After work workout

Today I went to work out after my workday, meeting my workout buddy Dan at the gym at 6:30 (he doesn't have daycare for his kids for the next 3 days, so we're going once his wife gets home). Two things about working out later on - one, after a long day of mental workouts, I'm physically beat. I was able to do lvl3 on the elliptical for the full 20 minutes, but I was back to huffing and puffing and sweating - and that's fine with me. Afterward, we did shoulders and man, I'm still fried. The third set of the shoulder presses @ 140lbs saw me give up/out after 7 reps. It sucks because Dan got through all 10, and last week I did better at shoulders than he did. But he stayed home while I was getting beat up at work, so pffft. Also, I just found myself taking a bit longer get to doing my sets, maybe wasting some time. Something to work on.

Thing number two - there's a lot more activity at 7pm then there is at 7am. People doing cardio. People doing classes. People on my machines. People lifting weights. People swimming. People having conversations. And one dude who was looking like Mr. Universe (quick quote I overheard from him while I was failing to get rep 8 up on my shoulder press, "yeah, I'm 185 now, and I bench 425). Wha? That's some for real steel to be pushing around. Facinating, but not helping me with my workout.

I'll be glad when I'm back to am workouts.

Food diary -
Breakfast - Mountain Dew bottle - 210. Goddammn, I gotta fix this bullshit. Get the metabolism working early!
Lunch - strawberry salad and water for lunch, 410 calories. Nice!
Dinner - McChicken (360), Big Mac (560), medium fries (380), medium Diet Coke (1). = 1301
Late Snack - Montain Dew bottle - 210 (late edit in)

Total - 1921 (now 2141)

I'm actually quite happy with the end total today, but it's how I got there that's weaksauce. I need a good breakfast, and a less-bad dinner. I'm not looking for a starvation 1500 calorie deal, but I can't be eating Big Macs on the regular either.

I'm an ongoing project.

Keep going

Another day, another morning exercise. It's becoming routine, and that's good. I only scored 5 hours of sleep last night, but I was ready to go today. Of course, I'm a bit wiped out right now, yawning as I type, but rest will come soon enough.

When I got to the gym, I hit the cardio area as usual. There was someone on the row of elliptical machines I typically hit, and being the introverted creature I am, I went the other way and jumped onto a stationary bike. This is the third time I've done the bike for my cardio, and it's bizarre - when I do the elliptical machine, I'm huffing and puffing fairly quickly, rocking both my arms and legs, and working up a fast sweat that soaks though 80% of my shirt. My heart rate is around 178 and I burn 150 calories in 20 minutes. On the bike? Once the level kicks up past warmup, my legs are burning immediately. I can feel them on the outsides, pumping and twitching and whatever else they're doing. The bike is significantly more difficult than the elliptical, and yet - I only soak though the collar area of my shirt. No huge puddle on my back or chest/belly. The sweat doesn't roll down my forehead until around minute 15/16 instead of minute 3/4. I can more easily carry on a conversation. But the thing is, it's so flipping hard! I wanted to quit by minute 17 today, my legs just feeling gassed out and burning. I burned 170 calories when I stepped off after minute 20. Yet I wasn't all gross.

I guess I'm not too sure where I'm going with this - I haven't drafted a hypothesis or anything, just a not-so-casual observance.

Hopefully nobody will be on the elliptical machines tomorrow morning. :)