Day 217: End of Week 3

Christmas Challenge Day 21

Wow 3 weeks gone already. So in 3 weeks I have a glass and a half of wine and that was because it was a special occasion. I have still not had any crisps however which is great.

The end of this week has not seen perfect nutrition by any means so I will need to be extra good next week prior to my Christmas party especially as due to a combination of the weather and having loads of things to do today I was unable to go for a run.

Stat again tomorrow so we will see what has happened this past week with only 1 week to the halfway point.

Until tomorrow...

Day 216: Nice Night

Christmas Challenge Day 20

Last night we had a lovely meal at the hotel, I did have a glass and a half of wine but I think I was sensible and did not go overboard. I shall not drink tonight so everything remains in moderation. I think I have walked a lot of miles today as well so I am sure that I burnt the extra calories off even though it was my cheat meal.

Until tomorrow...

Day 215: Good Weights Session

Christmas Challenge Day 19

Quick post today as I am off for the night to a hotel with my wife the Christmas shopping tomorrow. Had a great weights session today and Abs session. Still adding a bit of extra weight to the exercises which is great.

Until tomorrow...

Day 214: Changes

Christmas Challenge Day 18

I am starting to seeing almost daily changes now in my body as the training and nutrition are starting to take full effect. Still no alcohol or crisps which I am so pleased about. I am going way for part of the weekend with my wife and without the kids!! I still plan to stay true to my no alcohol however the nutrition my drop off slightly. I don't plan on going overboard by any means but I will use this as my cheat meal for the week.

Had a great sprint HIIT session today with the usual change in speeds. I once again left the 21st minute out but I swear that that machine is not calibrated and is faster than it says!!!

I then went on for 10 minutes on the bike, 10 minutes on the hand bike and 5 mins on the cross trainer with a total calorie burn of around 600 which is awesome.

Until tomorrow...

Day 213: SUN

Christmas Challenge Day 17

Yesterday was not a good day for me personally hence a missed day for blogging. Also due to a trip to the office I did not manage to get in a workout what with the travelling and the kids after school clubs and also being absolutely exhausted. However I had a great day with regards to nutrition which was spot on.

Today I had a great 8k run in a pretty good time as it was a really nice day here. Will fit a HIIT session in tomorrow at the gym and then finish the week off with another weights session.

Until tomorrow...

Day 211: The Start of Week 3 and New Body Stats

Christmas Challenge Day 15

Another week starts and I feel fitter, healthier and more full of energy. No alcohol, crisps, snacks or sweets for 2 weeks. I have had 2 cheat meals, one each week. No major cravings which is great news too.

Took my body stats again today and was pleased by the results.

This is a complete list of stats since I started measuring them but this last week has seen a very small drop in weight only 0.2 kgs but a huge drop in BF, I think 1.7%. So I have lost a lot of fat and put on a lot of muscle. As I said last week though these results can fluctuate a lot so I am still not reading too much into the weekly results but just pleased to see a continued decrease of the figures.

I hurt my neck and shoulder at the weekend but am pleased to say that it feels fine today even after a heavy weights session today. Still managed to lift some heavier weights. All 4 sets of 10 barbell curls were at 16kg per arm today.

Office tomorrow so very early start, not sure when I will fit in a workout but I will try my hardest.

Until tomorrow...

Day 210: End of Week 2

Christmas Challenge Day 14

2 weeks under my belt now and still no alcohol which is great. Had a nice cheat meal today, Chinese takeaway but did not go too overboard. Had a great 5k run and went swimming with the kids too. Off to bed now.

Until tomorrow...

Day 209: Exhausting Rest Day

Christmas Challenge Day 13

Indeed it was, first of all I had to shift 5 17 inch monitors, 4 of which were in the loft so I had to pull them out the loft and carry them down a ladder into the house. Then I had to take all five down the stairs and out the house to the car and then take them all out at the recycling centre!!

Next it was mowing the lawn and weeding the path, not too bad.

Then swimming with my youngest and for the first time ever he actually swam properly and even managed a whole width of the big pool without touching the bottom or drowning. I was so pleased and so was he.

Until tomorrow...

Day 208: Danny's Goal

Christmas Challenge Day 12

Couldn't decide what to do today so thought I'd borrow someone else's goal to start with, hope you don't mind Danny!

So one of Danny's many goals is to run 1.5 miles (2.4 kms) in 8m 55s. Now that is very tough, sub 6 minute miles. I knew there was no way I was going to get that time so the goal was to see how close I could get. Also please note this is on a running machine so outdoor times would certainly differ.

I thought I would do a few minutes light running to warm up for this one as it was basically going to be a sprint. Took a short breather and then set-up up the treadmill and pushed the speed up to 14.5 kph, IPOD on teeth gritted, this was gonna be a hard one especially after that incline work yesterday.

Once I hit the 1 mile (1.6km) mark I knew I was going to make it so as soon as I hit 2km I pushed the speed to 15kph and then again when I hit 2.2km I pushed it up to 16kph for the last 200 metres. I missed out on 10 minutes by 1 second, I was gutted, I really wanted to bring it in under 10 minutes, but with that said 10m 01s for my first attempt I was pretty pleased.

Just as a comparison, in order to get inside Danny's goal time I would need to run at about 16.1 kph for the whole 8m 55s, 16kph would bring a 6 minute mile.

I really enjoyed it so I will definitely try that one again in the future. I then went on and did a 2000m row but it was slow compared to my normal ones but my legs from the incline yesterday then the 1.5 miler were getting pretty shot by now. I followed that with 10 minutes on the cross trainer just to completely destroy my legs and finished with a gruelling abs routine.

I have to admit I am wiped out from this weeks training now. So that completes my first 2 weeks and true to my words not one of the workouts has been a complete duplication of another. They have all been tweaked so that they are unique and hence hopefully my body does not get used to any one particular thing.

