Halfway point update and East Coast Barbell

Week4: Halfway point

Weight: 62.1kg (-0.9kg since last week, -4.6kg since beginning)
Waist: 70cm (-1.5cm since last week, - 5cm since beginning)
Hips: 98cm (no change since last week, 2 cm since beginning)
Thighs: 57cm (-1cm since last week, -4.5cm since beginning)

31st January

31st January

I'm happy with how the weight's been coming down and I've lost a good amount from my waist. I'm not too worried about my hips and thighs as they've always been stubborn about trimming down anyway, I knew I was going to have to be more patient with them. I can feel the abs just under the skin so hopefully I'll be trimmed down enough in four weeks to actually see them!

Today marks my last day of caffeine. I had thought the odd cup of black coffee wouldn't do too much harm, but I'm finding it making me hungrier when it wears off so I'm going to allow myself one more day of it then go cold turkey. May all the deities help me!


Training is going well. I tipped down to East Coast Barbell in Bray again on Saturday. I really enjoy training there. There's always great coaching, great atmosphere and great banter! Barry is an excellent coach, and I got some new cues which really made a difference to my lifting. It always surprises me how much training with him can improve my technique in just one afternoon. 

I was worried that losing almost 4kg bodyweight would affect my lifting but didn't seem to by much. I hit a really easy 50kg snatch. Very weird, I was under it before I knew what was going on and there was so little effort involved I burst out laughing at the bottom. I suppose I wasn't necessarily limited by strength. Missed 52.5kg with a bump on the head and couldn't muster up the stones needed to make a decent go of it after that. 

I came pretty close to 65kg jerk but no dice, I reckon I was a bit tired from all the snatching before but I felt like I hit a good groove with the 60kg jerk that came before it.

Testing procedure and Isabel

So I've chosen 4 tasks to test my progress.

1: swim - how many lengths can I do in an hour? (Changed to how fast I can swim 500m)
2: pullups - how many unbroken pullups can I do? (changed to chinups)
3: "Grace" (30 clean and jerks) - How fast can I complete this? 
4: "Isabel" (30 snatches)  - How fast can I do this?



I should probably explain a bit about why I've chosen these particular tasks as my tests. The swim test is because I want to do a pool lifeguard certificate towards the end of February, as I feel this will improve my employability. A gym job would be handy for experience and money. I used to swim quite a bit but prior to this challenge, my last time in a pool was probably about a year and a half ago.
The pullups are chosen because they will improve as my pullup strength improves obviously, but also, as I lose weight, they should also become a little easier. I feel they also heavily involve the abs. 
Grace and Isabel were chosen because I am a weightlifter and these involve the olympic lifts. I also feel that they would be a good measure of improvements in my anaerobic capacity. 

Below is my 1st attempt at Isabel, completed 26th January 2011. I think 30kg was a bit light but it'll be a good measure of anaerobic capacity when I repeat it. I finished the workout in 2:52, managing to get through the first ten reps in 28s. I couldn't get into the rhythm again after that but hopefully I will next time I test this. I'm aware technique is rubbish, I just wanted to get it done. That is a perfectly adequate excuse and I'll hear no more on the matter!

What's the point and what's in this for you?

So I've been asked to clarify what the point of this blog is. The idea of setting oneself a personal challenge or a sacrifice for charity is not a new one, for example marathons, climbing mountains, shaving ones head etc. This blog is essentially documenting my "get-abs-a-thon". I have pledged two months of eating a very strict diet (of meat, veg, nuts and a little fruit), training harder and getting to bed early so that all of this is sustainable. It might seem a little unconventional to try to get ripped for charity so maybe I should explain a little more about where the idea came from. 

I have just finished a course in exercise, health studies and personal training and I am eager to put my knowledge into practice. It would be completely unethical to use someone else as a guinea pig in the application of this knowledge and so I am using myself. I need some way of holding myself accountable for my progress and outcome of this personal challenge and raising money for charity seems perfect.

