This Week's Gym and Food

Location: My House and Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Date & time: about 7 am - Tuesday & Thursday - 16th & 18th November

Tuesday (30 mins)

• dumbbell chest - 2 x 10 @ 27.5kg, 9 @27.5kg (took a lot to get that 9th)
  
• dumbbell shoulders - 5 x 5 @20kg
  
• upright row - 2 x10 @37.5kg, 10 @35kg
• 3 x 20 ab crunches (1-2 second hold)

BCAA before and after session during the morning.

Cucumber, sardines, tuna & coconutty egg for lunch; slow-cooked chicken bones with veg for dinner

Thursday (20 mins)

• Romanian deadlift - 3 x 10@38kg
• weighted chins - 5 @12.5kg, 4 @12.5kg, 4 @5kg, 2 x 4 @bodyweight
• one-arm dumbbell rows - 3 x 10 @24kg

BCAA before and after during the morning.

Coconutty scrambled egg and cold pork for lunch; tuna steaks, fried sweet potato, steamed broccoli & kale for dinner

I worked pretty hard this week. I had no training partner, so the sessions were pretty bisk. My main goal is to avoid strength loss while I lose a little fat.

This is the second week of fast stripping, which I am trying to achieve via more frequent full day fasting. This week I managed Monday and Wednesday, but was too hungry on Friday and caved into some supermarket chicken and fish, which left my mouth tasting nasty from the added salt and sugar.

I plan to carry on leaning up for another couple of weeks, then (assuming I have trimmed off enough) go back into a gaining phase again. But I will be mixing it up in the following ways:

• More 24-hour fasts & breakfast on gym days
  
• Different exercises (e.g. pistols, hand stand push ups)
• More rest between sets (perhaps 2 minutes instead of 1)...
• ...but fewer exercises overall (since I want to keep to 2 x 30 mins per week)

By having breakfast on the gym days I will be able to return to my Paleo roots by not taking branch chain amino acids before and after gym session. But by doing extra 24-hour fasts, I ensure that overall fasting time is the same as Leangains recommends.

My training partner has been talking about trying creatine for a while. I am considering it, if only to shut him up. Again, it would be only on an experimental basis. Perhaps 3 months. I need to do some reading first, to be sure I know the facts.

Either way, nothing's going to happen before Christmas. It will take all my concentration and focus to steer clear of dietary collapse during that time. ... Read more

Starting to Strip Down: Continued Weights & Keto Week

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Date & time: about 7 am - Tuesday & Thursday - 9th & 11th November

Tuesday (30 mins)

• dumbbell chest - 10 @ 26kg, 10 @28kg, 9@28kg
• dumbbell shoulders - 3 x 5 @20kg, 4 @20kg, 4@18kg
• upright row - 10 @37.5kg, 2 x 10 @35kg
• 3 x 20 ab crunches (1-2 second hold)

BCAA before and after session during the morning.

Sardines & egg for lunch, plaice and duck leftovers with veg for dinner

Thursday (25 mins)

• weighted chins - 4 x 5 @10kg, 5 @bodyweight
• one-arm dumbbell rows - 3 x 10 @24kg
• Romanian deadlift - 3 x 10@36kg
• 3 mins mobility

BCAA before and after during the morning.

Scrambled egg and pilchards for lunch, fried liver & veg for dinner

This was the first week after I ended the Leangains experiment (phase 1). The main objective has been to get into the weight-loss groove whilst continuing to train hard and preserve the hard-earned muscle.

I always find going really low-carb a good way to get started, as well as fasting more often than usual. I am aiming for two 24-hour fasts per week and 16-hour fasts the rest of the time.

I will be trying to stay at the same weights for the 4-week leaning up period. My main index will be dumbbell chest press - will I be able to still do 5 x 5 @32kg next week? ... Read more

Final Leangains Chest Session Confirms Strength Progress

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day: 6.45am - Tuesday - 2nd November

5 x 5 Dumbbell Chest Press @32kg
3 x 10 Upright Rows with EZ bar @35kg
3 x 10 Hanging Leg Raise
5 x 5 Dumbbell Shoulder Press @18kg
10 Push Ups, proper form

Total Time: 28 minutes

Nutrition (based on my Leangains experiment)

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
90 minutes after: 20 BCAA

Lunch (12:30pm) - pilchards, avocado, tomato, celery + 2 bananas

Dinner (7:15) - lung casserole + roasted pumpkin, parsnip, Brussels sprouts & courgette

This is the final chest session of the 12-week 'bulking phase' of my Leangains experiment. I didn't announce that it would be 12-weeks, but decided along the way.

