Apologies regarding the lack of updates. I have just spent a week in Bali, Indonesia. I had planned to do some type of training but instead I just ate lots of nasi goreng and drank lots of bintang. Not the best for my training goals, but it has definately has given me a mental (and diet) break that I needed.
Traveling often gives you time to think and reflect, and as a result I have some new exciting training goals and methods in mind. Stay tuned bird-watchers!!
10 supersets of 3 rep pull-ups with an additional 10 kg, with 12 reps of push-ups. 1 minute rest b/w each set, in which I did some hip mobility drill. Finished off with 3 sets of 20 of band pull-aparts.
PM
Was going to go to the gym for legs, but was too tired after work.
NUTRITION
I have discovered an ap for my phone that is going to make tracking my food so much easier. Its called MyFitnessPal and I canât believe it has taken me so long to discover it. In other nutrition news, I have decided to fast 1-2 days a week after reading up on the 5:2 diet. My main aim of doing this is for weight management and for the additional health benefits.
So at the moment I am intermittent fasting most days, except for morning that I train where I usually have oats and a protein shake post-training. On the mornings I do fast I am going to try EyeDentists peanut butter protocol. With the help of my new ap I will be able to provide more accurate insights on my dietary experiment.
[quote]theBird wrote:
In other nutrition news, I have decided to fast 1-2 days a week after reading up on the 5:2 diet. My main aim of doing this is for weight management and for the additional health benefits.
So at the moment I am intermittent fasting most days, except for morning that I train where I usually have oats and a protein shake post-training. On the mornings I do fast I am going to try EyeDentists peanut butter protocol. With the help of my new ap I will be able to provide more accurate insights on my dietary experiment.
tweet[/quote]
1- the 2/5 diet is pretty much an eat stop ea rip off. Not saying thatâs a bad thing, but you can read stuff by Brad Pilon if youâre interested in more details.
2 - once you eat ANYTHING, itâs not fasting and a few of the health benefits do not apply. Again, your call. Eating very little will be just as good for weight loss, but your digestive system knows the difference between a shake/spoons of PB and nothing - the latter gives it a break, the former does not.
[quote]nighthawkz wrote:
1- the 2/5 diet is pretty much an eat stop ea rip off. Not saying thatâs a bad thing, but you can read stuff by Brad Pilon if youâre interested in more details.
2 - once you eat ANYTHING, itâs not fasting and a few of the health benefits do not apply. Again, your call. Eating very little will be just as good for weight loss, but your digestive system knows the difference between a shake/spoons of PB and nothing - the latter gives it a break, the former does not.
[/quote]
Thanks for the tip. I will have a look at Brad Pilonâs book. Do you recommend it?
I did read a book on the 5:2 diet although it was written by some one who obviously did not have much idea on nutrition and was written more for the âregularâ non-lifting people. I have also had a look at TCâs recent article on 5:2
I suppose I am doing this to control weight, optimise my ânutrition timingâ and for the other possible proposed benefits of having 1-2 days with lower calories. What is the advantage of giving the digestive system a break?
notes: Good session. Next week I will increase the weights for the first 2 exercise by 5 kg, and increase the rep for the one leg presses to 12 reps. Today I used my rehband knee sleeves for the first time and they feel awesome. Best thing since sliced bread.
NUTRITION
10:30am: 2 tb of PB on 2 sticks of celery.
12:30pm: Quest protein bar.
2:00pm: Tuna and 1 cup of rice (pre-WO). -âCarb window Openâ-
3:30pm: BCAAs (intra-WO)
4:45pm: 2 scoops of whey, apple & cinnamon scroll, and a kiwi fruit (post-WO).
And at about 6:30ish I will have some beef mince with vegetable on rice. -âClose Carb Windowâ-
Aiming for about 2, 500 calories, with at least 200 grams of protein. Will make it up with a protein shake or some biltong if I need to.
[quote]theBird wrote:
Thanks for the tip. I will have a look at Brad Pilonâs book. Do you recommend it?
I did read a book on the 5:2 diet although it was written by some one who obviously did not have much idea on nutrition and was written more for the âregularâ non-lifting people. I have also had a look at TCâs recent article on 5:2
I suppose I am doing this to control weight, optimise my ânutrition timingâ and for the other possible proposed benefits of having 1-2 days with lower calories. What is the advantage of giving the digestive system a break?
tweet[/quote]
I would leaf through his blog first; his book(s) is/are worth it if you want to get more in-depth information after that.
