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    #61
    and POP goes the calf.

    10 minutes into the game tonight I was moving towards the wing when I heard an audible pop and my right calf seized up. This isn't going to be good.

    Sitting with ice wrapped it around it now and the leg elevated, going to pop some inflamms and hope that it's only a small short term problem.

    Diet needs to be tighter than ever now
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      #62
      So, calf has gone down significantly and I'll be back in the gym tomorrow night. Will focus on upper body though as I think I probably need to give it a couple of weeks to recover. Still sore if I put any real pressure on it, walking is fine, running is impossible.

      Having had the guts of 2 weeks without training and culminating in 4 days in Prague I was pleasantly surprised to find my weight static this week from last weeks weigh-in. I was watching what I was eating and tried to make sure I kept the calories low even though there was a lot of temptation about. Hopefully with getting back training this week I'll start to see a continuing drop on the scales.

      Starting Weight 102kg (224lbs)
      Current Weight 92kg (203lbs)
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        #63
        First night back in the gym for the bones of two weeks and boy did I feel it, really unhappy with the session but at least it's done and I can start looking to make progress again. Will still be off football for another week or two at least I guess, calf still isn't great which is also going to limit my gym work unfortunately.

        Anyway tonight comprised of

        Dumbbell Chest Press (17.5kg), One Arm bent over row (20kg), Lying sprints 2*12 / 1 minute break / 2*12

        Press Ups, Inverted Rows, plank jacks 2*10 / 1 minute break / 2*10

        Alternating arm rows, half get ups (both 5kg) 8 per arm, 1 minute break, 4 sets


        As I said above, poor enough session for the first one back. Wasn't really happy with any of it, but I think I went in with the wrong frame of mind so I'm going to put it behind me. Onwards and upwards!
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          #64
          would recommend doing 10-20 mins of cardio, if even just the bike at the start. Followed by some stretching.
          So many people dont stretch properly and put tight muscles under pressure they aint used to. Take 10mins + on stretching after a little cardio at the start of your session, and you wont know yourself. Especially with the calf.
          if your feeling brave, work out the torn muscle with some difene gel. Find the spot of pain and go to war on it. Cant do any harm * (non medical opinion). keep stretching it until it feels back to normal also

          eventually in a few weeks - gradually easing yourself into some calf raises and strengthening your legs will be important. That a long with proper stretching should have you back playing footy soon

          Good luck with it and dont let the set back knock you off the tracks!
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            #65
            Originally posted by Semibluff View Post
            would recommend doing 10-20 mins of cardio, if even just the bike at the start. Followed by some stretching.
            So many people dont stretch properly and put tight muscles under pressure they aint used to. Take 10mins + on stretching after a little cardio at the start of your session, and you wont know yourself. Especially with the calf.
            if your feeling brave, work out the torn muscle with some difene gel. Find the spot of pain and go to war on it. Cant do any harm * (non medical opinion). keep stretching it until it feels back to normal also

            eventually in a few weeks - gradually easing yourself into some calf raises and strengthening your legs will be important. That a long with proper stretching should have you back playing footy soon

            Good luck with it and dont let the set back knock you off the tracks!
            cheers mate, appreciate the advice.

            I try and walk most nights and it's loosened up considerably over the course of the week. I'm kind of hopeful of being able to do some light jogging on it next week, but we'll see.
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              #66
              Had a much improved gym session tonight, it's still depressing how weak I am, but at least I feel I got a decent workout in and I felt good at the end of it.

              Assisted pull-ups BW 10*4 & Dumbbell seated shoulder press 10*4 (15kg)

              Assisted dips BW 10*4 & Chest Supported dumbbell row 10*4 (17.5kg)

              Kneeling one arm shoulder press 10*4 (10kg) & One arm kneeling lat pulldown 10*4 (16kg)

              Half get-ups 30*4 total

              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

              I need to improve my strength but baby steps is the only way I'll make progress. Another session in the morning, hopefully it'll be a good one.
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                #67
                Yup, little by little man. I've been at for ages and i'm still comparatively puny.

                Getting there though, and so will you if you stick at it and keep the diet clean.

                And yeah +1 to a decent warmup. It's absolutely vital. Cooldown too.

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                  #68
                  Friday

                  Dumbbell Chest Press (17.5kg), One Arm bent over row (20kg), floor sprints 2*12 / 1 minute break / 2*12

                  Press Ups, Inverted Rows, plank jacks 2*10 / 1 minute break / 2*10

                  Kneeling one arm shoulder press 10*4 (12.5kg), Seated Row 10*4 (25kg(I think))

                  ~~~~
                  Monday

                  Press Ups, Inverted Rows, plank jacks 2*12 / 1 minute break / 2*12

                  Dumbbell Chest Press 4*12 (17.5kg), One Arm bent over row 4*12 (20kg), floor sprints 4*30 seconds

                  Assisted dips BW 10*4 & Chest Supported dumbbell row 10*4 (17.5kg)
                  ~~~~~~~~~
                  Tuesday

                  Assisted pull-ups BW 8*4 & Dumbbell seated shoulder press 12*4 (15kg)

                  Kneeling one arm shoulder press 10*4 (12.5kg), One arm kneeling lat pulldown 10*4 (16kg)

                  Half get-ups 20*4 (5kg), Alternating arm row 16*4 (5kg), Burpees 12*4

                  45 minutes on the exercise bike, 25km at level 3

                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                  Cycle went fine yesterday and I've been walking every day to keep the calf loose and it seems to be working alright. I'm hoping to go back to some light jogging next week and start to build it back up from there. In the meantime I'll keep up the walking and light cycling and see how I go.

                  Presuming the calf holds up ok I'll go back deadlifting next week at some stage. I might even try some light lifts towards the end of this week to see how it is, nothing heavy but just enough to check it's capabilities.
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                    #69
                    I said to my trainer "Put on more weights" he said "there are no more...."

                    In the interest of giving myself a couple of benchmarks to see my progress I'm going to do a mini-testing session next week. By way of preparation I decided to use my time today to do a pre-test run through.

                    Having not benched at all since coming back training I figured that would be a good place to start

                    Bench
                    10*20kg (Bar Only)
                    8*40kg
                    8*50kg
                    5*60kg
                    3*65kg
                    3*67.5kg

                    Assisted Chins
                    10*BW
                    2 minute rest
                    6*BW

                    Press Ups (30 seconds)
                    20
                    2 minute rest
                    14
                    2 minute rest
                    10

                    Inverted Rows (30 seconds)
                    20
                    2 minute rest
                    17

                    So I'll do a full test to set a benchmark early next week and while I fully expect it to be fairly miserable all things considered it will hopefully be something I can look back on in a years time and laugh at.
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                      #70
                      Did a 5k (treadmill) on Saturday.

                      Spent the first 6 minutes or so feeling out the calf and took my time to ramp up to a steady 10kph pace, enough to keep me moving but not enough to put any undue pressure on until I hit 4k.

                      For the last Km I increased to

                      12 - 200 meters
                      13 - 200 meters
                      14 - 300 meters
                      16 - 200 meters

                      and then into a warm down. Calf seemed ok with the increased speeds but has been a little tender since Sunday as a result.

                      Going to stay away from football for another week and hopefully go back to playing from next Wednesday on. Will still hit the gym for weights this week, but I'll probably leave deadlifting for another week to be sure.
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                        #71
                        Progress, not Perfection!

                        Although I couldn't do a full testing session (still can't deadlift with my calf) I did "attempt" one tonight. In part I wish I had done something similar at the outset of the training to see what (if any) progress I had made, but I'm also glad I didn't. It would have been embarrassing beyond belief

                        As it is tonights results have done little but highlight how much work I have left to do, and have given me a benchmark to work from. As I've been focused on weight loss rather than building strength I'm not overally concerned as to the relative merits of my test, other than it offering a starting point for me to measure progress.