The good news is that today I managed 5 sets of chest press with the 32kg dumbbells. Towards the beginning of the experiment I could not even manage 5 sets with 30kg.

I will be writing a full summary of progress in a post later in the week, including an 'after' photo and a graph of my weight.

Then it's time to trim the buffet blubber and see whether I can get back to the same fat percentage I was at before the experiment, but maintain some of the muscle and strength. ... Read more

Back Workout and Half a Cow's Heart

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day: 6.50 am - Thursday - 8th October

Chin Ups (3 x 5 weighted @15kg, 1 x 4 @15kg, 1 x 6 @bodyweight)
One-Arm Bent Over Row (3 x 10 @24kg)
Pulldowns with the machine (in front of neck) (3 x 10 @ 70lbs)
Romanian Deadlift (1 x 10 @70kg)

Rest - relatively quick changes between my partner and me

Total Time: 25 minutes

Nutrition (normal low-carb Paleo, since I had my weekly high carb day two days previously, based on my version of Leangains):

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
1 hour after: 10g BCAA
3 hours after: 10g BCAA

Phenomenally large lunch at midday - a quarter of a cow's heart, cold from the fridge + 6 large eggs scrambled with half a tin of coconut milk, celery, red pepper, carrot and water cress.

Forgot photo for dinner @ 7.30 - which was heart stew with vegetables.

Weights: Apparently not making much progress with weighted chins, my benchmark exercise for the pull/back exercises. I was very strict about the rest this time (roughly 70 seconds between each set) and did feel more in control of the reps. I will just press on with it. The gains will come.

Just threw in one set of slow, strict deadlift to stay familiar with my new, stricter form (if you follow this link scroll to the bottom for my video) but avoid doing any damage because of an upcoming fell race.

Food: I had to defrost an entire cow's heart (4.5 lbs) and cow's tongue earlier in the week because I'd failed to slice it up before freezing. Thus, I've been eating little else for a week and on this day ate about half of a heart. The source was grass-fed and organic, so I am sure it was very good for me. However, I am a little hearted out. ... Read more

Chest Improvements and Big Eats

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day: 6.45 am - Tuesday - 6th October

Dumbbell Chest Press 3x5@32kg, 2x5@30kg (touch for final rep) - one rep better
3 x 20 Ab Crunches (with a 1/2-second squeeze)
Upright Rows with barbell (EZ bar, wider grip) 2x10@35kg, 1x10@32.5kg - 2.5kg better on last set
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3x5@18kg, 1x4@18kg, 1x5@16kg - more consistent weights
Push Ups - 10, slow, high quality - 2 more

Rest - relatively quick changes between my partner and me

Total Time: 33 minutes

Nutrition (higher carb, lower fat on workout day, based on my Leangains experiment):

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
1 hour after: 10g BCAA
3 hours after: 10g BCAA
Lunch @ 12.00
Dinner @ 7.30pm

Weights: consistent, marginal improvements. This is good. I am not compromising on form. Like many people, I am seeing chest press as my benchmark. When I started the experiment I was unable to complete 5 good sets of 5 with 30kg dumbbells. If I can get to 5 good ones at 32, then it represents a tangible, significant strength gain, something I've not really had in a while.

Food: the photo does not really do justice to the sheer size of the evening meal. It was a very large piece of tongue and a lot of vegetables. ... Read more

Chest to Failure and Organ Meat Bonanza

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day: 6.50 am - Tuesday - 28st September

Dumbbell Chest Press 1x5@30kg, 2x5@32kg, 1x5@30kg, 1x4@30kg (touch for last rep)
3 x 20 Ab Crunches (with a 1/2-second squeeze)
Upright Rows with barbell (EZ bar, wider grip) 2x10@35kg, 1x10@30kg
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 2x5@20kg, 1x5@18kg, 1x5@16kg, 1x5@14kg
Push Ups - 8, slow, high quality, last one failed

45-60 seconds between sets

Total Time: 29 minutes

Nutrition (higher carb, lower fat on workout day, based on my Leangains experiment):

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
1 hour after: 10g BCAA
3 hours after: 10g BCAA
Lunch @ 11.20am - liver, yam & beetroot with lemon and a banana
Dinner @ 7.30pm - a hare's torso (complete with organs), fried pig's kidneys, yam & veggies

I just went for it with the weights today. I felt fresh and strong, so I ignored my plans to alternate easy with hard. I was rewarded with progress on dumbbell chest - two good sets at 32kg and two more at 30kg.

