Cold hit!

Well I'm not having much luck in terms of avoiding the cold. Everyone around me has been dropping like flies so I suppose it was only a matter of time before I caught it as well. Generally I don't feel that bad so I went training this morning doing the upper body at 10reps and 1min rest between sets. It was hard going but only a little harder than usual so I'm glad I went. If I take a rest over the next couple of days I should be ok to get my last two sessions in back to back before the gym closes for the christmas break. I'll then have time to recuperate fully before starting up on Hypertrophy II sessions in the new year. I have a busy year ahead next year and have a number of goals that will take a lot of work. There's personal fitness goals, a charity bike ride (this includes proper training building up to it), then there's work and career progression through various projects and training that are already diaried in. So yes I'm intending to be very busy next year. I will need to stay focused if I'm to achieve everything I want to. Cheers

The Big 5!

Today was the lower body session and the 5 sets of 5 reps range. This is pretty tough even with a rest period of 90 secs between each superset. The first of which is Squat coupled with Deadlift with a shrug. Then the next one was Bulgarian split squat with Step-ups. After that your legs are like spagetti. To fininsh the session are 3 sets of 20 reps Reverse crunches then your done. Literally, and that's the Big 5 for the lower body. Cheers

Christmas Stuffing started early!

I've been training hard over the past week but I've also been eating hard as well. Stuffing myself with alot of things that I really shouldn't be eating. I've put on quite a lot of weight I would say since I last weighed myself and I do feel considerably fatter but I'm not going to stress too much about it just before Christmas. I'll get back on track properly with cv work again and better eating (although I'll still be sticking with plan D until end of March [under current plan]) less rubbish going in more focused training etc. I do look bigger but I'm not sure whether some of this extra size is due to muscle growth with the training or whether its all just increased fat. I suppose until I finish the hypertrophy phase and strip the fat away with a fatloss phase I wont be able to say for certain.

The new year should hopefully signal a new start (as it does for many of us). I've achieved a lot during this journey already I just need to make sure I don't slip permanently back to old ways of eating etc. The TNT diet and the NROL workouts work but they have to be followed properly. If they are then achieving your goals is just a matter of effort and time. Both are something I have plenty of. I'll keep you updated as much as I can.

Cheers,

2nd Session In: Workout B

I haven't re-introduced any extra cardio back into my training as I want to get back into the swing of actually getting to the gym in this horrible winter weather. I went this morning in the ice and dark to do workout B (lower body) at the 5 sets 5 rep range. It was difficult to get going but the gym was very quite and so there was no problem in getting on and superetting exercises together. Thi is one of the main reasons why I train early in the morning. First to be able to actually get on the equipment in the way my programme intended and so that I have it done and dusted before most people are out of bed. I'll probably be aching more tomorrow as seems to be the case with this particular workout and I'll certainly be tired later. I've been sticking to eating plan D much better but once this particular phase is complete I'll feel better reverting back to plan A to assist fatloss. That's a way off yet and I've still a way to go with these hypertrophy sessions, I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers,

1st Session Back

The first session back today and it was really hard. It was cold dark and I really wanted to just turn over and go back to sleep but I'm really pleased with myself that I made a start on getting where I want to be. If I can keep this up during the winter months whilst the weather etc are bad then it will be much easy as it gets better.

The session it self was very difficult and quite taxing on the system. Infact I did feel a bit queasy afterwards. I'm sure this will past and put this down to merely a shock to the system. I'm glad that it wasn't workout B the legs session that I was doing otherwise I would have been much worse. I have that to look forward to on Wednesday. Anyway this session the rest periods were short at 30 secs (which I stuck to as much as I could) and the rep range was high at 15reps. When I got back home I was getting changed to go to work and I could see the difference training has on me, I suppose with not going for a while this would be more noticable than usual. I'll let you know how it all goes.

Cheers,

Re-Start the mission: Back to the Gym!

So, I've had about two weeks off now and the eating hasn't been great and I've been full of cold etcetera etcetera. It's about time I got back on with the task in hand because I'm certain that I've lost a lot of ground. I need to get back in the swing of things and when the weather gets better I can add in more CV work such as running and cycling. I've been talking plenty lately but it's about time I actually followed through the words with positive and sustained action. I mean it was sustained action that gave me my initial success in the first place.

I'll take a look at my programmes later today and make sure that everything is in place and prepared for tomorrow morning's early session. It will be hard to get back into it especially since the temperature has dropped considerably and it's very dark when I get up to go (usually at gym for 6:30am). I must get mentally tough if long term I want to achieve the body I want. Like I said earlier I have been letting myself down lately so I have lost considerable ground. I need to get back before anymore is lost. I must focus on the objective and know that this bulk period is only going to work positively if it is done correctly and accompanied with the proper training.

So it's time to re-start that plan and with sustained effort slowly work towards that objective. I'll let you know how it goes.