                        Bench
                        20kg * 10
                        50kg * 8
                        60kg * 3
                        65kg * 1
                        70kg * 1
                        75kg * 1
                        80kg * 1

                        Press-Ups
                        27 in 60 seconds

                        Inverted Rows
                        22 in 60 seconds

                        Chins
                        2 (and let us never speak of this again )

                        Starting weight: 226lbs
                        Starting chest: 119cms
                        Starting waist: 113cms
                        Starting hips: 118cms

                        Caliper Measurements
                        Bicep: 13.25
                        Tricep: 20
                        Subscap: 26.25
                        Subrailiac: 26
                        Starting BF%: 31% (approx)

                        Current weight: 202lbs
                        Current chest: 108cm
                        Current waist: 100cm
                        Current hips: 108cm

                        Caliper Measurements
                        Bicep: 8.25
                        Tricep: 13.75
                        Subscap: 21.5
                        Subrailiac: 16.5
                        Current BF%: 26% (approx)

                        So, progress made, perfection a long way way, and work ongoing!
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                          #72
                          serious progress. keep it up!

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                            #73
                            You can do more chins than my mate who comes to the gym with me every time and even goes more often that that.

                            1 Chin up is impressive as most people literally cant do one.

                            Keep er lit, you're getting there, ever closer.
                            This may or may not be an original thought of my own.
                            All efforts were made to make this thought original but with the abundance of thoughts in the world the originality of this thought cannot be guaranteed.
                            The author is not liable for any issue arising from the platitudinous nature of this post.

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                              #74
                              Thursday

                              Haven't been able to do any legs work for the guts of a month following my calf injury and have done very little conditioning work over the last 2-3 weeks because of missing sessions and doing test/progress sessions.

                              So onto Thursday's session

                              Step Ups 60 seconds (30 per leg) at BW with 30 seconds of floor sprints (*4) and 1 minute breaks

                              Reverse Lunges 30 seconds (BW) with 30 seconds of floor jacks (*4) and 1 minute breaks

                              Mountain Climbs 40 seconds with 1 minute break

                              Rope slams 10 seconds on 20 seconds off for 2 minutes, 1 minute break and repeat

                              While it was a big step backwards in terms of progress I really felt it this morning, and this evening the DOMs has well and truly set in. I forsee a close acquaintance with a foam roller in my future.

                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                              Friday

                              Bench
                              10 * 20kg
                              10 * 50kg
                              8 * 60kg
                              7 * 60kg
                              8 * 55kg


                              disappointing to have to drop back on the bench, but the strength just wasn't there (yet)

                              supersetted with
                              Bent Over Barbell Row
                              10 * 20kg
                              10 * 40kg
                              10 * 50kg
                              10 * 50kg
                              10 * 50kg

                              Seated Dumbell Shoulder Press
                              10 * 15kg (*4)
                              with
                              Chest Supported row
                              10 * 17.5kg (*2)
                              10 * 22.5kg (*2)

                              Press Ups
                              10 * BW (*4)
                              with
                              Face Pulls
                              10 * 18kg (8)

                              sleep
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                                #75
                                Back working on the calf again and came through the first session unscathed (I hope)

                                Deadlift
                                10 * 40kg
                                10 * 60kg
                                10 * 90kg
                                10 * 90kg
                                10 * 90kg
                                10 * 90kg

                                Incline Dumbbell Press
                                10 * 15kg
                                10 * 20kg
                                10 * 20kg
                                10* 20kg
                                10 * 20kg

                                Chest Supported Row
                                10 * 40kg
                                10 * 50kg
                                10 * 50kg
                                10 * 50kg
                                10 * 50kg

                                Squat
                                10 * 20kg
                                10 * 40kg
                                10 * 55kg
                                10 * 55kg
                                10 * 55kg

                                Plank get ups 8 per arm * 3
                                Half get ups 8 per arm * 3
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                                  #76
                                  Bench
                                  10 * 20kg
                                  10 * 50kg
                                  8 * 60kg
                                  8 * 60kg
                                  7 * 60kg
                                  10 * 50kg (failed on 11th)

                                  supersetted with
                                  Bent Over Barbell Row
                                  10 * 20kg
                                  10 * 40kg
                                  10 * 60kg
                                  10 * 60kg
                                  10 * 60kg
                                  10 * 60kg

                                  Seated Dumbell Shoulder Press
                                  10 * 15kg
                                  10 * 17.5kg
                                  10 * 17.5kg
                                  10 * 17.5kg
                                  with
                                  Chest Supported row
                                  10 * 20kg
                                  10 * 22.5kg
                                  10 * 22.5kg
                                  10 * 22.5kg

                                  Inverted Rows & Press Ups (no break until completion)
                                  7 & 7
                                  6 & 6
                                  5 & 5
                                  4 & 4
                                  3 & 3*
                                  2 & 2*
                                  1 & 1*

                                  *last couple of "sets" of press-ups were on my knees tbh, still a long way to go for me unfortunately
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                                    #77
                                    Lower the reps and up the weight.

                                    Go for 5-8 reps with your sets. The lower end allows you to progress faster and recover faster too.

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                                      #78
                                      Originally posted by Emmet View Post
                                      Lower the reps and up the weight.

                                      Go for 5-8 reps with your sets. The lower end allows you to progress faster and recover faster too.
                                      I always thought that more reps + lower weight was better for weight loss, and lower reps + higher weight was better for strength building?

                                      Maybe it doesn't make a huge difference and both will have a similar impact given the starting point.
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                                        #79
                                        Lower reps (3-6) are condusive to strength gains.
                                        Mid range reps (8-12) are conducive to size gains.
                                        High reps reps (12+) are for building muscular endurance.

                                        In terms of weight loss, there isn't a huge difference, the idea is that moving weight uses energy. Moving a big weight a few times, or a small weight lots of times uses similar energy. Strictly speaking, low weight high reps allows a greater total weight to be moved (50kg x 8 is easier to do than 80kg x 5, even though both are 400kg). However, the reason I'd suggest the lower reps is that there is a much greater increase in metabolic rate afterwards due to repair. Also, getting stronger means that future workouts burn more calories.
                                        Finally, even though the gains will be minimal whiel on a deficit, it makes sense to me that a person trying to lose weights would benefit more from building strength without size rather than putting on mass with out strength gains. (but remember the two never occur in isolation, jsut which is favoured)

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                                          #80
                                          Monday

                                          11-a-side friendly, good in that I got back playing. Bad in that by the end both calves cramped at the same time and the right one is still a bit tender from the injury. Good to be back though

                                          ~~~~
                                          Tuesday

                                          Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
                                          10 * 17.5kg
                                          10 * 17.5kg
                                          10 * 17.5kg
                                          10 * 17.5kg

                                          Chest Supported row
                                          10 * 22.5kg
                                          10 * 22.5kg
                                          10 * 22.5kg
                                          10 * 22.5kg

                                          Bench
                                          10 * 20kg
                                          10 * 50kg
                                          8 * 60kg
                                          8 * 57.5kg
                                          8 * 55kg

                                          One arm Row
                                          10 * 25kg
                                          10 * 27.5kg
                                          10 * 27.5kg
                                          10 * 27.5kg

                                          Face Pulls & Press Ups
                                          10 of each * 4 sets

                                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                          Thursday

                                          Squat
                                          10 * 20kg
                                          10 * 50kg
                                          10 * 55kg
                                          10 * 55kg
                                          10 * 55kg

                                          Bent over barbell Row
                                          10 * 40kg
                                          10 * 50kg
                                          10 * 50kg
                                          10 * 50kg

                                          Incline dumbbell chest press
                                          10 * 17.5kg
                                          10 * 20kg
                                          10 * 25kg
                                          10 * 25kg
                                          10 * 25kg

                                          Walking Lunges
                                          8 per leg * bodyweight
                                          8 per leg * 15kg per hand * 4

                                          One Arm Kneeling Shoulder Press
                                          10 * 15kg per arm * 4 sets

                                          One Arm Kneeling Pull downs
                                          10 * 20.4kg per arm * 4 sets
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                                            #81
                                            Deadlift
                                            10 * 40kg
                                            10 * 80kg
                                            10 * 100kg
                                            10 * 115kg
                                            8 * 115kg

                                            Barbell Push Press
                                            10 * 20kg
                                            10 * 30kg
                                            10 * 30kg
                                            10 * 35kg
                                            10 * 35kg

                                            Band Assisted Chins
                                            8 * BW * 5 sets

                                            Incline Barbell Press
                                            10 * 40kg * 4 sets

