I bought them from Waitrose, the posh supermarket.
Rowing AND spin? Awesome! I’m betting the swimming/rowing/spin is helping with the body comp.
I also find that sweet treats that I used to enjoy are too sweet for me now. A good plain dark chocolate, however, never disappoints.
Yeah, the chocolate bar I bought from the healthfood shop that was made with coconut milk instead of dairy was really good. I enjoy my tasting club selections as well but generally prefer the tarter flavours than things like pralines.
Today’s food:
Post-gym: 2 scoops whey, 2g fish oils
Lunch: Bacon wrapped chicken, broccoli, butternut squash
Evening: 2 scoops whey, 2g fish oils
Snacks: Carrots, beetroots
you should be part of bacon of the month club too…wait, are you??
Ha, no. I’m eating a lot of bacon because there was a 2-for-1 offer on it. I’m not a bacon connoisseur.
I did try chocolate-dipped bacon once (even took a picture - it’s in my previous log somewhere) but it wasn’t good.
Tuesday 30th August
My heating’s come on the past three mornings - I guess that means Autumn is here. Where did the summer go?
6.45am Swim - 50 lengths
1-20 Breaststroke
21-40 Crawl up, breaststroke back
41-50 Breaststroke
Didn’t feel like doing more. I was having terrible trouble with my goggles this morning - the left one just wouldn’t seal and it took me 13 lengths to get it right. Wasn’t enjoying the pool today. I find swimming a chore, to be honest, and doing the crawl is just an exercise in not drowning. Ugh.
3.30pm Gym
Wanted to go earlier but felt too hungry at 11am so I decided to eat and then go later. I didn’t like going at 3.30pm - I thought it would be quiet but there were a several teenagers there who were getting in my way and pissing me off. I guess I am grumpy because Flo is due and the bitch still hasn’t shown up.
Warm-up:
20 lateral raises (2kg dumbells for all below)
20 front raises
20 overhead presses
20 curls
20 hammer curls
20 L raises
20 bent over raises
10 YTWLs
Dislocates with a towel
Body bar mobility stuff.
10 clean and press with an oly bar
Military Press:
Bar x 10
25kg x 10
30kg x 8
3 x 32.5kg: 5, 5, 4
Superset
Rear flyes (on an incline bench): 4kg x 15; 6kg x 12; 8kg x 10
Push-ups (hands below shoulders): 10; 10; 10
Last time I did this I matched the flyes reps with the push-ups reps but I felt tired today. Probably because of the swimming. Last time I did them I was fresh.
Superset
Skull Crushers: Bar +5kg x 20; Bar +7.5kg x 15; Bar +10kg x 12
Hammer Curls: 6kg x 20, 8kg x 15; 10kg x 12
Dips:
10, 9, 6
I did 11, 8, 6 last time so I guess it all adds up the same! Annoyed I couldn’t get the 11th rep on the first set but I didn’t have it in me today.
Superset:
Rope Pushdowns: 10kg x 15, 12.5kg x 12, 15kg x 10
Dumbell Curls: 6kg x 15, 8kg x 12, 10kg x 10
Did a few handstands (still not free standing but I think they are improving) and then fucked off because there were too many people around.
Eats:
8am 2 scoops whey, 2g fish oils
1pm 2 incinerated chicken breasts, white rice, broccoli, seaweed
5pm 2 sccops whey, 2g fish oils
8pm Tuna a la can (that’s canned tuna with balsamic vinegar and olive oil)
I left the chicken in the oven too long. It was supposed to be sweet chilli, but by the time I rescued them they were charred black and the size of my thumb. Oops. I ate them anyway because I wasn’t going to waste the money (or the protein).
sweet pic, Cal - I see some abs poking thru -
I’m on the same ab hunt, and my bagel is hanging around too - I think it likes me!
Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’ll still be there when the top four abs are visible. FML.
I lean out from the top down - whilst my BF is still quite high, I can see the different heads of my delts when I work out and I have a pec cleavage. Yet I still have a big squashy arse. I always lose patience on diets so I’ve never managed to get any sort of definition below the waist (well, aside from calves. I lucked out on the calf genetics).
“Tuna a la can” made me laugh. That actually sounded good to me.
I like the MPs. I like the dips. I salute the curls.
