Day 52 - Gym-Happy

I saw this today and it really made sense, plus it's what I've been doing all week....

Happiness

Today, I've been really quite chirpy. A happy soul. I've been smiling and enjoying the sunshine, I've trained really hard and I'm going to go out in Mornington tonight, for a birthday celebration....Major thing here, thanks to Mish Bridges, is that 8 weeks into my regime, I'm not going to feel guilty about going out. I'm going to control what I eat (a glutard's lot) and drink, but I'm not gonna stress...this way of being makes me very happy.

I've started seeing changes, mostly in functional strength, some size changes in my body and there's a twinkling of minor definition coming in mu physique. All major contributors to my happy state. I feel good, therefore I am good.

Another quite interesting thing is going on for me, I've only just realised that people actually read this blog. So, thanks for your feedback - I love it. Like I said, 52 days ago, this blog is to hold myself accountable, and to document the transformation that I'm intending to occur. So far, so good. Like I said yesterday, it's not easy but I'm not a quitter....

As my training is becoming more functional, and more aggressive in its nature, I'm becoming very keen to see how far I can push my body. It's all about limits; understand them to surpass them. I'm improving so much at the moment because I work to this, and I also know were the 'line' is, when to stop myself, apply controls to prevent injury....well, so far, so good.

Training Arms

Today is arms day! I had a massive session. At the start of this week I applied a little of my research into functional training, and endurance training. I also found that there are heaps of training videos and tutorials online to help further develop this knowledge. To that end, I've totally changed up my arm workout to suit. Still working on sets of higher reps, and more sets to accompany each exercise; I decided to focus my attention (whilst working mostly compound exercises) toward developing forearms, biceps and triceps. I decided that I'd give my favourite session a little workout, to boost it and shock it.

I started with forearms. Using the barbel cage I conducted farmer walks - not only are they goof for core, but also in the development of strong forearm and grip strength. I worked hard, walking around the gym floor with this thing. I ended up with 90kg (plus the bar weight - I think 10kg extra) on the frame, so good feel it very early on. I ended up doing about 8 sets, which was really good fun!

 

Start position for cage bar farmer walks... 

After I continued with forearms - and possibly the hardest exercise I've encountered: Palms Down Barbell Wrist Curls, over the edge of a bench. I ambitiously started with a 15kg bar, but ended up realising very quickly that I had to drop to 10kg to get used to the exercise, then after 3 sets of 8 reps I bumped up to 12.5kg for another 3 sets. Very hard, my forearms were getting the workout they've never had! I completed a similar set doing the Palms Up version of the exercise, which are way easier - so I returned to 15kg bar and completed 5 sets relatively comfortably. My last exercise was a set of standing olymipc plate squeezes. This is really a grip and forearm burnout - so, naturally 3 sets of 10 reps sealed that up nicely!

With my forearms still throbbing I moved into biceps. I grabbed a couple of 10kg dumbbells to allow me to do standing Zuttman curls. 5 sets later I could feel this was going to be an AWESOME arm burn! I moved to the E-Z Bar to do Spider curls - you lean against the angled part of the biceps bench, so that your arms drop down fully to work the flu range of the muscle. Hard. I managed to get, after 5 sets, to 30kg plus bar (approx 5kg extra) on the 4th and 5th set, which was a good place to be!

Next, I continued by working through 5 sets of inclined (leaning on incline bench belly down) bicep curls, using the 17.5kg bar. I finished biceps off with some good and heavy barbell bicep drags, using 30kg as a maximum was pretty good!

My E-Z Spider Curl Set Up

Now, Forearms really singing, Biceps swollen I moved into Triceps. Starting with the E-Z Bar to run through 5 sets of skull crushers, followed by cable work to really push them. This included Overhead Tricep Extenders, Reverse Grip Tricep Push downs, and Triceps push downs. ON the push downs I actually stacked the cable machine (45kg) for 8 reps! Boo-Ya!

