Gold's Gym Games

This greeted me when I went to the gym yesterday. Second in women under 40. Surprised by the lack of participation in the men under 40.

Day 21

No sign of Mary Worth but we get a glimpse of Ian Cameron's surprisingly hairless back and Toby's lack of cleavage. I guess she decided to take a quick dip in the pool as a break from the demanding bill paying.

[begin blatant comment whoring]

A question inspired by the Olympic diving event: How big a splash would Ian Cameron make if he executed a cannonball into the Charterstone poll?

[end blatant comment whoring]

I found out last night that I had been lifting heavier than I thought. I thought the barbells were 40 pounds. Turns out they are 45 pounds. I bench pressed 80 pounds for 4 reps. I managed to get that weight to my chest rather than just bending my arms to a little over 90 degrees.

20 Days

I have revived the Mary Worth watch. 20 days since Mary Worth appeared in her own comic strip. It should take another 11 days for Toby to pay her credit card bill. Today: filling in the fields on the check; tomorrow: signing check; next day: finding envelope (because Toby's credit card issuer does not provide envelopes); day 4: finding stamp; day 5: putting statement and check into envelope; day 6: sealing envelope; day 7: affixing stamp; day 8: addressing envelope (Santa Royale does not have those fancy window envelopes); day 9: standing up; day 10: head out door; day 11: see Mary Worth on way to mailbox.

If this storyline continues to move at its current pace then Mary Worth should set a new record for absence from her own comic strip.

I would like Mary Worth, Style Mavin attempt to recreate Toby's purple chitinous plate blouse.

On my Leg Press I did 31 reps @ 155 pounds.

Bodies

Off the Mark and Days of Thunder brings today's comic page theme - strategically placed props

Speaking of the human body check out this slide show from the New York Times. The stats are mind boggling and given the diversity of body types all these athletes consume about the same amount of calories.

Boxing fascinates me because of the wide range of sizes that participate. From nbcolympics.com:
Weight classes (kilogram amounts are official)
• Light flyweight (Up to 48kg/106 lbs)
• Flyweight (Over 48kg/106 lbs up to 51kg/112 lbs)
• Bantamweight (Over 51kg/112 lbs up to 54kg/119 lbs)
• Featherweight (Over 54kg/119 lbs up to 57kg/126 lbs)
• Lightweight (Over 57kg/126 lbs up to 60kg/132 lbs)
• Light welterweight (Over 60kg/132 lbs up to 64kg/141 lbs)
• Welterweight (Over 64kg/141 lbs up to 69 kg/152 lbs)
• Middleweight (Over 69kg/152 lbs up to 75 kg/165 lbs)
• Light heavyweight (Over 75 kg/165 lbs up to 81kg/179 lbs)
• Heavyweight (Over 81 kg/179 lbs up to 91 kg/201 lbs)
• Super heavyweight (Over 91kg/201 lbs)

Athleticism comes in all shapes, sizes and ages.

Yesterday, I did my jump rope for the Gold's Gym Games: 1 minute 36.44 seconds. This is a personal best according to the way I count (I count the number of times I go over the rope): 102. Then I ran 4 miles and never felt lighter on my feet. I need to add jump rope to my regular training routine. My coordination has improved as well as my running.

Later today I do the leg press. 155 or 160 pounds depending on what the gym scale says today. I'm weighing with my shoes on because I wear them while working out.

Exercise Log: August 11 - 17

This week I ran, biked and used the elliptical trainer for 22.83 miles, burned 2314.4 calories and weigh 142.1 pounds.

Monday: ran 2.36 miles in 28:54
Tuesday: elliptical trainer for .72 miles in 10:00
Wednesday: ran 6.01 miles in 1:05:00
Thursday: ran 2.43 miles in 26:56
Friday: biked 4.02 miles in 17:48
Saturday: ran 7.29 miles in 1:28:35

Gold's Gym Games training:
Tuesday: Jump Rope - 3.5 minutes; 21 reps Leg Press @ 170 pounds; 3 reps Bench Press @ 80 pounds; 270 seconds Wrestler's Bridge
Friday: Jump Rope - 3 minutes; 22 reps Leg Press @ 175 pounds; 4 reps Bench Press @ 80 pounds; 213 seconds Wrestler's Bridge

Not waiting for Godot

Leroy again demonstrates how well read he is. This allows him to deliver insults about Loretta's cooking beyond, this tastes like @#$!.

