Ok, well, going in sore didn't actually make for a bad workout.
All the typical stuff, with some variation. Leaning back on the butterflies... more weight on the pull-ups.
Another change to the bicep exercise. Curling with a long bar, using both arms. Still couldn't quite finish all the reps.
Those gull-wing things didnt hurt so much.
Pain. Today I have pain. But I basically have full normal mobility.
And I can see my body improving, at least in motion and control.
Wow.
I got to the gym at 7, but my trainer wasn't there. Figuring he might be a few minutes late, I did an 8 minute warmup on the treadmill, but when he still wasn't there, I paged him. He called back, saying he'd be there in a couple minutes. At 7:13, he showed up.
Started with bench presses... then these push-down things that I still don't know what exactly they work or what they're called. And those nasty butterfly things. He wanted to quit at 7:35, but I complained, saying I didnt get my full workout...
Mistake.
I ended up having to do about 60 crunches and 30 vertical push-ups. Oh, and these nasty tricep backwards squatting things.
Contrary to my belief, I'm supposed to be doing 60 crunches, 60 reverse crunches, and 40 sideways crunches, 3-4 times per week.
This would explan why they hurt so bad when I do em.
He also told me I should be doing more outside of the gym... testing my strength and endurance.
I laugh because I used to get my "workout" every year for free... splitting/cutting wood, baling hay, shovelling manure, repairing the sheds or barn. Now I pay ungodly amounts of money to have someone tell me how good I'm doing and how much more I need to do OUTSIDE of the gym. (Hello? I signed up for the gym because I don't do anything outside of it. Because I sit glued to a CRT all day, fingers frantically typing away at some barely understood language...)
I go back today to do shoulders and biceps. Good god, I'm asking for pain.
So, yesterday, between being sick and having to make an airport run, I missed my usual workout. It was rescheduled to today.
Out of guilt, I still did my ab workout, which was nice to say I finished. It burned at the time, but today, I feel ok.
And it's a monster of a day today, but I still have to work triceps and back tonight. Bleah.
Someone explain why my biceps are just saying "no" when it comes to exercise?
Every other part of my body is getting in line, but they have it out for me for some reason.
Dammit.
I'm trying to eat healthier, but yesterday I flopped, and didn't eat enough. Halfway through my workout, I felt like total crap, and my body started to give out. Just like the old days. I wasn't overheated or dehydrated... just a sugar problem I think. Felt horrible. Tingly. Numb. At least I know I was exerting myself.
I made my second payment yesterday, too. 3 more weeks for me.
I should measure tomorrow. And do my ab workout.
Bastard knew I cheated. Made me do crunches. Lots of them, compared to the zero I've been doing. I hurt like hell. My stomach is tight though. Tight but painful. Bastard.
Did more tricep work, and chest, and shoulders. Normal stuff. Stuff I know how to do, and am getting comfortable with. Except for the fact he keeps upping my weights. Just when I get comfortable, he tells me something like "4 sets, 6 reps, 10 lbs more than last time."
F*ck you! That's hard! Damn! I realize you're a farmboy like me, but I haven't actually WORKED a farm for 10 years. Well, less than that, but still.
If I hadn't paid good money for this, scheduled time for this, and had someone there to push me... I wouldn't be there. Definitely.
Maybe he looked me up. Maybe he reads this. Hi Scott, you bastard. My abs are killing me today. See you tomorrow.
End of week 3.
Woo.
Definitely got my lower-body workout this weekend... walking around Cambridge and Boston for hours on Saturday. nala and I decided to not be lazy, and we walked everywhere. My little toe on my right foot has a blister to prove it. Ouch.
Still didn't do my abs yet. I'm such a lazy ass. Maybe tonight.
I hurt like hell.
I'm exhausted.
But I'm gaining.
I should take some measurements. See where I am compared to where I was. I need to buy a bathroom scale too.
I just felt like such a wimp last night... Towards the end, I just couldnt meet my targets... My arms just gave out.
And then I went and chugged down a Blue Moon ale, and a fried seafood "platter" at Mac's.
Ugh, today I'm feeling that. BAD.
Not a great way to feel when you're travelling 1000 miles.
So, while I may look sexy, I feel like utter crap.
