Sunday, January 31, 2010

January 31st

The back massage seems to have helped and I'm in less pain. The ankle issue seems to be completely resolved as well. I assumed that after running yesterday it'd hurt, but its been fine all day.

Diet
Breakfast: None (Got up late)
Brunch: Rye bread, several types of ham and cheese, pickled onions, pickles, egg, peppers. (Went to Brotzeit, I make no apologies for this because it was delicous)
Lunch: Oat bar pre workout
Post-workout: Strawberry milk
Dinner: Grilled chicken, cous-cous with chickpeas, sultanas and dried apricots (Kirsty made this Moroccan chicken dish which was awesome AND healthy. Will have this more often)

Good diet for a Sunday I think.

Exercise
Warmup: 5 minute on the crosstrainer, stretches
Weights:
  • Lat pulldown, 43 kg, 8 x3 set
  • Shoulder press, 43 kg,  8 x3 sets
  • Chest press, 43 kg, 8 x3 sets
  • Lateral raise, 2.5 kg 8 x3 sets
  • Freeweight chest press: 12.5 kg 8 x3 sets
Cardio: 20 minute interval programme on the stationary bike (For my own reference, lvl 5, weight 80kg, seat height 10, average speed 25 kph)

...then I did the whole weights set again and another 20 minutes on the bike.

Good workout! Its been a while since I did any weights work, and I'm certainly stronger than before. I think I'll do this workout more often, cycling is a lot easier on my back than rowing, and the weights work should increase my punching power.

69 days to go...

January 30th

Saturday back at Vanda. Almost didn't go after waking up feeling sick and out-of-sorts. I guess it was the rich food from Friday night, something to remember in future.

Diet
Breakfast: Oat bar 45 minutes before exercise
Post workout: Chocolate milk
Lunch: Bi Bim Bap (Rice with mixed veg and beef)
Dinner: Tin of tuna, 2 rice-cakes

Poor diet really, not unhealthy, just not enough food. Weekends always screw me over like this.

Exercise
Warmup: 30 minute jog (We all set off together and I was dead last back at the gym. I suck at jogging)
Circuit 1: Stations. Various exercises, eg. Medicine ball slams, squats, farmer's walk. Just a hard workout for the whole body. 3 sets.
Circuit 2: Bag work, 20 second punchout, rest 20 seconds. 3 sets of 2 minutes.
Circuit 3: Punch and move drills with a partner.
Circuit 4: Movement drills. Very quick movements forward, back, left and right with Alexis shouting commands. 3-4 minutes at a guess.
Circuit 5: Crunches. 3 sets of 30.
2 minutes plank.

Hard workout, I hated the running, but it was a good day.

Nothing else to add really, I went for a back massage in the afternoon, hopefully that'l help with the injury.

70 days to go...

Saturday, January 30, 2010

January 29th

Friday is my rest day, so no exercise. Probably a good thing since my back pain was flaring up. Took a bunch of painkillers and ibuprofen, which sorted me out.

Diet
Breakfast: Oatmeal, nuts and honey
Mid morning: Tuna, rice-cake, apple
Lunch: Chilli, rice and steamed veg
Mid afternoon: Tuna, rice-cake, apple
Dinner: Salad and lasagne (Al Forno is rapidly becoming my favorite Italian restaurant in Singapore)

Reasonable diet, dinner respectable if slightly worse than normal.

Exercise
None

Fridays are always a rest day because Vanda on Saturday mornings is so brutal.

All good. I've decided to keep going with the workouts in spite of my back, and just take painkillers when it feels really crappy. I might head to Novena for a back massage on Saturday as well.

71 days to go...

Friday, January 29, 2010

January 28th

Returned to normal today, ate right, exercised at home, felt pretty good.
I even consider my aching back to be normal at the moment…

Diet
Breakfast: Oatmeal with nuts and honey
Mid morning: Tuna, rice-cake, apple
Lunch: Chilli with rice and steamed veg
Mid afternoon: Tuna, rice-cake, apple
Pre-workout: Oat bar
Post workout: Chocolate milk
Dinner: Scrambled eggs on tortilla

Back on the wagon. High protein, low fat. Still taking supplements as well; a multi-vitamin, Glucosamine and fish-oil caplets.

Exercise
Warmup: 1 km row. Stretches
Circuit 1: 10 burpees, 10 pressups, 10 squat thrusts, 10 crunches, continue for 2 minutes total then rest 1 minute = 1 set. 3 sets total.
Circuit 2: 1 kg punches. 2 minutes continuous punching with 1 kg weight in each hand then rest 1 minute = 1 set. 3 sets total.
Circuit 3: Planks. 1 minute front, 30 seconds left side, 30 seconds right side then rest 1 minute = 1 set. 3 sets total.
Circuit 4: 1 kg punches. Repeat of circuit 2 above. (Until I get a heavy bag this is the only punch training I can do at home)
Interval rowing: 2 minutes hard, 1 minute rest = 1 set. 10 sets total. 2.13 per 500m average. (Reasonably slow row to spare my back, although it still got the heart racing)
Stretches

Good workout. I’m getting better at the burpees and squat thrusts but still a long way to go, my cardio is improving, and I can tell during the punch drills that the muscles in my arms are getting stronger.

If I maintain this work rate all the way to the fight I should be fit enough when the time comes.

72 days to go…

Thursday, January 28, 2010

January 27th

Had a stomach upset all day, so wasn’t feeling good about either food or exercise, but was so annoyed by yesterday’s calculation of not working out on 30% of the last 14 days that I went to the Vanda session anyway.

