Take care of yourself

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

The bike might work. The last time I tried the eliptical, it hurt. Maybe just hitting a heavy bag would be OK. The footwork drills, jumping rope and shadow boxing I usually do might not be such a good idea.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Just be careful. Don't be thinking about the knee when you're doing it, though ... that will just mess with your mind and whatever it is you're doing.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

A little gym humour to break up the monotony of a rainy, post-legs day on the couch:


A WOMAN'S WEEK AT THE GYM



If you read this without laughing out loud, there is something wrong with you. This is dedicated to everyone who ever attempted to get into a regular workout routine.



Dear Diary,

For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me.



Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.



I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.



My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.



MONDAY:

Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess -- with blonde hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring! Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!



TUESDAY:

I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door.



Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT! It's a whole new life for me.



WEDNESDAY:

The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.



Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for early in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the Hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other shit too.



THURSDAY:

Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late, it took me that long to tie my shoes.



Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. She sent another skinny bitch to find me .



Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank.



FRIDAY:

I hate that bitch Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it.



Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the damned barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?



SATURDAY:

Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her made me want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.



SUNDAY:

I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter (the little shit) will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a root canal or a hysterectomy.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I tried clapping pull-ups yesterday in the gym during my arms day. I was able to do two before nearly killing myself.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

45 miles, 2,200 feet of climbing this morning.

Multiply that by five and I'll reach my goal for a single day's effort on September 6.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Today
Crossfit's workout from 5/19: 75 pushups, 50 95-pound sumo deadlift high (scaled to 75 pounds), 50 ring dips (50 regular), 30 45-pound weighted pullups (yeah, right; got two at 15 and three at 10, the other 25 half-ass kipping), 25 handstand pushups (not yet; strict shoulder presses, 10 at 85 pounds, 15 at 75) in 43:58.

After doing 50 pullups, 50 dips and 100 pushups yesterday, I was spent today. Without yesterday's stuff, I'm thinking I'm at least 10 minutes faster. At least I hope so.

My left pec is as sore as it's ever been. Aches like a sumbitch.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

22 miles in the morning, mostly easy with a solid climb in the middle.

Then I raced a crit at night. A fast, technical course with 10 90-degree turns and a short, but very steep hill on each lap.

I suffered. I hurt. I got dropped. And I finished. Including the ride to and from, I got another 25 miles in.

I slept very well.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

All those turns would suck, particularly if you just pedaled your way up a hill and then had to slow down to turn, losing momentum. I'm holding off on my bike purchase. The school district is wacking 300 teaching jobs, and the wife's could be one of them. We'll find out in two weeks. If things go well, I can get my bike on June 10, the day after she gets word.

I haven't changed my routine yet. I've still been making some good strength gains. So I'm going to stick with the current routine at least two more weeks. I am introducing a new exercise or two every week.

My bench press is rising. I did four reps at 150 for two sets. In a week or two, I'm going to buy more weight and go for 160. I finally got back into my legs stuff last night. I did dumb bells squats with 40 pounds in each hand. I had been using 25-pounders. So it was a nice jump up. I can do more, but I can feel it in my legs. So I'll take it slowly. I skipped legs for a week and only did a partial workout the week prior. I'm up to 40 pounds on my hammer curls. I did four sets on back day. I've now split back and shoulders into separate days.

Also, I've lost four more pounds. I'm now at 185. Actually, I weighed 182 today. But my official weigh-in doesn't come until next Monday. That's 62 pounds lost since mid-February.

As you might imagine, the muscle growth, combined with weight loss, is causing my body shape to change dramatically. In a few more months, I'll look shockingly different. It's already pretty noticeable. I'm surprised to see how much of my strength from my old college days has remained. I'm already lifting more weight than I could do at age 21. Essentially, I'm stronger now than I've ever been in my life.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Uh, oh. I'm springing for one of these tomorrow.


All in the hopes of shaving 30-45 seconds off my time.
:-\

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I have one of those. It plays the Beach Boys.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Mine just makes a woosh, woosh, woosh sound as it cuts through the air eliminating drag and (hopefully) turning me from a 7th-place TT finisher to a 3rd-place finisher with an extra .5 MPH.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I felt a little strain while doing squats on Wednesday. My knee also acted up a little. The pain went away after my first set, but there's definitely some soreness. I was hoping it was just general soreness. I can walk, but I can feel it when I go to sit down or otherwise bend. The knee also gave out a little today when I was shopping. It was just momentary, but it was enough to let me know there's something that might not be right.

I iced it tonight and put some Icy Hot on it. My wife rubbed it in, and she said she can feel a little knot. I'm elevating the thing tonight. I hope it's a little better on Friday.

I've read some stuff about strained hamstrings. It sounds like it can take a while to heal. A few sites suggest giving it a few days and then doing some movement to push blood into the muscle to help it heal. I guess it's a daily sort of therapy. They say to do this as long as the pain doesn't get any worse. They say that really does the trick and cuts down on scarring of the muscle belly. I didn't even know muscles had bellies.

I suppose someone's dealt with a hammy before. Any advice?