I’m beginning to believe it really is genetics.
I mentioned in another thread that no matter how much I weigh or how many inches I lose, I’m still soft. I’d pay for coaching to get uber lean to know it was possible.
From today’s Training lab livespill:
Chris Shugart: "All: Watching Dani and Gen train in that video reminded me of something Christian wrote a while back in another Coaching Lab. Since we have so many female Indigo users, I thought it was worth reposting:
“The biggest problem with women and lower body fat is that they tend to have less vascularization in their lower body,” notes Christian. "Blood flow is required to mobilize fat. The more vascular an area is, the easier you lose body fat there.
"Now, strength-endurance work has been shown to improve capitalization over time. But, it require frequent training. And it requires a modality that increases blood flow to the lower body. Technically, you could lift with your legs hard and with lots of volume daily to achieve that effect, but the eccentric phase of lifting causes micro-trauma that might reduce the frequency at which you can train.
“Prowler work increases blood flow to the lower body an has no eccentric stress which means that you can do it daily and build capillaries. The cool thing is that once the caps are built, they stay there. So an intensive prowler phase will facilitate lower body fat loss for the rest of your life.”
Yes, I did read that. Unfortunately I live in a tiny studio flat in London with no garden, so no prowler. I have nowhere to put one and nowhere to use it.
Hmm, I think all the sneezing yesterday was actually a cold coming, not simply a reaction to chlorine from swimming. It’s not bad at this point - I’m a bit stuffy and groggy, but no sore throat. I will train anyway today and see how it goes.
With the change of seasons just watch out to make sure you stay well.
Yeah pool swimming just isn’t doing it for me anymore. Think being in the ocean once a week kind of spoils it. But I do like messing in the pool, but I agree it just feels like trying to not drown. Anyway I’m still going to get my butt down there this evening.
Interesting about women and our vascularization (or lack of), I think nature just wants us to have the fattest asses possible, sigh. My circulation is definitely not the best.
My circulation is dire. I get very cold extremities - I just turned my thermostat down to 19 degrees to save money on heating bills and even then I get chilly if I’m sitting around.
I’m also one of the least vascular people I know. The only veins I can see are the ones on my feet, and if it’s hot, then on my hands. It’s not that I want arms like Madonna, but I would like to see some vascularity. But I guess the genetics aren’t there.
Anyway, despite not feeling brilliant I went to the gym. I want the awesome body so I have to put in the time.
Warm-up:
20 hypers
20 reverse hypers (with V at top)
20 clams (per leg)
Body bar mobility stuff (clean and press, twists, sidebends, good mornings)
20 lateral raises (2kg dumbells for all below)
20 front raises
20 overhead presses
20 curls
20 hammer curls
20 L raises
20 bent over raises
Superset:
Band-assisted pull-ups: 6, 5, 5, 4
Push-ups: 10, 10, 10, 10
I think I managed 5, 5, 5, 4 last time so yeah, one extra rep.
Deadlifts:
Bar x 10 (C)
Bar x 10 (S)
50kg x 10 (C)
50kg x 10 (S)
60kg x 8 (C)
60kg x 8 (S)
70kg x 6 (C)
70kg x 6 (S)
80kg x 4 (C)
80kg x 4 (S)
90kg x 2 (C)
C = Conventional
S = Sumo
So yes, progressed all the way to 90kg this time, but only on the conventional lift. My sumo form starts to break down at 80kg.
Pulldowns (V-bar):
40kg x 10
50kg x 8
60kg x 6 (+5kg)
That was all I had time for before spin class.
Spin: 45 minutes
Then tried an experiment: running. In my Vibrams. Just to see if I could.
Treadmill (15 mins):
2 mins @ 5kph (walk)
1 min @ 8kph (run)
1 min @ 5.5kph (walk)
1 min @ 8.5kph (run)
1 min @ 5.5kph (walk)
1 min @ 9kph (run)
1 min @ 5.5kph (walk)
2 mins @ 9.5kph (run)
1 min @ 5.5kph (walk)
2 mins @ 10kph (run)
2 mins @ 5.5kph (walk)
2% incline
I hate running on the treadmill - I find it very unnatural - but I was just testing my foot out. And my shoes. It seemed to go well enough until I hit 10kph (6.2mph) and then I got some pain in my toes. I’m unsure if this is related to the ball of my foot problem or just my foot being unused to wearing the Vibrams. Maybe a bit of both. I will see how the foot feels tomorrow. When I injured it, it was absolutely fine throughout the run (including sprints) the previous day but hurt like buggery the next morning.
