so long, farewell

Goodbye but not farewell....

So as I said in my recent post this post would be my last for 20 week HIT. I have completed the course, I have changed my diet, my exercise and my attitude towards health and fitness.

I didn’t want to post what my before figures were until now because I wanted to gauge how much of a difference there has been in the last 20 weeks. I have only kept a log of what was my before and what is my current measurements, my weight I have monitored on average fortnightly just to ensure that I wasn’t doing anything to silly with weight gain or loss.

So here are the figures:

WC 07.03.11            WC 08.08.11

Chest 96cm                 Chest 98cm
Arm 34cm                    Arm 36cm
Waist 83cm                 Waist 79cm
Hips 88cm                    Hips 82cm
Thigh 52cm                Thigh 53cm


Now here are the strength gains.

                                       w.c 07.03.11                       w.c 08.08.11                     % increase
Incline Press                         40 kilos                             65 kilos                              62.5%
Upright Press                        80 kilos                           117.5 kilos                          46.88%
Pullover                                95 kilos                           135 kilos                             42.08%
Leg Curl                               30 kilos                             50 kilos                                  66%
Bicep Curl                            20lbs                                 52.5lbs                              162.5%
Tricep Push downs              45 lbs                                    65lbs                                   44%
Tri machine                          80 kilos                           105 kilos                                31.5%

The results above could have demonstrated all the exercises, however considering that these were the only same exercises from start to end, I have avoided throwing in the full results, but I can safely say that there have been significant gains in the other exercises.
So what should this tell you?

I have grown, I have had strength gains and I have done it all with single set training to failure. My workouts have lasted less than 40 minutes on average, and I have had time to spare to recover.

Do I look like a mens health cover model? No. I’m pretty sure that my genetic make up is not suited to it, but either way it doesn’t matter. I am stronger, healthier and happier and that’s what mattered.

I hope to have shown that with 1 set you can achieve your goals, that you can train and not be concerned in spending hours in the gym and that you can build muscle and get strong.

So from me goodbye and farewell, but if you want to read any more of my mad challenges or general rants you can at my latest blog.....my little vespa!

Peace,
G

Now don't forget to...exercise

Nearly at the 20kgs.....

And so I come to my penultimate post.

Yes the voyage has nearly ended for the blog, which a total of 6000+ people have read - thank you all, and 0 have commented, an even bigger thank you.

The penultimate post is addressing the ever important question of the Exercise Pyramid I have created for myself...EXERCISE. That's right, once you have put together your plan, your diet, your attitude and accepted what the outcome may be you will need to get into the gym and exercise. But what exercise suits you and how it will help achieve your goals are individual to you.

I have had a total of 4 plans. I have mixed things up in this 20 week period. I have always maintained 2 different sessions. In my first phase (around 12 weeks) I had one session which focused primarily on upper body and second session which focused on lower body. In my remaining weeks I have had two different total body workouts. My objective was to gain strength and growth on my chest, back, shoulders, arms etc. So the exercises I chose were relevant to that. I have increased aerobic activity to help burn fat along with addressing my dietary needs (yes that again).

You see, what I am trying to get at is, you will understand what exercises work and don't work for you. You will know which ones you like and which you don't. It's a fine process of tinkering around until you feel comfortable with the workout and know you can push yourself on it. Those moments where you think, "Oh I can't be bothered doing this tonight" is made all that different if you are doing a workout you know can and will achieve results.

I have a hand condition where two of my fingers are joined together, to grip weights with this hand can sometimes be difficult, and the overall movement will vary from my left hand side, so I always try and find exercises which I know I can execute without placing too much emphasis on my right hand and creating imbalance. This workout works for me, but it might not for you.

My only tip is this. If you are embarking on HIT you need to remember two things, form and time. Maintain the correct form throughout the exercise and your time in the positive and negative phase (2 up, 4 down) and you will be exerting your muscles fully and remember, you lift until you can't anymore. Visualisation techniques can help break through that pain barrier.

The science in this is ulitmately YOU.

So there we have it, play with your workouts, see what does and doesn't work for you. How you feel at the end of your workout and if you can find yourself enjoying it, and always remember no pain, no gain.

I am what I am...

The "genetic perfection" according to Michaelangelo

"I'm a 6'3 pale white, narrow shouldered Italian" and I have to accept that.

This is one of the hardest concepts that I have had to get my head around, but ultimately one which has made my training possible. I am limited genetically. As are you.

In my family I have some elite athletes on one side, and on the other side stocky muscular types. None have been over the 6ft mark before. In this, I am unique. I accept that. The elite athletes have competed at boxing, karate, netball and football at semi-professional and professional levels, some for their nations. The stocky types have never had any issue building muscle through manual labour mainly. Now genetics aren't just the generation before me, I am merely a vessel to pass my genetics through further generations etc. So maybe my children or children's children will be tall and athletically built, or short and stocky, or a mixture of the two - who knows.

The point is, because of my genetics I, like you, am limited to what I can achieve. I believe that diet, exercise, attitude will get you to where you want to be, but upto a point. You see, I will never be built like Stallone or Schwarzenegger. I will never have the arms of Casey Viator or the back of Franco Columbo. I won't be able to jump like Jordan or have the reflexes of Senna. No matter how hard I train, diet and believe in getting there, I will be limited to how much I can achieve - that wont stop me though.

I accept that this is my body type. This 20 week experience (which ends this weekend) has shown that you can still grow, increase strength, change your body and feel great all at the same time. (Well, when you are not throwing up after a few sessions) I accept that I won't, or have the ability of the people mentioned above because my genetics won't let me. But I also accept that I am tall, that I actually have a good propensity for physical activity, that I am stronger than I look and that whilst I may not by stacked like some bigger folk, I can lift just as much as them. I am Gino, and I am unique.

It's all about Attitude (well partly)

So I wanted to quickly discuss a further element to my pyramid - attitude.

Attitude encompases two things for me;
 - Belief (believe in the workout, routine, diet, YOURSELF)
 - Positivity (keep positive as much as you can to achieve your results)

There will be days when your diet may not be quite spot on, or days when you feel so lethargic you can’t be bothered to do anything (a bit like me today), but if your attitude is right and you can embody the elements of GOOD attitude then half of your battle is won.

Belief

If you can’t believe in the workout you doing, stop. If you can’t believe the diet you are on is going to help, stop. If you can’t believe in yourself then why bother all together? If however you CAN believe in all of the above, then you are on the right path, in my opinion.

Positivity
We all suffer from negativity (everyone who knows me will tell you I am the worst one) but I find positivity breeds positivity. In this “journey” I have found myself feeding off positivity from the results I have been achieving and that in turn makes me more positive to my approach of training and this in turn means you have a good attitude to the workout, diet etc.

Anyway that’s all I have to say about this subject, but I believe, get your attitude right and you are on the road to achieving your goals.

An italian who refuses pasta is like a monk who doesn't drink alcohol

A rare, rare find on this planet is an Italian who refuses pasta. It's like finding a monk who doesn't drink his own home brew.