                                            One Arm Dumbbell Row
                                            10 * 17.5kg
                                            10 * 30Kg * 3 sets

                                            Prowler
                                            1 * 15 seconds * 60kg
                                            5 * 15 seconds * 70kg
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                                              #82
                                              Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
                                              10 * 17.5kg
                                              10 * 17.5kg
                                              10 * 17.5kg

                                              Rising Chins
                                              10 * BW * 3

                                              Bench Press
                                              10 * 20kg
                                              10 * 40kg
                                              8 * 60kg
                                              8 * 60kg
                                              8 * 60kg

                                              One arm Row
                                              10 * 17.5kg
                                              8 * 20kg
                                              8 * 25kg
                                              8 * 30kg
                                              8 * 30kg

                                              Step Ups
                                              8(per leg) * BW

                                              Only 1 set of these as my calf twinged early on in the set, no point risking making it worse

                                              One Leg Squat
                                              8(per leg) * BW
                                              8(per leg) * 10kg (per arm) * 4

                                              Inverted Rows & Press Ups
                                              Declining reps starting at 8 reducing to 1, for time 4:19 (last few press ups were on my knees again, but now there's something to aim for)
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                                                #83
                                                This has all become very boring, and while I doubt anybody else really cares I'm going to step away from the exercise log element for this post and talk a little more about the impacts, thought process, high and low points of this journey. This is going to be long, and rambling, so apologies in advance to anyone that reads it!

                                                I think the first thing I’d like to point out (for myself) is that I’ve made a lot of progress. The reason I want to put this down in writing is that I don’t really see the progress I’m making. I mean I notice that my clothes are a lot looser and I’m having to wear trousers that are smaller and buy new belts that do more than just hang loosely on my waist and so on, but when I look in the mirror I don’t see a massive change. When I get on the scales I can see that the number is lower from when I started out it’s still only trickling down, in no small part due to my unwillingness to completely overhaul my diet.

                                                To put a bit of context on it;

                                                My initial bodyfat% (in an earlier post) was understated, I had taken a reading from a mid-point session rather than a starting point, so the number here is bigger.

                                                BodyFat: -28lbs (35% drop) this is approximate to be fair
                                                Chest: -4 inches (8.5% drop)
                                                Waist: -5 inches (11% drop)
                                                Hips: -4 inches (8.5% drop)

                                                The above are not insignificant numbers by any means and I’m now lighter than I’ve been at any stage in my 30’s and heading towards the weight I was when I was last playing competitive sport nearly 8 years ago. I’m still around 15lbs heavier than I was when I was regularly playing competitive sport and in probably my best shape, but I’m also nearly 10 years older so it’s harder to hold it

                                                The reason it’s important for me to write that down is that I’ve come from a position where I was, at one long forgotten point, actually one of the fitter members of my squad. So my progress to date doesn’t hold any great news for me. I’m still massively out of shape, unfit and weak. So I still have a long way to go.

                                                The second thing that I want to talk about is something that I think is missed by a lot of people, me included until I started this, and that’s the psychological impacts and barriers to losing weight or training hard. The hardest part of this for me isn’t the training, I mean the training is really difficult and at times I’ve felt physically sick and unable to continue for even a few seconds more and I’ve spent and continue to spend days after training where I ache from head to toe but that I can deal with. Figuring out why I reach for chocolate, or pizza, or coke or bread on an ongoing basis despite my best intentions is something else altogether.

                                                For a long time I thought that it was a willpower thing, or an internal weakness, but I think it’s more fundamental than that. I don’t want to. Very simple and very blunt. My desire to lose weight and get back into shape is < my desire to eat food that I enjoy when I want to eat it. Sometimes that’s ok because the food I eat is good for me and while it may be a high calorie day, they are good calories. However there are days that are really bad for me, but that I really enjoy. For example, I have had days where I had a fry for breakfast, Eddie Rockets for lunch & Dominoes Pizza for dinner. I don’t feel bad after those days, I don’t feel guilty or physically sick or unwell and again I don’t think those days are the biggest problem. The biggest problem is all the times I find myself having had a bar of chocolate, packet of crisps, can of coke etc without really wanting one. It’s almost a subconscious decision to go and have these things and when I get it into my head then there’s no stopping me. Even though I agonise about it afterwards, I suffer a compulsion that cannot be ignored. Some might say that this is a sign of low willpower, I disagree, it’s more a sign of someone who believes that they should do whatever they want, whenever they want to. That’s probably worse than low willpower but there you go.

                                                On the training itself, and to be very clear, I don’t like giving up the time for training in the gym. I love football and would happily play 2-3 hours a night 7 days a week if I thought I would get away with it. If on the other hand I never saw the inside of a gym again I wouldn’t feel I was missing out on anything! This is my second biggest difficulty because it’s a requirement for me to lose weight and get back into shape. Once I’m in the gym I just get through what I have to get through and go home. I like seeing the weights go up, I like knowing that I’m making progress and I particularly like the heavy lifting exercises like the squat, deadlift and bench press. My capability on those lifts is still limited but I do enjoy them, and still if I never did any of them again I wouldn’t feel like I was missing out. This is clearly a problem in terms of my ongoing fitness, because playing a few hours of football a week has proven to be woefully insufficient in keeping me in shape as evidenced by the last few years of slow and steady weight gain. I’m hoping that at some point I’ll get a Eureka moment and I’ll start enjoying the gym enough that it’s something I look forward to doing rather than being an inconvenience that I have to suffer, but until that point it’s just a case of suck it up and get on with it really.

                                                The last thing I want to point out is the benefit of the other logs in this community, while I’m not yet even in the halfpenny place compared to most there’s real motivation in trying to get my lifts and weights up to the same level they are at now. I accept that by the time I’m there, if I get there, they will have moved way ahead, but that’s not the point. At the moment I look at their weights and logs and think I’ll never get there, so reaching those numbers will be an achievement in itself. I’m happy to do it slowly, because both my technique and strength need a lot of work and there’s no point in injuring myself along the way, but I’ll continue to keep an eye on their progress and critically evaluate it next to my own meagre efforts. I’ve almost managed to talk myself into doing Gaelforce West after reading some of Jackyback’s logs so it might actually be better for my health if I leave it at that

                                                Onwards and upwards....
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                                                  #84
                                                  After my prophetic post this morning I was no more in the mood for a session tonight. However having had to skip both the gym and football last night I figured a crap session was bound to be better than no session at all.

                                                  So a crap session

                                                  Squat
                                                  10 * 20kg
                                                  10 * 40kg
                                                  10 * 50kg
                                                  10 * 60kg
                                                  10 * 70kg

                                                  Bent Over one Arm Row
                                                  10 * 24kg
                                                  10 * 24kg
                                                  10 * 26kg
                                                  10 * 26kg
                                                  10 * 26kg

                                                  Bent over barbell Row
                                                  10 * 30kg
                                                  10 * 50kg
                                                  10 * 50kg
                                                  10 * 50kg

                                                  Incline dumbbell chest press
                                                  10 * 20kg
                                                  10 * 20kg
                                                  10 * 20kg
                                                  10 * 20kg

                                                  One Arm Kneeling Shoulder Press
                                                  10 * 12.5kg per arm * 4 sets

                                                  Lat Pull down
                                                  10 * 40kg * 4 sets
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                                                    #85
                                                    Originally posted by Iago View Post
                                                    This has all become very boring, and while I doubt anybody else really cares I'm going to step away from the exercise log element for this post and talk a little more about the impacts, thought process, high and low points of this journey. This is going to be long, and rambling, so apologies in advance to anyone that reads it!

                                                    I think the first thing I’d like to point out (for myself) is that I’ve made a lot of progress. The reason I want to put this down in writing is that I don’t really see the progress I’m making. I mean I notice that my clothes are a lot looser and I’m having to wear trousers that are smaller and buy new belts that do more than just hang loosely on my waist and so on, but when I look in the mirror I don’t see a massive change. When I get on the scales I can see that the number is lower from when I started out it’s still only trickling down, in no small part due to my unwillingness to completely overhaul my diet.

