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My first proper set of chest exercises since arriving in Australia consisted of:

5 minute warm up run
4 sets of flat dumbell bench press (35lb each), 10 reps
4 sets of flat dumbell flys (30lb each), 10 reps
4 sets of flat dumbell bench press and twist (35lb each), 10 reps
4 sets of decline dumbell bench press (35lb each), 10 reps
Stretch

All felt great and ready to up the weights next week.

Plan for this week is early morning weights on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, along with 2 decent runs (7K+). I need the cardio to burn some excess body fat, but need to up the weights to maintain muscle mass and definition. I’m not aiming for the ‘classic’ runners body. Hopefully this is the right balance.

Sydney, Australia. I have arrived in the land of beautiful, happy people. Sydney is everything I’d hoped for and a hell of a lot more besides. It took 18 months of organisation but I finally made it.

A big part of my fitness motivation over the last year or so has been thinking about getting a body suitable for public inspection at Bondi Beach. I think I have come a long way on that path (losing around 8KG and shedding 8% body fat), but I am not happy with where I’m at. I’m not embarrased to take my top off, which is a huge start, but I can’t quite say I’m really proud of my body yet.

So I am now drawing a line under the last 18 months. I am a lot fitter, significantly healthier and much better educated about exercise. I now want top set me goals for the next year and see where I can get to with another step up in my approach. I will reinvigorate this blog with lots of new ideas, my ups and downs along the way and my path to being able to run well and look good.

My new program started this morning and I am feeling the love for training again (after a long holiday and lots of stress/hassle associated with moving 12000 miles with a wife and four kids). My wife has been incredibly supportive of my fitness program over the last 12 months and I am so grateful. This is a huge part of the liklihood of success or failure.

I hope you enjoy following the journey and pick up some tips along the way. Please feel free to add comments or email me directly with any questions.

Cheers for now. Mark

Today I repeated the leg session from last week: 10 sets of weighted lunges and 10 sets of weighted squats with 30 seconds rest in between each set. The weight was 2 KG heavier per dumbell (16KGS each now). It felt heavy on the first set but then didn’t get much worse throughout the sets. I also did lunges first this time, not sure if that made a difference.

Anyway - I was capable of walking up the stairs afterwards which is more than I could do last week. We’ll wait and see if I get the same level of DOMS again.

This week was similar to last week: chest on Monday, back on Tuesday, shoulders on Wednesday, rest on Thursday, legs on Friday. I will try to manage a core session over the weekend too - but this may not happen as we are in the process of packing up the house for moving to Australia so I may be pretty busy (total understatement).

M

It is now Monday morning and my arse is killing me - more specifically my glutes are killing me. I did a good leg training session on Friday morning:

• 10 sets of medium weighted squats
• 10 sets of medium weighted lunges

Sounds easy eh? I managed to get through them without too much pain - just felt the last two sets of lunges. However, I could hardly walk up the stairs after it. I would have expected some DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness - that achey pain you feel 1 or 2 days after weight training). But I can’t believe they are still going strong today - 3 days later. I didn’t feel like the session had been that tough. Obviously it must have been. This month I am aiming for muscle growth and size so this is part of the package - I must be doing something right.

Today I did just chest again:

• 4 sets of 10 swiss ball chest press
• 4 sets of 10 swiss ball flys
• 4 sets of 10 swiss ball press and twist
• 4 sets of 10 military press ups (bringing a knee up to your shoulder during a press up)

Feels like it is really hitting the spot and I am getting much stronger in my chest now. Certainly a moob buster (moobs: aka man-boobs).

Cheers

M

Had a great session this morning. Very simple but very effective.

Started off with 30s:
30 squats with light weights, 30 press ups, 30 box jumps, 30 second plank

1 minute rest

Then drop the number by 5, ie, 25 squats, 25 press ups etc

Kept going down (inlcuding 2 lots of 20s as I was feeling strong).

Did 5 sets in total and it took around 30 minutes. Really felt like a great blast to get you started in the morning - this is a nice little session to have in your toolbox.

