Steady progress forward this week.
I think I can say that I am fitter than I have ever been in my life (and there have been occasions where I have been pretty fit), and it’s only taken 18 weeks of moderate dedication to bring me up to spec. There are still another 60 odd weeks to go as well which should see me more than ready physically for the DW race.
The ankle is a worry though. With another twinge of pain after only 15 minutes of moderately hard running yesterday has me unsure if I should do any kind of marathon. I might go and see the doctor again (though last time he made me feel like I was wasting his and everybody else’s time with some frivolous self inflicted and probably made up injury) or better yet, maybe I should have a go at internet self diagnosis.
I also haven't got any kit yet, predominantly and most importantly a two man kayak. I am going to put together a list of things that need to be acquired for us to take part in the race so that I have a better idea of how much this is going to hurt my wallet.
We also haven’t put any useful time in on the water yet. Admittedly it is too cold for any real paddling at the moment but I know I’m not stable enough in a racing boat yet and Nigel isn’t stable enough in any sort of boat, The day we both sit down into a K2 I know will be a day spent swimming, so the sooner we can get practicing the better.
Sessions per week. Week 18
Owain SPW = 3
Gym 47 kayaking 4 other 3
Nigel SPW = 1.22
Gym 19 kayaking 2 other 1
Friday, 30 January 2009
Thursday 29/01/09
Rowing machine. 5 minutes. I thought I would try and make the rowing machine a bit more interesting by making a note of how many metres it claims I will have covered in the 5 minutes and then trying to beat that distance each time. Sadly, I have forgotten how far I went. I know it was a little over 1000 metres.
Chest exercises but without the pectoral fly machine as it was still broken.
Dumbbell bench press. 12kgs. 3 sets of 15. Is tough at the 9th rep but all three sets were done to completion.
Dumbbell shoulder press. 3 sets of 15 at 10kgs. I was supposed to do this exercise today and chose a weight I can actually lift this time out. All three sets to completion.
Twisted sit ups. 2 sets of 20 on each side. Twisting my body to the right I get some good crunches going but I can’t seem to get it right on the left had side and end up struggling.
Situps with the medicine ball. 1 set of 20. Stomach crunching over, I was feeling the pain by now.
Cardio time. I was heading back to the treadmill. I programmed in 30 minutes at 7.2mph. I increased the elevation a couple of times and managed about 15 minutes of running before my left ankle began to throb again. I aborted save doing myself some stupid injury.
Cardio was finished with 30 minutes solid swimming.
Chest exercises but without the pectoral fly machine as it was still broken.
Dumbbell bench press. 12kgs. 3 sets of 15. Is tough at the 9th rep but all three sets were done to completion.
Dumbbell shoulder press. 3 sets of 15 at 10kgs. I was supposed to do this exercise today and chose a weight I can actually lift this time out. All three sets to completion.
Twisted sit ups. 2 sets of 20 on each side. Twisting my body to the right I get some good crunches going but I can’t seem to get it right on the left had side and end up struggling.
Situps with the medicine ball. 1 set of 20. Stomach crunching over, I was feeling the pain by now.
Cardio time. I was heading back to the treadmill. I programmed in 30 minutes at 7.2mph. I increased the elevation a couple of times and managed about 15 minutes of running before my left ankle began to throb again. I aborted save doing myself some stupid injury.
Cardio was finished with 30 minutes solid swimming.
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Wednesday 28/01/09
I had a day off on Monday (because of how hard a fitness session I put in on Sunday) so it didn’t seem right that I should also take off my new designated Wednesday rest day off too. I wish I had though, The gym was the busiest I have ever seen it.
The Pectoral fly machine has been broken for a couple of days so I have avoided my exercises that accompany that machine. So it was the turn of the back muscles last night.
Warm up Rowing machine. 5 minutes today I couldn’t face spending any longer on this accursed machine. I’m going to have to speak to Fitness Stu the next time we update my plan to see if I can have another more interesting warm up.
Cable Row. 3 sets of 15. 10kgs. My forearm muscles were stronger last night and I was able to carry out the sets to completion so now my trapezius muscles on my upper back are pretty achy.
While on the cable machine I did the weighted crunches, targeting my abs. 3 sets of 20 at 7kgs.
Lat pull down inverted grip. 3 sets of 15. 39kgs. Pretty easy. I might even try upping the weight a notch next time to see how it feels.
Abs again. Twisted sit ups. 2 sets of 15 on each side of my body.
And then sit ups with the medicine ball. 2 sets of as many as I can do… Which was about 20ish.
Cardio. Cross trainer 30 minutes. Increasing the difficulty every 5 minutes… Only I didn’t manage thirty minutes. I did ten. I was feeling crowded out so resolved to finish my cardio session in the swimming pool. This was also a mistake as the pool was packed as well. I sat in the steam room for 20 minutes instead and got jolly hot.
I am thinking my ankle is fixed. It no longer aches when I drive and the bruising seems to have gone. I am going to have a go with the treadmill tonight and see how I cope. I might alternate treadmill and cross trainer for a little while so the joint isn’t subjected to 30 minutes of pounding ever single day.
The Pectoral fly machine has been broken for a couple of days so I have avoided my exercises that accompany that machine. So it was the turn of the back muscles last night.
Warm up Rowing machine. 5 minutes today I couldn’t face spending any longer on this accursed machine. I’m going to have to speak to Fitness Stu the next time we update my plan to see if I can have another more interesting warm up.
Cable Row. 3 sets of 15. 10kgs. My forearm muscles were stronger last night and I was able to carry out the sets to completion so now my trapezius muscles on my upper back are pretty achy.
While on the cable machine I did the weighted crunches, targeting my abs. 3 sets of 20 at 7kgs.
Lat pull down inverted grip. 3 sets of 15. 39kgs. Pretty easy. I might even try upping the weight a notch next time to see how it feels.
Abs again. Twisted sit ups. 2 sets of 15 on each side of my body.
And then sit ups with the medicine ball. 2 sets of as many as I can do… Which was about 20ish.
Cardio. Cross trainer 30 minutes. Increasing the difficulty every 5 minutes… Only I didn’t manage thirty minutes. I did ten. I was feeling crowded out so resolved to finish my cardio session in the swimming pool. This was also a mistake as the pool was packed as well. I sat in the steam room for 20 minutes instead and got jolly hot.
I am thinking my ankle is fixed. It no longer aches when I drive and the bruising seems to have gone. I am going to have a go with the treadmill tonight and see how I cope. I might alternate treadmill and cross trainer for a little while so the joint isn’t subjected to 30 minutes of pounding ever single day.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Tuesday 28/01/09
I had a bloody good thought while I was on the cross trainer last night. Currently I am struggling to find a suitable two man kayak. There seems to be nothing on eBay and the cost of a new boat is too much. This year I had already planned on going to Devizes to understand what will happen. Well I’m thinking of asking around (maybe with a leaflet campaign) to buy a boat that won’t be wanted after the 2009 race. There must be some people paddling the DW who are planning on getting rid of their craft or have a spare 2 man loitering in their garage. Here’s hoping anyway.
I have also been looking around on the internet to see who else is blogging their progress. I have found some goodun’s where I am going to keep up with their efforts, and I have found some absolute shockers. One of which made me chuckle. Within the space of two weeks this guy decided he was going to do the race, started a blog, did a bit of training and the ditched the whole enterprise.
For the last couple of weeks I have been wondering how I am going to shift the few inches of spare tyre that I have, in discussions with Fitness Stu his advice was simple. Cardio. So with that in mind I have been pushing on.
6 minutes on the rowing machine. I did the additional minute just for the additional 60 seconds of cardio. Still boring, made worse because the TV below the rowing machine didn’t have the text subtitles on so I had no idea how much that antique they found in the attic actually sold for.
Doing all of the exercises on Sunday turns out to have been a bit of a mistake as it messed up my routine, I started again with the arm exercises though.
Concentrated curl. 3 sets 15 reps. 2kgs.
Seated curls with dumbbells. 3 sets. 15 reps. 10kgs.
Shoulder press with dumbbells. First off I’m not sure if I should have been doing this exercise at all this day but I couldn’t remember what I should have been doing. I also couldn’t remember what weight I should have been doing and as I didn’t want to keep getting up to have a look at my card I guessed at 12.5kgs. I only managed 2 sets of 10 reps with the sudden realisation that my usual weight with the exercise must be much less.
Weighted crunch. 7kgs. 3 sets of 20.