                                                    To put a bit of context on it;

                                                    My initial bodyfat% (in an earlier post) was understated, I had taken a reading from a mid-point session rather than a starting point, so the number here is bigger.

                                                    BodyFat: -28lbs (35% drop) this is approximate to be fair
                                                    Chest: -4 inches (8.5% drop)
                                                    Waist: -5 inches (11% drop)
                                                    Hips: -4 inches (8.5% drop)

                                                    The above are not insignificant numbers by any means and I’m now lighter than I’ve been at any stage in my 30’s and heading towards the weight I was when I was last playing competitive sport nearly 8 years ago. I’m still around 15lbs heavier than I was when I was regularly playing competitive sport and in probably my best shape, but I’m also nearly 10 years older so it’s harder to hold it

                                                    The reason it’s important for me to write that down is that I’ve come from a position where I was, at one long forgotten point, actually one of the fitter members of my squad. So my progress to date doesn’t hold any great news for me. I’m still massively out of shape, unfit and weak. So I still have a long way to go.

                                                    The second thing that I want to talk about is something that I think is missed by a lot of people, me included until I started this, and that’s the psychological impacts and barriers to losing weight or training hard. The hardest part of this for me isn’t the training, I mean the training is really difficult and at times I’ve felt physically sick and unable to continue for even a few seconds more and I’ve spent and continue to spend days after training where I ache from head to toe but that I can deal with. Figuring out why I reach for chocolate, or pizza, or coke or bread on an ongoing basis despite my best intentions is something else altogether.

                                                    For a long time I thought that it was a willpower thing, or an internal weakness, but I think it’s more fundamental than that. I don’t want to. Very simple and very blunt. My desire to lose weight and get back into shape is < my desire to eat food that I enjoy when I want to eat it. Sometimes that’s ok because the food I eat is good for me and while it may be a high calorie day, they are good calories. However there are days that are really bad for me, but that I really enjoy. For example, I have had days where I had a fry for breakfast, Eddie Rockets for lunch & Dominoes Pizza for dinner. I don’t feel bad after those days, I don’t feel guilty or physically sick or unwell and again I don’t think those days are the biggest problem. The biggest problem is all the times I find myself having had a bar of chocolate, packet of crisps, can of coke etc without really wanting one. It’s almost a subconscious decision to go and have these things and when I get it into my head then there’s no stopping me. Even though I agonise about it afterwards, I suffer a compulsion that cannot be ignored. Some might say that this is a sign of low willpower, I disagree, it’s more a sign of someone who believes that they should do whatever they want, whenever they want to. That’s probably worse than low willpower but there you go.

                                                    On the training itself, and to be very clear, I don’t like giving up the time for training in the gym. I love football and would happily play 2-3 hours a night 7 days a week if I thought I would get away with it. If on the other hand I never saw the inside of a gym again I wouldn’t feel I was missing out on anything! This is my second biggest difficulty because it’s a requirement for me to lose weight and get back into shape. Once I’m in the gym I just get through what I have to get through and go home. I like seeing the weights go up, I like knowing that I’m making progress and I particularly like the heavy lifting exercises like the squat, deadlift and bench press. My capability on those lifts is still limited but I do enjoy them, and still if I never did any of them again I wouldn’t feel like I was missing out. This is clearly a problem in terms of my ongoing fitness, because playing a few hours of football a week has proven to be woefully insufficient in keeping me in shape as evidenced by the last few years of slow and steady weight gain. I’m hoping that at some point I’ll get a Eureka moment and I’ll start enjoying the gym enough that it’s something I look forward to doing rather than being an inconvenience that I have to suffer, but until that point it’s just a case of suck it up and get on with it really.

                                                    The last thing I want to point out is the benefit of the other logs in this community, while I’m not yet even in the halfpenny place compared to most there’s real motivation in trying to get my lifts and weights up to the same level they are at now. I accept that by the time I’m there, if I get there, they will have moved way ahead, but that’s not the point. At the moment I look at their weights and logs and think I’ll never get there, so reaching those numbers will be an achievement in itself. I’m happy to do it slowly, because both my technique and strength need a lot of work and there’s no point in injuring myself along the way, but I’ll continue to keep an eye on their progress and critically evaluate it next to my own meagre efforts. I’ve almost managed to talk myself into doing Gaelforce West after reading some of Jackyback’s logs so it might actually be better for my health if I leave it at that

                                                    Onwards and upwards....

                                                    Yeah man, I know how this feels. But any progress is progress, you just have to try and be disciplined and believe that you'll get there, which you will. Your programmes look solid and the fact you're in the best shape you've been in for years says a lot about your efforts imo.

                                                    Just keep plugging away, I did.

                                                    The gym shouldn't be something you suffer through. Yeah the lunges and stuff kill your legs, but you should relish the challenge and feel good when you come through it all afterwards.

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                                                      #86
                                                      Wed Night

                                                      Two games of 5-a-side, or more correctly one and 3/4 games as I missed the first 15 minutes of the first one.

                                                      ~~~~~~~~~~

                                                      Tues Night

                                                      40 minutes of 11-a-side Astro and

                                                      Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
                                                      10 * 15kg
                                                      10 * 17.5kg
                                                      10 * 17.5kg
                                                      10 * 17.5kg

                                                      Kneeling Chins
                                                      10 * BW * 4

                                                      Bench Press
                                                      10 * 20kg
                                                      10 * 50kg
                                                      8 * 60kg
                                                      8 * 62.5kg
                                                      8 * 62.5kg

                                                      One arm Row
                                                      10 * 20kg
                                                      8 * 35kg
                                                      8 * 35kg
                                                      8 * 35kg*****

                                                      Step Ups
                                                      8(per leg) * 20kg (10kg dumbbells)

                                                      Inverted Rows & Press Ups
                                                      Declining reps starting at 8 reducing to 1, for time 3.47

                                                      ***** I said to my trainer "Put on more weights" he said "There re no more"
                                                      My main gym is a Ben Dunne gym, for reasons best known to himself he has chosen to equip his gyms with dumbbells that only go up to 30kg, I've now officially passed a maximum weight for one of my exercises It's the small victories in life!!!

                                                      All in all a good session, increased my bench, increased my speed and capability on press-ups and inverted rows and increased my overall weight lifted across the session. Still managed to go and play football afterwards and I think my fitness is really coming on now.
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                                                        #87
                                                        still think that you would benefit hugely from upping those weights and dropping the reps.

                                                        Going to move to the bar now that you've cleared the dumbbells?

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                                                          #88
                                                          Originally posted by Iago View Post
                                                          ***** I said to my trainer "Put on more weights" he said "There re no more"
                                                          My main gym is a Ben Dunne gym, for reasons best known to himself he has chosen to equip his gyms with dumbbells that only go up to 30kg, I've now officially passed a maximum weight for one of my exercises It's the small victories in life!!!
                                                          Pretty annoying that it only goes to 30kg.
                                                          as emmet said, time to move to the barbell. Bent over row and/or T-Bar rows should perfect for taking over this spot

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                                                            #89
                                                            Originally posted by Emmet View Post
                                                            still think that you would benefit hugely from upping those weights and dropping the reps.

                                                            Going to move to the bar now that you've cleared the dumbbells?
                                                            Actually I was thinking of approaching the hottest female staff member there and asking would they consider getting some bigger dumbbells as the ones they have are too light for me

                                                            One of the gyms that I work out in has dumbbells that go up to 50kg+ so I'll just do my one arm rows there. I have started to do chest supported rows with dumbbells and barbells and bent over rows with barbells as well.

                                                            As for your first point, I've no doubt you're right (the likes of yourself and mellor would know far more about this than me) and I'll maybe try a couple of different sessions to see how it works out.