Cheers,

Jeruselem Artichokes: The Facts not carb free but..

Nutritional Highlights
Jerusalem artichoke (raw, sliced), 1 cup (150g)
Calories: 114
Protein: 3.0g
Carbohydrate: 26g
Total Fat: 0.015g
Fiber: 2.4g
*Excellent source of: Iron (5.1mg)
*Good source of:Potassium (643mg), and Vitamin C (6.0mg)

*Foods that are an "excellent source" of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value. Foods that are a "good source" of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the Recommended Daily Value.

The tubers store the carbohydrate inulin (not to be confused with insulin) instead of starch. Unlike insulin, Inulin is a naturally-occurring non-digestible carbohydrate found in over 36,000 plants worldwide. Inulin is a natural dietary fiber that is growing in popularity due to its ability to promote health and well-being. It is a 100 percent natural fruit and vegetable fiber found in common foods such as Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), asparagus, garlic and raisins. Like fiber in oats, peas and apples, inulin is a soluble fiber. Being soluble offers unique health benefits. It dissolves easily in water, which in turn may improve regularity. Soluble fiber may help reduce cholesterol levels and perhaps help regulate blood sugar levels. Inulin also has a zero Glycemic Index. Because of this, Inulin does not raise blood glucose levels and is among the starches beneficial for people observing low glycemic, diabetes, low carb, and weight-loss diets.

Inulin may have other health promoting benefits that are currently being researched. As a prebiotic, it is food for the "good" bacteria (bifidobacteria and lactobacilli) that live in the colon, and so may help improve digestive health. Friendly bacteria grow and produce fermentation products that may also help support a healthy immune system. Inulin also may help modulate glucose and lipid (fat) metabolism in the liver, may help improve calcium absorption, and may help keep the colon functioning properly for recycling of water and electrolytes. Scientific evidence is growing on the role of inulin in health.

Studies have shown that 8 grams a day of Inulin can help increase the body’s calcium absorption by as much as 20%

I hope this helps everyone. Cheers.

Cold lingers on and the artichoke discovery!

The cold is still lingering on so I haven't been training this past week. I have been trying to rein in the eating and bring it in line with the TNT principles again. I want to make sure that I'm back to full strength or there abouts before I start with anything too full on.

In terms of eating you may know that as part of this diet potatoes are out but last night I tried a fantastic alternative with many additional health benefits. Jerusalem Artichokes. My dad has been growing them on his allotment and they are apparrently carb free. Diabetics use these as potatoes substitutes and they have good bacteria for the gut amongst other things. I have yet to look into their benefits in any detail but have been told that the list is impressive. So how did they taste. I ate them like chips and they were great. The artichoke is all knobbly so once cleaned I cut it into slices and made escollop type chips. Once cut they have to be cooked straight away otherwise they discolour. Alternatively I've heard that if you sprinkle lemon juice on it then it stops or at least reduces the discolouring.

The slices were cooked in olive oil and came out wonderfully. I was very impressed. These things would more than curb a carb craving for chips. You can also boil them etc everything you can do with potatoes. Obviously I'll look into this in more detail but it appears that these things are a god send for people on low carb. I'm not sure about there availability in stores but have heard that they can be expensive so where possible it would be best to grow your own. I'm in a wonderful position where my father grows them on his allotment, the yeilds are quite high from one plant and they are quite filling as well. I know I've harped on a bit but I thought it best to share this discovery. I'll keep you updated as to how things are going and when I get back to the training.

Cheers,

Bug Attack!

I haven't updated the blog for a few days now as I've had a few things go wrong. What with the sore bruised arm to eventually succumbing to a nasty virus bug which left me with headaches, lethargy, joint pain, stomache cramps and the dreaded runny bummy. Not nice. So I'm about 75 - 80% recovered but still feeling very tired and dizzy occasionally so I am going to make sure everything is fine before returning to the gym. Eating to plan has been out the window during this period, for the first couple of days of the virus/bug I was hardly eating anything because it caused me too much pain. It's not like me to be off my food so people knew that I was ill. Anyway I'm well on the way to full recovery now and hope to be back training and keeping a proper update for this blog. I will try and get some photographs on this weekend to illustrate current position. Don't expect pictures like the previous ones, remember that was at the end of an extended fatloss phase these next ones will be during a muscle building phase so expect to be carring more fat. The intention is to then return to the fatloss phases again to strip away the fat again whilst retaining the hopefully increased muscle mass that I've gained. This illness and injury to the arm have been delays and setbacks but the plan remains the same. I'll keep you updated. Cheers.

Quick Update!