Cross trainer cardio. I had to dig deep with this one for some reason last night. Started at level 6. Made my way up to level 10 (incrementally pushing it up a notch every five minutes) nearly burst a blood vessel and then wound it back to 6 for the last 5 minutes. The only thing that kept me going was the Fitness Stu’s words about cardio and the increasing worry that I’m not going to be physically able to complete the 125 miles of the race.
I have also been looking around on the internet to see who else is blogging their progress. I have found some goodun’s where I am going to keep up with their efforts, and I have found some absolute shockers. One of which made me chuckle. Within the space of two weeks this guy decided he was going to do the race, started a blog, did a bit of training and the ditched the whole enterprise.
For the last couple of weeks I have been wondering how I am going to shift the few inches of spare tyre that I have, in discussions with Fitness Stu his advice was simple. Cardio. So with that in mind I have been pushing on.
6 minutes on the rowing machine. I did the additional minute just for the additional 60 seconds of cardio. Still boring, made worse because the TV below the rowing machine didn’t have the text subtitles on so I had no idea how much that antique they found in the attic actually sold for.
Doing all of the exercises on Sunday turns out to have been a bit of a mistake as it messed up my routine, I started again with the arm exercises though.
Concentrated curl. 3 sets 15 reps. 2kgs.
Seated curls with dumbbells. 3 sets. 15 reps. 10kgs.
Shoulder press with dumbbells. First off I’m not sure if I should have been doing this exercise at all this day but I couldn’t remember what I should have been doing. I also couldn’t remember what weight I should have been doing and as I didn’t want to keep getting up to have a look at my card I guessed at 12.5kgs. I only managed 2 sets of 10 reps with the sudden realisation that my usual weight with the exercise must be much less.
Weighted crunch. 7kgs. 3 sets of 20.
Cross trainer cardio. I had to dig deep with this one for some reason last night. Started at level 6. Made my way up to level 10 (incrementally pushing it up a notch every five minutes) nearly burst a blood vessel and then wound it back to 6 for the last 5 minutes. The only thing that kept me going was the Fitness Stu’s words about cardio and the increasing worry that I’m not going to be physically able to complete the 125 miles of the race.
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Food glorious food!
A Christmas present from my little sister was a book called Food for Fitness by Anita Bean. This is a book that takes food and fitness and mixes them up with some science and a smattering of maths which I think is a brilliant combination. It tells you what you should be eating before after and during training how much you should be eating and what is good and bad.
The trouble with the book is that it requires some working out what quantities you (or in this case, I) should be eating and this takes a little bit of time. I have however finally sat down with pen, paper and calculator and tried to make sense of what she is telling me.
Eating well is about eating the correct amount, in the right proportions of the different food groups, and the first step is to work out your calorific needs.
Start by working out your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) this is how many calories your body needs to sustain itself. Working out my BMR, I expend something like 1690 calories while I am doing absolutely nothing, just sitting around chilling my boots.
Then you need to identify your PAL (Physical Activity Level). This is just a way of putting a number onto your levels of physical exertion. I plumped for “Moderate activity” Which I think is fair.
By doing some maths to your PAL and BMR you work out your calorific needs for a single day. I need something like 2366 calories per day to keep up with my pace of life.
These calories come from different sources as the body needs different compounds for its upkeep. With some percentage based maths I worked out I need 345 grams of carbohydrate (1380 calories). 90 grams of protein (360 calories) and around about 60 grams of good fat (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and Omega-3) (590 calories).
The rest of the calories are discretionary which I can have in the form of rich sugars and alcohol. As my discretionary calories amount to about 35 calories a day even if I stop taking sugar in my tea I’m not going to get very drunk.
Actually, while talking about alcohol, in moderation is a good thing and can raise HDL cholesterol (the good stuff), red wine even has stuff in it which lowers bad cholesterol.
Anyway. I made a note of everything I ate and drank yesterday, it is a pretty typical weekday fare.
Drink.
1 cup of coffee. 1 sugar. Semi skimmed milk.
5 cups of tea. 1 sugar. Semi skimmed milk.
2 glasses of water.
2 glasses of white wine. Chardonnay. (Jacobs Creek).
Food.
6 ham and cheese and tomato sandwiches.
1 packet of Doritos Tangy Cheese crisps.
Parma ham wrapped chicken breast with cream cheese and pesto with fresh Tortellini with spinach and Ricotta.
Before I started this I was convinced that I had a good healthy balanced diet (with maybe the exception of the packet of crisps and the glasses of wine. Both of which were exceptions to my general weekday consumption) but on paper it doesn’t look like I am eating to my best.
Mondays totals worked out at 2,566 calories. That’s 200 calories over my daily limit. This equates to a weight gain of about 0.2kgs per week which does fit nicely with my observed weight gain. This isn’t so much a bad thing, as I am happy to put on a bit of weight however I still have a couple of reserves of fat sitting on my obliques (my love handles) which I want to deplete first so I might try to eliminate 200 calories from my diet for a couple of months.
Added up I consumed about 165 grams of carbohydrates. That is 180 grams less than recommended. This is not so good actually as carbohydrates are the first source of energy that the muscles turn to and I seem to be well short of what I should be eating.
Protein 139 grams. I should have about 90 grams of protein in my diet, so I am eating 49 grams more than recommended.
Added up I had 91.2 grams of fat in my days eating, which is 31.6 grams more than is recommended. I didn’t look deep enough into my diet to see if the fats are the good fats or bad fats but where possible I try to use olive oil in my cooking and I try to avoid sources of saturated and trans fats.
I didn’t really go into the minutia of the foods composition, which carbohydrates are high in GI, what vitamins and minerals are in each item, how much salt is in each dish, etc. But that will be my next task over the coming weeks. I’m not too worried about those things yet as I haven’t got the proportions of carbohydrates, fats and Proteins balanced yet.
I am going to go away and devise a brand spanking new diet based on my recommended numbers and will post it here in the near future.
The trouble with the book is that it requires some working out what quantities you (or in this case, I) should be eating and this takes a little bit of time. I have however finally sat down with pen, paper and calculator and tried to make sense of what she is telling me.
Eating well is about eating the correct amount, in the right proportions of the different food groups, and the first step is to work out your calorific needs.
Start by working out your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) this is how many calories your body needs to sustain itself. Working out my BMR, I expend something like 1690 calories while I am doing absolutely nothing, just sitting around chilling my boots.
Then you need to identify your PAL (Physical Activity Level). This is just a way of putting a number onto your levels of physical exertion. I plumped for “Moderate activity” Which I think is fair.
By doing some maths to your PAL and BMR you work out your calorific needs for a single day. I need something like 2366 calories per day to keep up with my pace of life.
These calories come from different sources as the body needs different compounds for its upkeep. With some percentage based maths I worked out I need 345 grams of carbohydrate (1380 calories). 90 grams of protein (360 calories) and around about 60 grams of good fat (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and Omega-3) (590 calories).
The rest of the calories are discretionary which I can have in the form of rich sugars and alcohol. As my discretionary calories amount to about 35 calories a day even if I stop taking sugar in my tea I’m not going to get very drunk.
Actually, while talking about alcohol, in moderation is a good thing and can raise HDL cholesterol (the good stuff), red wine even has stuff in it which lowers bad cholesterol.
Anyway. I made a note of everything I ate and drank yesterday, it is a pretty typical weekday fare.
Drink.
1 cup of coffee. 1 sugar. Semi skimmed milk.
5 cups of tea. 1 sugar. Semi skimmed milk.
2 glasses of water.
2 glasses of white wine. Chardonnay. (Jacobs Creek).
Food.
6 ham and cheese and tomato sandwiches.
1 packet of Doritos Tangy Cheese crisps.
Parma ham wrapped chicken breast with cream cheese and pesto with fresh Tortellini with spinach and Ricotta.
Before I started this I was convinced that I had a good healthy balanced diet (with maybe the exception of the packet of crisps and the glasses of wine. Both of which were exceptions to my general weekday consumption) but on paper it doesn’t look like I am eating to my best.
Mondays totals worked out at 2,566 calories. That’s 200 calories over my daily limit. This equates to a weight gain of about 0.2kgs per week which does fit nicely with my observed weight gain. This isn’t so much a bad thing, as I am happy to put on a bit of weight however I still have a couple of reserves of fat sitting on my obliques (my love handles) which I want to deplete first so I might try to eliminate 200 calories from my diet for a couple of months.
