Back on it.

So its been a while since I've blogged, and its been a while since I've done some serious exercise! 

I'm taking this seriously now after a few months of intermittent exercise and no dedication, I have not lost any weight, and feel fatter. So its been going well. 

The last three days I've really got back into it and really enjoyed the sessions I've done.

Saturday Morning:

'beautyandthebeastmebootcamp' with Steph http://www.sahpt4me.co.uk/. 

I've done this once before about 6 weeks ago and haven't had a Saturday morning free to go back since. This Saturday morning however, I had no plans and struggled to find an excuse not to go other than watching Saturday Kitchen. So I jogged down to the park to be greeted by an extremely over excited dog and the other bootcampers. This weeks session was called Fantastic 500, that means 500 reps in total, 50*reps of 10 exercises with a partner. Whilst one does the exercise the other holds a 5kg sandbag over their head. The grueling exercises were as follows:

1) Sit-ups

2) Burpees

3) Sandbag swings (kettlebell substitute)

4) Log jumps

5) Push-ups

6) Dips

7) Walking lunges

8) Tyre pull-ups

9) Squats

10) Reverse crunches

Now if I told you I did them all I'd be lying, in red are the exercises I missed due to 'fatigue', i.e. I thought I was going to be sick and faint, probably because I'd just done 50 burpees!!!

However, after coming round from my episode, I steamed straight back in, dug my feet into the muddy turf and got on with 50 push-ups. It was a hard session, but I felt great afterwards. A big thanks to Steph for doing these, everyone who comes down loves doing it. If you're local, or not, get on down its in SE16 London Saturday morning at 10:30, its a great Saturday morning full body workout, check out:

https://www.facebook.com/sahpt & 

http://www.sahpt4me.co.uk/ & 

https://www.facebook.com/beautyandthebeastmebootcamp

Sunday: Almost completely distracted by Sunday Brunch, I managed to get myself down to the gym (just downstairs where I live) to get in a quick 30 mins ish workout in the hope of loosening up after the Saturday bootcamp:

Skipping 10 mins

Rowing 5 mins

Running 10 mins

Stretch

Swim 10 lengths.

Monday: I had illusions of grandeur and thought I would be able to get up at 6am (when its still dark) and start Insanity (again). I didn't, I made a nice breakfast and packed lunch instead, and when I got to the tube station, ho's coming up the escalator already on her way back from giving a spin class at a gym in Canary Wharf, Steph. I avoided eye contact so I didn't have to own up how much I was aching. However, found a bit of determination somewhere deep down and at 5:30 after I finished work.... 

I ran home  

Then completed the Insanity Fit Test and scored as follows:

Switch Kicks - 89

Power Jacks - 43

Power Knees - 94 (half each leg)

Power Jumps - 16 (starting to flag)

Globe Jumps - 7 (just about done)

Burpees - 12 (finding that inner strength for a strong finish)

Jumps Jacks - 15 

Oblique plank - 25 (not so strong a finish)

So I'm suitably tired and ready for bed, and my fitness scores weren't even as good as when I last did it!? I have a lot of work to do, wish me luck.

Still looking the same. The disappointment is clearly shown in my expression.

Tom. 

Insanity Day 1 Fitness Test

I have had a great weekend; went to the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, out for dinner at the Riding House cafe, chilled out Sunday with a nice walk around Hampstead Heath.

Today feeling motivated I've started on the Insanity program with hopefully no more injuries stopping me from doing a session every day.

The fitness test lines up a series of high intensity cardio exercises, I've done these before but not so many at once! A lot of them are used in boxing fitness, but when doing boxing, you'd do so many as a warm up and then boxing training.

So on my first fitness test I achieved the following:

Switch kicks= 93 (I used to do Taekwondo)

Power Jacks= 44

Power Knees= 40/40 (each leg, Shaun T only does one leg?)

Power Jumps=18 (Already starting to get tired)

Globe Jumps= 9 

Suicide Jumps=10 (Burpees to normal people)

Push-up Jacks= 20

Low plank oblique= 40

I didn't think that was too bad going for my first fitness test, I am however, exhausted now! I also managed to do it whilst watching Manchester United Vs Chelsea!

Insanity on the left, football on the right!

Then for dinner, a couple of roast chicken thighs, roast carrots, onions and lettuce.

No change to body just yet so haven't measured.

To tomorrow, keep reading, strength & honour.

Tom.

Delays....

Where have I been?

