From good shape to great shape

Patto

What a pompus title eh! That is my abstract goal "in words" for the year. What the hell write it down and maybe I will actually achieve it.

My first measureable goal was to complete the Ballycotton 10 in 70 minutes. which would have been a 5 minute improvement on last year. I picked up a hip injury in December which kept me off the roads up to the end of Jan. So I got 6 weeks of propper training done and finished in 80 minutes. I think that is the last 10 mile race I will do for a few years. I found it very difficult to maintain my strength. I also found it difficult to loose body fat without loosing muscle mass. My body fat levels have remained fairly constant at about 8% but I've gone from 212Lbs to 208Lbs in the last 6 weeks. My target is 210Lbs at 6% body fat. If I were ever to do a serious time at 10 miles I would need to be down to about 190Lb and I would need to put in at least 6 months of specialised training, not 6 weeks. At 6'4" I would look like a rake, and even though I enjoy running I just dont want to go there.

Anyway, measureable goal no. 2 is improve by worst lift which is the squat. My PR for ATG squats is 85Kgx3, that compared to a 150Kgx1 deadlift and a bench of 88Kgx1. By the start of June I want to bring my squat upto 100Kgx5. And following on from that to squat 145Kgx1 by the end of the year.

So here it goes...

Patto

11-Mar-08

No squats today, couldn't face them, legs are feeling way too weak after Sunday.

BB Bench press 70x3x5, 75x3x1

70s were fairly handy, never really in danager of failing.
Got a spot on the last set, just about pushed out the 3, weak mid way through the lift. Strong off the chest and through lockout.

Chin Ups BW+5kg (98Kg) 3x4, 2x2,

These were pretty good, maybe due to my own weight loss. I should be able to push for 6 sets of 3 next time.

Incline DB BP 25x8x2, 25x6x2

These have fallen back quite a bit (30x5x4 PR), I was tired and found the 8 reps a slog. I was maxed on the 2nd 8 anyway. Finished out with 6x2 and was maxed on the last 6.

One arm rows 37.5x8x1, 35x8x1, 35x6x2

37.5s were too heavy, I've fallen back here too. Maybe just technique.
The 35s were ok, I saved a few reps by dropping to 6s, 8x4 next time.

Barbell curls 35x6x5

35s are bang on at the moment for 6 reps.

Dips 93x4x5

Surprisingly I was able to manage 4x5 dips at this stage. Go for 6x5 next time, then start adding weight.

Revers curls on a decline 2x15x3

I actually failed on rep 12 of the last set, these were tough as always.

Crunches 7x15x1

I think I got too caught up in my post workout stretches and forgot to do the last two sets of crunches.

Al_Fernz

I will look forward to reading this since your goals and stats are similar to mine.

What does your routine look like overall?

Good Luck

Patto

3 days lifting, 2 days cardio maintenance.

Day 1 Upper body with max effort on bench and chins
Day 2 Legs with max effort on squats
Day 3 High intensity full body workout

The focus will be on building volume and max efforts in day 1 and 2 and builing intensity in day 3.

The cardio days will be a low volume mix of light jogging, intervals and tempo runs.

Patto

13-Mar-08

Ran 4 miles easy pace. Left the HRM at home so no time and no HR. Glad I went out, I just couldn't face it yesterday. Thighs are a bit stiff from Sunday but otherwise I felt good.

I'll hit the gym this evening.

I think I might change my gym days to Monday, Wednesday, Saturday with the option of doing Fri&Sun instead of Sat if time permits. I'll do lunchtime runs on Tuesday, Thursday.

Edit: Well that idea has been vetoed by my better half:). 4 days in the gym just ain't a runner

Patto

13-Mar-08

Squats 40x5, 50x5, 60x5, 70x5, 80x3x5, 85x3x1 (=PR)

Ah the old Squats, I didn't know how these were going to go today seems as I haven't squateed over 70 Kg in weeks. On the warm ups even the 60s felt tough. My weigh moved way too far forward onto my toes on the second rep of the 85s, I was still able to recover it and equalled a PR. I have way more in the tank here. I like the idea of just doing sets of 3 reps, I should be able to go for 85x3x6 next time. I need to push that over 90 after that. My 1RM max should be around 105 so I'm not in the %max that I would like to be in for 3 rep sets.