I read an article on Conditioning Research the other day that reminded me what I had already read in the BBS book - that 7 days may be too small a rest period if you are going to failure. I may need to keep this in mind. Everyone is different, of course. I will see how I get on next week; but I must not assume that 'Tuesday is chest day' is a useful marker.

Today was an interesting food day - all kinds of organ and yam for the first time. I definitely overate in the evening, but although high carb (thanks to the yam) it was also low fat. My guts were rather active overnight :-@ Yam is like very dense potato. Not un-pleasing.

I ate earlier than I should have, due to meetings, so it was only a 15-hour fast.

Today I think I will fast to stabilise my intestines, then hit a big steak in the evening. ... Read more

Lighter Weight, Better Form on Deadlift (Video Update)

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day:6.50 - Thursday - 23rd September

Chin Ups (3 x 5 weighted @15kg, 1 x 4 @15kg, 1 x 4 @10kg)
One-Arm Bent Over Row (3 x 10 @24kg)
Romanian Deadlift (4 x 5 @80kg)

About 60 seconds rest between sets.

Total Time: 16 minutes

Nutrition, based on Leangains experiment (did higher carb on Tuesday, so almost zero carb today.)

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
1 hour after: 10g BCAA
2 hours after: 10g BCAA

Lunch (12:00pm) - salmon, sardines, walnuts, extra tuna, lemon

Today was a 'hard' day for back exercises, so I went to near-failure on chin ups and one-arm dumbbell rows. I progressed by a single rep on chin-ups. This may not seem like much, but I definitely felt stronger.

After last week's video showed me how badly my form had slipped on Romanian Deadlift, I dropped the weight on deadlift and followed some of the advice from the comments.

- Started with the bar at waist height
- Kept back as flat as possible

Here is the video.



Not having to lift the bar from the ground on the first rep made a big difference. There is something about Romanian Deadlift that makes the first rep especially awkward when you start with the bar on the floor.

Even though I dropped the weight significantly, keeping my back totally flat made it still feel hard. I am happy to re-calibrate my expectations about strength and work upwards from here. ... Read more

Chest & Shoulders, Hard Week

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day: 6.45am - Tuesday - 21st September

Dumbbell Chest Press 2 x 10 @26kg, 7 @24kg
3 x 20 Ab Crunches (with a 1-second squeeze)
Upright Rows with barbell (EZ bar, wider grip) 3 x 10 @30kg)
Dumbbell Shoulder Press (2 x 10 @14kg, 9 @14kg)
Machine Lateral Shoulder Raises 3 x 10 @30lbs (first set started off too heavy and dropped)
Push Ups - 11, slow, high quality.

1 minute rest between sets (no training partner today)

5 minutes of mobility work.

Total Time: 32 minutes

Nutrition (higher carb, lower fat on workout day, based on my Leangains experiment):

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
1 hour after: 10g BCAA
3 hours after: 10g BCAA

Lunch @ 11.15am - sweet potato, tuna, salmon, cucumber, lemon, banana
Dinner @ 9:30pm - fried cow's liver (grass-fed) + tom/lemon sauce, fried chopped broccoli & onion

Food composition was good today (in terms of adherence to the experiment), but I was forced to eat very late by a meeting, so timing was not. Lunch was large and higher carb. Dinner was large, but mainly protein and fibrous veggies.

Training partner let me down, so no chance to use my normal 5 x 5 weights and test progress on dumbbell chest (too heavy to get into start position.) The gym supervisor did dive in to give me that 7th rep on the 3rd set, on which I was struggling.

This was my hard week for chest and shoulders so I crammed as much into the 30 mins as I could, even resorting to the old laterals to finish toasting them delts. I also went to near failure on the press ups.

