Chris's diary

ChrisJG said:
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 ;)
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45 mins is way too impressive,if u were anywhere near wher i live u could participate in 10km marathon and win some serious cash.:cool:

kickboxing is amazing,glad u had a change of routine.
TC
 
Really? I didn't think it was above average. I'm sure if you went into the running & cycling forum, you would find a lot of people who run far more quickly than that!

Had another good workout yesterday. Weights on benchpress increased although, incline presses still aggravate my shoulder a little bit. I'm still tempted to skip weights for a week to let it heal but, I know that would just make me feel guilty. Went a bit mental on leg raises too, utilising a lot of pauses and holding the feet 6" from the ground like I did at kickboxing. Can really feel it in my lower abs today.

Talking of abs.....I can pretty much see all 6 of mine now :D I was going to take some progress pics earlier but, decided to wait until the full month was up. There is still a layer of fat across the lower section and also my lower back but, it is gradually decreasing. I must be due to hit a plateau soon as I think that is the kind of BF% my body is at. I am keeping fasted cardio sessions in reserve in case that does happen! lol

I've upped my calories to 2000 a day as I've been training more. Hopefully all these little tweaks will keep my body guessing - at least thats the idea.

Total rest day today (I'm also planning on drinking quite a large quantity of beer :D ).......Back on track following recovery from tomorrow's hangover. lol
 
Really? I didn't think it was above average. I'm sure if you went into the running & cycling forum, you would find a lot of people who run far more quickly than that!
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well the thing is Marathon just started in 2005 in my country and not many trained runnners can be seen here so even 40 to 35min for 10km gets away with some 2500USD:p
 
Well, its probably much easier on a treadmill than on the road. I'm not sure what pace I keep on the road but, its probably a little slower.

Today I think that I may have overdone it a bit. The day began with a legs & shoulders workout. Increased squats by about 10% so, I'm squatting well over my bodyweight now. So much easier when you know that you'll be okay if you reach failure. Next week, I'm going to try squatting deeper with the same weight. My shoulder was still giving me a lot of trouble today and its the only bodypart which doesn't seem to be getting any stronger. I may have no choice soon but to rest it. I think I'll make a note of all the excercises that are uncomfortable and just leave those out for a week. 30 minutes steady cardio on cross-trainer to finish off.

Went shopping for clothes today and had to buy a new belt – unbelievably, I had to buy the small one!! This was quite a revelation! I almost bought some trousers with a 30” waist but, whilst I could easily fit into them, they were slightly too snug so I went for the 32”. (why don't they do a 31” ?) Anyway, felt good to be buying smaller clothes and, even the changing room mirror was kind :)

This afternoon I had some running shoes professionally fitted. They filmed me running both in my old trainers and also in bare feet. Then I tried a few supportive pairs trainers of trainers. It was an interesting experience and watching the difference between them made it clear what the cause of my shinsplints has been. When I got home, I tested them out and, even though there was the smallest twinge in my shin about 6 minutes in, it didn't amount to anything and I ended up doing a full hour which I haven't done in such a long time (7.5miles total!! :D )
 
I wasn't going to train last night as I woke up with a bit of a cold yesterday (there is something going around atm) but, I figured, if I've had it after 10 minutes, at least I tried! I did 25mins intervals using a 10% incline and 7.5mph for the intense bits. Was hard work but, felt good I'd managed it.

Still got a bit of a cold today but, will apply the same theory and try to workout anyway. New running shoes still doing the trick although, yet again, I seem to be neglecting my other cardio equipment. Haven't been on the bike for ages!
 
Well, I was right to give it a go - that was an excellent workout! Deadlifting almost 200lbs now which, considering my current weight (about 150lbs), I am definitely pleased with. Bent over rows using the olympic bar was a new addition and I could use the full range of motion of the muscles. Hit my abs hard tonight, weighted crunches and oblique crunches - 100 total. Should hurt in the morning.

25mins steady state on the treadmill to finish, still no shinsplints! Whoo-hoo :jump1:

Kickboxing tomorrow.
 