Leg curls 30x3x1, 27.5x3x5

27.5 was a little too easy, the 30s were too heavy. Go for 28.75 next time. My hams cramped a bit on the first few reps. 30 was the first set, my right leg failed on reps 2 and 3.

Romanian deadlift 70x8x4

These were very easy and I did them with very solid form and with speed. My hams were fairly taxed anyway so it was probably a good idea not to push too heavy. Knock em up to 80s next time though.

Walking Lunges 40x8x4

These were quite light, 20Kg in each hand, I need to build them up again. 16 walking lunges per set is fairly CV taxing.

Calf raises 15x15x4

Did these one leg at a time with a 15 Kg plate in my hand.

Single leg hip lifts 10x4

These were fine, glutes were holding up ok.

Roll outs 15x3

These were handy enough. My elbows were feeling it a bit on the last set.

Roll outs from standing to kneeling 5x1

Still not getting into a plank position without dropping the knees, getting closer though. I should try to progress these up an incline.

Plank 15x3

15 breaths per set, easy peasy.

Good heavy session, not too affected by the run earlier in the day. Hams and glutes cramping and DOMs to beat the band today. Thats to be expected as I haven't lifted that type of volume for weeks. I was surprised I equalled my PR on the squats. I think most of my squatting issues are in my own head. I'm a much more mature deadlifter and bench presser than a squatter. It will take a few weeks for before I set and bench or deadlift PRs.

My weight is back up 2Lbs to 208Lb my BF reading was 7mm (about 8%)

Patto

Sun, 16-Mar-08

Ok, this is my full body dynamic day, weights are dropped to around 50-60% max and the focus is on moving the weights fast. I got through this in just over an hour which I was happy with, this is a much more enjoyable session than the other two.

I was completely blown out after Thursday, I still had crazy DOMS in my glutes and hams even doing this session, which was 72 hours later. I didn't get any recovery sessions done over the weekend either. I just didn't have time to fit one in. Looks like I'm going to have to fit the recovery sessons in during the week which means I might have to go with training twice a day once or twice a week and only once on a Saturday and Sunday. I think I will have to move the squats to Monday or Tuesday too, its no fun being whacked out all weekend when you have a small child, may aswell do that during the week while I am being paid to sit on my butt.

I suppose I could have eased myself in slower to the program but I tend to go headlong into these things. Within 3 or 4 weeks the DOMs should be far less severe and I should start seeing some decent gains.

Cleans 50x3x2, 60x3

Added the cleans and snatches to this workout as a warm up. They seem to fit in quite well. The 50s were done from a hang position. 60s as a power clean.

Snatches 50x3

The snatches were fine but I don't really do them with correct form, I press them out rather than catching the bar outstretched and overhead squating.

Deadlifts 80x5x5

Deadlifts were fairly easy, good bar speed at 80Kg

Inverted rows 10x5

Did these as more like 5x2x5, I'm not able to do 10 reps with good form even with my heels up quite high on a bench.

Lunges onto step 40x8x3

These were fine, focusing on decending slowly and driving back up.

DB Bench press 22.5x10x3

Same here 22.5 is a handy weight, focusing on lowering slowly and driving up.

Seated Bicep Curls 12.5x10x3

Performed sitting at 60deg, these were actually quite tough.

Bent over lat raises 8x10x3

There were no 7s to be found, the 8s were actualy a good weight.

Lateral raises 12.5x10x3

These were actually tough enough too, just out of practice I presume.

Calf raises 100x20x3

Did these on the leg press machine, they were grand.

Leg raises 8x3x8

I think I managed 2 reps with legs fully extended the rest were knee to chest.

Patto

Tues, 18-Mar-08

Recovery Session

Dymanic warm up, Light jog 7 min, 25 minutes of 75% tempo runs with full recovery between runs 3x100; 2x100,1x200,100; 100, 2x200, 100; 2x100, 200, 100. Light jog and walk 7 min. Total=1900M, av HR=149

Very easy session, that should shake the legs up a bit. I'm going to keep the 25min for the tempos, it will be interesting to see if I can progress these by covering more distance with the same recovery in the 25 minutes.

