My new gym and the taste of victory

We had such a nice weekend. Again, it went by too fast. I am still celebrating with my football gloating. I am making John take me out to dinner this evening because this week is jammed full of stuff.

This morning did bring a change in routine for me. Meet my new gym!


Lookie what’s back! The lifting routines. I guess you all missed them?

Exercise Set/rep/weight Muscle worked
Barbell Chest Press 3 sets of 10 with 45# bar (empty) Chest
Dumbbell Pull Over 3 sets of 10 with 20# DB Back
Dumbbell Squats 3 sets of 10 with 20# DBs (40# total) Chest
Captain Chair 3 sets of 10 Core
Standing Calf Raise 3 sets of 10 at 70# Calves
Face Pull 3 sets of 10 at 25# Shoulders
Triceps Pull Down 3 sets of 12 at 25# Triceps
Good Mornings 3 sets of 10 at 45# Low Back and hammies

I did a light workout to get back into the swing of the gym, get used to the new equipment there and start trying to fit in. This was a good start.  I missed the cable machine at home! Sorry Bowflex, you just didn’t do it for me. Here is a link to me doing the face pull if you want to see it.

This gym had a 1 year membership for $99.  There are no classes or anything at this gym, but that is okay because my old gym didn’t have them either and I am not inclined to take them. The only thing I don’t like is that it is 5.5 miles from home versus 2 like my old gym, but saving $175 a year is worth it.

I came home to make up some brekkie. Even though it was somewhat warm, I felt like oats.  These were cooked with some egg white at the end and topped with peanut flour and jam.

In my new bowl from the weekend! Yay! It’s the little things that please me. John is so lucky.

Today was just like a summer day. Almost 80 degrees! With this warmth and the moisture lately, going outside lately is like starring in an episode of Attack of the Mosquitoes.  They even bit at my face, which is weird. I’ll probably be anemic for next week’s blood donation.  🙄

Lunchtime! I had an open faced egg sammie on a gluten free bread I made this weekend from this recipe.  It actually came out really good and I think I will play with it.

It was a very steady work day today.  One of these days I will talk about my job and what it entails. I get a lot of emails about.

Snack break of some chocolate:

And a latte!

Even with it almost 80 degrees out, I wanted a hot latte.  Why yes, I am a creature of habit, thank you.

And speaking about creature of habit:

She was sleeping, but opened her eyes when I had the camera about 2 inches from her face.  I just can’t resist taking pictures of her, sleeping or not.

I was ready for my football dinner  😈  I actually decided to take it a little easy on John as we have our anniversary dinner on Wednesday and then my mom’s birthday on Friday. Not to mention my niece’s birthday also on Wednesday. Did I already say this was a busy week coming up? So, I picked a BBQ joint – Dickey’s.

Kind of corny decor and the music left a lot to be desired from an Iamnotacountrymusic fan perspective.

I decided on a baker with BBQ chicken that had some cheese, sour cream and bacon on it.  This was huge and I left probably a third of the potato behind.

I do like their chicken there. Better than the brisket, I do say. Not so crazy about the lighting. Don’t they understand bloggers need good lighting??

They also offer this:

I realized that I had been gluten free all day, so I forewent the cone and had a little dish to keep the GF thing going.

Yum.  Victory tastes delicious!

I am going to go back to work tonight.  Just getting in some extra lines to cushion in case all the doin’s this week make it hard to get in all my work.

Question: If you belong to a gym, does it offer classes?

24 thoughts on “My new gym and the taste of victory

  1. Lisa

    That’s a great deal for a year membership! Good job. My gym has classes. I’m not really a class person. I take yoga once in awhile (usually to work out a kink) but I’m thinking about trying a spin class this winter. I want to keep my cycling level up but am dreading the trainer in front of the TV.

    How do you do the chest presses with the bar? I really struggle to keep it balanced and in the right position.

    1. Lori Post author

      Try varying your grip width on the bar, starting a bit wider. One of the great things about working with the barbell with the bench press is that it makes both sides of your body work independently. When you use a machine, your dominant side will take up the slack. Once you try the bar, you can really see how lopsided your strength might be. It will get better the more you do it.

  2. Kimberley

    What a great deal! The gym I go to has boot camp…or booty camp as The Boss calls it…I am scared of the trainer though so no booty camp for me.

    That baker looks sooooo good!

    I like your latte decoration…very flowery.

    Have fun during your busy week!

  3. debby

    Good Pixie Pic! She opens her eyes just like Sophie when I am trying to take a stealth shot.

    And yes, i have been wondering a LOT about where your weight lifting went! that is an unbelievable price on a gym membership. I just won’t even mention how much my gym costs. It does offer a lot of classes (which I don’t take) and it has a good pool, which I use sometimes.

  4. Fran

    Looks like a nice gym Lori and yes I missed your lifting routines but I bet you did too. And $ 99 for a year is cheap, I pay around $55 a month at my gym, one of the reasons I cancelled my membership too. It does have classes but not as much as I’m used too and you have to let them know if you want to follow one. In my old gym you could go whenever you want too.

    That’s funny that your anniversary on Wednesday is almost a month before mine on October 29th.

