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.