The physique is getting on track I believe, but I'm lost. I feel better but then think I must be imagining the progress. I've not lost a great deal of weight - I don't have an accurate figure at the moment as to how much I've lost, but it's not a massive amount. Maybe 6lbs max. No one has noticed with the exception of Rich who gives it mixed reviews (I won't lie, he likes the rack, which obviously subsides a little when I'm training harder). My clothes still fit. I look around and feel as though everyone around me is thinner, buffer or lighter than me, I don't feel as if the work I'm putting in is being reflected in what I'm left with. I want my commitment to show, but it just doesn't and it's bumming me out. I'm Mrs Mediocre. Not a fast runner, or a distance runner, or strong enough to enter any comps, or fit enough to look as though I work out, or slim enough to fit into size 10. I hate being average.
Short of becoming a crossfitter, I've no idea how to excel.
Saturday, 20 April 2013
Sunday, 14 April 2013
Saturday, 13 April 2013
'Why fight Gina, why fight?'
So I need to get this off my chest because as the weeks pass by, more people are asking, 'why do you fight Gina? You're a nice girl with so much going for you, so why do you need to fight?'
As if I'm doing it to compensate for some sort of shortfall in my life. Huh. I've always been a tomboy, I always climbed trees and played with my brother's toys instead of my own, I've only owned one doll and I hated it, I've always preferred trousers to skirts, boots to high heels, etc, etc. I wore Doc Martins under my sodding wedding dress.
So, now I'm an adult, it hardly seems unnatural for me to lift heavy, sweat lots, and ultimately train really damn hard, and bollocks to my 'feminine mystique'. I love it and I don't see why I should justify that to anyone.
I'm not out drinking my health away, or eating crap and moaning when I get fat (not often anyway!), or popping pills for whatever reason. In fact, the last time I was on antibiotics was pre-teens, how many people can say that? And, I sleep like a baby. Every night.
I'm not invincible or even close to being happy with myself, but at least I'm trying. If I'm going to bust my hump in the gym 5 or 6 days a week and eat sugar free jelly while my friends eat popcorn and Haribo, then I want to be seeing results. Right now, while I'm fighting, I'm doing something I thoroughly enjoy, which requires skill, discipline and patience, and as a consequence am also getting in shape doing it. Why waste your time doing classes that you hate in the pursuit of what you want? Doesn't that fundamentally contradict itself? It would take you twice as many aerobics or boxercise classes to get the results of my classes, and I guarantee it wouldn't be as much fun.
At the end of the day I'm not 'out scrappin', I'm fighting in a safe environment with all the protective gear on, with a referee who, surprisingly enough, doesn't want to see me unconscious. I know people are entitled to their opinion, and that's not what this is about. If people ask me, 'why fight?' and are genuinely interested in the answer then I'm happy to discuss it.
I just don't need the sanctimonious judgement.
As if I'm doing it to compensate for some sort of shortfall in my life. Huh. I've always been a tomboy, I always climbed trees and played with my brother's toys instead of my own, I've only owned one doll and I hated it, I've always preferred trousers to skirts, boots to high heels, etc, etc. I wore Doc Martins under my sodding wedding dress.
So, now I'm an adult, it hardly seems unnatural for me to lift heavy, sweat lots, and ultimately train really damn hard, and bollocks to my 'feminine mystique'. I love it and I don't see why I should justify that to anyone.
I'm not out drinking my health away, or eating crap and moaning when I get fat (not often anyway!), or popping pills for whatever reason. In fact, the last time I was on antibiotics was pre-teens, how many people can say that? And, I sleep like a baby. Every night.
I'm not invincible or even close to being happy with myself, but at least I'm trying. If I'm going to bust my hump in the gym 5 or 6 days a week and eat sugar free jelly while my friends eat popcorn and Haribo, then I want to be seeing results. Right now, while I'm fighting, I'm doing something I thoroughly enjoy, which requires skill, discipline and patience, and as a consequence am also getting in shape doing it. Why waste your time doing classes that you hate in the pursuit of what you want? Doesn't that fundamentally contradict itself? It would take you twice as many aerobics or boxercise classes to get the results of my classes, and I guarantee it wouldn't be as much fun.
At the end of the day I'm not 'out scrappin', I'm fighting in a safe environment with all the protective gear on, with a referee who, surprisingly enough, doesn't want to see me unconscious. I know people are entitled to their opinion, and that's not what this is about. If people ask me, 'why fight?' and are genuinely interested in the answer then I'm happy to discuss it.
I just don't need the sanctimonious judgement.
Sunday, 7 April 2013
day 6...
Day 6...
The mood swings. Ohhh the mood swings, my poor poor husband. No sugar makes Gina a very grumpy girl. But we're nearly there. I'm delighted to report I've lost 4lbs, and 2% body fat (every little helps...). Possibly it'll come back on when I start eating properly again, but then maybe not - I've certainly learnt from it, and now know what I can and can't cope with. Maybe I'll do the main part of the diet but include some cereal or porridge in the morning to stop the suicidal tendencies. Or, it was suggested that I could do the diet for 5 days then eat carbs for the other 2, sort of like this 5:2 diet people keep rattling on about. I couldn't do the 5:2 diet the proper way it's meant to be done because I need more energy than 500 calories can provide, especially if I'm training. Plus I'd probably just pass out and die anyway - I take my hat off to anyone who does it successfully.
The mood swings. Ohhh the mood swings, my poor poor husband. No sugar makes Gina a very grumpy girl. But we're nearly there. I'm delighted to report I've lost 4lbs, and 2% body fat (every little helps...). Possibly it'll come back on when I start eating properly again, but then maybe not - I've certainly learnt from it, and now know what I can and can't cope with. Maybe I'll do the main part of the diet but include some cereal or porridge in the morning to stop the suicidal tendencies. Or, it was suggested that I could do the diet for 5 days then eat carbs for the other 2, sort of like this 5:2 diet people keep rattling on about. I couldn't do the 5:2 diet the proper way it's meant to be done because I need more energy than 500 calories can provide, especially if I'm training. Plus I'd probably just pass out and die anyway - I take my hat off to anyone who does it successfully.
Thursday, 4 April 2013
diet despair...
I was right. The headache is indeed the worst bit about this diet. It's not severe but it's persistent, and a little draining.
I'm sticking to the diet almost to the letter, the only real variation being some fat free Greek yogurt and 30g raisins this evening just to stop me keeling over. I actually rather like having eggs for breakfast, and because it's a savoury start, the sweet cravings don't kick in until much later in the day. Although I'm not planning on doing this long term, I do think it's acting as a good detox which is going to help me kick my addiction to sweet things, thus ultimately helping me to keep my weight down. So just to give you a quick idea of what I'm eating, it's scrambled egg whites (plus one yolk) with either spinach or turkey (tomorrow I'm going to have both - what a pig!), protein shake, 50g almonds, salad with cherry tomatoes and some kind of meat (pastrami tomorrow, nice change from turkey) plus just a little bit of light mayo (not strictly allowed on the diet but otherwise I won't eat it), another protein shake, some almond milk to get me through the afternoon and finally meat with green veg, tonight it was lean lamb and mint burgers with cabbage.
I don't feel great, but I'm not dying. I have enough energy to train, and my body isn't being deprived of anything that it can't cope without (double negatives there...confused myself). I think one of the main things is getting my head round it - yesterday the thought of salad was making me wretch, but eventually I had to eat it because I gave myself no alternative. When I did eat it, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think the same sort of psychology can be applied to a sweet tooth but in reverse - the feeling of eating something sweet is never as satisfying as you think it's going to be. This diet is fairly easy when I'm in work because there's a routine, but the weekend is going to be a big challenge, especially Saturday night with my friends.
Dig deep Gina, dig deep.
