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Exercise Week Beginning 26 April 2010

Monday:

Lunchtime exercise today was 5 ladders of 3 rungs of 24kg clean&presses supersetted with 24kg rows. If I am honest, the 24kg is a bit light for these exercises for me now, particularly the rows, but my only heavier kettlebell, the 32kg, is significantly too heavy for both, particularly the presses :O

Finished with 100x24kg snatches, 10L then 10R, then rest for 60s and repeat.

Evening workout was a run on the common, or around the common to be precise. 11.2km – three 3.4km laps plus the 1km it takes to get there and back from our house, done at roughly 6min/km pace, maybe slightly slower than that. What was more remarkable was that after the run I tried a cold bath on my legs for the first time. I did not have any ice to add to it, but I just used cold water from the tap, no hot water allowed! It was great! A little tricky for the first 10-15 seconds, but after that it was ok. Stayed in it for about 10 minutes. Legs felt like somebody else’s for a while, but feel good now, will be interesting to see how they feel tomorrow, or if any DOMS appear later.

Tuesday:

Lunchtime kettlebell workout was:

• 20 mins of 24kg swings on 30:30 split
• 4 sets of 5L5R 24kg presses
• 3L3R 16kg TGUs

Evening workout was just a gentle 6.6km run followed by another cold water bath. They definitely seem to help the sore legs after a run.

Wednesday:

No lunchtime workout today. Evening workout is the usual trip to the gym.

Thursday:

A few impromptu bike rides during the day for errands, and a sesh on the old turbotrainer bike in the shed.

Friday:

Strong kettlebell session at lunchtime, lots of presses, lots of swings, a few squats and light deadlifts. Evening session at the gym was a strong hour of cardio and a sauna.

Saturday:

Dog walk first thing, then a gentle 5-mile run and a cold bath – lovely!

Week Beg. 19th April 2010

Monday

Lunchtime workout:

• 15 minutes of 24kg kettlebell swings on 35:25 split (15×20=300swings)
• 2 x 10 x 24kg kettlebell snatches
• 2 x 8 x 24kg kettlebell presses
• 2 x 8 x 24kg bent over rows
• 5 x 10 x 32kg kettlebell swings (50 total, about 3.5mins)
• 4 x 32kg kettlebell presses (RLRL)

Tuesday:

Struggled for exercise time today as dog#1 cannot be left on his own because of a wound on his leg, but managed to get on a treadmill at the gym tonight. Ran a kilometre at 9km/h to warm up, stretched a little, reset the treadmill and dialled up 12km/h. Pushed out 5km in 24min 59sec equalling my best ever 5km time.

Wednesday:

Sneaked out for a slow jog at lunchtime with dog#2 and padded out another 5km. Actually felt really strong towards the end, wanted to speed up and go further, but not pair on pooch, who’d had enough in the sunshine, so called it quits and took him home.

Started a kettlebell snatch test in the evening, but fucked up my timing on my new crap timer app on my iphone. Wenttoo fast to begin with, doing 50x24kg snatches in 2.05, then realised the timer wasn’t working right, got confused, and tired too fast. Knocked out another 30 snatches in the total of 5 minutes, but spent about 90s of that time standing around breathing heavy and feeling like a bit of a dick. Need a better strategy next time!

Did about 100x24kg swings and about 50x32kg swings. Pressed the 32kg for adeuce on the left side, but only singles on the right. WTF! Finished off with some ugly yoga stretching.

Thursday:

Just a cardio gym trip, rounded out with some deadlifts and BOSU core work.

Friday:

Bike ride today. Took a chunk of the afternoon off and cycled round the New Forest for a few hours. Trouble is, despite a cup of coffee and a snickers at Lepe Beach (15 miles) I ran out of fuel after about 25 miles. I still had another 13 miles to get home. It was my own fault, I should have known better and fuelled better for the ride, but that was a painful ride home, a real grind. Not much fun at all.

Week beginning 12 April 2010

Monday: Did an hour of quite intense cardio at the gym in the evening, including a 5km run in 27min 22s. Felt really hard to run that

Tuesday: 40 hard minutes on the stationery bike (approx 32km/h pace), then remaining 20 minutes on the x-trainer. Stretch, Sauna and Shower, in that order.

Wednesday: Day off!