On the plus side, my ankles feel great, and my back is now just a predictable ache which I can live with.

Diet
Breakfast: None
Mid morning: Vegetable stew
Lunch: Tuna, rice-cake, apple
Mid afternoon: Chilli with rice (no veg)
Pre-workout: Oat bar
Post workout: Chocolate milk and a tuna wrap

Less than normal, and I only had this lot by really forcing myself to eat when I didn’t want to.

Exercise
Warmup: Jogging on the spot, jumping jacks, shuffles
Circuit 1: Jogging on the spot interspersed with pressups, squat thrusts, crunches, burpees and various twisting exercises designed to work the back and core
Circuit 2: Shadow boxing, usual jab and parry drill, then similar drill for blocking a right cross (you raise your left hand to cover your face, and take the punch on the glove) then a mixture of the two.
Circuit 3: 30 second punch drills. Jab as hard and fast as you can for 30 seconds, then 30 seconds rest. Repeat 3 times. Same again but with the right cross. Then 3 sets of 45 seconds fast punching with both hands standing straight on to the bag.
Circuit 4: 10 pressups, 10 squat thrusts, 10 crunches, 10 burpees, 10 step jumps (about 12” jump), repeat 3 times with no breaks. Rest 1 minute then do the same exercises again, but only repeating twice.

That last lot was a killer, extremely difficult to do that amount of work in one go. I’m taking it on board as a great drill to do when short on time. I still need to work on my leg strength.

Hard workout, but I think easier than Monday. I thought I’d really struggle after feeling ill all day, but it was alright.

73 days to go...

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

January 26th

Hmm, despite my good feeling after the gym session on the 25th, I ached a lot this morning, and as usual, it was my ankles and lower back giving me all the grief.

So even though doing so left me feeling extremely guilty, I decided to not exercise today, and give my body a full 48 hours of recovery.

Diet
Normal. Dinner was a bit of a treat though; Thai green Laksa.

Exercise
As stated above, none. I toyed with the idea of doing some knuckle pressups or similar, which mainly work the arms, but decided against it since even something like that works the core and the back muscles quite hard.

Obviously I’m not too happy about taking yet another day off. In the last fortnight I’ve taken 4 days (30%) off. That sort of effort isn’t going to get me in shape to win this fight.

74 days to go...

Monday, January 25, 2010

January 25th

Good day! My back hurt very slightly less, supporting my theory that its not an injury, just a ache from overdoing it on the exercises. My ankles felt far better as well, maybe that was just a light sprain that needed some time.

Diet
Breakfast: Small bowl of oats, seeds and honey (Was still stuffed from the fishcakes I think)
Mid morning: Tuna, rice-cake and apple
Lunch: Chilli, rice and steamed veg
Mid afternoon: Remaining 4 fishcakes, tuna, rice-cake and apple
Post-workout: 2 flavoured milk cartons
Dinner: Honey mustard chicken salad (Kirsty creation, healthy and very tasty)

Good day for the food, except I had too much last night so I sort of lagged everything. No big deal.

Exercise
Warmup: Jogging on the spot/jumping jacks, shuffles, 8 minutes or so.
Circuit 1: Shadowing and movement drill. 4 rounds of minutes, 1 minute rest between rounds.
Circuit 2: 10 second punchouts. Heavy bag work, 3 sets of 2 minutes, 1 minute rest between rounds.
Circuit 3: Skipping. Bloody skipping. Not as terrible as I thought though. I think the ankle supports helped.
Circuit 4: Jab/block drills. I'm still not very good at this, I move my right hand down too much when I block. One of the trainers tried to correct my technique, but I'm still a bit crap.
Circuit 5: Pressups/squat thrusts/crunches/burpees. 2 lots of 10 each. 3 sets of that, 1 minute rest between rounds.
Circuit 6: Planks. 60 seconds, 75 seconds, 90 seconds. Short breaks between rounds.
Stretches.

Good solid workout. I'm getting fitter, my only real problem is the muscles in my thighs, which apparently suck at burpee-ing. Getting better every week though.

An important change I made today was shoes. I'd been using these super-lightweight running shoes, but I realised last week that they're not at all that good for boxing. My reasoning is that when you're bouncing around on your toes, changing direction constantly, you need an shoe designed for that, not a jogging shoe designed for repetitive movement straight forward. With that in mind, I'd highly recommend a tennis, badminton or squash shoe. I dug out my old badminton trainers, and they're a big improvement.

So, my body is on the mend, I'm getting fitter, and the instructors seem to be happy with my progress.

75 days to go...

Sunday, January 24, 2010

January 24th

Painful day. My back and ankles hurt like hell. There's nothing that'll derail my training like a back injury, but equally I can't keep skipping days when I should be training to improve my fitness.

On the plus side, the pain in my ankles fades as long as I don't put then under too much stress (skipping, running), and my back is a dull ache rather than the sort of twinge I'd associate with a pulled muscle.

I had a foot massage as well, helped a little with the ankle pain.

So after careful consideration... I hit the gym.

Diet
Breakfast: Usual breakfast oats
Lunch: Caesar salad, 3 satay sticks
Pre-workout: Flapjack
Post-workout: Strawberry milk
Dinner: Salmon fishcakes, stir-fry veg

Healthy stuff all in all. Much less than I usually have.

