Ameliorating... training journal.

[Glasvegan]

Ok, here goes. I've kept a log of this week but I've been too busy with exams to actually get it up, or save it apparently. My computer wiped Monday and now I've forgotten what I did. One of the spurs to actually keep a journal, I can't remember what I have and haven't done anymore. I've been reading through a lot of the journals, but I'm still very new to weights/calculating what I eat/writing it up.

Sunday:
Chest and Biceps (x12, x10, x8 for each) –
Chest press: 25kg
Chest press incline: 25kg
Hammer curls: 5kg
Concentration curls: 5kg
Fly: 25kg
Concentration Curl machine: 15kg
Cardio:
Crosstrainer: 200 kcals/20 mins

Monday:
Back and abs, can't remember...
Cardio:
Crosstrainer: 200 kcals/20 mins
Exercise bike: 200 kcals/30 mins

Tuesday:
Zumba, an hour (my first class, it's been proven numerous times by numerous unsuspecting dance partners from across the world that I can't do anything salsa-like, and this was no exception. Two left feet.)

Wednesday:
Day before exam. Panic revision.

Thursday:
Day of exam. 6 hours of sleep, and then over-excited post-exam socialising. Made vegan haggis, neeps and tatties with a mushroom and peppercorn sauce. I'd post a picture but it looked appalling, tasted amazing.

Today it's back to revision, Zumba (I think) and gym too... my last exam's Wednesday so after that things will be easier to balance and I can get out on my bike more in the beautiful Scottish clouds, rain and cold.

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

Nice training this week, good work. Great to see you starting up a log here, I'll try and follow along and keep up to speed with your progress. What are your goals for the year?

Hope all went well with the exam MF.

[Glasvegan]

MF - exam went well (I think, I can never really tell) thanks just one more to go... My goals are pretty simple, just to see how far I can go and how much I'm capable of. Progress in the past four months has been pretty steady, I've dropped half a stone and two inches all over, and in the past month I've been getting properly serious about the weight lifting side of things. My main motivation is that I was extremely inactive all through my teens due to illness, but since getting my diet sorted that's changed and I bounce out of bed. I'd like to get to the running up mountains stage... but right now, I can't even run (shin splints). My post exam treat will be buying a proper pair of running shoes and easing myself into that. I'm doing all the things I've never been able to do

[Glasvegan]

Friday 3/5/13:

Weight: 146lbs
An hour of Zumba, much easier than on Tuesday. Ran out of time to go to the gym afterwards.

Saturday 4/5/13:

Shoulders and triceps day, shoulders are by far my weakest muscle group (hence some being very low weights) and what I'm not at all confident with. Once again the only female in the gym, feeling a little self-conscious.

Over-head shoulder press: 15kg x 10, 5kgx12x2
(x12, x10, x8 for each):-
External rotation with cable: 3.75kg
Internal rotation with cable: 3.75kg
Overhead dumbbell extension: 7kg
Tricep dips (machine): 30kg
Dumbbell kickbacks: 5kg
Rope tricep pulldowns: 6.5kg
Dumbbell bench press: 7kg

Cardio:
Crosstrainer: 230kcals/20mins
Exercise bike: 100kcals/15mins

I still need to work on my shoulder exercises, as my form tends to wander quite a bit. I'll find some progress photos to put up after exams are over (when I can get on my Facebook again).

[mrbear666]

nice journal, im going to follow along too!

[Glasvegan]

nice journal, im going to follow along too!

Woot, awesome where in Wales are you?

[mrbear666]

im in anglesey, north wales!

[Glasvegan]

I've spent many summers on the Anglesey beaches, my grandmother lives in Bangor and is about to sell up and move to London after 56 years, I'll be down there in a few weeks for the last time I'd take Snowdonia over London any day.

[mrbear666]

no way, small world anglesey does have some beautiful beaches! i can never decide which is my favourite! yeah i think id pick snowdonia over pretty much any where else! where do live now? glasgow?

sorry just realised im clogging up your journal here.

[Glasvegan]

I'm in Glasgow now - I was in Sheffield till I was 12, then the West of Ireland (County Clare) then Glasgow for the past 3 years. I'm about to move to Berlin for over the summer though, I get itchy feet quite fast Have you always been in Anglesey?

Meh, wouldn't call it clogging up. Breaking it in

[mrbear666]

wow youve moved around a fair bit then! berlin sounds fun, ive never heard of anyone whos been to germany and not liked it! yeh ive always been here, love this place just hate the weather most of the time, cant have everything tho

[Glasvegan]

Try Glasgow for the weather... went up a small mountain a few weeks ago and still couldn't get to the peak because the snow was too deep. Spring just hasn't sprung this year. Yeah, I've moved around a fair bit, most exotic would be living in the Amazon for 7 weeks but other than that I'm just all round UK/Ireland. I was in South Germany for about 2 months when I was 16, and hated it, but Berlin is completely different. Just hope I can find a gym that will give me a 3 month membership. Or that I can find somewhere to sleep for that matter

[Glasvegan]

Empty gym for most of my workout today, always fun upped the weights I've been using for chest and biceps for most of the exercises, I'm now at double where I started with dumbbells. My arms are properly tired, but my wrists were feeling the strain so I've had to go back to using wrist supports.

Chest and Biceps (x12, x10, x8 for each) –
Chest press: 25kg
Chest press incline: 25kg
Chest press machine: 20kg
Cable decline press: 3.75kg (find cable exercises tricky for some reason)
Hammer curls: 6kg and 10x7.5kg
Concentration curls: 6kg
Fly machine: 30kg
Concentration Curl machine: 20kg
Cardio:
Crosstrainer: 100 kcals/8 mins
Went back to cardio at the end of the workout my legs were too tired to do anymore from the past 2 days, so I'll replace it with yoga this evening and back to cardio tomorrow.

[Glasvegan]

Back and abs day... I still struggle to feel like I've properly worked the right muscles, my arms tend to feel tired before my back does.

(x12, x10, x8 for each where unstated)
Rows: 25kg
Ab machine: 30kg, 2(x12, x10, x8)
Rear deltoid machine: 20kg, struggled with weakness in left shoulder
Lat pulldowns: 26kg
Core cable rotation: 8.75kg, both sides so 2(x12, x10, x8)
Pull ups: 35kg assisted, x10, x8, x6
Bicycle crunches: 20,20,10
Miscellaneous ab exercises. Might try kettlebell windmills next week, I'm looking for new exercises for both back and abs to mix things up more.

Cardio:
Crosstrainer: 30mins/300kcals
Exercise bike: 10mins/100kcals

Now back to the books. Just 1 1/2 more days of study to go.

[Glasvegan]

May the 7th - panicked day of study.
May the 8th - up at 6am for exam. Crashed without managing anything.
May the 9th -

Over-head shoulder press: 5kg x12x12x12
Internal rotation with cable: 3.75kg x12x10x8
External rotation with cable: 3.75kg x6x6x6 (really struggled with these)
Dumbbell front raise: 3kg x10x8x8
Dumbbell kickbacks: 6kg x12x12x12
(x12, x10, x8 for each):-
Tricep dips (machine): 30kg
Rope tricep pulldowns: 6kg
Skullcrushers: 7.5kg

Cardio:
Crosstrainer: 360kcals/35mins

Friday the 10th:

1hr of Zumba.

Got accosted by an older man when I was doing the food shopping, he planted him self squarely in front of me: "Oh my God, that's a lot of vegetables!" Me: "I like vegetables..." Him (looking me up and down): "You're going to end up weighing like 5 stone!" Haha.