Added up I consumed about 165 grams of carbohydrates. That is 180 grams less than recommended. This is not so good actually as carbohydrates are the first source of energy that the muscles turn to and I seem to be well short of what I should be eating.
Protein 139 grams. I should have about 90 grams of protein in my diet, so I am eating 49 grams more than recommended.
Added up I had 91.2 grams of fat in my days eating, which is 31.6 grams more than is recommended. I didn’t look deep enough into my diet to see if the fats are the good fats or bad fats but where possible I try to use olive oil in my cooking and I try to avoid sources of saturated and trans fats.
I didn’t really go into the minutia of the foods composition, which carbohydrates are high in GI, what vitamins and minerals are in each item, how much salt is in each dish, etc. But that will be my next task over the coming weeks. I’m not too worried about those things yet as I haven’t got the proportions of carbohydrates, fats and Proteins balanced yet.
I am going to go away and devise a brand spanking new diet based on my recommended numbers and will post it here in the near future.
Monday, 26 January 2009
Weekend
Friday afternoon was the turn of my arms.
Concentrated curl on the cable machine. 15 reps. 3 sets. 2kgs. This builds the depth of the bicep.
Seated dumbbell curls. 3 sets of 15. I have upped the weight on this from 7.5kgs to 10kgs as I have been finding it easy for a few weeks. It makes me smile to think back when I first started this and I was barely able to lift half of this weight.
Triceps pull down. 3 sets of 15 at 5kgs. The triceps tire really quickly for some reason. First set no problem. Second set pain. Third set can’t finish.
Cardio. Avoiding the running machine I put myself onto the cross trainer. 30 minutes. Increased the difficulty level every five minutes until my heart was going to explode.
I had 20 minutes swimming before heading home.
Saturday morning we took the dogs up Pontesford hill. It was a leisurely hour long walk but my ankle was really sore again afterwards. I can’t blame it on the trainers this time as I was wearing my hiking boots which usually offer all the support I need. Rules are simple, I need to rest the joint until the swelling and bruising go down.
Sunday was another mission to the gym, this time accompanied with my other half and I did everything. Every single exercise that fitness Stu had on my plan I worked through.
I was struggling with fatigue though. My body seems more comfortable exercising at 5pm rather than at 2pm. I don’t know but I suspect that it has something to do with the level of food still making it’s way through my system, or it might be because I am in the throes of a cold at the moment (I’m not going to make a big thing of this cold as it isn’t very debilitating. I have a sore throat and I am sneezing a lot, that’s all).
Because I did everything I can’t actually remember the reps sets and weights from Sundays trip, I know I am pretty achy today so I worked hard (or this cold is getting worse).
Concentrated curl on the cable machine. 15 reps. 3 sets. 2kgs. This builds the depth of the bicep.
Seated dumbbell curls. 3 sets of 15. I have upped the weight on this from 7.5kgs to 10kgs as I have been finding it easy for a few weeks. It makes me smile to think back when I first started this and I was barely able to lift half of this weight.
Triceps pull down. 3 sets of 15 at 5kgs. The triceps tire really quickly for some reason. First set no problem. Second set pain. Third set can’t finish.
Cardio. Avoiding the running machine I put myself onto the cross trainer. 30 minutes. Increased the difficulty level every five minutes until my heart was going to explode.
I had 20 minutes swimming before heading home.
Saturday morning we took the dogs up Pontesford hill. It was a leisurely hour long walk but my ankle was really sore again afterwards. I can’t blame it on the trainers this time as I was wearing my hiking boots which usually offer all the support I need. Rules are simple, I need to rest the joint until the swelling and bruising go down.
Sunday was another mission to the gym, this time accompanied with my other half and I did everything. Every single exercise that fitness Stu had on my plan I worked through.
I was struggling with fatigue though. My body seems more comfortable exercising at 5pm rather than at 2pm. I don’t know but I suspect that it has something to do with the level of food still making it’s way through my system, or it might be because I am in the throes of a cold at the moment (I’m not going to make a big thing of this cold as it isn’t very debilitating. I have a sore throat and I am sneezing a lot, that’s all).
Because I did everything I can’t actually remember the reps sets and weights from Sundays trip, I know I am pretty achy today so I worked hard (or this cold is getting worse).
Friday, 23 January 2009
Week 17
I really feel like I am getting somewhere with my level of fitness now, almost to the point of wishing I had a boat so that I could have a pop at this years DW race, and the competitive spirit in me has me looking all over the place for various races and things that I can enter into.
This week has also seen me spending an unhealthy amount of time in front of the mirror. I have burned off most of the fat I accumulated over Christmas and new muscles are popping up all over the place. :)
Its a shame about the ankle injury though. various sources seem to be pinning the blame for it firmly on my trainers (or more specifically the left trainer as my right foot is fine). They're either not offering enough support for the type of running gait that I have or I have the laces done up too tightly. I'm going to research some more and may come back with some more info.
Sessions per week.
Owain SPW = 2.88
Gym 42 kayaking 4 other 3
Nigel SPW = 1.38
Gym 19 kayaking 2 other 1
This week has also seen me spending an unhealthy amount of time in front of the mirror. I have burned off most of the fat I accumulated over Christmas and new muscles are popping up all over the place. :)
Its a shame about the ankle injury though. various sources seem to be pinning the blame for it firmly on my trainers (or more specifically the left trainer as my right foot is fine). They're either not offering enough support for the type of running gait that I have or I have the laces done up too tightly. I'm going to research some more and may come back with some more info.
Sessions per week.
Owain SPW = 2.88
Gym 42 kayaking 4 other 3
Nigel SPW = 1.38
Gym 19 kayaking 2 other 1
Thursday 23/01/09
I can’t seem to do a full week. I ran out of steam on Wednesday. Partly because of the ankle pain but partly I wanted to spend a full evening at home. So from now on rather than planning on training and then letting myself down, from now on Wednesday is a rest day.
Warm up. 5 minutes. Rowing machine made slightly more tedious with no iPod, as I have neglected to charge it up until now.
Lat Pull down. Inverted grip. 3 sets of 15 at 39kgs. My gripping muscle in my forearm is where I feel the most burn and the third set is a killer.
Erector spinae on the ball. Basically lying on the ball and arching my back upwards, keep going until I can do no more. I feel quite self conscious doing this one so that I probably stop before I have reached my limits.
The cable machine was occupied so I moved across to work on the abdominal exercises for a bit.
Twisted crunches. 2 sets of 20 on either side. This looks a little bit like I am doubled over in agony and the last couple of crunches really do hurt, with a sort of white agony. No pain no gain though.
Sit ups with medicine ball. I quite enjoy these, in the same way I feel really daft doing the erector spinae things on the pilates ball, I feel really quite cool doing this. Kept going to failure which was about 20 or so sit ups.
Seated dips, working the triceps. I upped the weight one notch to 42kgs as the 36kgs has been very easy for a while now. 3 sets of 15.
Cable row. 10kgs, 3 sets of 15. again my forearm muscle which engages my grip was the part of me that began to feel the burn before any other muscle group. Managed to complete the sets though.
Weighted crunches to work the abs again. I upped the weight to 8kgs (from the 6kgs I started with a week or so ago) as I was finding it too easy. 3 sets of 20. No problem.
Cardio. I was conscious that my ankle was sore so I took it easy. 7.2mph planned for 30 minutes. 10 minutes in I had to stop though as my left ankle was starting to hurt a little bit.
I moved across to the pool and finished off the cardio with 20 minutes hard swimming instead.
This morning the left ankle was red, sore, and swollen and has me limping around. I am changing my cardio from the treadmill to the cross trainer so that I can keep the effort up but I am aware that I am not running, which is not great preparation for a half marathon. And more crucially, is my ankle strong enough to take the 13 miles of street pounding in this coming Half in March?
Warm up. 5 minutes. Rowing machine made slightly more tedious with no iPod, as I have neglected to charge it up until now.
Lat Pull down. Inverted grip. 3 sets of 15 at 39kgs. My gripping muscle in my forearm is where I feel the most burn and the third set is a killer.
Erector spinae on the ball. Basically lying on the ball and arching my back upwards, keep going until I can do no more. I feel quite self conscious doing this one so that I probably stop before I have reached my limits.
The cable machine was occupied so I moved across to work on the abdominal exercises for a bit.
