Lifting day

I lifted today, satisfying my 2008 mission to lift once a week.

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1. Consider doing the 6:30 full body conditioning class but, upon putting on bright orange 3" shorts that were slightly see-through (eek!) and totally embarrassing (particularly with black ankle socks) (I hate black socks) (I need to do laundry), and since I'm dressed by 6:00, try to warm up on erg but some dude's already there. Stretch instead.
2. 1x8x80, 1x8x90, 1x8x80 lat pulldowns with 15 seconds of walking / arm stretches in between sets
3. 3x8x90 squats
4. 1x8x70, 1x7x70, 1x5x70 leg curls. This machine confuses me. I need to find my old workout notes because, well. I'm confused. I used to kill these. Maybe the squats made my butt sleepy.
   
5. 1x24x20 bicep curls, middle 8 on tip toes.
6. 3:00 on 1:58 split 35 spm, 2 off erg.
7. Stretch
8. Steam and shower. Sauna is worthless at the Soho NYSC.
9. 12 ounces of shake thing once I got home.
   

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Seeing this picture of me
in my crazy costume
at my 31st birthday party
gave me pause

Thoughts:

1. My body looks puffy, which is not my goal. I remember the med school team semi half coach for crew in undergrad. She had huge quads but also fat over them which really was not a hot look. I have no idea what she looked like when she was in shape but I must say, my quads and my arms are looking puffy and much like they did in college. This confuses me. Doesn't lifting make one lean? Maybe I need to mix the yoga back in more frequently.
2. All that said, my glutes look awesome. Nice and lifted which was one of the reasons I started lifting again, it was looking a tad pancakey.
3. I can't handle lactic acid like I used to. Need to figure out how to work on this.

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Do protein shakes matter?

After today's workout, which was tough to grit through, I suspect that protein shake thingies actually do make a difference. My muscles felt sluggish even though I was doing exactly the same thing that I'd done a couple of weeks ago. Only real variable was that I hadn't had a protein shake thingy today. (I may have also failed to have my iron pill.)

??? Is it all in my head, or is there some positivist A-B split science behind this ???

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1. Walked a mile to the gym
   
2. [1 minute on (35 spm / 1:55), 1 minute off] * 3 on erg, resistance = 4
3. Stretch
4. 3 x 8 @ 80 lat pulldowns, 30 second walk with arms above head in between sets
5. 1 x 8 @ 90 squats, 30 second walk to find a trainer to show me how to re-set it correctly
   
6. 3 x 8 @ 70 leg curls, 30 second walk with arms above head in between sets
7. 3 x 8 @ 20 bicep curls, no rest in between sets, stood on tiptoes for middle set
8. 3 minutes on (34 spm / 1:56), 2 minutes off on erg, resistance = 9
   
9. Back stretch on the stability ball thing
10. Rest of stretches
11. Sauna / steam / shower
12. Walked a mile home

I have decided that I am totally counting if I walk without sitting for at least a mile, because, well, baby steps. Right?

I'm also considering joining a second gym because my friends keep asking me if I'm a member of Equinox (I'm at NYSC right now due to its proximity to my former office). Is that totes crazy?

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Taken en route to the gym

Hitting the weights

It's probably been a year, possibly more, since I've hit the weights. But I was inspired to get back at 'em by a fitness model that I sat next to while getting my hair colored at the L'Oreal Professional Training Institute. That's right, a skinny blonde thing convinced me to remind my ears of the sound of weights hitting industrial strength composite metals.

1. You should've seen the abs on her comp card
2. Turns out that she has a JD she doesn't use
3. Hey, she was reading Tolstoy

Anyway, don't judge a book by its cover, I say.

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Truth is, getting to the gym is very difficult for me. Last month I encountered what must be the most amazing home gym I have ever laid eyes upon. Seriously drool worthy. We're talking, industrial strength floor padding, floor-to-ceiling wall-to-wall mirrors, two big flat screen TVs, Nautilus machines, and an erg. It must've been at least a hundred grand to put that sucker in.

Alas, I do not live in that home. I live in Manhattan and the gym that I'm a member of is nowhere near my apartment.

So to motivate myself, I:

• Added a "workout" box to my very nerdy weekly matrix thing that keeps me organized
• Have decided to blog about my workouts

I figure if I can get inspired by my basketball teammate Lisa's blog about marathon training, then ... uh ... I can inspire me to trot my butt to the gym.

Plus, aren't these section dividers cute?

(Say yes.)

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1. Checked out the Kundalini yoga class and chatted with the instructor to make sure that total noobz could come to her class
2. 1 minute on (33 spm / 1:50), 1 minute off on erg, resistance = 4
3. Stretch
   
4. 3 x 8 @ 70 lat pulldowns, 30 second walk with arms above head in between sets
   
5. 3 x 8 @ 70 leg curls, 30 second walk with arms above head in between sets
6. 3 x 8 @ 70 leg extensions, 30 second walk with arms above head in between sets
7. 3 x 8 @ 20 bicep curls, no rest in between sets, stood on tiptoes for middle set
8. 5 Russian twist things on that stability ball thing
9. Walked my downward dog
   
10. Stretch
11. 3 minutes on (32 spm / 1:57), 2 minutest off on erg, resistance = 9
12. Sauna / steam / shower

Noted: I think the protein shake I like might be the cause of my excessive, umm, tooting today. Ahem.

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