Discovered weights when I was 16. Got pretty buff however fell away to discovering booze, nightclubs and recreational drugs.
Fell out of a relationship when I was 22. After a period of watching Sex in The City box sets and drinking rose wine, I decided to man the f*ck up and start hitting the gym again.
Indulged in farting about the gym doing any old crap however experiencing newbie gains in the process
Read Brawn by Stuart MacRobert
Indulged in 20 rep squats/abbreviated training for a couple of years
Became a PT
Started working with a PT who introduced me to Joe Defranco. This took me on a training journey so to speak, devouring content from all these online based coaches who I was completely oblivious to.
Ended up investing in a gym.
This culminated in some serious soul searching regarding a sense of purpose with regards to my training. I was willing to sacrifice my long term health all to achieve a look. This never really bode well with my principles and the message i was trying to get across to my clients.
This then lead me onto Tactical Barbell…
Which was an epiphany…
I took some time out from training and decided on embarking on the Base building block, I initially ran it last December and got 6 weeks into it. I also done the max strength based template…
The cardio high I was experiencing was borderline euphoric. I felt my mood lift immediately after the first run. This galvanised me and for the first time in months, I was looking forward to training…
I then caught a belter of a flu and had to take 2 weeks off which then turned into a return to strength training then Nsuns (which is an awesome program)
I also turned 39 a few months back and as the big 4-0 approaches I’ve decided to take action.
I’ve become more aware of my mortality over the last decade. My old man succumbed to stomach cancer at the age of 53. This has always weighed in on my mind and it would be good to hit 40 in peak condition.
Which leads me onto this log…
I’ve restarted the base building block from Tactical Barbell. The Strength Endurance first version as well.
Another 30 minute LISS run in the bag, this one done outside
Average HR of 145
Calves felt it quite a bit today. Feel heavy as fuck on my feet when running. Running technique isn’t something that comes easy to me.I have ‘west of scotland’ legs. Short and stumpy.
Goblet squat
Push ups
Chins
KB swings
Military press
2 x 20
Been doing the chins rest pause style. 4 sets of 5 with minimum rest
Chins are my favourite exercise. I need to do them on oly rings. I had a nasty 3 odd years bout of tennis elbow thanks to excessive chins on a fixed bar.
Took me about 25 minutes to complete. Tried to keep the rest periods as short as possible.
Was almost licking the walls after the 2nd round. Totally gassed.
I’ve also reigned in my sugar addiction throughout the first week. Havent had any sweets or chocolate since day 1. Been keeping my nutrition super simple.
Lots of Kefir
Mike Dolces breakfast bowl
Bacon and eggs
Whatever my girlfriend makes for dinner, usually meat and a carb (rice/wedges/sweet potato fries)
Coffee
My night time treat is a wrap with some peanut butter and sliced banana, popped in the microwave. Not the best however keeps me sane.
I’m thinking that will see through the next 8 weeks.
It will be interesting. I’m in at 85kg/187lbs at 5’7"
Quite a stiff session. Feeling a tweak in the groin area while squatting.
RHR is hovering around the 55 mark the last few days
Feeling a little leaner this week. Hardly any bloat as i’m leaving 4 hour gaps between feeds. Not as much heart burn as well since i have dropped the volume of food I’ve been consuming.
Also love the lack of stress that comes with not having to make a stop to buy chocolate on my way home from work.
Will treat myself to some Greek yoghurt this weekend
Thought I would fire some pics up to keep me accountable and prevent any slacking off.
A log without pics or videos doesn’t seem right too.
Aesthetic goals aren’t really something that floats my boat right now however I would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in shredding up a wee bit.
Been sticking to an overall healthy eating plan as opposed to counting calories. I moved in with my missus 8 months ago and since then it’s been chocolate or cake every night. The love diet so to speak.
That’s 2 weeks away from only sweets, bar a protein bar here and there. In saying that I had half a pizza last night and a few handfuls of salted popcorn. I went to see Thor and it would have been rude not to.
Took my missus with me. Thought it would hold me back however she let me go ahead as we were in the local park. That allowed me to set a steady pace while free from the stress of her starting to moan and bitch.
Felt easy on the chest. No breathing issues whatsoever with running. It’s my calves which take the brunt of it. They get quite sore about 20 mins in. Most likely still getting used to the impact of running, particularly if you have wee stumpy legs which hit the ground with aplomb.
Tried to get this one done quickly. Was like a burst couch at the end.
These workouts definitely compliment the runs. Developing that mental fortitude. This program is very ‘grindy’.
I’m feeling a lot fitter as well. I have to demonstrate a lot of exercises in one of the classes I take. It’s usually 8 exercises done in quick succession. I’m usually a bit sweaty when I do that however the last few days have been a breeze.