I'll be clear on this, if I want to eat a plate of pasta I will. I won't starve myself of the pleasure, nor will I refuse it if someone has gone to the trouble of making it for me - a predicament I will come across, no doubt, when I go to Italy for my summer hols.

Tip 2 of training: Diet

The first was patience. I even touched upon Diet in this post. I mentioned how a bodybuilder will spend years of his/her life not indulging in certain foods because ultimately their end goal was to be the best physical specimen they could be.

I can't stress how important I have found diet to be in my recent experience. Whilst it's only been a change of the last 2 months, I have noticed benefits, both from an aesthetic focus and more so on my general well being.

I have suffered less illness (colds and such), I have more constant energy (whereas before I would peak and drop) and my general well being is overall improved.

I switched to a low carb diet, which meant that wherever I could, I would cut out bread, pasta, rice, noodles, potatoes etc. I also upped my salad intake - I absolutely love peppers now, whereas before I couldn't stand the stuff. I eat a lot more fish, meat and most importantly fruit. YOU NEED THE VITAMINS!

It comes at a cost eating this way, I think I even mentioned previously that the cost of my shop has increased by 3x. It's not easy. I am looking at growing some fruit and veg for next year and see what I can get growing for the rest of the year to help ease some bills.

What I think is important is looking at what you eat and ask am I getting any benefit from eating this? Sweets, biscuits (which I love!), cakes etc are effectively empty calories. They are, in general just pure sugar. They provide no benefit and increase fat stores - which, if you are training, you want to avoid as much as you can.

So there we have it, Patience and Diet are what I would class as the bottom of my pyramid to achieving your goals in exercise.

2 weddings, 3 countries, 10 days

Ok, so it's been a few days since my last post. As you can probably tell from my title I have been a little busy.

Rome - Cousins wedding.

Madrid - Work

Chester - Friends wedding

As you can imagine to keep up the routine has been a little difficult but I have managed to drag my arse to the gym in the transitional periods and do everything that I have been doing before. My only problem was the diet.

I think a cholesterol test may be required, genuinely, not kidding.

Rome I ate ok - if not Carb heavy - well you are in Italy and to avoid carbs is like avoiding the bubonic plague in the 16th Century, fun but very very hard! Pizza, pasta, risotto, bread etc. I avoided snacking which was fine, but water is sometimes the most insufficient way to re-coup. The wedding by the way was brilliant - congratulations Fabio and Marta!

The transition between Rome and Madrid gave me 13 hours in the UK. So I got one workout completed, and a game of footy in just to help with the weekend's excesses.

Madrid diet wasn't that carb rich, but there were occasions where the patatas bravas were just given to you as a snack! The food in general whilst nice, was greasy! Add to that beer which was strong enough to kill a flock of mosquitos in their tracks and wine suitable for dressing salads you could start to feel a little groggy after a few days.

Then there was my friends wedding (congrats Debbie and Lalou) well yes, I went to the gym before going to the wedding, which whilst refreshing after a heavy week of poor diet was catching up at the point of dancing to Mr Brightside! I do indeed have the knees of a 70 year old man!

So here's to my remaining two weeks of blogging on HIT and results to follow.

Peace
G

It's a game of patience

We see the adverts on most sites "Tips to loose your belly" or "Something's that the fitness pro's won't share". Well firstly if you click on them they usually take you to the same site where you have to pay through your nose to get a book or video on what is effectively a diet and exercise regime to shock an awe you - but in effect it's nothing different than paying for a few training sessions with a REAL health and fitness pro.

I also take offence to the notion that by clicking on some link you will go to some site which promises you something that a professional otherwise wouldn't want to tell you. Ask yourself this, why wouldn't they want to tell me? It would be like going to the garage to get your car fixed but then the mechanic saying "I can make it perform more efficiently, but I am not going to tell you how". Would you trust that mechanic? Nope I wouldn't either.

I said in one of my posts a few weeks ago that I would share what some of my tips for training have become, what the acquired knowledge of this experience coupled with the knowledge I had before this 20 week stint would bring out of me.

Well, I thought to share one today.

1. Patience


Achieving your goals be it in getting stronger, faster, more muscular etc it all requires patience - in my honest opinion. I don't believe in taking short cuts and I do believe that if you aren't strict with yourself on the days when you are meant to be doing exercise of such then, ultimately you will never achieve the results you were looking for.

Let me put it another way, if you want to achieve your degree in higher education, you know that you will set out on a course with a specific time duration. In that you will need to attend the lectures, classes, workshops, work on assignments, and finally take your exams. If you want your degree you NEED to follow those principles to the letter. You can't not hand in an assignment one week, and not do several exams expecting to achieve the same outcome, for you to get your degree you need everything working in your favour.

Bodybuilders train for years, in that time they eat a strict diet, they have a regimented structure of supplements (and other not so legal supplements) they rest when they can and they know that to achieve their goal it comes with hard work and time, for them it's all about being patient until the moment is right. So why should you look at doing this any differently?

Olympic athletes train for 3.5 years to aim for that Gold medal. Football/Soccer stars most of their childhood to make it professionally and with the hope of representing their nation. You could apply this to nearly every professional sports person on the planet - they had to wait to achieve their goal.

That for me is what training is, you can't afford to take the short cuts when it pleases. I don't mean throwing in an extra rest day or treating yourself every now and again to something not specifically in your diet. What I am trying to get at is understanding what your goal is. Understand how long it will take to achieve your goal - realistically - and work towards it. Set out a plan and work hard to achieve it.

Anyway, I would say that this is one of the foundations of training that I have discovered. I would ask any of you who has a personal trainer & ask them what they think about the patience principle and then ask yourself, if I want to achieve my goals am I being patient enough about it?

First and "second first" for everything

You remember your first kiss; your first car; the first time you tried a Starbucks coffee and complained that they have burnt the coffee by putting too much pressure through the machine; the first time you bought something in a clothes shop that fitted so well you ended up treasuring it until you shrunk it in the wash....you get the picture - there's a first for everything.

Then there is the second first. i.e. going back to Starbucks after having forgotten about the whole burnt coffee episode and then discovering that they actually burn the coffee quite a bit and you then remember, you've been there before.

Training can be like this. You remember your first "MONUMENTAL PB" - usually preceded by a challenge you had set yourself i.e. bench a 100kg. You remember the first time you ran for 30minutes and felt so great you ran another 30. You get the picture.

You also remember a terrible training session, where everything seems to go wrong. You can't lift the weight you had been only a few days earlier or you really can't get into a rhythm because other people are on the machines and you start losing focus on the training all together and just want to head back home asap.

Yes, well I had my "second first" on Wednesday. My first was when I initially started training a few years ago, and remember the guilt and somewhat embarrassment of leaving after 10 minutes. But last night, I tried to persevere, I tried to achieve my 30 minutes of HIT fame, but it wasn't happening. I'd had plenty of rest since my last weight session and my diet since my near death due to alcohol "poisoning" had been "BANG ON" but for some reason I could not find motive, or sway with trying to get through my weights session.

