows and have to use handles with a thicker rubber grip that bites into my palms. I use my neoprene grips after the first set and lift heavy just for this exercise. Damn if I wasn't right about being able to do 10 reps instead of quitting after 8! I get 3 sets and I feel quite satisfied with that.

Afterwards, I do Lower Back Extensions and then proceed to Cage Stretches and Kicks. I'm thinking that if I do Pull Ups, I can skip doing Lat Pull Downs. Because I can't get my face past the Cage edge, I only do partial pull ups but I do 3 sets of 12. I'm concerned about time since I have my son in the child care room, and I move right into Bent Over Rows with 70 lbs, then Dumbbell Curls, Concentration Curls, and then Reverse Grip Barbell Curls. I finish with the Mat Stretch (no Twisted Triangle today).

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio hill #5 = 5.00 miles
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 / 12 @ 105 / 3 x 10 @ 120 lbs (this is very satisfying!)
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks & 3 x 12 partial pull ups
Bent Over Barbell Rows: 15 @ 65 / 5 x 15 @ 70 lbs
Dumbbell Alternating Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Concentration Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs (I really think this is adding a fullness and length to my biceps I hadn't seen before so I'm considering upping the weight on this a tad)
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs (as much as I grimace doing this, I really enjoy how this feels and the heavier weight seems to be helping my golfer's elbow as well)
Mat Stretch (I didn't do abs today and feel a tad guilty about it; on the other hand, I've been feeling twinges in my lower abs that I can now attribute to menstrual cramps because yes indeed, I am getting my period!)

I'm pleased to see R arrive at the gym but I don't have time to even say Hi to him. He's chatting with J anyhow, and it's not my style to insert myself into conversations. I just walk around to get my stuff and slide off silently. The scale bounces between 110, 109.6 and 109.8 lbs and I'm not sure what's going on. After I shower, M (someone I know from a previous gym some 15 years ago) comments on how great my back looks. She says she told herself that I'm just a kid so of course I can have a great back. Then she asks me how old I am and without any hesitation, I tell her I'm 52. She tells me that I'm her inspiration now. She's only a few years older than me and damn, if I can do it, well she can do it too. Go girl!

I tell her two things that I think are key to my success: a good cardio workout every day (I don't bother with counting calories because that sort of mindset will really screw you up with focusing on the minutia of calorie-counting when you should be concentrating on the big picture of muscle-building to activate your metabolism), and enough protein afterwards to keep you from eating all sorts of crap that will sabotage your fat-loss efforts. She tells me she eats a Luna® bar after working out, and I shake my head disapprovingly. Sheepishly, she admits that there's a lot of sugar and carbs in there. She's allergic to dairy so the Ensure® High Protein I drink is out of the question as it contains whey protein. She's got some homework to do if she wants to be successful!

M needs to lose a few pounds (isn't that how we all start?) and is moving slowly with the 5 lb dumbbells because she doesn't want to hurt herself. She's taller than my husband so I think she's being a tad too timid but I don't want to scare her off, so I just nod in agreement. Honestly, she could go heavier. And if she did, she'd see faster results. Why are women so timid? Sometimes I feel like a "guy" in my attitude and my workout. I can't be bothered with fear. I've read that muscle-building testosterone levels rise after workouts in both men and women. Well, I guess I'm making good use of that fact, if that's truly the case, because I believe in working out hard to make good use of my time.

I spend all afternoon running errands with my son, and even have his photo taken with the Mall Santa like we've done for the past several years. By the time we get home, there's barely time to feed him and do some Chinese school homework before I have to get him ready for Ninja Game Night at our tae kwon do school. My home scale tells me that I'm 106.2 lbs with 18.8 BF, 52.6 TBW, 39% muscle and 4.8 lbs bone. Again, the readings are fluctuating in an odd way, but really, all I'm concerned with is that I weigh less than 110 lbs. Really. And that my clothes fit properly. Really. Maybe I'll get a chance this weekend to use my new elliptical that's parked in the unheated garage. But I'm not holding my breath. Really.

Good Feelings

Well, no one asked me about candied bacon today and no one I know had any winning lottery tickets. Still, today was quite exhilarating. At least that's how my workout felt! Again the ellipticals were abandoned when I got there. Again, I got to use my favorite Precor #3 and set it for hill #5. I start to feel the odd ache in my inner thigh and straighten my posture and shorten my stride to more of a bicycling motion. The ache goes away. By minute 25 I'm sweaty and happily humming along to my iPod. 45 minutes gets me 5.08 miles. I'm happy.