                                                            I'll be taking a break after next week anyway as I'm on holiday for a week or so, but maybe have a look at it when I get back.
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                                                              #90
                                                              Barbell Push Press
                                                              10 * 20kg
                                                              10 * 30kg
                                                              10 * 35kg
                                                              10 * 37.5kg
                                                              10 * 39kg

                                                              Band Assisted Chins
                                                              8 * BW * 2 sets
                                                              6 * BW * 2 sets

                                                              Incline Dumbbell Press
                                                              10 * 22.5kg * 4 sets

                                                              Bent over Row
                                                              10* 40kg
                                                              10* 40kg
                                                              10 * 45kg
                                                              10 * 49kg

                                                              Single Arm Pulldown
                                                              10 * 15.9kg
                                                              10 * 20.4kg
                                                              10 * 20.4kg
                                                              10 * 20.4kg
                                                              10 * 20.5kg

                                                              Kneeling one arm Shoulder Press
                                                              10 * 12.5kg * 5

                                                              Trap Bar Deadlift
                                                              5 * 40kg
                                                              5 * 90kg
                                                              3 * 120kg
                                                              1 * 130kg
                                                              1 * 150kg
                                                              1 * 160kg

                                                              All in all a good session, I think I've managed to fix my technique on the push press which I've struggled with to date. Tonight I changed my stance, grip and speed of movement and I was far more comfortable with the movement. Easily went past my previous best, only by 4kg but felt I could have done far more reps as opposed to struggling to 10 as I was previously. Fairly blasted through the incline dumbbell press too which is great, will try and up the weight there for the next session I think.

                                                              Chins are still disappointing, but are getting better and I'll just have to keep working at them.

                                                              Also did a 1RM test on the trap bar deadlift, first time I've done one and was happy enough with the result. Might have been able to get up to 165/170kg but figured stopping at 160kg and leaving something to work towards was the route to go.
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                                                                #91
                                                                Disappointing session tonight, not sure why really but I just felt like there was nothing in the tank and never really got going during the training. Write it off and start again tomorrow


                                                                Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
                                                                10 * 17.5kg
                                                                10 * 17.5kg
                                                                10 * 17.5kg
                                                                8 * 17.5kg

                                                                Kneeling Chins
                                                                10 * BW * 4

                                                                Bench Press
                                                                10 * 12.5kg dumbbell
                                                                10 * 17.5kg dumbbell
                                                                10 * 50kg
                                                                8 * 62.5kg
                                                                8 * 62.5kg
                                                                7 * 62.5kg
                                                                7 * 60kg

                                                                One arm Row
                                                                10 * 32kg
                                                                8 * 35kg
                                                                8 * 35kg
                                                                8 * 35kg

                                                                Step Ups
                                                                8(per leg) * 25kg (12.5kg dumbbells) * 4 sets

                                                                Inverted Rows & Press Ups
                                                                Declining reps starting at 8 reducing to 1, for time 3.12
                                                                Last edited by Iago; 27-09-11, 21:48. Reason: corrected reps
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                                                                  #92
                                                                  Originally posted by Iago View Post
                                                                  Trap Bar Deadlift
                                                                  1 * 160kg
                                                                  Nice work.
                                                                  Your DLs seam to be much better than your squats. Some people just find the movement more natural. The trap bar might allow you to lift, and should keep the load inline with centre so will help the squat, but don't neglect the regular barbell deadlift.

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                                                                    #93
                                                                    Originally posted by Mellor View Post
                                                                    Nice work.
                                                                    Your DLs seam to be much better than your squats. Some people just find the movement more natural. The trap bar might allow you to lift, and should keep the load inline with centre so will help the squat, but don't neglect the regular barbell deadlift.
                                                                    In truth, I just haven't really pushed myself on squats at all as I've only started them recently enough. Went a good bit higher today than previously so that's positive, and I think I just need to get a handle on what I can realistically do.
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                                                                      #94
                                                                      So between work and personal issues this week I haven't really been able to train much. Got in for a session on Tuesday and played one game of 5-a-side on Wednesday but that was about the limit of it. Throw in a couple of nights of eating out and it's been a pretty shit week all round (from the training perspective at least)

                                                                      I wasn't going to train today but given I'm off to Vegas in the morning I guilted myself into doing at least a small session

                                                                      Squats
                                                                      10*20kg
                                                                      5*60kg
                                                                      5*80kg
                                                                      5*85kg
                                                                      5*85kg
                                                                      5*85kg

                                                                      Step-Ups
                                                                      8 per leg *17.5kg per hand * 4 sets

                                                                      Skullcrushers & Close Grip Bench press
                                                                      4 sets * 26.5kg (inc ez curl bar)


                                                                      light enough session to be honest but glad I went at least.
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                                                                        #95
                                                                        First session back after Vegas, felt a little ropey

                                                                        Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
                                                                        10 * 15kg
                                                                        10 * 15kg
                                                                        10 * 17.5kg
                                                                        8 * 17.5kg

                                                                        Kneeling Chins
                                                                        10 * BW * 4

                                                                        Bench Press
                                                                        10 * 20kg
                                                                        10 * 50kg
                                                                        8 * 62.5kg
                                                                        8 * 65kg
                                                                        8 * 65kg
                                                                        8 * 60kg


                                                                        Bent over barbell Row
                                                                        10 * 35kg
                                                                        10 * 55kg
                                                                        10 * 62.5kg
                                                                        10 * 65kg
                                                                        10 * 65kg
                                                                        10 * 65kg

                                                                        One Leg Squat
                                                                        8(per leg) * BW
                                                                        8 * 12.5kg dumbbells * 3 sets

                                                                        A loosener to get me back into it, have 11-a-side tonight and 5-a-side tomorrow and then back to the gym on Thursday evening. Hopefully I'll have blown the cobwebs off by the end of that.
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                                                                          #96
                                                                          In addition to the last post I played 60 minutes of 11-a-side on Tuesday although I was playing centre-half so had less running to do than normal. No football Wednesday as I was caught in work, but back in the gym on Thurs & Fri

                                                                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                                                          Thurs

                                                                          Trap Bar Deadlift
                                                                          10 * 60kg
                                                                          10 * 100kg
                                                                          8 * 120kg
                                                                          8 * 120kg
                                                                          8 * 120kg
                                                                          8 * 120kg

                                                                          Incline Bench Press
                                                                          8 * 40kg
                                                                          8 * 40kg
                                                                          8 * 40kg
                                                                          8 * 40kg

                                                                          Bent Over one Arm Row
                                                                          10 * 30kg
                                                                          10 * 30kg
                                                                          10 * 30kg
                                                                          10 * 30kg

                                                                          Barbell Push Press
                                                                          10 * 35kg
                                                                          10 * 35kg
                                                                          10 * 35kg
                                                                          10 * 35kg

                                                                          Assisted Chins
                                                                          BW * 8 * 4 sets

                                                                          Prowler
                                                                          5 * 80kg * 30 seconds
                                                                          ~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                                          Friday

                                                                          Squat
                                                                          10 * 40kg
                                                                          10 * 60kg
                                                                          8 * 70kg
                                                                          8 * 75kg
                                                                          8 * 80kg
                                                                          8 * 80kg

                                                                          Chest Assisted Row
                                                                          10 * 25kg
                                                                          10 * 25kg
                                                                          10 * 25kg
                                                                          10 * 25kg

                                                                          Decline dumbbell chest press
                                                                          10 * 22.5kg
                                                                          10 * 22.5kg
                                                                          10 * 22.5kg
                                                                          10 * 22.5kg

                                                                          One Arm Kneeling Shoulder Press
                                                                          10 * 15kg per arm * 4 sets

                                                                          One Arm Pull down
                                                                          10 * 20.4kg * 4 sets
                                                                          Last edited by Iago; 15-10-11, 20:16.
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                                                                            #97
                                                                            Bench Press
                                                                            10 * 20kg
                                                                            10 * 50kg
                                                                            8 * 60kg
                                                                            8 * 63kg
                                                                            8 * 63kg
                                                                            8 * 63kg

                                                                            One arm Row
                                                                            10 * 30kg
                                                                            10 * 30kg
                                                                            10 * 30kg
                                                                            10 * 30kg

                                                                            Barbell Floor Press
                                                                            10 * 50kg
                                                                            10 * 50kg
                                                                            10 * 50kg
                                                                            10 * 50kg

                                                                            Bent Over Barbell Row
                                                                            10 * 40kg
                                                                            10 * 60kg
                                                                            10 * 65kg
                                                                            10 * 65kg
                                                                            10 * 65kg
                                                                            10 * 65kg

                                                                            Inverted Rows & Press Ups
                                                                            10 each * 4 sets
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                                                                              #98
                                                                              Missed a couple of sessions last week after over-extending myself playing football. I was some sight on Wednesday night as I flopped out of the bath with my leg curled and completely spasmed up. Just getting too old for the workload I guess!