One of the male announcers for the gymnastics competition irritated me with his tortured metaphors and attempts to reference material he did not really know. Some of his commentary has been so awful that I wonder if he was simply reading what someone else wrote.

Waiting for a turn on an apparatus is nothing like Waiting for Godot. [Spoiler Alert!] Godot never showed up [end spoiler] but Shawn Johnson did complete her vault.

I did 45 sit ups last night for the Gold's Gym Games.

My dentist checked my blood pressure and pulse: 111/56 and 45.

Pull Ups

The pull ups were modified for women. It was an overhand straight arm hang with shoulders down and back, spine in a neutral position and no swinging. I had to bend my knees in order to hang. My time - 40.41 seconds.

Push Up Results

18 regular push ups
34 modified push ups

I found out I could do modified push ups after I ran two miles. The modified set counted. Two other women were just as surprised about the apparent change in rules. The gym staff allowed me to do the modified set because I was not told about that option when I did my first set.

The pull ups have been modified for women, too. I might get some points after all.

Olympics

Where can my dear husband see a good video of the drumming countdown to the opening ceremony of the Olympics? We tried nbcolympics.com but all the videos either edit that part or talk about how spectacular it was and then not show it. MSN also does not acknowledge the existence of my TV provider so I had to say Dish Network in order to see some of the archived videos.

I spent a good portion of the weekend watching various Olympic events. Can someone from another country explain to me what is so damn exciting about soccer? It is more fun to watch than golf, poker and fishing but not by much. I understand the existence of soccer hooligans, now. I watched soccer games on both CNBC and Telemundo.

Watched women's beach volleyball. US vs. Japan. The Japanese team is the second shortest team in the tournament at 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 9 inches! Caught a bit of men's rowing, and a little of women's indoor volleyball.

The men's light heavy weight boxing matches were boring. Jab - hug - jab - hug - jab - hug - jab - hug. The welterweights and light welterweights were much more interesting fights. I'm becoming a fan of Tony, one of the fight commentators. He sounds and looks like an old boxer that took too many to the head. He provides some of the best unintentionally funny commentary. For example, 4th round in a light welterweight match, the scoring was close and Tony says this match will come down to whoever can establish his identity. I did not realize boxing had so many dimensions - punching, bobbing, weaving and identity formation all in two minute rounds. Most of the boxing matches have been on CNBC and Telemundo but be sure to watch a few matches on CNBC for Tony's commentary and a segment called Tony's Corner. NBC needs to bring Tony into prime time.

I'm cheering for a 33 year old gymnast competing for Germany - a woman competing in women's gymnastics.

Watched a sport new to me - synchronized diving - much more impressive than synchronized swimming.

For those on Suddenlink Cable the channels are 6 (NBC), 21 (Telemundo), 23 (USA), 37 (CNBC) and 64 (MSNBC). I'm annoyed with NBC for not showing Olympics on all their channels at the same time. They only use two channels at a time and seem to go to commercial at the same damn time. I like to see various events and want to jump around during commercials. I guess NBC got too much grief when they added Sci-Fi to their Master's coverage so that one get left out for the Olympics.

I don't know why I'm so interested in this Olympics (I signed up for the alerts for Track and Field). I don't think I will get much done in the evenings for the next couple of weeks.

Speaking of games, I will be doing my first event in the Gold's Gym Games tonight - push ups. I'm aiming for 25, my personal best so far 21.

Exercise Log: August 4 - 9

This week I did 22.87 miles of running, rowing, canoeing, cycling and elliptical training; burned 2272.9 calories and weigh 144.3 pounds.