The Smith is also vacant so I set up to do reps. 4 sets of 25 reps at 95 lbs feels pretty good. After I wipe down the bench, I put my sodden hoodie back on for Cage Stretch & Kicks. Those also feel pretty good considering yesterday was Leg Day. Not that my buns aren't sore because they are, but I tend to work through soreness in the belief that getting the blood moving in those areas will aid recovery. I come back to the free weight area to do shoulders and grab a pair of 20 lb dumbbells.

Halfway through my sets I decide to add a few sets of inclined dumbbell presses even though I know that benching already works the front deltoids. After 5 sets of 15 reps of seated inclined rear raises, I'm thinking perhaps I should up the weight on this one exercise. Or change my positioning. Putting my chest in my lap would probably be harder, and then I wouldn't have to up my weight.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio = 5.08 miles
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 4 x 25 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Front & Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Lateral Raises & Front Inclined Presses: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Seated Rear Inclined Dumbbell Raises: 5 x 15 @ 20 lbs
One-Arm Tricep Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Declined Bench Press: 25 @ bar / 25 @ 65 / 25 @ 85 / 25 @ 75 / 25 @ 65 / 50 @ bar (45 lbs)
  (doing those last 50 reps felt really great, but I'm sure it intimidated the heck out of the guys)
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: about 125
Lower Ab Kick Outs: about 100 (I develop an abrasion doing this but don't notice it until I shower!)
Mat Stretch (no yoga today!)

I see R and wave Hi to him but I'm in no mood to stop and chat. I move from one exercise to the next with barely a pause except to wipe down sweaty benches, and chug from my water bottle until it's drained. I also see J but I don't really have anything to say to him at all, so I don't even wave Hi. At least R and J are chatting with each other.

The scale reads 109.4 lbs which is better than yesterday. My home scale reads 106.8 lbs and again, the other readings are up and down and don't make much sense to me. I just know I'm bigger. I take my measurements just to be certain. As I suspected, I've put 1/2 inch back on my hips! Not that they were very big to begin with, but at my height, I don't want a big butt. Right now I'm measuring 33+ / 26 / 33.5" which is why my clothes never fit properly. And that 33+ is all back and pecs so that makes other things difficult to fit as well... Oh well. I still had a great workout and left the gym feeling light as air.

Candied Bacon

When my son got off the school bus yesterday, two girls popped their heads over the railing and asked if I'd make them candied bacon. This morning the same girls asked if I'd give them candied bacon for Christmas. This afternoon the school bus driver asked me how to make candied bacon. What a lot of fuss over bacon and brown sugar!

I spent this morning running errands for a friend laid up from hip replacement surgery and got to the gym an hour later than usual. It's Leg Day! I'm always surprised when the cardio section isn't busy but I'm happy to be able to use my favorite Precor. The first 35 minutes gets me 4.02 miles, and the intervals gets me 4.37 miles. I'm grinning before the first leg is even halfway over, and the second leg is exhilarating. I'm such a cardio junkie.

The skin over my back and glutes has been itching me for months now, and I'm wondering if this is a symptom of menopause, or just dry sensitive skin due to humidity changes, or perhaps, dare I suggest, muscle growth. Squats are relatively easy. I've squatted heavier but because my pants feel snug in the seat, I'm not inclined to up the weight although I've squatted 115 lbs before. Again, dead lifts are another matter. I'm always tired after I do them and I've never been tempted to up the weights! Dead lifts are a whole body exercise, and because I raise my elbows to bring the bar to my chest, it also works shoulders and arms.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min hill #5 = 4.02 + 35 min interval #7 = 4.37  Grand Total = 8.39 miles
Smith Squats: 12 @ bar / 5 x 12 @ 95 lbs
Smith Dead Lifts: 12 @ bar / 5 x 12 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Seated Leg Curls: 3 x 15 @ 90 lbs
Seated Leg Extensions: 6 x 15 @ 45 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 2 x 50 (uppers) / 2 x 50 (lowers)
Mat Stretch

The gym is fairly empty today and I'm surprised. But I'm always surprised that no one else works out as regularly as I do. There are the senior citizens who meet here every morning. They get in much earlier than I do and I've no wish to hang out with them. I don't think I'd get much out of conversations with them, and without chatter, I get a lot done in the time I'm here. The scale reads 110 lbs before I rush off to finish the errands I started. By the time I get home, it's 3 pm. My home scale tells me that I'm 107.2 lbs. I check the last several Wednesday readings and note that I was about 107 last week as well, but 105-6 in previous weeks.