Rest day tomorrow and boy do I need it.

Until tomorrow...

Day 207: HIIT with a Difference

Christmas Challenge Day 11

Back to an old routine for me but possibly a new one if you are reading this. I call this one my HIIT incline session.

20 minutes on the treadmill all run at 10kph.

Minute 1 at 1% incline
Minute 2 at 3% incline
Minute 3 at 6% incline
Minute 4 at 9% incline

You then repeat this cycle another 4 times. As usual that killer 21st minute is added on the end and today I managed that final minute at 10% incline for the whole minute.

All in all I was pretty pleased with that as it is a long time since I have run this. It is a real killer on the quads and calf muscles.

Then I did 10 minutes on the bike, 10 minutes on the handbike and 5 minutes on the cross trainer, the same details as for last weeks session. The incline HIIT is a huge calorie burner, 350+ calories in 21 minutes.

Until tomorrow...

Day 206: Keeping That Motivation

Christmas Challenge Day 10

I foolishly stepped on the scales today only 2 days after doing my stats and have put on weight since Monday. Or I should say I weighed more than I did Monday. I haven't started eating differently and I am still training hard. I should know better as I know your body fluctuates during the week and I also don't know whether this was fat or muscle as I did no BF measurement. Regardless I should have known better.

That said though it can still knock the confidence by not keeping on that downward trend. How do you stay motivated? It would have been really easy to say today well all this effort I am putting in isn't working so why bother? Needless to say I didn't I had a great weights session and added in an extra ab exercise today also. There are always going to be ups and downs and I know that in the long run or in this case over the 8 weeks that week on week I will see the results, just not continually during the week.

Until tomorrow...

Day 205: Great Run

Christmas Challenge Day 9

The weather today was great, a fairly stiff breeze but blue sky and sun and surprisingly warm for this time of year. For this reason I opted out of the cardio session in the gym to go for an outdoor 8k run. I did say that I would try not to duplicate an exercise workout over a 2 week period and this far no 2 sessions have been identical.

Admittedly some of the weight exercises have been the same but the overall session has been different in some way. For example I used the fit ball yesterday for the dumbbell flys which by the way I can really feel working today especially as I dropped the weight so that I could keep balance. What a difference a very small change made!!

Again a solid day nutrition wise which is good.

Until tomorrow...

Day 204: Results are in for Start of Week 2

Christmas Challenge Day 8

Firstly congratulations to all the shredders who completed the 14 day group shred. I participated in the first one and I know what a difference they can make. Also to Adam who without him many of us would not be on this journey, congratulations on completing M5, your great 6 pack, your 2 years of blogging, your upcoming life story documentary (the list will stop soon) and the upcoming release of your RTP Workout System.

Congratulation's to you all...

So the start of a new week and with a new week comes the stats from the previous week. No based on previous experience I was expecting this week to be pretty good stats wise so I will hold out on the excitement until next weeks come in. I should imagine that a fair proportion of the weight from the past week was excess fluids.

Anyhow weight it weight but fat is fat and I am measuring that too. So here goes:

86kgs to 84.2kgs
21.5% BF to 20.6% BF

So that's a loss of 1.8kgs and 0.9% BF. For those doing the calcs it is around 1.1 kgs of fat but also around 0.7kgs of muscle. That said I know it can vary immensely when doing BF as to the time of day your hydration levels etc so I am not going to get too wrapped up in the figure each week. I am more concerned in keeping a relatively good downwards line as it were so that I reach my goal in 7 weeks.

So in relation to my goals, the standard goal is 82kgs and 17.5% BF so I have another 2.2kgs and another 3.1% BF.

The stretch is 80kgs and 16% BF which is another 4.2 kgs and 4.6% BF in 7 weeks. So the standard goal now looks very achievable but I know from the past that body will try it's best to maintain equilibrium so a good loss one week may mean little or none the next so as I said I am not celebrating just yet.

I plan to continue with the hard training and more importantly be consistent with my nutrition.

Had a great weights session today. Took the dumbbell flys down onto the fit ball today to mix it up today just to keep it a bit different. A great bas session also.

Until tomorrow...

Day 203: Christmas Challenge Week 1

Christmas Challenge Day 7

The end of the first week and a pretty good week too. Nutrition has been great. Not a single crisp has passed my lips not even over the weekend. For lunch today I had my cheat meal which for the most part was not too unhealthy. A traditional English roast, however it was pork and there was crackling!! I did ask for a smaller slice of chocolate torte for pudding though, and had a small bit of ice cream with it. It was my cheat meal and no snaks nor cakes have been touched this week. I did not really want any but decided to have it so as to keep my wife happy. If I get too dedicated she starts getting on her high horse about how unhealthy I am being eating all this healthy food!!!!!

Went swimming with the boys after my brother and his wife left and managed to get in a few lengths when they were playing with there friends. As soon as I got back I got changed and went out for a run. It was already almost dark by that stage and very windy.

Wanted to get halfway round quickly as there are no street lights on the beach or the mud track that takes me back up to the main road. My trainers are now quite black from the mud as I could not really see the puddles or mud!!! It was a really strange run though, haven't run in the dark for ages and it has been chilly and very windy all day but it was actually quite warm.

It was dark by the time that I got home. Reasonable time just over 27 mins. It was really windy on the home stretch and I have to admit my quads are suffering a bit from the leg raises and squats I did on Friday.

Only this evening to go and I have made it 7 days without a drink. Now don't get me wrong I am not a heavy drinker even when I drink and I never drink in the week but I do love a couple of pints at the weekend so not drinking anything over the weekend is a big thing for me. I have no concerns about tonight though and feel fitter and healthier for a clean week.

Although I do not want to get too hung up on the stats I am hoping for some great results tomorrow when I weigh myself and do my BF% but I am not going to get too overjoyed if it's great or too down if it's not. I will keep going no matter what for the next 7 weeks.