Exercise
Warmup: 1km row, stretches
Circuit 1: Burpees, pressups, squat thrusts, crunches. 3 sets of 2 minutes, 1 minute rest between sets.
Circuit 2: 1 kg punches. Quick punches, jabs and crosses. 3 sets of 2 minutes, 1 minute rest between sets.
Circuit 3: Interval rowing. 3 x 2 minute sprints, 2.04 per 500m. 1 minute rest between sets. (26 strokes a minute, really pushing it)
Stretches.

Not the most intense workout I've ever done, but far, far better than nothing. I skipped the planks to help my back, and switched the rowing to 'round based' rather than the 10 sets at lower speed I've done previously.

The real 'reveal' will be my pain level tomorrow morning, I'll report back on that. Vanda gym tomorrow night should be interesting as well. Hopefully skipping will be easier with both ankles in supports.

76 days to go...

Saturday, January 23, 2010

January 23rd

Good day all round, but I'm a bit in the wars injury wise. That 2 day break hasn't done me much good at all.

Diet
Breakfast: 1/2 portion of oatmeal with nuts, seeds and honey. (Just a half portion of my normal breakfast, about 50 minutes before the gym session. As it turned out, this was perfect, energy wise)
Post workout: Chocolate milk
Lunch: Thai sliced beef, steamed rice, Tom Yum soup (Good healthy option for eating out)
Dinner: Chicken stir fry, brown rice

Good for a weekend. As I've mentioned its hard to eat as regularly as I can at work.

Exercise
Warmup: Skipping interspersed with pressups, crunches, star-jumps and burpees. (The ankle support helped here, but it still hurt)
Circuit 1: Movement. Circling the ring on the toes, changing direction quickly and throwing punches. 3 x 2 minute rounds, 1 minute rest between each.
Circuit 2: Power. Pressups, crunches, dumbell twists, lateral raises, medicine ball smashes, farmers walk, squats, plate rotations. Very quick circuits, 15 seconds or so then move. 2 full circuits.
Circuit 3: Quick bag punches. Very fast punches on the heavy bag, 20 seconds or so at a time, then 20 seconds rest holding the bag for your partner. 3 x 2 minute rounds, 1 minute rest between each.
Circuit 4: Jab/block drill. As previously, throw a jab, partner blocks, counter-punches.
Planks. Not sure how long we did but it was hard.

Hard again, we're still working mainly on fitness, and I'm certainly improving. I'm getting more and more worried about my ankles though, I bought another support this afternoon, and I'll try skipping again on Monday, but if it carries on like this I'll a word with the trainers and find an alternative cardio option.

I'm getting the usual twinges in my lower back, so I've had a nice hot bath and slapped on a heating patch. That should sort it out by the morning.

77 days to go...

January 22nd

Not a good day, ate badly, no exercise, and my ankle still hurt.

Diet
Normal...until dinner, when I had a massive pizza, seriously it was huge.

Exercise
I was planning to workout before we went for dinner, but I was short on time and I had to buy an ankle support before Saturday training. I'll have to make up for it tomorrow.

The only positive is that I've given my ankle a long break, which should help with recovery.

78 days to go...

Friday, January 22, 2010

January 21st

My right foot and ankle is still giving me some grief, even hurting walking around at work. I need some supports before Saturday training. Today turned into a rest day because I went out in the evening.

Diet
Normal, except I’ve added a boiled eggs to my mid morning and mad afternoon meals. I hoped this would help me get some extra protein, and I felt much more satisfied all day so I’ll carry it on for now. Still off the booze, but it was hard tonight in a bar with everyone else knocking back cold beer.

Exercise
None.

Overall not much to report, beyond worries about my ankles. We’re going out for dinner tomorrow night, but I should have time to do a full workout.

79 days to go...

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

January 20th

Felt good today, one of those 'full-of-energy' days, which was useful seeing as how we were back at Vanda tonight, ramping up the effort once again.

Diet
I'm just going to say 'normal' here. I've got an established routine now. The only addition was a small amount of rice with my lunchtime chilli.

Exercise
Warmup: Usual jogging on the spot, shuffles, jumping jacks. 5 minutes.
Circuit 1: Lunges, ass-kickers, high kicks, 3 rounds of 2 minutes, 1 minute rest between rounds.
Circuit 2: Shadow sparring/movement drill, 3 rounds of 2 minutes, 1 minute rest between rounds.
Circuit 3: Skipping. 3 rounds of 2 minutes, 1 minute rest between rounds.
Circuit 4: 10 seconds punchouts. Hard, hard HARD. Punch a heavy bag, jabs and crosses, as quickly and intensely as possible for 10 seconds, then rest and hold the bag for your buddy for 10 seconds. 3 rounds of 2 minutes, 1 minute rest between rounds.
Circuit 5: Deflecting drill. Jab at a buddy, he knocks the jab away with his right hand and counters with a jab of his own which you deflect with your right hand. Do this while circling a cone, right and left. 3 rounds of 2 minutes, 1 minute rest between rounds.
Circuit 6: 10 pressups, 10 squat thrusts, 10 crunches, 10 burpees. Repeat then rest 1 minute. Repeat. (From next week this will be 3 sets rather than 2)
Planks: 3 sets of 1 minute, rest 45 seconds between sets.
Stretches.

Like I said, its ramping up. The punches and movement are already feeling more natural though. My only complaint from today is that my shoes felt loose and I've picked up a few blisters. Nothing too serious though.

Tomorrow is my boss' leaving do, so training is either going to be non-existent or very short.

Lastly, 35 pressups was my max last night, almost double what I could do at the start of my training.

80 days to go...

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

January 19th

Christ my ankles hurt this morning! Must have been all the skipping. Still, apart from that I felt good, so was able to do a full on workout.