Twisted crunches. 2 sets of 20 on either side. This looks a little bit like I am doubled over in agony and the last couple of crunches really do hurt, with a sort of white agony. No pain no gain though.
Sit ups with medicine ball. I quite enjoy these, in the same way I feel really daft doing the erector spinae things on the pilates ball, I feel really quite cool doing this. Kept going to failure which was about 20 or so sit ups.
Seated dips, working the triceps. I upped the weight one notch to 42kgs as the 36kgs has been very easy for a while now. 3 sets of 15.
Cable row. 10kgs, 3 sets of 15. again my forearm muscle which engages my grip was the part of me that began to feel the burn before any other muscle group. Managed to complete the sets though.
Weighted crunches to work the abs again. I upped the weight to 8kgs (from the 6kgs I started with a week or so ago) as I was finding it too easy. 3 sets of 20. No problem.
Cardio. I was conscious that my ankle was sore so I took it easy. 7.2mph planned for 30 minutes. 10 minutes in I had to stop though as my left ankle was starting to hurt a little bit.
I moved across to the pool and finished off the cardio with 20 minutes hard swimming instead.
This morning the left ankle was red, sore, and swollen and has me limping around. I am changing my cardio from the treadmill to the cross trainer so that I can keep the effort up but I am aware that I am not running, which is not great preparation for a half marathon. And more crucially, is my ankle strong enough to take the 13 miles of street pounding in this coming Half in March?
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Tuesday 20/01/09
Shoulder and chest exercises last night.
Because I was watching the end of the inauguration speech on the TV above the rowing machine I set to row for infinity and was going to keep going until it finished. President Obama finished about 7 minutes after I had started though so my warm up wasn’t much longer than usual.
Seated dumbbell shoulder press. With the weights held either side of my head I push upwards. Pretty easy but I am struggling with the last couple of reps at the end of each set. 3 sets of 15 at 7.5kg.
Dumbbell bench press. 12kgs. 3 sets of 15. Lying on my back I push the dumbbells up as if they were barbells. Not too much problem with the weight but there is strained effort for the last couple of reps.
Weighted crunch. 7kgs, 3 sets of 20 last night. I have only been doing this for a week or so but already there is definition in the abs showing. It’s hard and it hurts but it is effective.
Pectoral fly. 3 sets of 15 (last set petered out at the 12th rep) 27kgs. This seems to be working the side of my pecs. I actually don’t think that this exercise has anything to do with kayak paddling but I can see no harm in having a broader chest so I shall persevere.
Cardio. 30 minutes. First 10 minutes I rocked on at 7.5mph increasing the elevation up to 3 but I was starting to flag and was almost going to quit so I dropped the speed to 7.2mph (which has now become my cruising speed) to the end.
When I got home I discovered that my ankles were a bit swollen and bruised, probably from the high impact running. I treated them with some mystical healing salve that my little sister got me for Christmas which seemed to do the job, but they are still sore today so I am undecided if I am going to hit the treadmill later on.
Because I was watching the end of the inauguration speech on the TV above the rowing machine I set to row for infinity and was going to keep going until it finished. President Obama finished about 7 minutes after I had started though so my warm up wasn’t much longer than usual.
Seated dumbbell shoulder press. With the weights held either side of my head I push upwards. Pretty easy but I am struggling with the last couple of reps at the end of each set. 3 sets of 15 at 7.5kg.
Dumbbell bench press. 12kgs. 3 sets of 15. Lying on my back I push the dumbbells up as if they were barbells. Not too much problem with the weight but there is strained effort for the last couple of reps.
Weighted crunch. 7kgs, 3 sets of 20 last night. I have only been doing this for a week or so but already there is definition in the abs showing. It’s hard and it hurts but it is effective.
Pectoral fly. 3 sets of 15 (last set petered out at the 12th rep) 27kgs. This seems to be working the side of my pecs. I actually don’t think that this exercise has anything to do with kayak paddling but I can see no harm in having a broader chest so I shall persevere.
Cardio. 30 minutes. First 10 minutes I rocked on at 7.5mph increasing the elevation up to 3 but I was starting to flag and was almost going to quit so I dropped the speed to 7.2mph (which has now become my cruising speed) to the end.
When I got home I discovered that my ankles were a bit swollen and bruised, probably from the high impact running. I treated them with some mystical healing salve that my little sister got me for Christmas which seemed to do the job, but they are still sore today so I am undecided if I am going to hit the treadmill later on.
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Monday 19/01/09
I nearly didn’t go last night. I arrived and the car park was rammed full. Apparently there was some kind of conference on, after a quick call to Nigel who gave me permission from the management to abandon my car I did finally get in there.
Today on the Fitness Stu training plan was arm exercises.
Warm up on the rowing machine. Dull but brought my heart rate up from rest to 140bpm.
Concentrated curl on the cable machine. 3 sets of 15 reps at 2kgs. This is the exercise where I pull the cable across my body. This works the top of the bicep.
Triceps rope pull down. Again on the cable machine this time with the cable set at high level. 3 sets of 15 at 5kgs. This, as you have probably guessed works the muscles at the back of the arms.
Seated dumbbell curl. 3 sets of 15 at 7.5kgs. I have no problems at this weight now and am probably ready to increase the weight some more. This works the long muscles in the biceps.
Abdominal exercises.
Weighted crunch on the cable machine. 3 sets of 15 at 7kgs.
Sideways sit. 2 sets of 15 on each side.
Medicine ball sit. 2 sets of 15.
I have really taken to enjoying the cardio bit on the treadmill. I don’t know why. 30 minutes. The first 20 minutes I charged on at a new high speed of 7.5mph, increasing the incline by 1 every 5 minutes. With 10 minutes to go I dropped the elevation and speed to walking pace so that I could have a drink before winding it up to 8mph at an incline of 1 for the final few minutes.
The swimming pool was packed so for the first time ever, I didn’t go swimming after a session in the gym and went home.
Today on the Fitness Stu training plan was arm exercises.
Warm up on the rowing machine. Dull but brought my heart rate up from rest to 140bpm.
Concentrated curl on the cable machine. 3 sets of 15 reps at 2kgs. This is the exercise where I pull the cable across my body. This works the top of the bicep.
Triceps rope pull down. Again on the cable machine this time with the cable set at high level. 3 sets of 15 at 5kgs. This, as you have probably guessed works the muscles at the back of the arms.
Seated dumbbell curl. 3 sets of 15 at 7.5kgs. I have no problems at this weight now and am probably ready to increase the weight some more. This works the long muscles in the biceps.
Abdominal exercises.
Weighted crunch on the cable machine. 3 sets of 15 at 7kgs.
Sideways sit. 2 sets of 15 on each side.
Medicine ball sit. 2 sets of 15.
I have really taken to enjoying the cardio bit on the treadmill. I don’t know why. 30 minutes. The first 20 minutes I charged on at a new high speed of 7.5mph, increasing the incline by 1 every 5 minutes. With 10 minutes to go I dropped the elevation and speed to walking pace so that I could have a drink before winding it up to 8mph at an incline of 1 for the final few minutes.
The swimming pool was packed so for the first time ever, I didn’t go swimming after a session in the gym and went home.
Monday, 19 January 2009
Saturday only.
Turns out I couldn’t muster the will to train on Friday after all.
Saturday was a different matter though. Nigel, myself and our respective better halves met up in the afternoon at the gym.
I have worked out which muscle groups Fitness Stu has been targeting with his 3 day exercises. I don’t know why it has taken me so long to work it out, but Saturday it was the back exercises.
Warm up. 5 minutes on the rowing machine. Nigel and his missus also started on the rowing machine so it was not so boring.
Lat pull down with inverted grip. 15 reps in 3 sets at 39kgs.
I have a problem with a muscle (identified on this musculature chart as the Flexor Carpi Ulnaris) in my forearm which starts to really ache with a lot of the resistance exercises I do, and by the 3rd set of reps it was this muscle not the lats that started to give up.
Cable row. 5kgs. 3 sets of 15. Again, it was this forearm muscle that failed before my back muscles.
Erector Spinae on the ball. This is where you lie belly first on the exercise ball put your hands behind your head and arch your back upwards. I haven’t been doing this exercise as Nigel took the piss last time I did but I had a bit of a practice at home on the Pilates ball and now I don’t wobble around as much. It still looks like I am humping the thing but at least I look like I know what I am doing now.
Those were the back exercises. I am supposed to do exercises that work my abs as well but as you may have noticed I have been a bit lax in that respect. It’s not because I don’t want to, I just run out of time in the day. Saturday I had plenty of time.
