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
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
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
Although temps were in the 60s today, the wind made it feel much colder. At least blustery days mean there are no bugs at the park to fly up my nose and into my mouth. I'm not getting enough sleep, and that, coupled with some residual side effects from vaccine shot #2 (fatigue and headaches), made this week more difficult than usual. I skipped yesterday and only had time for a quick workout today. Oddly, today was really crowded at the gym, with loud wanna-be muscle-heads slamming weights in the free weight area.
My son's friends decided to have an impromptu gathering so I can't linger at the gym. I'll need to drive him into town where all his friends are meeting. Still, I do what's important: cardio, core, and sciatic nerve stretches. The "closed" signage is off the Stretch Cage so I'm no longer sneaking hammer grip pull-ups. If I had time, I'd do my DB shoulder routine because I think my triceps overwhelm the rest of my arms and balance is important. I've looked at old photos of myself and wonder if my delts have shrunk. I know there's some excess weight I'd look better without. Yes, we're talking about fat.
My weight has stabilized at a new higher plateau, which I'm not happy about. I can't blame the pandemic as my weight has been creeping up for the past two years. Five pounds might be referred to as "vanity pounds" but honestly, as a small person, 5 lbs makes all the difference between fitting comfortably into clothes or having to buy the next bigger size. It's not like I'm gonna get taller... Now that my sciatica is manageable, my focus is on dropping those extra 5 pounds without jeopardizing my eye pressure. (I've had to give up a lot of different movements that I really used to enjoy.) And that's gonna be really hard, but my clothes will know the difference.
30 April 2021 Blustery Friday
Precor elliptical 30 min + 5 cool down Program 3 HR 141-176, 96 Cal 315 Distance 2.84
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
The only thing I have to say about today's workout besides the fact that I got there much later than usual, is that I was surprised at the end that I could look down at my arms and see the lateral head tricep ridge jutting up like a small rope. I don't actually remember ever being able to see that before but it's been a long time since I've done V-Bar Press Downs. Don't even remember why I stopped doing them!
It's not that I don't appreciate the Rip Skulls. It's just that my sciatica always feels much worse after I do those. And right now, I'm trying to get to a place where it doesn't bother me so much.
I skipped yesterday: not enough sleep and a killer headache that might be attributed to... not enough sleep. Or my second vaccination dose. Today, temps peaked at 81F which is ridiculous for NYS in April. I don't even want to think about what August will be like. Dogs will not be happy! They're friskiest when it's a brisk 45F outside. I guess Korea is a cold place? We went to the park and I put on two bug-proof hoodies, but I still got bitten: exposed facial skin is an invitation and eyebrows were fair game! I might have to resort to wearing a bug net over my head because I don't want to apply DEET to my face every morning.
Hand cream update: the O'Keeffe's Working Hands cream seems to be helping although my fingers still look shredded, they don't hurt as much. And the cream doesn't make me feel sticky or greasy either.
Meanwhile, my new favorite earwig is still from Ryan Star's album 11:59... "Right Now." And I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the cheering is part of its energetic charm...
28 April 2021 Blistering Tuesday
Precor elliptical 30 min + 5 cool down Program 2 HR 136-194, 86, 91 Cal 315 Distance 2.84
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? Lost count Mat stretch w Seated Twist
Smith Inclined Press Bar (30 lbs) x 20 +20 x 20 +40 x 20 +50 x 15, 15, 15
V-Bar Press Down 20 lbs x 15 reps 30 x 15 35 x 12, 12, 12
Unlike the 1985 Japanese noodle-western cult film, Tampopo, I happily made and ate supermarket ramen noodles twice over the weekend. Because when you're camping in blustery weather, sometimes you really want a hot meal, and something not too heavy to pack. I did supplement my ramen with fresh arugula and leftover pastrami (from my lunch sandwich) for Saturday supper, and with more arugula and a few ounces of foil-bagged tuna for Sunday lunch. Instant oatmeal with dried strawberries and instant espresso with pre-sweetened creamer made a good breakfast.
