The presses weren't a fluke

But I may have put my back out, or strained it a tiny bit, thanks to heavy presses and back extensions. My fingers are crossed, but it feels like I'm stiffening up pretty good. Which will no doubt add excitement to my increasingly awkward sleeping adventures. (Er, not to mention walking.)

Anyway, I'll reflect back on more joyous times -- today's workout.

Bookending the workout - 1000m row (5:15 and 5:30 min respectively)

Presses - 55 x 7, 5, 5
Lat pulls* - 82.5 x 10, 90 x 6, 6
Squats - 65 x 10, 10, 10
Calf presses (seated, straight legs) - 250 x 8, 8, 10 (?)
Back extensions - 10, 10, 10
Bench dips - 10, 10

Finishers:
Squats - 45 x 15
Presses - 35 x 18

* I do the lat pulls with a narrow-ish grip (narrower, at least, than what I imagine a traditional lat pull to be). I'm trying to mimic a pull-up grip as much as possible.

I don't think I'm going to up my press weight; I'll just work on increasing the reps. Now's not the time for pushing things, and I could really feel the 55 lbs in my lower and mid back.

On the plus side, the pelvic discomfort seems to have improved in the last few days. Let's hope it lasts!

Weigh-in: 151.

Back to basics

I guess there'll be no posts for week 27... We went travelling over the Christmas vacation and came back to a weekend of company, so it's been about 9 days since I hit the gym.

Also, I am on the cusp of the 3rd trimester, and I've been experiencing some physical changes about the joints (especially hips and pelvis) that have made some movement -- particularly walking (and variations thereof) -- uncomfortable. Squatting seemed to be ok, but I wasn't sure how it would be with weight. I also wasn't sure how if other joints were affected.

So I started back with some basics, with slightly lighter weight than I'd been doing. And I stayed away from the treadmill.

Warm-up row: 1000m/5 minutes

Inclined chest press: 55 x 12, 9, 8
Calf press: 230 x 8, 8, 8 (a little more weight, but no joints involved!)
Squats: 45 x 12, 65 x 12, 10, 10
Press: 40 x 12, 8, 9

Rowing: 2500m/13 min (alternating easy/hard every 250 m)

Weigh-in: 150 (at last!) But not a shade more! (It was an afternoon weigh-in.)

I did some reading on symphysis pubis pain, and discovered a study published in the Physical Therapy Journal that indicated that ab/pelvic stability exercises were as effective as pelvic belts + same exercises for reducing the discomfort and functional disability caused by the pain. (Ie: pelvic belts did not further increase the benefit of exercises.) Handily, the study provided a description of the exercises (to be done x3/day) which help alleviate the pain.

Christmas carbed

Finally got off my Christmas-cookied butt and threw down some exercise, in the form of:

4 rounds:
500 m row
25 push-ups, knees down
10 lat pulls - 80#
10/leg split squats* - 30#, 20#

* The split squats were pretty uncomfortable -- tweaky in the adductor area -- so I dropped the weight from 30 to 20 lbs, then switched altogether to squats. Subbed in 15 squats with 50 lb bar for the last two sets. Sore to walk last night and today. Grr.

Post-Christmas carb weigh-in: 148. Wtf? I'll be taking a good four or five days off the gym as I do some holiday travelling, so I'm sure my next weigh-in will show drastic change. At least the break will be good for my achy joints.

Sunny Sunday run

Slow, pleasant jog on a gorgeous sunny day: 36 minutes, about 5 km.

Yes, it's slow going, but it's as fast as I can go. At this speed, my heartrate, legs, lungs all feel pretty much the same as if I was running a 26 minute 5K a month ago... I'm frankly quite amazed at how my abilities have changed. But I'm okay with it. It still feels good, and I'm just going to focus on putting in the time, rather than the kilometers.

Keeping runs under 40 minutes feels about right. I've been alternating running with rowing, and the pelvic discomfort has decreased discernibly. Yay!

Recovery run

Having spent yesterday laying down, recovering from the Big Gym Day, I was feeling much better today and attempted an easy run. Also, it was a lovely day outside. It's October in Quebec, so these days must be taken advantage of while they last!

I took a 7.5 km route and ran it at a very moderate pace to finish in 49 minutes. This is 5 minutes slower than last time I did this route, almost exactly a month ago. Legs and lungs felt fine; I took minute breaks every 10 min for breath and water.

However, felt an ongoing twinge of discomfort in my lower ab/adductor/hip flexor area. It was constant while running, and disappeared when I walked. Slowed me down a little.

Google-based research on anatomy of pelvic-related muscles has led me to suspect that I've strained something related to the muscles that attached to the pubic crest. Ick. I read about pelvic girdle pain (PGP), and Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD) , I'm nervous about tweaking something that will cause big problems (ie: pain!) in the months to come. So, I'm resting for a few days (including not playing my scheduled frisbee game on Sunday), while I plan my strategy for future "safe" workouts.