Simply speaking, not eating occasionally can sometimes help the digestive tract recover better - most people donât realise how much energy it takes to digest food. It doesnât lead to improvements for everyone, but among the things that may happen are:
more regular and ahem smoother bowel movement
more energy
clearer skin
better immune response
basically, when your gut feels better, your entire body tends to feel better. Whether or not this DOES lead to an improvement really depends on the person though.
[quote]nighthawkz wrote:
I would leaf through his blog first; his book(s) is/are worth it if you want to get more in-depth information after that.
Simply speaking, not eating occasionally can sometimes help the digestive tract recover better - most people donât realise how much energy it takes to digest food. It doesnât lead to improvements for everyone, but among the things that may happen are:
more regular and ahem smoother bowel movement
more energy
clearer skin
better immune response
basically, when your gut feels better, your entire body tends to feel better. Whether or not this DOES lead to an improvement really depends on the person though.[/quote]
I didnt know any of that, so thanks for the info.
I have had a brief look at the blog and I can asy I am not really a fan of his writing style.
MP; 5 x 5, with 50 kg. (with heaps of hip mobility work b/w sets).
dB bench press; (10 x 27.5 kg) x 3, and (8 x 27.5 kg) x 1.
4 supersets of: seated rows(10 x 55 kg), with barbell curls (8 x 35 kg).
Abs; 4 rounds of 30 swiss ball sit-ups, followed by 10 hanging leg raises.
I then proceeded to team soccer training to find that we did not have enough players to train, so by myself I ran 2 km around the park, did 7 x 60m sprints, and finished off with some mobility work. I was planning to do some running tomorrow morning, but as I had a decent run tonight tomorrow I will rest.
notes: Happy with todays session. 50 kg is a little light for MPs, but I didnât want to push myself too hard being my first day back doing upper. Feeling more pump with doing 4 supersets, compared to the usual 3 i do.
NUTRITION
P: 200 C: 205 F: 80
calories: 2,430.
The majority of calories and protein consumed from about 4:00pm(pre-WO), to about 8:30pm(dinner after training).
A little sore after last nights game(lost 2-4), but felt good enough to push some weights.
Repetition Upper
Agile 8 etc.
Bike ride to the gym.
Dips; 6 sets of 5 with an additional 20 kg.
Barbell rows: 4 sets of 8 with 60 kg.
Super-setted 4 sets of; 10 x 15 kg incline dB curls, with 12 x 35 kg face-pulls.
Super-setted 3 sets of; 10 x 6 kg rear felt raids, with 10 bodyweight push-ups.
3 sets of farmer walks with 35 kg dBs; 3 laps, 2laps and 2 laps.
Bike ride home.
notes: Good session. I think I am ready to up the weight with the dips. Dips felt strong and shoulders bullet proof (knock on wood). With the weather warming up I am enjoying been back on the bike again.
Barbell reverse lunges; 5 x 5, with 75 kg. (6 reps of bodyweight dips b/w sets).
RDLs; (10 x 60 kg) x 1, (10 x 65 kg) x 3.
One legged leg press; 4 sets of 12 x 2pps.
Abs: 4 rounds of 30 rep swiss ball crunches and 10 reps of hanging leg raises.
Bike ride home.
notes: Good session. Forgot to do my explosive jumps before my leg weights.
NUTRITION
So I have been experimenting with âextreme low calorie days(800 calories)â every 5 days. I have tried 3 days of low calorie eating, and have found it to be a bit of a struggle. On those days I feel tired, weak and irritated by the end of the day. On one occasion I woke up at 3am to raid the fridge in a zombie like state. Another down side is that on feasting days my guts donât feel the best after been so empty for so long, and then having to deal with a great amount of food. I have learnt much from this experiment but donât think this style of eating is for me.
I think I will return to my previous way of eating which was mix of IF, carb cycling and carb back-loading.
10 supersets of pull-ups with an additional 10 kg of weight, with 12 bodyweight push-ups. The first 5 sets were done with 4 reps of pull-ups, the last 5 sets were done with 3 reps of pull-ups.
3 sets of 20 x band pull-aparts.
PM
Solo Skill & Conditioning
Havenât spent much time on the ball lately due to been away on holidays and been busy at work etc. I have definitely noticed a decline in ball skill and foot speed with the ball. Today I did some ball to wall work and some cone dribbling for about 30 minutes. Skipped conditioning as it was hot and I wasnât feeling the best.
MP; 5 x 5, with 55 kg. (3rd world squatting and band pull-aparts b/w sets).
dB bench press; (10 x 27.5 kg) x 2, (8 x 27.5 kg) x 2.
seated rows; (10 x 55 kg) x 2, (8 x 60 kg) x 2.
barbell curls, (8 x 35 kg) x 2, (6 x 35 kg) x 2, and 12 x bar.