Over the weekend, the one thing we participants were not was hungry! Because between meals, during demonstrations and lectures on campsite selection, knife and ax safety, fire-building, knot tying, campsite cooking, ultralight backpacking, etc., we had access to coffee, tea & hot water, as well as samples of campfire cooking (foil pork loin, coffee can osso buco, dump cake in a Dutch oven) as well as donuts, cookies, granola bars, crackers, and apples.
I was still tired from my 2nd covid vaccine shot and having sciatica didn't help. Luckily, I had a lot of help from instructors and fellow Scouters: I was one of only 3 women among 16 participants. And because of all the help, I had one of the best-looking sites (we did get critiqued after we set up) and I repaid the favor by having several members join me at breakfast under my tarp. Because it poured Saturday night into Sunday morning. But I was toasty dry. Okay, not toasty but dry.
I have a hard time getting to the gym today, but I made it by 1:30. Surprisingly, the gym isn't very crowded even though capacity restrictions are being lifted. Perhaps it's because people would rather take a run outside. My fingers hurt because the tips are splitting and the cuticles are all frayed. Cold winds and frequent handwashing aren't helping at all. Today I bought some O'Keeffe's Working Hands cream hoping it will help. Everything else is too greasy and I'm close to adhering bandaids to all my fingertips, but that gets messy real fast.
I'm still tired. No one gets a great night's sleep camping on uneven ground. While I was dry and decently warm, I was on a slight slope and throughout the night, I would find my feet pressed up against the door of the tent because my closed-cell pad would slide down under me. I'd wake up and have to inchworm myself up to the middle of the tent. It felt a bit Sisyphean. Doubly inconvenient when you're zipped in for warmth but can't really turn over because sciatica makes that too painful.
I manage a respectable number of hammer grip pullups before sitting down to the task of Seated Cable Rows. Instead of making them heavier, I decided to test making the motion slower, or at least the eccentric portion. Yes, it's that time-tested method Time Under Tension (TUT) that every serious lifter talks about. So I can quickly pull the handle to my chest, then slowly return it to the start position in a painfully controlled fashion. I'm willing to try this a few times instead of adding weight to the stack.
Here's the trailer (with English subtitles) to the ramen classic! For a long time, it was only available on VHS to rent but finally, it's streamable. Much better than Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman.
26 April 2021 Blustery Monday
Precor elliptical 30 min + 5 cool down Program 1 HR 182-144, 114 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
My arm is still quite sore from yesterday's vaccination shot. I'm also inexplicably tired, but that just might be the cumulative effect of not getting enough sleep during the week. I certainly don't have a fever: the quick read forehead thermometer told me I was 93F although I'm sure I'm closer to 96.
Tomorrow I get to slog to the Boy Scout Camp the next town over to take the Intro to Outdoor Leadership Skills, aka ITOLS. Me and 15 other newbies will be pitching individual tents at a campsite and learning basic Scout skills. The fact that it's supposed to pour tomorrow night into Sunday morning doesn't particularly thrill me. And even though we'll be outdoors, masking will be required, which is actually silly. I'll be bringing a 10x20 tarp to act as a rain fly for the camp. It's a good thing I'm familiar with all this stuff. I'm just not good with knots...
I had to drag myself to the gym and when I realized I had forgotten my phone, I had half a thought to turn around and go home. But since I'm really tired, I figure I'd do a super-abbreviated workout, one that I could actually remember all the numbers to. And luckily, my ancient iPod nano has a clock function that includes a stopwatch to use during planks. I did skip a lot of the other movements like pushups and pullups. Because my arm is sore and I'm tired.
23 April 2021 Forgetful Friday
Forgot my phone Tired from my shot
20 min Precor Elliptical Intervals 1.64 miles 180 calories
60 x 2 crunches Piriformis stretch Happy Baby Dead Bug 40 x 2 Plank 60s 25 Fire Hydrants Bird Dogs 2 x 60s Seated twist stretch
