Tuesday, August 16, 2011


Training over the past couple of days has gone very well and once again I have decided to mix things up again but this time I have stayed away from the Bicep Curl.  I’ve done 6 exercises over the past couple of days and I have felt very good.

My first 3 exercises were the Squat, the Leg Press and Lat Pull Downs.  I did as many as I could on each exercise with a 3 minute rest after each set.  The exercises were done at the heaviest I could manage.  It turned out to be a really good cardio session.

Today I did another 3 exercises and I went as heavy as I could with the Chest Press, Lat Pull Downs and the Dead lift.  I changed the Lat Pull Down body position to leaning as far back as I could to get the max benefit from my back.

Today seemed a bit easier than yesterday but my grip let me down on the Dead lift.  The Dead Lift is one of those exercises that when you get it right feels fantastic.  I knew I could have done more but I just couldn’t hold onto the bar.  My form was very good, even though I say so myself.  Yesterday was my first time on the squat with a proper grip of the bar.  I was very pleased with that, although it was a bit painful getting under the bar and out from under it but once in position I had no real issues.

I’ll not be able to train tomorrow due to work commitments, so I intend to mix it up again on Thursday.  That will leave me with 4 training days before I go home.  So I intend to do one more heavy day followed by some steady light rehab training.  That’s the plan anyway.

The Mental Visualisation has been going really well, 9 out of 10 rides are now calm cool and collected.  I can ride without using my trigger word and I’ve been really enjoying my trips out.  I’ll find out in a few days if it has all been worthwhile.

Ed.


Saturday, August 13, 2011

Punch Bag !!


After my shock to the system things weren’t as bad as I first thought, I hit the gym the following day with my rehab session and it went much better than I had anticipated.  I was very aware that I needed to take it steady but I didn’t want to be lazy either.

I iced my shoulder 3 times the evening before and directly after my rehab session.  Friday was my rest day and I made full use of it and I got the ice on again after tea and before I went to bed.

Today’s session was program 1 and it went very well.  It took just over 45 minutes and was a really good cardio session.  It felt really good to start at 50% of my max and the first set was no trouble at all.  The second set at 75% was a good indicator that I had hurt my shoulder, so I stayed on 75% for my 3rd session instead of going up to my 100% max.

I decided it was better to work at 75% and get my 3rd set in rather than try 100% and go backwards by causing more damage to my shoulder.  I’ll get the ice back on it after tea and with any luck it should feel OK in the morning.

My water intake has been good over the last few weeks but I have let the discipline slide on the old intake of bad food.  What I should be doing is starting my shakes again as I’m now working harder in the gym and by 20:00 hrs I’m starving but instead I’m eating popcorn and the odd piece of toast.  I’ve also sneaked in the odd can of orange juice. 

I’m on leave in 10 days time so as long as I don’t go mad I’ll be OK.  One thing is for sure, on my return I intend to really train hard and make up the ground I have lost over this 3 month period.  My plan was to hit the punch bag this period but it’s not going to happen.  That will be rectified on my return.

Only a short one today, all the best for now.

Ed.


Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Ice


It’s been a busy day and I was out for most of the morning with Tim doing one thing and another.  Tim went to bed to catch up on his beauty sleep after lunch (he needs quite a bit) and that meant I didn’t have a training partner for this afternoon.

I was walking over to the gym with every intention of doing my rehab routine and as I walked into the gym I decided I wanted to do something a bit different.  Just to mix things up and see how far I was from what I would call “normal training”.

I was going to do a small combo of exercises and my aim was to do 100 reps of each.  I was going to start steady with reps of 5 on each exercise and just keep going until I completed the exercise and drop off an exercise when I had reached 100 reps.

The 3 exercises I chose were the EZ Bar Curl at 32 kgs, the Squat at 70 kgs and the Lat Pull Downs at 50 lbs. And I was going to finish off with the Leg Press as a bonus round.

Why is it things never go to plan and coach is going to kill me, firstly for not sticking to the plan and secondly for pushing too hard too soon.  Having said that it's been 12 weeks today since I broke my collar bone and according to UK doctors it should be fixed now !!

You know what’s coming don’t you ?