I'm sticking to the diet almost to the letter, the only real variation being some fat free Greek yogurt and 30g raisins this evening just to stop me keeling over. I actually rather like having eggs for breakfast, and because it's a savoury start, the sweet cravings don't kick in until much later in the day. Although I'm not planning on doing this long term, I do think it's acting as a good detox which is going to help me kick my addiction to sweet things, thus ultimately helping me to keep my weight down. So just to give you a quick idea of what I'm eating, it's scrambled egg whites (plus one yolk) with either spinach or turkey (tomorrow I'm going to have both - what a pig!), protein shake, 50g almonds, salad with cherry tomatoes and some kind of meat (pastrami tomorrow, nice change from turkey) plus just a little bit of light mayo (not strictly allowed on the diet but otherwise I won't eat it), another protein shake, some almond milk to get me through the afternoon and finally meat with green veg, tonight it was lean lamb and mint burgers with cabbage.
I don't feel great, but I'm not dying. I have enough energy to train, and my body isn't being deprived of anything that it can't cope without (double negatives there...confused myself). I think one of the main things is getting my head round it - yesterday the thought of salad was making me wretch, but eventually I had to eat it because I gave myself no alternative. When I did eat it, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think the same sort of psychology can be applied to a sweet tooth but in reverse - the feeling of eating something sweet is never as satisfying as you think it's going to be. This diet is fairly easy when I'm in work because there's a routine, but the weekend is going to be a big challenge, especially Saturday night with my friends.
Dig deep Gina, dig deep.
Monday, 1 April 2013
Bootcamp & detox
Bootcamp has begun. It's brilliant. The group of guys who do it are pretty awesome, as is the coach (hereby called Sam). He isn't constantly singling me out for having an extra X instead of Y chromosome. I have been plagued by injury as usual - when I first started I was in physio for my ankle as per my previous post, so I was whinging about that with all the bouncing you need to do in boxing. I kept up with the exercises religiously then lo and behold, my ankle was fine - literally 100% better. Who'd have thought physio would actually work?! Anyway. One injury sorted, in comes another, as is the standard for me. I blame my hypermobility. If I over train a body part without meaning to, instead of getting aching muscles I get painful ligaments. So my latest one is my left elbow which is currently so bad that I have to take anti-inflammatories before every session otherwise I'll be weeping in the corner within 20 minutes. I do try not to moan about it - especially as women already have a rep for being whiney - but sometimes people just notice. Credit where it's due, Sam is very good at looking after his fighters - he spotted me in stealth mode, spraying Deep Heat on my elbow and asked about it, which is something a lot of trainers don't bother to do. I've noticed him looking after the others too - we're a broken bunch with arthritic knees, damaged hip flexors, dodgy ankles. Not to mention the injuries inflicted on one another - bloody noses, bitten tongues, clicking jaws...
Anyway. The realization is dawning that actually, getting smacked because I didn't move away in time isn't much fun. Because as well as the whole getting hit thing - which hurts - there's the fact that if I'm getting hit, I'm doing it wrong. That makes me mad.
Apart from getting naffed off about my skillset (or lack thereof...), I'm training hard. Every day where I can. I reason that if I'm going to go and fight, I'm going to do it in peak condition. Consequently, tomorrow I am starting a week of hell. I've got a plan from Matt Towers (Team Forge - if you don't know them, Google them) - he says it's a regime for a fighter. It's only 4 sessions a week, which is bad enough, but that's on top of bootcamp and other workouts I'll put myself through. My new regime mainly consists of weight training super-setted with short bursts of cardio - it's hideous but I have no doubt it'll be worth it. As well as a new regime I'm starting a week of dieting. The diet consists of protein and greens. That's essentially all. Oh - and some almonds. It's only a week, I must remember that. It'll accelerate some weight loss, which everyone knows I am constantly trying for, and it should also detox my body of all the nasty sugars I am so fond of. So this is what my fridge looks like, £95 later...
I'd like to say I'll be documenting this diet, but I probably won't be. I'll have a headache the size of Russia.
Friday, 22 February 2013
Testing the limits
Went for a little run today to test my ankle, and I was pleased to discover it felt great, and I felt great too, ready to run. Last week my running limit was 15 minutes so I pushed a bit further this week. I ran for 25 minutes or so, then got some warning pains so started to slow down...
Then I remembered that I'd taken some anti-inflammatories earlier on which had probably meant I could run further without pain. Alas it was an illusion! I'm waiting for the punishment to begin. What a stupid mistake to make!
I also cut my thumb before heading out, it was only a tiny nick from clearing a broken plate and I thought the cold would dry it up. Wrong again. The tiny little nick didn't stop bleeding, but I didn't know this and managed to bleed all over my high vis jacket. I only spotted it all when I popped into Tesco on my way back and got some really funny looks. Man alive they must have thought I'd murdered someone.
Then I remembered that I'd taken some anti-inflammatories earlier on which had probably meant I could run further without pain. Alas it was an illusion! I'm waiting for the punishment to begin. What a stupid mistake to make!
I also cut my thumb before heading out, it was only a tiny nick from clearing a broken plate and I thought the cold would dry it up. Wrong again. The tiny little nick didn't stop bleeding, but I didn't know this and managed to bleed all over my high vis jacket. I only spotted it all when I popped into Tesco on my way back and got some really funny looks. Man alive they must have thought I'd murdered someone.
Saturday, 16 February 2013
still got it!
Unfortunately, my keyboard is still not fixed so posts take me significantly longer than they should - hence why I'm not doing very many.
I'm not going to go off on one about my weight like I usually do. It's still not down to what I want it to be, but I'm on it, at least now I have a deadline - Sam's boxing bootcamp starts in two weeks, so I'll be reminding myself of that whenever I'm reaching for munchies. As if I'd allow myself to step into the ring looking like a porker.
I've been struggling to train how I want to train, with my HIIT sprints etc, because I've got an ankle problem at the moment. It got so bad that darling hubby had to literally carry me down the stairs. Running was out of the question, whenever I tried I'd get shooting pains from my ankle up to my knee. Don't get it twisted - I don't surrender easily. I will train through what I can, I've trained through various tendon problems, illnesses (January's flu was the exception), back injuries, migraines (which was stupid, admittedly), but this has got me on my backside. I've been spinning as much as I can, either in classes or on my own, and doing interval rowing, but nothing gets a sweat on quite like running. So I took myself off to the physio, who told me that most of my left hand side is a bit locked up (in far more fancy terms than that obviously), which is causing misalignment and weakness in the ankle, as well as some tendonitis. So nothing serious, but he says I can't 'push through it', I have to stop doing what makes it hurt until it's been fixed. I've got some 'prescribed' stretching to do - but the good thing is he said if an exercise doesn't make my ankle hurt then I can carry on doing it, because it won't be causing any harm...
I've been playing with deadlifts again with Vinnie. I'm really rather pleased because even at the peak of my strength training about 2 years ago, I was deadlifting 105kg, and on Tuesday I managed 100kg - without much recent strength training at all. Of course this paled in comparison to Vinnie's 220kg lift, but we'll just gloss over that for now.
Cutandjacked.com published a little routine which apparently falls under the 'P.H.A.T' category (Peripheral Heart Action Training - although it can also be Power Hypertrophy Adaptive Training, but I'm not doing that).
(A and B signifies a superset, which entails going back and forth between the two exercises until all sets and repetitions are completed, then you move onto the next set of two exercises.)
1A) Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets x 10 - 15 repetitions.
1B) Romanian or Straight Legged Deadlift 3 sets x 10 - 15 repetitions.
2A) Seated Row 3 sets x 12 - 15 repetitions.
2B) Walking Dumbbell Lunges 3 sets of 20 - 24 steps.
3A) Dips (weight, bodyweight, or assistance as needed) 3 sets x 8 - 12 repetitions.
