Chris's diary

Thanks Sadie - I'm really pleased with it, I would almost go as far as to say that it is as well equipped as the gym I was a member of before (apart from not having a swimming pool. lol) I do have a rather silly amount of weights (over half a tonne now) but, I promise you I don't lift them all at once ;)

Yesterday was a good chest and tris workout. I'm increasing weights gradually and am pushing quite hard but, I'm being careful not to lift too heavy just because its safe. Then did another 30mins running.

I'm going to run again tonight - I was planning on HIIT on the bike but, I really don't know if I can face that kind of intensity today.

I'm still making excellent progress, even since a couple of weeks ago when the last picture was taken. I can now clearly see my top 4 abdominal muscles :D this has both motivated me and also made me impatient for the bottom 2 to start showing. There is still a layer of fat across my lower belly and this is the bit I'm told is the most stubborn. Still, it seems as though whatever I'm doing is working because I keep noticing changes so, until that stops, I will keep on plugging away. I tmay well be that I reach my short term goals more quickly than I had thought I would.
 
it is as well equipped as the gym I was a member of before (apart from not having a swimming pool. lol)
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sure it is.
u really dont have an excuse now ,to not to exercise:)
i have been looking for a home gym too..but couldnt find one yet,which is economical plus occupies a small area.
btw u have a cross trainer too?i saw something quite like a cross trainer or maybe it was eleptical..couldnt make out what it was.?
 
Decided to do intervals after all only on the treadmill this time. Was doing a good 1:2 ratio but, wasn't quite flat out during the high intensity 60secs. Was running at about 9.5mph with another increment available which I'll try next time. Did about 45mins total, only 15 of which were intervals.

I had loads of energy and probably could have kept going for a while longer.
 
slimsadie said:
btw u have a cross trainer too?i saw something quite like a cross trainer or maybe it was eleptical..couldnt make out what it was.?
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I thought a cross trainer and an eliptical were the same thing? I always refer to it as a cross trainer. There is an excercise bike too which I use for HIIT but, as the treadmill is the newest cardio machine I have, I tend to be using that more than the others at the moment.
 
well what i think is "stepper"is an eleptical and u cant work your arms on it...while the cross trainer is the one ,on whice u can work your upper body aswell as lower(i might be wrong).
 
ChrisJG said:
Decided to do intervals after all only on the treadmill this time. Was doing a good 1:2 ratio but, wasn't quite flat out during the high intensity 60secs. Was running at about 9.5mph with another increment available which I'll try next time. Did about 45mins total, only 15 of which were intervals.

I had loads of energy and probably could have kept going for a while longer.
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for creating that HIIT as you advance it is also very effective to use the incline. these sprints on the tread can get fairly ruff on the knees.

try keeping your band at 10 minute mile, and use a 2 degree and 12 degree incline.... It'll gas ya out to. and the climb will increase muscle activation, verses just joint speed.

FF
 
flyinfree said:
for creating that HIIT as you advance it is also very effective to use the incline. these sprints on the tread can get fairly ruff on the knees.

try keeping your band at 10 minute mile, and use a 2 degree and 12 degree incline.... It'll gas ya out to. and the climb will increase muscle activation, verses just joint speed.

FF
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So, keeping a consistent pace throughout? Sounds good - I shall give it a try on my next HIIT session and let you know how I get on. 6mph doesn't sound quick but, I bet its a killer on a 12% incline!! Thanks FF

Today was another enjoyable workout. Legs & shoulders although, my shoulder is still sore on shoulder presses so, I skipped lateral raises. I'm seriously considering giving the weights a miss for a week to give my shoulder the chance to recover. Obviously I'd keep up the cardio and diet but, I feel as though my shoulder is restricting my progress and if I don't rest it, it'll never get any better. Went on to do 30mins on the bike afterwards.

Fasted cardio is the plan for the monring and then I'll be resting until Monday so, I shall see how I feel then.
 
Did my fasted cardio on Saturday morning and then, after work, did some incline intervals on the treadmill. Thanks FF, I enjoyed them and will be adding a session into my weekly routine.

I skipped weights yesterday to try and give my shoulder a rest. Back & biceps tonight.
 
Skipped weights yet again as my shoulder felt a little sore yesterday. Went on the treadmill but, had to switch to the X trainer as my shinsplints came back with a vengeance last night. Will hit the weights again later and hopefully be able to run a few miles without incident afterwards. I wonder if the weather could ahve anything to do with it, its been pretty chilly lately.
 
Back & biceps last night. Accidently loaded the bar with 15kg too much for deadlifts. Did a couple of reps before I realised my mistake - at least that explains why I was finding it so tough!! Weight has increased from last time though. Arm curls I struggled with a little although, I can feel them today. Did 30mins on the treadmill but, again, my shinsplints had come back. Around 10mins of my run (from 5 - 15mins) was absolute agony! I do hope I'm not doing any long term damage by gritting my teeth and running through them!!
 