Patto

Tues, 18-Mar-08

Ok, moved the squats to Tuesday. I increased the weight on nearly all my lifts in this session, still only feeling a light dose of doms today which is a massive improvement of 72 hours of the worst doms in history last week. I feel if I tighten up my form on the squats and lose the heel plates I will break the ton for reps in no time. Even though I am not at all happy with my squats I am still setting PRs. I'm a bit off my PRs on my bench and deadlift, I set all of them before christmas when I was lifting high volumes and taking creatine.

Squats 50x8, 60x5, 70x5, 80x3, 85x3x6 (PR for sets)

Warmed up with 50,60,70,80 then 85x3x6. A PR for sets by a mile. Still quite unhappy with my form, some of the reps were really easy, some were a real struggle. Too much weight is going forward onto my toes. My quads are doing too much of the work. I need to wean myself off the heel plates. Try without the hell plates next time, I may loose some depth but I can work on that. I am going to hit a wall with these if my form stays so loose.
Leg curls 28.75x3x6

These were fine, 28.75 per leg was the right weight, I struggled only on the very last rep. Try for a set or 2 of 30s next time.

Romanian deadlift 80x8x4

Upped 10Kg to 80 this time, these were tough enough, 80 is a good weight for these right now.

Lunges 45x8x4

Upped to 22.5 per hand. Walked these out much more comfortably this time. Focusing on dring with the glutes through the heels.

Those 4 excersies don't look like much but that was a full hour of lifting.

Calf raises 15x10x3

Did these one leg at a time with a 15Kg plate in my hand.

Single leg hip lifts 10x3

These were fine, glutes were ok.

Roll outs 15x3

These were handy enough. I only did 10 on the last set though.
Roll outs from standing to kneeling 5x1

Still not getting into a plank position without dropping the knees. Need to focus on some sort of progression variation here. I'm nowhere near even one standing rep yet.

Patto

Wed, 19-Mar-08

Recovery Session

Dymanic warm up, Light jog 8 min, 25 minutes of 75% tempo unhill runs with full recovery between runs. Each run was 50M. 3x50; 50, 50, 50x2, 50; 50, 2x50x2, 50; 50, 2x50, 50. Light jog and walk 7 min. Total=950M of steep hills, av HR=152.

Fairly easy session, I don't have much motivation for doing these short lunchtime runs I have to say. Its just an effort to wash a bit of lactic acid out of the legs and mainatin some level of aerobic fitness really. The unhills were interesting, just looking at my av hr, 50M of a steep unhill is tougher than twice that distance on the flat.

My legs are surprisingly ok after yesterdays squats, don't know what thats about.

Patto

Thu, 20-Mar-08

After moving the squats to Tuesday it mean it was 9 days since I did any bench work. I also had a few too many after dinner ports on a work night out the night before. This session was just about going through the motions, no gains to be found.

BB Bench press 75x3x6

Did all of these with a spot some were more assisted than others. Not a true 75x3x6 for sure, next time maybe.

Chin Ups 97x3x4, 97x2x2

These were BW+4Kg I think I got the first 4 sets again for 3 reps.

Incline DB BP 25x8x4

I did the 8 reps as 4x2s, too hung over to push these.

One arm rows 35x8x4

Did the first set as 4x2s but managed 8s after that.

Barbell curls 35x6x5

35s are bang on at the moment for 6 reps.

Dips 93x4x5

I was able to manage 4x5 dips. Did go for any gains due to hangover. Go for 6x5 next time, then start adding weight.

Patto

Sat, 22-Mar-08

Down to my parents family hideaway in a place called Bere Island in west Cork for the weekend. That ought to get a few Google hits:o. I always find the island a great place to run. There are some really breathtaking tracks up over the hills looking out over the south of the island into Bantry bay. There is a biathlon on the island on the second week of august each year where you cycle the first 3Km up over the shoulder of a mountain and then, if your legs still work, run about 5Km to the village on the east end of the island. Its a really chaotic event that seems to have captured the imagination. My best finish was 7th a couple of years back, I finished 10th last year. I've always lost way too much time on the cycle, mostly because in the true spirit of the event I have used old clapped out bikes with soft tyres, dodgy breaks and gears. I might sort myself out a decent bike this year, it almost seems like cheating:p.