Current weight: 11-8, 11% (started on 11-6.5, 11%) - but the numbers are too small to judge. I will post a graph of the trend next time. ... Read more

O'Neil Test and Video of Better Rowing Form

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day: Sunday - 19th September - 10.45 am

O'Neill Test (4 minutes on rowing machine) - 1086 metres

Nutrition:

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA

Lunch at 12.30 pm - fresh crab, avocado, beetroot, onion, cucumber, tomato, olive oil, lemon

Dinner at 6.40 pm - crab/onion/carrot soup + wild duck, tuna, roast butternut squash, marrow & leek, steamed kale

I was not sure whether this counted as an intense workout or not (according to my Leangains experiment.) I took BCAA beforehand anyway, but since this was a Sunday and I had the luxury of training late morning, the next food was lunch.

The O'Neil was painful. I have been doing only weights and distance running in the last 4-6 weeks, which means the god of pain has been absent from my life. Took 30 mins for the burning throat to subside.

Rowing was the obvious choice for a weekend workout because my feet are still ragged from two consecutive monster mountain races (this, then this) but I wanted to do something for my fitness, especially give the recent absence of the above deity.

A while back I posted a video of me doing a rowing Tabata, which drew some constructive criticism from Chris on my technique. He 'd posted this video on his blog before, showing how effortless rowing can look.

So I took a video of this session to see whether I could improve the form. I think it's better. Since a 4-minute row is less intense than a 20-second Tabata interval, it is perhaps a better time to work on form anyway.

There is still room for improvement though, and I am looking forward to any comments Chris or others have. I suspect I am compressing my body and pausing for too long at the front (i.e. bending my legs too much and leaning too far forward) especially towards the end as I got tired.

1086 metres is slightly more than my previous best, and I could have worked a little harder.

... Read more

Video of Deads & Post Workout Fat Bonanza

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day:6.55 - Thursday - 16th September

Chin Ups (2 x 5 weighted @15kg, 1 x 7 @bodyweight)
2 x 10 Hanging Leg Raise
One-Arm Bent Over Row (2 x 10 @24kg)
Romanian Deadlift (5 x 5 @ 115 kg)

45 - 60 seconds rest between sets.

Total Time: 30 minutes

Nutrition (low carb today, having decided to only have one high carb workout day per week for my Leangains experiment):

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
1 hour after: 10g BCAA
2 hours after: 10g BCAA

Lunch (12:00pm) - Good fats bonanza! - 6 organic eggs + parsley & olive oil, tin of salmon, avocado, walnuts, coconut cream

As planned, I took it easy on chins by doing only 3 sets and making the 3rd bodyweight only. On dumbbell rows and hanging leg raises, I stuck to 2 sets and avoided coming close to failure.

But I nailed Romanian Deads, which I omitted last week to ensure I was in good shape for the evil mountain race at the weekend. I did 5 x 5 at 115kg, a distinct improvement from three weeks ago, since the intensity was roughly the same. More evidence that easy (or excluded) sessions can lead to gains (for me.)

I videoed one of the sets, because I was interested to see whether my form is okay. I think it's pretty clear it could be better. I am thinking a flatter back is needed and shoulders further back. Comments welcome.

... Read more

Restraint on Chest and Shoulders

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day: 6.55am - Tuesday - 14th September

3 x 5 Dumbbell Chest Press @30kg
3 x 10 Upright Rows with barbell (EZ bar, wider grip) 1@25kg, 2@30kg)
3 x 20 Ab Crunches (with a 2-second squeeze)
3 x 5 Dumbbell Shoulder Press (1@18kg, 2@20kg)
10 Push Ups

Performed in the traditional way - my partner, then me. Not much rest other than waiting our turn.

5 minutes of mobility work.

Total Time: 30 minutes

Nutrition (higher carb, lower fat on workout day, based on my Leangains experiment):

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
1 hour after: 10g BCAA
3 hours after: 10g BCAA

Lunch (12:15pm) - 2 tins of sardines, a sweet potato, beetroot, tomato, spinach, lemon juice (+ a banana to finish)

Dinner (7:30) - carrot/onion/lamb soup + cod, herring, sweet potato, broccoli, carrot, parsley, lemon.

