That’s a repeated pattern of mine too. Normally I race into a high intensity heavy training regime, push myself to failure, make great gains for 3-6 months, before frying my CNS and needing 6 months to get any enthusiasm back.
Hence I’m trying various routines, switching things about, building up volume slowly and not pushing reps to failure.
I spoke to my old coach recently and he reminded me about something which I understand now but didn’t really fully appreciate at the time - ‘remember when you go into the gym you’re training and not competing. So leave something back and give yourself some room to perform’.
Yeah, Joe Friels training book says that you should stop a workout feeling like you could go on and do more, and that’s often one of the main functions of a coach since self-coached athletes aren’t generally very good at this .
It’s also why I’m wary of introducing anything on top of the push ups before I’ve established a basic capacity for those. You don’t think there’s any danger of imbalance from just doing push ups at this level do you?
We need to differentiate between volume/ capacity and intensity. What we were discussing above is about managing intensity and avoiding working at 80-90% of the maximum load we can currently tolerate.
On the other hand I think there is scope to add volume of extra work in, so squats (bodyweight or KB goblet); KB swings; movements for your core - eg crunches, dishes, mountain climbers etc.
Since you’re cycling too we just need to make sure there is a balance between training and riding that is not too stressful in total. ie as the riding goes up scaling back the training.
Also you’ve got a job and a life to fit in so it all has to be sustainable otherwise that will be added stress and a potential driver to stop.
I guess I was thinking that as my cycling volume increased back to what it was that other training could be scaled back to a once per week maintenance session (and perhaps push ups in the morning, like the 5’s you mentioned earlier). A couple of midweek 2 hour rides after work plus a a long ride on Sunday, and even extending a couple of my other commutes home to ~ 1 hour, is manageable with work and life and almost certainly plenty. I know that it’s a volume I can burn out on anyway! In fact, I was doing that with 1-2 krav maga classes on top last spring, so it can work…but wasn’t sustainable at that time
Using the commute as training really helps, since there’s no additional travel to and from training, it’s all quality time. The only slightly difficult thing was that on a Thursday night we didn’t eat until 9pm. On a Tuesday my mother in law stays after looking after the kids and cooks tea!
Looking back on my strava from last year it’s comical that I convinced myself I was unfit… and at the point I started using the heart rate monitor I wasn’t even as fast as I’d been earlier in the year before I burned out, and wasn’t as light…and at that point I probably wasn’t as fit as I could have been if I’d been better about rest and recover etc…
Righto. 3 sets of 6 with 60 seconds rest. The 6th rep on the final set was fucking hard. I may have accidentally done 7 on the first set. 6 took me 20 secs and form felt better if anything. One thing I notice is that I don’t feel any ‘sagging’ on the push up (which I was trying to control). Like body moving as one solid unit, but without having to concentrate on holding it together- if that makes sense?
I have a 12kg kettle bell on order. I am keen to get started with the kettle bell swings
My physio prescribed a core exercise but no idea what it’s called- lying on back and punching upwards for 30 secs then to alternating sides for 30 secs, then up and behind my head for 30 secs. He said add light dumbells to progress.
Good job on your form. Sounds like your core is tightening up too keeping your body straight.
Your choice, either go again on 6’s, or personally I would go for 7 on set 1, 6 on set 2, 6 on set 3 as your next target. If successful, then next time go for 7,7,6; and after that 7,7,7. Then you’re on 8’s etc.
On swings, pay even closer attention to form. It can make your lower back sore otherwise, but it’s usually muscular not joint related so don’t worry too much.
The best advice I can give you is -
don’t use your arms to swing the KB, use momentum from your hips, flutes, hammies.
don’t swing low, aim to spike the KB just below your crotch and not lower than your knees
brace your core, keep your shoulders back and your chest slightly out
use an explosive hip jut forward to project the KB forward - squeeze your glutes
it’s effectively like a deadlift with a swing - you drive down with your heels and use your hip hinge (dont squat!)
at the top keep your shoulders braces back slightly and don’t let the weight pull you forward at the shoulder
After all my planning I didn’t train yesterday but just finished a session now. About two weeks since last did anything.
Was pushed for time so didn’t rest as long between sets and my Quads felt like rock pretty quickly, so I didn’t manage as much as I had hoped.
Squats (started from pins/bottom):
10 x empty bar, 40kg, 50kg and 60kg
8 x 70kg
3 x 80kg
6 x 70kg
4 x 60kg
Not feeling too good as not as many reps as I wanted.
Good Mornings:
3 x 12 x 35kg
Increased from 10 to 12 reps so happy with these.
At least I got out there and won’t leave it as long next time so will hopefully be easier.
Day 11 and 2400 cals consumed in a low carb day - I have now lost just over 2Kg and been upping my exercise regimen using my newly arrived Kettle bells, albeit in short bursts. There is deffo a spring in my step and I can honestly say all hunger pangs that I had at the start seem to have dissipated.
All this talk of kettle bells is making me think I need one…
I try and do three two sessions a week at the gym mixture of cardio and rowing and weights but sometimes the usual day to day of kids work, spending time with my missus gets in the way ( it’s a 20 minute drive to the gym) and I want something I can do at home if I can’t make the gym. I’ve had a butchers at the vids posted but concerned that it would be quite easy to get in the habit of incorrect position, any ideas on making sure it’s correct and start up routines ?
My belt has two more holes on it, 2 more inches, I was on the last one last year- so still plenty fat to lose I guess.
I’m sure that’s what’s happening, which is good. I’m not being entirely serious. Better to have decent all round strength than compromise that for the sake of being lighter. I don’t expect to keep building muscle doing what I’m doing so at some point losing fat will dominate over muscle I imagine
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