A picture paints a thousand words,

gabgab

spinning class, then a slow and steady 10 mintes on a treadmill, then into the jacuzzi. Spinning is brutal, but reckon its good to do as it will inject some pace into my cycle section hopefully......

gabgab

Went to the gym after work to try get some weights and bodyweight stuff in, hate the place, so many people cant get near stuff,

Am gonna look at doing 2 morning sessions at 6 before work to try get what I want done nice and quick,

Looking like

Monday Weights 40mins and 20mins distance swim
Tuesday: Spinning 40mins at class pace/Running 20 mins@5mins a km, if I can
Wednesday:Weights 40mins and 20 mins distance swim
Thursday:Spinning 40mins at class pace/Running 20 mins@5 mins a km, if I can
Friday:Rest day
Saturday:10km at pace to be confirmed dependant on how other runs go,

This starts next week, this week is a bit messy but still doing it just not as structured,

gabgab

So I went for a run last night lateish,

I need to measure it properly but I think its gonna be pretty dismal when I do see the results, at best it is 4k in 20 minutes and I could of not run any faster.......

Now there is a big hill at the end but regardless of that, not happy about this but need to figure out what to do as I find the theory behind triathlon training very confusing, and by confusing I mean hard to stick to,

It seems that by staying between 70% and 75% of my maximum heartrate I will make the most speed gains, but I find it very hard to stay there,

aoa321

gabgab,

I just stumbled on this thread, what's the story here? The difference between those photographs is amazing. I mean it as the highest compliment when I say that to see an "ordinary" person make such progress is totally inspiring.

How are you doing it? Is is mainly diet? I presume that you are working with weights becase your deltoids and upper arms show marked improvement. How many times do you get out to do a cardio session in the week and are you eating much? Do you mind me asking what age you are?

Keep up the good work. I once took photographs, trained for 8 weeks, and then then took some "after" shots - laugh my ass off but there was NO differnce - except for the fact that I had a different pair of boxer shorts on the photgraphs looked like they had all been taken in the same session.

That was last year, I haven't picked up the weights since - but this thread has started me thinking again !!

gabgab

Hey,

Thanks a million for that really appreciate it, I am 26,

I changed the following things:

Eat no crisps, or bars with my lunch,
Eat no takeaways
Drink no fizzy drinks
Plenty of Fruit, Vegetables, and water, with plenty of clean foods, like brown rice, chicken fillets etc
I dont eat anything that comes out of a box or jar anymore really, eg: Pizza's etc apart from one day a week where I eat anything I want,

The training end of it I have to thanks www.crossfit.ie, for the workouts, I trained twice a week on monday and wednesdays, and did some stuff at home,

I didnt do a huge amount I have to admit, but am now training for triathlon,

PM me if you want anything but I have to say this, my physique changed cos I stopped eating so much ****, I dont have even near an ideal diet now, but its better and I am chuffed with the results,

gabgab

Saturday morning was a ok weights session but still no real structure so I really need to get my head out of my ass for that,

Tonight was a nice steady run for 45 mins, will measure the distance tomorrow, but was just a ipod in and take it handy sorta effort, felt good after it but slow no doubt,

Tomorrow will be a quick interval bike session followed by a 5k run after work,

Then tuesday will be weights and swim, need to get the swim stuff sorted re technique as at the moment its a doable distance but once I picked up the tempo even a little it was attrocious,

gabgab

So I went to the gym last night, again hating the packedness of the place, I did the following,

10 chinups, 10 pullups, 10 press ups as a warm up,

Then a series of chins, pulls, dips, shoulder presses and pressups,

I found doing the pressups with one hand on a block made the distinctly harder,

I then went on a cycle, 40 mins or so, with the quick bit down by lambdoyles towards rathfarnham...... wahoooooo!!! Its great craic I must admit,

Will maybe go for a run or a swim tonight, or possibly run down, swim, runback, at a nice relaxed pace for the run,

