nice pressing. love your dress, too.
Kimba - thanks, and right back atcha!
Alexus - also thanks. It’s actually a top (with Nike pants) which I bought from a shop in Finland a few years back.
Nadia - not someone special as in a boyfriend, no. Just my very good friend.
Today: after hibernating yesterday, I thought I’d best brush out the cobwebs and went for a 5K run. I haven’t run at all since my 15K at the end of November so I wasn’t going to start back with anything longer, especially as right knee has been a bit grumpy lately (ever since we did some lunges in gymnastics class).
I did some mobility work when I got back, then had a hot bath (yay for my new boiler - actual hot water!)
So, New Year and all that. Looking back on last year, things changed a lot for me in so far as I lost my old job (boo!), did a gym instructor course, started working as a PE teacher (yay! And completely unforseen), ran a 15K (thanks once again to everyone who sponsored me - I ended up raising around 370 pounds, once tax had been accounted for) and took up gymnastics. I still find the idea of me doing gymnastics amusing, but aside from being a bloody good workout, I really do enjoy it. I can now do a forward roll and a headstand - two things I didn’t think this dyspraxic old sod could ever manage.
Anyway, I’ve had a think about my goals for the year. I have decided that I will not set any lifting goals, because my mechanics are poor and my joints are hurting. Whilst I would like to deadlift 120kg, I need to fix a lot of things first in terms of posture and joint mobility.
So, instead, I am making a resolution to spend some time on mobility every day. When I am at home I’ll try and do the Mobility WOD. Otherwise, I’ll do something of my own devising.
The actual goals:
-
Drop some weight. I am aiming for 140lbs although that’s a weight I haven’t seen in several years. I am uncertain exactly what I weight currently as the scales at the gym are broken, but I’d imagine it’s over 11 stone (maybe around 160lbs currently). I might modify this goal slightly if I look fabulous at a higher weight, but I chose it because it was a weight I looked decent at in the past. Why I want to lose weight: mostly vanity, I’ll admit, although there’s the added incentive of being able to do more chins. Which brings me to…
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10 Chins. Or maybe 11 in '11? Most I’ve done is 5 and that tends to go down when I put weight on. I need to get better at these.
-
Improve my gymnastics. Specifically, I want to be able to do a handstand and a backward roll properly.
-
Do the splits (not box splits, mind - just the leg forward/leg behind version). Never managed to get all the way down, so I would like to do that.
-
Run a half-marathon. This is lower down my priorities, since I need to find one that is a) off-road and b) in London, and there’s only one I could find that fits in both categories. I am planning to enter but if illness or injury keeps me out, I’ll probably postpone the goal until 2012. Still, I would very much like to do this.
Right, that’s all for now.
Goals sound doable!!
you certainly are a looker Cal…and fwiw I think you already do look fabulous…but I understand the desire to improve.
looking forward to following with you on your 2011 journey Cal.
and also those crazy cultural references you drop like bombs in our logs 
must have chins video when those have been accomplished. or before. I’m not fussy…
So you’ll run a half and I’ll race a 5K. Sounds like a fine division of labour to me.
We are happy to help you determine the weight-to-fabulousness ratio. Its probably not as low as 140. What were you after the last V-diet?
Vanity goals rock 
Great job on running, and I know you can get those goals. You did so much already, it’s not a matter of if, more like a matter of when.
I hope it’s ok that I didn’t read any posts & only came to check out the pics?
DAMN! You are quite the looker Cal…
I did read, & I like your goals. All are attainable w/your frame of mind. & make it 11 chins.
Thanks all. And Kimba - the V-Diet wasn’t that successful for me, considering how hardcore it is. I dropped 6lbs in the first week but only 1lb a week thereafter, and as soon as I did the recovery week (only one solid meal a day - no junk) I put those 3lbs back. So I was about 150lbs when I finished. I got down to 147lbs last summer but that didn’t last long! My avatar photo was taken around then. Incidentally I still have some cellulite at that weight. I think I’d have to starve myself down to about 130 to see the end of that, and I’m not sure I want to go that far.
One cool thing I noticed was that, when reviewing my one rep max lifts from this time last year, I have my military press at 35kg (77lbs). I can now do 40kg (88lbs). The not so great news is that I’ve had some shoulder pain in the left rotator cuff so I may have to lay off the overhead stuff for a while until it eases.
I went to the gym today (had to renew my membership - £514 ouch) and the January rush has apparently already started, so I got little done in terms of weights. I did some mobility stuff to start and 30 hypers.
Deadlift:
60kg x 10
70kg x 5
3 x 80kg x 3
Didn’t go heavier - working on form.
Dumbell rows:
24kg x 10
2 x 26kg x 10
After that there wasn’t too much I could do (chins and pulldowns were out because of the shoulder thing) so I went and did mobility work and stretching. (I spent maybe half an hour on that). And that’s it.
Today’s a bank holiday - hopefully the rest of the week will be quieter (I am not back at work until the following week).
