Welp. Still sore. Most of my soreness is in the stabilizing groinular muscles that get hit hard by squats but not by running in a straight line. So I rationalized another session of lifting by saying, I won’t do squats! I did 2 sets of 10 of bench at 95lb, biceps at 20lb, skullcrushers with a 35lb plate, then one set each of rows at 65lb and OHP at 45lb. And once I got to the end of all that… I was feeling squats. But I did the 2 sets with just the bar– pretty much just enough to move and stretch it out. So maybe that was a balanced workout that won’t leave me even sore-er.
I figure I have a relatively sane outlook on my workouts– I try not to be obsessive, and listen to my body and take a rest day when needed. It’s hard when I don’t have a plan but I have a really vague, rather appearance-based goal in mind (‘look a bit buff at party’). But let’s face it, I’m not going to look like this babely person, especially not in a week! It’s a pretty silly idea; my body’s going to look like it usually looks.
Besides, there’s homemade ice cream in the freezer to eat up. (Last night I showed my partner those pictures, said "But I bet she doesn’t eat ice cream…" She might, I don’t know!) My latest experiment turned out really well– apple cinnamon oatmeal ice cream!– here’s a recipe. (Next experiment might be black pepper-rosewater. Hmm…)
1 batch Jeni’s Ice Cream Base (amazing eggless custard!)
5 medium apples (I used 3 empires and 2 braeburns)
Scant 1/2 cup sugar
Spices to taste (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, cardamom)
2 tsp citric acid or lemon juice (important to offset sweetness and bring out apple flavor)
1 cup rolled oats (not quick)
Prepare the ice cream base according to the recipe; chill.
Make applesauce: Peel and chop apples. (The empires will cook down into sauce, but the braeburns will keep their shape. Use a mix of crunchy and soft apples.) Simmer in large heavy pot; add sugar, spices and citric acid. Cook over medium heat to a nice saucey texture with some chunks remaining. Chill.
Toast oatmeal in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until it’s nice and toasty-oat smelling. Chill.
When everything’s nice and cold, process according to ice cream maker instructions. Freeze the base first; when it’s about halfway-3/4 way done, add the applesauce a bit at a time. When the ice cream is just about frozen, add in the oats and process until done. Transfer to freezer-safe container and freeze to final cure.
You’re workouts sound intense! I’m thinking of starting to lift. Also that ice cream sounds amazing! It’s cold so it should numb the pain…right? :-)
Give lifting a try and see how you like it! If you can, it might be useful to go with an experienced friend or borrow a gym staff to help you learn how everything works (they’ll be happy to show you how to use and adjust the machines).