I did a run on Saturday over the belly of the island and back the low road. It look 1:24:35 HR 155, I guess it was around 8-9 miles. I attached the hills and coasted on the downhill and flat. I was full of energy.

No gym on the island so I had to skip the DE full body workout this week. Diet went a bit wayward too.

ICX

Hey Patto, Ballycotton 10, jasus that hill would kill ya at the end. Did it in 2003 73 mins never again though, too much impact on joints I though.

Best of luck with your goals.

Patto

Yeah, its a killer alright. I got a great kick out of it last year but I didn't really enjoy it at all this year. It doesn't work well with strength or speed training. I still have half an ambition to return to a semi serious level of gaelic football next year, I'll get far more return from under the squat rack than I will from the roads.

Patto

Tue, 25-Mar-08

squats 85x3x6 (=PR)

Warmed up with 20,50,60,70,80 then 85x3x6. I dropped the heel plates for the first time today. I was hoping my form would magically tighten up and I'd start pounding out the 85s. I got the 6 sets of 3 which equals my squat PR but damb some of those reps were ugly as hell. My form was all over the place at times. The bar was drifting to the right, my weight was going forward onto my toes too much, not keeping my back tight and straight, very unsure of feet position and moving feet during the lift. If I can sort out my form there is pleanty of gains to be made, I'm sure of it. Maybe I need to go back again though before going forward.

I think I'll do one more week with the max effort squats, I'll put in deadlifts for a few weeks and drop the squats back as an assistance excersise as 70x8x4 or something to tighten up the form a bit. Hip flexability, though improving, is a huge issue. Without the heel plates I'm not getting as deep, I'm still well below parallel, keeping my back straight while in the hole has become much more difficult without the plates. Sore left knee and lower back on the left, I think anyone who witnessed my form would understand why.

Leg curls 30x3x1, 28.75x3x5

28.75 per leg was the right weight, I tried 30s on the first set, I just about managed 3, I wouldn't have got a second set so I dropped off.

Romanian deadlift 80x8x4

These were the easiest of the first 4 excersises, I have a lot to spare here, I noticed at the end my form getting a bit lazy, I need to keep my back straight and feel those hamstrings.

Walking Lunges 50x8x4

16 walking lunges per set is a killer. I was getting very slow between sets. Still 25Kgs per hand is good progression and I can feel the glutes firing well.

Calf raises 15s10s4

Did these one leg at a time with a 15 Kg plate in my hand.

Single leg hip lifts 10x4

These were fine, glutes were ok.

Roll outs 15x3

These were a little bit harder than usual. Probably because I haven't done any ab work in 7 days. Tired after a long session also.

Plank 15secx3

10 breaths per set, easy peasy. Did some side planks too, I think I'm a little weaker off my left side.


Weight 206Lb, BF measurement 7mm (about 8%). I can't believe my weight is down to 206Lb again after a weekend carb fest! I was getting some 6mm measurements off the calipers too, it looks like my bodyfat is dropping slightly. Last week was a bit of a crazy week, I'm not going to read too much into these numbers.

siochain

Patto wrote: »

Weight 206Lb, BF measurement 7mm (about 8%). I can't believe my weight is down to 206Lb again after a weekend carb fest! I was getting some 6mm measurements off the calipers too, it looks like my bodyfat is dropping slightly.

BF 8%, respect, great work Patto. Your on a role man.

Patto

Thanks for that siochain, I have pretty much maintained single didgit bodyfat for the last year and below 12% for the last two years. I've always been tall and thin but I did have to conciously change my diet around two years ago to bring it down to those figures. I was only ever up around 18% at my worst. It was when I started reading the boards that I changed my diet. I've been a client of Transform's for nearly two years now also, his advise and support has been invaluable.

Patto

Thu, 27-Mar-08

Not really seeing much progress on my bench day yet. That isn't really surprising, My body is still getting used to the shock of the increased volume, I missed a full body session last week and I did a crap "hung over" bench session last week. I should see progress next time though.

BB Bench press 75x3x1, 75x2x5

I failed on the last rep of the second set of 3. Looks like I got an awfull lot of assistance when spotted last week.