3B) Leg Curl Machine 3 sets x 12 - 15 repetitions.
4A) Pull Up (weighted, bodyweight, or assistance as needed) 3 sets x 8 - 12 repetitions.
4B) Squat (Barbell, Dumbbell, or Bodyweight based on ability and availability) 3 sets x 12 - 15 repetitions.
(http://www.cutandjacked.com/Train-Phat-To-Get-Lean)
I've done 1,3 & 4 but 2 is a little tricky because of the lunging motion. I did the following on Thursday (Happy Valentine's Day to me!):
1A - 12kg dumbbell bench 15/15/15 reps
1B - 40kg stiff leg DL 15/15/15
3A - assisted dips with 14kg, 8/8/8 (I know, terrible...)
3B - 32kg leg curl 15/15/15
4A - Wide grip pull ups, with a low slung bungee (so I had some help but not too much) 8/6/8
4B - 20kg squat 15/15/15
It was a good little workout, it's quite quick but challenging which is what I'm after. I really don't want to get involved in sessions like when I started this blog, they just take up so much time, so this is ideal.
Going to try a road run tomorrow to see how my ankle fares. I know it's not good on the treadmill but maybe that's the constant, unchanging impact? I shall see.
I'm not going to go off on one about my weight like I usually do. It's still not down to what I want it to be, but I'm on it, at least now I have a deadline - Sam's boxing bootcamp starts in two weeks, so I'll be reminding myself of that whenever I'm reaching for munchies. As if I'd allow myself to step into the ring looking like a porker.
I've been struggling to train how I want to train, with my HIIT sprints etc, because I've got an ankle problem at the moment. It got so bad that darling hubby had to literally carry me down the stairs. Running was out of the question, whenever I tried I'd get shooting pains from my ankle up to my knee. Don't get it twisted - I don't surrender easily. I will train through what I can, I've trained through various tendon problems, illnesses (January's flu was the exception), back injuries, migraines (which was stupid, admittedly), but this has got me on my backside. I've been spinning as much as I can, either in classes or on my own, and doing interval rowing, but nothing gets a sweat on quite like running. So I took myself off to the physio, who told me that most of my left hand side is a bit locked up (in far more fancy terms than that obviously), which is causing misalignment and weakness in the ankle, as well as some tendonitis. So nothing serious, but he says I can't 'push through it', I have to stop doing what makes it hurt until it's been fixed. I've got some 'prescribed' stretching to do - but the good thing is he said if an exercise doesn't make my ankle hurt then I can carry on doing it, because it won't be causing any harm...
I've been playing with deadlifts again with Vinnie. I'm really rather pleased because even at the peak of my strength training about 2 years ago, I was deadlifting 105kg, and on Tuesday I managed 100kg - without much recent strength training at all. Of course this paled in comparison to Vinnie's 220kg lift, but we'll just gloss over that for now.
Cutandjacked.com published a little routine which apparently falls under the 'P.H.A.T' category (Peripheral Heart Action Training - although it can also be Power Hypertrophy Adaptive Training, but I'm not doing that).
(A and B signifies a superset, which entails going back and forth between the two exercises until all sets and repetitions are completed, then you move onto the next set of two exercises.)
1A) Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets x 10 - 15 repetitions.
1B) Romanian or Straight Legged Deadlift 3 sets x 10 - 15 repetitions.
2A) Seated Row 3 sets x 12 - 15 repetitions.
2B) Walking Dumbbell Lunges 3 sets of 20 - 24 steps.
3A) Dips (weight, bodyweight, or assistance as needed) 3 sets x 8 - 12 repetitions.
3B) Leg Curl Machine 3 sets x 12 - 15 repetitions.
4A) Pull Up (weighted, bodyweight, or assistance as needed) 3 sets x 8 - 12 repetitions.
4B) Squat (Barbell, Dumbbell, or Bodyweight based on ability and availability) 3 sets x 12 - 15 repetitions.
(http://www.cutandjacked.com/Train-Phat-To-Get-Lean)
I've done 1,3 & 4 but 2 is a little tricky because of the lunging motion. I did the following on Thursday (Happy Valentine's Day to me!):
1A - 12kg dumbbell bench 15/15/15 reps
1B - 40kg stiff leg DL 15/15/15
3A - assisted dips with 14kg, 8/8/8 (I know, terrible...)
3B - 32kg leg curl 15/15/15
4A - Wide grip pull ups, with a low slung bungee (so I had some help but not too much) 8/6/8
4B - 20kg squat 15/15/15
It was a good little workout, it's quite quick but challenging which is what I'm after. I really don't want to get involved in sessions like when I started this blog, they just take up so much time, so this is ideal.
Going to try a road run tomorrow to see how my ankle fares. I know it's not good on the treadmill but maybe that's the constant, unchanging impact? I shall see.
Monday, 21 January 2013
Immune system...
My immune system is letting me down this year so far. I've barely got back into my training rhythm because of all these wretched colds I keep getting. I used to think I had a good immune system but I'm not sure anymore. I used to be able to train through any colds I did get, but these days if I train when I'm full of snot, I end up feeling 10 times worse the following day and not being able to train at all. Hence, I try and ride it out. I've not trained since Tuesday. Tuesday! It's now Monday! I may as well go get my name on the gastric band waiting list now, might save me the walk for when my legs start rubbing together.
Yes it's dramatic but dammit I'm so frustrated! I just want to get back to being fighting fit, but I'm spending most of my time fighting fat - whenever I make any progress on my weight, something stops me training.
Bring on Spring and some healthier times ahead.
Yes it's dramatic but dammit I'm so frustrated! I just want to get back to being fighting fit, but I'm spending most of my time fighting fat - whenever I make any progress on my weight, something stops me training.
Bring on Spring and some healthier times ahead.
Monday, 7 January 2013
'New Year's Resolutioners'
I took my foot off the pedal since the wedding and quite intentionally gained 5 lbs. I thought I'd give myself a real break, then kick start the regime in 2013. I was in the gym New Year's Day, and most days since. The boxing bootcamp isn't starting for another four weeks so I'm giving myself a bit of a headstart. I'm feeling every ounce of those 5 lbs, and I want them gone. So I did a spin class today, I don't tend to bother with them but this was nice and hard. Then I did some boxing and skipping intervals, Sam (leader of the bootcamp) told me I was dropping my guard too much which is something I need to knock off - quickly.
I arrived in the gym with high hopes of doing some interval sprints but I've done something to my ankle and it's crunching a little too much for my liking. Not that I could've got on the treadmills. The place is riddled with newbies and I'm sorry, I find myself wanting to throw things at most of them. If they're still about in mid February then maybe I'll give them a bit of credit. But for now, they're just getting in the way of people who take their fitness seriously by walking on the treadmills (without even an incline - give me strength) on their iPhones, and standing on the power plate giggling like idiots. I know, I know. I was new to the gym once. But I made a point of blending in and not making a nuisance of myself. AND, I stuck with it. The thing that irritates me about the New Year's Resolutioners is that they just quit, for no good reason, and without achieving anything. If they did something functional whilst in the gym and stuck to it then maybe I wouldn't be so bitter. But I am bitter. And they're turning my swede!
I arrived in the gym with high hopes of doing some interval sprints but I've done something to my ankle and it's crunching a little too much for my liking. Not that I could've got on the treadmills. The place is riddled with newbies and I'm sorry, I find myself wanting to throw things at most of them. If they're still about in mid February then maybe I'll give them a bit of credit. But for now, they're just getting in the way of people who take their fitness seriously by walking on the treadmills (without even an incline - give me strength) on their iPhones, and standing on the power plate giggling like idiots. I know, I know. I was new to the gym once. But I made a point of blending in and not making a nuisance of myself. AND, I stuck with it. The thing that irritates me about the New Year's Resolutioners is that they just quit, for no good reason, and without achieving anything. If they did something functional whilst in the gym and stuck to it then maybe I wouldn't be so bitter. But I am bitter. And they're turning my swede!