Until tomorrow...

Day 202: Rest Day

Christmas challenge Day 6

A rest day today but was still spot on nutrition wise. Great swim with the boys and my brother. Challenge for Sunday is when to get a workout in!!

Until tomorrow...

Day 201: Weekend Looming

Christmas Challenge Day 5

A great day training and nutrition again, boy I feel strong both mentally and physically this week. I sat through yesterday evening with my wife and brother both drinking beer and wine and was absolutely fine. My mind is focused and in the right place so it was easy.

Until tomorrow...

Day 200: The BIG 200 Days of Blogging

Christmas Challenge Day 4

Wow this time round I have made it to 200 days straight of blogging (well I have missed one day!) and now I have re-motivated myself also with this new personal challenge so things are getting much better.

Today was another great day both for training and nutrition. I did have quite a large tea tonight but it was all healthy, packed with lean meat and I had it quite early too so I will have plenty of time to digest before going to bed. I also don't to limit my calorie intake everyday as I think this is where I have gone wrong in the past, creating too large of a calorie deficit.

No rubbish has been consumed so far which is great, but the weekend is looming and my brother is here so can I stay true to myself and off the booze at the weekend. Stay tuned to find out!

As I said a great training session today although I just could not push the final minute today in my HIIT session. It was the same as the last session except for that final minute. I guess it's the lack of exercise from last week. I didn't stop there today though, next was 10 minutes on the bike at an effort lvl of 6 for 5 mins and then 10 for 5 mins, then the hand bike for 10 minutes at effort 6 and final the elliptical for 5 minutes at about 140 rpm at level 12.

My gym clothes were absolutely dripping by the end of it but I felt great. I am feeling really good about this challenge 4 days in. Only another 51 days or so to go!!

Until tomorrow...

Day 199: Great Weights

Christmas Challenge Day 3

A great heavy weights session today, abs are feeling it a bit from last night which is great. After posting my stats today I looked back at some older ones from July which was interesting.

Even though I have put on 4kg since then almost 2kg of that would seem to be muscle which is great. So all I have to do is try to keep all that and drop the fat!!

Until tomorrow...

Day 198: Whoaaa there Billy

Christmas Challenge Day 2

Well I was going for basic boot camp tonight but decided against it due to doing weights tomorrow in the gym and only having my tea 90 minutes before my workout.

I did however tackle Ab Bootcamp instead. For those of you not familiar these are 1 of series of DVDs by Billy Blanks, his bootcamp series. He has many out and apparently they are very popular in North America. They are combination of body weight exercises and also using the "Billy Bands". You may laugh as I first did when I bought the series over a year ago. I thought hey I am pretty fit now, I do a fair amount of weights this is gonna be a bit easy!!

Trust me it's far from easy. The snag behind all these workouts is almost no rest for the entire workout. I will explain the others as i do them but basically the Ab Bootcamp as a simply exercise that you always return to in between each one that you do, so your rests are always doing what they call slimming.

So it's a 30 minute ab workout and also a cardio workout, believe I was sweating big time when I finished a few minutes ago and I know my abs are going to be sore tomorrow. Again if you don't believe me go out and buy it and vie it a try you can get them on Amazon pretty cheap now and they are great if you can't get to the gym or out of the house one day.

Nutrition was good today especially as I was in the office, Banana and apple for breakfast when I got to the office as I leave at 5.30am then another banana mid morning, a chicken salad baguette for lunch on granary and another apple and then 2 chicken burgers, 2 tomatoes, cucumber and about 250g of mixed rice (cooked weight). I know I have not had enough fluids today but they always suffer when I go to the office as I am constantly in and out of meetings, still the nutrition was great today.

Until tomorrow...

Day 197: Christmas Challenge Day 1

Well today marks the first day of my new challenge. I have eaten and drunk way too much over the past couple of months, especially over the past week so it's time to get back into it big time.

By my calculations there are just under 8 weeks (my god only 8 weeks to Christmas, yippee!!!) to Christmas so lets call it a round 8 weeks.

I am 6ft 1in and today weigh in at 86kgs (I have put 3 of those on in the past week!!), my BF % clocked in at 21.5%. My goal in the next 8 weeks is to lose 4kg (1/2 kg per week) and to reduce my BF% to 17.5%. Based on my past training this will still be tough, admittedly you could do this much faster if you went to extremes but I don't plan on that.

With that said I am also implementing a stretch goal of 80kgs and 16%BF by Christmas. I will eat healthy every day until Christmas except for one cheat meal per week and I will avoid alcohol except for maybe my Christmas party in a month or so. I plan on getting back to training 6 days per week to achieve this. I also vow to try not to repeat a workout within a 2 week period so as to keep things fresh.

I had a great start today with a sort of steady state / HIIT cardio session. 40 minutes on the treadmill, first 5 minutes at 10kph, 2nd at 11 kph, 3rd at 12kph and the 4th at 13 kph, I then reset back down to 10 kph and repeated all over again. Although that averages out at around 11.5 kph for each minute which is not that fast that 5 minute run at 13 kph for minutes 35 - 40 is a tough one especially off the back of a week off.

Still it was a great workout. Tomorrow, it is an early start as I have to travel to the office but I plan on getting the DVDs out when the kids are in bed and a return to Boot Camp so that I get a workout in tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

Day 196: Back in Action

After a mammoth pile of ironing created by 2 kids on half term I managed to sneak out for a 5k run and start my training a day early which is great. I am going to take some stats tomorrow when I go to the gym as my starting point, and then it will be hard training through till Christmas.

It was a good run today despite not having done much for a week. Weather was surprisingly compared to the very cold weather of the past few days.

