Lifting Move of the Week and John’s Birthday!

It’s John’s birthday today! Welcome to year 42 sweetie 😀

He slept in while I biked to the gym for a strength workout.

Exercise Set/rep/weight Muscle worked
Straight-leg deadlifts 3 sets of 10 at 75# Lower body
Close grip lat pulldown 3 sets of 10 at 50# Back
Cable Squat to Row 3 sets of 10 at 60# Full body
Planks 3 sets of 90 second holds (dying on the last one) Abs
Barbell Chest Press 3 sets of 8 at 55# Chest
Standing Single leg Calf Raise 3 sets with 10 with 45# bar Calves and balance
Prone Cuban Snatch 3 sets of 10 with 10# DBs (20# total) Shoulders
Triceps kickback 3 sets of 10 with 15# DBs (30# total) Triceps

Then I walked for about 10 minutes on the treadmill waiting for the birthday boy to get to the gym. We then biked to Panera Bread per his request for breakfast! I have not done a bike ride after lifting in a few weeks and had forgotten how tiring that was….

I was so ready for my bagel!

Asiago cheese. Yum. I started to wolf it down and actually had to tell myself to slow down out loud.  I was wearing Triscuit (my trisuit) today because of the heat and humidity. I felt funny walking into Panera wearing it, and I swear I saw 2 women looking at me and talking to each other. Kind of felt exposed and uncomfortable. I thought maybe I was imagining it, but when we went up for coffee later, they asked where were were riding from. Not sure what they were saying to each other, but I guess it doesn’t really matter.

Lifting Move of the Week:  The Close Grip Lat Pulldown! This exercise works the back and actually gives a nice stretch feel, which I really like.  Most of the time, you will see the wide grip bar used on this machine.  Swap out the wide bar for the V-bar (the little v-shaped handle) for variation.  Make sure your legs are snug under the lap bar.

While this mostly does the back, your rear deltoids (back of shoulders) and a bit of chest muscle is used as well.  When pulling down, think of pulling with your back muscles.  If you hook your hands  on the grip without your thumbs, you will use less arm muscles. These are good practice to graduate to chin ups!

Slow work day today on both job fronts, but I had a lot of other things to do.  Lunchtime was a quick egg sandwich on the yummy bread!

Then I picked up John’s requested birthday cake from Baker’s Dream:

It is a vanilla cake with coconut cream topped with chocolate buttercream.  Total decadence!  We got a small cake so there wouldn’t be a lot of leftovers.

We had cake in the afternoon with my folks, since with dinner and a movie tonight, it would be too late for cake (is it ever too late for cake??)

My slice with some caramel swirl ice cream.

I had my dad’s extra frosting.  He said it was too much frosting.  I disagree :mrgreen:

I got John his own cycling jersey.  It has a poker hand on it, so we both can be cool riding now.  I need to get a photo of both of us all tricked out.

Posting early today as we are going out for dinner (Pizzeria Uno) and a movie – Inception.

Happy Birthday to the best husband in the world!!

29 thoughts on “Lifting Move of the Week and John’s Birthday!”

  1. Kimberley

    Happy Birthday John! Hope you are enjoying your day. With such a wonderful wife, how could you not? 😉

    What a gorgeous cake! It must have been so good.

    Love the video…the balloons were so cute!

    Enjoy dinner and your movie. We saw Inception on the weekend and I liked it.

    Lori, the other household chores I am doing are just regular things that I have been ignoring…I would be too embarrassed to add them to The 21 Chores of Summer.
    .-= Kimberley´s last blog ..So Close =-.

  3. Cammy@TippyToeDiet

    Happy Birthday to John! And I agree, no such thing as too much frosting. That’s practically blasphemy. 🙂

    I do my seated close-grips with the straight bar. I just move my hands to the center. If I want to change my grip, I use the ez curl bar. I saw a guy doing pull downs with the handles while sitting on the floor with this toes looped under the machine base the other day. May have to try that one at some point. Way in the future. 🙂
    .-= Cammy@TippyToeDiet´s last blog ..One More Degree =-.