In short, it was a disaster.

Here's to no more "first's" in this department for a few years to come.

Peace
G

Alcohol is poison

I am dying....I know so is everyone else but today I AM DYING!




The photo is not a mistake or a set up I plonked the objects down and found that whilst I could be trying to get blog recognition with brands (evian if you are reading this I drink 3 litres of your stuff everyday - Gazzetta dai meno con l'intermerda più con Milan) it is a telling sign of one of my weekends, in a foreign country where the previous night did it's damage.

I am obviously writing this from an airport lounge, Lisbon to be precise. I wait for the flight before me to go to then get a seat at the front of the queue for the torrid trip to Liverpool airport. The flight in front is for Rio...I have yet to spot any cabanas or dancing troops to annoy/entertain me. Get your act together Brazilians!

The training and diet prior to this weekend had been going to schedule, I had played football twice this week coupled with 2 weight sessions and a 60km bike ride. Overall my weight has levelled out at 74kilos for the last 4 weeks following an initial drop from 80kg when I switched to low carb/paleolithic.

This weekend has been great on the food front. Well apart from the pasteis de Belem I had on Friday with Derek and Luis (follow him on twitter he's a top bloke) everything else was very low carb, couple with that fresh grilled fish and meat with salad everyday you can really eat very healthily without compromising on quality or cost - it seems even a "broken" country like Portugal appreciates that veg and fresh fish should cost less!

(this by the way shows the power of twitter, I started following Luis about 3 months ago, it was a mutual follow ie he and I were following the same person. Then, only a few weeks ago we were tweeting and I mentioned that I was going to be in Lisbon and that we should meet for a drink. I did have a back up plan incase he was an axe murderer or smething. Luis was a legend, we ate at pasteis de belem, had a drink in Belem on the river sea front, saw parts of Lisbon most tourists wouldn't see and we even ran into a famous Portuguese actor. Thanks Luis, you helped make this a quality weekend)

On a further side note, Lisbon is a surprising city. I always had a feeling that it was going to be pretty but I never realised how much it is on a par with some of my favourite hot spots - a definite if you have never been. And all I can say about Cascais is...beautiful. There remains a sense of the old and traditional in a town which embraces it's tourist influx, a refreshing change to somewhere like carvoiero which has become a running joke for travel writers across central Europe.

Alcohol is however poison.

I will refuse to talk about last night, not because anything bad happened, just because I can't remember much after my third drink. Yes it took me all of three drinks, two beers and a Capirinha to do the damage. Whatever I had after seems a moot point as I just don't remember! Even the thought of drinking again makes me gag worse than a new employee at the sewage plant! Anyway, it makes you think one heavy night, followed by a pretty sour day after, what goes on through your body and its functions to recover and get you going again is amazing, but the damage will be plenty - trust me, I think science will find some way to spoil you having one glass of alcohol.

I took resistance bands with me this weekend, no this is not for "functional" training, I have a trapped nerve and I have found that light stretching in the arm helps release it somewhat. I have yet to see any valid scientific proof that resistance bands help aide muscular growth, or to any effect "maintain" what you already have, as ever if someone does have any interesting scientific articles that promote the use of these in strength training and muscular development, please email me.

Anyway 10 days until I'm in Rome, the first of three back to back weddings in July. I hear my cousin isn't shitting himself which is rather disappointing but refreshing. I look forward to the weekend, even if I feel that my stomach will bloat from the pizza and pasta - well, when in Rome.

Barbeque pizza please

I wrote this piece a week ago - sorry for the delay. Updated bits in italic. 

As I write this post the weather outside is teetering on something resembling a summer, if in temperature alone - god knows where the sun has gone and it isn't anywhere near my vicinity. So, it's strange that the title should be involving a relative cooking pursuit which in other ways would require for their to be good weather. Amazingly the weather perked up and we had some good sunshine for a few days. 

I have purchased a baking stone and and a pallet for turning the pizza. Both can be used within an oven or an outside barbecue setting - I can only hope that one day someone will buy me an official pizza oven...(hint hint, nudge, nudge) Whilst I am on a reduced carb diet and trying to follow a lot of the basic principles of Paleo dieting, I don't believe having a pizza or a plate of pasta every 10-15 days is going to do any harm. So I look forward to my pizza this evening.
The pizza shovel here was put to good use. As you can see I need to work on the shape and the cooking time a little more, but it's fantastically mega! Picture below!



Training 
My training hasn't been going so bad since coming back from injury. (I was carrying a slight back tweak 3 weeks ago) My strength hasn't decreased which in fairness I knew wouldn't happen, and it's very unlikely I would have suffered any strength decreases if I took off 20 days instead of the 10 that I did.

I am not sure what actual time does elapse before you start to lose significant strength but I would venture a guess at not 10 days. (If anyone has any knowledge of this I would appreciate it).

One thing I have placed a little more focus on is my arms, encorporating 2 exercises for Bi's and Tri's to my routines. So in the space of one week, two total body sessions which include these muscle groups. What I cannot work on to failure still is my back, shoulders and legs due to therapy & injuries.

Diet 
In the last 10-12 days it hasn't been at its greatest but it is getting back to good standards. Certainly I notice the snacking takes a hit and cost wise - it's bloody expensive to eat in a reduced carb state. Let me put this to you. For breakfast you may have cereal. Well the average cereal box is £1.45, and it will last me 4 - 5 days. Now as I no longer eat cereal and eggs instead, sometimes turkey bacon and definitely fruit (yes I know they are carbs - not complex though) on average it costs £7.32 and last me the same amount of time. So overall my food shop has exponentially increased nearly 6x what it originally was - so any tips on keeping this low cost would also be appreciated.

I am nearing the trip to Portugal and have been working hard on not snacking on shite. Yes that's right, shite. I am eating as lean as I possibly can and keep everything plain to an extent. I am noticing a difference for it though, which is positive! 


Anyway, back to the grindstone people. Hope you are all well,

Peace
G

Week 11...

I resisted blogging last week as I had sustained a football (soccer) related injury. In my behest to get it fixed I had nearly done equally as much damage just shifting things around my house to make me feel more comfortable.

Fabio pointing out why I am stupid

What had happened remains a slight mystery. I remember stretching for the ball and then next thing, feeling my back tweak...I struggled to walk home.

So it was back to limited movement and pain killers, all of which took the edge of slightly but the pain in total was a little too much to go exercise on - so last week could be considered somewhat of a rest week. This week perhaps more of the same.

Johnny (yes my personal torturer) and Fabio (my Milanese friend, confidante and overall p1ss taker) set about putting me right - It has nearly worked. I am recovering and perhaps may make a speedy return to the weight racks and see people train horribly in the mean time.

(Actually Fabio and Johnny have more in common than I thought, they both like to take the p1ss out of me - especially when treating!)

I'll give you another update when I am back in full action.