Everything was going great and I was going well, I felt good and the weights were right, it wasn’t a struggle but the last rep on the Lats and the EZ bar were testing me.  One more circuit to complete and I was half way. 

50 reps completed on the Lats and the Squat, just the EZ Bar to do.  I picked it up and set myself ready for the lift.  Feet shoulder width apart, slightly bent knees, back straight, shoulders back, big chest and elbows in by my side.  4 done and the last to do, I was just getting to the top when I felt my collar bone scream at me, I couldn’t believe it.  I’m not even sure what the pain indicator shot up to, I threw the bar down and cursed for a while as I tried to walk it off.

So that ended my training session and I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t happy with myself for a number of reasons.  I thought my shoulder was going to be a lot stronger and I also thought it would be a gradual build up of pain and I was going to temper my reps accordingly.  Not sticking to my plan was also stupid and unnecessary and I think I’m about to pay the price.

The ice has been on for the last 20 minutes and I’m hoping I’ve salvaged something, the morning will soon tell me if I’ve just gone backwards in my training.

No bonus session today, just an ice bag.

Ed.


Monday, August 8, 2011

Last Word "James".


It was the final day of testing today and it was a great work out.  45 minutes of hard graft and some great results from both Tim and myself, considering Tim has just got back his results have been very good.  He’s pushed himself hard and it’s been great to train with him again.

I’ve managed to improve on all my exercises over the past two days and on some the increase has been better than I would expect.  It’s amazing how much you push yourself when you’re training with a partner of the same ability.

I must admit I don’t like the Romanian Dead Lift and I think that’s because it hurts and I’m not very good at it.  It’s one of those exercises that no matter how many times I do it coach still has to correct my form but I still went up 5 lbs.

I tried a Press Up on the floor but it’s still alluding me.  The moment I move from the start position my collar bone screams at me and I’m not prepared to push it and risk injury.  So my Press Ups were done on the bench, they feel a bit better and I’m a little faster.  It’s not about speed but if the form is good it’s good to increase the pace.

I was really pleased with my Lat Pull downs and I doubled my previous weight until Tim destroyed me and put me firmly in my place.  I had to correct him on his form and technique near the end but it showed he was prepared to push to get his max.  The last word will always be mine “James”.

The Single Leg Press is coming on well and I do like this exercise.  It’s not complicated and is what it is, I just like it.  I went up to plate 10 but I don’t think I’ll be staying on it for long.

The Horizontal Row is one of those exercises that makes every muscle work over time.  I started to lose form near the end but Tim kept me right and I completed the full 15 reps.  Strangely enough it wasn’t my collar bone that let me down this time.  Just a general lack of core strength to keep my form and not bend in the middle, I thought Tim was going to seriously embarrass me as he set of like a man possessed.   It didn’t last long as he got lower and lower as his arms gave out.

The Hindu Squats are no great shakes and we moved through them quit quickly.  The Low High Wood Chops on the other hand are a different story.  I added 15 lb to my weight and it turned into a really good cardio session.  I felt as if I could have gone a bit heavier but I was at my limit with my collar bone but I was pleased with my progression and it will get better as time goes by.

The cool down went as planned and we moved onto the Bonus session.  I think this is the best part of the day; we did Lat Pull Downs and Chest Press.  I gained 10 lbs on both exercises and I’m starting work without pain so things are starting to really get better.  Just the Press up to concur and then I can really hit the Abs.

Whatever you’re doing, put your heart and soul into it and above all “enjoy it”.

Ed.


Saturday, August 6, 2011

Re-Testing (Always pushing Harder)


Finally got in the gym today, work commitments have prevented me from going in until today.  I’m also hoping things will calm down now and I can get some good training periods completed before I go home in 17 days time.

I had a really good session today, Tim is back and we did testing for Tim and I retested myself as I knew I had progressed on the strength side and the pain has got less and less as time has gone by.

We did Day 1 testing and Tim did very well, considering he has just come back from leave and he is carrying an old injury.  The lunge took a bit of explaining to get right and a few practise runs to understand but once he had it in his head he was away.  I had a 5 lb increase in my weight nothing staggering but enough to gain further improvement.

