Dufisthenics

Some days you just don’t feel like being at the gym.  It sort of is like the hammer and nail analogy.  Most of the time you are the hammer, driving your fitness progress forward through hard work and determination.  Other days you are the one that feels hammered.  Today was such a day for me.

There are various reasons I felt so lousy at the gym.  My experience dealing with the medical profession since my ear problem popped up has been frustrating to say the least.  I had an 8:30 appointment this morning that I simply walked out of when it was 9:40 am and still had not seen the PA.  Every single visit I have had has involved much longer than should be acceptable wait times with very little substance when it comes to answers.

At this point between online research and what I have been told I am betting I have a “fistula” which is a small tear between a membrane separating the inner and middle ear.  One of the ways it can be caused is from over exertion or lifting heavy weight, BINGO.  The bad news is it may or may not heal on it’s own and a period of two weeks of no over exertion is recommended.  Well I already blew that portion of the treatment plan out of the water as I have been doing close to my normal fitness routine since the injury.

I am scheduled to have an ear MRI tomorrow to rule out anything more serious going on in my head.  It seems like overkill but it is the last hoop I will be jumping through.  After that I guess I will just hope mother nature takes care of me.

I also have various things going on at work that are stressful, something exercise normally helps with.  In this case it seems to be preoccupying me.  Finally, the prednisone I have been taking certainly doesn’t seem to have the side effect you would expect of greater strength gains.  If anything I have felt weaker since I started roiding, plus now I am paranoid about pushing myself too hard because of the ear issue.  Anyway it all added up to a blah gym experience with strength numbers across the board that were significantly sub par.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

16 pull ups

Barbell squat – 135lbs x 10, 185lbs x 5, 185lbs x 5, 135lbs x 10

Seated leg extension – 115lbs x 10, 130lbs x 10

Prone leg curl – 90lbs x 10, 110lbs x 10

One leg standing calf raise x 12 x 2