Pushing Tin - Paekakboyz Training Log
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Sup lads! inspired by the newest 2010 health threads I thought I'd join in. Advance apologies for the bloody novel!!<br />
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I pretty much gave up rugby last season to concentrate on running and avoid injury. I'd had a bad run of injuries (ribs, knee, calf) in the last 2-3 seasons and wasn't enjoying it.<br />
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I did the 10km shoe clinic run in mid-09 which was big for me. Never ran 10km before in my life!! got an ok time of 53.34min but I had hoped to finish with sub 5min kms.<br />
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Running has continued to go well since then and I'd be clocking 4.40min kms at the moment. I've got a 4km 'street circuit' and a 7.5km 'off road' run mapped out for some variety. I'd run anywhere from 2-4 times a week.<br />
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In Dec I started back at Les Mills, had put my membership on hold for ages as I was hoping to find a training partner. Eventually realised I was wasting time and dragged my ass in to the gym.<br />
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Key aims are to improve strength/tone and lose some fat. I'm going 2-3 times a week and doing a set workout that pretty much covers the entire upper body. I'm happy with how the legs are going on running alone. Have managed 8 workouts between Mid Dec and yesterday - quite chuffed!<br />
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[b]Chief Vitalstatistics![/b]<br />
175cm<br />
97kg target weight range 90-92kg. Haven't been under 90kg since 7th form! 90ish has always been my best fighting fitness weight.<br />
And to cap it off I used to be a winger! actually since college I've always played a combo role of wing/losehead prop. And as legs slowed down I did more propping. The ultimate utility!<br />
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Workout - all exercises are 12 Reps, 3 Sets.<br />
5-10min warm up<br />
[b]Chest[/b]<br />
Bench press - Started on 60kg in Dec and up to 70kg at the moment. Working my way back up to a 100kg.<br />
[b]Back[/b]<br />
Lat pull down without leg brace (so you do a lot of stabilising work with your core) - 52kg<br />
Seated row with widegrip bar. Again feet aren't braced on the pegs - Instead flat on the ground and you brace throughout your whole body. 48kg<br />
[b]Shoulders[/b]<br />
Barbell lift 20kg and Dumbell 5kg shoulder rotations/extensions - a reduced superset exercise we used to do - Mean!<br />
[b]Biceps[/b]<br />
15kg barbell curl plus 6kg dumbell curls - again another superset. I have never really liked loading up hard out on biceps. Much prefer lower weight and either high rep or a nasty superset to punish myself.<br />
[b]Triceps[/b]<br />
Rope pulldowns (on the machine) 7kg plus I add another 3 sets of 6 reps at 8-9kg.<br />
[b]Abs[/b]<br />
Medicine ball twists - seated and you rotate and place the ball just behind you to either side. 6kg ball and 30 reps for 3 sets.<br />
Leg/Knee lifts - 3 sets of 15 reps.<br />
Static hold - you go into a pushup setup but brace yourself on your forearms. Try and suck your bellybutton to your spine and hold!! currently can manage 1min at a time for 2 sets.<br />
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Keeping a notebook so I can track where I've increased weight and/or reps. I won't go any higher than 12 reps for weights so now its just increasing the amount of tin I can push.<br />
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Ab workouts (plus those braced lifting positions) have really helped my running. My core feels heaps stronger and I'm pretty sure my stride has lengthened a bit. Lining up the Round the Bays run in Feb as my next goal.<br />
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My NY's promise is to keep this thread going!! -
Yesterday 7.5km run and 4 hours in the garden<br />
Today Gym session and 1 hour in the garden -
Gym session on Monday. Caught up with an old workmate who has been a serious gym junkie for years. His usual training partner was away so I spotted him on the decline benchpress... he got up to 195kg!! I had been giving him shit about whether he'd cracked 200kg and he thought he'd have a crack at it. Knew his limits tho and after a single rep at 195kg dropped back down to 130kg for some 8 rep sets... <br />
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Happy with progress so far. Have increased all exercise weights since I started and up to 12 reps/3 sets now from the initial start of 10 reps/2 sets. A lot easier to get and stay motivated when you set manageble goals, esp when you are training on your own. -
[quote name='Paekakboyz']Gym session on Monday. Caught up with an old workmate who has been a serious gym junkie for years. His usual training partner was away so I spotted him on the decline benchpress... he got up to 195kg!! I had been giving him shit about whether he'd cracked 200kg and he thought he'd have a crack at it. Knew his limits tho and after a single rep at 195kg dropped back down to 130kg for some 8 rep sets... <br />
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Happy with progress so far. Have increased all exercise weights since I started and up to 12 reps/3 sets now from the initial start of 10 reps/2 sets. A lot easier to get and stay motivated when you set manageble goals, esp when you are training on your own.[/QUOTE]<br />
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Never done a decline bench press, you can lift more that way can't ya ? <br />
In any case, super effort ! -
yeah I was reading up a bit about why people do flat, incline, decline bench press. Seems decline puts less pressure on your shoulders and you can def lift more weight!! might have to try it out... although there are only 2 decline setups at the gym compared to 5 flat setups so access could be more difficult.<br />
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Bartman - this dude is a big unit bro! doesn't have an ego tho which is cool, also impressive that he was happy to stop within his limits rather than be a tough guy and blow a tube!! -