Oh and something LOLsome - I decided to tennis ball my back this afternoon and broke the tennis ball! It’s one of those very hard practise ones. Fortunately I have another.
OK, maybe the V-Diet wasn’t a success in your eyes. But the ab pictures after that were great! Those are the ones in your hub, right? Whatever weight you were in those is a great look for you.
Dude, you BROKE THE TENNIS BALL! That is very bad-ass.
Freaking January, who the hell IS getting a full workout?!
I hope your shoulder feels better, they’re so touchy lol
And breaking a tennis ball?.. well, your entire backside is made of steel, not that surprising.
Just woke up from a hilarious dream (well, the hilarious tail end of a dream). I was outside a typical British sandwich/pastry shop and saw in the window a small sign saying “Bcn”. So I went in and started ranting at the young shop assistant about how lazy it was that they couldn’t be bothered to spell out a five letter word like bacon and if it wasn’t changed I’d stick it up his arse. I ranted that if kids today couldn’t spell simple words like that, how the hell were they going to cope with a word like discombobulated?
Why the hell my subconscious self picked that word, I’ll never know.
Anyway, no training yesterday - Flo turned up, didn’t feel like it. Did some mob work though.
Gym today.
lol, shows what i know about dresses… i see what you mean now - but i could have sworn i saw a dress… still, you looked fabulous both times i looked 
sorry to hear about your shoulder. sucks when you are making great progress on pressing, keen to rip it up, then things get cranky. body requesting a bit of a de-load maybe?
Body does feel like it needs a deload but I haven’t even been pushing it hard.
Gym today - emptier (people are at work) but the usual crowd was in the free weights room so I ended up talking a bit too much and not lifting enough.
Deadlifts:
Bar x 10
60kg x 10
70kg x 5
80kg x 3
2 x 90kg x 1
Rather than worry about how kyphotic I looked, I concentrated on pulling the weight up with my hams and glutes and that seemed to work. I don’t know if it was any prettier but my back didn’t seem to mind, which is the main thing.
DB rows:
24kg x 10
26kg x 10
28kg x 8
Supserset:
Hyperextension: 30, 20, 20
Bosu ball squat sit up thing: 12, 12, 12
That was all, actually, but I did a fair amount of mob and stretching. I have a long way to go before I can do a split, but it’s only the first week of January so I’m not going to rush it.
Eh, I won’t say that you’re not pushing it hard.
Your mind and body are different, your body can be screaming for mercy, but your head can be like “Push more”.
I just don’t want you all burnt out and everything. When my shoulder started to hurt, I took it as a sign to start my deload. And I’m very stubborn when it comes to deloads lol
Oh, and your rows are wicked.
Your lower body is looking great for such a lay-off you had from them. Always killing it, huh
Cal: Yeah for gymnastics and running goals! I’m with you on increasing mobility too. I need to do that as well. Stretching is such a pain, but my body works a lot better when I’m consistent with that.
Today: 4.5 mile muddy run in the rain. I did about 30 mins of mobility stuff prior and felt a lot better for it. I could feel my left glute-ham tie-in, which is unsurprising as that area got hammered by deadlifts yesterday. My back also felt quite tight (I’d foam rolled and done my t-spine extensions on it beforehand but, again, deadlifts…)
Had plenty of energy and even the rain (and wet feet) didn’t dampen my spirits. I will say that I haven’t started the diet yet and did eat quite a lot yesterday, so that’s probably why I felt energetic.
Anyway, the news is that I have entered a half marathon. It’s this one: http://www.ranelaghhalfmarathon.webs.com/
It’s in Richmond, so I can get to it, and goes along the Thames and round Hampton Court so it should be scenic.
Now I just have to train for the bugger. Fingers crossed that I don’t get injured prior.
wow it really HAS been awhile since i’ve been around here.
you’re gorgeous! late, yes, but i’m sure you wont get tired of hearing that.
as for the weight you want to achieve, fuckitol. not shitting on your goal, just that it seems a silly thing to keep track of when i look at all your other goals. you kick ass in many areas of life, seems that letting weight get in the way would hold you back.
that being said, i completely understand wanting to look different.
so, carry on.
i need bcn!! hahaha what a bizarre dream.
smokin’ pic.
crazy on the tennis ball! time to move to a lacrosse ball. if you can break one of those you are seriously somethin’. lol
good luck on your fat loss and chin up goals.
Yeah, like I said, if I get to a weight I feel happy at which is higher than 140, I’ll likely stay there. Thing is, gluttony is my favourite sin and I have a tendancy to go on extended food benders which do a lot of damage in a relatively short time. If I give myself a weight goal rather than a more nebulous goal like must eat better/stop being a pig/etc etc it give me something to shoot for and keeps me motivated.
Photo: piggery in evidence at the New Year’s Eve party. (That gooey chocolate cake was to die for). At this point I’m being genteel and eating small pieces off a plate with a fork.