I’m back onto body toning this month. After being ill last month I have definitely put on some body fat - lots of comfort eating (carbs and chocolate) - my body was just telling me I needed to do it. I now feel fully fit and healthy again and ready to have a great month.

So this week I’m training Monday (Chest only), Tuesday (Shoulders only), Wednesday (Back only), Thursday (cardio - 1 hour bike ride), Friday (full leg weights session), Saturday (core exercises). I will probably repeat this over the next month to see where I get to. I have also been off the protein shakes (as I ran out and didn’t buy a new lot). I’ll make sure I start on them again - drinking a protein shake within 20 minutes of weight training really seems to make a difference for me.

Also - FYI - I got my visa for Australia last week and we are now setting a date for around the start of November - looks like only 6 weeks of intensity to ensure I have that beach body - “fit enough for Bondi this summer”.

Cheers

Mark

I am just back from a long weekend in Arran and I took my running shoes with me - thinking I would do a good session whilst there. I didn’t….

… not because I got lazy or got pissed (I did get a little pissed on amazing mojitos) - but because they had a great pool. I decided to put into practice some of the swimming coaching I got 2 months ago. It was great - real power and strength being used. I now find swimming a really good alternative to running - but only because I have now been taught how to breathe properly and how to form my stroke better. It feels great and I would wholly recommend anyone to add this to their list of training options. Great for when you have niggles from running too.

I have had a few days off from training to try to get over a virus. I now feel much better again (slight headache but definitely on the mend).

Training starts again at 6.30am tomorrow. Cannot wait - I’m really raring to go. I’m not sure whether it is going to be sprint training or a weights and legs session.

I’m even thinking of doing a double session on Thursday to play catch up before the Stirling 10K next weekend.

So I’ve been thinking that I’ve been badly dehydrated this week but I now know I have picked up a virus. I didn’t train Thursday morning and felt fine Thursday during the day but then felt crap again Thursday night. I trained this morning and it went really well (10 sets of weighted squats and then 10 sets of weighted lunges, plus some rapid alternate squat thrusts, power lunges and squat jumps).

About an hour later I was waiting to get the bus to work (as someone stole the car) and I puked my guts everywhere - totally embarrasing. I just headed home and fell asleep for 3 hours. Now I just have a banging headache but am trying to get some work done.

It is so weird how I can feel good enough to train and then it all comes back on me. I’m going to take it easy over the weekend and see how I feel on Monday - hopefully my body will have had chance to recover by then.

I hate this ‘negative’ post - I would much rather be bloggin about all the good shit. However, I guess it needs to be a warts and all blog. I promise there will be lots of positive stuff soon too - I’m finishing work in the next few days and making preparations for Oz - there will be lots of good training sessions and things to talk about.

Cheers, M

I did a full upper body workout at 6.30am this morning. I really struggled on the 3rd set of bench presses - where I would normally have breezed it.

I have been suffering from dehydration since the weekend - I thought it was just a bit of a hangover but it seems to be more than that. Possibly I have picked up a virus too. I’ve been waking up every 30 mins through the night in a cold sweat. I’ve also had really dry eyes, chapped lips and a pain in my belly. Not so bad that I feel I should be in bed - but bad enough to have a moan anyway. And it isn’t just man-flu.

I’ve been drinking loads of water and rehydration powder and it seems to get better for a while and then go down hill again.

I know it is very important to make sure you are always hydrated enough - not just when exercising but at all times of the day. When you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated - you should be drinking even when you are not thirsty. Just make it a bit of a habit. With dinner I always have two glasses of water on the table, and make sure I finish them.

Hopefully all will be well in the next day or two. I’m going running tomorrow morning (maybe 4-5 miles) and then plan to have another upper body workout on Friday. Next week will be 5 days straight of personal training sessions as I will be winding down a bit the following week - I plan to run in the Stirling 10K that week and need to get a bit of recovery time. I want to get under 50 minutes but will have to work my nuts off this week and next. Here’s hoping…