So it’s about time I got back into the groove. Start putting down my workouts, diet, etc. Holding myself accountable as before. I’ve never been so fit as when documenting it on here. Main reason I stopped was the lack of readers but I’m not gonna let that stop me this time.

Today is Day 1 of a new 70 day programme. I’ll go into the details of it when I get back from JJ later tonight.

But I will say I used this video with a bit extra:

First Day: HIIT ~16mins

The Video:

• 8 Rounds of Tabata protocol burpees
• Countdown sets of pushups & knee jumps

Plus:

2x 3-min rounds of shadow sparring (Bas Rutten Thai Boxing workout)

Can’t say I was impressed but so it wasn’t a completely wasted journey I thoguht it’d be good to try out some beach running to see what all the fuss is about.

Well as the sand was pretty packed anyway I didn’t expect great things but I found it a lot harder than expected. All the soft bits and troughs that cause you to wobble just a little bit really add up. Your ankles and calves feel it after a while of trying to keep you upright and balanced.

Unfortunately the 30mins run ws all in vain because I’m now ill. Very ill – and have been since Saturday. So there’s been no working out since and I doubt any will be done tonight either.

Hopefully Ill be 100% again for Kenjutsu tomorrow.

You can alter your reps dependent on your abilities. Push yourself though!

Workout 1 (repeat circuit 3 times)

• V-Ups: 5 reps
• Crunches: 10 reps (hold for 5 seconds at midpoint on way up)
• Dumb Bell Side Bend: 5 reps each side
• Plank: 30 seconds

Workout 2 (repeat circuit 4 times FAST)

• Chinnies: 20 reps
• Crunches: 20 reps
• Back Extension: 10 reps

Workout 3 (repeat circuit 3 times)

• Side Planks: 5 each side (5 second hold)
• Plank: 30 seconds

I’ll do some more workouts for abs at a later date. I’ve found the Truth About Abs book invaluable in my workout routines. Blows away some of the myths about workouts, diets and getting a 6 pack.

First some important info…

Quit Crunching

For starters doing a 100 crunches every morning won’t do you any good. All you’re training is the stamina of your abdominal muscles. That won’t do diddly squat for your love handles.

Sprinting or Other High Intensity

Get intense. If you’re not a fan of long distance running then start doing hill sprints. They don’t last as long so laziness should be less of an issue. You really don’t need to spend hours running. High intensity short bursts work just as well – even better!

Diet Matters

People have probably told you this and you’ve ignored it, but trust me – diet matters. You can do all the training in the world but if you’re eating shit you won’t shift love handles.

Ashtanga Yoga

There’s a movement in Ashtanga yoga called a ‘vintasa’. In all the time I’d done abs workouts I’d had little to no benefit. Then I tried some ashtanga and within 2 weeks I was seeing results. I’d recommend yoga as a good addition ot your workout.

Another resource I found incredibly helpful and actually put me on the right path to sorting out my belly was Mike Geary. He’s a doctor and a trainer with a hell of a lot of experience and practical science behind him.

If you want more detailed info on routines, methods and nutrition I can’t recommend highly enough a free report by Mike Geary on nutrition. The creator of Truth About Abs.

If you want more on the science and anatomy see another post.

Here I detail the top 3 best forearm exercises.

3. Wrist Twist

This is a beast and can be done in a few different ways. Either a one-sided dumb bell with weights taken off one end or another fave is the sledge hammer. Sledges work great for grip strength too due to the wider handle.
To do this exericse you simply grab one end with the weight at the opposite end and twist your wrist from side-to-side (comment if you want me to do a video of this).

3 sets x 5 reps for building strength.

2. Dumb Bell Wrist Curls

An old favourite this is just like a bicep curl but you’re using your wrist. Doh! Rest your forearm on a bench with hand dangling off the edge. Holding a dumb bell in your hand curl it up and down.

3 sets x 6 reps.

1. Wrist Roller

This comes under several names but its basically the same forearm murdering machine. This is the absolute no.1 best forearm exercise of them all. It will seriously pump up the strength in your arms. You need a weight on the end of a rope attached to a bar. You roll the bar so the rope wraps up and pulls the weight up. Then you roll back down letting the weight go down again.

See this video for an example…

3 sets x 2 reps.

Calories

This is highly dependent on your current weight, genes and health. I include a number of calculators at the bottom to get figures for your own body – please use these! These are general amounts to get an idea for someone leading a sedentary lifestyle and moderately overweight.