The Press D/B was next and I thought I could do more but a 10 lb increase is better than nothing as for Tim he did really well as the Press has always been a bit of a nemeses for him and he achieved a respectable weight without causing any injury or losing form.

I like the seated row and this was my biggest improvement and I managed 20 lbs on top of my last weight.  I kept good form and the last few reps were at my limit.  As Tim discovered it is very easy to lose form as the weight suddenly becomes a problem.  It’s very important to keep the back straight and the shoulders back.  If the weight is too heavy you start to lean forward and the shoulders roll forward.  At that point when form is lost, that’s when it’s time to stop and go back to the last weight that you did complete.

Again I thought I was going to make big improvements on the Squat but I didn’t; only a 5 lb increase and that disappointed me a bit.  I thought my Squatting was coming on as my leg power and Gluts are improving all the time.  Tim did exceptionally well as Squats are not his favourite exercise and he managed a very respectable weight.

The High Low wood chops was the last exercise of the day and always gets me a bit nervous.  This exercise really does make my collar bone work hard.  I was happy with the improvement but I feel I still have a long way to go on this exercise.  I managed to increase the weight by another 10 lbs and I should be happy with that but as usual I wanted more.  Tim’s effort was a real blast and with great form and determination, probably his best exercise.

We completed the warm down and we had been working out for 90 minutes so we only did the one Bonus exercise.  I chose the Leg Press and I achieved a P/B of 20 reps on the 18 plate and this was followed by a sterling effort from Tim.

Over all it was a good work out and the gains are coming.  Tim now has his bench mark and can only improve with time and effort.  A really good day and it was great to get back in the gym.

“If you don’t succeed today, try again tomorrow.”

Ed.


Tuesday, August 2, 2011

What !! No Press Ups ??


No Press ups today, true to my word I was a bit sore by 20:30hrs and my shoulder gave me jip all night.  So yesterday was a steady away day through my work out.  It went very well and I enjoyed it.

The Horizontal Row is now full on and I don’t need to bend my knees.  The first 15 were a bit of a shock but I think I was being a wet fart.  The second two sets were much better and felt more like a work out.

The D/B bench Press is coming on well but I have to really concentrate on my form and not going past the point of injury.  It's too easy to drop the elbow below the shoulder line so keeping my elbows out and parallel is so important and touching the weights at the end of the press.  I'm now breathing in the right places and maintaining the tension in my Abs.

I did Lat pull downs and Chest press for my bonus round and they went really well.  I thought I had bitten off more than I could chew with the Lat Pull Downs but I got through my set without losing form and maintaining my rhythm.  The weight is just enough to make me work hard without going past 5 on the pain scale.

I decided to jump on the Chest Press Machine because I didn’t want to overdo my shoulder again but I wanted to exercise my Shoulder girdle as much as possible.  That sounds like a contradiction in terms but the machine takes out all the little triggers and allows you to work just the muscles.  There is no balance or control needed.  So with the machine I am getting all the movement I need without the hassle.  It’s cheating really but I’m trying to gain as much strength as I possibly can and in a relatively short time and without the risk of injury.

I went as heavy as I could and I think I got it just right as the last two reps were difficult.  Once again it wasn’t my strength that was letting me down but the amount of pressure I could place on my Clavicle.  The good news is it’s another exercise that I can now add to my ever growing bonus round.

Two more days of working out with my current weight program and then it will be Re-Test time.  I’m looking forward to that as I know I have made improvements to most of my exercises and I’m gaining confidence in my shoulder all the time.

Until next time and I think that will be Thursday when I do my next Blog (Testing), stay safe.

Ed.


Sunday, July 31, 2011

Fantastic !!


A very quick up date as I’ve just come in from the gym and it went very well.

It was a rehab day today and it went really well, the exercises are coming together and the movement feels a lot better.

The really big improvement came from my bonus round.  The lat pull downs are as heavy as I can go as there is a lot of pressure being placed on my collar bone but they are coming on well. 

The Squat was fabulous today and I managed a set of 10 at 80 kgs.  I want to see just how heavy I can go in a set of 10 before I start putting together a complex.  I’m hoping to get to at least 100kgs by the end of next week.