Peace
G 

A good article on "functional training"

So as you could see the other day I engaged in a conversation with Mr Murphy (murphy_fitness) about functional training.

It's quite obvious where I stand on this. I don't prescribe to the "functional" phenomenon. And I'll explain. In my limited knowledge of training and sports exercise I have spent a lot of time at looking at my own personal goals and so in some ways have become "blinkered" in different training approaches - ultimately I will do what works for me and avoid exercises which don't. Fair point. But what I have always done is try to assert basic common sense and the most scientific sense based on pier reviewed articles/journals.

So here is where I stand on the subject of functional training.

Functional training experts will advise you to use everything but a machine in your weight training routine. So the use of training bands, balls, human bodyweight, resistance and plyometrics thus creating an unstable environment for your body to then exercise in.

The principal of functional training is to "mimic the function of the human body be it in life or a sporting context". (This is the most commonly defined term used among professionals for the term "functional").

However as the article which I will link to will show there is a better definition.

Functional - Func.tion.al
1. capable of operating or functioning
2. capable of serving the purpose for which it was intended
(Webster's Encyclopedia 2nd Edition, 1996)

So to not let me ruin the rest of the article which you can read at your hearts content, I just want to ask this question. 

At what point does doing a push up on a bosu ball with weighted arm bands actually replicate anything you would have done in your life to reading this article? 

Updated Routine

Finally my updated workout is here. Send me your thoughts and ideas to how I could look to improve any of it. Like I said in a post a while back I have switched to 2 total body workouts a week so that I could gain emphasis on my training but also give me slightly more rest time the possibility to work out whole body in one week twice rather than run the risk of missing a session and then panicking!!!!

All workouts are done on machines unless otherwise stated. I believe in the mechanical revolution - a term my friend James gave to me one day about weight lifting.

Workout A 

Incline Chest Press
Single Arm Fly's
Pulldowns
Lateral Raise
Leg Extension
Leg Curl
Tri Dip Machine
Tri Rope
Open arm curls (Dumbbells)
Rope Crunch
Woodcutter
Leg Raise

Workout B 

Upright Press
Pulldowns
Pullovers
Shoulder Press
Lateral Raise
Leg Press
Tri Rope
Machine curls
EZ Bar curls
Incline Sit Up (with weight)
Oblique Twist or Lifts
Jacknife

As you can see where I have 1 exercise for a body part in Workout A I have made it 2 exercises in Workout B and vice versa. I have done it this way to provide a little more balance. As before, all exercises will be performed to failure, 1 set.

Whilst I haven't done accurate figures, I would point out the following my strength gains per whole are averaging 48% - that's correct 48% and that's after 11 weeks of training! If you were to ask anyone who trains what that means in the timescale I've done it in, they would be very impressed!

I have currently laid off the back, shoulder and leg exercises for a little bit due to slight injury and my ongoing treatment for my muscular condition at the back of my neck. Prognosis on this is good by the way. Johnny believes we are making good progress and the myofascial tissue can start to be displaced appropriately.

I always like to add a picture where I can to my blog, but nothing seemed appropriate this week, which means I will start snapping soon enough to keep myself if anyone else entertained.

Peace,
G

A response from Mr Murphy.

I have to hand it to Mr Murphy, he did read the article and write back a response on twitter, it's more than what some so-called "health and fitness professionals" would ever do. At least he took the time to read it and for that I am grateful. Like I said, if I ever pass by LA I will offer him a smoothie/protein shake by way of hello - and hope there are no hard feelings.

His response.

"No offense taken. But please understand that I don't have the time nor the space VIA TWITTER to launch into what would be, in your opinion, an acceptable full-blown scientific paper on what the definition/definitions of functional training are. I still don't believe u r understanding what my points r, & in some instances we R still speaking of 2 diff things.  I have no blinders on, and my definitions/theories/beliefs are backed by science and study, something I pride myself on and believe this is why I have achieved such success). I am in the process of writing a book, so maybe when it comes out you can pick it up and find an explanation to your liking (or not.). As I said before, we may agree to disagree. I do applaud u on ur study & interest in finding the "truths" of exercise... many people take what is spoon fed 2 them by the media, "false fitness prophets", etc. and make many mistakes in their journey towards health and fitness." 


The answer is a little loaded in places, but that's understandable. I think the way the blog post came across was attacking in parts (although never personal). I stand by what I am defining as functional training (primarily in a sporting context) and I do think we are talking about different things. Over the weekend I hope to look at the theory that Mr Murphy gave me and develop my understanding of what he is saying. I also wanted to note that the "blinders" comment was innacurate by me. I find fitness professionals being some of the most passionate people going. It's because they achieve results and their reputation is built on making others achieve results that when you question something they do or put out there as advice, then there becomes a defensiveness - based purely on passion and study (in most part, but you would be amazed) - that is quite apparent in the way they talk.

Anyway, Mr Murphy thank you for taking the time to read the blog post of a fitness enthusiast (not professional - but I would always be the first one to say it). You can always email me an article or more to support your theory - but I will look into to what you say over the weekend and who knows I may do a video post to hopefully demonstrate what it is you are saying and what I am saying.

Peace,
G

ginodeblasio(at)gmail(dot)com

Functional training...really?

Okay so let me begin with a statement. “I am not a health and fitness professional”. Now that this drama is out of the way let me also say “I however do have a passion about health and fitness and believe anyone willing to develop their knowledge and understanding on how the human body works and how it responds to training, be it specific or general fitness purposes is completely harmless and should otherwise be thought that way.”

This latest post whilst not totally related to 20weekhit I will however state this - there is no way I will be performing any form of “functional training” in this routine as I have yet to come across any benefits to strength gains and muscular development - and even more importantly, I have not come across any pier reviewed papers which systematically show that functional training benefits your skill sets in your sports or day to day lives.

So where did this begin?

I came across a twitter account when researching some fitness people to follow - if they had anything worth saying. To my surprise some did (applying constant science to everything they said) and some were to say the least, not.

The account in question is Murphy_Fitness and to be honest he fits into primary category and not the later. He tweeted “Add more single arm & single leg exercises in your fitness program. You'll perform more reps, burn more calories & it's more functional”

Functional. Oh boy we have a difference of opinion.

So I questioned it. “functional training...really? The science behind this is where?”

It’s a simple question. No, really it is. You see, all I am asking for is the science to be applied to this reasoning. The twitter conversation ensued;

MF: @ginodb functional training is common sense: look at the way we walk, pick up something, step up & reach for anything, rotate to look over..


GD: @Murphy_Fitness sorry but I disagree. You are talking about balance/motor function in your examples. Train your muscles develop your skills.
GD: @Murphy_Fitness http://bit.ly/iqTNAt a good article on functional training


MF: @ginodb their nothing for you to disagree about. You obviously don't understand the definition of functional training. 