Abs; 3 rounds of 30 rep swiss ball sit-ups with 10 hanging leg raises.
Conditioning
Tonights team training was cancelled due to a lack of numbers. Instead I did a 10 minute warm up run and finished off with 7 sprints of 60 meters, walking back for recovery.
notes: Good sesiĂłn. Bar speed was good for the MP up until the last 1-2 reps. Felt fast on the track, although I felt I was slowing down for the last 2 sprints.
NUTRITION
Just had to mention I ate 2 massive plates of ground beef and rice after training. I can hardly move.
Spent 40 minutes juggling, shooting and dribbling. Everything was done at 70% intensity as tomorrows game is less than 36 hours away. Finished off with some mobility run drills.
Tomorrows game is an away game against the bottom of the ladder team. We are about 5 points clear of the bottom 2 spots on the ladder, which we need to stay off to avoid relegation. You would think that the senior players would make an effort and step-up, but it looks like we are missing a few key players due to some pretty dodgy excuses.
With 4 games left of the season I am also contemplating what I want to do in the off-season, and if I want to continue with football next year. I am still playing with the idea of maybe joining a BJJ club. Also have been looking at a few different training programs for the gym, and I think I am favoring either 531 or the âbig 4â program that was published on T-Nation just recently.
Feeling a little sore after yesterdays game in which we drew 4-4 with the bottom of the ladder team. Also feeling bloated after smashing a couple of pizzaâs on the bus ride home.
Agile 8.
Bike ride to the gym.
Dips; 5 x 5 with 25 kg.
Barbell rows; (8 x 65 kg) x 2, (8 x 60 kg) x 2.
S/S 4 sets of incline hammer curls (10 x 15 kg), with face pulls (12 x 35 kg).
S/S 3 sets of rear delt raises (12 x 6 kg), with 12 push-ups.
Abs; 4 rounds of 30 swiss ball sit-ups with 10 reps of hanging leg raises.
Bike ride home.
notes: Feeling strong. Will keep the weights the same for next week.
Once again tonight I did not attend team training. I have decided I will not attend training for the rest of the season, although I will fulfil my commitment to the team by making myself available for the final 3 games of the season. Boycotting training is my little way of saying I am not happy with the way club is managed.
TRAINING
PM
Agile 8 etc.
22 minute run at a slow-moderate pace.
Some agility/mobility running(running backwards, sideways, criss cross running etc etc). Finished off with 10 attempts of deck squats.
Tonights session gave me time to think about what goals I want to work towards once the football season ends. I had really enjoyed my âjogâ and I have decided I never want to lose the ability to go for 20-30 minute run. So I suppose that rules out getting hulk-like massive. I think I would like to program in 2 sessions a week where I ran 3-5 km for time.
Front squats; 5 x 5; with 70 kg. (6 reps of bodyweight pull-ups b/w sets)
BSS; 4 sets of 10 x 22.5 kg.
Ham curls; 4 sets of 8 x 45 kg, supersetted with 10 reps of hanging leg raises.
Bike ride home.
notes: Good session. Front squats felt good with my legs doing most of the work, and not much input from my notorious lower back. Next week I will increase the weights for all exercises.
In other news, I feel that I am carrying a couple of extra kgâs, although I havenât bothered to weigh myself. Im not too fussed with this slight increase in bodyweight as my performance in the gym has been good and I hope to add some muscle mass. I have recently starting to be more liberal with my carb intake before and after training.
dB military press; (10 x 17.5 kg) x 3, (10 x 15 kg) x 1.
Supersetted 4 sets of seated rows (10 x 60 kg) x 2, (10 x 55 kg) x 2, with lateral raises (10 x 8kg).
I then did a âbicepsâ workout that I picked up from another site on the internet;
It went a little something like this (30 seconds rest b/w each set);
10 reps with barbell only (20 kg).
20 reps with 25 kg
10 reps with 30 kg
20 reps with 35 kg in as many sets as it takes (I only managed 4 sets of 5, 3, 3, and 3 for a total of 11.)
I then went outside for some conditioning. Warmed up with a 5 minute jog, did 8 reps of 40 meter sprints(walking back for recovery), and then 5 minutes warm down jog at the end.
notes: Good session. Bar speed with the bench press got a little slow in the last 2 sets. In the next few months I think I would like to achieve 5x5 with 100-105 kgâs. Next week I will increase weight for all exercises. Eating like a king. Feeling strong.