Monday, 19 November 2012
awkward.
So it finally happened. I knew it would, eventually.
I stacked it on the treadmill. Not totally, but enough to completely ruin any street-cred I may have had. I was sprinting at 10mph, dutifully doing my intervals, when my discarded ear phones slipped off the ledge and threatened to pull my MP3 player off with them. With lightning fast reflexes (sure, now I learn speed and bloody agility...) I went to save them, and tried to jump to the side of the treadmill simultaneously. My right foot successfully made the leap, my left foot didn't. You can guess the rest.
Just to make myself feel better, I watched these 'treadmill fails'.
Treadmill fails
It happened to me many years ago and I literally flew into a wall. Instead of checking I wasn't hurt, some smarmy old loaf snorted and said 'it served me right for being nosey' (I was looking behind me at the time). I knew it would happen again as, to be fair, I've had fair too few embarrassing moments in the gym. This would be perhaps only my second, in fact. The first was when I was laying into a bag pretty hard, thinking how technical I was starting to become with my fighting. Until I hopped a little too enthusiastically on one foot to land a kick, lost my footing and fell. Fortunately, I was tucked away in the old Fitness First studio, so only two people saw me. This time I was not so fortunate. The entire gym saw it happen. By the time I'd finished cursing and looked around (which was probably around 5 minutes after the fact...), people's giggles were just starting to subside. I have a grazed foot and knee for my troubles, and, predictably, a very bruised ego. I'm sure these things are strategically planned to happen just when you're starting to feel good about yourself.
I suppose I'd better get used to feeling stupid - I've signed up for a white collar boxing event in the new year. I think we already know which way it's going to go, but maybe after receiving a good hiding I might be able to concentrate on being a good wife.
*ahem*
I stacked it on the treadmill. Not totally, but enough to completely ruin any street-cred I may have had. I was sprinting at 10mph, dutifully doing my intervals, when my discarded ear phones slipped off the ledge and threatened to pull my MP3 player off with them. With lightning fast reflexes (sure, now I learn speed and bloody agility...) I went to save them, and tried to jump to the side of the treadmill simultaneously. My right foot successfully made the leap, my left foot didn't. You can guess the rest.
Just to make myself feel better, I watched these 'treadmill fails'.
Treadmill fails
It happened to me many years ago and I literally flew into a wall. Instead of checking I wasn't hurt, some smarmy old loaf snorted and said 'it served me right for being nosey' (I was looking behind me at the time). I knew it would happen again as, to be fair, I've had fair too few embarrassing moments in the gym. This would be perhaps only my second, in fact. The first was when I was laying into a bag pretty hard, thinking how technical I was starting to become with my fighting. Until I hopped a little too enthusiastically on one foot to land a kick, lost my footing and fell. Fortunately, I was tucked away in the old Fitness First studio, so only two people saw me. This time I was not so fortunate. The entire gym saw it happen. By the time I'd finished cursing and looked around (which was probably around 5 minutes after the fact...), people's giggles were just starting to subside. I have a grazed foot and knee for my troubles, and, predictably, a very bruised ego. I'm sure these things are strategically planned to happen just when you're starting to feel good about yourself.
I suppose I'd better get used to feeling stupid - I've signed up for a white collar boxing event in the new year. I think we already know which way it's going to go, but maybe after receiving a good hiding I might be able to concentrate on being a good wife.
*ahem*
Saturday, 17 November 2012
'Gateway Grizzlies Baseball's Best Burger!'
...egads I had no idea it had been so long since my last blog! I'm horrified!
But not to worry, blogging shall recommence now! As you may know, I got married on Saturday and have since mainly done three things in rotation with my new husband: eat, sleep and watch movies. I have eaten all the things I have denied myself for years - not because of the wedding, but because of my fear of getting fat. So this week I have had a full Chinese banquet, chips, KFC, pizza (with low fat cheese though), puddings, wedding cake, and now tonight, the final night of my 'week off', Rich and I are embarking on a feast we saw on Man VS Food. Krispy Kreme burger. Oh yeah.
All I can say is thank God for Omeprazole and Gaviscon.
And tomorrow, let the Christmas detox begin!
But not to worry, blogging shall recommence now! As you may know, I got married on Saturday and have since mainly done three things in rotation with my new husband: eat, sleep and watch movies. I have eaten all the things I have denied myself for years - not because of the wedding, but because of my fear of getting fat. So this week I have had a full Chinese banquet, chips, KFC, pizza (with low fat cheese though), puddings, wedding cake, and now tonight, the final night of my 'week off', Rich and I are embarking on a feast we saw on Man VS Food. Krispy Kreme burger. Oh yeah.
All I can say is thank God for Omeprazole and Gaviscon.
And tomorrow, let the Christmas detox begin!
Friday, 24 August 2012
sweaty person at the gym...
That's me. The sweaty thing dripping all over the treadmill.
I normally wear my sweat with pride. I earn my sweat and weirdly, I feel at my most confident when I'm soaked. I think it's probably the endorphins making me delusional, but I love that feeling, it's sort of raw and primal. Yesterday, however, and the day before, took it to a whole new level after a rather vigorous interval training session. My vest was literally fit to be wrung out - suddenly it occurred to me, I'm that grim overly sweaty person who sweats all over the machines so no one else wants to use them. For shame. I had a crop top underneath, but to be honest it would probably cause more offence to mince around exposing my pale tum than just keep the vest on.
Note to self, take a spare BLACK top for next interval training session.
Anyway, had a grand session this morning before work. Very much enjoying training before work, it feels as though getting out of bed has a purpose beyond getting up for work. Vinnie is trying to teach me to clean. It's not working out well. I think he may turn blue in the face before I get it right, I've got about as much explosive power as a duff party popper. I have strength and agility but speed and explosiveness I just can't get the hang of. Apparently I'm not bringing my elbows up high enough, which means I'm not generating enough power from my legs in the first part of the lift. I think I might be starting to understand where I'm going wrong, at least with 30kg - I started to sort of push up from my heels instead of my thighs where I had been starting. Then Vinnie bumped the weight to 35kg and my technique went to pot in the effort to even lift the weight in that way. The jerk was out of the question. I get so mad at myself when I can't do something properly, especially when I know that I'll probably never get it right. But. No wallowing, let's move on.
After work today I went home in the rain and thought I'd go for a run. I am delighted that summer is nearly becoming autumn. I know that sounds miserable, but my cardio just deteriorates in summer because I can't stand the humidity. Now the air feels fresher, which my lungs appreciate. It was really nice, apart from the inevitable nipple prominence - which never fails to attract the wrong sort of attention, especially when running. My MP3 player also crashed halfway round the route, and I don't run without music, ever. Normally I use my earring to reset it, but didn't have any in so I got really inventive and used a thorn. An actual thorn. I love nature.
I'm beginning to question the purpose of this post. Other than trying to learn to clean properly, I guess nothing has changed. I am going to try an MMA class in Moreton in the forthcoming weeks - I need some more controlled violence in my life, so I guess the blog might take a turn into an itinerary of my injuries, which are bound to be plentiful. Still, nothing ventured and all that.
I normally wear my sweat with pride. I earn my sweat and weirdly, I feel at my most confident when I'm soaked. I think it's probably the endorphins making me delusional, but I love that feeling, it's sort of raw and primal. Yesterday, however, and the day before, took it to a whole new level after a rather vigorous interval training session. My vest was literally fit to be wrung out - suddenly it occurred to me, I'm that grim overly sweaty person who sweats all over the machines so no one else wants to use them. For shame. I had a crop top underneath, but to be honest it would probably cause more offence to mince around exposing my pale tum than just keep the vest on.