Did 30mins on the treadmill but, again, my shinsplints had come back. Around 10mins of my run (from 5 - 15mins) was absolute agony!
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ouch!
what was the speed?are u using the programs on the treadmill?if u are running on incline @7/9mph u shouldnt expect otherwise,specially if the incline is above 2% .i have experienced the same thing in the past.
 
If anything, I think that the incline helps prevent it. For example, last night I did a 5 min warmup and then intervals using 12% incline at 6.5mph. No shinsplints.

Even when I'm not doing intervals, I tend to use the incline. I usually do about 5mins at 3-4% and then 5 mins on the flat. Just to mix it up a little and keep myself working hard.

I suspect that its the way my foot falls on the flat which is causing the shinsplints. I'm almost due some new running shoes so, if I get them professionally fitted, I'm hoping that will help.

My calories went a little high yesterday as I couldn't resist a second helping of peanut butter!! lol - why can't asparagus be my weakness, why does it have to be all things to do with peanuts?!!
 
Yesterday was my best chest & triceps day for some time. It makes such a big difference being able to train to failure on many big excercises like bench presses.

I finally managed to tear myself away from the treadmill and did 30mins steady state on the cross trainer instead.

Today will probably be a rest day and then I'll try to get legs & shoulders in tomorrow morning. I shall be cheating for lunch tomorrow by way of a Sunday roast at a country pub somewhere :)
 
I skipped weights on Sunday and just went for a 6 mile run instead. Didn't go for Sunday lunch in the end but, had some beers in the evening as my 'cheat'. Yesterday was legs & shoulders, I've got the hang of the squat station now so, even though the weight is gradually going up, I plan to make a big step up next week and maybe add another set. My shoulder wasn't as bad as it has been, I even managed 2 sets of side raises at the end. Then did leg raises and 30mins on the treadmill.

HIIT on the bike later on today, still trying to keep my cardio nicely mixed.

Forgot my protien shake with lunch so, I get to have extra chicken with dinner to make up for it :)
 
went for a 6 mile run
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wow..i used to run six miles under an hour,after starting cigs my lungs were gasping for air at 7mph/9mph..
its alot better now though still not like pre cigs..but i am not huffing and puffing all the time.my aim is to be able to run 6 miles under 45 mins.

how much time does it take u to do 6miles..u run outdoor or on treadmill?
 
6 miles takes me somewhere between 45 and 50 minutes. I try to keep a pretty steady 7mph but, every now and then I'll speed up to a fast run for a while. I run mostly on a treadmill but, try to get out on the road once a week. Mind you, its getting cold here now so, its actually nice to have the treadmill.

Oh, and don't worry about the rep point - they aren't worth the paper they're printed on ;)
 
HIIT on the bike yesterday. 40 second high intensity intervals followed by 1min 20 secs recovery. 15 minutes total plus 5 mins warmup & 5 mins cooldown.

Another 40kg arrived today (just in time for tonights deadlifts) and a pump for my fitball which means I can get in some ball planks and mix up my ab workout a bit. I always find weighted crunches more effective on a ball.
 
Awesome workout today :D. Almost every single excercise saw an increase in either weight or sets. Deadlifts felt far easier than I was expecting as I increased the weight by about 10%. I considered going heavier but, wasn't sure my grip could cope. I think I may have to invest in some straps.

My heaviest dumbells (25kg) are already looking like they may not be heavy enough. I am going to look at alternatives to buying more pairs as they're quite expensive.

Wasn't to impressed with seated rows on the powertec machine. The range of motion just doesn't seem sufficient to isolate the upper back muscles. Again, I shall be looking for alternatives. Weighted crunches using the fitball were a shock - same weight, same basic movement but tougher. I suspect my abs will be a little sore tomorrow!!

30mins on the treadmill afterwards - very enjoyable and fair bit faster than usual. Spent most of the run at 8mph and above. Not entirely sure where all the energy came from but, it was fun :)
 
I start kickboxing tonight - really looking forward to it. No idea what to expect but, it gets me out of the gym and doing something a bit different :)
 
Really enjoyed kickboxing although, being the only beginner, I felt a bit like a fish out of water. We began with some circuits, including pressups, leg raises, sit ups etc. If I didn't already do some kind of training, it would have been a huge shock to the system. I was surprised to find that the entire group did exactly the same throughout the session with no seperation of beginners. Talk about a steep learning curve!! The workout at the end was a killer, after an hours excercise, we had to do more pressups, sit ups, leg raises and with the pressups and leg raises, had to hold them static 6 inches off the floor for what seemed like hours (it was barely a minute - haha!)

To summarise, I was punched, kicked, thrown and put in an arm bar, all on my first day! lol. Mind you, I got to do some punching and kicking of my own too ;) Definitely going to keep going, it made a really nice change from lifting weights or just doing cardio.
 
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