Women: Keep total calorie intake around 1300-1600 per day for at least 2 weeks – BUT NO LOWER!

Men: Keep total calorie intake below 1500-1800 per day for at least 2 weeks – BUT NO LOWER!

Calculate Requirements: http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html (bear in mind you need a calorie defecit to lose weight so you need less than what this tells you)

Foods

Keep it simple. I go into more detail about what to eat on another post.

Interval Training

Long periods of exercise aren’t the answer to weight loss. You want to concentrate on high intensity interval training. Tabata intervals are as good a place as any to start so here we go:

Tabata Interval Idea 1:

• 20 seconds sprinting
• 10 seconds walking

….and repeat for 4 mins/8 reps.

Tabata Interval Idea 2:

• 20 seconds sprinting
• 10 seconds push ups

….and repeat for 4 mins/8 reps.

You get the general idea? You want 20 seconds of very high intensity exercise – something that’s gonna make you feel sick to your stomach. Then you follow it with 10 seconds of lower intensity exercise. I’ll be doing a seperate post on Tabata intervals later. But the major advantage of this training is it takes less time but has just as much benefit on your health and fat burning.

How Often?

At least 3 times per week but preferably more as you find yourself recovering quicker from sessions. I’d recommend only 1 day of complete rest per week although each day should be seperated by a day of light training work.

My training programme may be useful as a guide.

Its Boring

One of the most common reasons people quit their training or diet is boredom. So try to make your workouts interesting. They don’t have to be sprints on a treadmill. They could be anything! Ju jutsu, pushing your car down the road 5x, climbing trees, skipping, climbing frames, biking, etc, etc, etc.

How Long To Lose X Stone?

If you have no intention of gaining muscle and just wanted to lose fat while conditioning your CV and existing muscle then: You can realistically and healthily lose 2lbs per week. There’s 14lbs per stone so you could lose a stone in 7 weeks. It is possible to lose this weight without any exercise but I’d strongly recommend doing the exercise too – you’ll feel shedloads better.

Alcohol?

Avoid it like the plague. I’ve heard stories of Mr Universes dowing bottles of red wine per night with no hassle. However, its the exception not the rule. Alcohol is a calorie dense substance that makes you eat, decreases testosterone, releases cortisol, slows protein synthesis, hinders good sleep, causes hangovers and liver problems in high enough quantities. Just don’t bother with the stuff – full stop.

Habits Make You

I’m reluctant to say this because you can’t truly realise its potential until you’ve got new habits. The reason thin and healthy people stay that way isn’t dieting – its habit. For example tonight I ate an ‘all you can eat’ Chinese buffet (2x plates) and dessert. Why am I not fat? Because that Chinese buffet isn’t what makes you fat – its what I eat tomorrow, the day after, the week after, etc. When you get into a habit of eating at a certain level then you find it much easier to limit yourself. Its highly likely that tomorrow my intake of calories will be well below the normal level of 2000-2500.

When you first set out dieting you find it hard because your habits are always brainwashing you into eating at your comfort level. Its these habits that make you think you eat nothing when in reality you’re forgetting you ate takeaway 3x this week and forgot to workout on Monday. Habits make you – they also break you. Take control of them and remake them.

• Fitness, health and fighting book reviews.
• And DVD reviews too.
• Ashtanga yoga info and how it affects fighting ability and general fitness.
• Koryu/Kobudo experiences.
• Ju Jutsu experiences.
• Suggested training routines for different people, different sports and outcomes.
• Training routines of the rich and famous.
• Specific exercise tips.
• Science Summaries: Summarise wordy science into bite-size chunks that can be read in less than a minute!

Any thoughts?

On the 9th (Friday) I did a 13min conditioning workout which had a “training effect” of 3.5/5 (according to my Suunto T6).

At the weekend I did Yoga on both days for 1:30.  this is doing my flexibility and balance wonders but I need to cut down the time to complete it otherwise it’s not going to be practical.

Tuesday 13th was my first day Tuesday back for ju jutsu training. It was a great lesson and it not only made me realise a lot about the art but also my fitness – more to come (subscribe to make sure you don’t miss it!).

So what am I planning after this weekend???

• A brand new 70 day programme.
• A Google Calendar feed available with workout and training schedule – follow along!
• New goals.
• New tracking of results using funky interactive graphs and stats.
• More ju jutsu info.
• More training info and insights.

Finally my some stats are:

• Pull Ups: 5
• Chin Ups: 6
• Weight: 66Kg (10.5 st | 147lbs)

So keep connected and subscribe to see what happens next week.