Decided yesterday that I would do a bike ride today, didn't plan a route out last night so just winged it this morning with a planned 25km ride.
Unfortunately my workout yesterday left my legs cained today so my planned ride was shortened a little, was still 18km and 645 calories.
I'm trying to mix it up with my training to really keep hammering my body, my goal is to be 75kg and lean (sub 12% bodyfat) by 1st September. I'm not so much concerned with the actual weight change - I am more interested in the bodyfat.
If I end up at 80kg and 11% bodyfat I'm going to be a happy camper :)
My training schedule at present is:
Monday: Kick boxing (45 minutes), Boxing fit (45 minutes)
Tuesday: Weights
Wednesday: MMA
Thursday: Kick boxing, Muay Thai
Friday: Circuit
Saturday: Cycling (20 - 50km)
Sunday: Pilates
Overall it's a very busy schedule with not a lot of room for rest - but pilates is pretty much a rest day.
Anyway I think that's enough from me.
Next post tomorrow :)
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Long time, no post = my fail.
Well the title is a bit misleading.
I haven't posted for a while - I just haven't thought about it.
Doesn't mean I gave up the whole fitness thing, I'm still working my ass off to achieve my goals.
Even more so now that I have turned thirty, on my birthday I realised I've had a goal for nearing 15 years now and never achieved it, motivation plus you might say.
Well so far since that date I've been pushing myself harder and harder doing various different classes / exercise routines to try and find what works.
Now after 2 months of doing MMA / Kickboxing and Muay Thai I've found something that works very very well for me.
I'm still running and cycling, but they are for secondary goals to my main goal of a lean physique with a visible six pack.
In the last 8 weeks I have dropped from 91kg to 88kg (not a huge weight drop) but also dropped my body fat percentage from 25 - 26% down to 19.2% so am incredible happy and proud of that achievement.
Still going strong with it all and I plan to reach my goal by September 1st (if not before), will try and post more on here - not necessarily for anyone else but more for myself so that when the goal is achieved I can reflect.
Cheers for reading again and look forward to posting more.
I haven't posted for a while - I just haven't thought about it.
Doesn't mean I gave up the whole fitness thing, I'm still working my ass off to achieve my goals.
Even more so now that I have turned thirty, on my birthday I realised I've had a goal for nearing 15 years now and never achieved it, motivation plus you might say.
Well so far since that date I've been pushing myself harder and harder doing various different classes / exercise routines to try and find what works.
Now after 2 months of doing MMA / Kickboxing and Muay Thai I've found something that works very very well for me.
I'm still running and cycling, but they are for secondary goals to my main goal of a lean physique with a visible six pack.
In the last 8 weeks I have dropped from 91kg to 88kg (not a huge weight drop) but also dropped my body fat percentage from 25 - 26% down to 19.2% so am incredible happy and proud of that achievement.
Still going strong with it all and I plan to reach my goal by September 1st (if not before), will try and post more on here - not necessarily for anyone else but more for myself so that when the goal is achieved I can reflect.
Cheers for reading again and look forward to posting more.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Stretching for running / shin splints
This is just a blog post for some friends of friends:
(It's easier than trying to post all over facebook)
When I first started running / walking distances I suffered badly from shin splints and worked these stretches into my after run routine and now rarely suffer shin splints – when I do it is usually due to lack of stretching and is now very minor, compared to when I first started it would be that bad that I couldn’t walk after a run.
If the shin splints / muscle pain are really intense you may need to take time off from your exercise routine and follow the ‘RICE’ principal.
REST. ICE. COMPRESSION. ELEVATION.
This can reduce pain, inflammation, muscle spasms, swelling…etc etc.. in short it helps you get back to exercising quicker.
A good article on RICE is here: http://www.topendsports.com/medicine/rice.htm
Make sure when you stretch, that you don’t over extend – you should be able to feel the stretch and then go a little deeper, but it should not ever make you feel pain.
Hold each stretch for 10 – 20 seconds then slowly release.