The Leg press was a massive improvement and I pressed out 10 reps on the 18 plate so I was very pleased with that and I want be making any predictions on this one, I went dizzy after 10 !

This is the best bit, I managed 5 Press ups today.  I know, I can hear some of you “Big Deal” well it is to me.  It’s a massive achievement and means I’m well on the road to mending and getting back to some real training.  The first one was really tentative but once out of the way I knew I could do more.

Because I thought it was going to be painful I could feel my elbows coming out and away from my Lats but after the first one was done I brought them in and kept good form.

Although it has been a short Blog it has been full of PB’s and a fantastic day.

I hope your day turns out as good as mine.

Ed.


Saturday, July 30, 2011

Bad eating day !!


It’s been a difficult few days not in the gym but trying to post anything on line.  For some reason my setting have all gone hay wire on me, I’m not even sure this is going to work.

Any way the gym work has been going very well and I’m very pleased with my efforts to date.  There is something very satisfying about getting an exercise right and not loosing form.  I have finally nailed the iron cross (no pun intended) and my squat is now 60 kgs.  My hand grip still isn’t perfect but it’s getting better each time, as for my leg press I’m now on 8 press’s on the 18 plate.

I did today’s session in 40 minutes and completed all the exercises in plenty of time.  On about the 4th of August I will be retesting myself as I want to move some of the weights up.  I will be testing Tim on his return from leave so it will be the ideal time to redo my own weights.

Friday’s tea wasn’t great and there’s only so much carrot and cucumber you can eat with chicken, by 20.00 hrs I was starving so I went for some tea and toast.  It was really nice but I felt very guilty afterwards. 

Fridays is a bad eating day anyway but I try to stay close to the rule.  It’s just nice to be bad once in a while.   My water intake is still good and it’s no problem getting through 8-10 bottles of water a day.  Combine that with numerous cups of tea and my hydration levels are very good.

I’ve not done any serious Ab work since my return due to my injury and it is starting to show.  The dreaded beer belly has started to show.  It doesn’t take long for the Abs and TVA muscle to become slack and the extra pounds gather around the waist.  It’s not long now and I will be on leave and from there I’m hoping to be fit enough on my return to hit the Abs big time.

From next week I will be starting the boxing bag routine as well so that should be good for a change and I’m looking forward to hitting the bag again, it's been a while.  It has to be done in moderation and under control the last thing I need right now is an injury through a lack of self control.  Talking of self control, my mental visualisation has really come on over the last few weeks.  Although I use it mainly for my bike riding skills I seem to be a lot calmer these days.  Things that would normally adjutant me or wind me up no longer do.

 Just a short Blog today as I’m not sure if this is going to post.

It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you do it to the best of your ability.

Ed.


Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Next Time


I went at it like a bull in a china shop; in the back of my mind I was worried about not finishing the sets in time.  The warm up went well and I went straight into my first set.  It felt very strange at first doing 50% of my max.  The seated row felt as if there was no weight and that applied to all the first set.

The second set was 75% of my max and I went straight into it with no rest, now I was working, not massively hard but my breathing was getting harder as I went through the exercises.  By the end of set 2 I was ready for a rest but it wasn’t going to happen.

I moved onto set 3 at 100% of my max.  Straight away I felt as if I could have gone heavier.  It’s very easy to get carried away and start adding weight, now is the time to be patient and remember I have an injury.  Although it was going well and I felt great, it might be a different story in 3 hours time.

I completed the warm up, 3 sets of 15 reps and the cool down in 48 minutes.  I was happy with my effort and it was a great cardio session.  I still had plenty of time to get my bonus session done within the hour.

I did 2 of my bonus session exercises; I started off with the lat pull downs and I kept the weight the same.  I thought after my sets it would have been hardier so the next time through the weight will be going up.  I then moved on to the Leg Press machine and I started on Plate 18.  I had already decided to do 6 reps.  The first 4 were OK and the 5th was a struggle, I started number 6 but I never really got it going.  I will next time. 

I’ve decided that I will do Lat Pull Downs on every bonus session followed by one of the other two exercises.  It all depends on what muscle group has been worked the hardest.

I was happy with my first time through the program and very happy with the time.  Day two session is by far the hardest so I think it will interesting to see how the time relates to session one and indeed if I can complete the full requirement of pistols and press ups.