Had an energetic time in the pool in the afternoon with the kids, almost empty today so perfect for throwing and chasing the 2 of them without worrying about annoying anyone.

Until tomorrow...

Day 195: Almost There

Vacation is almost over, it has been great but cannot wait to get back to some hard training...

Until tomorrow...

Day 194: Another Late One

It's really late again and little to say, swimming with the kids and not much else, can't wait to get back to the gym next week!!!

Until tomorrow...

Day 193: Another Busy Day

More Birthday Celebrations with bowling and a lovely lunch!!!

Until tomorrow...

Day 192: Birthday Bash

Not mine my mother-in-laws. Great day but it's late and I'm knackered!!!

Until tomorrow...

Day 191: Good Luck Guys and Girls

It's the 14 day group shred 2.0 but alas I will not be participating this time around. I am on holiday and with almost no training happening as it's all about the boys, it's their half term so my training goes on the back burner. I will get back to it next week bu it did not seem right to join the shred this time round.

I am thinking about some sort of mini shred from next week until Christmas so will have a good think over the rest of my holiday and see!!

Good luck to all who are participating though.

Until tomorrow...

Day 190: Cinema

Started the day with a nice swim with the boys and then lunch followed by High School Musical 3. I quite enjoyed it I must admit and they certainly did. No training today as per the above.

Until tomorrow...

Day 189: Raining All Day

It did not stop today. The weather was so horrid that when I went to take the boys swimming I could not get parked anywhere so I had to come home!!!

Cinema for High School Musical 3 tomorrow , can't wait !!!!!

Until tomorrow...

Day 188: Surprise Training

Saturdays' have been my rest day for as long as I can remember but as I am on holiday now I have decided to take any chance I can for a workout so today when my wife took the kids out I went for a 5k run. Weather was pretty good, slight breeze but surprisingly warm. Ended up coming home in just over 26 minutes which is pretty decent.

So a nice start to my holiday with a good run, cold weather on its way with some parts of the UK rumoured to possibly get a bit of snow!!!

Keep warm.

Until tomorrow...

Day 187: Getting Heavier

The weights I am lifting I mean, which is always a good sign that you are progressing in the correct direction. Back, legs, arms and abs today. Managed a good pace 1000m row today, was not trying to beat any PBs just have a good warm-up.

Was doing more isolation exercises today and managed a full 4sets x 10 reps at 14kg per dumbbell for chest flys which is a first for me along with 4 x 10 on 16kg dumbbells for the bicep curls another first.

Had a great abs session in between my weights routines and my core is certainly getting stronger too as I am starting to manage the exercises more easily so I think it is time for a shake up on these very soon.

Vacation time now, not going anywhere so blogging should continue uninterrupted but not sure about the training though so will just take it one day at a time.

Until tomorrow...

Day 186: HIIT the Gym

Yes, another gruelling HIIT session which I managed to increase the intensity on again. Same as routine as Day 180 except for the 21st minute, the last 20 seconds went to 17kph. Felt good afterwards, not as drained as on Day 180 which is good news.

Next it was onto the elliptical trainer for 10 minutes at level 12 keeping an average of around 140 rpm apart from the last minute when I pushed it to around 160.

That was around 450 calories in 30 minutes of exercising.

Until tomorrow...

Day 185: More Weights

Back to the gym today and more weights. Started warming up on the rower with 1000 metres and then mixed it up a little with the exercises that I did today, still concentrated mainly on chest and upper back with a little lower back also. Used mostly compound exercises today so was targeting several muscle groups at once.

Had an abs workout in between and am starting to up the number I do now which is great.

Until tomorrow...

Day 184: Change of Plan

The weather was great today so I couldn't justify training inside. I took the opportunity to do a 10k today. The first one for a while but felt great, even now as I type some 2 hours after finishing I still feel great. A decent enough time, not my best but by no means my worst, just a little over 49 minutes.

As I said the weather was great, blue, sky, warm sun, very little breeze. Had my IPOD playing and all was right with the world for that short amount of time!!

Until tomorrow...

Day 183: Great Weights

The start of a new week and what a way to start. Another 1000m row for warm-up and managed to get another second off the PB so down to 3m 27s now. Then it was on to chest, upper back and shoulders. Managed 14 kg dumbbell chest flys for 1 of the 4 sets which is a new weight for me!!

Then a good abs session to let the muscles recover a little and then it was on to biceps, triceps and lower back. Again managed 2 out of 4 sets on 16kg dumbbells for biceps.

I felt really drained after so it was a great workout. The weather has certainly turned today although no where near as bad as I was expecting. HIIT Tuesday and I'm not looking forward to it after last Thursday's tough time but I'm hoping the legs have recovered now and I deliberately stayed away from any leg workouts today!!

Until tomorrow...

Day 182: End of the Weekend

Another great day swimming with the kids and their friends. Huge pile of ironing this morning and apart from that a few other jobs around the house. Looking forward to hitting the gym hard this week for some great workouts.

Until tomorrow...

Day 181: Rest Day

A nice day with the kids or one of them at least. Picked up one of their friends and went swimming and they both had a great time being drowned by me in the pool!! It was a fun time. Weather was beautiful again today, still t-shirt weather and shorts if you can keep in the sun which is great news for the UK in mid October.

Until tomorrow...

Day 180: HIITing Hard

That was an awesome HIIT session today. The same as Day178 but the final 10 seconds in the 21st minute was cranked to 17kph. I was beat after this one today, I think it was the leg raises that did me in. No aches or DOMS but not quite as much power in them as earlier in the week. I kept going though and powered to the end...just!!!

After a quick stretch it was onto another intense abs workout and then home for lunch. Great workout with no fuss! Lovely weather in the UK again, blue seas and blue sky's, hope it lasts for the weekend.

Wishing everyone a great weekend.

Until tomorrow...