Cable stomach crunches. (this is the only one I have been doing) 3 sets of 20 at 7kgs. I had been doing these at 6kgs but decided to up the weight just a little bit as 6kgs was no problem at all.
Sideways sit ups. Using the Ab-Roller I twist my legs to the side and sit up. 2 sets of 15 on each side.
Medicine Ball Crunches. Like a sit up but this time I am holding a medicine ball away from my body. With my arms fixed in position I then sit. 3 sets of 15.
Then 30 minutes of Cardio. Treadmill 7.2mph for 20 minutes, increasing the inclination by 1 every 5 minutes. After 20 minutes I dropped the incline back to zero but after a few moments my hear rate dropped and I was able to up the speed to 8mph for the final 5 or so minutes. I walked out the last three minutes as a bit of a warm down.
Nigel was also putting some time in on the treadmill. He was running 6.8mph on the interval setting for 20 minutes. He was knackered but survived.
Finished in the gym we moved to the swimming pool. There was a girl in the lane next to me and she was quick. Not wanting to be beaten by a girl the race was on. After half an hour of trading fast laps I was knackered and was glad when she finally stopped so that I could too.
Sunday became a lazy day staying at home but I have prepared to hit the streets running in the very near future. A hydration pack has been purchased and I have also invested in some Carbo-Gel. Science food designed to increase my endurance and performance.
Saturday was a different matter though. Nigel, myself and our respective better halves met up in the afternoon at the gym.
I have worked out which muscle groups Fitness Stu has been targeting with his 3 day exercises. I don’t know why it has taken me so long to work it out, but Saturday it was the back exercises.
Warm up. 5 minutes on the rowing machine. Nigel and his missus also started on the rowing machine so it was not so boring.
Lat pull down with inverted grip. 15 reps in 3 sets at 39kgs.
I have a problem with a muscle (identified on this musculature chart as the Flexor Carpi Ulnaris) in my forearm which starts to really ache with a lot of the resistance exercises I do, and by the 3rd set of reps it was this muscle not the lats that started to give up.
Cable row. 5kgs. 3 sets of 15. Again, it was this forearm muscle that failed before my back muscles.
Erector Spinae on the ball. This is where you lie belly first on the exercise ball put your hands behind your head and arch your back upwards. I haven’t been doing this exercise as Nigel took the piss last time I did but I had a bit of a practice at home on the Pilates ball and now I don’t wobble around as much. It still looks like I am humping the thing but at least I look like I know what I am doing now.
Those were the back exercises. I am supposed to do exercises that work my abs as well but as you may have noticed I have been a bit lax in that respect. It’s not because I don’t want to, I just run out of time in the day. Saturday I had plenty of time.
Cable stomach crunches. (this is the only one I have been doing) 3 sets of 20 at 7kgs. I had been doing these at 6kgs but decided to up the weight just a little bit as 6kgs was no problem at all.
Sideways sit ups. Using the Ab-Roller I twist my legs to the side and sit up. 2 sets of 15 on each side.
Medicine Ball Crunches. Like a sit up but this time I am holding a medicine ball away from my body. With my arms fixed in position I then sit. 3 sets of 15.
Then 30 minutes of Cardio. Treadmill 7.2mph for 20 minutes, increasing the inclination by 1 every 5 minutes. After 20 minutes I dropped the incline back to zero but after a few moments my hear rate dropped and I was able to up the speed to 8mph for the final 5 or so minutes. I walked out the last three minutes as a bit of a warm down.
Nigel was also putting some time in on the treadmill. He was running 6.8mph on the interval setting for 20 minutes. He was knackered but survived.
Finished in the gym we moved to the swimming pool. There was a girl in the lane next to me and she was quick. Not wanting to be beaten by a girl the race was on. After half an hour of trading fast laps I was knackered and was glad when she finally stopped so that I could too.
Sunday became a lazy day staying at home but I have prepared to hit the streets running in the very near future. A hydration pack has been purchased and I have also invested in some Carbo-Gel. Science food designed to increase my endurance and performance.
Friday, 16 January 2009
Week 16
Bloody good week this week if I do say so myself. Nigel too has been able to up his training though we missed each other midweek.
Weekend. Saturday Nigel and I both made it to the gym. Sunday was a day off.
Monday, first time properly working through my new routine felt pretty good though the running left me hurting.
Tuesday, more of the same. The treadmill was causing me some grief though and by the end of the day, blisters and calf pain had finished me off.
Wednesday. Rest day. Nigel again got gym side.
Thursday, back at it with renewed vigour and the running was getting easier. Overall am feeling really confident and happy with progress.
Friday and the weekend. Today I am planning on going to the gym again, and also would like to get down there again at some point over the weekend. I also have plans on getting out there for some street running.
Sessions Per Week.
Owain SPW = 2.81
Gym 38 kayaking 4 other 3
Nigel SPW = 1.38
Gym 19 kayaking 2 other 1
Weekend. Saturday Nigel and I both made it to the gym. Sunday was a day off.
Monday, first time properly working through my new routine felt pretty good though the running left me hurting.
Tuesday, more of the same. The treadmill was causing me some grief though and by the end of the day, blisters and calf pain had finished me off.
Wednesday. Rest day. Nigel again got gym side.
Thursday, back at it with renewed vigour and the running was getting easier. Overall am feeling really confident and happy with progress.
Friday and the weekend. Today I am planning on going to the gym again, and also would like to get down there again at some point over the weekend. I also have plans on getting out there for some street running.
Sessions Per Week.
Owain SPW = 2.81
Gym 38 kayaking 4 other 3
Nigel SPW = 1.38
Gym 19 kayaking 2 other 1
Thursday 15/01/09
I missed the gym on Wednesday night. Don’t get me wrong I needed the rest and enjoyed doing other things but in the back of my mind I was aware that I wasn’t getting any fitter while I sat on the sofa, so I was keen to get back into it on Thursday night, and I have some new exercises to tell of.
Warm up, the standard five minutes on the rowing machine.
Dumbbell Bench press. When Fitness Stu went through this exercise with me for some reason we didn’t pick a weight to use so I started with the tried and tested 7.5kgs to start with. This was too light so I went for the 10kgs. Lying on my back I bench press the dumbbells in the same action that you would with barbell. 3 sets of 15reps.
Shoulder press. Seated this time with the 7.5kg weights I hold the weights either side of my head and push upward. This was surprisingly tough. 3 sets of 15, but I faded toward the end and couldn’t complete more than 12 reps.
Pectoral fly machine. Sitting, you pull the two pads together in front of your chest. This machine uses the deltoids but unexplainably a muscle in my neck and chin really hurts towards the end of the reps. 27kgs, 3 sets of 15.
Cardio. 30 minutes. Manual with the incline increasing 1 every 5 minutes. This time, with about 10 minutes to go I had a second wind so upped the speed to 8mph for a sprint finish.
This running malarkey is getting easier. I have only been hard at it for a week and already I am feeling that I can stretch the speed and distance. I am also planning on taking my running out onto the streets in the coming weeks.
Finishing off with a 15 minute swim and 10 minutes in the steam room.
Talking about running, I was notified today that I haven’t won a place with the Great North Run on the free ballot. There are still a few options on a couple of other free ballots to get into this race, but this could put paid to my running of this marathon.
You see, we need to spend a lot of cash pounds to take part in the Devizes to Westminster race as we still don’t have a boat and only have a fraction of the equipment that we need to compete. I am hoping to get sponsorship for some of this and I obviously want to raise money for charity too. To try and collect money for a Great North run charity too will I think be too much.
Warm up, the standard five minutes on the rowing machine.
Dumbbell Bench press. When Fitness Stu went through this exercise with me for some reason we didn’t pick a weight to use so I started with the tried and tested 7.5kgs to start with. This was too light so I went for the 10kgs. Lying on my back I bench press the dumbbells in the same action that you would with barbell. 3 sets of 15reps.
Shoulder press. Seated this time with the 7.5kg weights I hold the weights either side of my head and push upward. This was surprisingly tough. 3 sets of 15, but I faded toward the end and couldn’t complete more than 12 reps.
Pectoral fly machine. Sitting, you pull the two pads together in front of your chest. This machine uses the deltoids but unexplainably a muscle in my neck and chin really hurts towards the end of the reps. 27kgs, 3 sets of 15.