Until next time, be good to yourself and train as hard as you can all the time.

Ed.


Sunday, July 24, 2011

Plate 18


Rehab went very well and I’m getting a bit quicker through the exercises now.  What that means is I get more time to play at the end in my bonus session.  The wall exercises are still giving me hassle and I think that’s because they are last in the session and my shoulders are isolated.  I’m not going through my pain indicator of 6 but its bloody close.

The Iron Cross is a hard exercise to get right.  The temptation is to lean forward on the balls of your feet and roll the shoulders forward to give that little bit more movement.  This allows you to get lower and bring the arms back further.  Not only is it the wrong thing to do, you are cheating the exercise.  It doesn’t matter if you are not getting the full movement straight away, what you are doing is training your muscles to move in the right way and gaining strength with the right movement.

My bonus session was a really good one.  I did 3 exercises in total the Lat Pull Down followed by Squats and to finish off I was on the Leg Press Machine.

It went very well and I have increased my Lat pull down weight from when I did my testing, so I will have to adjust my sheet, that will prove to be a difficult set.  The Squats were as I predicted, difficult but manageable.  I had 50 Kilos including the bar and the weight wasn’t the issue.  I could really feel it in my collar done.  I couldn’t hold onto the bar with a full grip, what that meant was I couldn’t squeeze the bar as hard as I could at the bottom of the lift to help me pop out.  I just did the ten reps and I think I’ll stay at this weight until I can master getting under the bar and a proper grip.  My final exercise was the Leg Press.

It was a double press (both legs) and I started at plate 12 in the middle.  No real great shakes so I moved up the plates with a press on each one.  I got to the last plate (18) and although it was a slow press I did it.  So from now on it will be how many I can push out on the 18 plate.

Today is the first day of my program and I’m looking forward to seeing if I can complete all 15 reps in all 3 sets.  The other factor is going to be, can I get them all done in the allotted time of 75 minutes.  There will be no time for resting or taking my time so it’s going to be a good cardio session as well as weight training.

I’ll keep you posted as to how I get on and where I found it difficult and indeed if I got it all done in time.

Be safe and enjoy what you are doing.

Ed


Testing !!


It’s been a busy few days and today was the final day of testing to find my max weights.  My collar bone is holding up well but it reminds me every now and then to behave.  The press ups on day 2 of testing pushed me to my limit, not in the way that I couldn’t do them from a lack of strength but from the pain issue.  I got my 15 but it was with a struggle and my last 4 were touch and go.  I know when the pain level reaches 6 I need to stop and when I start to lose form I need to stop. 

But it’s easier said than done.  The exercises went well today and as usual there is always a set that I don’t like or push the pain boundaries to the limit.  The single leg press took me by surprise as I’ve always had good strength in my legs and I thought I would be able to press more than I did.  So that’s one I need to work on and improve over the next 4 weeks.

I was a little bit apprehensive in my approach to the Dumbbell Bench Press as it’s easy to get wrong and course damage to the Deltoid muscle and I wasn’t sure how my collar bone was going to act.  I think I could have gone heavier but by the time I got to rep 13 my collar bone was starting to complain, so I think I will be able to improve on that one quiet quickly.

Now that testing is done I’m looking forward to hitting the gym with 3 sets of 15 at 50, 75 & 100% weight ratios.  It will be interesting to see if I can complete all 3 sets and in 75 minutes.  The thing I must remember is to stop when I reach level 6 in the pain scale or when I start to lose form.  I’m hoping the pain comes in first as strange as that sounds.  Losing form means I’ve lost strength and muscle and I want be happy with that.  As for the pain, there’s nothing I can do about that so it’s very much out of my hands.

Today is rehab and that has taken on a whole new life of its own as I get better at the exercises and my strength increases.  Press ups are still a distant dream but I try one each day to see how close I am getting.  I did 15 full squats with 40 lbs yesterday and it felt very good.  Once I was under the bar and the weight was on my traps I was fine.  Getting out from under the bar was a bit strange but with practice it will get better.  I did the squats as a bonus to “grease the groove” as coach would say and I was very pleased with my effort, today I will have a blast at 50 lbs.  I think it’s very doable and with the right mind set there should be more in the bag.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and whatever it is you are doing be safe.