                                                                              Onto this week

                                                                              Monday 24th

                                                                              Bench Press
                                                                              10 * 20kg
                                                                              10 * 50kg
                                                                              8 * 60kg
                                                                              8 * 65kg
                                                                              8 * 65kg
                                                                              6 * 65kg

                                                                              Bent Over Row
                                                                              10 * 35kg
                                                                              10 * 55kg
                                                                              10 * 65kg
                                                                              10 * 65kg
                                                                              10 * 65kg

                                                                              Kneeling Chins
                                                                              10 * 3 sets

                                                                              Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
                                                                              10 * 15kg
                                                                              10 * 17.5kg
                                                                              10 * 17.5kg

                                                                              One Leg Squats
                                                                              8 per leg * 12.5kg

                                                                              8 per leg * 15kg * 3 sets

                                                                              Inverted Rows & Press Ups
                                                                              Declining sets 8 reps to 1 rep for time, total time 3mins 7secs (slight improvement on my last time)

                                                                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                                              Tuesday 25th

                                                                              Barbell Push Press
                                                                              10 * 20kg
                                                                              10 * 35kg
                                                                              10 * 40kg
                                                                              8 * 40kg
                                                                              8 * 40kg

                                                                              Assisted Chins
                                                                              BW * 8 * 5 sets

                                                                              Decline Dumbbell Press
                                                                              10 * 20kg
                                                                              10 * 22.5kg
                                                                              10 * 22.5kg
                                                                              10 * 22.5kg

                                                                              Chest Assisted Dumbbell Row
                                                                              10 * 25kg
                                                                              10 * 25kg
                                                                              10 * 25kg
                                                                              10 * 25kg

                                                                              One Arm Kneeling Shoulder Press
                                                                              10 * 12.5kg per arm
                                                                              10 * 15kg per arm * 3 sets

                                                                              One Arm Pull down
                                                                              10 * 20.4kg * 4 sets

                                                                              Face Pulls
                                                                              10 * 4 sets * 41kg

                                                                              Followed by 60 minutes of 11-a-side football
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                                                                                #99
                                                                                Going good Gary
                                                                                how do you find your freshness in every day life as your so active?
                                                                                Id imagine it improves a lot?

                                                                                Hows the weight loss going? have you checked body fat? both would be important to properly understand how your getting on
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                                                                                  Originally posted by Semibluff View Post
                                                                                  Going good Gary
                                                                                  how do you find your freshness in every day life as your so active?
                                                                                  Id imagine it improves a lot?

                                                                                  Hows the weight loss going? have you checked body fat? both would be important to properly understand how your getting on
                                                                                  Cheers Donal.

                                                                                  In truth, I feel exhausted all the time. It's a good exhausted though. A year ago I felt tired and exhausted but I wasn't doing anything. I was lethargic and found it hard to get up in the mornings and generally during the day. Now I have more energy, but I'm sore and psychically tired a lot. No problem getting up in the mornings and I feel a lot sharper mentally so positive overall.

                                                                                  Weight loss has stopped dead truth be told. I'm within a lb either side of the weight I was in my update on 23/08, so two months without any discernible change. My diet has suffered in that time and I've had a few trips abroad but overall I would have expected to see some more change than I have. That's disappointing to be honest. I would say that I think I've probably gained some muscle at the expense of fat in that time, but I'd be surprised it that accounted for more than a pound or two. I plan on doing a measurement session on the 21st November so that will give me a better view on progress made.

                                                                                  Overall though I think there are clear signs of progress
                                                                                  - I'm lifting a lot heavier than I was when I started
                                                                                  - I'm able to be far more effective playing football in terms of cardio fitness
                                                                                  - I can climb 3 flights of stairs and be barely out of breath as opposed to huffing and puffing for 20 minutes afterwards
                                                                                  - I've dropped around 3 inches off my waist, and a lot of my shirts and sports tops are swimming on me where they would have been "cosy" beforehand

                                                                                  The big concern for me is diet. I'm nowhere near disciplined enough, and given that I've stood still (pretty much) for two months, if I wasn't doing the level of exercise I'm doing then I'd probably have gained a huge amount of weight in that time. In part that's down to genetics, but in a bigger part it's down to bread and chocolate biscuits
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                                                                                    Friday

                                                                                    Squat
                                                                                    8 * 20kg
                                                                                    8 * 50Kg
                                                                                    8 * 80kg
                                                                                    8 * 85kg
                                                                                    8 * 90kg
                                                                                    8 * 90kg

                                                                                    Chest Assisted Row
                                                                                    10 * 25kg
                                                                                    10 * 25kg
                                                                                    10 * 25kg
                                                                                    10 * 25kg

                                                                                    Decline dumbbell chest press
                                                                                    10 * 17.5kg
                                                                                    10 * 25kg
                                                                                    10 * 25kg
                                                                                    10 * 25kg
                                                                                    10 * 25kg

                                                                                    Walking Lunges
                                                                                    8 per leg * 17.5kg per arm * 4 sets

                                                                                    Jumping Split Squats
                                                                                    8 per leg * 2 sets
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                                                                                      Good numbers already on the squat, hows the depth going?

                                                                                      Any reason why you're splitting the bench with incline and decline bench?

                                                                                      If you're aiming for cutting down, I'd prefer to hit the big compound lifts like a normal bar bell bench press as you're using more muscles and can lift bigger.

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                                                                                        Originally posted by Emmet View Post
                                                                                        Good numbers already on the squat, hows the depth going?

                                                                                        Any reason why you're splitting the bench with incline and decline bench?

                                                                                        If you're aiming for cutting down, I'd prefer to hit the big compound lifts like a normal bar bell bench press as you're using more muscles and can lift bigger.
                                                                                        Cheers Emmet, last night was kind of funny, I blasted through the 80 & 85 and went to 90. As I was setting it up I was half joking and saying "maybe I'll try and get to 100kg tonight" after the first set at 90 "ah yeah, that's grand for now, need to leave myself a goal to go for"

                                                                                        I think my depth is good, I'm certainly getting past parallel pretty much all of the time. Surprised at my flexibility there to be honest as I'm generally quite inflexible. I have noticed that some of my final reps I have to watch my upper body as I tend to lean forward a little. Not a huge amount but it's something I have to keep my eye on. I'm still working on my overall technique obviously so there's a lot going through my head as I'm working out, elbows forward, crush the bar, chest up, deep breaths, hips below knees, drive through the heel, who's that behind me walking across the floor, jesus this weight is heavy, oh fuck I'm stuck etc etc

                                                                                        As for the split on the bench, this week was funny anyway because my sessions got mixed up with work and football. I missed my deadlift session completely as it worked out because I'd normally do my upper body session on Tuesday when I'm playing football Tues/Wed and then deadlift Thurs, Squat Fri or vice versa. This week I did upper body Monday but then trained on Tues and had to adapt what I was doing, that only left me with Fri and I had to drop the deadlift out for the week.