For my final tricep workout I took the rope connection and moved to the seated row cable machine. I hooked in the cable. I then took a lying position, with my head near to the pulley end. IUsing my whole body, I pulled the rope overhead, then inline (but parallel) to my body, twisting out the tricep at the end. This worked my lats, core abdominal region and triceps....awesome!

Abdominals

Yesterday I was saying I need to improve my ab workout. Well, I did today...like, I really pushed hard. Since I was entering the third hour of my workout, and still going strong, I decided to start with suspended/hanging knee up crunches - I did 8 sets of these, each with 8 reps. Next came a new exercise, Landmine 180s. These are using the barbell and the hinge piece that it slots onto to create a big pivot arm. I started with a warmup of the exercise, no weight, for 10 reps. I then added a 15kg disc and did 2 more sets of 8 reps. This was NOT an easy abdominal exercise, I could feel it working everything on my body all at once! I ended up with 20kg on the bar (plus the bar which is 20kg) so, a good long start to abs!

Me, doing landmine drills..these are awesome hard work!

After the Landmines, I went over to the cables to do Pallof Press Core stabilisers, with weight. These burn your arms, lower back and middle abs. I did three sets on each side, ending up with 30kg load. After I did 3 sets of 8 Cable Lifts, with only 15kg load. These are like enhanced wood choppers. I found the Spell Caster dumbbell twists to be really uncomfortable, but 3 sets of 8 reps, with 6kg dumbbells really tested me!

Whilst doing abs Mr Q had entered the gym, and asked me to 'spot' him whilst doing bench, then assist him on pec deck so he could do a burnout. Good Job Q! You're looking much stronger these days too. In between helping Q, I pushed through 4 sets of Full Rectractors. These are especially hard because your upper body and feet are not in contact with the ground (except before and after each set). I did sets of 10 and by this time by body was cooked, like a chicken! I decided it was time to start to relax!

Day 37 - Start Early, Finish Late...

The Early 'Morning' Watch

Wednesday, 0300h and the familiar sound of my wake up alarm roused me from my shortened slumber. The 'Morning' watch lasts from 0400-0800h, and as a result I knew I'd be missing my early wake up workout. I threw in extra effort yesterday and planned to do the same this evening. However, my wake up was still with much gusto. I got up, dressed and made myself a nice cup of strong tea. I smashed down a thermogenic and a bowl of gluten free cereal. A small breakie at this early time, was all I needed... The watch was another educational and beneficial experience, that allowed me to broaden my engineering experience - a taste of what I'll be doing in the near future.

Sadly, by 0600h I was so hungry that before I'd realised it, and without thinking too hard upon it, I ate the breakfast that came to our watch. It was a bacon and egg roll with melted cheese. The roll was not gluten free, and I felt yucky for the rest of today...with fresh mouth ulcers and a swollen gut in tow... I look back a little embarrassed at my hunger....and subsequent emotions that always come with being hungry. Winnie says I get "Hangry" when I don't eat, or don't eat well, or when I don't get yummy sweet treats...perhaps she's right - I have been on edge all day and feeling less than perfect because of my slip-up.... I will however, detox tonight and onwards until my stomach pains subside. Everyday, we each learn something new about our bodies... Today, I realised that I can slip on my gluten free journey - glutard diets are not easy, especially in a job where all of your food is provided - and that I really cannot afford to do so. I will remain better in control of my hunger in future.

Feel The Burn!

Train hard or don't train at all - that's my new mantra for gym time. I headed to the gym after class today, set for a big chest workout. I was aiming for 60minutes of full on, pump. I started on the bench, really pushing myself today, I worked the flat, inclined and declined benches with wide and narrow grip. I tweaked the chest muscles with a pyramid style set for each, going from light to heavy to light, with reps going from high to low to high. This took about 5 minutes per grip style, for each bench type. My chest was pretty pumped and I decided to do a quick set of dumbbell flyes, on the inclined bench. After a short wait for the pec-deck, where I squeezed out a couple sets of chest press machine, I was working the pectoral muscles to a point of pleasurable/agonising burn! Love it!