Ed.




Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Magic

I wasn’t wrong and it was a warm one, as for my collar bone it held out well but I suffered the following day.  It’s been a few days now since my last Blog but I feel like I have come on in leaps and bounds.

All my rehab is now with weight and coach has added to my work outs, more to the point each of my workouts have been fined tuned and are now bang on the money.  I really appreciate all the time coach has spent working with me.  It just goes to show with a bit of hard work and guidance from an expert just how quickly you can mend and improve.  At the beginning of last week I tried a press up on the bench, under the guidance of coach and the pain was unbelievable.  I thought then that this was going to be a very long and boring road.

I couldn’t have got it more wrong if I had tried, the rehab has been great fun and now that I’m on the weights I feel like I am working hard in the gym.  The pain has finally subsided in my collar bone the only time it hurts now is when I try too hard or do too much.

Yesterday was the first of 3 days testing to find my max weights in my new training program.  I’m now doing 3 days rehab and 3 days weight training, on the last day I plan to do bag work and I’d really like to throw some kicks into the mix as well.  Time will tell and I’ll keep you posted.

My pectoral muscle was suffering the other day and coach had to do his magic on me, the scar tissue is better but every now and then it cramps up sending pins and needles into my bicep.  It can be very painful and very off putting.  So earlier this week coach got to grips with me and subjected me too even more pain and sorted out my scar tissue.  There’s probably a better way to say that but there you go. 

It was amazing what coach had done for me, not only was the pain gone but I had full movement in my shoulder.  Normally when you find a source of pain relief it doesn’t last long and you are back to normal, suffering and trying to protect the site by what ever means possible.  Not in this case, it’s been a few days and I worked hard in the gym today, I feel a bit tight around the shoulder and kneck but nothing worth writing home about.

Tomorrow is the second day of testing for my max weights in another 5 exercises and I’m looking forward to it.   Below is a quick table of the program that coach put together for me and can be found on his very easy to follow Blog “be fit for life”  http://steve-befitforlife.blogspot.com/2011/07/putting-beginner-weights-programme.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FEcgHy+%28Be+Fit+For+Life%29 

3 Day Work Out with Rehab x 3 for 6 Weeks

Warm Up

Wall Slide, Arms Up & Back L/R, Black Band Behind Back, Arm Lifts, Wall Press.

Day 1

Movement
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest Time
Weight
Locomotion
Lunge
3
15
60-90 Sec
10 lbs
Push
Press D/B
3
15
60-90 Sec
15 lbs
Pull
Seated Row
3
15
60-90 Sec
42.5
Changing Levels
Squats
3
15
60-90 Sec
25 lbs
Rotation
High Low Wood Chops
3
15
60-90 Sec
25

60 Sec between sets
50/75/100%






Day 2

Movement
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest Time
Weight
Locomotion
Romanian Dead Lift
3
15
60-90 Sec

Push
Press Up (any version)
3
15
60-90 Sec

Pull
Lat Pull Down
3
15
60-90 Sec

Changing Levels
Pistol Progression
3
15
60-90 Sec

Rotation
Horizontal Wood Chops
3
15
60-90 Sec


60 Sec between sets
50/75/100%






Day 3

Movement
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest Time
Weight
Locomotion
Single Leg Press (leg press Machine)
3
15
60-90 Sec

Push
Dumbbell Bench Press
3
15
60-90 Sec

Pull
Horizontal Row
3
15
60-90 Sec

Changing Levels
Barbell Back Squat
3
15
60-90 Sec

Rotation
Low High Wood Chop
3
15
60-90 Sec


60 Sec between sets
50/75/100%






Cool Down



Arch Hands on Chest, Dog Piss, Supper Man elbow to knee, Iron Cross, Squat with pole.

In order to understand the sets (3) and how much weight to use you need to read the blog, it’s a very good read and easy to understand.

My mental visualisation has been going very well and it comes to me very easily now and I really enjoy it.  My water intake has been really good too this week so all in all it’s been a good week with lots of progress made.

Thanks’ coach.