I have raised money for Childline before when I ran the Flora Mini Marathon in 2009 and I believe they are a great charity. I intended to get involved in their collections over Christmas, but never actually got around to it so this is my contribution. 

As well as raising money for charity and helping me to get healthier and fitter, the other point of this blog is to help others along the way to similar goals. Let's just hope I succeed!

So what's in it for you? A wonderful artist that I know has kindly donated his amazing talent to my cause, and by donating to the ISPCC through my website, you will be added into a draw to win a portrait of you or a loved one. Check out other works by the artist Daire Lynch http://www.redbubble.com/people/dairelynch.

So how do you donate? I've set up a secure charity website http://www.mycharity.ie/event/projectabz/ where you can use a credit or laser card to donate. All donations are gratefully recieved and no amount is too small :)

Below are some training videos I have taken this week. Form may not always be perfect, but I'm trying!

   

Hanging leg raises: I need to work on doing these without using momentum.

Rollout using an ab roller.

3 Week update

So after three weeks, I seem to have hit a plateau. As you can see from below, there's not much change. I haven't deviated from the eating plan at all, sticking to meat, veg and nuts. I've also cut down on fruit a little. Perhaps I've underestimated the amount of fat I'm using. 
The plan going forward from here is to use less fat in cooking and choose leaner meat. I'll have a look at my portion sizes too. I'm reluctant to cut out fruit altogether as the only time I eat it is before training and I find it gives me a nice little boost for lifting. I don't think a couple of oranges and apples a week would have that much effect anyway. 
To be honest, I'm not too worried. Weight loss isn't supposed to be linear and there's still five weeks to go. I'm also starting to up the volume of non specific training this week so hopefully that'll help drop another little bit.



Weight: 63.2kg (-0.2kg)

Waist: 71.5cm (- 0.5cm)
Hips: 98cm (no change)
Thighs: 58cm (no change)

24th January

24th January

Week 3

I'd a great time training today. I got a 10kg personal best on the front squat (that previous best was last Monday!) and I've started adding more volume to my programme. Actually, I've been having a great run lately. My snatch technique is really clicking and I'm feeling more energetic.
I went a bit crazy during the first week of this challenge trying to do everything at once and on top of my usual 4 times a week weightlifting schedule, I tried to do millions of burpees, tons of extra ab work, pullups, swimming and metcons. Any rocket scientist could have told me that wasn't going to work unless I wanted to feel like total crap! I was sleeping badly and that's no good for recovery.
So now, I've kinda gone the other way and I don't think I'm doing enough this week. There's about 5 weeks left of this challenge so hopefully that's plenty of time to turn it around. I want make sure I get my usual weightlifiting training in and I'll do what I can after (obviously ab work being a priority.)

This week was a light week: week 1 of my 4 week training cycle and it  looked like this:

Monday 17^th January

Warmup: dynamic stretches, glute activation exercises, overhead squats.

Snatch 25kg x 3, 30kg x 3, 35kg x 3 x 2, 38kg x 2 x 2, 40kg x 2

Powerclean and 2 power jerks: 45kg x 1 x 5

Front squat: worked up to max, 85kg. Failed 90kg. (I was pretty knackered after the previous 2 days of squad training)

Tuesday 18^th January: Rest and ab work (rollouts, rocking hollows)

Wednesday 19^th January

Warmup: dynamic stretches, glute activation, jerk drills

Clean and jerk: 45kg x 3 x 2, 48kg x 2 x 2, 51kg x 1 x 2

Snatch below knees: 35kg x 3, 36kg x 3 (f), 35kg x 3, 36kg x 3

Power jerk: 45kg x 3 x 4 (sloppy)

Front squats: 60kg x 3 x 2, 64kg x 2 x 2, 70kg x 2

Stretch glutes and hip flexors (and again later)