Yep. Crap. And this confirms what I said in my last post. Thursdays are the "hurt" days. Side lifts, bicep curls, and pull ups. Oh, don't forget the overhead pull-down things that I don't know what to call... (Not lat pulldowns... these are in the front?) Ah, whatever.
It's a crappy day.
So, workout #4... 2 weeks gone.
This one wasnt that bad. I didnt hurt as much, and I saw myself doing more. I'm not sure what I'm benching... I didnt look. I'm scared to think that it's something wimpy. Holding more weight, doing more reps, same with all the other exercises. Getting more control, slowly but surely.
It felt good. Really good. I think I want to spend more time there each night. 30 minutes seems like barely anything. An hour would be nicer... I can think of a half dozen more exercises I've done that I could be doing in that extra half hour.
Thursdays are the "hurt" days. I know what's coming and it really will hurt. I can't think what it's called at the moment, but I can tell you, it makes pain in muscles I didnt know I had. Literally.
Plus, I was discussing hometowns with my trainer, Scott - he's from Warsaw, went to Coshocton HS, and is a year younger than me.
He also used to train my hometown newspaper editor. How funny is that?
I miss my old trainer, Sheila... she had a sexy, sultry way of seducing you into doing exercises that would hurt. This guy Scott just laughs it off with you, which I guess is fine, too, but not quite as interesting.
A day of rest it was not.
After killing my brain cells Friday, I spent all day Saturday in recovery mode... rehydrating and resting, fighting the worst hangover since mixing beer, wine and shots last summer at Millennium.
Today however, I got a mini-workout since Jay and I painted the "guest room" walls.
Simple, but time consuming. I did notice less exhaustion compared to the last time, and my arms are not the least bit sore.
Still need to do my ab workout.
I found a partner for biking... nala's old roommate Danny bikes every weekend. I'm looking forward to it. I'll bet he might even rollerblade. I still need to buy both a bike and rollerblades, but hey, at least I know I can find someone to bike with, to keep me motivated.
Motivation is the key. Well, determination doesn't hurt.
Workout #3: Where Matt Learns He's Lopsided
Now, no, I'm not any freak of nature, nor do I mean that I'm underdeveloped on one side.
Watching myself in the mirror, I could see a huge difference in range of motion and physical shape of my left side.
Disturbing, yes?
Scotti pointed it out YEARS ago. I never noticed, but now I'm really self conscious about it.
And today, I hurt even more. Wednesday was pain free.
Saturday, I'm supposed to do cardio and abdominals. If I'm home, I'll hop the treadmill.
Yesterday was workout #2.
Today, I just want to sleep.
Triceps, biceps and shoulders, mainly.
When I got home, I realized something: I hadn't eaten beforehand, and I was also dehydrated. Bad Matt. Take care of that beforehand, so you'll be ok after the walk home.
So, when I met nala at Basso, I grabbed a CocaCola. And then soup and fries at Mac's, with a Pepsi.
This morning, a double Razzmatazz, and my vitamins. I need to hit GNC, since Scotti only gave me a 4 day supply.
It feels good to be getting fit, but the days afterward suck ass.
So, this is what getting fit feels like.
2 weeks ago, I decided to visit this tiny little gym ("fitness center") around the corner from my house. I had an initial eval, which told me basically what I knew already... my fat percentage was up, and I'd lost a lot of strength and stamina.
So, last Thursday was my first workout. We're concentrating on my upper body, since my lower body is fairly good.
I'm eating a teensy bit better, and it feels like my stomach shrank. I'm taking vitamins, drinking less soda and more water and fruit juices... And, after 5 days, my muscles finally are done hurting.
This evening, I have another workout session. I really should be studying, but it's only 30 minutes. 30 minutes of pain and torture. Get the whip.
Thursday, when I walked in the door, still dripping with sweat and huffing and puffing, nala asked me if I got my after-workout massage... I chuckled, and said that it probably wasn't covered in my "bare minimum plan," but all I could think of when I was on the weight bench was EVERY CHEESY GAY PORNO set in a gym, where the spotter wants some, and the guy on the bench... well, you get the picture.
The picture itself wasn't all bad. The trainer looks like my friend Wood, with better hair and a tan.
Now, if I can stop from laughing while on the weight bench, I'll be ok.