Diet
Breakfast: Oatmeal with nuts and honey
Mid morning: Tuna, rice-cake, apple
Lunch: Daal with steamed veg
Mid afternoon: Tun, rice-cake, apple
Pre-workout: CNP Flapjack (High protein bar specially designed to be eaten before exercise. Didn't taste terrible, but was expensive at $3)
Post-workout: Chocolate milk
Dinner: Salad and grilled salmon
Supplements: Glucosamine, multi-vitamin

Good diet day, apart from the salmon which was a bit oily. We went out for dinner to celebrate Kirsty getting a promotion :)

Exercise
Warmup: 1 km row plus strecthes
Circuit 1: 10 burpees/10 pressups/10 squat thrusts/10 crunches. Repeat as needed for a full 2 minutes. 1 minute rest, repeat 3 times. Very hard, but a good way to do the exercises since there's no incentive to rush the reps or introduce shortcuts. For example, burpees can be made very easy if you only kick your legs back a few inches.
Circuit 2: 1 kg punches. Continuous speed punching for 2 minutes, rest 1 minute, repeat 3 times.
Circuit 3: Planks. 1 minute front, quick switch to 30 seconds right side, quick switch to 30 seconds left side. Rest 1 minute, repeat 3 times.
Circuit 4: Interval rowing. Sprint for 2 minutes (2.07 / 500m), rest 1 minute, repeat 3 times.
Finished with 40 half-pressups on my knuckles, as advised by the trainers to strengthen the wrists, a particular concern for me.
Stretches

I concentrated on training in 2 minute rounds with a minute between each stint. This is the format for the fight, so getting my body used to 3 short bursts of intense effort is certainly the order of the day. Buying the timer has made it much easier to concentrate, just work till the bell rings.

Before bed I'm going to see how many pressups I can do in a row. When I started training it was 20, and who knows, 21 might not be out of the question after all my hard work.

Back at Vanda tomorrow.

81 days to go...

Monday, January 18, 2010

January 18th

Ached a little this morning, mainly in my thighs and buttocks from all the squats and burpees yesterday. However, my back feels a little better, so thats something!

Diet
Breakfast: Oatmeal with nuts and honey
Mid morning: Tuna, ricecake and apple
Lunch: Chilli with steamed veg
Mid afternoon: Tuna, ricecake and apple
Pre-workout: Flapjack (The smoothie thing wasn't working so well, this is easier and kept me going really well during my workout)
Post workout: Chocolate milk
Dinner: Steak with homemade beans

Lots of food today, but I'm still losing weight so I certainly use the calories. My only concern at the moment with my diet is not getting enough protein. I've also started taking vitamins and Glucosamine. I'm going to add fish oil to that when I get round to buying some. I'm getting lots of fruit and veg, so I wouldn't normally need to take supplements, but a bit of internet research suggested that the amount of exercise I'm doing necessitates getting some extra vitamins and minerals.

Exercise
Back at Vanda, lots of variety this time round. Warmed up with some jogging on the spot, starjumps etc. Finished the warmup with ass-kickers, strides with twists, high kick and high knees. Then we varied between some bag work, skipping, movement drills, then the usual Pressup/Squat/Crunch/Burpee session, and planks to finish.

Good workout, I'm getting better at skipping... slightly, but my legs still can't handle all the squats and burpees. I guess its a case of gradually building up my strength. My cardio is improving fast though, I can feel myself pushing harder and recovering more quickly already.

I've been using my phone as a timer for planks, punches and so on at home, and its been pretty crap, always end up pushing the wrong button and cancelling it when I don't mean to. So I bought a proper interval timer today. It counts 2 minutes, dings, and continues counting for a 30/60 second rest, then repeats. Ideal.

82 days to go...

Sunday, January 17, 2010

January 17th

Felt good this morning, headache all gone. My only slight niggle is my lower back.

Diet
Breakfast: Oatmeal with nuts and honey
Pre-workout: Flapjack
Lunch: Chilli with steamed veg
Dinner: Fajitas with rice and tortillas (Kirsty made this for us, no oil, lots of chicken and peppers)

I felt kind of bad late afternoon, a bit grouchy and miserable. I think weekends are actually harder than during the week for eating regularly.

Exercise
Warmup: 1 km row, stretches
Circuit: 15 pressups, 25 crunches, 25 squats, 15 burpees. Rest 1 minute, repeat 3 times.
Punches: 1 kg each hand, jabs and crosses for 2 minutes, rest 1 minute. Repeat 3 times.
Interval rowing: 2 minutes, rest 1 minute. Repeat 10 times. 2:12 per 500m (personal best)
Stretches

Good workout, that circuit is seriously hard. I'm getting a lot better at the burpees and pressups. I did some reading, especially this site http://rossboxing.com/, which has a ton of tips on intense workouts using bodyweight or simple equipment. He also describes a ten minute "No Excuses" workout I might try before work a few days a week.

Also cleared out the spare room to make more space. Should have enough space for skipping in there now. Was considering getting a punching bag as well. Back at the Vanda gym tomorrow night.

83 days to go...

Saturday, January 16, 2010

January 16th

Early morning session at a different Vanda gym today. Had a nightmare trying to find the place, and then we had a really tough session. The trainers ramped up the effort yet again, but the real problem for me was the heat. The aircon either wasn't working, or was totally ineffective, with the result that I was sweating water out quicker than I could drink it. Spent the latter part of the session dizzy and sick, and the rest of the day with a stinking headache. I bought some electrolyte tablets which I'll try next week, see if it makes a difference.

