Today At Gym - 08/29

Today I trained in one of my Adidas TechFit tops. Besides the fact the TechFit clothing makes you look really cool (unless you have big love handles) I actually find them quite useful.

They make you more aware of your body and I find when I do barbell rows and deadlifts it's much easier to check up on myself to ensure that I am not rounding my back. Sure this may be more of a psychological thing, but even in that case it still helps.

Start Time	06:23
Duration	60 minutes
Session Type	Strength Training
Session Focus	Biceps, Calves, Back

Since these compression garments are designed to fit very tightly around your body I opted not to wear my heart rate monitor to avoid looking like a dork, which is why you will not find any calories burned figures above.

Female Bodybuilder: Jennifer Abrams

Name: Jennifer Lynn Abrams
Birth date: 26 February 1975
Height: 1.66 m
Weight: 67 kg

Jennifer is a natural body builder who have been training for the past 16 years.

This mother of two young children owns a personal training business and strives to be a positive role model to others.

She firmly beliefs that there is nothing more important than your health and is living proof that becoming a mother does not mean you have to loose yourself.

Today At Gym - 08/28

I am totally addicted to the cardio machines at the gym - this morning I spend 80 minutes on them  again and loved it.

It wasn't always like this though, I remember the first time I climbed on the elliptical my knees was burning so badly after 5 minutes that I thought I would never ever get on that thing again.

From this experience I now know that the hardest part of gym is actually getting started. I dare to say that the first couple of months you may really hate the gym and will struggle to keep yourself motivated, but after a while it becomes easy, a way of life, and something you almost can't live without.

Start Time	06:18
Duration	80 minutes
Calories Burned	1196 kcal
Session Type	Cardiovascular Training
Session Focus	Rowing Machine (20 min), Arm Cycle (20 min), Stationary Bike (20 min), Elliptical Trainer (20 min)

Today I was particularly motivated and wondered how it was even possible that thoughts of quitting ever came into my mind. The truth however is that all of us sometimes feels down and perhaps even a bit depressed, and it is during these times that we may make "bad" decisions like giving up on gym.

I came to realize that going to gym, exercising and trying to become more healthy in general is an inherently worthwhile thing to do. Sure, slow progress (or an apparent lack thereof) might obliterate your motivation, but don't quit when you feel like this, rather try and push though and still go to gym, in no time you will be wondering how you could ever even think of quitting!

And besides, if you quit gym and go back to being a couch potato you are 100% guaranteed to have absolutely no progress...

Today At Gym - 08/27

Following my progressive  overload strategy I had to squat 4 sets of 10 reps with 60 kg this morning.

Last Wednesday I really struggled to squat 57.5 kg and have been worrying the whole of yesterday whether or not I would be able to handle 60 kg.

This probably means that part of the reason I could not do all the reps on the last two sets were partly psychological.

Start Time	06:23
Duration	73 minutes
Calories Burned	550 kcal
Session Type	Strength Training
Session Focus	Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes

Next week I will attempt 60 kg squats again, and I am pretty confident that soon I would be able to do them for all the planned sets and reps. The fact that my squat weight is slowly approaching my body weight is also a great confidence booster.

I will however never be able to squat 540 kg like world record holder Jeff Lewis, even the thought of that is just scary...

Today At Gym - 08/26

The gym is busy refurbishing the squash courts so once again we did not have a game today. This meant that I really hard cardio session had to be completed.

Start Time	06:14
Duration	80 minutes
Calories Burned	1187 kcal
Session Type	Cardiovascular Training
Session Focus	Arm Cycle (20 min), Stationary Bike (20 min), Elliptical Trainer (20 min), Rowing Machine (20 min)

I decided that I really need to start doing something about my abs training and to this end I started doing 3 sets of crunches last night before bed and will carry on doing this every night now. I know this sounds silly, but a couple of crunches every day is better than completely neglecting your abdominal muscles altogether!

Today At Gym - 08/25

On Saturday and Sunday I went to gym to swim some laps. Not only did this make me feel great all weekend, it also made my Monday morning workout much easier - no Monday blues for me today.

That's not saying my weekend was completely without incident: I finally decided I do not want a girlfriend anymore as they are just too much trouble, plus I am really getting tired of being disappointed or having my heart broken constantly.

On the way back home after the "breakup" I got caught in a speed-trap at 180 or 190 km/h - karma is such a bitch!