Just a quick update. I didn't go training in the end as the arm was too sore and I really didn't want to go against the medical advice. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and began my reload day a little early it's not good. I feel like I'm letting myself down lately and so need to get back on track. It's probably the worst time to be straying since I'm on a muscle building phase eating carbs if too many and of the wrong sort then it wont be long before I start looking the way I use to which would be the worst thing possible. I'll be back with the training on Monday and I intend to incorporate some CV and interval work because it has been seriously lacking. I'll keep you updated. Cheers

Workout A, workout B tomorrow? Wait and see.

Yesterday I did workout A, the upper body session of Hypertrophy I in NROL. Basically it went well and to be honest if I had to choose between the two workouts A and B the I would say that I prefer workout A. I must admit that I do get alot of benefit from both sessions as they do push me hard.

Gave blood platelets today and there was a litle trouble with the machine returning my plasma to me so the session had to be abondoned. The pressure on return was too high for my vein to cope with and there was bleeding from a rupture vien. Everything is alright and there was no real reason for this to have happened but it means I shouldn't really use my arm until 24hours has passed but I'll assess how the arm feels in the morning. I wont be taking any chances. I'll let you know how it goes. Also just to confess a little I have ben cheating slightly by allowing the odd carb treat which really is a no no for the diet I'm following. It's something I'll have to rien in and take more control over. I think it's probably down to comfort food and convenience since we are having some work done on the house and food preparation at the moment is proving a little difficult. After this weekend I intend to much more strict and to plan with eating and training. Also reintroduce proper cardio interval sessions back in to the overall plan. This will probably consist of 2 session a week at this stage but when I eventually revert back to fat loss sessions this will hopefully increase to 3 or 4 sessions. Anyway that's a way off at the moment so I'll keep you updated as to whether I go training tomorrow, the plus point is that workout B is a lower body session so the effects should be minimised on the affected arm. Cheers

Workout B NROL Hypertrophy I

I went to the Gym this morning and trained well on workout B. It was the 5 reps 90sec rest range this particular time round but it will change on Friday when I next do this particular workout. This is one of the more difficult aspects as the body doesn't know what to expect as things are constantly changing. I'll be doing workout A on Wednesday which is more of an upper body session whereas workout B is a lower body one. This is a little unusual for me because until I embarked on Hypertrophy I all of my sessions were full body workouts. I am making etra effort in my squats to correct my form by keeping my right knee steady as it had a tendancy to travel slightly and go much deeper whilst staying in line. This has meant considerably reducing the weight I was using and starting from basics again. It's annoying but worth the effort in the long run to get the full benefit of the exercise. I had to do a similar thing with deadlifts a few month back and now my form is much improved and the weights are increasing back to where I had them before. I'll let you know how things go. Cheers

Clarification

Just to confirm that the first picture below is me after 24weeks and the second picture is obviously me at the start of my transformation. Cheers

Pictures:Seeing is believing!

Hi everyone, as promised I have attached a couple of photos to illustrate the change that took place on the 24 weeks I was on the TNT program. During that time I was stuck on plan A to maximise the amount of fat loss. Having now moved across to a muscle building phase I am not as lean but I hope the eventual gain in muscle will be more beneficial once I lean out again.

Who, Where, What, Why and How?

Right everyone you'll have to bare with me on this as it is my first post on my very first blog. I suppose the reason for the title above is to set the scene and give you the reasons for starting this page. Last year I began on a quest to change my body from the fat baloon it had become to something that I felt comfortable looking at in the mirror. I undertook a fantastic program called TNT on the Mens Health website. TNT stood for Targeted Nutrition Tactics and was basically a high fat low carb lifestyle combined with ingenious exercise routines. This initial program lasted 12 weeks and then I progressed on to the advanced sessions that were a further 12 weeks. During this time my body underwent some remarkable changes which I documented through a variety of pages on the Mens Health website. After the end of the TNT advance sessions I then moved on to a book of workouts called New Rules of Lifting (NROL) which were written by the same renowed trainer Mr Alwyn Cosgrove. I continued updating and creating pages on the Mens Health website through the TNT links but as of a few days ago these links and pages have disappeared. So hence the leap to this blog.

I wanted to keep people updated about how the training and exercise coupled with diet can change a body over time. I also found that writting the pages within Mens Health rewarding and theraputic also motivational as well. It is sometimes of great benefit mentally in terms of commitment when something is written down in black and white (or whatever font colour you use) but you know what I mean.

I have kept my progress pictures and original starting position so I will try and get some photos on here soon. As to where I am now I have moved through the various plans within TNT and at plan D which has a carb load day (today actually) with carbs in post and pre workout protien shakes. The rest of the time I eat low carb high fat and protien. At this particular point I'm working on adding more muscle and then by about end of March revert back to a fat loss phase where the type of session/ workout I do will change and the eating plan will adjust to Plan A where there's no reload day or carbs in the pre and post workout protien shakes. It's just high fat and low carb (not no carb). Hopefully I will be able to document my journey with thoughts, etcetra including pictures to get the messages across.