Monday: 3.48 miles of canoeing in 1:18:51, 2.36 miles of running in 25:37
Tuesday: 1.26 miles of rowing in 10:00
Wednesday: 5.34 miles of running in 59:39
Thursday: 2.13 miles of cycling in 8:59
Friday: 1.07 miles of elliptical training in 15:00
Saturday: 7.23 miles of running in 1:27:54

Gold's Gym Games training:
Tuesday: 19 Push Ups, 3 Assisted Pull Ups @ 120 pounds, 5 Lat Pull Downs @ 90 pounds, 10 Leaning Pull Ups, 52 Sit Ups, 3 minutes Jump Rope, 31 Leg Press @ 165 pounds, 11 Bench Press @ 65 pounds, 203 seconds Wrestler's Bridge
Thursday: 14 Push Ups, 2 Assisted Pull Ups @ 110 pounds, 4 Lat Pull Downs @ 100 pounds, 14 Leaning Pull Ups, 65 Sit Ups, 3.62 minutes Jump Rope, 22 Leg Press @ 170 pounds, 6 Bench Press @ 70 pounds, 262 seconds Wrestler's Bridge
Friday: 16 Push Ups, 11 Leaning Pull Ups, 41 Sit Ups, 3.1 minutes Jump Rope, 20 Leg Press @ 175 pounds, 5 Bench Press @ 75 pounds, 122 seconds Wrestler's Bridge

Next week is the Push Up, Pull Up and Sit Up events (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). I have not completed an unassisted Pull Up. Hopefully strong showing in the Push Up and Sit Up will make up for the lack of Pull Up points. I have managed to pull myself up about 2 inches.

Exercise Log: June 28 - August 2

This week I ran, biked and rowed 20.27 miles, burned 1842.9 calories and weigh 144 pounds.

Monday: ran 2.31 miles in 31:06
Tuesday: biked 1.9 miles in 9:21
Wednesday: ran 5.70 miles in 1:05:00
Thursday: rowed 1.27 miles in 10:00
Friday: biked 3.05 miles in 14:27
Saturday: ran 6.04 miles in 1:14:22

Gold Gym Games training:
Tuesday: 16 Push Ups; 6 Assisted Pull Ups @ 130 pounds; 10 Pull Downs @ 80 pounds; 21 Leaning Pull Ups on Smith Machine; 57 Sit Ups; 1 minute 15 seconds Jump Rope (I cut this workout short to attend vigil at church)

Thursday: 18 Push Ups; 4 Assisted Pull Ups @ 120 pounds; 4 Pull Downs @ 90 pounds; 20 Leaning Pull Ups on Smith Machine; 47 Sit Ups; 3 minutes Jump Rope; 19 Leg Press @ 165 pounds; 10 Bench Press @ 65 pounds; 125 seconds Wrestler's Bridge

Friday: 12 Push Ups; 2 Assisted Pull Ups @ 110 pounds; 3 Pull Downs @ 100 pounds; 23 Leaning Pull Ups on Smith Machine; 61 Sit Ups; 3.5 minutes Jump Rope; 18 Leg Press @ 170 pounds; 6 Bench Press @ 70 pounds; 180 seconds Wrestler's Bridge

The Wrestler's Bridge is not part of the Gold's Gym Games, I do this as part of my regular strength training.

I earned my grilling merit badge today. Grilled a pair of chicken breast kabobs. I will try some fish on Sunday or Monday.

Exercise Log: July 21 - 26

This week I ran, paddled, rowed and biked 24.8 miles, burned 2308.1 calories and weigh 146 pounds.

Monday: paddled 4.44 miles in 1:47:01; ran 2.76 miles in 30:00
Tuesday: rowed 1.3 miles in 10:00
Wednesday: ran 5.29 miles in 1:02:00
Thursday: biked 3.08 miles in 13:19
Friday: rowed 1.84 miles in 15:00
Saturday: ran 6.09 miles in 1:14:20

Training for Gold's Gym Games:
Tuesday: 14 Push Ups; 9 Assisted Pull Ups @ 140 pounds; 6 Pull Downs @ 80 pounds; 17 Leaning Pull Ups on Smith Machine; 41 Sit Ups; 2 minutes Jump Rope; 23 Leg Press @ 160 pounds; 13 Bench Press @ 55 pounds

Thursday: 15 Push Ups; 10 Assisted Pull Ups @ 140 pounds; 8 Pull Downs @ 80 pounds; 20 Leaning Pull Ups on Smith Machine; 51 Sit Ups; 2 minutes Jump Rope; 25 Leg Press @ 160 pounds; 10 Bench Press @ 60 pounds

Friday: 12 Push Ups; 12 Assisted Pull Ups @ 140 pounds; 7 Pull Downs @ 80 pounds; 16 Leaning Pull Ups on Smith Machine; 37 Sit Ups; 2 minutes Jump Rope; 24 Leg Press @ 160 pounds; 8 Bench Press @ 65 pounds

I deviated from the plan listed last week because I started training for the Harbor Half Marathon in Corpus Christi. The race is October 19.