Start Time	06:19
Duration	70 minutes
Calories Burned	719 kcal
Session Type	Strength Training
Session Focus	Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

As a side note it seems like I am putting on a lot of fat around my abdomen while not really gaining much muscle. Naturally this is the last thing in the world I want and I am pretty upset about it, but I will have to give my diet some time still and see how it goes...

Today At Gym - 08/21

The day at gym started of with a game of squash which was quite enjoyable. I still really suck at the game, but I decided once and for all that it does not matter since I have no aspirations of becoming a competitive player.

Bodybuilding is not a team sport and if you are serious and focused you avoid socializing at the gym as much as possible since it is just a distraction and a waste of time.

Start Time	06:26
Duration	70 minutes
Calories Burned	1026 kcal
Session Type	Cardiovascular Training
Session Focus	Stationary Bike (20 min), Elliptical Trainer (10 min), Squash (40 min)

I do however think a friendly bi-weekly game of squash is great since it reminds me to be a little less anti-social and experience the joys of participating in a "real" sport.

Today At Gym - 08/20

After reading various topics on the matter I decided that I definitely must include more compound exercises in my workout and started by doing deadlifts this morning. 

Obviously this being the first time it wasn't a piece of cake and made me sweat a lot. I did however really enjoyed doing this exercise and hope to get better at it!

During my session one of the personal trainers also walked up to me and enquired where I got my cool Adidas top as he wanted one like it - thank you Benjine for buying it for me!

Start Time	06:19
Duration	70 minutes
Calories Burned	540 kcal
Session Type	Strength Training
Session Focus	Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes

Most of the machines I use have weight increments of 5 kg which is actually way to much of a weekly increase. I will thus be changing my program around to almost exclusively using free weights, with the exception of machines like the seated calf raises which allows me to add the same weight plates I am used for the barbell/dumbbell exercises.

Today At Gym - 08/19

This morning I did not play squash as usual and spend a lot of time on the cardio machines instead.

Looking at my maximum and average heart rate it would seem that a game of squash puts a lot more strain on you. I also had to be satisfied with a slightly lower calories burned reading than usual.

I did however really enjoyed my cardio session - I could go at it quite hard when I wanted to without getting too tired. It is such an amazing feeling to know that you are fit!

Start Time	06:12
Duration	80 minutes
Calories Burned	1170 kcal
Session Type	Cardiovascular Training
Session Focus	Rowing Machine (20 min), Arm Cycle (20 min), Stationary Bike (20 min), Elliptical Trainer (20 min)

Like I mentioned before progressive overload is a very important part of any body building routine. While I am still very happy with the program I am currently following I do feel that it is time to begin adding weight in a more systematic fashion.

What I intend to do is to increase the weight I am lifting every week (for every exercise) with the smallest increment available to me. This will ensure that every week I will be attempting to lift more weight, thereby stimulating continued muscle growth while preventing my body to adapt.

Naturally it will be naive to think that I will just be able to keep adding weight indefinitely, eventually I will stall on one or more exercises and will not be able to perform all my reps.

What I will do is if I fail to perform all the reps is to try two more workouts with the same weight. If after this I am still unable to do all the repetitions I will perform what is known as a deload.

When deloading I will decrease the weight I last tried to use by 10% and then repeat the incremental scheme again to get past my stalling point within a couple of weeks.

You will notice that  with deloading I am basically just giving my body time to recover from build up fatigue to help me reach new heights.

Today At Gym - 08/18

My Monday morning gym sessions are always a bit tough, especially after nice lazy and relaxing weekends.

This morning I particularly struggled with the bench presses - something I was never actually very good at.

Start Time	06:24
Duration	80 minutes
Calories Burned	583 kcal
Session Type	Strength Training
Session Focus	Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

I've been thinking that one way to overcome the Monday morning blues may be to quickly visit the gym on Sundays for a swim or something.

Looking at past pages on my gym logbook I have also noticed that on Mondays I haven't been making much progress in terms of the weight I am lifting. To overcome this I will try to add very small weight increments every week, perhaps 2.5 kg or so.

Today At Gym - 08/15

I enjoyed my strength training this morning and felt really strong with the bicep exercises.

While resting between sets I saw a young woman walking around with a magazine folded in half to reveal her exercise program. This made me wonder if magazines were one of the primary sources people get their gym programs from?

I also saw an middle aged gentlemen doing his entire workout under the squat rack – he did a whole bunch of body weight stuff, and everything except actual barbell squats which, by the way, is perhaps one of the best compound exercises you can do. Do you think the routine of this man also came from the pages of a magazine?