Note to self, take a spare BLACK top for next interval training session.
Anyway, had a grand session this morning before work. Very much enjoying training before work, it feels as though getting out of bed has a purpose beyond getting up for work. Vinnie is trying to teach me to clean. It's not working out well. I think he may turn blue in the face before I get it right, I've got about as much explosive power as a duff party popper. I have strength and agility but speed and explosiveness I just can't get the hang of. Apparently I'm not bringing my elbows up high enough, which means I'm not generating enough power from my legs in the first part of the lift. I think I might be starting to understand where I'm going wrong, at least with 30kg - I started to sort of push up from my heels instead of my thighs where I had been starting. Then Vinnie bumped the weight to 35kg and my technique went to pot in the effort to even lift the weight in that way. The jerk was out of the question. I get so mad at myself when I can't do something properly, especially when I know that I'll probably never get it right. But. No wallowing, let's move on.
After work today I went home in the rain and thought I'd go for a run. I am delighted that summer is nearly becoming autumn. I know that sounds miserable, but my cardio just deteriorates in summer because I can't stand the humidity. Now the air feels fresher, which my lungs appreciate. It was really nice, apart from the inevitable nipple prominence - which never fails to attract the wrong sort of attention, especially when running. My MP3 player also crashed halfway round the route, and I don't run without music, ever. Normally I use my earring to reset it, but didn't have any in so I got really inventive and used a thorn. An actual thorn. I love nature.
I'm beginning to question the purpose of this post. Other than trying to learn to clean properly, I guess nothing has changed. I am going to try an MMA class in Moreton in the forthcoming weeks - I need some more controlled violence in my life, so I guess the blog might take a turn into an itinerary of my injuries, which are bound to be plentiful. Still, nothing ventured and all that.
Friday, 27 July 2012
Total Warrior training...
Tonight I have done a nice little upper body session. I was quietly pleased because I've been able to do isolated but unassisted wide grip pull ups. I only did 3, then into 20 push ups, 10 suspension pull ups, and then 10 suspension tuck-push ups. I switched to 10 bungee assisted wide grip pull ups for the next two sets. I went onto bench presses with 14kg dumbbells, 10 reps then straight on to 8kg dumbbells for 20 reps. I did that twice. I then did a little ab work out, 3 sets of 50 sit ups supersetted with 30 6kg dumbbell raises with my legs half raised, kind of like a reverse plank but without having your arms and legs to fall back on when your abs get tired. Then I half heartedly did 3 sets of 10 reps converging shoulder presses with 14kg. And finally, I finished it off with 15 minutes on the cross trainer.
Yesterday I ran around Delamere Forest for 60 minutes. Last week I did hill sprints in Delamere in just one spot, so it was quite nice to run around the forest. I did two rounds of the route, I've no idea how long it was but it was hard running and that's enough for me. Except that if it wasn't at least 4 miles I'm in big trouble for Total Warrior. Shameless plugging, but if you're reading this, maybe you might consider sponsoring me for this little slice of Hell I'm putting myself through....http://www.justgiving.com/Tilly-Mint
Anyway.
I have been monitoring my carbs a lot over the last few weeks. Vinnie wanted me to keep below 50g, but that wasn't ever going to happen - my All Bran is 25g! I've cut down my fruit though, and sweets are pretty much a no-go. So I've been consuming around 150g carbs, which includes rather a lot of veggies, salad and the best thing is, I've been able to eat nuts! I love nuts but I've deprived myself for years because I've always focussed on calorie counting and nuts are through the roof in terms of calories. I've been measuring my portions though, so I don't get carried away. Got a smart new digital scale - everyone who watches their weight should own one...for their food, not for them. Mine has a 5kg limit so that might not work. I have noticed a distinct difference, my weight has stabilised - I'm still around 11 stone, but I really don't think that's likely to change unless I took my diet to the next level, that is, down to sub 50g carbs, less calories, blah blah blah. But I have a day job which involves talking to the public so I can't afford to be like a bear with a sore arse. So an extreme diet is out of the question. I'm starting to feel more defined and feel more secure though, and my training is right on track.
Perhaps a happy medium has been achieved?
Yesterday I ran around Delamere Forest for 60 minutes. Last week I did hill sprints in Delamere in just one spot, so it was quite nice to run around the forest. I did two rounds of the route, I've no idea how long it was but it was hard running and that's enough for me. Except that if it wasn't at least 4 miles I'm in big trouble for Total Warrior. Shameless plugging, but if you're reading this, maybe you might consider sponsoring me for this little slice of Hell I'm putting myself through....http://www.justgiving.com/Tilly-Mint
Anyway.
I have been monitoring my carbs a lot over the last few weeks. Vinnie wanted me to keep below 50g, but that wasn't ever going to happen - my All Bran is 25g! I've cut down my fruit though, and sweets are pretty much a no-go. So I've been consuming around 150g carbs, which includes rather a lot of veggies, salad and the best thing is, I've been able to eat nuts! I love nuts but I've deprived myself for years because I've always focussed on calorie counting and nuts are through the roof in terms of calories. I've been measuring my portions though, so I don't get carried away. Got a smart new digital scale - everyone who watches their weight should own one...for their food, not for them. Mine has a 5kg limit so that might not work. I have noticed a distinct difference, my weight has stabilised - I'm still around 11 stone, but I really don't think that's likely to change unless I took my diet to the next level, that is, down to sub 50g carbs, less calories, blah blah blah. But I have a day job which involves talking to the public so I can't afford to be like a bear with a sore arse. So an extreme diet is out of the question. I'm starting to feel more defined and feel more secure though, and my training is right on track.
Perhaps a happy medium has been achieved?
Saturday, 7 July 2012
Protein for summer! And a bit of a rant.
I did a nice run in Royden Park today, felt proper good to just splash through the mud after yesterday's (and the day before, and the day before that...) rain. I did some hill sprints as well, found a nice incline in the woods. I'm desperately trying to add loads of inclines and intervals into my training for this Total Warrior 10k. I might not even be doing it because no one else is actually running it with me, and it has to be a team event. But, I'm looking into alternatives and am going to train as if I am actually going to do it.
I'm not losing weight yet, which is still driving me to distraction, in fact I'm still gaining, then losing, gaining, then losing. I can't figure out what more to do. I keep looking at old photos of myself, on holiday in the States last year and mourning the body I used to have. But when I was in the States last year, guess what I thought? 'FAT FAT FAT'. The mind is a hideous beast, it really is. So here I go, headlong into egg white omelettes and greens, cutting out all the crap. If I can do that and the scales still read that I've gained weight, I won't beat myself up too much because it must be muscle mass, as I mentioned in my previous post. There are some interesting thoughts on fitness sites (http://blog.shareitfitness.com/2012/why-scale-doesnt-matter/), whereby the reading on the scales doesn't actually matter at all. There are some good case studies of women who, according to the scales haven't lost any weight at all, but look three hundred times better than they did before they started. I'll be completely honest with you. Before I started training at all, I was over 13 stone. I can't remember the exact figure, but it wasn't 13 stone 1lb, for example. It was a definite 'over' 13 stone. Then I started to diet and train, but not very hard, so my weight went down and plateaued at between 11 stone and 11 stone 4. Then I hit the cardio hard and went down to 10 stone 10 (fully clothed - I'm not one to mince around the gym changing rooms wearing nothing but a smile). That weight didn't last long because then I started doing some pretty hardcore strength training for a powerlifting competition that I never actually entered. My weight went up to over 11 stone again, but then I stopped strength training (to a degree - I still lift weights, but not as heavy), and started looking slimmer because my muscles had chilled out a bit. However, now I'm in a weird phase where I've got some muscle tone, some curves, a fairly low fat percentage but a fluctuating weight on the scales, between 11 stone and 11.5! I'm just a bit lost. I don't want to be in denial about weight gain, because that's how I ended up being 13 stone. So where to go from there?