Diet
Breakfast: Smoothie
Post workout: Chocolate milk
Lunch: Chicken biriyani (Yeah, not exactly diet friendly, but hawker food is a Singaporean essential sometimes!)
Dinner: Caeser salad, salmon, steamed veg, mashed potato (Black Angus restaurant healthier option)

Not the best day diet-wise I'll admit, but not terrible either, apart from lunch.

Exercise
Warmup: Skipping (I am CRAP at skipping, this is a fact. Worked up a sweat though)
Circuit 1: Laps of 'Ass-Kickers' (slow run where you hit your backside with you heels as you move), high knees, lunges with twists, sidesteps. 10 minutes or so of these.
Circuit 2: Jogging on the spot, interspersed with 15 pressups, 25 crunches, 25 squats and 15 burpees. You jog and the trainer occasionally shouts the commands. Rest 1 minute and repeat 3 times.
Circuit 3: 6 minutes shadow boxing, 6 minutes skipping, 6 minute bag work. (Really enjoyed the bag work, the skipping because it made me look a right arse)
Circuit 4: 10 pressups, 10 squat-thrusts, 10 crunches, 10 burpees, 3 sets.

Ouch.

As I mentioned, it was really hard doing all that in an extremely hot and humid gym. A little too hard maybe.

Writing this just before bed I feel better, but tomorrow could be an achey one!

84 days to go...

Friday, January 15, 2010

January 15th

After yesterday's disastrous training session and bearing in mind that I've got a session at the boxing gym tomorrow morning, today was a rest day.

Diet
Breakfast: Oatmeal with nuts and honey
Mid morning: Tuna, rice-cake, apple
Lunch: Daal with steamed veg
Mid afternoon: Tuna, rice-cake, apple
Late afternoon: Smoothie
Dinner: Small portion of vegetable stew

As normal, despite not doing any exercise today. I figure I need the nutrition for muscle repair.

Exercise
None

Total day of rest. Kirsty figures that Friday is a good day off, since it fits in well with the sessions at Vanda. Better Friday than Sunday, when I can workout any time of the day.

I'm going to bed feeling very well rested, and hopefully I'll have a good session in the morning. I did some reading today about setting up a good home gym, so I'm going to try to use some of the advice on our spare room tomorrow. I'll take some photos as I go.

85 days to go...

Thursday, January 14, 2010

January 14th

Frustrating day. I hurt a lot, my back was killing me, really hurting all over. My legs and lats were painful too.

Diet
Breakfast: Oatmeal with nuts and honey
Mid morning: Tuna, rice-cake, apple
Lunch: Chilli with steamed veg
Mid afternoon: Tuna, rice-cake, apple
Pre-workout: Smoothie
Dinner: 2 chicken breasts on tortillas

Got a good routine now that I'm very happy with. I had the smoothie early, around 4.30, since I was planning to start my workout at 6.


Exercise
Warmup: Crosstrainer 5mins, stretches
Weights:
  • Lat pulldowns: 38 kg 10 x3
  • Machine chest press: 38 kg 10 x3
  • Leg extensions: 48 kg 10 x3
Running: Started to do some jogging, 10 kph for 400m, meaning to do the same jog/sprint thing I've been doing previously, but after the first jog I was totally exhausted. I had to slow down to a 5 kph walk for 400m, repeated twice and couldn't continue. I was out of breath, my legs hurt and my feet hurt. No idea what happened, or why I'm so much worse than before.

Not at all happy with exercise today, obviously. I could put it down to being tired after the boxing session on Wednesday, or starting late (began workout at 7.30), but either way I didn't do enough today. I wouldn't call it a day wasted, but its close.

Photos of the gym from yesterday, not very good since I snapped them at the end of the session when I was knackered:



 

I'll try to get some more, including some of the other guys and girls doing the training.

86 days to go...

January 13th

When I woke up I was still aching, especially my upper and lower back. Despite feeling pretty fragile, I went to the boxing gym tonight for the second session. Got to push myself.

Diet
Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey, nuts and seeds
Mid morning: Tuna, ricecake, apple
Lunch: Daal with steamed veg.
Mid afternoon: Tuna, ricecake, apple
Pre-workout: Smoothie
Dinner: Steak with homemade beans (Huge steak, too big really)

Much more sensibly had the smoothie at about 5.30, with the gym session starting at 7. Didn’t feel hungry, or sick, so a better day food wise.

Exercise
Warm-up: 8 mins jogging on the spot, shuffles, star jumps
Basic cardio: Sidesteps, lunges, high kicks around the ring.
Punching drills: 2 minutes at a time, basic movement with jabs and crosses. Moved on to circling a cone with a partner, I guess to teach you how to react to someone else’s movements.
Circuits: 10 press-ups, 10 squat thrusts, 10 crunches, 10 burpees. x2, rest 1 minute, repeat 3 times. (Still very very hard to finish this. The weak point is my legs on the squat thrusts and burpees)
Planks: 30 seconds, rest one minute, 40 seconds, rest 1 minute, 50 seconds, rest 1 minute. (Hard after all the other exercises)
Stretches

Harder session than Monday, they’ve already started ramping up the effort. Starting the session feeling crap and ended it feeling worse. I think the punches use lots of muscles in your upper back and shoulders that don’t get used by most other exercises. Its just one of those things where you ache for a while, then get used to it.

Also, I got some photos from the gym, post them tomorrow.

87 days to go...

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

January 12th

Ached today, and felt a bit run down. Nothing too serious though.

