Just enough to hit all the key points

When I woke up this morning, I thought it was going to be a stay-in-bed day. I'd had a crappy sleep and had to get up at the crack of dawn for a chiropractor appointment. But Chiro Kelly set me straight, and I was able to brave the elements to get to the gym. That was the highlight... My workout was tough, and the walk home from the grocery store even tougher.

I started with a walk:

Walking - 2/3 mile - 3.2 mph/10% grade/12:40 min

I'd meant to go 3/4 mile, but had an everlasting contraction and my back was seriously aching so I called it quits. I had to take a 2-3 minute break sitting down to let the midsection to unwind.

I took it easy thereafter, rotating through the following sets:

Squats - 45 x 12, 12, 12
Presses - 45 x 14, 10, 9
Seated row - 75 x 10, 8, 7

And that's it. I did an extra long stretch and then headed to the grocery store. And by the time I was headed home from there I was tired. And my back hurt. And it took forever to walk home. But I made it. And will live long enough to make supper, including brownies. :-)

Weigh-in - 159!

Chatting at the gym

French gym dude: 'Ow many weeks?
H: 35 weeks.
FGD: [calculating in his head]...
H: In two or three weeks, I'll be ready to go!
FGD: [looks pregnant lady up and down, raises eyebrows] You do vay-ray well!
H: [sheepish] Well, I'm trying...

Here is what I was doing:

1000 m row/5:18

21-15-12 reps:

"Kettlebell" (db) deadlift - 40 lb*
Incline chest press - 20 lb dbs
Step ups - Did reps per leg
Lat pulls - 70 (reality: 21-10-10)

* Using a db instead of kb meant I didn't have to bend very low for these, but the height was pretty much perfect for what I could handle. It's a good alternative to the RDLs I've been relying on lately.

Back extensions - 8, 8, 8 (This was risky because my back is already under a lot of strain, but I stopped each rep before it began to hurt.)

1000 m row/5:22

Catching up

I didn't make it out last Friday because we went away for the weekend. A weekend during we which mostly just sat and ate. In a good way. Ah well. It felt good to move again today (though frankly, most workouts are followed by an afternoon of not being able to walk without staggering and groaning -- my sacro-iliac area really seizes up afterward. This has been the case for months now, after workouts specifically.)

Anyway, I'm still taking it easy-ish on the weights, mainly because I've begun thinking of the giant belly as holding an actual person who needs protection. So I'm being a bit more cautious.

So, today:

Walking - 2/3 mile, 3.2 mph @ 10% grade (10-11 minutes?)
DB presses - 17.5 dbs x 12; 20 dbs x 8, 7, 7
Presses - 45 x 10
Calf raises (BW, single-leg) - 10, 10, 10/leg
Squats - 55 x 12, 12, 12
RDLs - 65 x 13, 12, 12
Rowing - 1500 m/7:55 min

It all felt fine. No major contraction action. I would walk for longer -- I don't get too out of breath and my legs are okay on the grade -- but my hands get uncomfortably swollen from swinging, and my back begins to hurts early on, even though the grade actually feels like it make it easier on my back than flat walking would be. So mixing it up with rowing seems like the right thing to do. The feels like it works my lower posterior (calves through butt), and the rowing works the upper posterior. Just what I need.

Weigh-in: 156.

Apparently, I'm not likely to gain much more weight from now to the end. All my parts are in place, and though the baby will likely gain another 2 lbs or thereabouts, he'll be displacing amniotic fluid at the same time. And god forbid my hands take on any more water...