One of my errands was to buy some Power Ball tickets. It's up to half a billion dollars. That's a lot of candied bacon.

Snow Snow Go Away!

They're closing school early down in Westchester and even in neighboring townships, but the snow's not sticking to the asphalt and the only cancellations have been for after-school programs and events. I went to the gym after putting my son on his school bus, but I kept my cell near me, something I rarely do when I work out. The ellipticals were once again abandoned so I hopped on my favorite #3 and punched in hill #5 and pedaled away for 45 minutes, enjoying all of the sweaty exhilaration that good cardio music brings. I got 5.09 very pleasing miles.

I have to listen to my body more these days otherwise I'm in danger of underestimating my own strengths and falling into a mindless routine. For example, I usually warm up with a set of 12 reps at 90 lbs, then 105 lbs before doing 3 sets of 120 at the Seated Cable Rows. Which is what I did. 3 sets of 6-8 reps. Except that it dawned on me after the 2nd set that I wasn't really struggling at rep 8 when I stopped. So for the 3rd set, I got another 2 reps past 8. Damn! I should be doing sets of 8-10! The 12 reps at 90 lbs (a cool down of sorts) seemed pretty easy as well.

Lower back extensions then off to the Cage Stretch & Kicks. I read in the Muscle & Strength website that one should always do Pull Ups or Chin Ups instead of Lat Pull Downs if and when possible. Because the Cage isn't really set up with horizontal bars positioned for me to safely do pull ups (if I'm grasping at the edge of the Cage, there is the risk of toppling the Cage over), I have to grab bars that are inset a good 10 inches from the edge. This leaves little room for one's head so I could only do partial pull-ups, but I did get 3 sets of 12. These didn't hurt my forearms and elbows as much as the neutral grip chin ups and I'm not sure why. Now off to do a few sets of Lat Pull Downs...

I can do 90 lbs without any issues but it's boring so I always up the weight to 105 lbs, close to my own body weight. I get 3 sets of 12 reps. Then I start to feel my right hand get a bit numb in the fingers. Another quick set of Lower Back extensions at 97.5 lbs and then I grab 10 lbs of magnetic discs to stick on the 60 lb barbell for Bent Over Rows. I like this exercise. It makes my back and arms tired at the end, but I can feel my lats and biceps.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min = 5.09 miles
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 / 12 @ 105 / 3 x 6-10 @ 120 / 12 @ 90 lbs
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks & 3 x 12 partial pull ups (have to figure out how to do these better)
Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 90 / 3 x 12 @ 105 lbs
Lower Back Extensions (again!): 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Bent Over Barbell Rows: 15 @ 65 / 5 x 15 @ 70 lbs
Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs
Torso Twist: 25 each side @ 50 lbs (no other abs today)
Mat Stretch (no Twisted Triangle today but I feel very limber and my stretches are good)

I see R so I go over and say Hi to him and then we get into a discussion about tattoos and tattoo artists. Knowing me, I probably won't speak to him for the rest of the week. But I'm trying to be more "social" in a normal manner. There are other regulars at the gym but none whom I chat with out on the gym floor. B hasn't been here in a very long time. She texts me that she's not sure when she'll be back. She misses working out but she doesn't come as long as her husband is home on use-it-or-lose-it vacation time from his job. Wow. She might not be back until next year! Egads! I know she has a home gym but she doesn't appear to use it much. And my new elliptical is scheduled to arrive in two days. We've decided to park it in the garage, where the old treadmill used to be. I'm itching to try it out on the weekends, but, as everyone knows, I'm a fanatic.

The scale reads 111.2 lbs which is better than yesterday. The home gym reads 109.2 lbs and again, my BF is up, TBW down, muscle down and bone down. But these are fractional differences. I look at the calendar and realize that I'll probably get my period next week. Egads!

Bleary Monday Blues

I won't lie. We ate like hogs the entire weekend, and not just leftovers from our own turkey and stuffing dinner. Yesterday we drove up to Poughkeepsie to visit a showroom (Fitness Showrooms) with the intention of trying out and buying an elliptical for home use. I was armed with printouts from an elliptical review website. I wanted to check out the Smooth Agile DMT X2 which got high ratings, just under the Precor EFX 5.25. I love the Precors at the gym but we didn't want to drive to White Plains where a competing showroom (Leisure Fitness) features that brand. However, when we got there, it was evident that Life Fitness was their main brand. They didn't have any Smooth Agile ellipticals whatsoever.