4km in 20 minutes is what I am at, with a steep incline at the end but I reckon that is irrelevant as it will be like the last push at the end of the tri,

gabgab

Did a spinning class, felt like dying, my quads were destroyed during it so tonight I am heading out for dinner and chilling out, then getting ready to go at it again on thursday, gotta be swim and weights me thinks, have neglected the weights a little and need a minimum of 2 per week to maintain I hope........

gabgab

Friday was weights and good session of chins, pressups and shoulder presses,

Saturday had a 25km cycle and sunday was a big and quick run, I reckon maybe 9 or 10kms and lots and lots of uphills and varied terrain,

thirdmantackle

are you playing any sports? like team games - just for the craic and to display the improved fitness?

doing all that training on your own is not healthy

celestial

thirdmantackle wrote: »

are you playing any sports? like team games - just for the craic and to display the improved fitness?

doing all that training on your own is not healthy

How's that then??

gabgab

Yeh I dont understand that approach at all,

Take a long distance runner?? I can sort of see hwere your coming from though, the run on sunday was with a few mates and the sports I do are triathlon, very very slowly.......... :mad::mad::rolleyes:

It does say that in the log though,

Thanks,

gabgab

I will be taking a picture tonight,

I have been very very lazy about that lately!!!

I reckon the new tri fitness stuff will help me loose bodyfat but also will cause me some scrawniness, and yes that is a technical term...... I have a link to an article defining it somewhere :D

Based on the heart rate monitor my greyhound like friend was wearing we burnt nearly 1000 calories during the run, I will take that with a pinch of salt but even half that is a bit considering its a few times a week,

gabgab

Ok so tonight will be first tie I try the whole run and spinning in the one night, gentle jog down, then spinning for 40 minutes, 5km ish, then home to eat and shower then onto the couch, then if I am feeling very very adventureous a 20 minute pressup, pullup, press work out,

1 minute each exercise with no break, then a 1 minute break x5

Woddle

Hey man that's a great read, thanks for your comments on mine,
Just wondering,you seem to be a little concerned about your running speed over 5k, do you do any specific types of running drills to improve this or do you just go out and run.
Congrats on the work to date,I could not imagine myself training so hard for the 3 diciplines.
And also love the idea of eating what you want on one day.
keep up the great work

gabgab

Hey,

Thanks for that man, I need the cheat day to keep myself sane, but it si funny how you dont really want the stuff that much anymore, kind of like your tastes change you know,

I am starting a new drill, its gonna be on a treadmill, 1km at 4:45 min perkm for one minute then 3 minute rest, x3

I know treadmills are not ideal for it but it will help me keep at a pace, I have a terrible tendency to just quit and throw in the towel once the pace picks up a little,

My goal is to do another in July in 1hr 10 minutes for sprint, then maybe one in August but I reckon at that stage I will be back crossfitting, the physique changes I saw and the strength gains were brilliant, and all this running etc has the weight falling off me and at 6'2 and 12 stone I cant afford to loose much more without looking gaunt.....

littlefriend

Hey gabgab

congratulations - you are doing so well I'm really jealous! don't forget to post your pics up - very inspiring

gabgab

Thanks so much littlefriend,

I am a bit conscious of putting them up now as I am not lifting nearly as much as I was previously, and while I think I am geting fitter that does not translate into dramatic looking pictures,

Will do one though, then its triathlon stuff, eat like a lunatic and then once they are done and Electric picnic is over its back to the gym and some cardio to maintain,

That will definitely have a picture diary at least 3 a month, cos with the lifting it should change pretty quick,

littlefriend

Of course don't mind me - totally get what you are saying.
Was thinking of checking out crossfit - are there any other unfit females there?

gabgab

PM me if you want about crossfit,

I cant recommend it enough really, its brilliant and whilst your training in a group, it is also available private, I feel less self conscious there than in a commercial gym, because nobody and I mean nobody is looking at anyone else,

Your too busy trying to get the stuff done, or if its not against the clock, you know what the other person is trying to do relative to them and are encouraging them,

How is training going for you?

littlefriend

sent pm there to you

gabgab

Last night, some weights,

Overhead press, olympic bar and 10kgs, sets of ten,
Chinups, Pullups and presses,

I am not too concerned about the weight for now as I was not taking many breaks or long ones and just cranking them out hardish as I was doing some interval training running later on,