Diet
Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey, nuts and seeds
Mid morning: Tuna, ricecake, apple
Lunch: Chilli with steamed veg (We bought one of those bags of frozen carrots, runner beans, peas and sweetcorn. Just filled a pot before work and microwaved for 3 minutes at lunch time. Tasty, very healthy, certainly something I’ll be having more often in future)
Mid afternoon: Tuna, ricecake, apple (Still not bored of this!)
Pre-workout: Smoothie
Dinner: Chicken with homemade daal (Zero fat)

I had the smoothie only 15 minutes or so before the workout, making me feel pretty sick. Bad idea, I’ll make sure I give it at least an hour in future. Apart from that, diet is still going well. I’m slightly hungry at work and find myself too focused on food, so I may need to eat a little more mid morning and mid afternoon to keep me satisfied.

Exercise
Warmup: 1 km row plus stretches
Circuits: 10 pressups, 10 squat thrusts, 10 crunches, 10 burpees. x2, rest 1 minute, repeat 3 times. (Exactly what we were doing on Monday at Vanda. Still very hard, I need a better mat, the one I’ve got is too slippery when kicking my legs backwards)
1 kg punches: I tried to replicate the 2 minute drills we were doing on Monday, but with 1 usual 1 kg weights. 3 sets of 2 minutes with 1 minute break between sets.
Planks: Front, left, right. 60 seconds each. I only managed 2 sets, and by the end of the second set I was collapsing at 50 seconds or so. (I think my core muscles got a really hard workout on Monday, and were just exhausted)
Interval Rowing: 2 minutes/1 minute, x10 reps. Averaged 2:16 per 500m. (This felt really hard, I think the punching drill work the same muscles as rowing, and I really struggled. Finished the exercise but was utterly exhausted by the end)
Stretches once I got my breath back

After all that I felt pretty crappy so I had a quick meal and went to bed at about 9.30. Kirsty gave me a really short back massage to help with the aching and I was out like a light. Not sure what happened today, I ate right and didn’t do any more exercise than usual, but felt really lethargic. Hopefully just an off day, not something serious to be worried about.

On the plus side, my shoulder pain of a week ago has vanished, which is a load off my mind, and I can tell I’ve lost a lot of fat from my stomach and sides.

88 days to go...

Monday, January 11, 2010

January 11th

First day of training at the boxing gym, I was nervous before I went, but the other boxers were really friendly, the trainers started us off slow, and I really enjoyed myself.

There were some guys in the group who were in great shape, some, like me, less so. I'd say that within the group I'm a little below average. Skill wise, some of the guys had boxed before, but we were all basically the same; that is to say, clueless. There's no reason to think I'll learn any faster or slower than anyone else, so in the end it'll come down to fitness. I need to work extremely hard on my conditioning.

Diet
Breakfast: 1/2 cup oatmeal with honey and various nuts (I bought this 'cereal topping' stuff, which is flaxseed, almonds, sesame seeds, etc. All good stuff)
Mid morning: Tuna mayo, rice cake, apple
Lunch: Homemade chilli with cous-cous (Kirsty made this chilli with minced rump steak. She trimmed all the fat off so its very lean. Bulked it out with beans and peppers. Delicious)
Mid afternoon: Tuna mayo, rice cake, apple
Pre-workout: Smoothie
Dinner: Chocolate milk, chicken breast on tortilla.

Got a good routine now that keeps me full all day, I felt good all through the workout as well, so I'm getting all the nutrients I need.

Exercise
Warmup: Jogging on the spot, 8 minutes
Circuits: 10 pressups/10 squat thrusts/10 crunches/10 burpees. x2 sets. Rest one minute. Repeat 3 times.
Punching drills: We did these for a long time, in 2 minute sets. Focus on movement with some jabs and rights.
Planks: Front only, 30 seconds x3 (The only easy bit!)
Warmdown: Leg lifts, high kicks etc.

Tough, really a lot tougher than it sounds. I think it was the really short breaks between sets. Barely enough time to towel off a bit and grab a mouthful of water. I'll start working like that on my own time as well. Also considering joining the boxing gym as a full member to get some extra training.

Next session is Wednesday.

89 days to go...

Sunday, January 10, 2010

January 10th

A good day, a hard working day.

Diet
Breakfast: Oatmeal with a little honey (gave it another go, not too bad, I could get used to it)
Lunch: Tom Yam soup (delicious clear soup, with prawns. Very healthy)
Dinner: Grilled chicken breast with cous-cous
Post workout: Chocolate milk

Pretty healthy for a Sunday. I also made a big batch of smoothies (banana, blackberry, strawberry, fat-free yoghurt and ice) that I've frozen to have before I work out in future.

Exercise
Warmup: Crosstrainer, 5 minutes. Stretches.
Weights:
  • Lat pulldowns: 35 kg 10 x3
  • Machine bench press: 35 kg 10 x3
  • Shoulder press: 35 kg 10 x3
  • Free weights bench press: 12.5 kg each hand 10 x3
  • Lateral raises: 2.5 kg each hand 10 x3
400 m jog/sprint/jog/sprint/jog/sprint as before. Jog 10 kph, sprint 13 kph

...then I did the whole lot again!

Easily the hardest workout I've ever done. I doubt I could have jogged 5 Km a month ago, let alone sprinted half of it and done the weights as well. I must be improving!

On the other hand, the first day down the Vanda gym is tomorrow, so doing all that might have been a terrible idea. My legs are killing me already.

I took some photos as well, I'm going to try to include more in future.


