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.

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.

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.



 

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.

'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!

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*

'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!