(Yep, this is the bit that every fitness professional seems to have in common, pure blinders)

GD: @Murphy_Fitness "to perform a set of weighted exercises that mimic the movements used in sport" men's health uses that definition.
(This is what happens when you google “functional training definition” by the way it was 2 am in the uk and I was half asleep) 
GD: @Murphy_Fitness If you can demonstrate how "functional training" applies to sport benefits PLMK. It's not a criticism of you just the term 
(PLMK - please let me know - and yes I was not criticising the health industry professional just the term functional training) 

MF: @ginodb thanks for proving my point. That is the most incomplete definition of functional training I've read. I will proper definition soon. 
(I think he missed the point when I clearly pointed out that Men’s Health and not me had made this definition)

@ginodb Functional training is an xercise continuum involving balance & proprioception, per4rmed w/feet on ground & w/out machine assistance such that strength is displayed in unstable conditions & the body weight is managed in all movement planes. Functional training is a spectrum of activities that condition the body consistent w/ it's integrated movement and/or use. Thus referring back 2 first tweet, integrating more single arm & single leg exercises is more functional than traditional exercises. Machines are artificial modes of stabilization and do not mimic the real world and our daily activities. If you don't understand what I'm conveying and want to learn, ask other fitness pros or agree to disagree. Wish you the best!

So basically he was calling me an idiot with a limited knowledge of the health and fitness industry and the limited capability to learn, understand and develop a knowledge on any of this stuff.

My response

@Murphy_Fitness well I am always trying to learn, questioning leads to that, disagreeing is a natural process and nothing to say either of us is correct. It's only natural to find some points we can and can't disagree with. I believe in building the strength & then harnessing your skill. An f1 driver can't realistically functionally train he can only better stamina and strength & then harness their driving ability. Their movements are not natural to the real world. I guess you would point out that f1 driver is part of your definition, and (I) totally agree so let's say you want to develop your ability to sprint. You would argue to use arm & leg weights & pull a weight aswell (whilst running) but if that's the case you are asking your muscles to perform differently to their biomechanics because your movement is altered due to having the weight placed on you. Hence develop your glutes and shoulders then your running technique. I think this calls for a blog post, but Thanks for your feedback, no matter the demeanour of some responses.

(F1 driver part of your definition - what I meant to say was “F1 driver is not totally part of your definition”. )

Can I just say that the “demeanour of some responses” was totally uncalled for and I apologise in advance to Mr Murphy. He didn’t deserve that, after all he was an answering a question/criticism of his tweet.

You see, the biggest issue I take with Mr Murphy and he has every right to correct me, it is after all a free world, is that he has not actually provided a scientific response to my primary question. Instead he has;

• Given me a definition of functional training (thanks by the way) 
• Told me that Machines provide an artificial mode of stabilisation and do not mimic the real world.
• And then told me that if I can’t be bothered to learn from him, go ask someone else who will totally back his point. 

He wished me well.

Now, time to be honest.

I did not point out science in my answer either.

My bad.

However in one of my tweets I did ask him to refer to a blog post by James Fisher (yes, my friend.) Now I chose James because he has used science to back his point. I wont go into detail for that click here. James summarised “functional training” as the following:

movement patterns, and neuromuscular recruitment are HIGHLY specific. Our movements though seemingly simple, are highly complex. And the ones which appear complex, are very very complicated. 

Now to paraphrase James, the article boiled down to “train the muscle, develop your skill” If I am wrong I am expecting some total shit storm to hit me when I see him next.

I put this to Mr Murphy. Is shooting a heavier basketball into a net going to develop the muscles to shoot a ball better than actually training the muscles through isolation or to fatigue? Is the ability to shoot the ball placed in the strength of the throw (therefore the “function”) or the skill required?

Is a baseball player able to hit more home runs because he has learnt to swing with a bat that is 5 kilos heavier in the hope that he acquires the strength to hit it out of the park (the function) or would it be better to train the skill of hitting that ball with a regular weighted bat?

If we pick up a shopping bag from the ground every day are you saying that we need to lift weights to mimic the movement in the gym and place in an imaginary car trunk (boot for those in the UK) or is it better to strengthen our core, abs, lower back, legs, arms through conventional training and actually apply a lifting skill/technique to place such item in the car?

I have read a lot, continue to read about functional training. I see that in cases of people who require "functional training" to be able to re-abilitate movement and motion in injury's, or rehabilitation after crashes there are significant improvements. But surely they are re-engaging their neuro-receptors to perform the motion/movement. Their strength will come, not by imitating the movement but by actually working the muscle directly.

If we talk about functional training we need to look at what it is we are actually trying to define as well. As James put it to me - Functional training for life and Functional training for sports. “Functional for sports and functional for life are also two very different entities, you can't train a complex sports movement without performing the exact complex sports movement. As for life...isn't life itself training. Many health and fitness experts are right to preach an increase in ADL (active daily lifestyle) e.g. mowing the lawn, gardening, using stairs, etc. So this is all functional. Primarily we need to ask WHY somebody trains? In your case; muscular enhancement, physical health fitness and strength. You aren't training for an event, and an increase in muscular strength enhances your ability to lift a shopping bag or walk up stairs etc. The skills are not so complex or challenging that they need to be performed faster or better.”

Something which I admit I forgot to point out to Mr Murphy, but something which Mr Murphy forgot to ask what my question was relative to as well.

Overall I have no issue with Mr Murphy I want to make this clear. (If I ever visit LA I promise to offer a protein shake and smoothie by way of hello.) What I take offence to is that I asked for science, not given any and then effectively taken to the cleaners because I am not a fitness professional (That is my interpretation of it anyway, when you hang out with Gym rats you appreciate the sub context of the discussions).

I may also not be an accountant Mr Murphy, but I understand double entry book keeping.

The attack of the sweet-tooth (and minor injury 1)

Hello everyone and welcome to Gino's weekly (as that's how often it seems recently) blog on training, diet and darn right stupidity.

Let's get the boring stuff out of the way...

Training
Gains, gains, gains and more gains. Strength and size increases across the board. However, a slight niggling knee injury (which Fabio Castellini) has slowed down progress on my new found chicken legs. Like my bio says, I seem to solidify not place mass on my legs. I also have to be careful with my back as I was recently bottom pinning/top stacking (lifting the most weight the machine allows) and this in turn was creating some knots in my back which make it harder for Johnny to fix my mini-kyphosis.

Aside from this I mentioned that I was going to split my workout into two total body sessions so as to workout all my muscles twice a week and provide a bit more consistency with my other sports in balance. (If I was working out three times a week it would mean having to go back to switching days on alternate weeks which I want to avoid). I will provide a re-working of my workout for you to peruse and comment - if anyone actually ever wants to comment that is.

Diet
Attack of the sweet tooth has never been more apt until this week. You see whilst trying to be paleo (carb minimised for want of a better idea of what I am trying to achieve) you miss the sugar, by you I mean ME!

Sweet donughts, lovely crepes + soft fluffy american pancakes...chocolate!

