Muscle Gnomes Hard at Work

At first glance I thought he was flexing
At first glance I thought he was flexing

Shortly after I fell asleep last night the gnomes came out to work. With their tiny hammers and little forges, they began rebuilding what I had tore down earlier that morning. Even little Giuseppe, who likes to mutter cuss words in Italian – no one can understand that foul-mouthed little bastard but he is a hard worker nonetheless – threw himself into his work. That is, everyone was working until I startled them, causing them to run off.

Truth be told, I only have a vague understanding of how the human body actually works. It is easier, not to mention more fun, for me to imagine gnomes repairing my aching muscles while I sleep than it is for me to know the complex scientific sequence.

Yesterday morning my alarm sounded at 4:00am. Having had a solid nights rest, I hopped out of bed, threw on some clothes, and began making my way over to the gym. With the FitBit Work Week Hustle Challenge in full swing, I knew that I’d have to tack on a little more cardio than I normally do to keep up.

I started off my time in the gym with a thirty minute rolling hills session on the treadmill. The incline varied from 0.5% to 2% with a steady 4mph pace. As the treadmill came to a stop I was feeling pretty good. I had a good sweat going and my body felt loose.

Standing under the barbell I began to squat. Four sets of fifteen reps left my legs burning. My last set required a few pauses in order to finish and when I re-racked the weight I was trembling. From there I moved on to four sets of standing calf raises – twenty reps per set. A couple of other excises were incorporated and I finished off the weigh portion of my gym time with leg extensions and curls.

Ordinarily, this is where I grab my keys and make my way to the car. I don’t like adding a second cardio session when I work legs because it leaves me feeling annihilated. Because I wanted to climb the FitBit Challenge ladder, I hopped back onto the treadmill. Nothing too crazy, just fifteen minutes at 0.5% incline to hit my 10,000 Step Goal first thing in the morning.

The remainder of my day went on as it usually does. I worked, played with my daughter, did a few odd chores around the house, and eventually climbed the stairs to go to bed that evening. My legs were a little fatigued throughout the day but that isn’t unusual. I fell asleep pretty fast around 9:30pm but woke up at 11:04pm with the fierce urge to pee (apparently drinking bottle after bottle of water before bed wasn’t the best idea for sleeping through the night).

When I stepped out of bed I nearly fell to the floor. My legs were fatigued and incredibly sore. It was as if I was reliving my first Leg Day experience all over again. I hobbled to the bathroom, nearly dozed off as I did my business, and hobbled back to bed. I was exhausted but was amazed at the toll my legs had taken in the gym earlier that day.

When my alarm went off at 4:00am this morning I eased myself out of bed, dreading the soreness I experienced the night before. To my amazement, I felt pretty good. There was some soreness and some stiffness in my legs and ass (squats – they don’t just work your legs) but it didn’t slow me down.

I didn’t have time to hit the gym this morning (I only go early on the days that I work from home) but I’ll be there after work. Today I’ll be working biceps and chest and I think I see a little extra cardio in my near future.

Do you incorporate cardio into regular gym sessions
or do you give cardio it’s own dedicated time?

Walt

Hi There, My name is Walt White and as the name of this blog suggests, I am a Pennsylvania resident. In addition to having numerous hobbies that I discuss on my blog - I’m also the father of three little girls and a pitbull.

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