After I jumped on the cable cross over machine and worked a low, medium, high cross-over pectoral squeeze-burn. This was low weight, low reps (8 reps) to tweak those muscle fibres. It was interesting to see that my body is starting to change - I could see my chest muscles (before this week I had never noticed this)...perhaps I'm starting to sculpt / turn some of the old fat into fit!

It got me to thinking during this set and my abdominal workout, that before today I had been training to try and create habits, make changes and start building my own confidence. Today, however, I realised a few things.... I'll discuss in just a second, but first. I finished my workout and dived into the pool. Swimming 500m, alternating freestyle with breast stroke on a length by length basis, for 15 minutes of solid cardio to finish.

My Thoughts

I realised that I'd taken a few more steps than I had previously thought. I had made a plan, made myself accountable for achieving my goals (this blog is evidence of that), and I had put them into action. So, that made me realise that if by doing those simple steps, and by repeating them day in, day out I've been reprogramming my body. I've challenged my mind, my emotions and my body. I have learnt that consistency (thanks to @mishbridges) is really the answer. To set and maintain routine, you need to be disciplined. You need to apply controls and measures to make sure you don't cheat - use your friends, write a blog and grow a conscience. I also realised that in doing all these things I've made myself a new lifestyle, and its starting to work. Seeing small changes makes you feel good. I've started standing taller, my shirts feel a little looser, my trousers feel less pinching around my hips and gut. I'm taking care of myself better, I try to sleep earlier, I try to eat well (sometimes I slip - I am human after all), but most of all I'm seeing that I'm being very habitual about these things. I'm just out there enjoying my new lifestyle, enjoying the sensations that come as daily rewards for my hard work. These rewards give me a new found confidence about my body, my presence and best of all my health. I feel stronger, I feel less soft and squishy, I feel more alert, less achy and less hunched over. I feel like I'm shaving years off of my age, keeping up with people 10 years younger and enjoying the pace!

Small steps. I was once told that its the "smallest things that can make the biggest difference" - in my case, the small things constitute tightening my belt, or less belly rolls as I sit down, or my muscles looking and feeling firmer. The big difference is the way that effects my emotions, the way I conduct myself and so much more. If the last 37 days has given me nothing else, I'm so glad I've found my toes again! The view from up top was getting lonely!

Some small improvements, big on confidence boosting!

Motivation to keep training, pushing and being strict with myself is getting easier with results - plus something Michelle Bridges said when I met her at Filex a few weeks ago, really, really run home.

"...Make the choice, before the choice is removed from you..."

At so many times in my life, I could've chosen to stop eating so much bread, donuts, cakes, yummy pasta and pizza...I didn't know about Gluten Intolerance, or Coeliac Disease, but even if I had known I would have been one of those people who ignores it and says "that's not me". It brought a tear to my eye and choked me up when Michelle said this, because that's my lot. No more gluten, no yummy foods or easy fill me ups...Now my choice has been removed. Very simple, very stupid to ignore the symptoms for so long! Now, because I'm acutely aware that my "intolerance" and "hypersensitivity" could get worse, leading to full blown Coeliac (since I test positive for the gene) I have NO choice but to be healthy. You don't see me complaining (too much) about being healthy, except when I want cakes or pasta that I can't have :)  but I'm using this knowledge and the hard hitting words of Michelle Bridges to keep me on track.

It's not easy, there will always be neigh sayers, people who mock you or those who just don't understand; but focus, determination and inner spirit help me along - plus my Wifey really can make some yummy gluten free treats! I sense a care parcel should come soon...hint hint?

So,  here we are. 37 days down, and 58 days until I go on my honeymoon with Winnie. I have my goals. Now I have a deadline. Boo-Ya!