Day 179: Gathering Momentum

It was back to the weights today and I am finding the 1 day weights 1 day HIIT is revitalising me. I feel pretty great again both mentally and physically. Again started with a 1000m row and managed to get sub 3m 30s for the first time which was great.

Then it was chest, upper back, shoulders, followed by lower back, legs and traps. An intense workout where the only rest was at the end of each cycle of 3 exercises. I did 4 sets of each exercise and then managed a new pb for bicep dumbbell curls. 10 reps at 16kg per arm. Admittedly the last 3 were a bit ropey but I am increasing the weights every week currently which is great.

Another HIIT session to round off a great week, then 1 more week until vacation. Not going anywhere but there will be a few days out with the kids, so training will get a bit dodgy that week.

Until tomorrow...

Day 178: New HIIT Intensity

It was time to increase the intensity on my HIIT workout today. The last time I went to this intensity was way back on the 26-Nov-2007 on my original Day 57, for those that don't know I blogged for 58 days then lost the plot and disappeared for around 4 months and then re-started and this is where I am now!!

I didn't quite get back to exact workout but most of it was there only the 21st minute wasn't the same speed but I have increased the whole workout this time round:

I did the following:
1 min at 6 kph
1 min at 12 kph
1 min at 14 kph
1 min at 16 kph

Then it was on to the following (previously all 5 cycles were run at the above speeds):
1 min at 6 kph
1 min at 13 kph
1 min at 15 kph
1 min at 17 kph
This was performed 3 times in a row and then a final cycle of:

1 min at 6 kph
1 min at 12 kph
1 min at 14 kph
1 min at 16 kph and then the 21st minute.

Each time I perform this I always add in the 21st minute just to ensure that I push it slightly further each time. As this was a new set of speeds for the 3 middle cycles the 21st minute was run at 16kph today.

I must admit I was pretty knackered after that but not drained. I felt so alive after as well it was great. I then moved on to 10 minutes of intense abs before heading home for a quick lunch and more teleconferences!!

Plan on taking the kids swimming as soon as I have finished work this afternoon. Weather is pretty awful again hence why I went to the gym. Weights again Thursday.

Until tomorrow...

Day 177: Late

Well it's 23:00 UK time so need to get to bed as I was up at 5:30!!! No running due to rain and kids football practice and office. Will either run outside or in the gym tomorrow depending on the weather.

Until tomorrow...

Day 176: Upper Body

Pushed myself down to the gym today, another Monday of not wanting to go. Had a great 1000m row and beat my pb by 1 second which was great, then it was on to the weights, chest and back followed by a good abs session and then biceps, triceps and shoulders.

I felt absolutely exhausted after it and even had to sit down for 5 minutes when I got home I was so worn out.

Early start to the office tomorrow so will need to wait and see if there is time for a run.

Until tomorrow...

Day 175: Hangover

Not mine my Wife's as usual for a Sunday so again steered clear of going for a run. Managed to get a way for a swim with my eldest so it was a lot more active than when I take the 2 of them as we are restricted as to what we can do when the youngest is there.

Another lovely day though and will get down to some weights on Monday.

Until tomorrow...

Day 174: Rest Day

Another beautiful day weather wise. Took the kids and their friends to crazy gold today which was great fun and really hard for them too. I think the designer went a bit overboard on some of the holes!!

Not training today but hopefully I will get out for a run Sunday.

Until tomorrow...

Day 173: Another Cracking Day

Another great day weather and training wise. The sun was shining the IPOD was blaring it's tunes and I was running along the beach enjoying it all. Got a good 5k in today and still feeling good and strong.

Ron, congrats on your 84 days mate, you look awesome, got check out Ron's blog on the side bar to see his fantastic results and also his meeting with the one and only Adam Waters.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Until tomorrow...

Day 172: To Nice to Pass Up

I just couldn't force myself to go to the gym today to do my HIIT session....because it was so nice outside I just had to go for a run instead and hopefully it will be just as nice tomorrow as I have no car to get to the gym so it will be another run.

It really was fantastic today, bright sunshine very little wind, very warm. The sunrise this morning over the sea was just amazing and a real pleasure to wake up too.

I managed an 8k run today just over 40 minutes so not too bad, certainly not my fastest but not too bad either. Still feeling good which is the main thing at the moment. Lynda I hope you get some of our sun soon!!

Until tomorrow...

Day 171: Increases

Even after only a few sessions I am managing to push up the weights, some of the heaviest I have ever lifted. I am hitting 2 sets 10 reps of 16kg for each arm on barbell curls which for me is great, followed with another 2 sets of 10 at 14kg, chest flys at 12kg per arm, leg extensions at 50kg. All new bests for me and weights is not my strong point as most of you know.

Another HIIT session tomorrow and then some distance on Friday as car is being serviced.

Until tomorrow...

Day 170: Expect the Unexpected

Yesterday evening got a call from work asking me to come up to the office today so it was a 5.20am start so had no time for training today although had a very brisk walk to the cafe at lunchtime to get a sandwich which was nice, so better than nothing.

Looking forward to some heavy weights tomorrow and then some more HIIT Thursday.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 169: HIIT Training

High Intensity Interval Training. It's great for blasting fat if you are pushed for time. With that said though remember that fat loss is all about a calorie deficit so you still need to ensure that you have that deficit.

21 minutes of HIIT on the treadmill followed by 10 minutes on the bike and then 5 minutes on the elliptical trainer.

The HIIT was my usual intervals of 1 minute at 6kph, 12kph, 14kph & 16kph and this was done 5 times. Followed by the final minute. Could not remember what my last minute was so ran the whole minute at 17kph and felt great afterwards.

Until tomorrow...

Day 168: Grandparetns Day

Yep Grandparents Day and our kid's grandparents to lots to help out so we took them some presents around to say thanks today. No training today as like most Sundays now the wife was hungover and as it was raining didn't fancy running and would never have got to go to the gym. Still had another great time at the pool with the bots and will train hard tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

Day 167: Rest (Fun) Day!!

