Arms and Active Recovery

Big deal - I can do 40lb.

I wanted to take it easy today, so I did a mish-mash of different things, none of them too taxing.

Alternate sets:

Straight bar curls: 45 (10), 50 (8), 55 (7), 60 (5)
Dumbbell skull crushers:  22s (8), 25s (7), 27s (6), 30s (3)

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Dumbbell preacher curls: 3 x 8 @ 25s
Tricep push-downs: 3 x 12 @ 40 (only 10 on last set)

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Dumbbell flies: 2 x 12 @ 22s
Dumbbell rear lat raises: 2 x 12 @ 15s

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Lateral raises: 15s (12), 20s (9)
Underhand pull-downs: 70 (12), 80 (10)

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Decline sit-ups: 3 x 15

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Overhead squats:
5 @ 25 (empty small bar)
5 @ 35
4 @ 40

I squatted to just above parallel and couldn't get any lower. With the first set I could feel stiffness in my lower back; in the second and third sets, it started to feel quite painful when I tried to go down low. I don't know if this is because overhead squats put more stress on the lower back than other types of squat, or if my form was wrong, thus causing me pain.

I wanted to try some other movements, such as handstand holds and skipping, but there wasn't enough free space in the gym this morning. The ideal place would be the yoga room, but there was an aerobics class at the time. I particularly need the room for handstands in case I fall over!

Nothing too stressful today, which is good because I didn't get enough sleep due to being kicked and elbowed all night long by a 7-year-old. Still, I started the day feeling a bit sore and stiff, but left the gym feeling refreshed, so the light weight exercise definitely helped today. Back to heavy weights tomorrow.