Injuries!

Well, it is currently my 3rd day off work now, but I am feeling a hell of a lot better than the two previous days.
So what happend?
Well, after a nice early morning (7:30am) bike ride on saturday, whereby I could have achieved a personal best time for my typical route (traffic lights etc) (Average HR = 166! for approx 66 minutes), my legs were done in to their usual degree. However, I decided to go to the Gym the day after too (Got a 2 week free trial!). So, knowing that I was also going to go the following day too, I decided a nice and easy cardio session was all I was going to do. So I jumped on the treadmill, walked at a fast pace for a while and then upped the speed, and did around 6K in about 20 mins in total. Now I don't run at all, so I knew my legs may be a bit stiff the day after. Anyway, thought to myself try some light rowing on the machine, and as usual, went a bit more than I needed too, and did 2K in about 8 mins. Then, as a warm down, decided to try the stationary bike for 15 minutes, but again, went a little harder than I should.
Got off and stretched out the legs etc.

The day after, I felt ok, legs were a little tired, but nothing unusually bad. So, that night, it was the "Body Pump" class, which basically involves lifting weights, of quite high reps to music at different rates (push/pull speeds). As I already do some weights, I presumed this wouldn't be too difficult, and without being too cocky, I did only use fairly light weights, for example, some dead lift / squat moves max weight was 30kg.

The main moves were basics, such as Deadlift, Bent over Rows, Squats (Back), Lunges, Shoulder press, Curls, Bench Press, Tricep Extensions and Shoulder raises. Totalling a time of about 60 minutes.
Well, I certainly felt my legs working as they were wobbling to a high degree and lactic acid was kicking in on every movement, but felt ok after the session. Only real problem was the next class coming in, and no real chance of stretching off etc.

Anyway, at home a couple of hours later and I felt the stiffness encroaching upon my whole body and just remember thinking "I'm gonna be stiff tomorrow!".
Stiff was the understatement. I could hardly move. My legs were shot and my lower back was not happy in any position. I just thought, crap, I simply can not go to work. I could hardly dress myself and going to the toilet was painful! Good job I have rails on either side of the staircase or I would have been confined to the upstairs all day!

So, my analogy is that simply because of Saturdays hard ride combined with the running / rowing had totally wiped my legs out, and therefore Mondays Gym session was tough on the legs and because of that, my body compensated for the legs by recruiting as much back muscle as possible. Needless to say, 3 days later I am still hurting, although this 3rd day is somewhat much better than the previous 2.

I won't be doing that again, but it does make me wonder if I should try and jog a little so this never happens again? Not only that, do some light weight full body workouts too! And of course, stretch out after each workout!

And apart from being bored at home now, I am annoyed at myself as the weather is ok (ish) and I really want to get back on my back asap!

Hill climbing and personal bests!

Just a quick entry here. I've been looking around the internet for cycling routes around my area, whereby some form of time records exist for various known routes. However, I can not seem to find many at all.

So if anyone else wants to compare thier times with mine, here is one of my favourite routes, which loads of cyclists around the Calderdale / Littleborough area will be familiar with.
Basically, it is a loop, whereby my starting point is from the "Bridge" (Todmorden Road / Halifax Road Junction) in Littleborough centre, going clock-wise towards Todmorden, through Walsden, into Tod, then swinging right towards Hebden Bridge and then Mytholmroyd to the begining of the "longest continuous hill climb in England",through and up Cragg Vale then taking a right turn at the top back down to the "bridge" towards Rochdale, past the Whitehouse Pub at Blackstone Edge.

One of the quickest times I have to date, split into three sections are as follows:

Bridge to begining of incline(The actual sign) (Cragg Road) = 33 mins 14 seconds
To top of incline (turning) = 27 mins 22 seconds
Descent to bottom = 5 mins 55 seconds

total time for loop = 66 mins 31 seconds.

This loop is approx 20.2 miles, although according to GPS / Google Earth and Trip computer and be plus or minus about 0.2 mile! This is approx an average speed of 18.2 MPH.
Total ascent for the trip is about 360 M (approx 1200 feet).

My second entry is the climb from the bridge in the opposite direction up blackstone edge road to the whitehouse front door! This quickest time being 13 minutes flat. (On a decent, expensive road bike!)

And especially for the loop, traffic lights, general traffic and wind are all major factors in how well you do this circuit!