Thursday 20^th January

Warmup: dynamic stretches, glute activation, ohs

Snatch: 25kg x 3, 30kg x 3, 35kg x 3 x 2, 38kg x 2 x 2, 40kg x 1 x 2

Power clean and 2 split jerks: 45kg x 1 x 5

Front squats: 60kg x 3 x 2, 64kg x 2 x 2, 69kg x 1 x 2

Stretch glutes, hip flexors (and hip flexors again later)

Friday 21^st January

Same as Wednesday

Later: ab work: rollouts, rocking hollows

Saturday 22^nd January: Rest and ab work (rollouts and rocking hollows)

Sunday 23^rd January- Coach decided week 1 again but with slightly more volume

Warmup: dynamic stretches, glute activation, ohs

Snatch: 25kg x 3, 30kg x 3, 35kg x 3, 38kg x 2, 40kg x 2 x 6

Powerclean and 2 split jerks: 45kg x 1 x 5

Overhead squat: 35kg x 3, 40kg x 3 x 3

Front squat: 60kg x 3, 70kg, 80kg, 85kg, 90kg, 95kg (pr 10kg) (that maxing wasn't exactly in the programme but I just wanted to)

Ab work (rocking hollows, 15kg plank, hanging leg raises) and stretching (death quad stretch, glute stretch)

I'm still not sleeping great, but better than I was back in week 1 and I think I'm doing pretty well with food. I haven't had any cheats since Berlin and I'm cooking way more and even starting to enjoy it a little (I've never been the biggest fan of cooking). I've discovered a few wonder foods that I just can't get enough of. Spring onions are amazing, so much nicer than other onions and make everything taste nice. Sugar snap peas are a life saver for snacking on and getting my greens in. 

So the plan for next week is to start adding in all the other stuff again (swimming and metcons and the like), just not all at once! I haven't had a chance to test the Crossfit workout 'Isabel' yet ( that's 30 snatches for time) and I don't know if it would really mean anything at this stage but sure if I get a chance, I'll give it a go for the craic and see how I get on.

http://www.mycharity.ie/event/projectabz/ is the website where you can donate to the kids. No amount is too small and it's all very much appreciated.

WHOOSH.... BANG!... And 2 week update.

Friday was fairly uneventful. Food was grand, didn't do much exercise apart from a little cycling. I did invent a new concept though, which I claim the intellectual rights to: preparing your food a few days in advance which no one has ever done before, ever. Recipe for the best salad in the world at the end of this post.

IAWLA Ladies' Squad Session

East Coast Barbell, Bray, Saturday and Sunday, 15th and 16th January 2011

Day 1: We started off with a functional assessment from Physiotherapist Emma Gallivan. She really knows her stuff. She picked up on the reasons for some issues I've had with my right hip for a few years but have been ignoring and was able to tell me how to go about correcting it. I was extremely impressed and very grateful to finally be able to do something about this. The rest of the day was training, eating, stretching and banter. Irish weightlifting ladies are the friendliest, most supportive group you could meet. I'm very lucky to have a great coach but sometimes it's nice to have some fresh input. Barry, Harry and Sami are very talented coaches and really helped me to hit more efficient positions. Much progress was made on my lifts. The day was topped off with a lovely massage and a meal at a local hotel. When I got home, I pretty much went straight asleep and slept the sleep of the dead for about 9 hours. 

Day 2: After getting stretched and warmed up, we spent about an hour working up to 80% on snatch and clean and jerks, concentrating on technique. I was feeling a bit tired and this wasn't great but after a bit of a rest and some lunch, we went for maxes. No personal bests but felt I made some technical progress especially with the jerk. My snatch was all WHOOSH BOOM! (This is the sound a good snatch makes in my head!) Ended the day with some vigorous stretching and hips are feeling much looser now. 

Great weekend, can't wait for the next squad session. Great location too. If I'd more money and time, I'd love to train at ECB more regularly.

