I've learned many things since I first joined the gym, one of them is that you need plenty of the right nutrients if you wish to grow.
Even Marilyn Manson agrees with this! Have a look at the video below where he dispense some valuable advice, especially regarding eating sweets.
...or rather "today not at gym"
Up to this point I've been going to the gym 5 times a week, every week, and since I've been gaining only a little bit of weight (mostly fat) I decided to try something new.
For a while I am going to drop my 2 cardio sessions per week and only go to the gym Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for weight lifting.
Today is therefore the first day of the week I did not go to the gym, and I must say I feel great and full of energy. Hopefully these additional 2 days of rest and recovery will help me build some more muscle than I have been able to in the past.
Sure more fat is to come, but I will get rid of that once my arms and legs no longer look like twigs...
It was once again a cardio machine only session at the gym today. I must admit, I actually struggled quite a bit since my muscles were still pretty sore from yesterday.
| Start Time | 06:20 |
| Duration | 80 minutes |
| Calories Burned | 1076 kcal |
| Session Type | Cardiovascular Training |
| Session Focus | Rowing Machine (20 min), Stationary Bike (20 min), Arm Cycle (20 min), Elliptical Trainer (20 min) |
Today was squat day again - I used the same weight on the barbell as last Wednesday and it actually went a lot better this time.
On the very last rep of the last set I wanted to make sure I squat deep enough and when I did this "deep squat" I was unable to get it up again... Thus next week it'll be the same weight again until I get it right!
I am also starting to really enjoy deadlifts. They really make me sweat quite heavily, but that's just part of the fun!
| Start Time | 06:20 |
| Duration | 65 minutes |
| Session Type | Strength Training |
| Session Focus | Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes |
Have a look at this video in which Mark Rippetoe illustrates what good deadlifts should look like. Next Wednesday I will be sure to follow his guidelines.
This morning we managed to get a booking for the only available squash court and it was great fun playing again!
Although I am a bit of a cardio junky a little variety is awesome. I would definitely rather play squash than spend then same amount of time on those cardio machines!
| Start Time | 06:21 |
| Duration | 80 minutes |
| Calories Burned | 1078 kcal |
| Session Type | Cardiovascular Training |
| Session Focus | Stationary Bike (20 min), Elliptical Trainer (10 min), Squash (50 min) |
After getting to the office I felt very sad for a large part of the morning. At noon I decided to head back to gym to swim some laps. It was a very pleasant discovery when I realized it's impossible to swim and be sad at the same time.
After getting back from my second session at the gym my day really improved and I felt much better.
Today is the first of September and it is spring day. Here in Cape Town it was however a very chilly morning and I definitely did not have much of a spring feeling.
Of all the exercises in my program barbell squats are by far the most difficult of all, with flat barbell bench presses not lagging far behind.
On Mondays I know that I need to do the presses first, and on Wednesdays I must do the squats first while I am still fresh and able to handle the intensity.
Unfortunately the weight pit was a little crowded today and I had no choice but to carry on with the other exercises instead of standing around wasting time. In hind-sight this was a bad decision as I later ended up kinda dropping the barbell on my head during the second set - I still have the red bruise on my forehead...
| Start Time | 06:17 |
| Duration | 65 minutes |
| Session Type | Strength Training |
| Session Focus | Chest, Shoulders, Triceps |
It goes without saying that I am now a bit afraid of doing bench presses without a spotter. I think next week I am rather going to do this same exercise with dumbbells instead as it is much easier to drop them besides me instead of on my head...
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