Yep rest day today, and the rain came down and the wind blew it was great!! Shopping, tip run and swimming. It was a great day.

Until tomorrow...

Day 166: Fun's Creeping Back

Yes, it's starting to get fun again, I have much more energy again now. I really think it was all the extra running but no adjustment to calories that did it. I am eating more now and feeling great, time of course will tell whether I am also reducing my bodyfat but I am in no particular rush now, a bit a time.

Had another good row at the gym followed by some chest, lower back, arms and abs work. By quads are really killing today. Those squats really worked on Wednesday, even had trouble sitting and standing today, but it's all good.

Looking forward to a great weekend and wishing everyone a great one to, Grandparents Day on Sunday in the UK not sure about the other countries!!

Until tomorrow...

Day 165: Autumnal Run

After an amazingly hot weekend for this time of year there was a definite nip in the air today. The wind has changed and even though it was a sunny day as it was blowing from the North it was decidedly chilly whilst running today. I will certainly need to invest in some winter running gear this year!!

My quads were really (and still are) aching from yesterday's squats but I didn't let it stop me running today. Went off for a 5k run today with a pretty decent time despite the dead thighs!! Heading back to the gym tomorrow for more weights as I am enjoying them a lot, just need to figure out what I am doing now, need to find myself some sort of coach I think to put some meaningful workouts in place!

Until tomorrow...

Day 164: Slowly Coming Back

Slowly getting a a zest for training coming back. Whether its the four or five days o multi vitamins starting to kick in or the raised calorie intake or the new found enthusiasm in weights who knows.

Did some rowing today only 1000 metres as a warm-up but checked my times and at 3m 34s was only 4 seconds outside of my previously recorded time which I was really pleased with.

Then I got down to some serious weights again. I am really trying to push the weight at the moment (for me at least), as I know a lot of you lift far heavier but I am runner and have a runners body!! Managed 4 sets x 10reps at 70kg for squats which I was pleased with  as I have not done those in a long time. Did various other back, arm and shoulder workouts with another abs session in the middle.

Felt great afterwards.

Until tomorrow...

Day 163: Long Day at the Office

As predicted no time for training today with the office and then straight back to pick the kids up. But on a good note had a very productive day today so will look forward to training hard tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

Day 162: Full body Weights

A bit of everything at the gym today which was a change, back, legs, arms and abs today. Went much heavier than normal too and had planned to only do 5 reps of each but surprisingly on most of the exercises I managed to keep turning out 10 reps each time I increased the weight which was really good news.

Not sure I will get a workout tomorrow as I have another trip to the office which is not conducive to being able to schedule in a workout. I'm just glad that I am still getting in most of my workouts though.

Until tomorrow...

Day 161: Another Beautiful Day

Thanks Lynda, the sunshine was fantastic again. Not as much fun today due to unfounded allegations made against me but things were cleared up eventually. Spent some time walking today and enjoying the beautiful day.

Until tomorrow...

Day 160: Amazing Weather

Thanks Lynda, the sun you have been trying to send finally arrived today and considering it's the end of September it was scorching today, shorts and vest weather again. Nice trip shopping in the morning followed by a great pizza lunch and then a bit of running with the kids in the afternoon to and from Nanny and Grandads whilst they were on their bikes.

What more could someone ask for...

Until tomorrow...

Day 159: It's the Start of the Weekend!!!

A beautiful day to end the week and start the weekend. Had another solid 5k run today. Day out with the kids and friends tomorrow with pizza for lunch so should be a great day. Weather is set to be great all weekend too which is a bonus. Not sure I will get any training in as my wife has to work all weekend again but I am gonna try to get something done Sunday.

Wishing everyone a great weekend.

Until tomorrow...

Day 158: Pace Car

Had a lovely run today which turned out to be quite interesting. I guess I was about halfway round my 5k circuit when a friend of mine pulled around the corner in his car and we briefly talked as I continued running as it was a very quiet little road and we were heading in the same direction. He was spurring me on so I jokingly said are you going to pace me!!!

Anyway if shot off but then about 50 yards up the road it turns into a very bumpy dirt track. I thought I would have a go at catching him which turned out to be quite easy. A courier van was about another 200 yards up the track and the delivery guy was out delivering, now it's only a single lane dirt track!! So I cruised up past both of them and continued along the lane. By the time I got to the end he was still not in sight.

I eventually passed him about 1k from my house so he had been caught up for quite some time!! Put in a pretty decent time for my 5k. Feeling good from the weights session yesterday.

Until tomorrow...

Day 157: Chest, Back and Arms

I really pushed myself today to get down to the gym and I had a great and intense workout which was great. Concentrated on Chest, back and arms today with a set of abs in between.

My head is in a bad place at the moment and I think it is gonna be a real push to keep training but I am determined not to let it get the better of me and set me back in my plans.

Until tomorrow...

Day 156: Nothing Nadda Zip

That how much training I have done this week, too many calls today, if it's not one thing it's another, need to kick this and get back too training ASAP.

Until tomorrow...

Day 155: Bad Night

Wow what a night with my youngest...exhausted today, so tired from a very bad nights sleep. Not the start that I was hoping for this week.

Until tomorrow...

Day 154: Missed a Day

Well I managed a 152 days without missing a day and yesterday I just completely forgot my blog entry!! As predicted though no training this weekend due to my wife's extra shift so will push on next week. 

It has been a fantastic weekend weather wise so it was a real shame not to be able to get out for a run today. Still the kids had a great time playing outside with their friends that they had round.

Until tomorrow...

Day 152: The Weekend is here...

At last, it's been a busy week work wise. Managed another 8k today which I was pleased about and it was also slightly faster than yesterday's which is good. Unlikely I will get a run this weekend as my wife has to work all weekend.

