Back when I was seriously entertaining calisthenics instead of training with weight equipment, I ran across some training articles that suggested that if you only train with one exercise in the gym, it should be squats, because squats engage so much of the lower body. And my old friend Chris suggested that although weighted squats are of course ideal, even without weights there's some benefit. The prohibitive drawbacks are twofold for me though: one, I don't have a workout partner/spotter, and I'm not d... (...more)

Session #54: added leg curls and leg press to machine routine; 3.3mi/41m34s, 8.0mph peak for 1/2 lap. By the time I 50# is probably a good go-to point on leg curls. I can do 70#, but not a full range of motion, which somewhat defeats the purpose. I thought 190# was going to be my starting point on leg press, but then tonight on my first circuit I pressed 25 reps at 190. So on the second circuit I tried stepping up to 230, determined that's too much, and backed off to 210. I was good for 12 reps at t... (...more)

After weeks of slowing down as I pass the lower-body machines on my way out of the gym, I finally got hands-on: leg curls: 12x 70-90# leg extensions: 12x 90#, but see below hip abduction / adduction: 70-90# fairly easily, but see below seated leg press: 12x 190# was a good challenge. The hip abduction/adduction and leg extension machines made LiveStrong.com's "10 exercise machines to avoid" list. The criticism of the hip machines is that a seated training position doesn't correspond to real-world m... (...more)

session #53? 1x upper-body circuit, 3.3mi / 39m57s

After the gym last night I got a Subway footlong turkey-cheddar omelette sammich, and some groceries. Between the workout and a pint of Steel Reserve, I was conked out by 9PM. When I prepped my minifridge at the Waterways for the landlord to sell, I got rid of the bottles I'd been using to store cold water (the two medium-size Gatorade bottles were strangely fogged from the inside from Tang), so this morning I washed out new empty V8 bottle and discovered it doesn't fit under the faucet to fill in my bath... (...more)