Chin Ups 98x3x4, 98x2x2

Bw+5kg again, same again got 4 full sets and only 2s for the last 2 sets. Should make progress next time.

Incline DB BP 25x8x4

Getting a bit more used to these. I still find the 8 reps a slog. Should get 4 sets of 8 next time.

One arm rows 35x8x4

These were fine, using the right weight here.

Barbell curls 35x6x5

These are fine, improved form.

Dips 93x5x5

Went for sets of 5 this time which is a little bit of progress.

Reverse curls 3x10

My abs were still a bit stiff from Tuesday night. I took it fairly easy with just 10 reps.

Middle trap flies 2x10

These were grand, just a little prehab excersise to break up the reverse curls.

Patto

Sun, 30-Mar-08

I missed this session last week, I think it makes a big difference espiceally to my bench press, it seems with the bench press in particularb that I need to work on it at least twice a week to make steady progress. Its a nice session it really feels like a reenforcement of the heavy work done doung the week.

Hang Cleans 50x3x3

These were fairly easy, nice warmup excersise

Hang Snatches 50x3x3

The snatches were a little heavy. I might do them as full snatches next time.

Deadlifts 70x5x1, 90x5x4

Did one set of 70s then 4 sets of 90s. The 90s were a nice weight, I was still able to move the bar with a bit of tempo.

Inverted rows 10x5

Still only getting 5 or 6 reps out of these. Doing them as 5x2x5 really. They are a good excersise though.

Lunges onto step 45x6x3

Used 22.5 in each arm this time, still able to get a good drive off the step. Maybe go up to 25s next time but I won't go much further than that for a while.

DB Bench press 25x10x3

I was fairly happy with these. I'm pause pressing these which seems to work well, I really feel it in my lats. I only did 8 reps on the last set I probably could have forced the last 2, next time.

Curls 12.5x10x3

These are grand, getting a nice pump on the last set.

Bent over lat raises 7.5x10x3

These were fine.

Straight arm Lateral raises 7.5x10x3

Not sure about these at all, doing straight arm side raises, really feeling it in the back of the shoulder (rotator cuff muscles).

Standing Calf raises 10x12x3

Mixed these up a bit with no weight, 10kg and 15kg.

Leg raises 5x5

Mixed these up too, my grip was the biggest problem.

Patto

Mon, 31-Mar-08

Recovery Session

Light jog 7 min, 25 minutes of 75% tempo runs with full recovery between runs 3x100; 2x100,1x200,100; 100, 2x200, 100; 2x100, 200, 100. Light jog and walk 7 min. Total=1900M, av HR=151

Very easy session. HR a bit higher than last time. Need to be carefull not to fall off the cardio wagon, I'm not very motivated for doing these runs but its important to maintain a bit of fitness. I felt a bit tired afterwards and in the evening.

Patto

Tues, 01-Apr-08

Squats 85x3x5, 87.5x3 (PR)

Warmed up with barx10, 50x8, 60x5, 70x5, 80x3; Used 1.25kg plates as heel plates again. My form was much improved, getting more depth, not as much bending in the back or going from side to side. Still letting the weight off my heels and onto my toes a bit. Getting the chest out and my back tighter. That was a PR again. I'll go for 87.5x6 next week and stick with that for two weeks before going for 90s. And I'll stick with the small heel plates for a while.

No leg curls this week, the gym is being refurbed and all the hammer strength machines are locked away.

Romanian deadlift 80x8x4

These were tough enough, I moved them quite quickly but the combination with the bar bell lunges certainly got the HR going.

Lunges 50x7x4

I did these with the bar this time. They are quite tough with the bar, you really have do drive back on the way up. I should be able to progress this over the next few weeks quite a bit, this is nowhere near my PR for lunges.

Calf raises 15x10x4

These were fine, mixing them up reps/weights quite a bit.

Single leg hip lifts 10x4

Again no bother here, this is just a prehab excersise really.

Roll outs 15x3

These were tough enough as always I suppose.

Plank 15x3

These were grand, did some side planks also.