Today I exercised restraint - fewer sets, manageable weights. As I mentioned a few posts ago, I would like to see whether I make better progress when I alternate easy and hard weeks for a given exercise.

Last week I nailed chest, shoulders and chins, but did not do deads. So this week it's easy chest, shoulders and chins and I will crucify the deads.

Last week I also mentioned that I wanted to make the 30kg dumbbells my 'bitches' before moving to 32's. Today, for the 3 sets at least, that's how they felt.

Also being tested - a wider grip on the upright row, since this employs less bicep. I was suspicious that over-zealous close-grip upright row on Tuesdays might be sabotaging chins on Thursdays.

After dinner, I had a mini-gorge on nuts, coconut cream and pumpkin seeds. Not the end of the world. I am fasting all day tomorrow anyway. ... Read more

Chins, Dumbbell Rows & Way too Much Fat

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day:6.50 - Thursday - 9th September

Chin Ups (2 x 5 weighted @15kg, 1 x 4 @15kg, 1 x 4 @10kg, 1 x 5 @bodyweight)
One-Arm Bent Over Row (1 x 10 @26kg, 2 x 10 @24kg)

45 - 60 seconds rest between sets.

5-minute mobility workout, based on this video, which I originally found on Conditioning Research.

Total Time: 25 minutes

Nutrition (low carb today, having decided to only have one high carb workout day per week for my Leangains experiment):

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
1 hour after: 10g BCAA

Lunch (12:10pm) - 6 organic eggs, 2 tins of sardines, coconut cream

Dinner (6:30) - free-range pork chops, butternut squash, shredded onion & cabbage, all fried in coconut oil + 10g of BCAA I forgot to drink earlier

Lack of Chin Up Progress: After making progress on Tuesday with chest, I was a little disappointed not to see the same gains on chin ups today. However, I think the following perspectives are important:

1. In reality, I managed one whole rep more than 2 weeks ago (4 instead of 3 on the 4th set)
2. This is an exercise where form makes a big difference, and I have a habit of becoming more strict, the more I want to make gains. As though I am afraid of cheating. I was being pretty strict today.
3. I am wondering whether the close-grip upright rows I have typically been doing 2 days before the chin ups is sabotaging my biceps. Next week I may opt for a wider grip, or alternatively, a less bicep-intensive exercise.

Eschewing Deadlift: You have no idea how much effort it took this morning to avoid doing any deadlift. I had decided to do just a single set of 5 at 110kg; but in the end it seemed like a lot of effort setting up the bar, and I realised it was the right thing to do considering Saturday's 6-hour fell race.

Easy-Hard Approach. The idea of doing easy-hard-easy-hard etc based on this week's chest success may not work at the session level. In other words, I may need to alternate effort level on individual exercises and body parts. For example, I may take deadlift close to failure next week, having skipped it this week, but take it easy on chins and chest, since I worked them hard this week.

Leg Recovery: I drove to work for the 4th consecutive day today and used the lift/elevator all day. My legs still hurt after Saturday, but they feel stronger. I have 48 hours before the 18m 8500' Peris Horseshoe. I might be okay.

Mobility and Stretching: The mobility exercises are great. I pretty much gave up on stretching when I realised it was the main source of my injuries and there was little evidence for its benefits. I need to create a page about stretching and mobility. Chris at Conditioning Research has done a lot of excellent posts on the subject, so I will no doubt be drawing on some of his resources.

Food: I ate WAY too many calories tonight. Those pork chops had huge rinds and the veg was soaked with coconut oil. I will probably fast tomorrow again, depending on how I feel, but I am conscious that big, high fat evening meals are not what Martin at Leangains recommends. ... Read more

Progess on Chest in Spite of Murderous Weekend Race

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day: 6.55am - Tuesday - 7th September

5 x 5 Dumbbell Chest Press @30kg
3 x 10 Upright Rows with barbell (EZ bar) 2@35kg, 1@30kg)
3 x 20 Ab Crunches (with a 2-second squeeze)
5 x 5 Overhead Press (normal reps, not super-slow like the video) - 75 lbs
10 Push Ups

Performed in the traditional way - my partner, then me. Not much rest other than waiting our turn.

