My new year goals

[ginster]

New years goal for me, generally is to improve upper body strength, core strength and flexibility. More specifically

1. 10 pull ups
2. 100 push ups
3. commit to stretching properly after every squash match
4. 1 year without needing to visit my chiropractor

[Fanstanding]

Great goals! Good luck...

[ChrisS]

Good luck mate!!! And keep us posted on your progress, logs are a great way to keep motivated!

[ginster]

So, I'm now 6 weeks into the basic program... I come from a squash background, and have never done any strength work in the past, so I have found the upper body weight stuff pretty challenging, and the legs and core stuff pretty easy. I tend to skip the legs sessions and play squash instead, and have also been supplementing my workouts with some swimming. Tonights push session, I really noticed the improvements I have been making. At the beginning, I was struggling to do military press and closed grip push ups, even with elevated hands, and tonight, I was able to do them with decent form with hands flat. so happy with that.

My pull ups are still a struggle, I was nowhere near being able to do one when I started, but at least now, I am feeling that I am able to really control the descent if I jump up into a pull up position. So that's progress too.

Onwards and upwards.

cheers.

[ginster]

week 6 pull session. Now that I am able to control the descents on the pull ups, I actually feel that I'm working a lot harder on these.. was a really good workout... absolutely nothing left in the arms when I finished this... definitely getting stronger though.

onwards and upwards.

[ginster]

week 6 core session today, all good, can feel it in my abs, and I really think the supermans are good for me, as I have a history of back problems, and the muscles worked in the lower back during supermans are exactly where I have problems, so hoping that strengthening this area will help me avoid so many back problems in the future.

can still feel my arms from the pull session yesterday, so probably have a rest day tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to some of the undulating sessions... I'm currently not playing squash as I have a niggly foot injury, so missing my cardio...feeling the need to do something, and hoping the stappers are going to get me going a bit...

[davidjroberts]

and hoping the stappers are going to get me going a bit...

Yep, they're good at that! I love stappers. I think mostly because it's the one workout I do that is go, go, go with no interval rests. I often cut rests in half but doing a few stapper sessions (1/wk) then setting a goal to beat your best number of circuits is very satisfying. I find that it's a good routine to get in a high volume of medium/hard exercises too because you may only be doing 6-8 reps per exercise then you give that muscle group a rest for 45 seconds or so while you do the other 2 exercises.

Keep it up mate!

[ginster]

Oh my god... had forgotten how much ladders hurt... at least in the early block they were mixed push/pull, so you got a rest... the week7 push ladders pretty much broke me this morning.

Ultimate test of the new regime this week, as I'm off travelling with work, so will have to improvise in the hotel to make my workout happen. will update later in the week.

[ginster]

mmmmmmmm Stappers!

well that was fun... first experience of stappers... really enjoyed it, even if it was hard... worked up a great sweat, and really felt something positive after it... tempted to keep at least one of these in every week, as I miss that sweat session if I'm just following the basics in the program...

think it was 15 sets, but I can't quite remember, and I did get a bit confused about whether 10 alternating back lunges was on each side or total... so I did a few with 10 on each, but then it felt like it was too much compared to the other 2 exercises, so I switched to 10 total, which felt better. ( although started to struggle more on the push ups then!)

***edit*** should come with a warning about trying to walk down stairs afterwards.... almost fell over

[ginster]

double tabata session today... doing one that I missed last week ( russian twists, beach scissors, knee raises), and then following on with this weeks effort ( push ups, rocking chairs, burpees)..

nice sessions... rocking chairs were a novel exercise... found some muscles I wasn't sure existed!

onwards and upwards!

cheers.