Measurements are:
waist - 30.5ins (and I do mean around my belly button, not further up where most people measure their waists)
hips - 37ins
thighs (thickest part) - 22ins
upper arms - 11.5ins
bust - 39ins
Anyway, I came on here to document a wonderful little concoction I just made and enjoyed. It's hardly anything Heston Blumenthal would do...but I thought I'd tell you anyway. I always get really jealous of people who can enjoy ice cream and frappucinos without guilt or weight gain, so I'm always looking for an alternative that I can have. I used a scoop of strawberry cream 90% protein powder, 200-300ml almond milk, 4 big spoons of natural yogurt, lots of ice cubes, whizzed up in a blender. Serious yum. That actually made 2 and a half large glasses worth, which is just under 300 calories for the whole lot, and 36g protein. Winning!
I'm not losing weight yet, which is still driving me to distraction, in fact I'm still gaining, then losing, gaining, then losing. I can't figure out what more to do. I keep looking at old photos of myself, on holiday in the States last year and mourning the body I used to have. But when I was in the States last year, guess what I thought? 'FAT FAT FAT'. The mind is a hideous beast, it really is. So here I go, headlong into egg white omelettes and greens, cutting out all the crap. If I can do that and the scales still read that I've gained weight, I won't beat myself up too much because it must be muscle mass, as I mentioned in my previous post. There are some interesting thoughts on fitness sites (http://blog.shareitfitness.com/2012/why-scale-doesnt-matter/), whereby the reading on the scales doesn't actually matter at all. There are some good case studies of women who, according to the scales haven't lost any weight at all, but look three hundred times better than they did before they started. I'll be completely honest with you. Before I started training at all, I was over 13 stone. I can't remember the exact figure, but it wasn't 13 stone 1lb, for example. It was a definite 'over' 13 stone. Then I started to diet and train, but not very hard, so my weight went down and plateaued at between 11 stone and 11 stone 4. Then I hit the cardio hard and went down to 10 stone 10 (fully clothed - I'm not one to mince around the gym changing rooms wearing nothing but a smile). That weight didn't last long because then I started doing some pretty hardcore strength training for a powerlifting competition that I never actually entered. My weight went up to over 11 stone again, but then I stopped strength training (to a degree - I still lift weights, but not as heavy), and started looking slimmer because my muscles had chilled out a bit. However, now I'm in a weird phase where I've got some muscle tone, some curves, a fairly low fat percentage but a fluctuating weight on the scales, between 11 stone and 11.5! I'm just a bit lost. I don't want to be in denial about weight gain, because that's how I ended up being 13 stone. So where to go from there?
Measurements are:
waist - 30.5ins (and I do mean around my belly button, not further up where most people measure their waists)
hips - 37ins
thighs (thickest part) - 22ins
upper arms - 11.5ins
bust - 39ins
Anyway, I came on here to document a wonderful little concoction I just made and enjoyed. It's hardly anything Heston Blumenthal would do...but I thought I'd tell you anyway. I always get really jealous of people who can enjoy ice cream and frappucinos without guilt or weight gain, so I'm always looking for an alternative that I can have. I used a scoop of strawberry cream 90% protein powder, 200-300ml almond milk, 4 big spoons of natural yogurt, lots of ice cubes, whizzed up in a blender. Serious yum. That actually made 2 and a half large glasses worth, which is just under 300 calories for the whole lot, and 36g protein. Winning!
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
Fat Attack, episode 1
I'm back! I've had a few people ask me if I've stopped my blog, and the answer is absolutely not! My laptop caught a trojan horse virus and has been out of action for a little while. Hence, no blogs!
Anyway, where was I? I was musing over the program. It's gone. Done. Finished. I called it quits 3 weeks earlier than scheduled partly due to having a few bad weeks health wise, when I couldn't train as regularly as I needed to and partly because I just couldn't do it anymore. I wasn't feeling the benefits and it was taking up all my time, but boring me to death. So, I believe I mentioned I've recruited Vinnie at Klick, and am undergoing a few weeks of fat attack. I'm training with him in the morning when I can get in before work which is supposed to be good for fat burning, or the evening if not, two sessions a week. On top of that I'm doing my own workouts, lots of cardio and weights. I've been advised to stop eating as much fruit, which is a real bummer because I have a sweet tooth. Instead I'm crunching on celery with very low fat cheese spread and chugging protein shakes like they're going out of style. For my evening meal I'm having brocoli with some form of protein, be it fish or meat. I'm also drinking a large glass of water before each meal, and am experimenting with a lemon and mint infusion, which is surprisingly palatable! All in all, the diet's unexciting but I'm hoping the outcome might be the opposite.
So, my stats are pretty unaltered, except that my fat percentage did decrease by 1%, but apparently fat percentage on scales is very unreliable. You have to eat and drink exactly the same to have any real way of measuring it accurately. I've been told to go by my weight and how my clothes feel, which is really not ideal because I'm desperately unhappy with my weight, and the only thing that makes me feel better about it is the fact that my body fat percentage is so low. I'm sure you understand my situation! But, let's see how it goes. I will post progress photos if, in fact, I see any progress.
Oh, calories today 1829.
Anyway, where was I? I was musing over the program. It's gone. Done. Finished. I called it quits 3 weeks earlier than scheduled partly due to having a few bad weeks health wise, when I couldn't train as regularly as I needed to and partly because I just couldn't do it anymore. I wasn't feeling the benefits and it was taking up all my time, but boring me to death. So, I believe I mentioned I've recruited Vinnie at Klick, and am undergoing a few weeks of fat attack. I'm training with him in the morning when I can get in before work which is supposed to be good for fat burning, or the evening if not, two sessions a week. On top of that I'm doing my own workouts, lots of cardio and weights. I've been advised to stop eating as much fruit, which is a real bummer because I have a sweet tooth. Instead I'm crunching on celery with very low fat cheese spread and chugging protein shakes like they're going out of style. For my evening meal I'm having brocoli with some form of protein, be it fish or meat. I'm also drinking a large glass of water before each meal, and am experimenting with a lemon and mint infusion, which is surprisingly palatable! All in all, the diet's unexciting but I'm hoping the outcome might be the opposite.
So, my stats are pretty unaltered, except that my fat percentage did decrease by 1%, but apparently fat percentage on scales is very unreliable. You have to eat and drink exactly the same to have any real way of measuring it accurately. I've been told to go by my weight and how my clothes feel, which is really not ideal because I'm desperately unhappy with my weight, and the only thing that makes me feel better about it is the fact that my body fat percentage is so low. I'm sure you understand my situation! But, let's see how it goes. I will post progress photos if, in fact, I see any progress.
Oh, calories today 1829.
Tuesday, 12 June 2012
Week 1 of part 3
I dragged my backside to the gym a few times last week and played around with these workouts but the commitment wasn't quite there due to one thing or another. I did do a fantastic session on Wallasey beach on Sunday, which involved a hellish number of sprints up a sand dune, and jumps onto a picnic bench, supersetted with dips and squats.
I have hit it properly this week. Monday I did the following: (2100 calories in case you're interested)
I have hit it properly this week. Monday I did the following: (2100 calories in case you're interested)
- 3 x 8 Lat pulldowns (80kg)/3 x 12 burpees/45 second rest
- 4 x 10 reverse pushups/4 x 20 mountain climbers/30 second rest
- 3 x 8 barbell curls (15kg)/3 x 15 side squat jumps (squat, jump as far as you can to one side, repeat)/45 seconds rest
- 4 x 8 bentover barbell rows (20kg)/4 x 30 twist jumps (squat, jump and do a 180 degree twist, repeat)/45 second rest
- 3 x 10 close grip rows (20kg)/3 x 20 box jumps/30 second rest
- 3 x 25 crunches, 3 x 25 bicycle crunches, 3 x 25 dumbbell crunches (hold dumbbell over head with straight arms and crunch up). What a grueller that one is.