Total Time: 30 minutes

Nutrition (higher carb, lower fat on workout day, based on my Leangains experiment):

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
1 hour after: 10g BCAA
3 hours after: 10g BCAA

Lunch (12:00pm) - 2 tins of sardines, a sweet potato, beetroot, lemon juice (+ a banana to finish)

Dinner (6:30) - hare leg and torso, fried butternut squash, fried cauli, cabbage & onion

Considering the beating I gave my body on Saturday, I was suprised not to be weak today. In fact I felt strong, and completed the 5 sets of chest press at 30kg for the first time since I started doing them again.

I will stay with that weight for at least another week, though, and concentrate on form. I would prefer to make those dumbbells my 'bitches' than be made into a bitch by the 32's because I am not ready.

Previously I had found that long races sabotaged progress on weights. Two things were different this time. First, the leangains eating and BCAA. Second, my deliberately easy session last week, before the race. Perhaps alternating between easy and hard sessions is the way my body likes to recover, and the running is largely irrelevant to upper body work, provided I consume adequate nutrition.

At the race on Saturday my lower back was a little painful for a time, so this Thursday, ahead of Saturday's Peris Horseshoe race I will not go anywhere near deadlift, instead concentrating on chin ups and dumbbell rows. I will treat this week as a hard week for weights, and make next week and easy one. See if this alternation business works.

This Saturday's race is 18 miles and over 8000 feet. Makes Ben Nevis look like a school outing. ... Read more

Chins and Deads, an Easy Pre-Race Workout

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day:7.15 - Thursday - 2nd September

Chin Ups (2 x 5 weighted @15kg, 4 weighted @15kg)
Romanian Deadlift (1 x 5 @ 105 kg, 2 x 5@100kg)
2 x 10 Hanging Leg Raise

No training partner, but I did rest as if he was there, taking 45 - 90 seconds between sets.

Total Time: 15 minutes

Nutrition (low carb today, having decided to only have one high carb workout day per week for my Leangains experiment):

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
1 hour after: 10g BCAA
3 hours after: 10g BCAA

Lunch (12:00pm) - 2 tins of sardines, 1 tin of salmon, an avocado, a beetroot, pecan nuts

Dinner (7:45) - sea bass, fried cauli+cabbage, courgette, red pepper, lemon

Two days until Ben Nevis, so for the same reasons I gave on Tuesday, I took it easy. This time I achieved that by doing the same weights but fewer sets.

I could not resist throwing an extra 5kg on the deads for the first set, but was still way off struggling in set number 3. Uphill power-hiking can be a killer on the lower back, so it would be a bad idea indeed to go close to failure two days before a big mountain race.

Big fish day today, as you can see. I also did a little post-dinner nut guzzling but nothing spectacular. I feel as if my calorie intake is 'on message' for Leangains. My weight is relatively stable, but I feel bigger. This may be entirely my imagination. Mrs M remains tight-lipped on the matter. ... Read more

Weights and Keto Food Day

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day: 6.45am - Thursday - 26 August

Chin Ups (2 x 5 weighted @15kg, 4 weighted @15kg, 3 weighted @10kg, 5 @bodyweight)
Seated Row (3 x 10 @ 95 lbs) - not using the superslow method in the video!
Ab Crunches (2 x 50)
Romanian Deadlift (5 x 5 @ 100 kg)

Performed in the traditional way - my partner, then me. Not much rest other than waiting our turn.

Total Time: 31 minutes

Nutrition (almost zero carbs, in spite of my Leangains experiment - explanation below!)

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
1 hour after: 10g BCAA
3 hours after: 10g BCAA

Lunch (12:00pm) - 8 scrambled organic eggs, tin of sardines, leftover steak, bad coconut cream

Dinner (8:00pm) - baked mackerel and avodaco and cocoa dip (no sweetener.)

Food
I have decided not to eat high carb on each workout day. I will typically be doing two intense sessions per week (thus qualifying for the higher carb eating for my Leangains experiment experiment) - but I only feel like I want to refeed on carbs once per week.

On Tuesday after workout 1 I had two sweet potatoes and a banana through the day and my stomach did not really like it. I would probably get used to it, but for now I will stick on one carb refeed on one of the week's workout days, then eat my normal paleo diet the rest of the time.

