sydneyvegan

I'll be watching... I think I agree with Matt, that it will be between Ullrich and Basso... That said I think Basso might be hard to beat... I'm hoping of course that Robbie McEwan wins the green and that the other Aussies do well... Hopefully Cadel Evans (Ex Mountain bike world Champ, so being a Mountain biker I have to go for him) can finish in the top 10...

Thanks Raven, I'm just glad it wasn't a bad back strain... Lucky I was wearing a belt I think... I totally agree about sugar, I think it is diabolical... I have read that refined sugar is actually more addictive than nicotine I drink my coffee strong and black with no sugar, I just love the taste, mmmm bitter and good, mmmmmm.... Thanks for the info on the tea, I think I might give that a try... I have been drinking a lot of peppermint and green tea lately and it seems to be helping when I need something hot to warm me up....

Chest and back workout today Did some really good sets on Dumbbell bench press and inclined bench press... Dumbbell bench was with 100 pound dumbells 1 x 8 , 1 x 10, 1 x 12 Incline Dumbbell was with 80 pound dumbbells 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1x 10 I would increase the weight on the Dumbbell bench press except my gym doesn't have dumbbells any heavier... I think I will try the incline first next week to work the chest a little first... I also did flys today, good sets but nothing that exciting. My back seemed to fatigue pretty quickly, but I was still able to get a good workout through lat pull downs, bench over rows and seated rows... My back is almost back to normal, so I will continue stretching and some light lower back exercises this week, until I can start some back strengthening work next week... I'm just glad that I am back training properly again

I didn't train today, my back is still a little stiff... I did a warm up and then a lot of stretching instead, followed by a nice cool down... I will rest up and stretch a little more in the next few days, so that I can get back to lifting properly next week...

I guess as long as you are still riding it isn't too bad... My mom does the same thing to me... I try and tell her that there is no vegan chocolate, biscuits and cake in my house for a reason... Wow that is quite a claim regarding your cheesecake I think that if it isn't a closely guarded secret, you should post the recipe

Don't worry if I was faced with Vegan soft serve and vegan donuts, I couldn't resist either... Thankfully for my waist line, such vegan treats don't exist in Sydney... Vegan muffins, Tofu cheesecake and organic vegan chocolate cake do, but I am blocking them from my mind and concentrating on the winter citrus fruits that are tasting so good over here at the moment.

I guess now that I have brought this up, I have noticed that a lot of people at my gym don't go very low on their benching movements at all. I guess now that I have been concentrating on touching my chest on every rep, I am noticing that you have to get the bar position just right or you feel it in your shoulders a bit... Anyways, it's all good Oh and thanks Richard... I've been watching out for buses...

Hmmm frozen water bottles aren't fun, I'll agree with that... I like riding in the rain sometimes, particularly mountain biking, all the puddles and mud can be a lot of fun (The 3 hours it takes you to clean your bike and then re wax your chain and oil all the bits that might squeak isn't, but you don't think of that at the time)

Yeah it is a bit of a standard junk drink, I just can't help it though, I love the stuff... I only usually drink 1 cup per day and I have managed to cut that back even further, hopefully in time I will give up my drug of choice... I like the idea of depriving myself of simple sugars and then giving myself a boost with a piece of fruit etc... I think that could work well for that extra boost you need sometimes when you want to train extra hard. It's surprising how people react when you tell them you are giving up sugar, junk food etc (even other vegetarians and vegans) they look at you like you are mad... Oh well, I'm hoping to enter the summer shape-up challenge, so I will need all the help I can get...

Yeah it the southern part of Australia it gets pretty cold. In the Northern part it is more like the Phillippines I guess, hot and humid... In the Australia alps, we have a reasonable ski season... We don't have tall mountains, but we usually get a reasonable snow cover... Cycling in the snow is always interesting, well until you get wet and cold, then the fun sort of wears off...

No weight training today, due to my back, but I was able to do some cardio, so I feel a little less lazy. My back is improving quickly and I am not walking like the Thunderbirds anymore, so I look forward to doing some lifting tomorrow... The detox, I started last week is going very well, apart from a couple of coffee's when I couldn't face work. I haven't been tempted by chocolate or vegan junk food at all.

Yeah it was in Australia... Near Canberra which can get as cold as -10C (sorry I don't know what that it is Fahrenheit). It was in May which is when things are starting to turn cold over here.