Was up there late, it is a much more pleasant place to be late when it is not full of 19 year old messy messy lads that leave stuff lying around everywhere and always seem to wear leinster rugby tracksuit bottoms and shorts....... While drinking a protein drink or some other stuff during training......... ANNOYING!!!! Just clean up after yourself and have some manners when in the gym, rant over :D

Did some interval running, found it good,
2 minute warm up at level 10 then into
1km at 4:36 per km, then 3 minute rest, then
1km @ 4:31 then 3 minute rest, then
1km minutes 4:31 again,
then 4:15 I think for one minute,
then 3:53 or something for another minute,

Walk to wind down, stretching and situps, then home

gabgab

I have my first tri in Athy and am going to use it as a guide, end of May
One in June in Dundalk, aaaaaaaah the craic up there will be mighty

Ideally I would like to come in the top third of people in July, I know it sounds a bit of a copout but I dont think aiming for a time is fair as wind, gradients, transitions weather all play a part, and at my level a little gradient is a big slowdown......

Will see how I get on, but am really looking forward to doing them and then being done with them so I can lift heavy and do a proper picture diary week on week of how quick I can make changes,

gabgab

Some weights, ran some intervals and pool, all round pretty scattered and crap, I have a niggle in my knee that is not going away, so I am gonna cycle tomorrow night, maybe saturday afternoon and take sunday off, then a wee run just to see if it is as bad,

Fingers crossed it wont be........

This is gonna be my last picture as I am focusing on cardio and triathlon stuff till end of August at the latest and then its into weights till december me thinks,

littlefriend

Holy sh*t the difference is unbelievable. I think thats the best before and after I've ever seen

gabgab

Thank you so much for that, your very kind!!!

I am happy with the results, am a little worried about dropping a lot of my gains doing tri but sure its good for my fitness,

I am really looking forward to doing the weights stuff back with Colm, because I am gonna do a lot more research on what I need to eat, maintenance calories, gains calories, etc and look at the idea of supplements, and maybe creatine.........

He will have a **** fit but I wanna see in picture form what 6 weeks of creatine can do, so once i go back I will take a pre photo, then creatine, protein, the same clean diet and a photo per week with a hard but intense training session!!!! I have not used it before but I am keen to see what difference it makes especailly in the very quick gains early period!!

Woddle

great pics but I'll be honest glad to hear your putting the pics away for a while, my wifes a big fan:D

gabgab

New plan,

I am hopefully going to be able to cycle in and out of work if I can work out the logistics and do it without being a smelly plonker for the day,

This way I am getting some training in, nice steady in, hard on the way home, can still lift a little and I have freed up some time in an increasingly short day,

Today I will spin in and out of work on the bike, then head up to the gym for some weights and a loooong jacuzzi, with maybe a swim in the middle,
5x50 metre sprints and get an idea of time for them with a one minute rest,

Did nothing last night except drink beer and laugh my ass off, wahooooo!!!

gabgab

Went out on the bike, very disheartened, trying to keep it in the 30km per hour is so difficult at times, my quads are pumping and I am slow, its annoying and I am sorta looking forward to these things being over,

Swimming a bit today with one of the lads and then will organise my week, as to what I am gonna do and when,

I would like to do tuesday and thursday spinning and run 5km after on a treadmill to help me keep the pace up, something I desperately need to do, so I will organise it that way,

gabgab

So the week has been good so far until I got a slightly stronger pain in my knee,

I went swimming and weights on dunday,

Not alot on monday, and on tuesday my knee started acting up, its annoying, as I did spinning for 40 minutes, felt good, then hit a treadmill for 6km planned, 1km in it was niggling, 2km in it got sore, 2.5 it was the same but I said I would get off it before I do any damage to it,

Tonight I will bike for 20 minutes maybe and swim for a bit, then its the physio on thursday night for hopefully good news, I am a bit annoyed, and a bit worried that I wont be able to run on it for a while which 30 days before first triathlon is very worrying,

On the upside if he says its bad I can go and lift weights full time and just do maintenance cardio and get onto picture diary 2....... Hmmmm!!!