my journey to becoming a runner

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Mac Raises

I'm sorry I haven't been around in a while. I have been meaning to update, you know I like to do it every day. But I haven't been real fit lately and therefore, I don't have much to write on my fitness blog. As I mentioned, I am working 6 full days in a row, which is always exhausting. It's even exhausting on day 4, just knowing that my days off are still far away. On top of that, we have minimum staff this week because everybody has to work on Friday for an all staff training (when 20 hour employees waste 8 whole hours sitting at a meeting, it doesn't leave many more hours for them to work during the week). So needless to say, work has been exhausting. And adding to it even more is the fact that two huge projects I have been working on are coming up on Saturday. After that, things should be looking better. Well, for a few days.

Anyway, enough complaining about work. I was too tired yesterday to make it to the gym both in the morning and the afternoon. All I have enough energy for is sitting around my house and watching TV. Missing my gym time yesterday means it is going to be nearly impossible for me to get my 7 hours in. I plan on making it to BodyPump tonight (taking myself up to three hours for this week). But I can't stay after, I have too many errands to run and other things to do: including watching Grey's Anatomy for the first time in months!!! I will probably make it to the gym tomorrow evening (with the other social-rejects) but I have to fit it around cleaning my house, hitting the grocery store, and preparing some food for my friend Jen's visit on Saturday evening. Saturday, with the aforementioned two major projects, and Jen's visit, will leave no time for working out. Sunday I plan to make it to my third BodyPump of the week, and probably an hour of cardio. Still, with all that crammed in, I will only make it 6 hours this week. Oh well... sometimes sleep is more important.

For my main point of this entry: I hate the new Shoulder track. Those Mac Raises are very tough. That's the move where one arm is going out to the side, while the other is going straight out in front of you. And even though I can make it through, I feel it the next day in oddest spot on my arm. And the pain lasts for like two days, until I do it all over again. Secretly, I kind of enjoy the soreness-- it makes it all worth it knowing that my shoulders are gonna be beautiful soon. I have also started using hand weights on the shoulders. My little hands just cannot grasp those medium sized weights when they have to defy gravity so many times. The hand weights make it much easier to do the move, without stopping to readjust, and therefore, I am probably doing more reps than ever before. Although a 5lb hand weight is slightly less than the 2.5kg plate I was using, so that could explain part of why I think it's a tad easier.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice reference to Wicked! Mac raises are difficult, but I don't really seem to be sore like you. Just a bit the first time, and only when you poked me. Maybe I do more moves like that on a daily basis - you know, while I'm sequencing DNA or something.

Jen said...

I would just like to say that I think a lot of the new tracks are hard this time around. Me and a Body Pump old-timer commented to each other about this last night during class. The chest track is so hard! Tonight I'm off to Combat!!