Food was fairly good this weekend. I made a giant hearty salad and I made enough to last me for breakfast and lunch both days. Apart from that, I had a good bit of fruit for energy before lifting and some whey protein to help with recovery after. Dinner at the restaurant was prawn cocktail without the sauce (so just prawns, lettuce and lemon juice), main was turkey and ham with green beans and dessert was a single teaspoon of Bailey's cheesecake. 

BEST SALAD IN THE WORLD RECIPE

2 packets of chicken thigh fillets

1/2 packet of salad onions

2 small avocados

packet of sugar snaps

2 handfuls of mixed nuts (not peanuts, they're gross)

1/2 a packet of baby spinach

2 sticks of celery

tasty olive oil

butter

1 cinnamon stick

4 cloves garlic

soy sauce

salt and black pepper

cayenne pepper

Basically fry the chicken in butter with 1/2 the salad onions and garlic then remove to a lunchbox. Chop everything else up and chuck it in, crush and grind the cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Drizzle with a small bit of tasty olive oil. Bang it in the fridge. Tastes much better when reheated in the microwave for 3 minutes. Nom nom nom....

I'm not a great cook so I was very pleased with this little effort! 

2 WEEK UPDATE
Weight: 63.4kg (-3.3kg)
Waist: 72cm (- 3cm)
Hips: 98cm (-2cm)
Thighs: 58cm (-3.5cm)

17th January 2011

17th January 2011

Beerlin

Berlin was great fun. I was not as disciplined as I'd hoped but I would be very respectful to any human that could stay strong when faced with such awesome bratwurst and saurkraut! Back on track now anyway.

So I've been asked to be a bit more specific with how I'm going about my task of losing fat and gaining muscle. What I've been doing nutritionwise so far is mainly eating only meat, fruit, veg and nuts.

A typical day would look a little like this:
Breakfast: 2/3 eggs fried in butter (depending on how hungry I am or if I'm going training), small bit of fruit
Lunch: small plate of stir fry
Dinner: Big plate of stir fry or just some steak and veg
Supper: small plate of whatever's leftover from dinner
I usually have a small piece of fruit before training and a protein shake and a couple of nuts after.
As I go on, I'm going to eat more veg and less fruit. When I was switching from eating all the mince pies in the world to eating like this, I found I needed alot more water and I made sure I got more sleep.

Today looked like this:
Breakfast: 3 eggs fried in butter, small bit of pineapple
Lunch: chicken fillet, last of the pineapple
Pre workout madarin, post workout 1/2 protein shake and apple
Dinner: chicken fillet and lots of green beans with garlic and soy sauce
Supper will probably be a fried egg or 1/2 chicken fillet

Workouts today:
swim 500m,
chinups: 4 x 3,
Weightlifting training of clean and jerks, hang snatches and squats up to 90%

So it's day 10 today and apart from the Berlin blip, things have been going well. I'm not feeling I'm missing out on any foods and I've plenty of energy for training. I've found that doing planks everyday has been a bit hard on my back (and boring as hell) so I'm switching them up with rocking hollows and rollouts (video in a later blog). Weight has come down a little and I've lost 1.5- 2 cm from waist, hips and thighs. Proper weigh in and progress check on Sunday night/ Monday morning.
 

Thanks for the donations so far. Website for donations is http://www.mycharity.ie/event/projectabz/

Day 2: Sugar cravings but no intention of caving

DAY TWO, THREE AND FOUR

Burpees and planks: check
Swim test: check (500m in 17:25)
Grace test: mmmm... sort of... (28 reps in 5:01 at 40kg)
Decent food: check
Adequate sleep: not so much...


Day 2 dawned bright and I was feeling good about my plan. However, sometime around midday Tuesday, while heading to the swimming pool, my body copped that I was trying to restrict sugar and it threw a massive hissy fit. The rest of Day 2 was spent in a haze of knackered awfulness. I'd to really struggle to make myself do the swim at all. Thankfully I had a friend with me who really knows how to encourage and motivate and I got it done.