[quote name='Paekakboyz']yeah I was reading up a bit about why people do flat, incline, decline bench press. Seems decline puts less pressure on your shoulders and you can def lift more weight!! might have to try it out... although there are only 2 decline setups at the gym compared to 5 flat setups so access could be more difficult.<br />
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Bartman - this dude is a big unit bro! doesn't have an ego tho which is cool, also impressive that he was happy to stop within his limits rather than be a tough guy and blow a tube!![/QUOTE]<br />
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I lift weights at the MN5 home gym but my mate works at Les Mills so I pop in every now and again. There are all sorts of people there Paekakboyz but you're right I've seen some serious units, the "I can rip a phone book in half" looking guys ! Your mate may well have been one of them. -
yeah it can be quite a laugh sometimes. I can't stand those guys who wear those barely there singlets and bike shorts, ffs!! Or the guys that love to drop the heavy weights on the ground when they've finished a set. <br />
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wish I had room for a home gym - esp a spot to hang up a boxing bag! I found boxing and weights to be an awesome combo - boxing keeps you more flexible and builds up really good endurance too. As Jake da muss says ya gotta keep up with your speed work! -
5km run last night. Didn't push too hard as my right knee has been a bit sore lately. Sore just below the knee cap which is a common complaint for runners (google is my friend! who needs a doc!). Hurts a wee bit during warmup but once I've stretched and started running it's sweet as... the ache afterwards is just that dull sort of pain. Nothing to keep you awake or even require painkillers but still a hassle. Iced the knee after the run last night and that seems to have helped. I'm making sure I have at least 3 days between each run so I don't make it worse.<br />
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Actually getting back into weights at the gym has made spacing the runs out much easier - have enjoyed being more active so only running 2 or so times a week would have been stink. -
[quote name='MN5']I lift weights at the MN5 home gym but my mate works at Les Mills so I pop in every now and again. There are all sorts of people there Paekakboyz but you're right I've seen some serious units, the "I can rip a phone book in half" looking guys ! Your mate may well have been one of them.[/QUOTE]<br />
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Piss easy to rip a phone book in half. My mate can do it, reckons its all technique, just manipulating the book until you find the weak point. -
[quote name='Red Beard']Piss easy to rip a phone book in half. My mate can do it, reckons its all technique, just manipulating the book until you find the weak point.[/QUOTE]<br />
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I demand video proof !!!!! <br />
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Englebert Humperdink may be better known for being one of the cheesiest men on earth but he can rip a pack of cards in half, I saw him do it on Clive James. -
[quote name='MN5']I demand video proof !!!!! <br />
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Englebert Humperdink may be better known for being one of the cheesiest men on earth but he can rip a pack of cards in half, I saw him do it on Clive James.[/QUOTE]<br />
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My mate and his brothers learnt how to do it on old phone books while waiting for their old man who was sifting through trash every Saturday at the Kerepehi dump. They reckon they used to go to the dump with a half full trailer and leave with a full one. -
30min walk with the missus, was keen as to actually run but trying to give the sore knee time to recover. Weights tomorrow after work and maybe a run when I get home if the weather is nice (Ha!!)
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was hoping it'd be nice tonight for that run!! no bloody luck, crap has arrived just in time for the weekend :mad1: <br />
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Really good gym session today tho.<br />
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Bench has improved a lot. 70kg*12 for 3 sets and was just fading on the 10+ of the last set. <br />
Went up in the seated row as well but I jumped 10kg extra instead of 5kg for the first set so that was a dumb move! Made the second set feel easier when I went down 5kg tho<br />
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Sounds like the rain will clear up sat arvo so I'm planning on a longish run tomorrow. -
8km run, knee had been feeling good after a few days of not running. Ran in beautiful sunshine in the early evening. Summer in wellington = taking whatever you can get! Gym tomorrow and amping to get there. I reckon you hit a similar sensation with weights as you do with cardio when you get fit, things just work better and your effort seems to go further.
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gym session<br />
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Good improvement allround. Really happy with how bench is going in particular. Starting to feel like a smooth lift. Seems with free weights you are working on all those stabilising muscles in addition to the focus muscle group, your bicep/pecs/lats whatevers. My strength in those muscles my has improved and so has my forml. Even when I'm fading the lift stays pretty stable. -
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given your current weight 90kg isn't bad Bartman! esp as you are doing bench last! Benching without a spotter means I'm focusing more on high reps rather than really pushing to increase the weight. Keen to get back up to 100kg though but happy to take my time getting there.
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[quote name='Paekakboyz']given your current weight 90kg isn't bad Bartman! esp as you are doing bench last! Benching without a spotter means I'm focusing more on high reps rather than really pushing to increase the weight. Keen to get back up to 100kg though but happy to take my time getting there.[/QUOTE]<br />
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Personally as I bench without a spotter constantly I've become adept at rolling the bar off after failing on that "one last rep" every now and again....roll it down to your stomach, sit up and lift it off. Sweet.