Start Time	06:20
Duration	70 minutes
Calories Burned	500 kcal
Session Type	Strength Training
Session Focus	Biceps, Calves, Back

Any sort of program you are following in a planned consistent manner is definitely better than just doing random stuff every time you are at the gym, and I suppose exercise programs form pop-culture magazines are as good a source as any.

I do however think that when you chose one of these programs you need to just double check that it includes exercises which targets all the major muscles in your body. Also important is to check that your program allows for the following principles:

• Overload –They weights you are lifting should be challenging your muscles and not be too easy. When muscles are overloaded your body will compensate for the additional stress by building additional muscles.
• Progression – There is no point in lifting the same amount of weight for the same number of reps week after week, month after month. You will eventually reach a plateau where no further progress will be made. At the end of every workout think about which exercises were easy, and for which you could try lifting heavier next time. Also mix things up every once in a while by changing your exercise order, number of reps, or the exercises you are performing to prevent your body from adapting.
• Specificity – Your program should be suitable for your goal. For example, it will not help to just perform endless cardio exercises if your real goal is to build muscle. And while body weight exercises are great, there will also be a point where these exercises will not provide enough resistance to allow progress (using free weights will be a much better choice).
• Rest and Recovery – It is very important to realize that your muscles only grow while you are resting, not while you are exercising. Never exercise the same muscle groups two days in a row as this will just hurt your progress and possible lead to over training.

I’ve had a look at the famous Brad Pitt Fight Club workout and definitely don’t think this is something we all should start doing. In it I have not seen any leg exercise, your legs are where your largest muscles can be found which can aid the most with fat loss!

Today At Gym - 08/14

Firstly I am happy to tell you that my mood has lifted, today I feel 100% great - I have normal muscle soreness (especially in my quads which I gave a pounding yesterday), but I am starting to like this feeling since it confirms that I must be doing something right at gym.

In my very first post I mentioned that I was sabotaging my own progress, in terms of muscle growth, by not being able to maintain the calorie surplus required to build muscle due to the fear of fattening up again. To help me along I even came up with a six month plan and special diet.

Unfortunately my sabotaging habits seems very hard to break and I am still doing the exact same things - as soon as the scale goes up a bit I cardio more, I eat less, I worry more etc.

Start Time	06:20
Duration	80 minutes
Calories Burned	1204 kcal
Session Type	Cardiovascular Training
Session Focus	Elliptical Trainer (20 min), Stationary Bike (10 min), Squash (50 min)

This has to stop, I have to come to terms with the fact that in order for me to gain real muscle I will have to gain some fat. I must realize that I already have very light muscles and if I carry on cutting I will definitely end up looking like a holocaust survivor!

And here is another reason I can use to sell this to myself. During my 6 months bulking phase I will get quite fat, but I know (from past experience) that I can burn this off again and cut in the six months following that: This will make for another nice before and after photo...

From today onwards I am eating more, I fully intend to make the number on the scale increase, this number will not scare me, my jeans getting tighter will not upset me, my increased strength will make me feel like I can move the world, my bigger muscles will tell me that the sweat is all worth it, and I will giggle at the fat, knowing that while they may be ganging up on me their days are literally numbered!

Become More Active

An active lifestyle is more than just going to the gym regularly, it is crucially important that we all find ways in which we can incorporate a little exercise into our daily routines and not be completely dependent on the gym.

Below I listed a couple of ideas of some ways you can get exercise outside the gym. These ideas are also great for sedentary individuals who would like to ease into it and lose a little bit of body fat along the way.

Walk More – When I first started to work in the Cape Town CBD I found out just what a hassle it is to find somewhere to park, and if you are not willing to spend an arm and a leg for a couple of hours worth, it’s even harder! These days I just walk everywhere I want to go, it is healthier, you see more, and you don’t have to continuously worry that your car might not be in the safest possible location.

I will admit, when it is raining walking around may not be the most pleasant of experiences, but I do still prefer it even then, instead of dealing with the hassle of a car all the time.

Park far from the entrance – I know you’ve heard this one many times before, but are you doing it? The key here is also walking a little more to burn a few extra calories. Even when going to gym I am often surprised to see cars circling around in the parking era hoping to find a spot right in front of the entrance. These individuals then get out, head straight for the cardio machines and spend 45 to 60 minutes on them. Does this even make sense?

