Yeah, I'm gonna be feeling that tomorrow

Friday, July 31, 2009

I was on the leg press machine tonight (yeah, yeah, I know, squats are better, but I can't DO squats until I build up my quads and I can do that on the leg press), and just for the hell of it I decided to see if I could press 200 lb.

As it turns out, I could, for a a full 1 x 10 set. Of course, I was staggering after I got off the bloody thing, but it's nice to know that I can move that much weight. And in other delightful news, the Crimson Tide has actually made an on-time appearance for once, complete with surprisingly painful cramps! It's my Special Girl Time -- yay!

I'm not a well clown

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Thanks to some yokel who sneezed on Lyndon in WalMart and passed along some horrible inbred bug which he then inadvertantly passed on to me, I spent most of yesterday on the couch hurting all over, feeling rotten and trying to doze. As a result I was wide awake for a large chunk of last night, didn't get nearly enough sleep, and currently feel like I'm sleepwalking. Yay.

I also stayed within my caloric allowance, go me, but gained about .8 of a pound, which I figure is pretty much water thanks to the oncoming Crimson Tide and the fact that I was too achy to swim (well, hell, I was due a rest day in any case). Gosh, but being a girl is so much fun!

Phoo.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Lat pulldowns. Pullups (you use the lat bar and pretend you're trying to chin yourself on it). Upright rows. Arm curls. Shrugs. Seated rows. Something to work the rotator cuff because my right one is bothering me.

My hair is dripping with sweat. Everyone else was wearing pretty gym togs -- I was in old sweats and a badly worn and tattered t-shirt. And I got a couple of horrified looks from some sweet young things when I started grunting during the upright rows.

God, I love weightlifting. And I still have 133 calories or so to play with before I hit the hay. Vanilla yogurt, I do believe you're calling my name.

Oh, and since I started with the weights last week? Six pounds down. BOOyah.

Painkillers are our friends

Stretch walked up to my desk this morning and said in a conversational tone, "I was cursing your name last night."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I couldn't sit down -- my butt hurt from those lunges."

I commiserated, explaining how I staggered downstairs this morning at 5:30 AM to gulp some Tylenol and nap on the couch because my back was aching from Saturday's workout. "So, gym tonight at 9?"

"You bet."

Because achiness? Feh. We have iron to lift.

Did you know

Sunday, July 26, 2009

That you can use the diving board in a pool as an assisted dip machine if you can't quite use the one in the gym because it doesn't have enough weight to counteract, well, you?

And that if you can't do a full squat in the gym, you can get in a couple of sets of squats in the shallow end of the pool? Granted, you'll probably get some pool water up your nose as well, but you still get the workout.

And that even if you feel like crap because some yokel sneezed on your husband and passed along a bug that he inadvertently passed on to you, you still want to go swimming because you've seen a pleasing downward trend in the scale numbers (finally!!!).

Training with Stretch

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Stretch is a coworker whom I've inveigled into coming to the gym with me -- tonight was only her second night, and she promptly marched across the gym doing lunges with weights. I have never been so proud of my enabling powers. She did mention that her arms were a little achy from the first night, and that she probably wouldn't be able to walk on Monday and it would all be my fault. I told her she had a chair on wheels, and to get her bandmate to wheel her anywhere she needs to go.

Well, hey, it made sense to me.

In the meantime, I'm discovering that it's fun having a weightlifting buddy because you can moan and complain to someone as you work out. And in other positive news, I've just discovered that a Starbucks Grande Mocha Frappucino Light with no whipped cream is only 180 calories. Because every so often, a woman needs a cold, chocolatey, caffeinated treat after a long, hot day, dammit.

EUUURGHH!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

I love making that noise in the gym, I really do, which is why I usually go when it's deserted so people don't wonder where the camel in labor is. And since Wednesdays is usually Push Day (I do the three-day split workout from Stumptuous.com -- push, pull and legs), yesterday I got to do bench presses, tricep presses, shoulder presses, crunches, and I threw in a set of upright rows just because I felt like it. Still can't do deadlifts -- the knees just won't support my weight in a squat -- but those will come, those will come.

Have I mentioned how much I love weightlifting? I don't know if it's linked to my naturally violent tendencies or I just like grunting a lot, but this really is one of my all-time favorite exercises. And one of the few nice things about being a broad broad is that nobody expects you to be delicate and feminine, so I've never had anyone make stupid comments like "Oh, you're lifting too heavy," or "You just want to tone" or "the pretty pink dumbbells are in the corner over there."

Thank you, no, I'll stay over here with the nice black free weights. I did pick up a 35 lb dumbbell last night just to see if I could curl it -- um, no. But in a couple of months? Heh, heh, heh...