Fancy new trainers. My old ones killed my feet on the treadmill.


 My freezer, packed with all the healthy homemade food me and Kirsty have been making.

90 days to go...

Saturday, January 9, 2010

January 9th

To be blunt, I had the day off today!

Diet
Breakfast: Leftover chicken, daal and rice
Lunch: Peanuts, 2 apples
Mid afternoon: Small portion chilli fired rice
Dinner: Pork and sauerkraut

I was out golfing all day, so I was limited in what I could eat. I think I managed to stay reasonably healthy though.

Exercise
Golf. As previously stated, not really exercise.

Basically, this was the last Saturday I've got off until the fight, because from next weekend I've got scheduled training. I took the opportunity to get out with my friends and enjoy myself. Little bit naughty really but hey.

91 days to go...

Friday, January 8, 2010

January 8th

Back on the case today.

Diet
Breakfast: Bowl of nutrigrain cereal with milk
Mid morning: 1/2 tin tuna, rice cake, apple
Lunch: Bowl of soup, grilled chicken breast
Mid afternoon: 1/2 tin tuna, rice cake, apple
Post workout: Chocolate milk
Dinner: Grilled chicken, oil free homemade daal, small amount of rice

The chicken at lunch was good, really filled me up. Still very happy with the diet, its healthy, gives me all the protein and energy I need for training, and I'm enjoying it.

Exercise
Warmup: 5 minutes crosstrainer, stretches
Weights:
  • Free weight bench press: 12.5 kg each arm, 3 x10
  • Lat pulldowns: 35 kg 3 x10
  • Machine chest press: 35 kg 3 x10
  • Lateral raises: 2.5 kg 3 x10
  • Machine shoulder press: 35 kg 3 x10
Running: 400m jog/sprint intervals as suggested by Ian. J/S/J/S/J/S. I did these on the treadmill, 10 kph for the jog, and 'sprinting' at 13 kph. Exhausting stuff, made my legs hurt like crazy. However, I'm pretty sure I couldn't have run 2.4 km without collapsing a month ago, so I think I'm making progress. Definitely including this in my regime in future.

Core: 60 second planks, front, right, left. 3 sets. Added an extra 10 seconds per plank here. Challenging but doable, so improvement here as well.

Overall, I increased the effort level across the baord. Felt good. I got a twinge in my right shoulder again on the chest press, but carried on anyway and it disappeared. Weird and certainly something to keep an eye on.

92 days to go...

January 7th

Rest day, and the first day of the new diet. Did some research on nutritional values and came up with a few things that I a) like to eat b) will fill me up and c) will be healthy

Diet
Breakfast: Hot oatmeal with milk and a bit of honey (Not sure I’ll be having this in future since it has the taste and consistency of fermented wallpaper paste)
Mid morning: ½ tin of tuna with low fat mayo, 1 rice cake and an apple (In the aforementioned research, I found that this is a really healthy mix of carbs and protein. Plenty of fibre too, and pretty much zero fat)
Lunch: Chickpea and lentil curry
Mid afternoon: Same as mid-morning
Dinner: Pea soup with a fried egg (When I say fried I mean cooked in a non-stick pan with literally ¼ teaspoon of olive oil, so very healthy really)

This little lot kept me from feeling hungry at any point during the day, so very happy on that score. I’ve now run out of my homemade curry, so I’ll do some cooking over the weekend.

I think the key to sticking to the diet is to make sure it doesn’t get too repetitive. If I get bored I’ll end up craving things. At that point I’ll either give in and snack (bad) or get all miserable because I can’t stop thinking about food (worse).

Exercise
Swimming: 30 minutes (no breaks)
Stretches

I think I really needed this. I felt pretty run down after working out on Wednesday, aching slightly here and there, plus the more serious pain in the right shoulder. Writing this on Friday morning, I feel great. Getting up this morning was easy, and I’m genuinely looking forward to really pushing it when I exercise tonight.

93 days to go...

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

January 6th

Not a good day.

I screwed up with the food and didn't eat enough, then when I actually did exercise I got an extremely painful headache and injured my shoulder. Good stuff.

Diet
Breakfast: Large bowl of cornflakes
Mid morning: Nothing
Lunch: Chickpea and lentil curry
Mid afternoon: Vegetable stew
Post workout: Scambled egg on tortilla, chocolate milk

Nowhere near enough, was starving all day, and I'm certain the headache was down to that.

Exercise
Warmup: 1 km row plus stretching
Circuits: 10/10/10/10 (pressups, crunches, burpees, starjumps) x3 = 1 set, 2 sets with a minute break in between.
1 kg Punches: 2 minutes x3
Interval rowing: About 40 seconds worth, before stopping and almost being sick...

I don't know what's up with my shoulder, I get a sharp pain when I raise it quickly. Hopefully not serious, but might be a good idea to have a "Stretch and Swim" day tomorrow.

Food wise, I did some shopping and have a very different set of meals for Thursday so I don't get hungry.

94 days to go...

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

January 5th

Pretty average day really, went to work, ate normally, hit the gym in the evening.

However, the fact that it was normal is a good thing in a way, since it didn't feel like a lot of effort. Hopefully I'm getting into good habits.

Diet
Breakfast: Big bowl of nutrigrain cereal.
Mid morning: Apple
Lunch: Chickpea and lentil curry
Mid afternoon: Vegetable stew and an apple
Dinner: Steak and homemade beans

Exercise
Warmup: 5 minutes on the crosstrainer, plus stretches
Weight circuits:
  • Free-weight bench press: 10 kg each arm, 10x3
  • Single arm rows: 10 kg 10x3
  • Machine bench press: 35 kg 10 x3
  • Lateral raises: 2.5 kg 10 x3
I did 2 sets of all that, I was planning to do 3 sets, but I got a twinge in my right shoulder on the last set of lateral raises.