I'm using a training plan from Runner's World. One inputs a time from a race, then distance to train for, then training intensity, weeks to train and how many miles currently training. I inputted my Run Thru the Vines 5K time. The paces that were generated seem really slow (I've been doing quite of bit of intervals and acceleration but for only 30 minutes; the Wednesday tempo pace was not difficult) but starting off too fast got to me in San Antonio and the Armadillo Dash. I will try my best to stick to the paces on the training plan and maybe I can get through the Harbor Half without sputtering the last 4 miles.

I need to wake up early to run on Saturdays. I did this first long run on the treadmill and worried more about making 6 miles in the alloted time rather than staying on pace. The gym is never crowded on Saturday so I could split up my run but I do need some road time. I can always take a nap after an early Saturday morning run.

Exercise Log: July 14 - 19

This week I biked, ran, rowed and canoed 21.14 miles, burned 1523.7 calories and weigh 145.3 pounds.

Monday: biked 3.02 miles in 13:35
Tuesday: ran 3.40 miles in 35:00
Wednesday: rowed 1.27 miles in 10:00
Thursday: ran 3.19 miles in 35:00
Friday: biked 4.08 miles in 17:58
Saturday: canoed 3.02 miles in 1:02:26; 3.16 miles in 1:01:33

For my Gold's Gym Games training
Monday: 12 Push Ups, 2 Pull Ups w/120 pounds of assistance on machine, 27 Sit Ups, 1 min. Jump Rope, 16 Leg Press (160 pounds), 3 Bench Press @ 60 pounds
Wednesday: 12 Push Ups, 7 Pull Ups w/ 150 pounds of assistance, 36 Sit Ups, 1 Min. Jump Rope, 18 Leg Press (160 pounds), 8 Bench Press @ 55 pounds
Friday: 15 Push Ups, 14 Pull Ups w/ 150 pounds of assistance, 40 Sit Ups, 1 Min. Jump Rope, 21 Leg Press (160 pounds), 7 Bench Press @ 60 pounds

Next week's plan: use 140 pounds of assistance on Pull Up Machine, 80 pounds Lat Pull down
Monday: canoing, row and games training, 55 pounds Bench Press, attempt unassisted Pull Up
Tuesday: 30 minute run
Wednesday: bike 2 miles and games training, 60 pounds Bench Press
Thursday: 30 minute run
Friday: row and games training, 65 pounds Bench Press
Saturday: 1 hour run

Exercise Log: July 7 - July 12

This week I biked, ran and rowed 20.05 miles, burned 1817.3 calories and weigh 145.9 pounds.

Monday: rowed 1.35 miles in 10:00
Tuesday: ran 3.45 miles in 35:00
Wednesday: biked 4.13 miles in 17:48
Thursday: ran 3.18 miles in 35:00
Friday: rowed 1.92 miles in 15:00
Saturday: ran 6.02 miles in 65:00

I signed up to participate in the Gold's Gym Games It is six different events over 6 days.
Aug. 11 - Push Up; Aug. 12 - Pull Up; Aug. 13 - Sit Up; Aug. 18 - Jump Rope; Aug. 19 - Leg Press; Aug. 20 - Bench Press. I will be training for this on my strength training days for the next month.

I can do 4 out of the 6 events pretty well. I can work up to 50% body weight on the Bench Press but I've never done an unassisted Pull Up. I've have asked for some advice on how to work up to one Pull Up on a fitness forum. I will try the suggestions as well as just working the move. I have to remember to concentrate on using the back muscles more than the arms.

Only one other person has signed up at the Bryan Gold's and she will be competing in the same category (women under 40). I plan on doing my best and having fun with this.