Feel free to leave your best times so I can go beat them when I can afford a decent bike! Some people may think the loop time isn't that great, but this is due to the fact that I don't have a decent road bike yet, this is my old mountain bike fitted with 1.50 road tyres on it, and it weighs over 13Kg in total............

1 weeks worth of food

So here is exactly what I had last week:

MONDAY (Normally weights night but had day off)

7 am Breakfast:
1 cup of Tea (2 sugars & milk)
Bowl of Shredded Wheat & handfull raisins, 1/2 pint milk

10 am: Apple, 1/2 wholemeal sub roll with corned beef (margarine too)

12:30 pm Lunch
Minced Beef Chili & salad
Glass of water

2 pm: Muller light Yoghurt

5 pm: Cup of Perculated Coffee (+ 2 sugars and milk)

7 pm Tea (Dinner for posh folk)
Chicken Tikka/Tandori Chicken & spicy lamb, salad, mint yoghurt sauce & 1/2 roll bread

8 pm: Cup of Decaffinated Coffee (Sugar & milk)

10 pm : 1 weetabix & 1/4 pint milk

TUESDAY (Exercise at 5pm; 28 Mile bike ride on road, approx 1 hour, 40 mins)

7 am: Breakfast as Monday

10 am: Other half of corned beef roll from yesterday

12:30 pm Lunch: Chicken & lamb (from yesterdays tea) roll + salad & sweet mango chutney
Also packet of Walkers lightly salted Crisps (left over from a weekend away, normally don't have crisps in)

2 pm: Muller Healthy Balance fruit corner

3 pm : Apple

+ 1 litre of water drank throughout the working day & 0.5 litres out on bike)

6:45 pm: 1 scoop MP mint choc protein shake + water

7 pm: Tea: Chicken breast + piri piri sauce, oven chips, tomato sauce, 1 cup of tea

10 pm: Left over chicken "bits" (handfull), small bowl of shredded wheat & raisins


WEDNESDAY

7 am: Same as Monday but extra cup of tea

10 am: 1/2 corned beef & cucumber sarnie (wholemeal bread)

11 am: two handfulls of red & white grapes

12:30 pm: Lunch: Beef hot pot (braising steak, carrots, potatoes & gravy)

2 pm: Muller light yoghurt

3 pm: Apple

+ 2 cups coffee & 2 glasses water throughout working day

6 pm: Beef stir fry (thin beef, mange tout, sugar snap peas, peppers, onion, beansprouts, noodles)

8 pm: Cup of decaf coffee, 1/2 crunchie bar (The missues insisted I eat the other half she didn't want)

9 pm: Omlette (2 eggs, bit of cheese)

10 pm: Small bowl of shredded wheat & raisins


THURSDAY (Weights night - upper body & abs)

7 am: Breakfast: Tesco's malted Wheats (Exactly same as Shreddies) & handfull raisins, cup of tea

10 am: 1/2 corned beef sarnie (wholemeal bread)

11 am: Handful of grapes and strawberries

12:30 pm: Lunch: Tin of Tuna (Brine) & salad cream, jacket spud, margarine, salad

2 pm: Slice of lemon Ginger cake, muller light yoghurt

3 pm: Apple

4 pm: Go ahead yoghurt bars x 2 (1 packet)

+ 2 cups coffee & 2 glasses water throughout working day

6:30 pm: Tea; more beef stir fry, similar to last night

7 pm: 1 cup decaf coffee

8 pm: 1 cup decaf tea

10 pm: 2 x weetabix & 1/4 pint milk


FRIDAY

7 am: Breakfast same as Thursday, cup of perculated coffee

10 am: Apple, handful grapes & strawberries

12:30: Lunch: ASDA fresh ravioli (1/2 packet) + home made tomato based sauce, grated cheddar, muller light yoghurt

2 pm: 2 go-ahead bars (1 pack)

Bike ride as Tuesday except average speed of 18 mph

4:30 pm: 2 scoops protein shake & water

6 pm: 1 & 1/2 chicken breasts in Tescos own dopiaza curry sauce (1/2 jar), small porion brown rice & 1/2 Nann bread
followed by 1 cup tea

8 pm: Cup of tea

10 pm: Bowl of special K, 1/4 pint milk (leftover cereal, gone a bit squidgy too!)


SATURDAY (uh oh...)