They are a lot of fun and a good test mentally as well as physically.... The craziest race I have completed was called 12 hours of darkness, it was from 6pm to 6am and it got so cold people were thawing out their bikes in front of heaters because the rotars on their disc brakes had frozen to the pads. There was ice everywhere, and sections where you had to climb over logs and ladders with your bike...6 Day relays sound like fun... Chris

I like the idea Robert... I don't race that much, so I guess I will enter what I think is my best cycling achievement. The longest ride I have completed was 900 miles in 16 days, cycling from Lands End to John o'Groats (From the bottom of England to the top of Scotland) As you can imagine, it isn't exactly flat.... I guess another achievement is the longest day mountain biking, which was around 60 miles - I realise that this doesn't sound like much to the roadies, but when you think that this involves lots of single track (narrow twisting tracks not much wider than your handle bars, aka tree-dodging), hills, logs to ride over etc, it means a little more... In other words, a whole day ride that was pretty hard going.

Mountain biking tends to be my thing... Mostly Cross country and free-riding, but I have raced a couple of Endurance races (12 and 24 hour stuff) which I quite enjoyed as bigger guys like me have a chance against the whippets... I love commuting to work as well, passing all the cars stuck in traffic jams always brings a smile to my face. I usually try and beat my best time, both to and from work (I am always faster on my way home from work, hmmm wonder why, lol)... I respect roadies, for the speeds that they can reach (my fastest speed off road is only 70 kph, still it was fun) and for the skinny tyres and flexing frames that they ride... Chris

No Training today my lower back is rather bad today, so even walking hurts it took me 10 minutes to put my shoes on this morning... I'm so angry with myself I really should have been more careful

Legs Today, Started off with Squats and was going rather well. Nice deep sets and good weight. Then I got side tracked and decided to do a few Dead lifts... They were going well until I got a little carried away and decide to go heavy without concentrating on form As a result I tweaked my back so I couldn't do squats and was limited to doing a few leg exercises that minimise the use of the lower back... I did lots of stretching and then had a nice hot shower but my lower back is pretty stiff and sore... I should have been a lot more careful as my lower back has always been a little weak. I usually do a lot of lower back work to keep it strong, but I have been very slack lately and have let that slip, I guess this was my wake-up call... I think deadliftts over 300 pounds are off the agenda until my lower back is stronger...

Chest and Back today, my gym buddy decided he couldn't be bothered today. I tried asking nicely, a few hand gestures, followed by all out insults but he wouldn't budge, so I had to go it along today... Bench pressing I tried to really concentrate on form, making sure I touched my chest at the bottom of every movement... I did 5x5 at 220, so I was happy with that... I then followed it up with incline dumbbell presses, decline bench (making sure I touched my chest again) and then some flyes... For Back I did, Lat Pull downs, One armed Rows, Seated rows... I just wish my gym would turn the heater down, I realise it is winter here, but it was ridiculous.... It felt like I was training in a sauna

Arms Today, Started off with Chins and dips, then did the normal arm work out that I have listed above, I've gone up a few pounds in most of the sets, but nothing really to write home about... I added some hammer curls at the end. I'm sure my arms feel bigger already, unlikely I know

Shoulders today... I didn't manage to go up in weight, but I concentrated a lot on my technique, so they were all really good sets... Finished with a nice set of standing (push) presses... I play volleyball tonight so that shoulders will get another workout, given that I am a hitter/blocker... Shrugs I was able to do 3 sets of 12 at 88 , so I'll have to see if I can better that next week.

I'm not a huge football fan, but now that Australia is there, I must admit that my interest has increased somewhat... A nice 3-1 over Japan (What a game, controversial Japanese goals, which the ref later admitted wasn't a goal, and 3 Australian goals in the last 10 minutes, ) Next Australia play Brazil!!! I'm being realistic, so I am hoping for a draw...

Legs today... Managed to set a new mark for Inclined leg press today, so I am very happy 1 x 12 at 440 1 x 10 at 528 1 x 10 at 704 1 x 8 at 792 1 x 6 at 880 Squats and other exercises, I was a little down on weight, but I'm not that surprised after the leg press

Thanks... I think Jonathan might be on to something in regards to the psychological barrier... I usually train with a gym buddy, I guess I am just not that confident in their ability as a spotter. I think I might need to find someone else to spot me from now on so that I can get my confidence and technique back on heavier weights... Chris

When I am doing a heavy weight I seem to find it really difficult to touch my chest with the bar at the bottom of the movement when bench pressing. I get very close to my chest, but don't actually touch, and when I do I seem to lose all momentum... I use a standard grip and standard bar, do many other people have this problem? Chris

Chest Today... Feeling it a lot after a long weekend here and a late night watching the Socceroo's game against Japan... Managed 2 very difficult reps at 265, but did better on the inclined bench press with a nice set of 6 reps at 175... Also starting a detox this week, so I am giving up Coffee, refined sugar, and chocolate... I think the coffee will be the hardest thing