Muscles @ MindSay

So, here’s the footage everyone has been talking about (Eonline, NY Daily News). If you’re watching this, email it to your friends, because I want my watch back! That’s right, Fiddy. I realize this is the only challenge you’ve won lately (Cough, Kanye, Cough, Asskick), so I can understand why you want to keep my watch, but come on, man. How many watches do you need? I only had the one.

In case you don’t know the story, Fiddy came into the Hanes booth at the Style Villa and arm wrestled me for watches. My $50 watch against his $50,000 one. I knew I probably wasn’t going to beat him, but I also knew I wasn’t going to keep his watch if I did. So you can imagine how surprised I was when he actually kept my watch.

IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO CONTACT 50, PLEASE EMAIL THIS TO HIM OR YOUR FRIENDS WITH THE SUBJECT LINE OF “GIVE DAVE’S WATCH BACK.”

Seriously, I don’t know what time it is. I need my watch.

 

"You got plenty of time? I don't want to rush. I really need a good one" She gave me a sweet smile and "no excuses" look as she took off her sweatshirt. "You have to help me too, if I'm going to get any"

"Um hmm . . . take all the time we want. Then we can take it easy the rest of the night".

"Where do you want to start? Lay down . . . here take this . . . "

"Feels good . . .Yeah, this is good."

 

From Brooks Street you can walk down Ocean Walk until you come to a building with a huge set of concrete dumbbells sticking out of each side of the wall right on the sand next to the walkway. The building I've been working on is a short walk from Muscle Beach. If you'd been here in years past you'd have worked out with The Govenator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) or The Incredible Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) . . . and if you were REALLY lucky  . . . Rachel McLish (Ms. Olympia) . . .  You need a membership to work out (or a pass, like I've got since I've been working on Brooks St), but you can go, center your thinking and walk away with the same sore muscles as anyone ever has had. Just like Arnold (and imagining Rachel's), I had sore thighs (oooh!), butt, arms and abs . . . same place . . . right here on Muscle Beach . . .

 

I got to the builiding about 6:00 a.m. and got to work on the checklist. We're almost through with everything and I'm going to miss being in Venice every day. It's a special place for me for a couple of reasons. One, is that I got to sell "artwork" out on the beach and I'm going to do that again this summer, I got to work out at "Muscle Beach". . . second is that we were going to have a place . . . "only four blocks from the water"  . . . take walks before the baby comes  . . . along the walkway and stop at one of the places for a treat . . . maybe go to the Rose restaurant for chocolate (I'll have to tell you about The Rose)  . . . but it was going to be "our place" that she'd never had, I'd never had . . . but "we" would have. It would have been home, raised our baaabies on the beach . . .  

 

Today I took off about 11:00 (my attitude took off about 10:00 . . . 9:26 . . . 8:11 . . . ) and got my bag out of the truck. You "have" to have the right "accessories" . . . in the Penthouse, I changed from jeans, Carhardt and ballcap (with my logo) to a fading sweat suit . . . Golds Gym sweatshirt with the neck, arms and waist cut off, washed from frequent use . . . , broken-in running shoes and knit cap . . . the bag had a towel (for the copious amounts of sweat), water bottle, and gloves (with the fingers cut out) . . .

 

I didn't have the hard core stuff . . . leather-sweat-stained-lifting-belt, headband . . . and NOTHING in camo . . .

I wonder at the marketing strategy for gyms and exercise machines. All the guilt in the world doesn't sustain the conisistency it takes to achieve lasting results, and I think the emphasis on just attractiveness and health is not enough . . . it's still boring and it hurts, or that's the impression.

 

I prefer to use free weights and anyone who's used to circuit training has to modify their routine just a bit. Free weights are more "Zen" . . . you think t-h-r-o-u-g-h your routine . . . carefully preparing the weights . . . adding disks, changing positions, constructing the equipment for your next exercise . . . proper form requires preparation, imagining lifting the weight before you do it. It's exactly that, that appeals to me about free weights.  If you study martial arts, your Sensei (teacher) will teach you about preparing your mind  . . . harmony and balance . . . it is much the same with free weights, at least for me and a few I know.

 

The workout should be a sanctuary, disengaged from the real world. Nothing wrong with escapism, and with that in mind . . . I shut out everything else, lose track of the time and concentrate on one lift . . . then another . . . A good workout should refresh your mind, send sensations through your muscles and, for many . . . gives you an appetite . . . an amourous appetite. I'm ready for the sweet taste of moist firm flesh, kisses and fingertips  . . . and sweet sweet words and promises  . . . it's the light at the end of the tunnel, and, the stamina . . . the strength . . . the firm "muscle"  . . . all are benefits of one lift . . . then another. For me, that should be the allure of the workout, the lovemaking and the loving expressions . . .