                                                                                        Generally though I have a programme that was designed for me by a PT that I'm working with, so I'm very much just in the "obeying orders" stage of my training. Until I learn enough about it that I'm confident with what I'm doing and the goals behind it I think it best to leave it with the professionals.
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                                                                                          Bench Press
                                                                                          10 * 20kg
                                                                                          8 * 50kg
                                                                                          8 * 62.5kg
                                                                                          8 * 65kg
                                                                                          8 * 65kg

                                                                                          One arm Row
                                                                                          8 * 30kg
                                                                                          8 * 30kg
                                                                                          8 * 30kg
                                                                                          8 * 30kg

                                                                                          Barbell Floor Press
                                                                                          8 * 50kg
                                                                                          8 * 50kg
                                                                                          8 * 50kg
                                                                                          8 * 55kg

                                                                                          Bent Over Barbell Row
                                                                                          10 * 40kg
                                                                                          8 * 60kg
                                                                                          8 * 70kg
                                                                                          8 * 70kg
                                                                                          8 * 70kg

                                                                                          Inverted Rows & Press Ups
                                                                                          10 each * 4 sets
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                                                                                            Tuesday

                                                                                            Trap Bar Deadlift
                                                                                            8 * 50kg
                                                                                            8 * 90kg
                                                                                            8 * 120kg
                                                                                            8 * 130kg
                                                                                            8 * 130kg
                                                                                            8 * 130kg

                                                                                            Barbell Push Press
                                                                                            10 * 20kg
                                                                                            10 * 35kg
                                                                                            10 * 37.5kg
                                                                                            8 * 37.5kg
                                                                                            8 * 40kg

                                                                                            Band Assisted Chins
                                                                                            3 * BW * 10 reps

                                                                                            Incline Dumbell Press
                                                                                            10 * 17.5kg
                                                                                            10 * 22.5kg
                                                                                            10 * 22.5kg
                                                                                            10 * 22.5kg
                                                                                            10 * 22.5kg

                                                                                            Chest Supported Rows
                                                                                            10 * 25kg
                                                                                            10 * 25kg
                                                                                            10 * 25kg
                                                                                            10 * 25kg

                                                                                            FacePulls
                                                                                            10 * 41kg * 4 sets
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                                                                                              Thursday

                                                                                              I was annoyed that I missed 100kg last week on the squat so I was determined to get it this week. Only for one set mind you, but progress is better than nothing!

                                                                                              Squat
                                                                                              8 * 20kg
                                                                                              8 * 60Kg
                                                                                              8 * 90kg
                                                                                              8 * 90kg
                                                                                              8 * 95kg
                                                                                              8 * 100kg

                                                                                              Bent Over Row
                                                                                              10 * 60kg
                                                                                              10 * 60kg
                                                                                              10 * 60kg
                                                                                              10 * 60kg

                                                                                              Decline dumbbell chest press
                                                                                              10 * 15kg
                                                                                              10 * 25kg
                                                                                              10 * 25kg
                                                                                              10 * 27.5kg
                                                                                              9 * 27.5kg (the last one just wasn't there )

                                                                                              Walking Lunges
                                                                                              8 per leg * 17.5kg per arm * 1 set

                                                                                              8 per leg * 20kg per arm * 3 sets

                                                                                              Burpees
                                                                                              10 * BW * 4 sets
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                                                                                                Bench Press
                                                                                                10 * 20kg
                                                                                                10 * 40kg
                                                                                                8 * 67.5kg
                                                                                                8 * 67.5kg
                                                                                                7 * 67.5kg
                                                                                                6 * 67.5kg

                                                                                                One arm Row
                                                                                                8 * 15kg
                                                                                                8 * 22.5kg
                                                                                                8 * 32.5kg
                                                                                                8 * 32.5kg
                                                                                                8 * 32.5kg
                                                                                                8 * 32.5kg

                                                                                                Shoulder Press
                                                                                                10 * 17.5kg
                                                                                                8 * 20kg
                                                                                                8 * 20kg

                                                                                                Kneeling Chins
                                                                                                8 * BW * 3 sets

                                                                                                One Leg Squats
                                                                                                12 * 20kg * 3 sets

                                                                                                Inverted Rows & Press Ups
                                                                                                Declining reps from 8 for time. Total time 3.02
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                                                                                                  Trap Bar Deadlift
                                                                                                  8 * 70kg
                                                                                                  8 * 110kg
                                                                                                  8 * 110kg
                                                                                                  8 * 110kg

                                                                                                  Just couldn't get my form right on these at all tonight for some reason. Ended up doing two sets of 8 single reps just to try and correct myself. Not sure why, but just one of those nights I guess.

                                                                                                  Barbell Push Press
                                                                                                  10 * 20kg
                                                                                                  8 * 35kg
                                                                                                  8 * 35kg
                                                                                                  8 * 35kg
                                                                                                  8 * 35kg

                                                                                                  Band Assisted Chins
                                                                                                  4 * BW * 10 reps

                                                                                                  Incline Dumbell Press
                                                                                                  10 * 25kg
                                                                                                  10 * 25kg
                                                                                                  10 * 25kg

                                                                                                  Chest Supported Rows
                                                                                                  10 * 27.5kg
                                                                                                  10 * 27.5kg
                                                                                                  10 * 27.5kg


                                                                                                  Followed by 60 minutes of football. Not a great night, but not the worst either.
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                                                                                                    Squat
                                                                                                    8 * 20kg
                                                                                                    8 * 70Kg
                                                                                                    8 * 100kg
                                                                                                    8 * 100kg
                                                                                                    8 * 100kg
                                                                                                    8 * 100kg

                                                                                                    Bent Over Row
                                                                                                    10 * 60kg
                                                                                                    10 * 60kg
                                                                                                    10 * 60kg
                                                                                                    10 * 60kg

                                                                                                    Decline dumbbell chest press
                                                                                                    10 * 17.5kg
                                                                                                    10 * 27.5kg
                                                                                                    10 * 27.5kg
                                                                                                    10 * 27.5kg
                                                                                                    10 * 27.5kg

                                                                                                    Walking Lunges
                                                                                                    8 per leg * 20kg per arm * 4 sets

                                                                                                    Burpees
                                                                                                    10 * BW * 4 sets
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                                                                                                      Bench Press
                                                                                                      10 * 20kg
                                                                                                      10 * 50kg
                                                                                                      10 * 65kg
                                                                                                      8 * 65kg
                                                                                                      8 * 65kg
                                                                                                      8 * 70kg

                                                                                                      One arm Row
                                                                                                      8 * 32.5kg
                                                                                                      8 * 32.5kg
                                                                                                      8 * 32.5kg
                                                                                                      8 * 32.5kg
                                                                                                      8 * 32.5kg

                                                                                                      Shoulder Press
                                                                                                      10 * 17.5kg
                                                                                                      10 * 17.5kg
                                                                                                      10 * 17.5kg
                                                                                                      8 * 17.5kg

                                                                                                      Band Assisted Chins
                                                                                                      8 * BW * 4 sets

                                                                                                      Inverted Rows & Press Ups
                                                                                                      Declining reps from 8
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                                                                                                        Trap Bar Deadlift
                                                                                                        10 * 70kg
                                                                                                        10 * 90kg
                                                                                                        10 * 110kg
                                                                                                        10 * 110kg
                                                                                                        10 * 110kg
                                                                                                        10 * 110kg

                                                                                                        Floor Sprints
                                                                                                        4 * 30 seconds

                                                                                                        General Conditioning Work
                                                                                                        Tyre Flips & Jumps + Front Squats (10kg) + Medicine Ball Slams

                                                                                                        4 sets by 90 seconds (30 secs per exercise)

                                                                                                        Prowler
                                                                                                        Prowler + 50kg for 10 runs in 10 minutes.
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                                                                                                          It's been a while since I've updated this, as I've alluded to elsewhere I've had a really busy final quarter, so between being unwell and travelling I've missed around three weeks training. I've had three training sessions since I came back and did a follow up mini-testing session this evening....

                                                                                                          ...before hightailing it to the pub of course

                                                                                                          Originally posted by Testing Session 23/08/11

                                                                                                          Bench
                                                                                                          20kg * 10
                                                                                                          50kg * 8
                                                                                                          60kg * 3
                                                                                                          65kg * 1
                                                                                                          70kg * 1
                                                                                                          75kg * 1
                                                                                                          80kg * 1

                                                                                                          Press-Ups
                                                                                                          27 in 60 seconds

                                                                                                          Inverted Rows
                                                                                                          22 in 60 seconds

                                                                                                          Chins 2

                                                                                                          Deadlift 1RM 160Kg
                                                                                                          Testing Session 22/12/11

                                                                                                          Bench 80kg -----------90Kg
                                                                                                          Press Ups 27-----------30
                                                                                                          Inverted Rows 22---------31
                                                                                                          Chins 2-----------------4
                                                                                                          Trap Bar Deadlift 160kg---------------200kg

                                                                                                          So still making progress, still need to work on the weight and still not particularly happy with some of the areas. I think I could have added maybe 10% to the deadlift and certainly my press ups, rows and chins need work.

