No more Jaffa cakes

Valmont

I've had to give up on Fitocracy for a few reasons so here seems as good a place as any to record my activities and talk about them. I'm 5'10" and just under ten stone and primarily run on the treadmill, spin, and do a lot of calisthenics, usually pull-ups, dips, push-ups, and sit-ups. An extremely boring repertoire yes, but it works for me.

I ran 5k on the treadmill today in 21 minutes 43 seconds which is my best time. I try to run at 13.5 until 4k, then 14.5 until 4.5, then quickly cycle up to 19 for the last 200 metres. Of the three treadmills in the gym this is the fastest one with the other two being older and definitely slower even if the speed is set the same so I don't know how fast I'm running at all really (or how far exactly).

WHIP IT!

** Boycotting this Log in solidarity with my most favourite snack **

WAY more Jaffa Cakes!

Valmont

I usually do spinning class for an hour Friday and last week twenty minutes of the class was focused on this trendy HIIT manner of doing things. Flat out for fifty seconds or so followed by a break with a good mix of squats, hill climbs and all the usual spin class stuff. I love ending the week with this as I am generally smashed after it.

Valmont

I'm not sure if a 6 mile country ramble counts but that is all I got around to on the weekend!

Valmont

5k today on the treadmill in 21.45. I'm finding that the aul' in through the nose out through the mouth is good at fighting off those early stitches.

Valmont

Morning:

10 Push-ups, 10 Squats, 9 Push-ups, 9 Squats.... repeated down to one no break.

Afternoon:
Six minute core exercise: 30 seconds sit-ups, 30 seconds bicycle, 30 seconds leg raises, 30 seconds side-to-side, 30 seconds alternate leg raises, 30 seconds clockwise and anticlockwise circles with the legs together. Repeated again at the three minute mark, no breaks (well maybe a few seconds after the alternate leg raises!)

Pull-ups: 1 pull-up, 10 second break, 2 pull-ups, 20 second break.... etc I got up to 6 before only reaching five on the seventh set which I finished out after a 30 second break.

Dips: same as above, reached seven then stopped.

Dumb-bell burpee push-up row squat thrusters(I don't know what these are called):
5minutes 16 repetitions which is the most I can ever seem to squeeze in. 9kg in each hand.

Valmont

5k on the treadmill in 21:44

WHIP IT!

Valmont wrote: »

5k on the treadmill in 21:44

I'm eating Jaffa Cakes right now... :cool:

JJayoo

I think you can get a Jaffa Caka Cake which is basically a giant Jaffa Cake. I would said cake.

JJayoo

Alf Veedersane

A shot of cointreau with a shot of jagermeister is a jaffa cake. Doesn't last as long as the above monstrosity, mind.

Valmont

5k in 21:12 today! I find I run the first four kilometres at a set speed for three or four weeks before I find I can increase it by .5 which knocks a large chunk off the overall time. I estimate I will be running much slower after Christmas but it has been a good year regardless.

Curse you all with the Jaffa material, I have a problem you know.

Alf Veedersane

21.12 is a pretty tidy time? What's the target? And do you run outdoors much? I'll spare you the other 17 questions

Valmont

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

21.12 is a pretty tidy time? What's the target? And do you run outdoors much? I'll spare you the other 17 questions

I don't really run outdoors because my knees can't seem to handle the hard ground. I occasionally do a cross country run but not very often. I think I might need a new running technique to reduce the impact outdoors as I would like to run a 5k race at some point this year.

Valmont

Before I forget what I've done I should post an update. I did nothing over Christmas, 3.5k outdoors on the 29th, again on the 30th, then nothing until last Thursday the 2nd where I ran 5k in 21.39 which was a nice surprise because I really thought the Christmas indulgence would have affected me more. I did an hour of extremely intense HIIT spinning on Friday the 3rd and then today I ran 5k on the treadmill in 21.32.

Back to my calisthenics tomorrow, all the running on the treadmill is making me start to look like Mr. Burns from the Simpsons.

Alf Veedersane

Valmont wrote: »

I don't really run outdoors because my knees can't seem to handle the hard ground.

A lot of landing directly on your heel?

Valmont

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

A lot of landing directly on your heel?

Yes, most definitely. Strangely enough I find the steady pace of the treadmill allows me to keep better form and to not run on my heels but when I'm outside I always seem to fall into heel running when I get tired; maybe I should just stop when that happens I'm not sure really.

I'm running less lately (one 5k a week) and instead focusing on strength and conditioning.

My new routine (which I have done twice in the last week) consists of 7 squat thrusts with 9kg dumbells followed by 7 underam pull-ups, then 6 of each, five of each, all the way to one, no break. Best time so far is 3.56 which is quite poor so I have some room for improvement.

I then do a six minute core workout which is 30 seconds of sit-ups, 30 seconds of bicycle kicks, 30 seconds of leg raises, 30 seconds of side-to-sides, 30 seconds of alternate leg raises followed by 30 seconds of windmills, all repeated once more.

I finished on a five minute window of an exercise where I hold two 9kg dumbells, drop into a push-up, then do a row on the left, a push-up, a row, then up into a squat thrust. I see how many of these I can do in 5 minutes and I can only manage 15 so far.

Any comments on this workout? I did it yesterday but I'm not feeling too sore today which I feel means I didn't do it hard enough!

Alf Veedersane

Valmont wrote: »

Yes, most definitely. Strangely enough I find the steady pace of the treadmill allows me to keep better form and to not run on my heels but when I'm outside I always seem to fall into heel running when I get tired; maybe I should just stop when that happens I'm not sure really.

I'm running less lately (one 5k a week) and instead focusing on strength and conditioning.

My new routine (which I have done twice in the last week) consists of 7 squat thrusts with 9kg dumbells followed by 7 underam pull-ups, then 6 of each, five of each, all the way to one, no break. Best time so far is 3.56 which is quite poor so I have some room for improvement.

I then do a six minute core workout which is 30 seconds of sit-ups, 30 seconds of bicycle kicks, 30 seconds of leg raises, 30 seconds of side-to-sides, 30 seconds of alternate leg raises followed by 30 seconds of windmills, all repeated once more.

I finished on a five minute window of an exercise where I hold two 9kg dumbells, drop into a push-up, then do a row on the left, a push-up, a row, then up into a squat thrust. I see how many of these I can do in 5 minutes and I can only manage 15 so far.

Any comments on this workout? I did it yesterday but I'm not feeling too sore today which I feel means I didn't do it hard enough!

It might be just that you didn't do it hard enougfh but that's no big deal. You've set a benchmark now so you just try and beat the 15. When you do, you've another mark to beat.

If your gym has a dewcent rowing machine, you could always to HIIIT on it. Something like 30s all out, 30s rest. On the concept 2 machines you can set it up that it counts down from 30s for your work and then for your rest and counts the number of work-plus-rest intervals. If you get to 10 and you've gone all out each time, you're doing well.