Week beginning 05 April 2010

Monday: Last day of a long holiday weekend, so didn’t do too much. Leisurely dog walk in the morning and a trip to the gym at lunchtime for some light cardio and SSS (stretch, sauna, shower)

Tuesday: Ah, right, back to *proper* workouts!

• 24kg figure-of-8s to a hold
• double 16kg seesaw presses
• 32kg lunges
• 24kg snatches
• 32kg squats
• 16kg single-leg bent-over rows
• burpees
• double 16kg jerks

8 reps for each exercise, repeat the whole lot a total of 5 times.

I really, really regretted leaving the burpees and jerks to the last exercise of each set, but it did feel good to do a workout again that really got my heart rate up at maximum and had me gasping for breath. The snatches, as usual, were pretty destructive on my hands – kettlebells and climbing may be good partners in some respects, but they are tough on soft tissue – but they actual felt relatively “easy”. Well, not “easy”, but they felt well controlled and as if the technique was smooth and efficient. There may be a snatch test coming up in the near future!

Evening workout was an hour of medium cardio at the gym followed by SSS.

Wednesday: just the one workout today. Ten minutes of 24kg kettlebell swings on a 40:20 split timing. Ten minutes of 30:30 split alternating 24kg presses and jerks. 60 bent over rows with 24kg. 80 pressups and situps

Thursday: Lunchtime was a 5 mile bike ride in the real big outside – first this year – down to the city to swap back some Adidas trackie bottoms I had bought. For a smaller size, medium instead of large, Yay! In the evening I kncoked out about 20 minutes onthe turbo-trainer to get myself warm and then did some kettlebell juggling in the garden. Boy had I forgotten how tough that was! Took it inside and did some swing complexes. For these I used the 24kg kettlebell. Started off with a single-hand swing, followed immediately with a clean & press, then another swing, then a clean & jerk, swing again, and then a snatch. Repeat the whole shebang, then swap arms and do the same on the other side. This is surprisingly tiring given the number of moves, but that’s part of the appeal. The other part is that it really concentrates the mind on the next move. Most kettlebell exercises involve repetition of the same move for a good number of times, maybe 10, maybe 50, but essentially you really “get in the groove”. Combining exercises in this way totally disrupts that groove, but in a good way, because as you are keeping your mind on what’s coming up next you are also refocusing your mind/body on the technique required for it. And let’s face it, the form of the swing is the basis of just about every other kettlebell move, so we should be able to combine them relatively seamlessly. May not work for everybody, but I like it.

Friday: Exercise time this week has been a little short as I’ve had some extra “vet time” after my dog got bitten by an unruly pooch, but I did get to the gym today. Wearing my new Nike 7.0 runners I knocked out 20 mins on the treadmill alternating between 10 and 12 km/h (always best to break in new shoes) then did 10mins on the X-trainer and 15mins on the bike. Finished with some easy dead lifts at 45kg to stretch out my back and legs before the usual SSS. Out for dinner tonight, gonna try and keep it to a salad!

Saturday: Got out on my roadbike for the first time this year. Did 35 miles in a little over two hours of cycling (though I did have a sneaky cup of coffee by the sea from a snackbar half way through!)

Exercise Week beginning 29/03/2010

Monday: Back to it after a lazy, lazy week. Ran for a couple of miles at lunchtime, just dropping off a parcel at the post office. Run felt absolutely awful, really, really difficult to move and no oxygen at all. Feel like I am carrying a weight pack on my back. Though I know damn well it’s all on my belly instead! Must try and pick up the pace this week …

Did about an hour of easy-paced mixed cardio at the gym in the evening and finished with a stretch and sauna.

Tuesday: Did a tough hour of mixed cardio at the gym, stretch and sauna.

Wednesday: Lunchtime workout was 30 minutes of 24kg kettlebell swings on a 30:30 split, giving about 17 swings per minute and a total of 340 swings. Then did 4×5 24kg presses on each side and finished with some “Ugly Yoga”.

Thursday:
Pushed for time today so only managed about 20mins on the turbotrainer, but followed it up with some single-leg clean & presses. Watched a vid of Anthony DiLuglio doing them. Not entirely convinced as to their efficacy, but it’s good to try new things. What was abundantly clear was that even just for the press component of the exercise you have to drop he kettlebell weight from your usual pressing weght. That in itself is useful info as it clearly allows you to isolate one side from the other, which cous help in evening up any disparity in strength between left and right sides.

In the evening i had a huge stretch and even tried a few windmills.

