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I spent some time working on squats, and related exercises for glutes and hamstrings, with the trainer again. (I tend to find my quads doing all the work; strong quads are good, but I want lots of strong muscles.) During that, I asked her not to refer to the weight room as the "boys' room," because comments like that were part of why it had taken me a year and a half to find my way in there. She agreed, but I don't know if it will affect what she says to other exercisers, which is the important thing at this point. (It was a very thorough workout.)
After working out, I had lunch in Chinatown, and then bought light bulbs at a store that sells bulbs of all sorts, and lamps. It was nice to have several choices of three-way bulbs; I bought the basic 50-100-150s that we always get, our wiring not being rated for more than that. While waiting in line at the cash register, I had a perfectly friendly conversation with a lunatic, who thanked me for being helpful. She started by saying she was looking for a Gauss meter, and that she'd seen it advertised on the net, but no store she'd walked into knew what she was talking about. She's worried about "EMF," i.e. any radiation outside the visible spectrum, and specifically that her neighbor's stereo may be leaking electricity into her apartment. I suggested that she might as well just go ahead and put up some aluminum foil to block it. She observed that I knew what I was talking about, and asked my advice on which side of the foil to put against the wall. I said I didn't think it mattered (and I don't: this is pure placebo); she felt that the shiny side was appropriate, and I didn't argue. She still wants the meter, so she can figure out where to put the foil: rather than cover the entire wall, she wants to put up a square, and then put a picture or poster over it. Either she doesn't find aluminum foil attractive, or she's more worried that her relatives and friends will consider her crazy than that a random stranger on Canal Street will.
Workout numbers:
Cardio, 22 minutes plus two of cool-down, top heart rate 149
Chest press, 75 pounds, 9; 65 pounds, 11
Calf raise, 82.5 pounds, 13; 80 pounds, 10; 75 pounds, 12
Leg press, 250 pounds, 12. 90 pounds and pushing much further (legs bent further as a result), 2 sets of 12.
Adjustable row, 70 pounds, 15, 15, 9. Stopped because my left upper arm felt a bit sore.
Crunches, 3 sets of 30
Back arch, 3 sets of 17
Tree, 4 sets of {3 on each leg}
Balance lateral raise, 5 pounds each hand, 2 sets of 15; 2.5 pounds each, 15. Walked in place some on the third set; in general, not as well balanced as the previous workout.
Then Liliana and I worked on squats again. I can get my hamstrings and glutes to do the work in some positions, but the basic squat was being all-quadriceps, especially at the beginning. We did some of this in socks but no shoes, which she said would show her more. One thing it showed is that I need to pay attention to having my legs basically a straight line from hip to ankle, and not turn my feet outwards. The best for working the back of the legs turned out to be a variation on the bridge position: get into that, raise one leg off the floor until it's more or less a straight line pointing upward at an angle, then lower and raise the other leg a few times. More than a few, I suspect, if one can: three reps was the most I could do of this. The squats will come, I expect, and if not, at least I've gotten a hamstring exercise. Liliana also recommended the hip adduction and abduction machines for glutes; I use them intermittently.
Bicep curls, 10 pounds each hand, 15; 8 pounds each hand, 20.
Hip adduction, 110 pounds, 11, 9; appended to the second set, 95 pounds, 5.
Hip abduction, 90 pounds, 2 sets of 12.
Tricep pulldown standing on balance pad, 45 pounds, 15, 9; 40 pounds, 6 (finishing out second set)
Wrist curl, 25 pounds, 2 sets of 15
Stretches
After working out, I had lunch in Chinatown, and then bought light bulbs at a store that sells bulbs of all sorts, and lamps. It was nice to have several choices of three-way bulbs; I bought the basic 50-100-150s that we always get, our wiring not being rated for more than that. While waiting in line at the cash register, I had a perfectly friendly conversation with a lunatic, who thanked me for being helpful. She started by saying she was looking for a Gauss meter, and that she'd seen it advertised on the net, but no store she'd walked into knew what she was talking about. She's worried about "EMF," i.e. any radiation outside the visible spectrum, and specifically that her neighbor's stereo may be leaking electricity into her apartment. I suggested that she might as well just go ahead and put up some aluminum foil to block it. She observed that I knew what I was talking about, and asked my advice on which side of the foil to put against the wall. I said I didn't think it mattered (and I don't: this is pure placebo); she felt that the shiny side was appropriate, and I didn't argue. She still wants the meter, so she can figure out where to put the foil: rather than cover the entire wall, she wants to put up a square, and then put a picture or poster over it. Either she doesn't find aluminum foil attractive, or she's more worried that her relatives and friends will consider her crazy than that a random stranger on Canal Street will.
Workout numbers:
Cardio, 22 minutes plus two of cool-down, top heart rate 149
Chest press, 75 pounds, 9; 65 pounds, 11
Calf raise, 82.5 pounds, 13; 80 pounds, 10; 75 pounds, 12
Leg press, 250 pounds, 12. 90 pounds and pushing much further (legs bent further as a result), 2 sets of 12.
Adjustable row, 70 pounds, 15, 15, 9. Stopped because my left upper arm felt a bit sore.
Crunches, 3 sets of 30
Back arch, 3 sets of 17
Tree, 4 sets of {3 on each leg}
Balance lateral raise, 5 pounds each hand, 2 sets of 15; 2.5 pounds each, 15. Walked in place some on the third set; in general, not as well balanced as the previous workout.
Then Liliana and I worked on squats again. I can get my hamstrings and glutes to do the work in some positions, but the basic squat was being all-quadriceps, especially at the beginning. We did some of this in socks but no shoes, which she said would show her more. One thing it showed is that I need to pay attention to having my legs basically a straight line from hip to ankle, and not turn my feet outwards. The best for working the back of the legs turned out to be a variation on the bridge position: get into that, raise one leg off the floor until it's more or less a straight line pointing upward at an angle, then lower and raise the other leg a few times. More than a few, I suspect, if one can: three reps was the most I could do of this. The squats will come, I expect, and if not, at least I've gotten a hamstring exercise. Liliana also recommended the hip adduction and abduction machines for glutes; I use them intermittently.
Bicep curls, 10 pounds each hand, 15; 8 pounds each hand, 20.
Hip adduction, 110 pounds, 11, 9; appended to the second set, 95 pounds, 5.
Hip abduction, 90 pounds, 2 sets of 12.
Tricep pulldown standing on balance pad, 45 pounds, 15, 9; 40 pounds, 6 (finishing out second set)
Wrist curl, 25 pounds, 2 sets of 15
Stretches
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