April 29 2008

Unscripted Training:

Equipment:
Home made sand bag (20kg)
Yoga mat

20 minutes unscripted training, composed of the following exercises:
Sandbag shouldering
Lateral jumps
Burpees
Up-downs
Grasshoppers

Perform jumping jacks during rest.

Unscripted training is more fun than I imagined. I performed at least 3 sets of each exercise and a minimum of 6 reps per set.

I decided to ditch my isometrics today to give my CNS a rest.

April 30 2008

Back-off Strength Endurance:

Equipment:
Resistance band
Yoga mat

Set:
Push-ups - 25
Band good-mornings - 20
Bodyweight squats - 30
Ankle raises - 15 a side
Horizontal band pull - 10

3 sets

Core:

Set:
V-ups - 15
Supermans - 20
Chinnies - burn

3 sets

How do you feel your progress is coming on? You seeing the gains you expected?

Gains? No. Weight loss, yes definitely. My primary aim is to lose the weight I gained in the final year of my undergrad degree. So far I've lost about 10kg which means I'm halfway.

That said, I think I have made a lot of progress compared to 6 months ago. Even 3 months ago, the Deck of Cards routine would have been completely out of my grasp. Naturally my stamina and strength have improved. It's amazing how much easier day-to-day tasks are when you've got enough stamina and strength, even carrying shopping or walking to town are easier as a result.

The 50 day plan is laid out to ensure that you get enough rest with one rest day every 5 days and one rest week every 5 weeks. The isometrics seem to help a lot, I've never improved in my strength so quickly as I am now.

I think that the biggest impact on me is my outlook. I used to think of exercise as a chore but with a 50 day plan, everyday is fresh and interesting. I wake up looking forwards to doing my exercises, rather than dreading them. Everyday is a new challenge to be overcome. It's a rewarding way to stay fit; and completely unlike any other exercise regimen I've ever followed (including martial arts training). Plus, I don't have to leave my house to do any of it if I don't want to so there's really no excuses not to exercise (although the EITs must be done outdoors and they sound like fun). I suppose Never Gymless is just my cup of tea.

That said, I think I would have seen better strength gains doing weight lifting or better stamina gains doing endurance exercises. But NG appears to be the best of both worlds, at least so far...

May 4 2008

ICT 6 (Modified):

Equipment:
Jump rope
Puzzle mats (I got an upgrade, yay!)

Set:
Rope turns - 100
Plyometric push-ups - 10
Burpees - 15
Lateral jumps - 20

4 sets

I wasn't feeling so great today, so I cut down the number of sets to half the recommended number (I ate a wrap from Tesco which had some cheese in it and I'm badly lactose intolerant). I also don't have a medicine ball (yet) so I replaced the med-ball slams with burpees. I'm still not doing isometrics yet, my next set should be in 2-3 days depending on my schedule.

Here's an improvised equipment idea I've had. I was strolling along the aisles at Tesco when I came along a packet of luggage straps (the kind you use to secure your luggage when you travel):



And then I thought "now those would be perfect for glute-ham raises!". As we all know, glute-ham raises are brilliant hamstring exercises but they're very difficult to do without either a partner or the correct equipment. An actual glute-ham raise station will set you back a few hundred pounds:



Which isn't really my cup of tea.

A while ago, I came across this website, which describes how to make GHR straps:

http://www.warriortraining.co.uk/Equipment.html#glute

Now I've confirmed that luggage straps work just the same and they have adjustable length. So, if you're not into DIY, just go buy a pair of luggage straps and you're set.

May 5 2008

Max Strength:

Equipment:
Chin-up bar
Resistance band

Set:
Pull-ups - 5
Dands - 10
Pistols - 5 a side
Band good mornings - 20
Handstand push-ups - 5

3 sets

Jump rope finisher - 2 sets of 1 minute

Core:

Equipment:
Ab-wheel

Set:
Crunches - 10
Bridges - 10
Partial ab-wheel rollout - 6

3 sets

May 7 2008

Isometrics (Morning):

Equipment:
Resistance band
Towel

Set:
Band chest press - Start 5s - Mid 5s - Peak 5s
Band biceps curl - Start 5s - Mid 5s - Peak 5s
Hamstring curl - Start 5s - Mid 5s - Peak 5s
Towel pull - Start 5s - Mid 5s - Peak 5s

5 sets

Minute Drill! (Evening):

Equipment:
Puzzle mats

Set:
Burpees 30s
Split jumps 30s
Grasshoppers 30s
Burpees 30s
Split jumps 30s
Mountain climbers 30s
Rest 60s

5 sets

This is my first time doing 5 sets on a minute drill. It's not all that much more difficult than 4 sets. I suppose my training's starting to pay off a bit.

May 10 2008

Explosive Strength:

Equipment:
Resistance band
Puzzle mats

Set:
Squat jumps - 8
Plyometric push-ups - 10
One armed high band pull - 5 a side
Ankle hops - 10
Knee tucks - 10

3 sets

Finisher - Jump rope 3 sets of 1 minute

Core:

Equipment:
Dumbbell (8kg)
Bench

Set:
V-ups - 20
Russian Twist - 16
Tuck L-Sit - time

3 sets

Not much to report, except that V-Ups are much easier than they used to be. L-Sits are pretty tough, even with your legs tucked, I'm looking forward to developing my strength endurance in this exercise.

May 13 2008

Isometrics (Morning):

Equipment:
Resistance band
Doorway

Set:
Band deadlift - Start 5s - Mid 5s - Peak 5s
Leg curl - Start 5s - Mid 5s - Peak 5s
Overhead press - Start 5s - Mid 5s - Peak 5s
Band triceps extension - Start 5s - Mid 5s - Peak 5s

5 sets

ICT 1 A.K.A. No Excuses:

Equipment:
Jump rope

Set:
Jump rope
Push-ups
Bodyweight squats
Chinnies

10 minutes no rest

This was just as challenging as when I first did it. I'm still doing the beginner's version because I don't think my doorway chin-up bar can handle the real deal.

May 15 2008

Max Strength:

Equipment:
Resistance band
Puzzle mat
Luggage straps

Set:
Assisted one armed push-ups - 5 a side
Assisted pistols - 8 a side
Assisted glute-ham raise - 5
Band high pull - 20
Handstand push-ups - 6

3 sets

Core:

Equipment:
Ab-wheel

5x5 partial standing ab-wheel roll-outs

Today I've moved onto some slightly more challenging exercises. I'm feeling pretty good about them, I coped pretty well. Those ab-wheel roll-outs are tough though!

Also another milestone for me, I did my first unassisted left handed one armed push-up today!