I have searched far and wide on the internet for cake recipes without flour. I have looked at alternate snack foods which could present the required, sought after, much loved sugar rush and palette sensation. And here's the problem, if indeed you have a sweet tooth like me, Nigella Lawson and Mr Kipling you struggle to not have sugar for a few hours let alone weeks like I've been on. (As a side note Nigella and her big ass can't seem to get on without sugar for more than a half sleep cycle!) Oh and America, the UK doesn't sell cocunut flour so please stop sticking it in our faces!

The alternatives listed in the many forums, books and social media outlays will point to fruit, nuts and meat! (The latter not really a snack if you get the picture.) And here's the issue, none of these are really sweet. Alternative almond selections like the one on the photograph are great, just expensive, salty and this bag alone contains over 300kcal.

So, I ended up eating 2 donughts this week, American pancakes with Nutella (half of the flour substituted with protein powder) and some chocolate (candy) bar. The guilt is ripping through me, but as Tim said the other evening, if you start focusing on it too much you will have an eating disorder by the end of the week. Considering it's Friday and I've not voluntarily vomited, I might be in the all clear!

So if anyone has any ideas on how to enlighten my plight (a friend did suggest crunched almonds as an alternative to flour - for me it didn't work) please let me know.

BBQ 
Well the last post contained a BBQ picture, so it's only fair that I continue to show the delights of eating from BBQ's - here's a full rack of ribs, chicken and sausages enjoyed by yours truly, Tim and my Dad last Friday evening - gotta love the simplicity!

Anyway, I have started noting some training and diet principles which I think are important in achieving your goals - well I am finding that they are helping me and hopefully may help you as well.

Right, I'm off to Italy Saturday morning to go watch Milan play Roma. I'll be in the Roma Curva Nord stand and I may die if I scream or celebrate in any which form for Milan, so it's been a pleasure. I hope to speak to you again, if not in person, when I haunt the shit out of you!

Peace,
G

Easter and definitely no egg!

The weekend started in the usual manner for the last 2 weeks - a visit from Johnny Fuller or catch his now official business tweets here. A video was taken but will never be shown, imagine one of those fainting goats in Algeria being attacked, yes ATTACKED by a bloke with an umbrella and you can begin to imagine the pain. Not there yet? Never fear, here, just watch what I mean...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we9_CdNPuJg&feature=related

Back to my point, or ironically my back. After proceeding to clear knots in my back, 25 minutes one side and 20 minutes the other side, I was too "messed up" for there to be too much work done to the myofascial tissue (get me and my science terminology). In light of this, I am having to go lighter on my back and shoulders for the next 10 days or so to be able to help myself and Johnny clear up the kyphosis.

Workout
My workouts have been going fine. I have had to reduce a little on frequency because I was finding it difficult to recover in time.

I have had gains in all areas of weight being lifted and repetitions at the same time so I am definitely getting stronger. I am going to be switching to total body workouts so that way I can work out the same body part twice in a week rather than every 8-10 days.

Diet
Whilst I am trying to achieve Paelo greatness I still eat some things which are prohibited by the diet itself such as honey and some sugary pieces every now and again. However I have totally gone off chocolate and other sweet snacks. I enjoy fruit and veg a lot more. I really need to find coconut flour from somewhere though as I do miss the occasional cake and definitely my own American pancakes!

I think, and yes I did say think (it happens rarely so be prepared to revel in the awesomeness of a chimp starting a fire - I checked and no there are no youtube videos of this) but the sun really does change the way you eat. For example BBQ's which are by the way the greatest invention to ever come out of the ice age, are clearly the perfect supplement to good weather. My housemate - Tim and I bought a gas one yesterday and I am going to spend several weeks sticking the bloody thing together. In the interim, these disposable BBQ's are a great purchase and so we proceeded to eating burgers, some "Taste the difference" sausages and loads of salad one evening.


Sport
I have been playing quite a lot of football (soccer) recently and not found it difficult without the carbs - actually I am noticing no difference in terms of energy levels when I am playing. I have even got quite into cricket - shame, shock and horror to the lot of you. I seem to have an uncanny ability of bowling out people - yes I have NO IDEA what that means either.

This may hurt...

You know it's going to be an interesting sports therapy session when a trusted friend who has decided to dedicate his Friday afternoon treating my kyphosis begins by saying "this may hurt a little bit". (Basically it's a hump that forms with terrible posture - luckily it can be treated if caught early enough and exercises duly followed.) After 45 minutes, and before and after pictures to help show the difference good old Johnny did a sterling job in already helping the situation - although I was more reliably informed that I was going to need more treatment to do the trick - roll on woozyness and general pain for 48 hours.

If you want to get hold of Johnny best place to start is Twitter. (This will take you straight to his account.) Send him questions, anecdotes and some sweet love if you want!

As for the workouts, once again, overall general improvement in weights lifted and failure achieved on all sets. My back has definitely got bigger, but my diet which is quite calorifically low I seem to have lost a bit of weight,  around 3kg's - a majority of which does appear to be fat however.

I proceeded in the week with my egg whites and another fish stew only this was done with a bit more of a twist, and was delicious. I also broke my paleo diet a little bit with my first ever flump - as recommended by a new twitter follower StyleCouncillor (follow him people, nice chap and has been having some mice issues which are quite funny to see the solutions on his blog.) 

So the workouts are good and intense. The diet is going well, and the therapy...well I'll get Johnny to let you all know how that's going in a few weeks.

Peace peeps,
G 

I got Tim some cordial...

This weekend I was at a wedding, and so whilst I tried to remain as paleolithic as possible, it was a little hard - but I see this being not an issue. The issue for me would come if you started making carbs your main food supplement and not a lesser part - if that makes sense. Either way the food was great and the couple getting married looked fantastic - Nice one Chris and Laura!

I proceeded with training on the bike in my garage, getting in a few miles and then going to the gym in the afternoon...and here is where things get a little surreal.

On Friday, I had a sports massage with Johnny Fuller - there was much talking and mocking in the preceeding days before the treatment, not least between myself and Johnny. Either way we found time to actually get the treatment done. Now, from everything I have ever read, it's meant to be a strenuous routine and some things may hurt, the reason to undergo such punishment is that better blood flow to the cells and looser muscles will aide in achieving your goals.

PAIN!

A few sentences I never want to hear again are "strip the muscles" "IT Band stretching" and "this calf is more tender than I thought." Let's face it people I couldn't see the point of the bloody thing until my Sunday night session.

Each leg exercise I performed went up in weight and there was limited to no pain the day after and we are talking about PB's here, so YES I can thoroughly recommend treatment and if you are in the Chester/North West area call Johnny boy, he is quality!

Sunday night I had a mega bowl of salad with burgers and cheese - I just love the stuff. And recently I have taken to incorporating more fruit in my breakfast portion of the day which certainly helps stave off cravings and fixes my sugar drops.

Hope to catch you all soon, with more enlightening updates.

Peace,
G

p.s I did remind myself to get Tim some cordial...I did steal quite a fair bit. 