They did have a Precor EFX 5.25 for me to try. And after several hours of discussion and hopping between machines to try them all out, I finally settled on a Vision Fitness S7100, a brand I'd never heard of before. It actually scored decently on the aforementioned website. It's cheaper than the Life Fitness models (some of them were commercial models that cost about $5000). It's cheaper than the Precor 5.25, and I have to say that I was disappointed in the Precor. Not just the antiquated dot-matrix display, but the motion was a bit gritty. Since Fitness Showrooms no longer carries Precors, the store manager was selling his floor model. He'd cut me a good deal if I really wanted that particular one, but that was just it: it would be that particular one, with the gritty feel and horrid display. No thanks! I'll use the Precors at the gym, and for home use, we'll use the Vision S7100.

Then we went across the street to eat a late lunch/early dinner at a place we'd never heard of before: Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse. It was wonderfully Disneyesque from the talking moose and buffalo heads to the antler chandeliers and snoeshoe decor. And the food was actually pretty good! My prime rib was perfectly rare. My husband's NY strip steak was lovely. Sweet potato fries came dusted with cinnamon sugar which it didn't need but it was tasty. The Onion & Ale soup was refreshing and cheesy. We were too stuffed to even consider dessert. My son had his fill of macaroni & cheese, and chicken tenders, which were actually tender. A big plus considering the major disappointment we had at our local Four Brothers Restaurant, which used to know how to cook a decent prime rib, and now sadly can't tell the difference between medium-rare and medium-well done.

I was a bit surprised that there was no one at all on the ellipticals at the gym this morning. I did my 45 minutes, barely busted a sweat and got 4.97 miles on hill #5. The Smith looked busy so I did Cage stretches and kicks. When I returned to the Smith, the 45-lb plates were still on the bar and no one was around, so I unracked them and took over. I hate it when people just walk away without putting their weights back.

Over the weekend, I discovered a great weight-lifting website chock full of useful information called www.muscleandstrength.com. Okay, it's a tad condescending to women (since women aren't their main audience) but all the articles are fairly useful and detailed, and reinforced a lot of my training beliefs and practices.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio #5 hill = 4.97 miles
Cage stretch & kicks
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 95 / 3 x 10 @ 145 lbs / 12 @ 125 / 12 @ 105 / 25 @ 95 lbs
  (this is actually feeling easier even though I still can't finish a 12-rep set)
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: about 100
Dumbbell Front & Lateral Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Lateral Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Rear Inclined Seated Raises: 5 x 15 @ 20 lbs (I'm probably over-working these muscles and should cut back either on reps or sets but I haven't decided which yet)
One-Arm Tricep Dumbbell Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Lower Ab Kickouts: about 125
Tricep Press Downs: 12 @ 40 / 3 x 12-10 @ 50 lbs (now I know why my right side cramped up a few weeks ago -- I feel my right obliques contract to stabilized me as I press heavy!)
Mat Stretch (no Twisted Triangle today!)

I see R and after I'm mostly done with my workout, I say Hi to him and ask him about his Thanksgiving. He's all chatty and tells me about the four helpings of dinner and two helpings of homemade cheesecake and pumpkin pie because he's got a sweet tooth. Then we start talking about dogs and next thing you know, it's 15 minutes gone by. He's able to workout while he's chatting so I'm a tad envious about that. I can barely collect my gear while I'm chatting with anyone. Eventually we just wander off to different stations and I'm relieved because I still need to do Lower Abs and Triceps.

The scale reads 112 lbs. Same as last Monday! I'm not as worried about my weight as I am about the fact that my pants fit me differently now. Suddenly, my butt and thighs are tight in my pants although (thankgoodness) the waist is still loose. Must be those squats and dead lifts kicking in finally. I'm not sure how I feel about it. On one hand, it's great not to have a super saggy butt (like an old elephant). On the other hand, I don't really like my pants so tight in the butt and thighs. I guess I got that elliptical just in time so I can do some extra cardio now to trim these babies down!

The home scale reads 109.2 lbs which seems very reasonable. My BF is up though and my TBW is down, and I scratch my head puzzled because muscle and bone are also up. Whatever. It's how your clothes fit that really counts. And mine are getting too tight. Sigh.