In any case, I’m not going to push it - I’ll just see how it feels.
On an unrelated note, my brachialis tendonitis is trying to come back. I did do a lot of pulling-type stuff today. On with the TENS.
Food will be logged later.
lol@ not feeling brilliant
you don’t seem to really ‘want,’ to go to the gym but you go anyway. Just an observation.
I know you miss running, but screw the treadmill! get outdoors and test it out next time. my two cents.
Just to add:
8am 2 scoops whey, 2g fish oils (I don’t normally “eat” before the gym but I was starving!)
12pm 2 scoops whey, 2g fish oils
3pm 2 chicken breasts in sundried tomato butter, rice, broccoli spears (managed not to burn the chicken this time)
7pm flapjack (ahem! Well I wanted one, but I told myself I had to walk for an hour first to earn it. Which I did at 6pm).
Just stoppin’ in to say your progress pic is looking good Cal. Bew-ti-ful. Your training and diet are working for ya. Glad to hear that you are progressing. YAY!
Checking in to see how your foot felt after that treadmill run…
So, with school starting soon, what’s your training/diet plan for September?
1st September
I went to bed late, and I was in no way prepared to get up at 6am for the pool. Couldn’t face it (although whatever virus was trying to invade my space seems to have given up and left because I feel a lot better today).
As it was a glorious, warm early autumn day, I decided to follow Betty’s suggestion and test my foot outside. So I went for a run. Wore my Nike Frees - more cushioning - and ran just over three miles (about 5K). It was lovely. I felt at peace and happy in my own thoughts. The foot wasn’t 100% - my toes hurt a little - kind of a deep arthritic ache. It’s odd because it’s not the big toe but the three middle ones, which are not connected to the ball of the foot/sesamoid area. The ball of the foot itself doesn’t feel bad at all. I’m going to monitor it and see how it feels tomorrow. I’m not going to throw myself back into long distance running at this point, that would be stupid, but I am hopeful that I can run occassionally. Obviously, the lump is still there. I think it’s actually one of the sesamoids that has come away from where it should be. I’m not certain but it seems likely.
I still haven’t heard back from the doctors and I am losing patience, but that’s the NHS for you. There’s much to be said for private medicine - pity I can’t afford it.
In other news, I can get into my green cargo pants. They are still slightly tighter in the thigh than I would like, but otherwise they fit just fine.
I started my diet on the 2nd August so I will do a full accounting tomorrow. Having said that, Flo still hasn’t turned up (I think the bitch will be here later today) and I’m constipated to hell so weighing may not be entirely accurate. I’ve half a mind to eat a bag of prunes.
I’ll record my eats later but I’ve just had two 100% Angust beef burgers (no fillers, all meat) wrapped in bacon, with broccoli. I would have just had the one but they were past their use by. Now I feel stuffed full of meat. This is about the only time I’m going to feel stuffed full of meat because Lord knows I’m not getting any sex.
Nadia - training will be more difficult because I will have less time. Last academic year, I didn’t do any training on school days and tried to cram it in over the (long) weekend. Obviously, if I went away somewhere then I would miss out.
This time I intend to visit the gym at least one of the three days, after school. I get extremely irritated by people in my space so I will probably do an evening spin class and maybe some rowing.
I am scheduled to go away on the weekend of my mother’s birthday but will try to get a walk (or maybe even a run) in while I’m there. October will be harder as I may even be away for two weekends.
Diet wise I will drink shakes at school and try to eat a low carb meal in the evenings, then keep higher carbs for the other days I’m training. My body has improved a lot and in the past I would often stop there and go back to my old bad habits, but I don’t want to do that this time. I will ease up slightly, though, since the cardio seems to be working. I’ll adjust food intake/exercise as and when I need to.
There is ALWAYS hope!
your schedule is about to get crazy again but it sounds like you are prepared…
but you should refer to the end of this page and that last paragraph you wrote in a month or so 