I blame it on the cordial moth

So I realise that it has been over a week since I last wrote anything on my blog. The fear is that if I don't write anything then I will ultimately fail myself and the "avid" fans reading this...by fans I mean friends and family, and by friends and family I mean myself...

Anyhoot (you have to love this 1930's word which was rebellious at the time but pleb-worthy now) I have gone paleo and my training hasn't suffered, if anything it feels even better when I train, and as for my diet/lifestyle change (food not sexuality - I love women, although pots with big sticks are strangely homely and appealing!) I can't complain, actually I want to shout from the rooftops how better I feel being on it. In the last week not only have I noticed a difference in the way I look but also my body is reacting very well to it. There has definitely been fat loss but I don't look gaunt which is good, and my energy levels are just as good if not better now. I still try and drink as much water/cordial (non-sugar) as I can to help with hydrating and this has also provided benefits to my skin and what was a restless bladder. (Note to self, buy Tim some more cordial you have stolen far too much to blame it on the cordial moth - an imaginary animal thief who steals only cordial.)

On twitter I had a recent follower PrimalToad who has helped me with some snack ideas whilst being on Paleo lifestyle. The only thing I worry about slightly is the quantity of red meat I have managed to justify eating in this period. I have cut this down more to super white meats like Chicken and Turkey, and my fish intake has gone up as well. Actually I did a fish stew the other day which, in the words of Charlie Sheen keeps me #WINNING. Chris A my colleague decided to stick a lovely door message after hearing me discuss it with another colleague - Chris T (not christ, Chris.T) who has also switched eating habits. 

As for my workout. Well I have modified both workout routines slightly and I will update you on this when I retrieve my pad this evening. But to put it plainly. I have not plateaud, I know it will come one day, but the results I am gaining both in strength in size are very good and it is taking me 35 mins mostly to get my session done - why would I bother with 1 - 1.5 hours? Truly baffling in some regards that people can't see beyond the mis-representation that the health industry puts out there - we question science on so many different levels but we don't even begin to when we are looking at our well being?

I realise that I never published body measurements (get your minds out of the gutter!) and weight before I started the 20 week HIT plan so I will do so when I get the chance this weekend.

Have a good one everybody,

Peace
G

Going Paleo...

So I have decided to go Paleo for my 20 week HIT plan. Admittedly this is now in my 4th week, so I would be cautious to think that any further resulting fat reduction or strength gains would be totally attributed to switching my diet to Paleo, however it will bear an effect, hence why I am doing it. 


I am not going to go into too much detail as there is loads written on the subject but put simply, it’s like Atkins but without the premise of having to buy all of their tainted marketing shit that goes with it. “Buy our shake, buy our bars” Shameful! 


Whilst I am trying to maintain my calorie intake to be the same 2600 calories, I have struggled in the first two days, but that’s because my fridge is empty and you need fresh veg, fruit and lots of fish and meat to satisfy the calorie intake. 


So a shop beckons for me tonight. 


I think one of the most interesting things about the diet is that James has been doing this for sometime and his take on it is actually rather interesting. “It’s not about listening to every word and following everything to the tee on it, its about applying the science and bringing that diet to the modern world.” So basically, yes marinade your meats, and if you want a pizza or fish and chips you can, just don’t make it a portion of your lifestyle but don’t let it affect your lifestyle either. 


I would recommend reading the Arthur De Vany site and his book - which I have been reading asiduosly at night - for further information on the paleo diet. (Arhtur De Vany is 72 and puts to shame most 20 year olds in physique and health).

No I've not fallen off the wagon...

I realise its been a few days since I last posted, nothing to worry about I have just been busy catching up with home projects and of course training.

To summarise because I can't remember much of the week;

- Changed protein powder - bad choice, the new stuff doesn't taste nice
- Workout is going very well, increases in everything which is nice
- Diet is going even better
- Water intake is around 3.5 litres a day
- Bought some creatine and I'll be loading this week.

Aside from all of that I hope you are all well.

Peace,
G

Bad friday night

So what started as "lets meet for a drink" turned into a shameful abuse of my capacity to drink beer. It took 4, yes 4 pints to make me paralytic. Realistically, my nephew of 18 months who has Hungarian, Italian, Swiss and I think English blood/nationality would be able to handle this better than me.

Thanks David. (David is a GP and should know better!)

Saturday destroyed.

I proceeded with a workout, which should have been technically the worse one to date. Strength had increased on all machines, reps likewise. (If someone can explain how feeling like you have been run over by a bus, and then have the bus driver jump and kick you in the head repeatedly mean that you can actually get stronger I'd really like to know!)

I proceeded with re-hydrating all day long and proceeding to eat clean... Portuguese chicken with steamed veg... Didn't taste too bad.

So today, I was meant to be heading for a run but the weather is a little off - may go later. Then cricket nets (never realised I could enjoy cricket) possibly football then NCIS LA to finish off the weekend. (And a huge stack of ironing to do)

F***ING cake ladies!

Shitty shitty day...made better through an unlikely source

So let's be clear, work was fine, actually very good. I got through everything I had set out to do, no problem. My lunch was shocking, nothing to blame on anyone but myself - I simply have no one to blame but myself - lesson learnt, failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

But my day was made wholesomely shit when I received some shitty shitty news from a friend in Italy - without going into detail it made me grouchy young man x 100.

My source of hope came through my workout. Yes the workouts which induce nausea, a sense of pain unlike no other, and make me reconsider the whole thing to start with. It's like exercising (I know exorcising is the correct but get the pun!) the horrible demons that you face. The power of visualisation is immense. I see one of my high school bullies dressed in an inter kit holding the champions league cup with one hand and a shotgun in the other and if I don't push as hard as I can he will win. Sad? Perhaps, but it helps me achieve my goal of maximum intensity every time.

Biceps CAN cramp!

"A temporary partial paralysis of habitually or excessively used muscles" - cramp

I write this latest post in semi-gregarious agony. Yesterday evening after completing workout B I returned home and proceeded to eat an omelette and have a protein shake, so far, so good. However when performing the simple task of lifting my plate from coffee table to sink I experienced a pain like no other...BICEP CRAMP!

Yes, even I, Gino De Blasio, man of little, tiny, incadescent biceps suffered cramp.

How the hell could that happen?

Last night was the first time in a long time that I had also felt sick after my last set of weight bearing exercises. I mean properly heavingly sick! I wasn't you will all be glad to read, but I was mighty close.

As for my diet...

Breakfast
125g of Cereal 480kcal
Boiled egg and some dry bread 135kcal
Water

Snack 1
Multigrain bar 125kcal
Water

Lunch
Bag of boiled brown rice and turkey cooked with some honey 597kcal
Water

Snack 2
nothing - I know I know
Lots of Water

Dinner 
Steamed Salmon with black pepper and salad 450kcal
Water

Snack 3 
3 egg omelette with 25ml of milk  - 240kcal
Protein shake with milk - 100kcal

Tonight I played football, and lost. Mr Johnny Fuller also has my top, I'm just saying so that the digital world has proof in case he doesn't give it back!