                                                                                                          The bench I'm reasonably happy with, although the aim will be to break 100kg by the end of January at the latest. For right now, I'm going to the gym in the morning then I'm going to enjoy a couple of days of christmas excess before getting back into it fully on Tuesday 27th.
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                                                                                                            Final training day of the year, finished out with some squatting and a first squat 1RM test.

                                                                                                            Back Squat
                                                                                                            10 * 20kg
                                                                                                            7 * 60kg
                                                                                                            3 * 90kg
                                                                                                            2 * 110kg
                                                                                                            1 * 115kg
                                                                                                            1 * 120kg
                                                                                                            1 * 130kg

                                                                                                            Followed by

                                                                                                            10 * 70kg * 10 sets in 20 minutes

                                                                                                            Jelly legs
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                                                                                                              Starting weight: 226lbs
                                                                                                              Starting chest: 119cms
                                                                                                              Starting waist: 113cms
                                                                                                              Starting hips: 118cms

                                                                                                              Caliper Measurements
                                                                                                              Bicep: 13.25
                                                                                                              Tricep: 20
                                                                                                              Subscap: 26.25
                                                                                                              Suprailiac: 26
                                                                                                              Starting BF%: 31% (approx)

                                                                                                              ~~~~~~~~~~
                                                                                                              Current weight: 210lbs
                                                                                                              Current chest: 112cms
                                                                                                              Current waist: 103cms
                                                                                                              Current hips: 112cms

                                                                                                              Caliper Measurements
                                                                                                              Bicep: 7
                                                                                                              Tricep: 11.5
                                                                                                              Subscap: 21
                                                                                                              Suprailiac: 17
                                                                                                              Current BF%: 22% (approx)

                                                                                                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                                                                                              Total weight 226lbs -----------210lbs ( 7% drop)
                                                                                                              Bodyfat % 31%----------------22% ( 29% drop)
                                                                                                              Bodyfat lbs 70-----------------46 ( 24lbs drop )
                                                                                                              Lean Muscle------------------- (8lbs gain)

                                                                                                              1RM
                                                                                                              Bench 90kg
                                                                                                              Squat 130kg
                                                                                                              Deadlift (Trap bar) 200kg
                                                                                                              Press ups 30 in 60 seconds
                                                                                                              Inverted Rows 31 in 60 seconds
                                                                                                              Chin Ups 4
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                                                                                                                2012 Underway

                                                                                                                First session of 2012 today

                                                                                                                TB Deadlift
                                                                                                                10 * 50kg
                                                                                                                10 * 90kg
                                                                                                                10 * 140kg
                                                                                                                10 * 145kg
                                                                                                                10 * 145kg
                                                                                                                10 * 145kg

                                                                                                                30kg Barbell (bar + 10kg) Complex ~ 5 sets
                                                                                                                7 * Clean
                                                                                                                7 * Push Press
                                                                                                                7 * Back Squat
                                                                                                                7 * High Pulls
                                                                                                                7 * Romanian Deadlift

                                                                                                                Press Ups, Jumping Jacks & Drop Squats for 20 seconds each for 5 sets (20 sec break between sets)

                                                                                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                                                                                Short Term goals, for testing 1st week in April

                                                                                                                Weight 200lbs @ 18% BF

                                                                                                                1RM
                                                                                                                Bench 100kg
                                                                                                                Squat 135kg
                                                                                                                Deadlift (Trap bar) 220kg
                                                                                                                Press ups 35 in 60 seconds
                                                                                                                Inverted Rows 35 in 60 seconds
                                                                                                                Chin Ups 6
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                                                                                                                  Todays session:

                                                                                                                  Squat
                                                                                                                  10 * 20kg
                                                                                                                  10 * 50kg
                                                                                                                  10 * 90kg
                                                                                                                  8 * 100kg
                                                                                                                  8 * 100kg
                                                                                                                  8 * 100kg
                                                                                                                  8 * 100kg
                                                                                                                  8 * 100kg

                                                                                                                  Walking Lunges
                                                                                                                  8 per leg * 17.5kg per hand
                                                                                                                  " " " * 25kg
                                                                                                                  " " " * 25kg
                                                                                                                  " " " * 25kg
                                                                                                                  " " " * 25kg
                                                                                                                  " " " * 25kg

                                                                                                                  Finisher ~ 3 sets ~
                                                                                                                  Step down BW reverse lunges (8 per leg)
                                                                                                                  BW Squats (8)
                                                                                                                  BW Jump Squats (8)
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                                                                                                                    Jesus you'll tear your back to bits doing that many reps of the deadlift!

                                                                                                                    Again I'd try and convince you to go lower rep/higher weight on the squats. If you're squatting 100kg for 8 reps you should have 110 in the tank for 5 imo.

                                                                                                                    Big numbers feel great!

                                                                                                                    Comment


                                                                                                                      Your back will be fine with that amount of reps, its a muscle like any other muscle.

                                                                                                                      Its prob not as intense as higher weight lower rep, and most likely not needed but your back will be fine if done correctly. Its likely you'll be absolutely wrecked though as its a lot of volume.
                                                                                                                      This may or may not be an original thought of my own.
                                                                                                                      All efforts were made to make this thought original but with the abundance of thoughts in the world the originality of this thought cannot be guaranteed.
                                                                                                                      The author is not liable for any issue arising from the platitudinous nature of this post.

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                                                                                                                        Originally posted by Emmet View Post
                                                                                                                        Jesus you'll tear your back to bits doing that many reps of the deadlift!

                                                                                                                        Again I'd try and convince you to go lower rep/higher weight on the squats. If you're squatting 100kg for 8 reps you should have 110 in the tank for 5 imo.

                                                                                                                        Big numbers feel great!
                                                                                                                        I hear ya on the big numbers, and I won't deny that it's a motivation in and of itself but it's also just a means to an end. I need to get my diet in train, and in doing that press ahead with losing weight but holding shape. For that, I still need a lot of conditioning work and going to 10 reps rather than 5 adds a little conditioning element to it.

                                                                                                                        As well, and while it's very unlikely, I don't want to become a barrel and I have no particular desire to hit unbelievably high numbers on the lifts. Yes, I want every session to be higher than the last but that's for the sake of progression as opposed to wanting big numbers. I've no real idea as to where I sit in terms of my numbers compared to average people training, but I'm led to believe that they are at least reasonable at this stage.

                                                                                                                        I won't be entering any strongman comps soon


                                                                                                                        Originally posted by Theresa View Post
                                                                                                                        Your back will be fine with that amount of reps, its a muscle like any other muscle.

                                                                                                                        Its prob not as intense as higher weight lower rep, and most likely not needed but your back will be fine if done correctly. Its likely you'll be absolutely wrecked though as its a lot of volume.
                                                                                                                        Aye, after the squatting session on Friday last (125 reps) I was a little shakey for a few days, didn't help that I spent most of the following day walking around Manchester and climbing tonnes of stairs at Old Trafford.

                                                                                                                        Generally though, especially after deadlifting, I feel fine within a couple of hours. The squatting seems to take the longest recovery with deadlifting taking the least. So far at any rate!



                                                                                                                        As always though appreciate the comments and interest, and I'll keep updating as I go. It's not that I don't want to debate the finer points, but I'm still at the stage of doing what I'm told within reason rather than understanding enough of it myself to make a detailed defense and explanation.
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                                                                                                                          Bench Press
                                                                                                                          10 * 20kg
                                                                                                                          10 * 40kg
                                                                                                                          10 * 60kg
                                                                                                                          5 * 75kg
                                                                                                                          5 * 75kg
                                                                                                                          5 * 75kg
                                                                                                                          5 * 75kg
                                                                                                                          5 * 75kg

                                                                                                                          Conditioning Sets (5 sets, 45 second break between sets)
                                                                                                                          Press Ups 25 seconds
                                                                                                                          Inverted Rows 25 seconds
                                                                                                                          Reverse Lunges (step down) 45 seconds
                                                                                                                          Bear Crawls 30 seconds
                                                                                                                          Step Ups 45 seconds
                                                                                                                          Floor Sprints 25 seconds (although floor jog would be closer to the truth )

                                                                                                                          Doing 5's on the bench as I follow it up with a conditioning session so don't need to get the conditioning within my main lift. I hate conditioning though
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