Friday: Nada. Zilch. Rien. Not-a-sausage!

Saturday: Went to the gym but simply never really got started. Ground about about 30 minutes of half-arsed cardio before I gave up and just resigned myself to SSS – stretch, sauna,shower!

Sunday: Four hours of climbing. Did some 5-rated lead climbing on features and a few others. Not a lot of energy for long climbs but enjoyed it nonetheless.

In summary … lacking energy. I’m eating plenty, and relatively healthily, but feel like I am only firing on 3 cylinders instead of 4. Have cut out all “added salt” from my meals this week, but that cannot be anything to do with it, can it? Also, feel like I am not getting enough actual re-energisation from my sleeps. Ach! it was so much easier being fat and unhealthy!

Exercise W/b 22/03/2010

Monday: This is a week of hols for us, so this should be sporadic at best, but today we spent almost 4 hours indoor climbing and doing strength drills on the bouldering walls. My hands are shredded and my muscles from my waist to my fingertips are aching. Which probably tells me that I need to climb with my feet more

Dunno if climbing is good exercise, but it’s a hell of a workout!

Tuesday, Thursday etc: Ah, holidays, always break the resolution to exercise. Weather was lousy so we did not get any long bike rides done. I did do a single kettlebell exercise routine based on 24kg swings split by 32kg bent over single-arm rows, but that was about it. Did some (patent pending) “Ugly Yoga” which really helped to open up my hips, enough so that when I went climbing yesterday I actually noticed a difference in how high I could place my leg on the wall.

All in all though, a rubbish week for exercise, a great one for hols

Exercise Week Beg. 15 March 2010

Friday: Spent 30 minutes on my turbo-trainer bike, then did 200 kettlebell swings with the 24kg (100 singlehanded, 100 doublehanded). Did far too many rubbish situps, then stretched my chest out on the bench.

Thursday: Spent a few hours climbing indoors. Didn’t break any records but did a grade 5 overhang twice in succession. I used to find it hard, but I just fizzed up it. Twice. I also managed to get over another overhang wall that had been beating me, despite it being only a grade 4 climb on rainbow. There are two other colours graded 6 on that particular wall, so room to improve. Went to the gym in the evening. Did about 5 mins of cardio to warm up and spent the rest of the time doing presses and pulls and loads of bodyweight BOSU work.

Wednesday: Bog standard trip to the gym. Bit of medium cardio and a long stretch and sauna.

Tuesday: stuck in a boring, boring, boring class all day, but managed to get to the gym in the evening. Tried for a new record on the stationary bike, managed 36.28km in 60.00 minutes. Superb calorie burn from that.

Monday: Leisurely dog walk. About 50 minutes on turbo-trainer bike in the shed. About 150 16kg presses in seesaw reverse ladder format.

Gym session in the evening was a thirty minute 5km run, a good stretch, and a sauna.

Week of Exercise beg. 08 March 2010

Saturday: Not a day for cardio, or strength work. Or is it? Today was about 4-5 hours spent climbing at Calshot Is climbing cardio, or is it strength work? I really dunno, but I am definitely tried as hell and my arms and shoulders, especially my forearms hurt like hell.

Had a bit of success too! On my last trip to Calshot I managed my first 6a climb and if I am honest, whilst pleased with it, I didn’t feel that it really represented so much of increase in my climbing abilities as it did that I had found a 6a wall that suited my strengths and minimised my weaknesses! Turns out I was wrong – I climbed another two 6a routes today, and all three of the 6a routes were of very different styles. Yay for me, I really must have improved!!!

The first wall was a straight wall, just off the vertical though, leaning back towards me as I climbed. This is it here:

This is rated 6a for using the pink holds only. The insert on the pic shows the wall on close up and maybe gives a better view of it. It’s mainly power and endurance that are the key to this climb. The slope back towards to you is not massive, but it is present for the whole of the climb and does drain you as you climb. The holds are a decent size and shape with the trickiest section technically being the middle, once above that, it’s really just a matter of perseverance and durability.