Cardio. 30 minutes. Manual with the incline increasing 1 every 5 minutes. This time, with about 10 minutes to go I had a second wind so upped the speed to 8mph for a sprint finish.
This running malarkey is getting easier. I have only been hard at it for a week and already I am feeling that I can stretch the speed and distance. I am also planning on taking my running out onto the streets in the coming weeks.
Finishing off with a 15 minute swim and 10 minutes in the steam room.
Talking about running, I was notified today that I haven’t won a place with the Great North Run on the free ballot. There are still a few options on a couple of other free ballots to get into this race, but this could put paid to my running of this marathon.
You see, we need to spend a lot of cash pounds to take part in the Devizes to Westminster race as we still don’t have a boat and only have a fraction of the equipment that we need to compete. I am hoping to get sponsorship for some of this and I obviously want to raise money for charity too. To try and collect money for a Great North run charity too will I think be too much.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Tuesday 13/01/09
Another day at the gym and I hooked myself back up to the heart rate monitor.
Warm up on the rowing machine. 5 minutes.
Seated arm curls with the dumbbells. 3 sets of 15 reps. 7.5kgs. A month or so ago I was struggling with this weight but it seemed pretty acceptable last night.
Seated dips. An old exercise, and the one I am blaming for my shoulder injury. I am back up to 36kgs in 3 sets of 15 and am feeling a lot more confident and happy to do this now.
Concentrated curls on the cable machine. Hard exercise this one. The cable is set at ground level and I stand sideways onto it, pulling the cable across my body. My hand starts at my side and ends near my shoulder. This works the biceps and pectoral muscles. 3 sets of 15 at 2kgs for each arm. I think my last set I couldn’t do any more than 12 reps though.
Tricep pull down on the cable machine with the rope. This time the cable is set at high level with the rope handle (instead of the metal one). With my arms at my side I pull the rope down and when my arms are fully extended I twist my wrists out. 3 sets of 15 at 5kgs. Again, pretty tough with the last set I stopped short of the 15 reps.
Cardio. 30 minutes increasing the elevation every 5 minutes. Fitness Stu came in to see how I was getting on while I was sweating my way through this. I think he was thought I was slacking as he was going to increase the speed but seemed happy that I was pushing hard.
We had a bit of a chat about running (my half of the conversation populated with huffs and puffs) and Fitness Stu told me that road running was a better way to prepare for a half marathon and would get me fitter quicker because the treadmill doesn’t use the same muscles. Fitness Stu hasn’t let me down yet, so I’m going to slot in some street running into my exercising as soon as I can.
I finished the 30 minutes with relative ease this time, I think the ten minute chat distracted me so I didn’t end up watching the clock for 30 minutes thinking about the pain.
There was some hurt though, my calves are wrecked again.
I went for a swim for 15 minutes again but was hungry and not in the mood so I called it a day.
My heart rate monitor peaked at 170bpm when I was at full tilt on the treadmill and it averaged 138bpm over the 75 minutes I was in the gym.
I’m going to have a rest day today as I am cream crackered. Though I have a few moments ago been reminded that Nigel will be at the gym today, and will be missing out on a joint training session. Buggerit.
Warm up on the rowing machine. 5 minutes.
Seated arm curls with the dumbbells. 3 sets of 15 reps. 7.5kgs. A month or so ago I was struggling with this weight but it seemed pretty acceptable last night.
Seated dips. An old exercise, and the one I am blaming for my shoulder injury. I am back up to 36kgs in 3 sets of 15 and am feeling a lot more confident and happy to do this now.
Concentrated curls on the cable machine. Hard exercise this one. The cable is set at ground level and I stand sideways onto it, pulling the cable across my body. My hand starts at my side and ends near my shoulder. This works the biceps and pectoral muscles. 3 sets of 15 at 2kgs for each arm. I think my last set I couldn’t do any more than 12 reps though.
Tricep pull down on the cable machine with the rope. This time the cable is set at high level with the rope handle (instead of the metal one). With my arms at my side I pull the rope down and when my arms are fully extended I twist my wrists out. 3 sets of 15 at 5kgs. Again, pretty tough with the last set I stopped short of the 15 reps.
Cardio. 30 minutes increasing the elevation every 5 minutes. Fitness Stu came in to see how I was getting on while I was sweating my way through this. I think he was thought I was slacking as he was going to increase the speed but seemed happy that I was pushing hard.
We had a bit of a chat about running (my half of the conversation populated with huffs and puffs) and Fitness Stu told me that road running was a better way to prepare for a half marathon and would get me fitter quicker because the treadmill doesn’t use the same muscles. Fitness Stu hasn’t let me down yet, so I’m going to slot in some street running into my exercising as soon as I can.
I finished the 30 minutes with relative ease this time, I think the ten minute chat distracted me so I didn’t end up watching the clock for 30 minutes thinking about the pain.
There was some hurt though, my calves are wrecked again.
I went for a swim for 15 minutes again but was hungry and not in the mood so I called it a day.
My heart rate monitor peaked at 170bpm when I was at full tilt on the treadmill and it averaged 138bpm over the 75 minutes I was in the gym.
I’m going to have a rest day today as I am cream crackered. Though I have a few moments ago been reminded that Nigel will be at the gym today, and will be missing out on a joint training session. Buggerit.
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Monday 12/01/09
I’m not going to bring home that exercise card after all. If I do, I will leave it at work or somewhere and then forget what I need to do the next day. Instead I am going to try and remember the names for the exercises that I have done instead.
I dabbled with the upper body exercises last week, doing them a little bit out of order and was just getting used to them. This week I decided to start from the top.
Warm up, 5 minutes on the rowing machine. Piece of cake, just a bit dull.
Lat pull down with inverted grip. This is similar to the lat pull downs that I have been doing to date but my grip is closer together and turned around so that my palms are facing me to work different muscles. 39kgs. 3 sets of 15 reps.
Cable row. This is a cool exercise that works the back muscles. With the cable pulley at the bottom of the machine, I sit facing it and pull the weighted cable toward me until I finish with my elbows at my side. 70kgs, 3 sets of 15.
I was supposed to do some erector spinae exercises on the ball, but it was pretty crowded over in that corner and I wasn’t very good at that exercise, I am going to secretly practice this one at home before I unleash my technique at the gym, so I skipped it.
Cardio. 30 minutes, 7.2 mph. I increased the incline angle by 1 every five minutes. Until the last ten minutes where I dropped the incline to 0 and I walked out the last 3 minutes.
This is killing me. I need to keep running if I am going to do this half marathon in March and I’m sure that in a few weeks time 30 minutes will be a doddle but today my calves are wrecked and I have a killer blister on my right foot. It is a big compound blister which I am sure has other smaller blisters underneath it.
After that I swam as usual. Not for very long, only about 10 – 15 minutes but it was a good low impact warm down.
I’m back to the gym again tonight, and if the weather continues to improve am thinking about going for a run and/or kayak in the real world again over the weekend.
I dabbled with the upper body exercises last week, doing them a little bit out of order and was just getting used to them. This week I decided to start from the top.
Warm up, 5 minutes on the rowing machine. Piece of cake, just a bit dull.
Lat pull down with inverted grip. This is similar to the lat pull downs that I have been doing to date but my grip is closer together and turned around so that my palms are facing me to work different muscles. 39kgs. 3 sets of 15 reps.
Cable row. This is a cool exercise that works the back muscles. With the cable pulley at the bottom of the machine, I sit facing it and pull the weighted cable toward me until I finish with my elbows at my side. 70kgs, 3 sets of 15.
I was supposed to do some erector spinae exercises on the ball, but it was pretty crowded over in that corner and I wasn’t very good at that exercise, I am going to secretly practice this one at home before I unleash my technique at the gym, so I skipped it.
Cardio. 30 minutes, 7.2 mph. I increased the incline angle by 1 every five minutes. Until the last ten minutes where I dropped the incline to 0 and I walked out the last 3 minutes.
This is killing me. I need to keep running if I am going to do this half marathon in March and I’m sure that in a few weeks time 30 minutes will be a doddle but today my calves are wrecked and I have a killer blister on my right foot. It is a big compound blister which I am sure has other smaller blisters underneath it.
After that I swam as usual. Not for very long, only about 10 – 15 minutes but it was a good low impact warm down.
I’m back to the gym again tonight, and if the weather continues to improve am thinking about going for a run and/or kayak in the real world again over the weekend.