No particuar structure, just in this order:

2 cups tea, small bowl shredded wheat & raisins

Bacon & egg muffin (2 rashers bacon, fried egg, white muffin with brown sauce)

Chiken tikka breast, cottage cheese & salad

muller light yoghurt

Mousaka (using beef), salad, 1/3 triffle

THEN:

1/2 bottle wine, 2 bottles corona, 6 cans fosters

double decker choc bar, 1/2 crunchie bar

And 2/3 Kebab for supper from take-away (Mixed chicken & donner, salad mild yog sauce on Nann bread: £5 delivered!)

1 pint vimto

SUNDAY (mild hangover, would have gone out on the Mountain bike, but bad weather, watched the F1 GP and start of the Tour De France instead!)

1 cup of tea, small bowl shredded wheat

Bacon butty again (no egg)

3 more brews

1 pint vimto

Chicken breast, piri piri sauce, cheddar melted on top, salad & cottage cheese

1 more brew

McDonalds Hot apple pie (Missues was passing, this is my first McD's in > 1 year)

Gammon, egg, pineapple, veg (s/snap peas, mange tout, broccolli) roast spuds, roast carrots & peppers

other 1/3 triffle, 1 more brew and 1/2 twix to finish the night off!


Well, there you go, I sometimes eat worse than this, but generally I do eat better, this was a fairly bad week for me, but the alcohol is pretty standard and sometimes friday nights too. Although I'll not bother some weekends if I know I'm having a decent bike riding weekend, however this weather is currently crap and I can't motivate myself as I have ridden in the strong winds and rain recently and it's enough for one month so I'm relaxing!

The majority of stuff listed is all home made, just the triffle and the obvious choc bars and alcohol that were not made by myself or my missues!

Cover Model Photos

So, as expected Mens Health sent me the annual "you have no chance mate" letter, and as I previously mentioned, my photos are going to be available here.

Now, I found a photo from last year that I submitted to Mens Health, and I'm shocked to see I even bothered then. But before all judgement takes place, it is worth noting that Mens Health magazine not only wanted photos but also a description of why you exercise, what you do etc. all in 250 words, which as anyone who entered will know, is very difficult to describe in such a small paragraph. My angle is simply that I don't want to sacrifice my social life, as I do enjoy a drink etc as we all do, but the only way of keeping the gut off is by burning off the excess calories.

Here is the exact wording I submitted (dead on 250 words!):

I would love to be a role model for those people who do not believe that a fit, healthy, athletic physique is achieveable for the average man.

At 25, a lifestyle change was required and starting Judo aquainted me with a level of fitness I had never before imagined, 6 years later this enthusiasm for sport continues in the form of cycling.

Although the usual cover model look creates the visual impression of overall health, the cycling I enjoy limits the larger mass of the expected cover model – typically 90 - 120 minutes worth of intense cycling, twice a week is how I maintain my cardiovascular & aerobic fitness.

I also incorporate a 60 minute, home-based weights routine twice a week to ensure that my whole body gets a good workout. During days where I can’t cycle, I still aim to work the legs with a weights regime.

I believe that I have achieved a good balance between having the aerobic fitness, stamina and strength I want all year round, whilst enjoying an active social life. In the process I have acquired a body I am proud of, which is realistically achieveable for the majority of guys out there wanting to shape up.

Exercising has given me the knowledge, self confidence and self belief which has allowed me to contibute to the forums to hopefully benefit others. Overall, it has given me the desire to look after my body well into the future, minimising the risk of modern-day health problems.

So here is how I looked last year vs this year:



Now seeing these two shots side by side, I know there was and still is room for improvement!

I was hoping to get a decent early summer tan too, but you know that wasn't happening naturally so a minimal tweak using google's picassa gave it some warmth! I think I recall being slightly sunburnt last year though!

I know I didn't have the massively ripped torsos of the guys who have gone on to the final, and to be honest, I don't think a photo shoot for me a couple of weeks ago would have done any justice as I ahve had shed loads of beer sessions and eating out! Needless to say, the weather has been diabolical so I haven't had the chance to get out and ride either! But I'm back into the training now, and although I said to myself that next year I wouldn't bother, if I continue to make improvements like this, I may just try again!

I must say a big thanks to the missus for putting up with me & helping on the photos too!

For my next post, I'm going to give you an exact, but typical breakdown of this weeks food and exercise, and although not consumed yet, it will involve alcohol!