My second 6a was a pure feature climb – no holds either supplied or allowed! It was also called the Twiglet and you can see why in the picture below:

The insert in the pic gives a better feel for the climb. You are only allowed to climb on the side that slopes towards you for the 6a route. The other side is a grade 5 lead climb. In fact for an even better idea of what this climb is like see the video below:

Loads of fun doing this climb, felt like I was 8 years old again climbing trees

My third 6a climb is one which has enticed me for a few weeks. It’s rated 6a for green holds and features, but the features soon run out about half-way up the wall. The wall slopes away from you gently, which obviously does make it easier, but the green holds on the wall are small and awkward mostly, requiring a decent amount of grip strength, and they are quite widely spaced requiring a fair amount of thought with regard to your route up the wall. Not the best pic in the world:

but the following video maybe shows it better:

Alongside all this I climbed a new 5+ route on a vertical wall and also a grade 5 features-only route with extensive bridging.

Friday: Bit of an easy day today, just some 24kg presses, 50 each side. Done in an approximate reverse ladder format 10 down to 3-ish. Really showed disparity in strength between left and right, or if not strength then endurance.

Thursday: Legs still a bit painful, but managed to squeezeout an hour of medium cardio at the gym and some light deadlifts. Highlight was getting in the new sauna at the gym. Can’t say I noticed much difference between the old and the new but I appreciate the effort …

Wednesday: Legs are like lead today, may have to be a day off. We’ll see.

Bit of photoshop fun today:

Yep, legs were tired today, so kept the exercise down to 30 mins of light cardio, some planks and another long stretch.

Tuesday: Run Run Run!

Well, Eddie the dog did run a fair bit … I just jogged along. I had some paperwork to deliver downtown so we ran across the common there and back for an easy 5 mile run, but with lots of greenery for Eddie to sprint around on – he must have done 10 miles in total!

In the evening I went to the gym and did 30mins of X-trainer followed by the good long stretch I should have done after my run! No sauna unfortunately, as the gym is having a new one installed!

Monday: 1000 swings!

• 100x16kg hand2hand swings
• 50x16kg single hand swings (left)
• 50x16kg single hand swings (right)
• 100x16kg hand2hand swings
• 100x20kg hand2hand swings
• 50x20kg single hand swings (left)
• 50x20kg single hand swings (right)
• 50x20kg double hand swings
• 50x20kg double hand swings
• 50x24kg hand2hand swings
• 50x24kg hand2hand swings
• 4x25x24kg single hand swings (L+R)
• 4x25x24kg double hand swings
• 10x10x32kg double hand swings

GRAND TOTAL = 1000swings

Wot? No blog updates?

OK, so I have been busy and distracted and haven’t updated my blog. Been some personal stuff going on, those of you who know me properly will know what that’s about, those that don’t, don’t need to. Move along now, nothing to see here …

Actually, that’s not true – last week I  climbed an indoor 6a wall for the first time!

This week has been a mixed bag. Monday was an easy 3-4 mile run with Eddie the dog. Tuesday was a 10km lunchtime run followed by a trip to the gym for 30mins of warm-up cardio, some weights on the BOSU and a sauna. Wednesday was burpees & kettlebell swings followed by one-legged squats & renegade rows.

Thursday (today) I thought about restarting Enter the Kettlebell program with the 24kg, but I am just not sure it is right for me just now. For a start, there is the question of what weight to use. I have gone through ETK previously using the 20kg kettlebell, but today I did 3 ladders of 5 rungs for 24kg presses and pull-ups and I could have done more. With that in mind, and considering I have not been doing many presses of late, 24kg is perhaps too easy for me now? Here is a short vid of me doing 5x24kg kettlebell presses on each side – not really pushing me, is it?

I have a 32kg kettlebell, but there’s absolutely no way I could use that, leaving me with the option of buying a 28kg bell, which from a purely financial point of view I would very much rather not do. Also, looking at myself in the videos I recorded today, perhaps I would be better served applying my energies to losing weight rather than gaining yet more muscle at this point in time. Yes, muscle is good, no arguments, but my joints also have to carry around every pound I weigh, whether it’s muscle or fat, and they could probably benefit from a reduction in payload!

Anyway, after the press/pullup ladders I rattled out some swings followed by some stability/balance work on my BOSU:

1) Some simple one-legged “aeroplane” stance with kicks on transition.

2) Some bent-over 16kg kettlebell rows – but done one-legged while balancing on the BOSU. Switching from same-leg/same-arm to opposite leg/arm makes a sizable difference with this.

3) Some dog-assisted BOSU two-legged squats, trying hard to keep my knees from “frogging” outwards.

4) Some one-legged BOSU squats – my fave!

EDIT: Update. A 28kg cast bell is £50, a comp bell is £67.50. Both from Wolversons, both plus delivery costs.