  5. roxie

    There can never be too much frosting, if it’s good. Happy birthday to John! I’ll be anxious to hear if you like the movie. I haven’t seen it, but have heard good things.

    I love how you talked yourself out of feeling weird because you were wearing your Triscuit. I am sure they were merely commenting on how active you are and how very cool to be out riding. Jealous, they.

    Happy date/birthday night and save me a piece of cake, please 🙂
    .-= roxie´s last blog ..Asking For What I Want =-.

  9. April

    Happy birthday John!!!

    Enjoy your pizza 🙂

    Heck with cake…give me frosting!!!!

    I’m seeing that movie Saturday..let me know if you liked it!

  10. debby

    Happy Birthday, John! Cake and a movie and pizza and a hot date like Lori all in one day–what more could a boy want for his birthday?

    Totally laughing about the too much frosting comment. I agree with you, and I see Cammy is also in our camp. I really REALLY would like a piece of that cake. It just looks fabulous. John has very good taste in cake and women LOL!
    .-= debby´s last blog ..I AM NOT HOSTILE =-.

  11. Kim Zepp

    Happy Birthday John! What a yummy looking cake!
    I always feel like I get funny looks when I go places still in my workout clothes. The funniest looks though are when I go to a small lake by my house where lots of families play around in the water, and start pulling on my full wetsuit. 🙂 I often have people ask what I’m doing.
    Hope you had a great night out for the birthday dinner and movie!

  13. Amy

    Happy Birthday to John! Sounds like you had a great day planned to celebrate (and that cake looked really good)!
    Congratulations also on signing up to do the fundraising race! I donated on your link – and I wish you all the best in getting to your goal. I’m sure you will!
    I have a question on the lat pulldown you showed – yesterday I had to do that exercise and there were two guys hogging the station where you can do it sitting down, so I finally went and did it standing up at one the pulley stations, wondering all the time if that was okay. What do you think?
    .-= Amy´s last blog ..Brussels =-.

    1. Lori Post author

      I don’t think it matters so much if you do the actual move so much as work that particular muscle group. 😀

  15. Jan

    Happy Birthday John 🙂

    I giggled out loud “Only newbies and meatheads” We have a lot of meatheads at our gym. “look at me – clank! look at me – clank” LOL

  16. Fran

    Don’t ever do that again!

    Post a photo of such a delicious cake! I spent 10 minutes cleaning my laptop from the drewling over it 🙂

    Happy birthday to John (although I’m a day late). Born in a very good year: 1968! But you already knew that 🙂 and so did I 🙂

  17. Alissa

    Can I have a piece of that cake? I have been craving a good piece of cake lately. I’ve been to two weddings and left before the cake was served! The women at Panera were probably thinking, “Look how athletic and trim that woman looks over there.” 🙂
    .-= Alissa´s last blog ..Weigh In Day- 60 lb Goal =-.

  19. Jody - Fit at 52

    Happy bday John!!!!!!!!!!!! Hey, I thought my hubby was the best in the world! 😉 Man, that cake looked YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I like the frosting too! 🙂

    AND, I did that close grip lat pulldown to day too with that same attachment & like you, I like to change it up!!!!

    Hope you had a wonderful time last night!
    .-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Change &amp Single Moments in Time! =-.

  20. Hope

    I totally don’t get why people don’t like frosting! Seriously, I’m the one that eats the extra frosting too. :/

    There is NEVER too much frosting for me! 🙂

    1. Lori Post author

      Not too much different. I actually think it is a wee bit easier on the shoulders themselves. It’s just a nice change up.

  27. MB

    Happy Belated Birthday to John!

    I’m sure those woman wish they could wear a trisuit.

    I loved Inception but it’s one of those movies I want to watch again so I can look for clues and decide what I think happens at the end.

Comments are closed.