    And you’re sweet to take it easy on John with the dinner since he will have to buy you so much more dinners this season 🙂

  5. Amy

    Glad your new gym worked out – no pun intended! I bet it felt good to get back. I find if I miss a few weight workouts my arms start to feel doughy.
    My gym costs me 46 euros a month and they offer a lot of classes, although I very rarely take classes. I am going to do a Body Balance one this Friday, though.
    It is expensive, but I have been going there forever and I feel really comfortable there. It is also a really nice gym. So I don’t think I would switch anytime soon.

  6. Cammy@TippyToeDiet

    Hooray for a new gym! That’s an awesome deal.

    My new gym doesn’t have classes, which is fine with me since I haven’t ever gotten around to taking a class. Basically, I’m a lift-and-leave kind of gal. 🙂

  7. Ali @ peaches and football

    We have a tiny gym at work but I don’t use it anymore. My boyfriend joined Planet Fitness and although it’s touted as the ‘no judgement zone’ etc… it is basically a cardio zone and the free weight area is just packed with guys flexing their muscles. Not a place I want to jump in. But they have lots of weight machines and when I tag along I usually go through those. I figure something is better than nothing right?

  8. Helen

    I’m sure you won’t mind the 5.5 miles at all this winter when you can’t properly bike and need to get your workout on.

    Your victory dinner looks fab!

  9. Jody - Fit at 53

    Yahoo for your back to gym days! I love the weights & know you do too & an awesome deal! I don’t do classes either so even though mine has them, I have been a member so long that I pay very little in comparison to others AND 24 hours.. which I must have! 😉

    You do have a busy week coming up – lots of fun & I bet fun pics for us!

    Pixie – you are so dang CUTE!!!!!!!! I really think you appreciates the life you gave her – she loves you!

  10. Chillcat

    I just found your blog through a link from Apple Crumbles. You look fabulous. I recognized your screen name “javaqueen” from WW. The pics are great and I’m so happy for you.

  11. amcole

    How the heck is your gym so cheap??? I live in Texas and the cheapest one in my area is $50 a month and you HAVE to sign a 2 year contract and they eft it straight from your bank. And the only classes that they have are “old lady” classes like water aerobics and step class.

    1. Lori Post author

      It’s competition. There is a Planet Fitness that opened up and it is $99 per year, so other places have to compete. Now our local YMCA is around $50 a month and they don’t seem to be bothered by the Planet Fitness.

  12. Biz

    Holy shizz – 99 for the year?? I pay $130 a month for our family of three – but its totally deluxe, pool, hot tub, sauna, steam room, spa, etc.

    I need to just take advantage of it though!

    The weekday classes are not convenient for me, um, they start at 5:15 in the morning! I should take them on the weekend though – no excuses!

  13. Tami@nutmegnotebook

    Yum – peanut butter and jelly in your oats! Sounds like a good deal on your gym. I don’t belong to a gym. I use to take some classes through our parks and rec’s program and I did enjoy them.

  14. Roz

    HI Lori, what a smokin’ deal on your gym membership!!! I do go to yoga there…and they offer other classes, but most either cost extra (which irks me…they already get a fee every month…) or are at the wrong time. sigh. Speakin’ of smokin’, that bbq restaurant looks amazing. YUM! And PIXIE?! What can I say? SOOOOO adorable. (Neva is so used to me taking her picture, she rarely flinches any more when the lens is right in her face. I get the “just take the stinkin’ picture” look sometimes, but she just puts up with it. Awww) Have a great Tuesday.

  15. Shelley B

    That is a great price on the gym! My gym is about 8 miles from my house and takes me nearly 20 minutes to get there in the morning, thanks to the work and A&M traffic. That is a pain, and also why I don’t bother going back for their classes…one round-trip a day is enough.

    We have a Dickey’s BBQ about a half mile from our house – funny, we’ve run in their parking lot, biked in it, but until a few months ago, never ate there. It was ok, but luckily (considering the proximity) nothing I HAVE to have.

    Paco wakes up every time her hears the camera beep when it turns on…I wish I could silence that so I could get more sleeping pictures of him…what is it about sleeping pets and babies that makes them so irresistible?!?

  16. Linda Kuil

    The gym I belong to is equipment only, and I’m fine with that. It’s $20/month if they can withdraw/charge you automatically. I just paid for the year in full. It’s less than a 5 minute ride or 10 minute walk from my house. I could go to a Lucille Roberts about 5 minutes from my house for classes, but I hear they are very crowded, don’t have a lot of equipment and have limited hours. I can do “class” DVDs at home if I’m in the mood for it.

  17. MB

    I pay $ 99/yr for Planet Fitness and I was paying a discounted rate of $ 20/mo. at Womens Fitness for just kickboxing classes. I have to find new places more convenient to work and they’re all so expensive.

  18. Pubsgal

    Wow, that is an awesome deal for your gym! Definitely worth the extra miles. Mine has no pool, but it does have classes and all the cardio & weight equipment one would need. And it’s right next door to work! I like taking classes, but I wish they had more options for the lunch hour classes – it seems like most of the classes are either super early morning, too late morning, or evening and packed (and I just want to go home anyway). Lunch time has spin+abs a couple of days and a strength class mid-week, thank goodness. The bummerly part is that the strength class has gotten more light weight, high rep, cardio-style than the more purely strength with the former instructor. (Who also rocked at teaching us good form.)

    Glad you have a place to enjoy the weight lifting again!

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