Haven't been on the bike for ages!
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oh just throw it away then...(my way ;))
hehe...
i have been planning to buy a bike or eleptical whatever is cheap..went to buy a barbell with 10kg weight a couple of days ago.and boy was it expensive:eek: plus when i see u lifting 200lbs 20 something lbs look miserable.
so i ditched the idea..
i will be contented with treadmill for quite some time now:(
 
slimsadie said:
oh just throw it away then...(my way ;))
hehe...
i have been planning to buy a bike or eleptical whatever is cheap..went to buy a barbell with 10kg weight a couple of days ago.and boy was it expensive:eek: plus when i see u lifting 200lbs 20 something lbs look miserable.
so i ditched the idea..
i will be contented with treadmill for quite some time now:(
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I'm sure the novelty of the treadmill will wear off in a few weeks and I'll be back on the bike for my HIIT sessions before long so, I won't be throwing it out! ;)

Don't worry too much about the cost of weights as they don't depreciate at all. I still have a 40kg weight set that I bought about 20 years ago and, if I sold it, I would still get the same amount for it as I paid for it. Now, do NOT get disheartened due to the weights I am lifting. We are a different gender, have been training with different intesities and I imagine we have very different goals. If anything, the fact that I am making progress should motivate you as if I can do it, I am pretty sure anyone can!! :)

Kickboxing was even better last night. The guy I partnered with was alot more aggressive and didn't mind me kicking him quite hard which actually made it easier. The only thing I couldn't manage was pressups on the back of my hands (fingertips were okay which amazed me!). I think I have done something to my wrist thats been niggling for the last couple of weeks, hopefully just a sprain or something. I'm off to the doctor today to get it checked out, just to be safe.

Chest & tris later which I'm looking forward to. I may plan totally new workouts this weekend if I have enough time.
 
Not happy today. Went to the Doctors about my wrist yesterday and he suspects a torn ligament. If I carry on training, apparently it'll never heal......NEVER?! :eek: That sounds like a really, really long time!!

I foolishly trained last night to prove to myself that it was actually alright and it really wasn't alright. Some excercises were fine but, bench press and incline press were extremely painful.

There is no way I'm going to totally stop training but, I am going to sit down and remove all the excercises which are too painful from my workout for a while. Tomorrow should be okay as its legs day (and shoulders but, I should only need to remove shoulder presses) I will then take a break from weights for a week. I am really getting sick of these injuries but, as I don't realise at the time they occur, I'm not sure what I could have done differently. I will have to be particularly strict with my nutrition and maybe up the cardio a bit.

On a more positive note, I managed t do some fasted cardio this morning (30mins).
 
Not happy today. Went to the Doctors about my wrist yesterday and he suspects a torn ligament. If I carry on training, apparently it'll never heal......NEVER?! That sounds like a really, really long time!!

I foolishly trained last night to prove to myself that it was actually alright and it really wasn't alright
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if u didnt slow down Mr ,guess who will come all the way to England to give u a good spanking?:| u better not try to prove the doc wrong.

i am very sorry to hear that u are in such pain.
TC
sadie
 
I know, you're right. I behaved yesterday and skipped weights altogether - didn't feel good about it though :( I did an hour on the treadmill instead and will do some HIIT later but, it just doesn't feel like I'm giving 100% if I don't do weights.

Assuming I don't make a miraculous recovery overnight, I will probably skip wieghts all week and give my body a chance to rest properly. Perhaps then I can start again next week with lighter weights and a wrist support?!

Of course, this means I will also have to give kickboxing a miss on Thursday which is annoying because I've only just started.
 
HIIT with a twist last night. After warming up, I was alternating between 1 minute sprints (10mph) and 1 minute incline (10% @ 7mph). Not sure which I found harder. While I was sprinting, I was wishing for inclines and vice versa! lol. I did some ballplanks afterwards and got the ball a bit sweaty so my elbow almost slipped off!!

My wrist feels alot better today since I've been resting it which suggests to me that perhaps it is a sprain rather than ligament damage. I'm very tempted to try weights later on but, I realise that would be foolish so, I shall carry on with the week off that I promised myself which I'm really not enjoying.
 
Well, sometimes I am my own worst enemy and, as such, I tentatively did a few back & bicep excercises. Wrist doesn't feel too bad as, the moment I felt any discomfort, I stopped. I also wore a wrist support which helped quite a bit. No way its a torn ligament so, I suspect the doctor was being cautious. Will hopefully be able to attend kickboxing tomorrow night.

30 mins steady state run afterwards.
 
I didn't go to kickboxing last night so, took the day as a rest day from excercise altogether.

Did chest & triceps tonight - using the wrist support, my wrist felt pretty much back to normal and, my shoulder didn't give me any grief either so it looks like I'm all fixed :D I will be careful to stretch and warmup before weights from now on.

Time for some progress pics again:

This one is totally relaxed

This one is with stomach muscles tensed.