I habitually park far away from the mall entrance, I burn a couple of calories, but more importantly it is much easier to find parking – I am saving fuel and burning calories, now that must make you smile, especially with the petrol prices these days.

Carry your shopping – Instead of pushing your shopping to the car in a trolley carry them around, you will be burning more calories and giving your arms a bit of a workout at the same time.

Take the stairs - Most of us are so spoiled by elevators and escalators and get on them without giving it a second thought. But unless you work on the 30^th floor it is actually quite a good idea to always take the stairs to give your calf and leg muscles a quick workout.

I personally find that if I am really in a rush it is often even quicker to just head up the stairs than standing around waiting for the elevator and then having to deal with uncomfortable lift etiquette and elevator music once you get in.

To make your stair exercise a little more intense try and take them two at a time, this will make you get to the 4^th floor even faster!

Use the bathroom that’s furthest from you – Or even take the stairs to a bathroom on a different floor. So what if people think you are crazy? I may be crazy, but I know they secretly envy me for being so lean!

The above list may sound a bit silly, but they are things you can do “for free” during your normal work day. When you are at home there are literally hundreds of exercises you can do without setting foot in a gym. The most obvious things are riding a bicycle, taking the dog for a walk, going for a quick jog, skipping rope, doing push-ups, doing set-up, etc.

Is the phrase “my schedule is too busy to fit exercise in” just your excuse to be lazy? It used to be mine!

Today At Gym - 08/13

This morning I was still in an awful state of mind, feeling very depressed. Throughout my workout I had to find ways to keep myself motivated and crush the idea of quitting gym entirely.

The single thought that kept me going was: “Heroes stay and fight, while losers run away”. Quitting is easy, anybody can do that, but only the dedicated few can persist and see things through.

The truth is that sticking to a workout and diet is extremely hard. On an average day when I walk around the city (or even at gym) I would see perhaps one or two individuals who look really buff and ripped, just further evidence of how hard it is!

Start Time	06:11
Duration	66 minutes
Calories Burned	737 kcal
Session Type	Strength Training
Session Focus	Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes

Hopefully my mood will change for the better soon, but at least I know that, despite my frustratingly slow progress, it is all worth it and I should never quit.

Today At Gym - 08/12

I am not even going to attempt to put a positive spin on it. Today is just one of those days I feel very unhappy and depressed.

My lopsided shoulders and the left shoulder blade that seems to "unhook" (not quite unhook, it does something weird anyway) frustrates me as I do not know what to do about it - it has been like this for as long as I can remember. And then I also have a right foot that swoops outwards, darn posture problems...

The "wise guy" at the gym, who always thinks he knows better, telling me "You are just imagining it, swimming does not use your triceps" was also a mild irritant.

Start Time	06:12
Duration	88 minutes
Calories Burned	1204 kcal
Session Type	Cardiovascular Training
Session Focus	Row Machine (10 min), Arm Cycle (10 min), Stationary Bike (10 min), Squash (58 min)

Today At Gym - 08/11

I have been slacking of a little bit and haven't been to the gym quite as often as I am supposed to, when I took my measurements the machine confirmed this:

	25 July	01 August	11 August
Weight	67.6	68.6	69.2
Body Fat %	12.80	12.80	13.50

This morning I also started to incorporate EZ-Bar Triceps Extensions into my routine. I haven't done this exercise before, so I am using light weights just to get used to the movement.

I didn't burn that much calories at the gym this morning so I am really looking forward to my swimming session later. Instead of just swimming a bunch of freestyle laps I am going to start follow a pre-defined routine as I am doing for strength training.

Start Time	06:15
Duration	74 minutes
Calories Burned	678 kcal
Session Type	Strength Training
Session Focus	Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Today At Gym - 08/07

This morning was a hard cardio workout again, and as usual a very enjoyable game of squash.

I did some HIIT on the stationary bike this morning which was quite good and made me feel even better.

At this point you may be wondering what exactly I mean by HIIT so I will provide you with a brief description:

High-intensity interval training sessions consists of a warmup period, several short, maximum-intensity efforts separated by moderate recovery intervals, and a cooldown period ^[1].

While this description may sound somewhat complicated it really isn't, here is an example: Warmup by cycling at a moderate pace for two minutes, then intensely cycle (as close as you can get to your maximum effort) for a minute, after this moderate again for two minutes and then intense again, see the pattern?

Studies have been done on HIIT and it was proved that this method is more effective at burning fat and maintaining, or building, muscle mass than high-volume, lower intensity aerobic work-outs.