Well following an ambitious start to my blog and fitness regime I suffered a couple of set-backs; The recent operation I had which became infected reared its head again prompting another visit to hospital and instructions not to do any exercise!

Since that was sorted out I've started back with a couple of runs to and from work, from Rotherhithe area across the river from Canary Wharf to the City of London Financial district over Tower Bridge and passed the Tower of London and I can't wait to get fully involved with the Insanity program.

Oh and there was a stag do in Ibiza in between.

So, no drastic changes to weight or physical appearance to speak of, slight tan.

I use run keeper to track my runs, I run the same route yet the distance appears to change each time!?

These are a few of my runs to and from work over the last few weeks.

So you can see a slight progression, gotta keep going, wish me luck!

Day - 2 aching!

Today is what is known as an epic fail I believe.

Shaun T and insanity have killed me! I have done elements of insanity before, not just all at once, and not after 7 weeks of no exercise. My thighs ache so much.

No exercise done.

Consoled myself with a pizza after a tough day at work.

Back on the wagon tomorrow.

Stats and measurements won't have changed.

Day 1 - Lets start!

I'm Tom, 31 years old, my nickname is The Bear. I work in the financial services industry in London, which means I don't have a particularly active job, save lifting a coffee cup, using a computer and talking. I drink, I smoke, I eat, and when I say eat, I mean I love food, I'm a good cook, enjoy cooking and more importantly love eating, particularly pizza.

I'm overweight at 16.5stone / 105kg / 231lbs, I'm 6ft or 184cm tall which gives me a BMI of 31 and puts me in the clinically obese range.

Nov-12

Jul-12

Is time for a change. 

My peak years of physical fitness were from the age of 15 to 19 when I was regularly training in Taekwondo, Ju Jitsu, Kung Fu and playing a lot of football. Since then my fitness and weight has fluctuated. I reached a peak weight of 18 stone at about the age of 23 following working in a bar that made great pizzas and generally drinking a lot, then down to about 13.5 stone at about the age of 25 following a good two years gym work and regular football, but still wasn't really watching what I was eating.

05

Aug-06

Jun-06

My gym regime back then was to try and fit as much into about two Hours as possible, cardio and weights, occasionally dabbling in a boxercise class.

For the last five years my exercise regime has been intermittent, regular football, a couple of expensive gym memberships, signing up for a marathon and an attempt at white collar boxing (see my other blog from 2012 following the boxing program), all separated by a few injuries. The reason I remain at this weight is down to being lazy, lack of discipline and motivation, I can't blame the injuries. 

I've recently had a minor operation to remove a fairly bad varicose vein, which then got infected, quite painful and made me really want to improve my health and fitness, however I was sidelined for seven weeks.

Now that I have recovered I'm starting training and I'm going to use this blog as my motivation and my record.

Target

I'm not going to use a BMI figure, or weight as my target as that will be difficult as I am muscly (underneath), have big thick bones, a huge chest, and legs to rival Roberto Carlos. Which means getting down to my apparent ideal weight of 13 stone is going to be difficult.

I'm going to aim for a healthy weight which I imagine will be about 14 stone, as I intend to build more muscle, and my other focus will be on muscle tone and general fitness, i.e. what I can achieve, how far I can run, how many burpees I can do etc. etc.

Method

- Running

- Cycling

- Shaun T's Insanity workout (lets see what this is all about)

- Boxing

- Skipping

- Swimming

- No Carbohydrates

Tracking / Time

Tracking - I will use this blog through photos, measurements and workouts completed to track my progress.

Time - not time constrained, this is for life, not just for Christmas, however, Insanity lasts 60 days, I intend to keep going after that.

Starting Position - 21 July 2013 (possibly hottest day of the year and all done outside, started Bradley Cooper Silver Lining Playbook style with a bin bag in between T shirts to sweat more and aid wait loss, that came off after 5 mins)

Weight - 16.5 stone / 231lbs / 105kg

Calf - 18in

Thigh - 27in

Waist - 42in ( i thought I was 36!? that's what size trousers I buy)

Chest - 44in

Forearm - 12.5in

Biceps - 14 - 16in (relaxed to tensed)

Neck - 17in

Workout

Skipping - 15 - 20 mins

Insanity Fit test - didn't count how many of each exercise I did and couldn't keep up all the way through.

Jog/Walk - 2.96m in 40 mins

Swim - 10 lengths in a small pool.

Result

Seriously dehydrated and feeling absolutely knackered, thighs hurt from all the Insanity jumps, lets see how I am tomorrow and continue.

Already feel better for starting.