Again, I'm very pleased with the progress in just a month since the last lot. Definition has increased a lot more than I had expected and, progress hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. Looking at these compared to my earlier photos really makes all the nutrition and excercise worthwhile :) There is still a layer of fat covering my lower 2 abs but, it is gradually decreasing and hopefully won't be there for much longer.
 
woohoo new pics;)
what is your bf% chris?u look very very very lean i think it should be around 10-12%.and honey i cant see any fats on your lower abs to be honest.and i agree its huge improvement from your before pics which i had to look in your previous threads.
on a side not
u look totally hot...ahem ahem
*blushing*
 
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Thanks Sadie, that means a lot :D

I have no idea what my bodyfat percentage is as I have chosen to only use the mirror to assess my progress this time (which is proving to have been a good decision) although, I would probably guess at around 10 - 12% judging by the definition I'm now seeing. The layer of fat I'm referring to isn't immediately obvious but, I am extremely critical of my own body (aren't we all) so will continue to try and improve it. There is still a small amount of fat also clinging to my lower back too but, it is all reducing at a good rate - a couple more months should make a big difference considering what I've achieved since September.

Nutrition plan goes out of the window tonight so, will try to get some HIIT in before I go out on the town :)
 
My Goodness, it has certainly been a long while since I updated this journal!! I'm happy to report that I've only taken a complete break from the forum, not from training. Still lifting weights 3 days a week and doing cardio 4 or 5 days a week. Weekends have become a little slack on the nutrition front and I'm only eating 100% clean for 4 days out of every 7. This has resulted in very little progress - I've managed to stay pretty much where I was last time I posted, although perhaps a little softer if I'm brutally honest.

I have found myself losing motivation lately so here I am again to inspire myself and hold myself accountable!

More posts to follow....
 
Bad shinsplints yesterday - too bad to run through them. Managed about 2 miles and then had to quit my run.

Not sure if I'll be lifting (legs & shoulders) today or tomorrow but, will definitely be running.

Next week I'll post up my current workout plan and will happily invite comments/ideas.
 
Okay, this is mostly from memory as I forgot to bring my notepad into work but, as it stands, my workout program looks something like this - I'll update the weights I can't remember after the weekend:-

MONDAY (Chest & Triceps)

Pressups (2 x 20)
Bench Press (85kg) 10 x 3
Tricep Pulldowns (?) 10 x 3
Dips 10 x 3
Incline Dumbell Press (17.5kg) 10 x 3
Kickbacks (?) 10 x 3
Bench Flyes (?) 10 x 3
Leg raises/scissors (2 x 20) x 2 (with these, I hold my legs 5" off the ground for 20 secs between sets)
30 mins steady state treadmill

TUESDAY

25mins treadmill HIIT

WEDNESDAY (Back & biceps)

Deadlift (95kg) 10 x 3 (100kg has been a big goal of mine since 60kg...almost there!)
Barbell curls (30kg) 10 x 3
Pullups (55kg) 10 x 3 (don't have a chin bar so, improvise with the pulldown machine)
Lat pulldown (55kg) 10 x 3
Bicep curls (machine) (25kg) 10 x 3
One armed rows (22.5kg) 10 x 3
Weighted crunches (10kg) 20 x 3
side bends (20kg) 20 x 3
30 mins cross trainer

THURSDAY

45 - 60mins steady state treadmill

FRIDAY (legs & shoulders)

Squats (75kg) 10 x 3
Machine squats (90kg) 10 x 2
Cuban snatch (35kg) 10 x 3 (love this excercise!)
Good Mornings (?) 10 x 3
Reverse Flyes (7.5kg) 10 x 3 (I'm being careful with these as they are how I injured my rotator cuff last year)
Calf raises (?) 10 x 3
Shoulder Press (?) 10 x 3
Lateral raises (10kg) 10 x 3
Plank with dumbell transfer (2 x 60 secs) - new to these, quite like them.
30 mins stationery bike


DIET

I am extremely lazy when it comes to diet so, I eat the same every day apart from weekends:-

7am - muesli & skimmed milk, black coffee
10am - chicken & light mayo sandwich on wholemeal bread
1pm - chicken breast, broccolli, olive oil (and a splash of soy sauce)
4pm - protein shake made with milk
7pm - Chicken breast, broccoli and brown rice
10pm - natural peanut butter

Comes in at about 2100 calories which is approximately a 400 calorie deficit from my maintenance (currently cutting.)

Any comments welcome
 
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