Patto

Thu, 03-Apr-08

BB Bench press 75x3x6

Ah sweet gains at last, did 6 sets of 3 reps with no spot. That is 5 extra reps from last week. I felt very strong through these. I don't know what to attribute the gains to, its 4 weeks into this new program, I think it is normal for me to start making good gains around the 3-4 week mark. I benched twice in the last week also which probably helped. I've lost about 5Kgs off mt PB on the bench, I should get that back quite quickly but its hard to know what to atrribute that loss to. That PB was set just after coming off creatine, I don't like to think the creatine gave me that extra 5Kg, some of it must be loss of practice and I lost a bit of size when I was doing all the running in Jan and Feb.

Chin Ups (BW+5kg) 99x3x3, (Bw+6Kg) 100x3x3

Nice gains here too, my weight is up to 94Kg, someone nicked by 5kg so I had to use 6Kg for the last 3 sets. I just got the last set with the 6s. 2 extra reps and 2 extra Kgs from last week, very nice!

Incline DB BP 25x8x2, 25x7x1, 25x5x1

Ok, I got a bit smug doing these, maybe lost a bit of focus, maybe the benching muscles where just melted. No gains here. My best at this rep range was 27.5x8x3 back at the end of Jan. 30x5x5 was my PB for sets of 5 reps.

One arm rows 37.5x8x4

These were an improvement, its hard to measure gains on these because you can always cheat your form to make the reps. Form was pretty good though. Stick with this weight for 2-3 weeks.

Barbell curls 35x7x5

Upped the reps to 7, good form, good weight.

Dips 94x5x5

No gains here either, I think my triceps were just melted at this stage. I wonder if my gains in the earlier lifts came from improved Lat strength, that might explain gains on the chins and flat bench but not on the incline or the dips.

Reverse curls 3x15x3

These were pretty ok for once, I spotted a guy benching 140Kg for one and 1/2 reps during these, its funny he didn't look like someone who could bench that type of weight. I mean he didn't stand out as a big guy. Massively impressive! Puts my 75s into perspective.

crunches 7x20x3

These were grand.


Weight 209Lb, BF measurement 7mm (about 8%). Thats +3Lb in a week. I wasn't getting any 6mm measurements this time and I got a few 8s. So that ain't 3lb of muscle. My aim is to get down to 5mm and stay under 210Lb. Need to tighten up the diet a bit.

Patto

Fri, 04-Apr-08

Recovery Session

Light jog 8 min, 25 minutes of 75% tempo unhill runs with full recovery between runs. Each run was 50M. 3x50; 50, 50, 50x2, 50; 50, 2x50x2, 50; 50, 2x50, 50; 2x50; Light jog and walk 7 min. Total=1000M of steep hills, av HR=150.

Fairly easy session, interesting that I ran an extra 2x50M at a lower hr compared to 2 weeks ago.

token56

Do you mind if I ask how you are measuring your body fat %, I wouldn't mind knowing mine.

Also good work

Patto

Sat, 05-Apr-08

Snatches 50x3x3, Hang Cleans 50x3x3

Did these off the floort this time, got through these and the hang cleans much quicker this week.

Deadlifts 90x5x5

Good bar speed with the 90s, the 90s actually feel quite light.

Inverted rows 10x5

I finally managed to master these with 10 reps, sat my thighs on a small swiss ball and was able to get a good tempo going.

Lunges onto step 45x8x3

8 each side this week, maybe move to the 25s per hand in the next week or two.

DB Bench press 25x10x3

Got the full 10x3 this week, I probably focused more on getting the reps than driving max effort through each rep. Lifting these as pause presses, these are still tough enough. Maybe move to 27.5 next week for 8x3.

Curls 12.5x10x3

These are grand, getting a nice pump on the last set.

Bent over lat raises 7.5x10x3

These were fine.

Straight arm Lateral raises 7.5x10x3

Did these as front raises this time. Still a little unsure about these. I'm thinking I should be doing them as a normal lateral raise just with straight arms ??? I must consult.

Standing Calf raises 10x10x3

Mixed these up a bit, standing, one leg at a time, with no weight, 10kg and 15kg. I think I'm quite weak on these.

Leg raises 15x3

These are grand, just the handing bar isn't high enough.

Weight 211Lb, body fat 7mm (about 8%), getting a few 6mm measurements again. Thats +5Lb now in just over two weeks and no noticable movement in bodyfat. Looks like a bit of a growth spurt. I did eat a huge lunch on Saturday also, that might explain some of the extra bagage.

