Week 4

I've just completed Week 4. Last week, I managed only one workout as I was speaking at a conference in Alabama. I arrived at LA Fitness, feeling that a week away from my program would set me back. After about 15 minutes of cardio on the treadmill, I worked on a few upper body exercises until the trainer arrived - the preacher curl, the slanted press and chest press. We focused on lower body extremities with leg extensions,leg press and those darn abdominal crunches. The machine was set at 65% of my maximum capability with muscle failure at 8-12 reps. Between sets, I spent roughly 2 minutes doing flexibility exercises. Then back for another set. This alternated for a total of three sets on each machine. By the end of this workout, the muscles were truly jelly. It took me a few minutes before I was able to safely navigate to my car. I waited a few minutes before driving home.Friday focused on upper body again with inside and outside pull ups, and preacher curls.

I've noticed that each week, I am able to do a bit more cardio, a few more reps, and the weight I manage increases slightly. A pound a week doesn't seem like much, but I am feeling better and hoping that some of the weight loss is being offset by muscle gain.

A additional benefit of investing energy into an intensive workout regimen is that I've come to have an increased respect for my body and the types of food I shovel into my mouth. My semi-Vegan daughter is home, and turning us on to some great tasting food. We've visited Soul Vegetarian N. Highland near Ponce and had a great dinner last night. She had McFake Ribs and I tried the Garvey Burger....both come highly recommended. The sauce on the Vegan Ribs, reminded me of my first and last taste of a McRib sandwich. But, I had to wonder why, if you are vegan, you would want to eat something that looked or tasted like meat.