Almost another month gone by

Been busy with work. Have learnt all sorts of new things. My exercise routine has never been this irregular (yet effective) and different in my life. My resistance programs have traditionally consisted of the same exercises performed week after week, in an effort to increase the weight I could lift. Now, I am being introduced to new concepts in training, including own-body-weight exercises (often more difficult then traditional weight training), balance & coordination, and focusing on working a muscle to fatigue instead of how much weight can be lifted or how many reps can be performed. It's all new and foreign to me... and I'm loving it!

Some of the stuff I've been up to...

1. Gymnastics classes:

• I climbed a ribbon (technical term for a huge piece of fabric hanging from a high ceiling) for the first time. Did you know there is more than one way to climb a piece of fabric? It's all in how you twist it between your feet.
  
• Before I can master going upside down for any reason, I need to learn that I don't always need to see where I'm going and just trust that my body (and gravity) will take me in the right direction.
  
• I never realized how much abdominal strength is required to do a handstand - I just thought it was good balance. A good, strong lunge is also required - my homework is to practise these.

2. Leg work:

• I've been told before I need to strengthen my hamstrings (the guy who told me knew from looking at how I stand - amazing!).
• At work I have learnt a whole new repertoire of leg exercises, particularly for glutes and hamstrings. I've been experimenting with them on myself.
• As a result, I am quite stiff and sore today after a leg session yesterday. It's amazing how much you can accomplish in 20 minutes!
• I have definitely been learning the different between effective exercise vs just plain lots of it. I definitely prefer effectiveness.

3. Going to Manila:

• We leave this Saturday!
• I am looking forward to checking out a local gym or two in Manila, just to see if thing are done differently in other countries.
  

Since 3 May...

...I have done HEAPS. Ran my first half marathon 20 May, time completed was 2:21:36.2. Read about it here.

Since the half marathon I have been training with my friend Nyasha to prepare her for her first race - the 10km Run to the G. It's this weekend. So I've been running semi-regularly ~ two to three times per week. Nowhere near the same intensity as when I was preparing for the marathon.

Which is probably a good thing. It's sort of a recovery period for me, if you want to look at it from a periodisation point of view. Once I settle into a new routine with work and have all my assignments and exams out of the way I'll be able to re-focus on a new goal.

As for my resistance training, part of my new job has included being trained there "as a client" in order to gain firsthand experience as to what it's like to be a client of each of the trainers. So I've been going in to my local gym only once a week and doing some light stuff, saving myself up for the training sessions so I can go harder there. The sessions I've been doing on my own have been more of a play around, experimenting with all the new exercises i've been learning.

Some new exercises I've found intriguing, challenging, and effective:
- Single leg dead lifts using a Smith machine
- Swiss ball pikes
- L sits
- Working with gymnastics rings

Gym Session

Did a one hour weight training session at the gym before heading to church. I usually don't work out on a Sunday morning but this week's been so busy I just didn't get a chance to get in there til this morning. And I really need to keep the weight training up to at least maintain my strength for the upcoming half marathon.

BB Chest press, DB incline close, BB bicep curls, DB bicep curls, SB dips, Tricep pushdowns.

Upper Body Weights

I love weights sessions at the gym. But I much prefer daytime to evenings. More space, less equipment being used by others. The evenings don't even make for good socializing time because the aerobics music is typically blasting so loud it's like being in a club... only with weights instead of drinks.

Did my usual half upper body session today - BB bench press, DB incline close, BB bicep curls, DB bicep curls. Threw in some Swiss ball exercises that I learnt last night including the push ups with feet on the SB. Those were difficult! But got a good ab and chest workout from the exercise, for sure!

SB curls, when done properly, hurt like anything! SBs are definitely a great investment of time and money.

This Week

I have been too busy to blog this week. Quick summary of the entire week:

Sunday 1 April:
Run for the Kids - ran 15.2km in 90 minutes. Read about it here.

Monday & Tuesday:
Post-race apathy, didn't do any exercise - no running, no weights.

Wednesday:
Tried to break out of post-race apathy, went for a short run in Brighton right before my class, it was about 20mins and speed was moderate so assuming it was my average pace it must have been about 3kms, maybe a little more.

Thursday:
Ran my usual route backwards, 5.6km. It was cold. And it drizzled slightly so I was also a little wet. The cold weather is good to keep me running because I know as soon as I stop I will be cold. Nice little bit of motivation there for me.

Friday:
Had planned to do nothing, seeing as it was Good Friday and I was still feeling apathetic. But I woke up at 6am, knew I would not be able to get back to sleep so decided in that moment to go for a long run. Ran 10km! But I was a bit slow, it took me 71 mins. However, it did mean that I was able to really enjoy my breakfast that morning with friends at Las Chicas in East St Kilda. Yum!

Today:
30-40 min Marine Workout this morning with James, Asher, Brian and Carina. This was a series of nine 30 second exercises ~ three types of pushups, three types of sit ups/crunches, three types of leg work ~ with a short jog in between each exercise and a sprint at the end. Did the whole thing twice, followed with some chin-ups. i still can't do more than two chin ups unassisted. But one day I will be able to do ten!

Tomorrow:
Running Group at 4pm. Hopefully that will mark the definite end of my post-race apathetic week as we have a time trial.

Another Gym Session

Final weights session for the week. I've managed three this week, 30-45 min in total each. Now just gotta get that to be four 30min sessions.