Very Good session, I went to the gym with 90 minutes to closing, that got my buitt moving quicker between sets, I got through the full workout in just over an hour, that is what I should be aiming to do anyway. I was wrecked tired on Saturday, its funny, once I got to the gym I was fine, full of energy and lifting well. Sometimes a good workout is like a drug fix, it just takes the edge off the day or a long week as was my case on Saturday. I felt great for the rest of the weekend.

Patto

token56 wrote: »

Do you mind if I ask how you are measuring your body fat %, I wouldn't mind knowing mine.

Also good work

I measure my own bodyfat with one of these:

http://www.healthmonthly.co.uk/product_details.php?category_id=0&search_string=accumeasure&s_tit=1&s_fds=0&item_id=230

It is a single measurement on the abdomen just above the hip bone. You have to push the lever with a consistant pressure and you get a click when it reaches a certain pressure. It sounds fool proof but its not. It takes a bit of getting used to, I usually have to take 8-10 measurements and take a sorta average. I take my bodyfat a couple of times a week so I am very used to it and have a fairly good feeling for any movement in body fat. I know some people find them quite annoying becuase typically if I take 10 measurements I could easily range between 6mm and 10mm. Typically the measurements will cluster around a certain point, you will get a couple of slightly lower measurements and a couple of very high measurements.

I get a 5 point measurement done every couple of months with my personal trainer who uses a digital calipers. My own estimations and his are never more than 1% apart. Mind you I have probably tuned my baseline to his. In reality both measurements maybe upto 2% off the true value. You cannot see all my abs, you can see 4 of them quite clearly but not all 6, then again I don't carry anything on my chest or legs, most people would probably guess I am more like 10%. Its a bit of a black art but I think as long as your measurements are consistant the rest doesn't matter very much.

Al_Fernz

Hey man - good log and great progress.

Do you include the weight of the bar on your lifts? Your BF seems fiendishly low and your body weight is high so you obviously have a lot of lean muscle but your lift stats don't really reflect that.

Also how long have you been lifting?

Keep up the good work!

Patto

Al_Fernz wrote: »

Hey man - good log and great progress.

Do you include the weight of the bar on your lifts? Your BF seems fiendishly low and your body weight is high so you obviously have a lot of lean muscle but your lift stats don't really reflect that.

Also how long have you been lifting?

Keep up the good work!

Yeah, tell me about it;)

Yeah, I include the bar, I've been lifting fairly consistantly for the last two years. I also do a bit of long distance running which tends to counteract the lifting.

I'm 6'4", I wouldn't consider 15 stone huge for my height, most of my bulk comes from years of playing gaelic football. I developed strong thighs and glutes and a whole load of imbalances from the football. I have a weak upper body by comparison, relatively weak shoulders and arms, my hamstrings are a good bit weaker than my quads, my lower back though improved was relatively weak, my upper back is quite good now after alot of work, my hips are relatively weak. All that results in a decent deadlift, a half decent bench press, fairly decent chins and a very troublesome squat.

The objective of improving my squat should hopefully sort out my hamstrings, low back and hips.

ebowdia

Hi Plato,
Good stuff on the training. I was just wondering what type of hip injury you had when training for the Ballycotton? I seem to have picked an overuse one since I ran the Ballycotton myself and even with Physio am finding it difficult to shake off...........

Patto

Mon, 07-Apr-08

Recovery Session

Dynamic warm up, Light jog 7 min, 25 minutes of 75% tempo runs with full recovery between runs 3x100; 2x100,1x200,100; 100, 2x200, 100; 2x100, 200, 100; 100 Light jog and walk 7 min. Total=2000M, av HR=152

Very easy session. I did one more 100M than last time, av HR+1, I may have miscounted the intervals.

Patto

ebowdia wrote: »

Hi Plato,
Good stuff on the training. I was just wondering what type of hip injury you had when training for the Ballycotton? I seem to have picked an overuse one since I ran the Ballycotton myself and even with Physio am finding it difficult to shake off...........

Yeah, they are a killer! Mine was a hip flexor injury, which came around slowly, I then ended up with a load of tightness in my abductors that took forever to go away. Eventually when I changed my runners the tightness disappeared in less than a week.