Its been about a month since I wrote here, but I have been very busy writing about the things I do in my day job for a professional publication, so forgive me.
If you are following this blog for general fitness, I would suggest having a look at the workout of the week on http://www.ultra-fitmagazine.co.uk/ whilst I continue with my 5x5 year, completing the project I started last year but didn't complete.
I have been rebuilding since December, working on consistency and technique, working out every other day on schedule "A" and "B" I used the Christmas break to get some really good sessions under my belt and I have stuck to the program perfectly to date increasing loads from 40kg to
Workout A
Squat 80kg 5x5
Bench Press 80kg 5x5
Deadlifts 80kg 5x5
Workout B
Squat 80kg 5x5
Overhead press 65kg 5x5
Bent over rows 80kg 5x5
I have failed only once, with the overhead press at 60kg, which is when I went and bought some 1/2kg plates and have been adding them slowly to the bar.
My body weight is currently 91.5kg, so I am approaching 1 x body weight which is - for me - proper lifting, but I am aiming for 100kg loads by March and 1.5 x body weight by the end of the year.
However, as I expect my body weight is going to start creeping up, I don't have a number target yet for what 1.5 x body weight is going to be, although my experience suggests that I will even out at around 98kg and so it will be around 150kg by December 2012 if I keep training consistently.
My day job has been great for 6 months and I hope this will continue and that it allows me to maintain the consistency that my training has lacked in the past.
My diet is also good, being (roughly)
0730 - Breakfast, usually eggs of some sort with coffee
1030 - Pint of milk, fruit
1230 - Lunch in the staff canteen (usually chicken something with veg and potatoes)
1500 - Nuts, fruit, pint of milk
1800 - coffee and something sweet (like cake)
1930 - Dinner, usually the same sort of thing as I have posted here before
2100 - Pint of milk
I try to drink about 1ltr of water per day and I have 2 cups of green tea.
I am not doing measurements or obsessive visuals, but I know I am changing shape and my clothes are feeling more snug in places (arms and shoulders) and slacker in others (waist). I have no nagging injury problems at the moment - long may that last!
I know this is not exciting to read about, so I intend to write it up here only about once a month more for my own record than anything else.
Week of workouts and 2012
It's that time of year where I hit the basics. For the next three months it's 5x5's 3 sessions per week rotating A & B of:
Workout A
Squats
Overhead Press
Cleans
Workout B
Squats
Bench Press
Deadlifts
As ever I am going to start from a reduced weight (40kg) for each exercise and work my way back up, adding 2.5kg each workout until that movement stalls, hopefully hitting some PB's towards March. When the movement stalls, I'll drop the weight 10% and go again until it stalls etc.
I'll then get into the met con for May when the running season starts. I have no plans to do anything long in 2012, but I would like to get 3 sub 50 min 10k's in across the season, so should be able to do this without having to get too many miles in during training - I just can't get enthused about running any more.
Diet-wise, well it Christmas for the next 2 weeks for me, so no restrictions or limits! Come the new year, its "cut out the crap time" and I will be digging out the tupper-ware for lunches and afternoon snacks. As ever, the best "diet" for me is:
Workout A
Squats
Overhead Press
Cleans
Workout B
Squats
Bench Press
Deadlifts
As ever I am going to start from a reduced weight (40kg) for each exercise and work my way back up, adding 2.5kg each workout until that movement stalls, hopefully hitting some PB's towards March. When the movement stalls, I'll drop the weight 10% and go again until it stalls etc.
I'll then get into the met con for May when the running season starts. I have no plans to do anything long in 2012, but I would like to get 3 sub 50 min 10k's in across the season, so should be able to do this without having to get too many miles in during training - I just can't get enthused about running any more.
Diet-wise, well it Christmas for the next 2 weeks for me, so no restrictions or limits! Come the new year, its "cut out the crap time" and I will be digging out the tupper-ware for lunches and afternoon snacks. As ever, the best "diet" for me is:
- 0645: 2 eggs any style, 1 cup porridge oats made up with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of milk with a little honey to taste.
- 0930: 1 cup of cooked brown rice or one medium potato with a tin of tuna or salmon or 200g cold meat with 1/2 cup green vegetables
- 1300: Lunch usually fish / chicken / beef casserole, jacket spud and veg
- 1600: 1 pint semi skimmed milk, fruit and 250g mixed nuts
- 2000: Dinner as normal.
I don't want to write anything personal on here at the moment. Not that there is anything bad - actually things are generally okay - it's just that I don't feel comfortable as I am getting my professional life somewhat on track.
I hope 2012 is a good year for you.
Cook Wednesday - Grilled lamb with rosemary
,
Labels:
cook wednesday,
mains,
recipes
Ingredients
Method
- 200g boneless lamb steak
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves only
- 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 25g butter, melted
- chopped fresh parsley
- Place the lamb steak into a bowl with the rosemary, garlic and oil. Leave to marinate for at least 15 mins.
- Heat a pan until very hot.
- Remove the lamb steak from the marinade and fry for three minutes on each side for.
- Remove the lamb from the pan and leave to rest.
- Drizzle over the melted butter and sprinkle with parsley.