Going to try and keep a much closer eye on my calorie intake to ensure that I keep it higher when doing these long runs and I will just monitor what happens with regards to fat loss.

Until tomorrow...

Day 151: My Legs Are Back

My legs don't feel like dead weights anymore. Went for a gentle 8k to see how I felt. I think I could have managed 10k but thought it best not to push. Ran it at a consistent pace not too fast. Just under 40 minutes which is no bad but not great but I felt really good after it.

Had a good lunch after and will go for another tomorrow if I feel just as good. I have yet to get the multivitamins but will do over the weekend so I think it was a combination of lack of calories, accidentally from running the extra mileage and some sort of infection that I was managing to keep at bay but that was zapping all my energy.

Until tomorrow...

Day 150: Tired

It's been a really busy 2 days in the office so I am ready for a great nights sleep!! No training today again due to the long meeting but am looking forward to some tomorrow. Not sure whether it will be a run or a trip to the gym for some weights.

Until tomorrow...

Day ??: Mobile bloging so not sure

Out of town today so back to mobile bloging. Meeting ran on too late
go running with my friend which was annoying but we plan to catch up
another time. So no training today. Feeling. Buy more myself today,
have not been feeling unwell but just not right!! Hopefully I will
pick up soon.

Until tomorrow...

Day 148: Still not right

Well I don't know what's wrong, gonna go get myself some multi vitamins incase it's a lack of one thing or another. Just have no energy, did some more speed work today but the time just keeps getting slower and slower.

Going for a longer run with a friend tomorrow so will see how that turns out.

Until tomorrow...

Day 147: Speed Work

Decided to concentrate on some speed work again, the constant 10k's seem to have taken it out of my legs so time to mix it up again. 3k was the order today and I managed this is a little over 14 minutes.

It was a lovely weekend in the UK with some very warm sunshine. Triceps are still aching from Thursday's workout so that sure did some good.

Until tomorrow...

Day 146: mobile blogging again

Rest day today and feeling much better today. As promised some 
pictures of where I run.

Until tomorrow...

Day 145: Uhhhhhhhhhh

Well I think I may know why I have not been running well, think I am coming down with something. I still feel full from lunch which is very unusual as I did not have that much and I feel exhausted. Decided to do some speed work today so went on a fast 3k run, really couldn't have managed 10k today.

Rest day tomorrow so hopefully I can kick what's coming or maybe it's all in my head but quite often when I feel this tired it's because I'm coming down with something. I have been sleeping well last few nights also.

Until tomorrow...

Day 144: Lifting Hard

I decided to switch my last 2 workouts this week and go to the gym today to give my legs a rest. Have had a good eat as well but not too much. Did my upper body workout and then a good set of abs today so I hope to finish the week off with a good 10k tomorrow.

Managed to up the weights today for some of the exercises which was good as I am only doing one set of weights per week and only for the last 3 weeks.

After reading Dougal's post yesterday I bumped into the Para Olympics on TV last night and spent nearly an hour watching them. They were amazing and I had not realised that the UK had taken 12 of 13 gold medals in cycling.

Until tomorrow...

Day 143: Gotta Sort This Out

I think my calories must have dropped too low again. My legs felt like tree trunks today and it must have been the worst 10k time I have posted yet, over 52 minutes. I cam home and had a hearty bacon, cheese and tomato sandwich.

I will have to see what to do tomorrow, may go to the gym for some upper body rather than run but will see how I feel. Have certainly lost a bit of body fat but not huge amounts so I hope that it's just dropping too low on carbs for a couple of days. I haven't purposely done it and I even at extra yesterday to try and compensate, guess I still haven't gotten used to the extra calorie expenditure of all these 10k runs I do now!

Until tomorrow...

Day 142: Running in the Rain

Not much choice if you want to run outside in the UK at the moment. Funny thing is though it seems to be much more relaxing running in the rain, don't ask me why. Managed to get back before it really started pouring down today. Managed to notch another 10k under the belt.

Slowed it a down a bit today though, not enough carbs yesterday I think but still came in just over the 50 minute mark so not too slow.

Gonna try to get that 60k done again this week. I have a couple of days away from home next week because of business so I want a good week this week. I will be going running with an old friend on one of those days which will be great. Makes the miles go so much faster when you run with someone.

Until tomorrow...

Day 141: First to run 100 miles

Well for those of you not aware of Lilla's monthly challenges in the Shredder + world this months is the first to run 100 miles!! The challenge is really hotting up now with Dede putting in a stunning 20 miles over the weekend, unfortunately her IPOD lost its legs before she did which has allowed me to creep in front of her for the time being. Lynda is really close so currently anyone could clinch it but there is still some 70 miles to go...

Had a great 10k today although still just outside my PB but still in the same ballpark which is great. Weather is not looking good this week so it could be some very wet runs coming up as I want to get these 10k's really moving this week.

Until tomorrow...

Day 140: Gap in the Rain

Well it stopped raining for a while so after the ironing it was out. It was was muddy but I got my 10k done with no rain which was nice.

Headed down swimming with the kids in the afternoon so it was a good day to day. Needed to be though after yesterdays poor eating. Big Pizza and several drinks last night!!!

Until tomorrow...

Day 139: How Much Rain...

Well some parts of the UK are getting it really bad at them moment with horrendous floods. Not so bad here. Went swimming this morning which was a good job as apparently the sports centre was flooded in the afternoon, or I should say the roads around it.

Went and watched the sea this afternoon the kids love watching the waves when it is stormy crashing over the wall and they were pretty big today. No training today and I'm not sure there will be any tomorrow unless the weather clears a bit.

Until tomorrow...

Day 138: Upper Body

The weather was worse than awful today so it was off to the gym for an upper body workout today. Did the same workout as last week and fitted in an abs workout as well.