1. Shin stretch
2. Seated glute stretch
3. Hamstring stretch
4. Groin stretch
5. Anterior compartment shin stretch
6. Half kneeling, half squatting
7. Wall calf stretch
8. Wall ‘gastrocnemius-soleus’ stretch
9. Lunge (hip flexor stretch)
10. Quadricep stretch
11. Downward dog to upward dog
You might wonder why there are stretches for more than just the shins:
A common cause of shin splints is tight hamstrings / calf muscles – as these muscles tighten the shin muscles are pulled tight as well it’s usually a chain reaction, the tighter the rest of the legs the worse the pain feels from the shin splints.
The above stretches work the major muscle groups in the legs (downward / upward dog also stretches the lower back) and help to reduce tightness that can lead to shin splints.
There is also a variant of the ‘Anterior compartment shin stretch’ that can be done in an office chair
![]()
Basically you aim to bring the toes back in line with the knee, pointing them downward to the floor.
In the picture above the person stretching should keep their knee / hip in line with the body rather than drawing it out wide.
You should feel this stretch in the lower portion of the shin and up the back of the calf.
I find it works best if you hook your toes behind the legs of the chair, to increase the stretch lean your upper body backwards.
I also include this stretch as well for calf / shin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E26G1aGbg7s
I do this against a wall / door frame and increase the stretch by pulling my body forward keeping the body straight and heel on the floor.
One other stretch is a heel drop these work in combo with stretch above and should be included.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmfSJmXLpo4
Just a small note: if the shin splints don’t seem to go away with stretching and rest you may need to see a doctor as it may actually be something like a stress fracture in the shin bone or compartment syndrome. It is more common for shin splints to be muscle related though.
(It's easier than trying to post all over facebook)
When I first started running / walking distances I suffered badly from shin splints and worked these stretches into my after run routine and now rarely suffer shin splints – when I do it is usually due to lack of stretching and is now very minor, compared to when I first started it would be that bad that I couldn’t walk after a run.
If the shin splints / muscle pain are really intense you may need to take time off from your exercise routine and follow the ‘RICE’ principal.
REST. ICE. COMPRESSION. ELEVATION.
This can reduce pain, inflammation, muscle spasms, swelling…etc etc.. in short it helps you get back to exercising quicker.
A good article on RICE is here: http://www.topendsports.com/medicine/rice.htm
Make sure when you stretch, that you don’t over extend – you should be able to feel the stretch and then go a little deeper, but it should not ever make you feel pain.
Hold each stretch for 10 – 20 seconds then slowly release.
1. Shin stretch
2. Seated glute stretch
3. Hamstring stretch
4. Groin stretch
5. Anterior compartment shin stretch
6. Half kneeling, half squatting
7. Wall calf stretch
8. Wall ‘gastrocnemius-soleus’ stretch
9. Lunge (hip flexor stretch)
10. Quadricep stretch
11. Downward dog to upward dog
You might wonder why there are stretches for more than just the shins:
A common cause of shin splints is tight hamstrings / calf muscles – as these muscles tighten the shin muscles are pulled tight as well it’s usually a chain reaction, the tighter the rest of the legs the worse the pain feels from the shin splints.
The above stretches work the major muscle groups in the legs (downward / upward dog also stretches the lower back) and help to reduce tightness that can lead to shin splints.
There is also a variant of the ‘Anterior compartment shin stretch’ that can be done in an office chair
Basically you aim to bring the toes back in line with the knee, pointing them downward to the floor.
In the picture above the person stretching should keep their knee / hip in line with the body rather than drawing it out wide.
You should feel this stretch in the lower portion of the shin and up the back of the calf.
I find it works best if you hook your toes behind the legs of the chair, to increase the stretch lean your upper body backwards.
I also include this stretch as well for calf / shin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E26G1aGbg7s
I do this against a wall / door frame and increase the stretch by pulling my body forward keeping the body straight and heel on the floor.
One other stretch is a heel drop these work in combo with stretch above and should be included.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmfSJmXLpo4
Just a small note: if the shin splints don’t seem to go away with stretching and rest you may need to see a doctor as it may actually be something like a stress fracture in the shin bone or compartment syndrome. It is more common for shin splints to be muscle related though.