#lucy lifts

Workout this morning was decent! Workouts++ decided to malfunction and didn’t record my heart rate... but the Activity app did! I tried to take a photo of my machine post-workout but it seems whenever I do, I’m literally two seconds too slow and the machine blanks out 😕 Machine said 3.10 miles and just over 400 calories (30 min + 5 min cool down). I’m still not convinced I’m getting accurate readings for burned energy from anything, but luckily the goal isn’t precision nor is it just about calories. My heart is happier for the cardio, and my MIND is happier with weights.

Fitocracy is fun with their points but lemme tell you... bench presses are INFINITELY easier than tricep extensions or pullovers. Perhaps it’s because of the muscle isolation that they score extensions and pullovers so low in comparison to bench presses? Still though; good workout! Even though I technically didn’t add any weight from my last upper body workout (I finally figured out the weight of the barbell and added it this time), I did do more reps so that’s a good thing!!

Gym ✅

My motivation is very low today. Cardio was just okay; my heart rate is “improving” in that the same intensity (cadence and setting son the AMT) is netting a slower HR, which is fine minus the fact that it still sucks 😂 I’m not fond of cardio in general, and today was so boring. I don’t know how people do it for long stretches without getting bored out of their minds. Even with the TV on, listening to music, and watching YouTube I just wanted it to end.

Lifting went okay. I removed the stiff-legged deads as I wanted to really focus on the form differences between conventional and Romanian; last week I had some weird lower back pressure (not really pain) and thought maybe given the hinge in the stiff-legged it was from that. Wanted to feel it more in the hamstrings. It wasn’t my best workout, but the only “bad” workout is the one that didn’t happen.

Great day at the gym! My core strength still sucks and Workouts++ still thinks I burn 8 calories per minute when my HR is at 180, but I feel great anyway!! I didn’t get to the sauna today as I needed to stop at Safeway before work and get sustenance... natural consequences for being lazy and not going grocery shopping last night 😂

Happy Merry Friday! And end of January!!

05.22.2023 // a rare leg day Monday

I don’t really do a lot of lower body on Mondays because I typically prefer to do upper body on M and Thursday and lower on Tues and Friday (end the week on a high note). But last week’s Thursday hike + really sore calves + Saturday upper body work meant today I was still feeling fatigue in my upper body accessory muscles (and tbh some in the legs still). So I swapped days for this week.

Overall not a bad workout. Got in early to avoid seeing the manager or having to workout later (I woke up early today so I have a feeling I’m going to be tired tonight). Because it was so dead, I used the barbell instead of dumbbells for calf raises, which actually made them easier since I didn’t have to use my arms to hold up the barbells. I did, however, smack my head into the barbell so that wasn’t fun. I contemplated trying deads again since I already had a small weight on the barbell. Clearly I did not- walking into the barbell kinda killed that for me.

Anyway, I set some new “PRs” on StrongLifts. Leg press is still quite easy- I could’ve sworn at one point I was doing 180 on that machine but I can’t find those records now. Back extensions were also easy. I think 90# was what I was doing with 3x10-12 so it’s nice to see that isn’t too hard. The curls and extensions were probably true PRs tho at this point (not counting whatever tf I did when I was young and “lifting was my life” aka pseudo-recovery, because I def don’t have those records anymore).

Also did a little over 6 miles in a 30 min stationary cycling session. Was debating that but ended up going for it anyway, especially since I likely won’t get to hike again anytime soon.