Monday, 12 January 2009
Weekend training
I ache today. I really do, this is the ache I suffered when I first started training, every muscle group feels bruised.
I didn’t remember to pick up my exercise card on Saturday so I am still going to be vague about what I actually did. There are so many things I now do I can’t remember what I did, all I know is that it is hard.
Fitness Stu has split the routine into bits and pieces. The warm up, the abs exercises and the cardio bit I am to do each time I go to the gym, and then the upper body exercises are broken into three days of work, each working a different muscle set and gives the muscles a chance to recover.
Friday night Nigel and I hit the gym and it was my first go at the new routine. 8 minutes on the rowing machine to warm up, followed by assorted (and still unnamed) upper body exercises, followed by the cardio bit.
The cardio bit as I have already mentioned is 30 minutes on the treadmill at 7.2mph. Every five minutes I add to the incline until the last ten minutes where I am at incline 4 (whatever that means. I think it might be a 1 in 4 gradient but I’m not sure.) And this is killing me. First 10 minutes is fine, second 10 is hard and I can feel my legs and chest heaving and the last 10 is agony.
But I faired a little better than Nigel. After finishing his routine of weights and things I still had 20 minutes to run on the treadmill so he hopped up onto the machine next to mine and programmed in 20 minutes of his own. He went for interval training at a hearty 7.5 mph. five and a half minutes later Nigel had to stop, clutching his chest, all red and sweaty. After a few minutes breather he gamely started again though this time at a polite jog of 6mph.
Nigel accepted that it was the cigarettes that saw him stop, he is also making noises about how he will quit someday. He also admitted that he had held off sending in his application for the upcoming half marathon because he wasn’t sure he could run the distance.
Finished off the session with a swim and a steam in the steam room.
And then on Saturday after shopping for some new sports clothes, I did the same again accompanied by the wife this time. Nigel too was training.
Long story short.
Warm up, some upper body exercises followed by cardio and a swim, followed by being knackered.
Sunday I had the day off, and I truly needed it. I still ache now. We shall see how well I do at going each and every night this week. I might end up having a rest day just because I am so tired.
I didn’t remember to pick up my exercise card on Saturday so I am still going to be vague about what I actually did. There are so many things I now do I can’t remember what I did, all I know is that it is hard.
Fitness Stu has split the routine into bits and pieces. The warm up, the abs exercises and the cardio bit I am to do each time I go to the gym, and then the upper body exercises are broken into three days of work, each working a different muscle set and gives the muscles a chance to recover.
Friday night Nigel and I hit the gym and it was my first go at the new routine. 8 minutes on the rowing machine to warm up, followed by assorted (and still unnamed) upper body exercises, followed by the cardio bit.
The cardio bit as I have already mentioned is 30 minutes on the treadmill at 7.2mph. Every five minutes I add to the incline until the last ten minutes where I am at incline 4 (whatever that means. I think it might be a 1 in 4 gradient but I’m not sure.) And this is killing me. First 10 minutes is fine, second 10 is hard and I can feel my legs and chest heaving and the last 10 is agony.
But I faired a little better than Nigel. After finishing his routine of weights and things I still had 20 minutes to run on the treadmill so he hopped up onto the machine next to mine and programmed in 20 minutes of his own. He went for interval training at a hearty 7.5 mph. five and a half minutes later Nigel had to stop, clutching his chest, all red and sweaty. After a few minutes breather he gamely started again though this time at a polite jog of 6mph.
Nigel accepted that it was the cigarettes that saw him stop, he is also making noises about how he will quit someday. He also admitted that he had held off sending in his application for the upcoming half marathon because he wasn’t sure he could run the distance.
Finished off the session with a swim and a steam in the steam room.
And then on Saturday after shopping for some new sports clothes, I did the same again accompanied by the wife this time. Nigel too was training.
Long story short.
Warm up, some upper body exercises followed by cardio and a swim, followed by being knackered.
Sunday I had the day off, and I truly needed it. I still ache now. We shall see how well I do at going each and every night this week. I might end up having a rest day just because I am so tired.
Friday, 9 January 2009
Week 15
First week back felt quite positive even if I didn’t actually manage to go to the gym every single night as I declared I would. Nigel made a showing too and hopefully both of us will now increase our effort to prepare for the race.
Monday. No gym.
Tuesday. Hardwork session burning off the Christmas calories.
Wednesday. Learned some new moves. I didn’t actually get very much done in the way of exercise but am now furnished with a wide range of exercises to take this training forward.
Thursday. Night in with the wife.
Friday. Off to the gym again, but hasn’t happened yet so won’t crow on about it.
Sessions per week ratio.
Owain SPW = 2.67
Gym 33 kayaking 4 other 3
Nigel SPW = 1.27
Gym 16 kayaking 2 other 1
Monday. No gym.
Tuesday. Hardwork session burning off the Christmas calories.
Wednesday. Learned some new moves. I didn’t actually get very much done in the way of exercise but am now furnished with a wide range of exercises to take this training forward.
Thursday. Night in with the wife.
Friday. Off to the gym again, but hasn’t happened yet so won’t crow on about it.
Sessions per week ratio.
Owain SPW = 2.67
Gym 33 kayaking 4 other 3
Nigel SPW = 1.27
Gym 16 kayaking 2 other 1
Thursday, 8 January 2009
So many machines.
Nigel was at the gym with me last night. This was the first time since before Christmas that we were both there and it was good motivation again. Hopefully his workload will give more nights off now.
Anyway, I have a new plan. I saw Fitness Stu yesterday to revise my training regime to keep me progressing in the right direction last night.
We had a bit of a chat first so that he could get an idea if the goals I am aiming for have changed and to get an idea of how well things have progressed to date. The only new things are that I am now also training for a couple of half marathons this year and that I am planning on hitting the gym every day.
The new plan has been broken down into 3 separate days of exercises, to ensure that muscle groups get a rest and last night basically comprised of Fitness Stu showing me how to use lots of machines. The gym was packed (with new year resolutions) so there are still some things Fitness Stu wants to show me becuase we couldn't get on the weights benches, I will be seeing him again on Saturday to finish off the program.
I would love to be able to tell you what I get to do in the gym now but I have to be honest I can’t really remember everything, there were so many different exercises, so after the plan is finished on Saturday I will nab my card so I can give a full rundown here.
Basically though, a gym session is going to be broken down into the warm up, various upper body exercises, and then a cardio stint. The warm up will be 5 – 8 minutes on the rower. The upper body exercises I can’t remember at the moment but it involves quite a lot on the cable machine, and then cardio is 30 minutes at 7.2mph on the treadmill set to manual and I am to increase the incline every 10 minutes.
That cardio bit will be hard, but I need it to be because today I have put my name down for two different half marathons. Spurred on by my dads training to run the Ironbridge half marathon I have sent off my application form for that event, and then as I was that way inclined I filled out the ballot for the Great North half marathon too.
Marathon running goals are simple. For the Ironbridge half I intend to finish the thing. I’m not aiming for any particular time or place other than to get round the course before the marshals go home. And they go home after 2 hours and 45 minutes. So as long as I am able to maintain a little over 5mph for the duration I am good.
For the Great North I have declared that I will complete the race in under 2 and a half hours. As my starting position in the melee at the beginning of the race is determined by my guestimated time, my goal for the Great North is to finish sub 2 and a half hours. Easy.
There will be no gym today due to other things planned but will be back at it on Friday.
Anyway, I have a new plan. I saw Fitness Stu yesterday to revise my training regime to keep me progressing in the right direction last night.
We had a bit of a chat first so that he could get an idea if the goals I am aiming for have changed and to get an idea of how well things have progressed to date. The only new things are that I am now also training for a couple of half marathons this year and that I am planning on hitting the gym every day.
The new plan has been broken down into 3 separate days of exercises, to ensure that muscle groups get a rest and last night basically comprised of Fitness Stu showing me how to use lots of machines. The gym was packed (with new year resolutions) so there are still some things Fitness Stu wants to show me becuase we couldn't get on the weights benches, I will be seeing him again on Saturday to finish off the program.
I would love to be able to tell you what I get to do in the gym now but I have to be honest I can’t really remember everything, there were so many different exercises, so after the plan is finished on Saturday I will nab my card so I can give a full rundown here.
Basically though, a gym session is going to be broken down into the warm up, various upper body exercises, and then a cardio stint. The warm up will be 5 – 8 minutes on the rower. The upper body exercises I can’t remember at the moment but it involves quite a lot on the cable machine, and then cardio is 30 minutes at 7.2mph on the treadmill set to manual and I am to increase the incline every 10 minutes.
