Spring forward, fall on face

Can someone please explain to me why I got up at 4am to work out this morning? Just last evening in my English 101 class we were discussing women's obsession with weight and clothing sizes and the fact that the primary motivator for people to diet and exercise regularly is not to be healthy, but to look good.

I had at one point decided that doing two-a-day workouts was the best way for me to get into shape and to trim the fat from my midsection. Then I read some columns by Tom Venuto that suggested maybe this wasn't the best approach. And now I'm back to thinking I should do two-a-days.

I find myself wondering, first of all, whether it's any coincidence that the return to two-a-days came the day after reading Sandra Hurtes' essay on women's weight obsession and second, whether getting up at 4am to work out is a good idea at all--or even necessary.
95
The morning's are good for me. I am by nature a morning person, so I find it's easier to get motivated to do something and to follow through on those commitments in the morning. Even on the weekends I find that the deeper into the day I get, the more my chances of having the motivation to work out declines. I do my best workouts when I jump out of bed early on the weekends and get it over with.

So I'm still not sure whether it's a good thing or a bad thing (or even a neutral thing), but I went to bed early last night, heaved myself up at 4am and hit the weights.

Now, the plan was to do supersets for biceps and triceps and then jump on the stair climber for about 10 minutes, but that's not how it worked out. It took me awhile to pull myself together and get started, so I was finishing up the weight training later than I'd planned. As a result, I skipped the stair climber. Yes, I probably did have the time to go ahead and do those 10 minutes, but it's another one of those psychological issues. I don't like to feel rushed about anything, and if I have other responsibilities hanging over me, I tend to cut my workouts short.

At least I did the supersets:

3 sets:
Barbell curls @ 95 lbs x 6-8 reps
Overhead triceps extensions (aka French curls) @ 115 x 6 -8 reps

3 sets:
Cable curls on the Weider system x 6-8 reps
Triceps pressdowns @ 80 x 6-8 reps

3 sets:
Preacher curls @ 70 lbs. x 6-8 reps (final set @ 70 followed immediately by a drop set @ 50)
Triceps pressdowns @ 80 x 6-8 reps

I don't think I'm getting up at 4am tomorrow, but one never knows.