Give High-intensity interval training a try next time you do some cardio, but don't think you can carry on reading that book or newspaper while you are at it, it's a little harder than you may be used to.

Start Time	06:21
Duration	80 minutes
Calories Burned	1143 kcal
Session Type	Cardiovascular Training
Session Focus	Stationary Bike (20 min), Stepper Machine (10 min), Squash (50 min)

Next up I'll publish an article of how you can get a little more exercise during your normal daily routine, so be on the lookout for that!

Today At Gym - 08/06

Since I joined the gym I have been on various training programs, some I've read about in books, and some I have just arbitrarily invented. Changing your routine every once in a while is actually a good thing to prevent your body from adapting and hitting a plateau.

Unfortunately on every program I've been on there is always one or two exercises I really hate that I feel is just not doing what they are supposed to. Admittedly this is probably most often due to me incorrectly performing them

Looking back at my logbook I noticed the following type of comments always appear with Dumbbell Lunges:

"Makes me sweat a lot... I am not fond of this exercise... I hate this crap... Makes me tired and nothing else... "

Start Time	06:19
Duration	57 minutes
Calories Burned	626 kcal
Session Type	Strength Training
Session Focus	Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes

Recently I bought myself a book titled Strength Training Anatomy which I cannot recommend enough. Between it's covers you will find beautiful illustrations of all the body building exercises making up good programs as well as clear description of how these exercises should be performed.

More importantly the book also clearly shows you which muscles a specific exercise targets which is extremely helpful when you are looking for alternatives. I've used the book to help me decide that I will do dumbbell squats next time as an alternative to dumbbell lunges.

Dumbbell  squats are a more compounded exercise than lunges targeting even more muscles. In a week's time I'll know if this was a good choice...

Today At Gym - 08/05

My squash partner is back from his short holiday so it was a tough workout again this morning, and I have the round red bruise just below my right hip to prove this!

Although my path to fitness initially started with the idea that I was only interested in lifting some weights and doing some cardio exercises (like the stationary bike) I now find that I am also much more interested in participating in "real" sports like squash and swimming.

Start Time	06:15
Duration	80 minutes
Calories Burned	1257 kcal
Session Type	Cardiovascular Training
Session Focus	Elliptical Trainer (20 min), Stationary Bike (10 min), Squash (50 min)

Since Wednesday last week I also started to go for a quick 30 minute swim every day during lunch time. You will have no idea how awesome and refreshed you feel after such a session until you have tried it!

Today At Gym - 08/04

I felt reasonably strong this morning and was happy to be back at the gym after just relaxing the entire weekend.

Unfortunately my right shoulder still feels a bit uncomfortable depending on which movements I do - this worries me a bit.

I decided to substitute bench dips with push-ups since I think the bench dips place too much pressure on my shoulders; Push-ups are actually a great body weight exercises since they give both your chest and triceps a good workout.

Unfortunately I left them for last, after about 6 really good form push-ups I almost fell on my face and made the following note in my gym logbook: "Do these at home for now to prevent embarrassment".

Start Time	06:19
Duration	54 minutes
Calories Burned	530 kcal
Session Type	Strength Training
Session Focus	Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

This afternoon I am going swimming again, although I am not swim fit at all, swimming feels so great and I would like to do this daily!

Today At Gym - 08/01

This morning I was very motivated, I got up early, finished my "morning chores" as quickly as I could and rushed to gym.

Unfortunately when I got there I was greeted by an automatic door which would not open automatically. After feeling a bit silly I walked to the other door to discover the gym was only going to open at 05:30.

Having some time to spare I decided it was a good time to explore the area surrounding the Foreshore gym. I walked around the building and then to the faintly lit square next to it.

There I saw a couple of life sized statues of people - a child playing, a woman presumably watching the child, another carrying shopping, a man on a cell phone, one sitting on a bench with a newspaper and a third just walking by.

Since the sun was still sleeping, unable to illuminate the area, these figures looked very-very lifelike, so much so that I almost felt like striking up a conversation with the slender woman watching the child... This reminded me of scenes from the movie I Am Legend.

Start Time	05:43
Duration	74 minutes
Calories Burned	757 kcal
Session Type	Strength Training
Session Focus	Biceps, Calves, Back

Up to this point I have been grossly neglecting my abs exercises since I always leave them for last at which point I am so tired and end up doing them very half heartedly. I thus think it might be a good idea to also get up relatively early on Saturday mornings and just work on those abs a little.