Back On Track

Well its not been a weekly update like I should have put but at least its good news. Things are going well training wise. I am back in the gym, running, doing alot more cycling and exercise at home too. Bad news is that due to other commitments I can no longer attend Muay Thai classes so my fitness has take abit of a hit there since it was an amazing full body workout. Also due to going to the gym Bouldering has also been put on the back burner but in lue of a gym session so its a fair trade I think. The training I have been doing in the gym has been geared towards packing on some size. This has been achieved with great effect!! I feel alot bigger on my upper body and my legs are alot more defined and stronger than previously. Even though my weight is creeping up, I believe that this is due to the extra muscle I have gained because I look and feel like I have lost fat. Although I dont have a 6-pack YET I will have one in tome for my holiday. I also believe I'm losing fat because my running has improved dramatically. Weights wise I do a different session each time. No 2 sessions are ever the same and this is the way it will be staying. However I will be moving into full body circuits come July as I enter my "definition" phase. Cardio as mentioned is mainly covered by running. I go twice a week which is not enough in all honesty. For the goals that I want to achieve I need to be going three times a week minimum. This goal from this week onwards will be to do just that. At the moment my runs are fat burners as I dont feel capable of doing intervals or hill sprints etc. but when I have developed abit of a base level of fitness I will be moving onto more advanced training methods. Cycling has become a bigger part of my routine again as my main mode of transport and I feel much better for it, to the point I feel bad taking a bus somewhere when I know I could have cycled. This again is something I am phasing in to add to the regime as a little unmentioned extra. I have big plans for my training as I am now giving some serious thought to applying for the Royal Marines and this time round actually following it through!! To makw this a reality I will need to be trainig 5/6 days a week, twice a day minimum. It will be hard on my body so I will have to bare in mind the options I habe ro keep my risk of injury down. The biggest piece of advice I will give myself is to listen to my body so I dont over-do it and stretch every day. That will also allow my body to repair faster too which is an added bonus. I havent made it official that I am looking to apply to all the family. There are members I have discussd it with and they know its on the cards but nothing is set in stone. However it is becoming an ever increasing possibility and I do want it to come to fruition in the near future. Time to start working like I really WANT it.

Overdue Update

Well once again it has been too long since I put an update on here so here goes. Things fitness wise have been going pretty well and seem to be on the progressive way up. I am training in Muay Thai regularly, I have restarted bouldering and home fitness is coming on. Usual routines are based around press and pull ups as in my mind they are the meat and potatoes of exercise, followed by some resistance training with weights. Cardio is on the rise too as I have been running on and off too. The main reason for the "off" is having had blisters cover my feet from wear and tear of training and the friction from the mats at Muay Thai.

All the running that I have done has been in the woods. This is think has been what has allowed me to stay injury free from running due to the much lower impact from off road running compared to pavements pounding. I have also been running a different route every time and changing my pace accordingly. This has kept things fresh and manageable while still being difficult. I haven't measured or timed any of the runs on purpose because I want to regain the ability to know in myself how fast I should be going to reach a target training zone.

Muay Thai has been excellent exercise. Even though it has just been going to the beginners classes the level of fitness require is still great. When I first arrived the warm up was a shock to the system and a workout in itself!! I have however surpassed this thankfully!! Hopefully I will soon progress in ability to allow entry to the more advanced classes so that I will be allowed to spar.

Bouldering has been great!! I am building up a good base level of skill and my grip strength is improving after every visit. However my flexibility still remains as my greatest asset as neither my strength, grip or skill is as good as my climbing partners' I can still manage most of the more advanced routes that they do. Even if it does look like more of a struggle, which it is!!

All my training seems to be focused around bouldering with it very much in mind. I have no ambition to become some muscle bound behemoth instead I seek only to carry less fat and be physically able to complete my athletic per-suites. I need to keep my weight down so that I can lift myself more comfortably while climbing and making it easier to keep my breath while at Muay Thai. Strength is a big part of the 2 activities with one allowing my to climb more securely and the other to hit harder and faster!! Cardio is a means of controlling my weight and keeping performance high at Muay Thai.

Things seem to be on the way up and can surely only get better.

New Year, New Mountain

Well the new year is upon me and with it came a realisation. Although I had a target of where I wanted to be, I had no reason to get there. So to draw my line in the sand I have registered to take part in the Sheffield half marathon on 27th May. This means I do indeed need to go from zero to hero in terms of cardio in order to finish the damn thing. To increase the stakes I have also arranged for a number of colleagues to take part with/against me, some of which will be more competition than others!! Also since the £ will be going down to actually take part that will further my resolve to buckle down and train. Soon after that I will be running the Great Yorkshire Run but I'll come to that nearer the time.

So far there are 6 of us running the race and hopefully more to come. It is my goal to finish at the head of the pack!! Although not having ran anything as long as 13 miles I'm not sure about what time I will be looking to finish in. Some more research will give me an idea of an achievable goal.

In-depth training regime to follow shortly.