- 3 x 10 bench press (14kg DBs)/3 x 30 flutter kicks/45 second rest
- 4 x 8 barbell skullcrushers (10kg)/4 x 50 jumping jacks/30 second rest
- 3 x 10 dumbbell military press (8kg)/3 x 30 med ball (7kg) woodchoppers (15 to each side)/45 second rest
- 4 x 15 bench dips/4 x 15 dumbbell bench step ups (15 each leg)/30 second rest
- 3 x 10 barbell clean and press (20kg - some turned into push presses though!)/3 x 10 burpees/60 seconds rest
- 4 x 10 incline bench press (8kg DBs)/4 x 30 mountain climbers/45 second rest
Saturday, 2 June 2012
Gina is a poorly Ribena berry...
This week's program has been much more stimulating than the last 4 weeks. I did a coastal run in Barrow on Saturday morning which was hideous. Just awful. The heat was great, don't get me wrong, and the sun beaming down, beautiful views to take in...but also quite a breeze which consequently caused quite a sand storm. I've had road rash, grass rash, rain rash and now I've had sand rash as well. I'd say sand rash was the worst, especially when it's combined with heat and sweat. My face was nearly purple by the time I'd finished. Not a good look.
I have only been able to complete Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday's workout this week though due to ill health, and I am trying to get back on track with it but have not had the energy. I am hoping to do Friday's workout tomorrow, which is Sunday, but if not then I may have to take a hiatus. I will continue the blog though, but will commence training for the Total Warrior instead of finishing the program. I'm hoping to ultimately finish the program, but we'll have to see if I can actually make the commitment - health dependent. My last post disclosed my weight gain, but for the record, those 4 pesky pounds have vanished again, as quick as they came. And hopefully they've taken the hint that they're not welcome on this busy body of mine!
So this week has gone down as so...
Monday
Tuesday
I have only been able to complete Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday's workout this week though due to ill health, and I am trying to get back on track with it but have not had the energy. I am hoping to do Friday's workout tomorrow, which is Sunday, but if not then I may have to take a hiatus. I will continue the blog though, but will commence training for the Total Warrior instead of finishing the program. I'm hoping to ultimately finish the program, but we'll have to see if I can actually make the commitment - health dependent. My last post disclosed my weight gain, but for the record, those 4 pesky pounds have vanished again, as quick as they came. And hopefully they've taken the hint that they're not welcome on this busy body of mine!
So this week has gone down as so...
Monday
- 3 x 8 Lat pulldowns (36kg) /3 x 12 burpees/45 second rest
- 4 x 10 reverse pushups/4 x 20 mountain climbers/30 second rest
- 3 x 8 barbell curls (10kg then 15kg)/3 x 15 side squat jumps (squat, jump as far as you can to one side, repeat)/45 seconds rest
- 4 x 8 bentover barbell rows (first two sets 20kg, then last two sets 25kg)/4 x 30 twist jumps (squat, jump and do a 180 degree twist, repeat)/45 second rest
- 3 x 10 close grip rows (15 kg)/3 x 20 box jumps/30 second rest
- 3 x 25 crunches, 3 x 25 bicycle crunches, 3 x 25 dumbbell crunches (hold dumbbell over head with straight arms and crunch up). This was a brilliant ab workout, I actually felt my abs the following day which was most unusual.
Tuesday
- 3 x 10 bench press (16kg DB, 12kg DB then back to 16kg, nearly killed me)/3 x 30 flutter kicks/45 second rest
- 4 x 8 barbell skullcrushers (10kg, then up to 12.5, then back down to 10kg)/4 x 50 jumping jacks/30 second rest
- 3 x 10 dumbbell military press (10kg - although on 2nd set only got to 8 reps then complete failure until the next set)/3 x 30 med ball woodchoppers (15 to each side) (6kg)/45 second rest
- 4 x 15 bench dips/4 x 15 dumbbell bench step ups (10kg)/30 second rest
- 3 x 10 barbell clean and press (15kg, this was quite easy but any heavier and I'd have had to push press) /3 x 10 burpees/60 seconds rest
- 4 x 10 incline bench press (10kg)/4 x 30 mountain climbers/45 second rest
Wednesday
- 3 x 10 barbell or smith machine squats(30kg)/3 x 45 second jump rope/45 second rest
- 4 x 10 deadlifts (50kg)/4 x 20 horizontal jacks (In plank position, jump your feet off the ground and spread feet wide, jump feet off the body and bring your feet together so you’ve returned to plank position, repeat)/60 second rest
- 3 x 10 dumbbell lunges (8kg)/3 x 25 lunge jumps (lunge, jump up, and switch legs in mid-air and land on other foot forward)/45 second rest
- 4 x 10 reverse dumbbell lunges (8kg)/4 x 45 second jump rope/45 second rest
- 3 x 12 box or bench jumps/30 second jump rope/3 x 20 mountain climbers/30 second plank/60 second rest
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Week 8
Friday's workout was good fun - the exercises were diverse and interesting. I particularly liked the Arnold presses, not that I could do them with particularly heavy weights but mastering the technique was good.
Look at me, trying to be positive! Honestly, this program sucks, as does the fact I've put on 3 lbs. I shan't blame the program, I will blame an amendment in medication. I am so ridiculously tired of working my bum off only to have my bum...expand.
Monday I didn't do anything. Tuesday I did 4 out of 5 sets of Cross Eyes, the 5th was abandoned because of the boxing class but I made up for it by doing 20 minutes of HIIT sprinting at the end of my session.
Wednesday I did 3 sets of 12 reps with 40kg narrow stance leg press, then the same with a wide stance. I did the DB squats with 12kg, but got confused about what to do with the weights as I squatted - I mean, I hung my arms at my sides but then they bumped into my knees on the way down so I ended up propping them up on my shoulders. Then I did 150 box jumps in 5 sets of 30, on a high step. After that I did 50 step ups (each leg) and then 50 reverse step ups. But, I can't tell the difference between normal step ups and reverse step ups. They feel the same to me.
Today is Thursday and I was meant to be doing Wednesday's workout because I'm a day behind myself. Well, now I'm two days behind myself as I didn't go. Life has well and truly gotten in the way this week, and whilst I was reluctant to skip the workout today, I felt it was for the best. So tomorrow I will try and get 45 HIIT running in plus 15 minutes of backwards walking (looking forward to that...), and then Saturday will be Thursday's arm workout as well as further HIIT. I won't pretend I'm going to do 30 minutes of HIIT rowing or cycling, because I'm absolutely not. I'll find an alternative, whether it's HIIT sprinting (I'll incorporate a little Total Warrior training and do it on a hill somewhere), or skipping. HIIT sitting activities kill me, I end up limping for days because my hips seize up. Blame the hypermobility again.
As I'm sure you can tell, I hate this program at the moment - I've lost momentum with it, and am consequently bored. I want to get back to muay thai and doing my own thing. But, I'm trying to finish it. Please don't think I've abandoned workouts easily - it takes a lot for me to skip one, but this week it really has been necessary. Hopefully next week I'll find my second (third?) wind, when I start the third and final stage.
Look at me, trying to be positive! Honestly, this program sucks, as does the fact I've put on 3 lbs. I shan't blame the program, I will blame an amendment in medication. I am so ridiculously tired of working my bum off only to have my bum...expand.
Monday I didn't do anything. Tuesday I did 4 out of 5 sets of Cross Eyes, the 5th was abandoned because of the boxing class but I made up for it by doing 20 minutes of HIIT sprinting at the end of my session.