Day 3 wasn't much better than day 2. I managed to do my burpees and struggled to do my weight training but no way could I make it to the pool! I felt like I was hungover and had a cold at the same time. I think alot of this was due to the fact that I had managed to get to bed around 11pm but woke up after a couple of hours and couldn't get back to sleep.

Day 4 started better, I still wasn't feeling 100% but I spent the day shopping then went weight training. Didn't go great, didn't go awfully. I tested "Grace" (usually 30 clean and jerks for time at 40kg, see video link below) at the end of the session and there's definitely room to improve. Unfortunately, I lost count and my spotter reckoned I was at 8 when I was at 6 so I only did 28 reps (oops!) But I'll make sure the test at the end is the full 30 reps and I'll make sure it's damn faster than the 28!

There's a snatch fail just before the Grace test because my cameraman is a comedian.


Off to Berlin now. The plan is to enjoy myself a little but not go bonkers. I'll keep a stringent food log so I don't embarrass myself!

Day 1- Good start

I'm pretty pleased that I made it to bed by midnight last night and managed to get up fairly early today. Straight into the 10 burpees, great way to wake up!

Plan for today was to do my usual weightlifting training then go for a swim but the pool was closed so after training, I went on a big long cycle around Phoenix park. I will do the swim test tomorrow.

Food was fairly good today, not a mince pie in sight! I'm using green tea to keep me busy at snack times and it seems to be working. I'm not missing the sugar hit at all yet.
 
Pullups test: got 4 chinups and needed a bit of a kick. This isn't great considering only in November, I was doing 5 sets of 5 really strict ones but it's not surprising as I haven't done a pullup in about 5 weeks and I weigh about 6kg more than I did then. Check out the rad vid yo!

Finished off with 10 more burpees, 3 planks and a load of house work. Phew, wrecked now! I'll sleep tonight!!!

PROJECT ABS

8 WEEK CHALLENGE, 

MONDAY 3RD JANUARY TO  MONDAY 28TH FEBRUARY 2011

Why am I doing this? I have had a very decadent Christmas. I now want to increase my muscle mass and decrease body fat i.e. to increase usefulness of my body.This should improve my weightlifting, give me more energy and improve the fit of my clothes!

Markers of improvement:

·         Weight 66.7kg

·         Waist 75cm· 

·         Hips 100cm

·         Thighs 61.5cm
     I will measure these once a week and hopefully they will decrease over the 8 weeks.

     

     Test: 
     1: swim - how many lengths can I do in an hour?
     2: pullups - how many unbroken pullups can I do?
     3: "Grace" (30 clean and jerks) - How fast can I complete this?
     4: "Isabelle" (30 snatches)  - How fast can I do this?


      How do I intend to do this?

Three approaches

1: Food – Mostly meat and veg. No alcohol, no sugary snacks. I have had a fairly decadent approach to alcohol and food for the last 6 weeks.

2: Training – more metabolic conditioning and cardio. More swimming. I currently do Olympic lifting training four times a week but very little metabolic conditioning or cardio.

3: Adequate time to rest and adapt. I currently get to bed around 2 or 3 am. I will attempt to get to bed by 10 or 11pm for the duration of this challenge.

Possible obstacles? 

I will be going to Berlin for 5 days in January with friends. I will have to avoid the temptation of excessive quantities of beer and kebabs! 

WEEK ONE: 10 Burpees 2x daily, 3x planks daily

Monday January 3^rd

am: swim test

pm: Oly training

pm: pullups test

Tuesday January 4^th

am: swim

pm: mobility work and assistance exercises

Wednesday January 5^th

am: swim

pm: Oly training

Thursday January 6^th

pm: Oly training

pm: "Grace" (30 clean & jerks for time) test

pm: pullups

Friday January 7^th, Saturday January 8^th, Sunday January 9^th

Berlin. I will continue with the burpees and planks and also will attempt to fit in an Oly training session and a swim or run.

BEFORE PICTURES

A VERY decadent Christmas!

Like I said, it was a decadent Christmas...