 

Stretches, leg lifts, crunches . . . tredmill, or stairmaster . . . (stationary bicycles seem bizzare to me) . . . Warm ups are crucial in stretching your muscles, getting the blood circulating and getting into the mindset a minute at a time . . .  sounds like foreplay doesn't it? Once you're warmed up and the blood is flowing then you find your place  . . . I prefer someplace where not everyone is involved, but, I will admit that when I'm really hard, pumped up,  that having someone watch me is kind of a turn on . . .

 

Once the weights are selected and  . . . tight . . . I take a cloth and wipe the bar . . . making sure I can get a good grip and it gives me the sensation of how big around it is, how it fits in my hand  . . . smooth as I stroke the area where my hand goes . . . and I think of how it's going to feel . . .

 

I lay on my back and spread my legs . . . I can feel it warming up in my hand and I tighten my grip  . . . and push . . . At first, for a second, its hard to make any progress . . . I feel my stomach tighten, my hips . . . and the strength in my arms  . . . and then . . . it moves smoothly . . . tight and pushes back against my muscles . . . over and over . . . until the muscles strain and I feel the pressure build up . . . one more push . . . one more . . . one MORE . . . then relax . . .

 

A moment's rest, and I'm ready again . . . a sip of something cool, sweat beginning to roll off of me, then again. My muscles may ache, I may have to catch my breath . . . but the sweat cools me, I feel the eyes on me and, sometimes, some admiration . . . for the effort I just put out.  A good day . . . when I can take time for an extra one or two additional positions, r-e-a-l-l-y take my time . . .  it's delicious when I'm spent and my muscles ache  . . . soaked in sweat and  . . . mmmm . . .

 

Muscle Beach brings a bit of exhibitionism to all of that . . . You're there on the beach . . . bikini's just out of reach, thongs . . . tan lines . . .  the ocean in the background,  and even with your best effort . . . you can lay there on your back, muscles straining . . . and watch others doing it harder than you just did. But you're there where people come from all over to watch you do it . . . critique you in some cases,  if you're really straining and have developed well . . . I've gotten a couple of compliments, and it does feed your ego, a bit . . . when someone admires how you stand out . . .

 

But you can keep it up for only, even with the proper encouragement, so long and then something hot and wet feels good, a shower and some loving attention . . . cuddling . . . a love to admire those muscles and soothe them . . . share a cool drink with.

 

It's better when you've got someone special to share it with. A lover, someone who knows when to encourage you, when to stimulate you more . . . get the most out of you . . . it's so. . . much . . . better. Your schedules meet sooner, there's more time to share and always the benefits . . .

 

G.

P.S. Today it was a long-lunch, a good workout with my love in mind, getting to focus and concentrate and think about one more . . . just one more.

 

 

Ok, I'm feeling much better, much more myself, which maybe my husband would say wasn't better, but I think it is. HUH?

 

Anyhoo, all is right in my head again, everyone's been put back in their place, given an ice cream cone and they're all happy.  Me, myself and I are all just happy campers right now. 

 

Garrett, Sarah and I went to the gym this morning.  I sweated vigoriously on the elliptical machine for a good 45 minutes and then did the circuit on the weight machines.  I achieved maximum "tomato face".  My face gets bright red and it looks as if I'm going to keel over with a heart attack, but I'm fine, so Garrett calls me tomato face when I get like that.  I'm sure I look like a beast when I work out, because my face gets all red, I sweat like an icy mint julip during summer in Alabama, and you can hear me breathing down the block.  Why is it that some people look good working out and others look like a train wreak?  There is one woman at the gym who runs the treadmill (at a good clip) for at least an hour, limps off (I mean she looks like she's in massive pain) and walks a slow lap around the gym then gets on the elliptical and does another hour.  It's insane!  There are quite a few older people who go to my gym (I go to the Y) and sometimes I enjoy watching them.  Some of them have so much energy and they really give themselves a good workout.  Being so close to Snotsdale there is an above average amount of fake boobs around and Garrett enjoys checking out the variety of racks that abound at the gym.  I have nothing against fake boobs, when they're done nicely and with a smidge of taste, but when it looks like you shoved two cantaloupes down your shirt then I'm gonna talk.  While Garrett partakes of that scenery I like to check out men's arms.  I love a man with nicely muscled arms.  I'm not taking about bulbous, freak weight-lifter arms, just a nicely worked, perfectly proportioned set of arms.  I want to see the graceful definition in the tricep, and that round firmness in the bicep.  Yes, that makes my workout so much easier to get through.  Eye candy for everyone!