Wednesday I did 3 sets of 12 reps with 40kg narrow stance leg press, then the same with a wide stance. I did the DB squats with 12kg, but got confused about what to do with the weights as I squatted - I mean, I hung my arms at my sides but then they bumped into my knees on the way down so I ended up propping them up on my shoulders. Then I did 150 box jumps in 5 sets of 30, on a high step. After that I did 50 step ups (each leg) and then 50 reverse step ups. But, I can't tell the difference between normal step ups and reverse step ups. They feel the same to me.
Today is Thursday and I was meant to be doing Wednesday's workout because I'm a day behind myself. Well, now I'm two days behind myself as I didn't go. Life has well and truly gotten in the way this week, and whilst I was reluctant to skip the workout today, I felt it was for the best. So tomorrow I will try and get 45 HIIT running in plus 15 minutes of backwards walking (looking forward to that...), and then Saturday will be Thursday's arm workout as well as further HIIT. I won't pretend I'm going to do 30 minutes of HIIT rowing or cycling, because I'm absolutely not. I'll find an alternative, whether it's HIIT sprinting (I'll incorporate a little Total Warrior training and do it on a hill somewhere), or skipping. HIIT sitting activities kill me, I end up limping for days because my hips seize up. Blame the hypermobility again.
As I'm sure you can tell, I hate this program at the moment - I've lost momentum with it, and am consequently bored. I want to get back to muay thai and doing my own thing. But, I'm trying to finish it. Please don't think I've abandoned workouts easily - it takes a lot for me to skip one, but this week it really has been necessary. Hopefully next week I'll find my second (third?) wind, when I start the third and final stage.
Thursday, 17 May 2012
Week 7
My 10k was uneventful, I started super slow to make sure I finished but finished quite fast. Unfortunately due to the slow start, I did it in an hour and 10 seconds. I reckon I've got sub 50 minutes in me. Somewhere.
So back to the program. Today I've had 2200 calories, mostly good calories but the pistachios sort of pushed me over the 2000 mark. Boo.
Monday
3 x 12 reps bent over rows with 15kg. Still doing the wretched TUT technique for the whole workout. It's really getting dull now, I can't lie.
3 x 12 reps with 12kg DB bench press
3 x 12 reps 8kg DB incline bench
3 x 10 reps with 4kg lat DB raises
3 x 8 reps with 6kg incline bicep curls. They're hard. But quite good.
3 x 10 reps with 4kg tricep kick backs (each arm)
3 x 10 reps with 31.6kg rope pushdown
started to do the upright barbell rows, but then something in my right wrist popped out of place and continued to pop out each time I did a lift...so I reluctantly called time on that one.
This was ultimately an incredibly tedious work out and took me hours. I came home in a stinking mood, and had a big ol' rant about this program. At this stage of the operation, I don't think it's worth the time and trouble. I'm sure there are more effective workouts that can be done in two hours. But I'm far too stubborn to toss the towel in at this late stage.
Tuesday
20 minutes HIIT cycling (:30/1:30), 30 minutes skipping (2 mins jump, 30 seconds rest). Then I did my boxing class to add a further 30 minutes to the cardio for the day. Got to burn those calories somehow!
Wednesday I had a gut ache the size of Russia so I swerved the gym, knowing I would force myself to do two days' worth of training on Thursday instead. Which is what I did today.
3 x 12 reps 50kg leg press
3 x 10 reps 40kg deadlifts
3 x 10 reps 40kg squats
I started to do the side barbell squats but couldn't get the technique quite right so I'm going to study that one a bit more before doing any. 3 x 8 reps with 30kg sumo squats.
And then I did the Black Diamond Challenge. Oh it looks like a nice, steady, low key workout.
It's not.
400metre run, 30 box jumps (I used a box taller than a standard step - but I don't think it was 24 inches, that would have ended badly if I'd attempted that), then 30 wall ball shots with 7kg ball. Klick is a new gym, and they're rather protective of the fresh paintwork so they don't like people abusing the walls too much. With this in mind, I threw the medicine ball as high as I could, caught it and then went into a squat - 30 times.
This you're supposed to do 5 times. I got to the end of the first set and had serious doubts about making it to the second, let alone the fifth. But then this occurred to me...
The guys at Share It Fitness write that their challenges are 'very strenuous workouts, so don't feel bad if you can't make it all the way through.' But I did make it right through, in 29 minutes and 54 seconds. It was hard, especially straight after quite a tough leg workout. This is the price I have to pay for having a day off on Wednesday.
I didn't feel good in the gym today, I felt like I'd put weight on, and I felt self conscious, as though people would notice I'd put weight on...since Tuesday. I hope this is a temporary thing because although the results I have had from this program have not been dramatic, I would hate to actually go backwards.
Tomorrow I'm off to the beach for a training session, and then Saturday I'll have to do what I was meant to do Friday, so I'm not getting as much rest as I should be, but I feel ready for it.
So back to the program. Today I've had 2200 calories, mostly good calories but the pistachios sort of pushed me over the 2000 mark. Boo.
Monday
3 x 12 reps bent over rows with 15kg. Still doing the wretched TUT technique for the whole workout. It's really getting dull now, I can't lie.
3 x 12 reps with 12kg DB bench press
3 x 12 reps 8kg DB incline bench
3 x 10 reps with 4kg lat DB raises
3 x 8 reps with 6kg incline bicep curls. They're hard. But quite good.
3 x 10 reps with 4kg tricep kick backs (each arm)
3 x 10 reps with 31.6kg rope pushdown
started to do the upright barbell rows, but then something in my right wrist popped out of place and continued to pop out each time I did a lift...so I reluctantly called time on that one.
This was ultimately an incredibly tedious work out and took me hours. I came home in a stinking mood, and had a big ol' rant about this program. At this stage of the operation, I don't think it's worth the time and trouble. I'm sure there are more effective workouts that can be done in two hours. But I'm far too stubborn to toss the towel in at this late stage.
Tuesday
20 minutes HIIT cycling (:30/1:30), 30 minutes skipping (2 mins jump, 30 seconds rest). Then I did my boxing class to add a further 30 minutes to the cardio for the day. Got to burn those calories somehow!
Wednesday I had a gut ache the size of Russia so I swerved the gym, knowing I would force myself to do two days' worth of training on Thursday instead. Which is what I did today.
3 x 12 reps 50kg leg press
3 x 10 reps 40kg deadlifts
3 x 10 reps 40kg squats
I started to do the side barbell squats but couldn't get the technique quite right so I'm going to study that one a bit more before doing any. 3 x 8 reps with 30kg sumo squats.
And then I did the Black Diamond Challenge. Oh it looks like a nice, steady, low key workout.
It's not.
400metre run, 30 box jumps (I used a box taller than a standard step - but I don't think it was 24 inches, that would have ended badly if I'd attempted that), then 30 wall ball shots with 7kg ball. Klick is a new gym, and they're rather protective of the fresh paintwork so they don't like people abusing the walls too much. With this in mind, I threw the medicine ball as high as I could, caught it and then went into a squat - 30 times.
This you're supposed to do 5 times. I got to the end of the first set and had serious doubts about making it to the second, let alone the fifth. But then this occurred to me...
The guys at Share It Fitness write that their challenges are 'very strenuous workouts, so don't feel bad if you can't make it all the way through.' But I did make it right through, in 29 minutes and 54 seconds. It was hard, especially straight after quite a tough leg workout. This is the price I have to pay for having a day off on Wednesday.
I didn't feel good in the gym today, I felt like I'd put weight on, and I felt self conscious, as though people would notice I'd put weight on...since Tuesday. I hope this is a temporary thing because although the results I have had from this program have not been dramatic, I would hate to actually go backwards.
Tomorrow I'm off to the beach for a training session, and then Saturday I'll have to do what I was meant to do Friday, so I'm not getting as much rest as I should be, but I feel ready for it.
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