Post-Turkey Perspective

Because we got home around 1 am last night (from my brother's house in NJ), having thoroughly stuffed ourselves on turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, bread stuffing, spinach dip, lobster dip, mashed potatoes, salad, baby carrots, blueberry pie, a raspberry sherbet & 7Up punch beverage, mushroom gravy, cranberry apple chutney, assorted sushi rolls, and chocolate mousse cake, it was unlikely that I'd make it to the gym this morning. However, there are some things so ingrained into our lives that habit would be an extreme understatement. So, I went to the gym. I was about 45 minutes later than usual, but still, I was there. As were others on a lovely, sunny Black Friday morning.

There were a few diehards on the treadmills but the ellipticals were all vacant so I got on my favorite Precor and did my 45 minutes. I'm happy with the 4.98 miles and try to keep reminding myself that today is Friday, Back and Biceps Day. The Cable stations are all full of overly beefy dudes I don't recognize so I do Cage Stretch & Kicks while I'm still warm and sweaty. I won't lie: I'm damn tired, not having gone to sleep until 2 am, but it's Friday. It's the last workout day this week. I'm good at justifying why I'm here.

At past Thanksgivings, my identical twin first cousins had been looking a bit chunky for a while but are now in competition for losing weight and getting fit. One showed us his iPhone app that detailed his 5 miles of running 3 times a week. It takes him about an hour, and he's cut out red meat. His brother maintains that he's lost weight just by not eating meat without exercising, and that of course, he's the better looking twin anyway. It was a great family reunion, and a chance for my son to reacquaint himself with 2nd cousins he barely ever sees. For him, it was like having instant siblings.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio = 4.98 miles
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 / 12 @ 105 / 3 x 8 @ 120 lbs
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 90 / 4 x 12 @ 105 lbs
Bent-Over Barbell Rows: 15 @ 65 lbs / 5 x 15 @ 70 lbs
   (this again, is a 60 lb bar with pairs of 2.5 lb magnetic discs stuck to each end)
Lower Back Extensions (again!): 2 x 25 @ 95 lbs
   (usually I use the 7.5 lb brick but I couldn't find it today)
Seated Alternating Hammer Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
   (these seem easier now! damn, I'm gonna have to up the weight! )
Torso Twists: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs
   (the heavier weight seems to be improving my "golfer's elbow")
Mat Stretch (no Twisted Triangle pose today!) 

I don't see R or B today and M is just leaving as I arrived this morning. I glance up at the clock and realize that I really have to skidaddle as I have a turkey to put in the oven (the problem with eating out for a long weekend holiday is that there are no leftovers to make into meals) and my son has an orthodontist appointment to fix a broken wire on his braces. The scale reads 111.4 lbs and although it's a lot for a Friday, it's not a lot considering last night's complete pig out. It's really not that much when I go home and look up how much I weighed this time last year: 117 lbs. And last year, I actually didn't go to the gym that Thursday or Friday afterward. 

Gobble Gobble!

I actually made it to the gym today and thoroughly enjoyed my abbreviated workout. 45 minutes on the Precor got me a decent 4.95 miles and then I moved right onto the Smith to bench for reps. They felt really easy. The Cage Stretch & Kicks went well and then I moved back to the dumbbell rack for deltoids. It was soooo crowded with high schoolers that I had to be satisfied with a pair of 15 lb dumbbells so I improvised.

I only did 3 sets of front and lateral raises but didn't rest in between exercises so that felt good. Then I did a few sets of bent-over (chest in your knees) rear dumbbell raises but they were so easy at 15 lbs that I did sets of 15 reps without any issues. Several benches seemed to be missing and after a brief set of Tricep Dumbbell Extensions, I did some abs and then Mat stretch. The Torso Twist has a big sign on it stating that it's reserved for an Event. ??? Then I see R moving a pair of 125 dumbbells with a gaggle of wide-eyed high schoolers staring in disbelief, so I mosey over and wish him a Happy Thanksgiving. He nods and smiles.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio = 4.95 miles
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 4 x 25 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Superset Front & Lateral Raises: 3 x 12 @ 15 lbs
Seated Bent-Over Rear Raises: 3 x 15 @ 15 lbs
One-Arm Tricep Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Lower Ab Kick Outs: 125
Mat stretch with Twisting Triangle yoga pose

The scale reads 110 lbs and I'm okay with that. I had a good workout and get back to the locker room to indulge in a hot shower. Now I'm just trying to get my husband and son ready to head off to my brother's house in NJ for Thanksgiving dinner with our cousins. Tomorrow I'll be cooking turkey, mashed parsnips & carrots, chestnut-sausage stuffing, and probably some banana bread. But damn, I'm gonna make it to the gym in the morning! After all, I'm a gym rat through and through.