Finished off with more stretches and a 15 minute swim.

As I said, normal. I don't think the shoulder is a big problem. Cardio day tomorrow.

95 days to go...

January 4th

Back at work today, so I've got to adapt my diet and exercise schedule accordingly. I leave the house at 6.30 every morning, and don't get back in until 6 in the evening, so finding time for 2 hours exercise every day is going to be a challenge. I managed it today, just going straight into the gym as soon as I walk through the door, that way I'm done by 8 and can have a bit of an evening.

I got this comment from Ian, CEO of Vanda, the organisers/promoters of the event, with some pointers on diet and exercise. It was interesting to get a sneak preview of the painful sounding training I've signed up for! I tried the floor circuits he mentioned, and I'll take the diet tips on board from tomorrow.

Diet
Breakfast: Big bowl of multigrain cereal
Mid morning (10:30): Apple
Lunch: Chickpea and lentil curry (Homemade, no fat)
Mid afternoon (4.30): Apple and oat bar
After workout: Chocolate milk
Dinner: Steak and salad

Ian suggested eating quite a bit more than this, so I'll start taking more food to work. If necessary I'll buy some 'meal replacement' sachets and drinks, but I think I'd rather get my nutrition from regular balanced meals. Might not be workable in reality though.

Exercise
Warmup: 1 km row + stretches
Circuits: 10x pressups, 10x situps, 10x burpees, 10x starjumps. repeat 3 times = 1 set. Did 2 sets with a minute rest in between. This. Is. KNACKERING. Seriously, damn burpees...
Planks: Usual 50 seconds front, left and right, x3 sets. Especially hard after circuits, but I think I might up this to 60 seconds later this week.
1 kg punches: 2 minutes x 3 sets
Interval rowing: Usual 2 minutes/1 minute x10 sets. 2:13/500 m average. Ian suggested that I'd be better off doing sprints, so this part of the workout might change soon.

Really happy with the workout, I upped the intensity by adding the circuits without really taking anything out. I felt pretty energised during the workout, but I'll try to eat more tomorrow afternoon to make sure I'm getting the fuel I need.

96 days to go...

Monday, January 4, 2010

January 3rd

I don’t ache! Superb news, I don’t think I could cope with going through that crap every time I try to use the gym. Today is another cardio day.

Diet
Breakfast: Cornflakes, vegetable stew, oat bar
Post-workout snack: Chocolate milk
Lunch: Bibimbap (Korean dish of raw vegetables and meat mixed with a little rice and a spicy sauce, topped with a fried egg - healthier than it sounds I promise!)

Exercise
Warmup: 1 Km row + stretching
Pressups: I bought these things to spare my hands. Makes pressups quite a bit harder as it turns out, I think just by making you do deeper dips with proper technique. 3 sets, 20/11/6. Couldn’t do any more.
Planks: 50 seconds x3 sets, front, left and right.
Situps: 40 x2 sets
Punches: 1 Kg 2 minutes x3 sets
Interval rowing: 2 minutes/1 minute x10 sets. 2:13/500 m average. Worked extremely hard to get that time, could barely walk afterwards.
Stretches to finish, no cooldown or swimming.

Really happy with today, ate well and exercised very hard. I can already see a difference in my body shape. I reckon I’ve lost at least an inch off my waist so far. Tomorrow I’m back at work, so the diet is going to be more difficult, so will finding the time to work out.

97 days to go...

Saturday, January 2, 2010

January 2nd

Today I was back in the gym trying the free-weights again. I hope that I don't regret it in the morning.

Diet
Breakfast: Cornflakes, vegetable stew and an oat bar (I went to the gym in the morning, an hour or so after eating this lot)
Lunch: Tuna with low fat mayo, an apple
Dinner: Huge steak with home-made baked beans

I was trying to find out if having a large meal before exercising gave me more energy. Seemed to work quite well. I'll try it again tomorrow, but before a cardio session.

Exercise
Warmup: 5 minutes on the cross-trainer
  • Single arm row - 10 Kg 10x3
  • Bench press - 7.5 Kg each hand 10x3
  • Hammer curl - 5 Kg 10x3
  • Lateral raise - 2.5 Kg 10x3
  • Lat pull-downs - 30 Kg 10x3
Finished off with 15 minutes stretches and a 10 minute swim.

98 days to go...

January 1st

Happy new year! Bit hungover after last night, so started slow with a fry-up...

Diet
Breakfast: Sausages, beans, eggs and crumpets
Lunch: 1/2 tin tomato soup, cornflakes and an energy bar
Dinner: 1 apple, chocolate milk

Exercise
Warmup: 1 Km row, stretches
Pressups: 20 x2 sets (One set on my knuckles, hopefully it'll strengthen my wrists)
Planks: 3 x front, left and right x50 seconds each
Situps: 40 x1 set
Russian twists: 40 x1 set
1 Kg punches: 3 x2 minutes
Interval rowing: 2 minutes/1 minute x10 sets 2:15/500m average (My technique must be improving)

I felt good during the workout, lot of energy. I think eating well an hour or so before exercising really helped.

I think I could do more core work, especially situps and twists. However, tomorrow I'm going back to the weights, and hopefully the aches won't be as bad as before.

99 days to go...