Workout of the day
- 6 min skipping
- 1 minute of kettlbell swings
- 10 pushups
- 1 minute of the plank
Repeat x 3
How to learn about Life - by Donald Latumahina
,
Labels:
Inspiration,
misc,
Monday Motivation
If you wanted to learn a subject in the university, there is a structured way to do that. For example, to learn economics you might start with Economics 101 in which you have to read book A, do assignment B, and so on. If you followed the path, you are more or less guaranteed to have a good understanding of the subject.
But how can we learn about life? How can we learn about the best ways to live our lives?
This may be the most important subject to learn, yet there is no curriculum on it (even if there is one, I doubt it’s good enough).
So what should we do?
I believe that one of the best ways to learn about life is to study the lives of exceptional people. Find those who live great lives and learn how they do it. And the way to do that? Read their biographies. That’s why I have increasing interest in reading biographies. For me, biographies are among the best books to read.
Why You Should Read Biographies
There are many benefits you will get from reading biographies. Here are four:
1. It teaches you about the pitfalls to avoid
There are pitfalls on the way success. Instead of learning about them the hard way, why don’t you learn from those before you? Biographies can teach you about what make people fail in the past so that you can avoid them in the first place. Of course, it’s impossible to avoid failure altogether (I’ll talk about it in the next point), but at least you can save yourself a lot of time.
2. It teaches you about how to respond to failure
No matter how good you try, you will still fail. It’s simply inevitable (if you have never failed, maybe you aim too low). So, even more important than learning about the pitfalls is learning about how to respond to failure.
Great people can teach you a lot about it. Why? Because one important reason for their greatness is the way they respond to failure. It’s not that they never fail; it’s that they have the right response to failure. Reading their biographies will help you form the right mindset about failure so that you, too, can respond correctly.
3. It opens your mind about what is possible
This is one of the most important things about reading biographies. Often we limit ourselves and think too small. We might think that we will never do anything big in our lives.
But the truth is, every big thing in this world has a small beginning. Wal-Mart, for example, started as a single shop in a small town. Who would have guessed that years later they will become one of the biggest businesses in the world? Reading the story of how something with a humble beginning grows big and changes the world is really inspiring.
You might be doing something that looks small today. Perhaps you have never dreamed that it will become big someday. But reading the biographies of these people will open your mind about what is possible. It will inspire you to dream big.
4. It teaches you about the great principles to live by
Behind extraordinary people are extraordinary principles. They live by them and that’s why they become extraordinary. The principles set them apart and make them stand out in the crowd.
Reading their biographies can teach you about these extraordinary principles. Sometimes they are not explicitly stated, but by studying their lives you can discover the unstated principles that drive them.
True, lasting success comes from the inside out, not the other way around. That’s why these principles are treasures. Make finding them your focus when reading biographies and strive to apply them in your life. Then your life, too, will become extraordinary, starting from the inside.
Link to the original article
But how can we learn about life? How can we learn about the best ways to live our lives?
This may be the most important subject to learn, yet there is no curriculum on it (even if there is one, I doubt it’s good enough).
So what should we do?
I believe that one of the best ways to learn about life is to study the lives of exceptional people. Find those who live great lives and learn how they do it. And the way to do that? Read their biographies. That’s why I have increasing interest in reading biographies. For me, biographies are among the best books to read.
Why You Should Read Biographies
There are many benefits you will get from reading biographies. Here are four:
1. It teaches you about the pitfalls to avoid
There are pitfalls on the way success. Instead of learning about them the hard way, why don’t you learn from those before you? Biographies can teach you about what make people fail in the past so that you can avoid them in the first place. Of course, it’s impossible to avoid failure altogether (I’ll talk about it in the next point), but at least you can save yourself a lot of time.
2. It teaches you about how to respond to failure
No matter how good you try, you will still fail. It’s simply inevitable (if you have never failed, maybe you aim too low). So, even more important than learning about the pitfalls is learning about how to respond to failure.
Great people can teach you a lot about it. Why? Because one important reason for their greatness is the way they respond to failure. It’s not that they never fail; it’s that they have the right response to failure. Reading their biographies will help you form the right mindset about failure so that you, too, can respond correctly.
3. It opens your mind about what is possible
This is one of the most important things about reading biographies. Often we limit ourselves and think too small. We might think that we will never do anything big in our lives.
But the truth is, every big thing in this world has a small beginning. Wal-Mart, for example, started as a single shop in a small town. Who would have guessed that years later they will become one of the biggest businesses in the world? Reading the story of how something with a humble beginning grows big and changes the world is really inspiring.
You might be doing something that looks small today. Perhaps you have never dreamed that it will become big someday. But reading the biographies of these people will open your mind about what is possible. It will inspire you to dream big.
4. It teaches you about the great principles to live by
Behind extraordinary people are extraordinary principles. They live by them and that’s why they become extraordinary. The principles set them apart and make them stand out in the crowd.
Reading their biographies can teach you about these extraordinary principles. Sometimes they are not explicitly stated, but by studying their lives you can discover the unstated principles that drive them.
True, lasting success comes from the inside out, not the other way around. That’s why these principles are treasures. Make finding them your focus when reading biographies and strive to apply them in your life. Then your life, too, will become extraordinary, starting from the inside.
Link to the original article
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