As you can see I did a couple of days of almost zero carb just to get my stomach right (I had this huge steak after fasting on the rest day.) The stomach might have had nothing to do with the carbs of course, but keto always sorts my stomach anyway.

Workout
We hit the back today - first upper, then lower. It took a long time to squeeze on the fifth on the fifth for the deadlift, which is fine: although I did the same last time, that was from fresh. Next time I will throw another 5kg on from fresh.

We deliberately focused on upper abs today because we did hanging leg raise a couple of days before which would have targetted the lower. I suppose it was just a time filler, or something to make the workout tougher and stop us standing around talking.

We did seated row with the machine because my partner's knee was playing up - otherwise I would have opted for one-arm dumbell rows. ... Read more

30-Min Chest and Shoulders Blitz

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day: 6.45am - Tuesday - 24th August

5 x 5 Dumbbell Chest Press (30kg, 30kg, 30kg, 30kg, 28kg)
3 x 10 Hanging Leg Raise
4 x 5 Clean and Press (strict - no jerking - 35kg, 35kg, 30kg, 30kg)
1 x 12 Upright Rows with barbell (EZ bar - 30kg)
3 x 10 Pec Deck (can't remember the weight)

Performed in the traditional way - my partner, then me. Not much rest other than waiting our turn.

Total Time: 31 minutes

Nutrition (higher carb, lower fat on workout day, based on my Leangains experiment):

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
1 hour after: 10g BCAA
3 hours after: 10g BCAA

Lunch (12:00pm) - 2 tins of tuna, 1 tin of sardines, a sweet potato, beetroot, lemon juice (+ a banana to finish)

Dinner (7:15pm) - 2 hare front legs, cod fillet, sweet potato, fried onions, mushrooms & tomatoes, broccoli

The rogue set of upright rows were instead of a fifth set of clean and press. We'd toasted our shoulders with the dumbbell chest press, so the weight we could use for clean and press was not challenging our rear and side delts.

I'm really getting to like using the EZ bar for upright rows. I hold it with a narrow grip, hands only about 6 inches apart. This allows me to keep my elbows high and execute the last few reps slowly with a good squeeze - much better than the wider grip with a flat bar that seems to necessitate cheating for the final few reps.

As you can see, we also did some pec deck. I started doing flies, then remembered why I hated them and switched to the machine. They seem to aggravate my shoulders and the most effort is required at wrong part of the range of movement.

In any case, I am not sure why we bothered with either. As we well know, we should be concentrating on the big, compound movements, and ideally bodyweight. I guess we are just taking a trip down memory lane since we are having a push to get a bit bigger and stronger.

I have been feeling tired in the last 48 hours. I need to be careful to balance the running with the weights.

I think I got the eating right today. Lots of Paleo carbs, pretty low fat and lots of protein. Looking forward to a fast and some fatty steak tomorrow. ... Read more

Deadlift, Crunches, O'Neil Rowing Test & Monstrous Lunch

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day:Thursday - 19th August - 6.45 am

Romanian Deadlift (5 x 5 @ 100 kg)
Ab Crunches (3 x 20 with a 2-second squeeze)
O'Neill Test (4 minutes on rowing machine) - 1050 metres

Total Time: 30 minutes

Nutrition (higher carb, lower fat on workout day, based on my Leangains experiment):

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
1 hour after: 10g BCAA
3 hours after: 10g BCAA

Huge lunch at 12pm - chicken breast, venison, beetroot, sweet potato

Dinner at 7 pm - chicken carcass and bones with fried cauli & onion and steamed parsley

I recently posted a video of me doing a rowing Tabata, which drew some constructive criticism from Chris on my technique. He referred to this video, showing how effortless rowing can look.

So I tried my newly learned form on the O'Neil test today, with an interesting result.

The first time I did the test in February I managed 1063 metres. That time, I had only done chest; but today my legs and glutes were pretty toasted from the deadlifts; and today I was taking it relatively easy, not trying to break any personal bests, just focusing on form.

So the fact that I still went almost the same distance suggests the improved form made a difference. On another day I will go in fresh, with good form, and take a shot at the the title.