Flapjacks and other sugary snacks ARE your enemy!

After reading my friends blog which was in part responsive to my previous post I was very intrigued to read about how sugar and alcohol affect testosterone levels. 

Whilst the study was done in relation to measuring testosterone levels after fasting, the results indicated that a sugary diet can lower levels significantly to the point of being classed as type 2 diabetic.

The full study can be found here.

A Flapjack or a Fish Curry?

So I haven't blogged in the last few days due to a few planning and falling asleep issues - that being I am just falling asleep when trying to stay awake...at home not in the office!

Friday 
My water intake was a little weak during the day but I made up for it at night. If any of you ever think of doing super-hydration yourself, never, ever, ever try and consume your half day's worth of water after 6pm, trust me on this one.

As for my diet, it is going well. I actually calculated throughout the day an interesting bit. I was offered what was a seemingly innocuous flapjack. I took a look at the dietary information and was left perplexed. For 125g of flapjack extravaganza, it equated to 630kcal and 20g of fat! This was meant to be the healthy option!!!!  I managed to create a fish curry with brown rice and naan bread for the fewer calories and less fat, I know which one I would prefer.

As for my workout, it was a really great session. I lifted more reps than last time on everything and when you think I have had only a few days rest in between I was very happy. Overall I feel that the intensity I put into this session was a lot more than what I had done last time.

Saturday
I had a blow out on food and diet, or rather I thought I did. I actually ate less in calories overall than what I do on a usual day, just my frequency and quantity of food was done overall in three meals and no snacking between.

I did however have 2 glasses of wine - very nice Pinot Noir from Majestic, yes begin mocking now! 

Cake Ladies

So today is my day off from training, but diet remains the "strict" 2600 calories. I say "strict" in such a manner because the cake ladies came to the office today. Whilst their vast array of treats were enough to make Willy Wonka think twice before taking on the pensioners from the WI (Women's Institute) I used all of my restraint to purchase a lemon drizzle cake...Yes I can be broken on the promise of a cake!

Anyway, I looked up the calories and the quantity and proceeded to have a slither which made up for my 200kcal mid morning snack, but I fear for worse as it continues to stare at me on my desk...HELP!

On other news the rest today is doing me the world of good and my legs don't feel too stressed either which is great :). 

Legging it

Today was my first workout B session (legs, shoulders, bi’s). Once again commenced in the morning due to football viewing this evening. Last night’s football match (I played not sat and watched) really took it’s toll, so I was more surprised than most to be up at 6:40 ready to go and weight train, big mistake! 


My legs were literally dead, 2 evenings on the bounce of playing football and little rest meant that I had to push just as much today than ever before. 


I managed to get through my workout in yet again 32 minutes (the Neapolitan in me wants to play the number 32 on the next lottery), and when I got home I had a solid 640kcal breakfast.


No exercise tonight or tomorrow, I need the break. I will be doing Workout A on Friday evening to give me a little extra breathing room. This weekend will be filled with some cardio work, perhaps a bike ride or run. 


Diet 


Breakfast 
50g of cereal + 75ml of semi skimmed milk - 225kcal 
2 boiled eggs and 2 small pieces of toast - 340kcal 
Protein shake (half scoop) with water - 75kcal 
Large glass of water 
No snack due to Lunch being a little heavier today, but lots of water.

Lunch
100g of pasta with 50g cherry tomatoes, 55g of fresh prawns and 30g of chorizo plus 2 teaspoons of
olive oil. 690kcal 
More water. 


Snack 1
Protein shake - 100kcal 
Toast and Olive oil paste - 125kcal 
More water


Dinner
125g taglietelle with ham, mushrooms and cream - 525kcal 
55g asparagus omelette - 125kcal
Water


no late night snack. 


P.S. Gave up chocolate for lent.

Pancake Day

It’s undoubtedly one of my favourite days of the year. (The summer clocks going forward, May day bank holiday, a random bank holiday which appears from nowhere and your summer/autumn week holiday are the others).

I am pretty shattered after having gotten little sleep in the night - the by-product of me drinking copious amounts of water in my superhydration phase.

Yesterday I sent Jenson Button’s (yes the F1 driver) trainer Mike Collier a tweet asking about genetics and precisely, “here's a quick question, what role does genetics have in training, building muscle, injuries etc?”

I never thought I’d get an answer, but he did, and over 3 tweets. I have condensed the answer into 1 below.

“interesting question, probably too in depth for a twitter reply but we are all predisposed to a certain body size which can be altered through training but everyone will have a ceiling limit which varies between one person and another. There is defo a link between genetics and injury just like there is between some medical conditions and family history for example. Hope this helps”.  

Thanks Mike, very much appreciated.

It goes further to back my point on the role of genetics. James has written a great piece on genetics on his blog, I urge you to read it by clicking here.

Football tonight and hopefully some rest.

P.s. Each pancake with a slithe of nutella is 125kcal so watch out!

The first step is always the hardest

So I managed a good 8 hours sleep last night, to find myself fully refreshed for my first day on the HIT plan. 

I went to the gym for 6:40 and was out of there, completing my workout with a warm up set on each machine at 45% weight, and full intensity at 7:12. I was absolutely shaking and only the warm shower I could have back at home really helped. I had breakfast (I will put my eating tally at the bottom) and relaxed before realising that I had nothing for snacking or lunch - that’s what going on holiday and general bad organisation does to your brain! (I did proceed to visit Sainsbury’s and stock up for the day). 

My water intake has been good, 2 big glasses (500ml in total) and 750ml bottle before 1pm was achieved, even if my colleagues keep seeing me rush to the toilet every 30 minutes or so :( 

I did however succumb to 2 mini creme eggs which are 50 Kcal each - good thing I am giving chocolate and unhealthy snacking up for lent! 

Whilst I wasn’t intending to do any further exercise today, I was drafted into a game of 7 a side football as someone dropped out last minute. This, including tomorrow’s excursion onto the football field will probably not be totally beneficial unless I get a good night’s rest and good source of food to help fuel me for my activities.

Breakfast 

100g Sainsbury’s raisin wheats plus 200ml semi skimmed milk - 495kcal 

2 scotch pancakes no butter - 97kcal 

500 ml cold water 

Snack 1 

Nutrigrain bar - 110kcal 

Half a Kellogg’s bar - 75kcal 

Big glass of water

Lunch 

Prawn and rocket sandwhiches - 495kcal 

A slither of b-day cake - 75kcal “ROUGHLY” (according the pack and roughly weighing up the size) 

Mini Creme Egg - 50kcal 

Another big glass of water 

Snack 2 

Other half of Kellogg’s bar - 75kcal 

Mini Creme Egg - 50kcal 

More bloody water 

Dinner 

Steak with low fat chips and spinach - 630Kcal 

Banana - 80kcal 

Yep, you guessed it, water 

Snack 3 

3 Egg heart healthy omelette - 320Kcal