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.