Today's lunch was a monstrous protein dose. A huge chicken breast and a big whack of leftover venison. I reckon it was about 1.5 lbs of meat. I am digging this 'eat big on workout days, fast on rest days' approach. It feels right. ... Read more

Second Leangains Workout and Adjusting to the Diet

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day: Tuesday - 17th August

Chin Ups (10 weighted @ 10kg, 7 weighted @ 10kg, 7 @ bodyweight)
Dumbbell Chest Press (10 @26kg, 9 @24kg, 9 @22kg)
Upright Rows with barbell (3 x 10 @ 30kg)
Hanging Leg Raise (3 x 10)
Shoulder Press (seated with dumbbells - 3 x 10 @ 14kg)
9 Push Ups to finish, nice and slow, not quite failing at the end

Performed in this order, 3 sets of each. Rest time only as long as it took my partner to do his set - 30 - 45 seconds.

Total Time: 29 minutes

Nutrition (higher carb, lower fat on workout day, based on my Leangains experiment):

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
1 hour after: 10g BCAA
3 hours after: 10g BCAA
Lunch at 12pm: Salmon, mackerel, sweet potato, beetroot, parsley+ extra tuna and wild blackberries
Dinner at 7.30 pm: Slow-ccoked venison with sweet potato, marrow and fried mushroom and onions

This was pretty much a repeat of last week's session and there were no tangible gains in strength. However, I am not keen on getting hung up on reps and weights. Clearly the objective is to get stronger, but experience has taught me to be patient. Maintaining good form and taking my muscles to the necessary level of effort is the main focus.

I skipped the deadlift, as I will have a second session this week for that when I will also throw in some rowing. Next week we will probably change to 5 x 5 for some variety.

My Leangains eating was not as strict as I would have liked - it's tough to alternate between low fat on workout days and and low fat on rest days. I am an instinctive low-carb eater. Last night I ate more fat than perhaps I should according to the plan. The venison was just too nice ;-) ... Read more

3 x 10 Quick Fire, All Body Workout

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre, Aston University
Day:Wednesday - 11th August

Chin Ups (10 weighted @ 10kg, 7 weighted @ 10kg, 7 @ bodyweight)
Dumbbell Chest Press (10 @26kg, 10 @24kg, 9 @22kg)
Upright Rows with barbell (3 x 10 @ 30kg)
Hanging Leg Raise (3 x 10)
Shoulder Press (seated with dumbbells - 3 x 10 @ 14kg)
Romanian Deadlift (3 x 10 @ 80kg)

Performed in this order, 3 sets of each. Rest time only as long as it took my partner to do his set - 30 - 45 seconds.

Total Time: 31 minutes

Nutrition (based on my Leangains experiment)

20 minutes before: 10g BCAA
1 hour after: 10g BCAA
3 hours after: 10g BCAA
Lunch at 12pm: 8 eggs, coconut cream, fruit, cocoa
Dinner at 8pm: 500g plaice, veg

This was pretty tough - on last week's intense weights session I did the The Random 225, which allowed me to rest muscles between sets and strategically select reps and exercise to avoid failure and optimise work rate. This time it was back the traditional 3 x 10 format, with rests.

However, we ruthlessly avoided the traditional chit chat and walking round in circles to 'psych' up for sets. We just got on with it. This is why we managed so much volume in 30 minutes and often the weights can be seen dropping from set 1 to set 3.

This was the first session where my nutrition and eating pattern followed the Leangains system. So far so good. I had a tip from someone that I need to make sure I eat enough. This, my friends, will not be a problem. I am already looking forward to a huge steak with a sweet potato for Saturday after some planned sprinting. Possibly followed by bananas, strawberries and coconut cream... ... Read more

Underwater Swimming and the Search for Evidence it's Good

Location: Woodcock Sports Centre Swimming Pool, Aston University.

Day: Thursday

Duration: 15 minutes

Workout: 10 underwater lengths with about 45 seconds rest between each (pool=30 metres)

Food: eggs & strawberries with cocoa, an hour later.

I am trying to find out whether underwater swimming can benefit overall fitness. I have mentioned before that I read breath holding can increase growth hormone production, but I now can't find the article.

Given its nature and how it feels, I have a hunch it has to be beneficial, but it would be nice to see some research. Either way, our gym is closing for refurbishment next week and their replacement services do not include a pool - so my ambitions to progress with the underwater swimming will be prevented, thus depriving the world of at least some evidence, albeit n=1... ... Read more