Felt really good again, you could feel the burn. Day off tomorrow so there will be no workout but hopefully out for a run on Sunday.

Until tomorrow...

Day 137: Soaked

I had a great 10k today, it was pretty slow and wet but it was actually real fun!! When I set out it was looking not great but by the halfway mark it still hadn't rained so I thought maybe I would get lucky!! Then it started to drizzle, hmmm!!

Subsided away, but then it started to rain. It was still OK not too bad and it only lasted about 10 minutes and then stopped so it was OK. About 5 minutes later with around 2 - 3 minutes left it started pouring down with rain. It was quite strange though, relaxing actually.

By the time I got home I was absolutely soaked, I could actually ring the water out of my running vest into the sink!! As I said time was not great but it was fun!!!

Off out to a new restaurant tonight for Tapas so that should be fun.

Until tomorrow...

Day 136: All Systems Go Again

Not sure what happened with my Nike + but it was full systems go today on the 10k. Pushed it hard in the wind today and came in in 38 (Oops should read 48 minutes, even I dream of a sub 40 minute 10k!!!) minutes some time. Not the best time but I was pleased based on the gusting wind and having done a hard HIT session yesterday.

Abs are all good today unlike the aches from last week.

Trying to make more time to get around more blogs as I have been bad lately about commenting on them, will try harder.

Until tomorrow...

Day 135: HIT me

Yep another HIT session today, exactly the same as last Thursdays except the last 40 seconds was at 17 kph rather than 30 seconds, gotta keep cranking it up each time.

Another set of great Abs today also. My triceps believe it or not are still aching from last Friday's weights session!! Must have done me a lot of good.

Recorded the HIT session on my Nike + today although I do not run that far in it and the pace is not that great either despite going up to speeds of 16 kph but it has gotten me off the mark.

Until tomorrow...

Day 134: One of Those Days

Have you ever had one of those days where everything is an effort!! Getting out of bed, just wanted to sleep more, lots of work to do but really didn't want to do it.

Well it has been like that today. Really couldn't face doing anything at lunchtime either but got out for a run and end ed up going for 10k despite the fact that I was not going to run that far when I set off. But then to top it all off, the first Shredder + event I have been able to start from the start and my Nike + has registered that I have run 20 metres rather than 10kms!!!

Not sure what has happened to it, I hope that it is not dead. Recorded the time fine but the distance was not good. Will have to try it again tomorrow but not off to the flying start I had hoped for!!

Until tomorrow...

Day 133: On You Marks

It was another rest day today as my wife was working all day. But I am extra rested now for Lilla's new challenge for September, first o run 100 miles so that's around 160 kms for me.

It will be very interesting to see who brings this home first. I will need to try and get some extra mileage in. Even if I get 6 days of 10k it will still take me best part of 3 weeks to cover that so will need to try extra hard. But I want to make sure that I keep my pace around the 5 minute mark per km.

Good luck everyone who has entered.

Until tomorrow...

Day 132: 2 More Rest Days

The official rest day today but there will be another tomorrow as my wife has to work. Still I will have fresh legs for the new challenge on Monday. Plus I am aching from yesterday's weight session and every time I cough my abs well lets just say they are sore!!!

It's all good though, wouldn't change it.

Until tomorrow...

Day 131: The Pump

It was back to the gym for the 2nd day in a row but this time for a great weights session. Found a great workout on bodybuilding.com for Ectomorph's which I mostly followed today. The only deviation was that I did not adhere to all of the 3 minute rests as I would have been there for nearly 1.5 hours and I dropped the squats. The only time I rested for 3 minutes was before the final set.

Basically it comprises 6 different exercises, 4 sets of each with 10, 8, 6 & 15 reps. I found it quite challenging with that 15 at the end. This is of no use if you are a regular weights trainer or find it easy to bulk but apparently it works very well for those who find it hard to put on muscle, the link is below: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ectomorph_pyramid_training.htm

Needless to say I had a great workout, and I am sure that I will know about it tomorrow too, which will be good. Managed some decent weights too, not as high as last time but I would have struggled with that final set otherwise. But it worked most of the upper body muscle groups.

Until tomorrow...

Day 130: Back to the Gym

Well it was the same as when I last left it!!

Got the HIT training session loaded onto my gym key and then it was off. I have done this many times before just not for a while and I think I managed to carry on from where I last left off. 1minute intervals of 6, 12, 14 and 16 kph repeated 5 times and then a 21st minute, 30 seconds at 16kph and 30 seconds at 17kph.

WOW, I was tired by the end of it. It's completely different to distant running. Even though I covered around 4.2km in about 21 minutes. Got a really good abs session in afterwards and then tomorrow I will pump some upper body weights. Looking forward to the weights, again it's been a while!!

Until tomorrow...

Day 129: Shattered...

My 10k PB that is. Sunday was my last run and I posted that I thought that was a PB and indeed it was by almost a minute.

Today was the first run for 2 days and I managed 47m 13s so around another 45 seconds off my PB. Again the distance on my Nike + is dropping due to the speed increasing so I will need to re-calibrate. I think I am going to concentrate on some HIT sessions in the gym for the rest of this week in preparation for the next challenge.

I will also mix some weights into this and some abs. I will then come back to the distances and I think these HIT sessions will increase my times.

Until tomorrow...

Day 128: Final Extended Rest Day

A long day, up at 5:30 and back at just before 18:00, training a course for 5 hours and driving for 3, boy I'm ready for bed now!!! Still school holidays so no chance to get out for a run on my return home tonight. Will be back out in full force tomorrow though with hopefully a great time as I have had 2 days off now.

Blisters are sorted, 2 pairs of socks does the trick. Used to wear 2 pairs when I played squash and it worked back then so hopefully no more troubles.

Until tomorrow...