Today's session focussed on triceps, biceps, abs. I know I've mentioned before that I have weak biceps. That still applies. But I'm doing the EZ-bar curls with 2.5kg on (15.5kg total including bar) and can't even do 3 sets of 6 reps so maybe that'll encourage my motor neurons to develop and my biceps to grow a little. Heh heh... can you tell I've been learning stuff?

It was kinda cool to actually be able to see my arm muscles working. I have to admit - and I know most guys don't find buff girls attractive, but to have arms and shoulders like Michelle Bridges (the female trainer on The Biggest Loser) would be really cool.

Maybe when I've been in the industry for 25 years and working out as long as her I will.

Weights Session

Today's session was good. Even though I am aiming for four 30min weights sessions per week, I guess that requires a gradual change from the old habit of two 60min sessions weekly. A 60min session stills feels like more of a session and less of a rush... however I am planning ahead.

An ideal workout week to me would look like morning runs, then work, then a weights session after work, stopping by the gym on the way home. I feel like I could manage 4 visits for 30min each, because 30mins seems less daunting and potentially tiring than 1hr at the gym after a long day at work.

I can't really be bothered writing down my weights lifted, sets and reps anymore. I'll just note down any noticeable improvements or increases in weight. Besides, I am actually writhing this post 2 days after the session so I can't remember all the details anymore.

Focus today was on legs (squats, 45 degree leg press), lats, and shoulders. Also a fair bit of ab work. Have upped weight on squats to 40kg (60kg in total including bar) which I seem to be handling fine.

Weights Session before work

I started work a little later today - 10am. So it gave me time to head into the gym for a quick 30min session.

Upper body:

• BB bench press - 35kg - 12, 11, 9. My reps are up, I'm pretty happy about that. If I have another good session next time, I think I'll be able to up my weight without a spotter.
• DB incline bench close - 2x10kg - 3x10. Think I need to up my weight here for sure, try 12.5kg next time
• EZ bar bicep curls - 15.5kg - 3x6. These are really hard. My biceps are so weak!
• Didn't have time to do DB bicep curls. Ran out of time, didn't want to be late for work.

Abs:

• SB curls, feet against wall - 3x16
• Incline sit ups - 3x10
• SB leg raises - 1x10 - no time to do the other two sets
  

Long Weights Session

I had a fair bit of catch up work to do today. Am supposed to be training 20-30 mins four days a week, but because I had only been in one other day this week, today I completed about 2.5 days' worth of sessions.

Upper body:

• Chin-ups - 2, 2x1.5 - one of my personal goals for this year is to be able to complete a full set of 8-12 chin ups. As you can see I have a long way to go given I'm averaging at only 1.5 so far (or round that down to 1)
• "Floor" chin-ups - these are a way easier version - 3x10
• Lat pull-downs - 90 (I think that's pounds?) - 8, 2x6
• DB clean & press - 2x15p - 3x8
• BB shoulder raises (? can't remember what this one's called) - 15kg, 8 then17.5kg, 2x8
• SB tricep dips - 3x10
• tricep push-downs - 40 - 8, 2x6

It's nice to be getting some shoulder work into my program... maybe it'll buff me up a little so my arms don't look so skinny :)

Lower body:

• Squats - bar+35kg (55kg) - 2x10, then bar+37.5kg - 1x10. I think next time I will up this to 40kg, see how I go.
• 45degree leg press - 100kg - 3x10. These were pretty easy, upping to 120kg next time.

Abs:

• SB bridge - 30s, 2x45s - wow these are much more difficult than the standard one on the floor. By 20s I was already shaking!
• SB curls - 3x10

At the moment my workouts are taking a little longer than usual. Still trying to figure out what weights to use - high enough to get me a little fatigued but not so high that I kill myself dropping something on my neck or pull a muscle.

Weights Session - starting new program

This week I start my first round of the new weights program. The gym was not as busy as I expected tonight.

The gym instructor told me that in order to achieve my bench press strength goal, I should be using more weight on the bar than I have been up to now and getting someone to spot me, in order to encourage my muscles to adapt to the extra weight and grow stronger.

But what can I say? I am a bit of a scaredy cat. The weights room is often dominated by males and I have a hard time acquainting myself with strangers who are friends of friends, let alone approaching a complete male stranger, panting, sweaty and all, to ask him to spot little me for a set of reps.

So today I benched my usual weight instead of upping it per gym instructor's suggestion, all because I was a scaredy cat. If you go to my gym and I know you, would you consider meeting me once a week in the evening after work at the gym? We could spot for each other... :)

This evening's program:

• BB bench press - 35kg - 12, 10, 2x7
• DB bench close - 10kg pair - 8, 2x10
• EZ bar bicep curls - bar+2.5kg - 3x10 (I tried for bar+5kg, but there was no way I could lift that weight - I've always had relatively weak biceps compared to triceps, is that normal?)
• DB bicep curls - 15pounds - 3x10, last reps I let DB down as slowly as possible
  

New Weights Program

10:30am - met with Glen at the gym to get my new training program
I'm trying something new - rather than doing my weights program twice a week for over an hour each, I'm trying for 20-30 mins, 4 days a week. We'll see how this goes. Sometimes after a long day at work the idea of going to the gym for 1hr+ feels like a tiring prospect, whereas popping in for 30mins is much less daunting.

11:00am - 20 min resistance workout

• incline sit-ups, 3 sets, 10 reps
• s/b sit ups, feet against wall - 3 x 12reps
• s/b ab reverses - 3 x 10 reps
• calf raises, 10kg - 2 x10reps, 1 x 12 reps