That cardio bit will be hard, but I need it to be because today I have put my name down for two different half marathons. Spurred on by my dads training to run the Ironbridge half marathon I have sent off my application form for that event, and then as I was that way inclined I filled out the ballot for the Great North half marathon too.
Marathon running goals are simple. For the Ironbridge half I intend to finish the thing. I’m not aiming for any particular time or place other than to get round the course before the marshals go home. And they go home after 2 hours and 45 minutes. So as long as I am able to maintain a little over 5mph for the duration I am good.
For the Great North I have declared that I will complete the race in under 2 and a half hours. As my starting position in the melee at the beginning of the race is determined by my guestimated time, my goal for the Great North is to finish sub 2 and a half hours. Easy.
There will be no gym today due to other things planned but will be back at it on Friday.
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
first session of 09
This new and vigorous start to 2009 did not start too well. Monday night the wife had car troubles and I had to pick her up. So I started the new year on Tuesday instead.
I watched with a little bit of dismay through Christmas that my newly defined lines of muscle slipping back behind a layer of fat. No exercise and too much food and drink will do that apparently. I decided that the first thing I am going to have to do is burn that off before I get back into the routine so a cardio blitz was planned.
This was also my first real play with the heart rate monitor and my new iPod (with scientifically created music). I set off on the treadmill interval training. 7.2mph and for the first time managed to sustain that speed for the duration, this new level of endurance I will attribute to science music!
Heart rate very quickly made its way up to 140bpm and never dropped below that for the duration. For the three peaks in the interval routine where there is the most effort that is sustained for 90 seconds, my heart rate made its way to 175bpm.
After that I went straight across to the cross trainer and went for it. 20 minutes of intervals at level 8. Heart rate was sustained at over 150bpm for the duration and the 3 peaks of high effort I hit 180bpm.
To find out what all those beats mean, and if my work rate is any good I turned to the internet.
When at rest the average male should have a heart rate of about 70, which in my initial mucking about with the monitor that seemed to be about where I am, and then according to the Fox and Haskell formula on heart rates I was at the upper end of aerobic training for the duration of the exercise session with 6 bursts of anaerobic exercise. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerobic_exercise Reading around the subject a little bit, this combination seems to be a good thing.
After all of that I went for a bit of a swim. I was crowded out of the pool after about 15 minutes but I was pretty happy with my first effort of the year.
I have booked a session with fitness Stu for Wednesday night to get a whole new plan. I have told him of my new goal to go to the gym every night and that I could do with two different plans to alternate each day with. I will report back tomorrow.
I watched with a little bit of dismay through Christmas that my newly defined lines of muscle slipping back behind a layer of fat. No exercise and too much food and drink will do that apparently. I decided that the first thing I am going to have to do is burn that off before I get back into the routine so a cardio blitz was planned.
This was also my first real play with the heart rate monitor and my new iPod (with scientifically created music). I set off on the treadmill interval training. 7.2mph and for the first time managed to sustain that speed for the duration, this new level of endurance I will attribute to science music!
Heart rate very quickly made its way up to 140bpm and never dropped below that for the duration. For the three peaks in the interval routine where there is the most effort that is sustained for 90 seconds, my heart rate made its way to 175bpm.
After that I went straight across to the cross trainer and went for it. 20 minutes of intervals at level 8. Heart rate was sustained at over 150bpm for the duration and the 3 peaks of high effort I hit 180bpm.
To find out what all those beats mean, and if my work rate is any good I turned to the internet.
When at rest the average male should have a heart rate of about 70, which in my initial mucking about with the monitor that seemed to be about where I am, and then according to the Fox and Haskell formula on heart rates I was at the upper end of aerobic training for the duration of the exercise session with 6 bursts of anaerobic exercise. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerobic_exercise Reading around the subject a little bit, this combination seems to be a good thing.
After all of that I went for a bit of a swim. I was crowded out of the pool after about 15 minutes but I was pretty happy with my first effort of the year.
I have booked a session with fitness Stu for Wednesday night to get a whole new plan. I have told him of my new goal to go to the gym every night and that I could do with two different plans to alternate each day with. I will report back tomorrow.
Monday, 5 January 2009
End of year report
Happy New Year to you all. I’m back at a computer and I have loads of things I want to rattle on about today.
Firstly I have a couple of end of week reports that need catching up on.
Week 13
Shocking week. I managed to go to the gym for my last best effort on the Sunday. And then I failed wholeheartedly to go again.
I believe that Nigel also made it to the gym once this week.
Week 14.
I went to the gym twice. Both were lack lustre efforts. And that was it for 11 days off from work, I managed barely two training days.
Owain SPW = 2.71
Gym 31 kayaking 4 other 3
Nigel SPW = 1.28
Gym 15 kayaking 2 other 1
Christmas break was disastrous for my training. I ate and drank to excess, I barely went to the gym, and when I did go I had no motivation because I wanted to be at home eating and drinking to excess.
So here I am in January with big plans to up the training rate with a visit to the gym every day. I will cycle through the muscle groups and CV work so that the different muscles will still get rest.
As a Christmas present, the wife got me the Devises to Westminster handbook. It’s filled with loads of really useful information on this race and is going to take some reading to digest, it is pretty daunting what we need to do to be in a position to take part in the race, let alone competing in the race itself.
Recommended training seems to comprise of spending hours in the boat, preferably on stretches of the course. Two problems with this, we don’t have a boat, and the course is 150 miles away. First mission of 2009 is to get a boat.
Plans to run a half marathon as part of the training continue. My dad has given this idea a kick firmly in the right direction by pointing out to me a half marathon that is nearby to be held in March. http://www.telfordharriers.co.uk/ironbridge.html. My dad has started training for this race and I think it will be pretty cool to race with him, so I am going to be sticking my name down for this one.
I am a real technophile and am in the process of surrounding myself with gadgets to aid my training. Another present from the missus was a new iPod (replacing the one that did a turn in the washing machine) and onto this I have downloaded an hour long training music track which is designed to regulate the heart rate and to give a perception of less effort using the bpm of the cleverly mixed tracks. I have also sourced a heart rate monitor so that I can effectively get my cardio vascular training into the “Zone”.
So that’s me at the end of 2008. Training is going to continue in earnest. 14 weeks completed 64 weeks to go.
Firstly I have a couple of end of week reports that need catching up on.
Week 13
Shocking week. I managed to go to the gym for my last best effort on the Sunday. And then I failed wholeheartedly to go again.
I believe that Nigel also made it to the gym once this week.
Week 14.
I went to the gym twice. Both were lack lustre efforts. And that was it for 11 days off from work, I managed barely two training days.
Owain SPW = 2.71
Gym 31 kayaking 4 other 3
Nigel SPW = 1.28
Gym 15 kayaking 2 other 1
Christmas break was disastrous for my training. I ate and drank to excess, I barely went to the gym, and when I did go I had no motivation because I wanted to be at home eating and drinking to excess.
So here I am in January with big plans to up the training rate with a visit to the gym every day. I will cycle through the muscle groups and CV work so that the different muscles will still get rest.
As a Christmas present, the wife got me the Devises to Westminster handbook. It’s filled with loads of really useful information on this race and is going to take some reading to digest, it is pretty daunting what we need to do to be in a position to take part in the race, let alone competing in the race itself.
Recommended training seems to comprise of spending hours in the boat, preferably on stretches of the course. Two problems with this, we don’t have a boat, and the course is 150 miles away. First mission of 2009 is to get a boat.
Plans to run a half marathon as part of the training continue. My dad has given this idea a kick firmly in the right direction by pointing out to me a half marathon that is nearby to be held in March. http://www.telfordharriers.co.uk/ironbridge.html. My dad has started training for this race and I think it will be pretty cool to race with him, so I am going to be sticking my name down for this one.
I am a real technophile and am in the process of surrounding myself with gadgets to aid my training. Another present from the missus was a new iPod (replacing the one that did a turn in the washing machine) and onto this I have downloaded an hour long training music track which is designed to regulate the heart rate and to give a perception of less effort using the bpm of the cleverly mixed tracks. I have also sourced a heart rate monitor so that I can effectively get my cardio vascular training into the “Zone”.
So that’s me at the end of 2008. Training is going to continue in earnest. 14 weeks completed 64 weeks to go.
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