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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    In Fitness and in Health

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    • GilesG
      Giles
      IHUK Crew
      Joined:

      I joined a gym 6 weeks ago.  Yesterday I had a full medical..

      Resting heart rate down from 74 to 52
      My metabolic rate is up 15%
      My blood pressure has dived (though marginally too high still)
      Lung efficiency up 9%
      VO2 max up 9%
      Cholesterol dived

      I think it's working….

      "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • neph93N
        neph93
        見習いボス
        Joined:

        ^ that's pretty impressive progress. What kind of program are you working?

        “Some of those that work forces
        Are the same that burn crosses”

        • Virginia Woolf
        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • GilesG
          Giles
          IHUK Crew
          Joined:

          My programme is called "Chris the merciless fecker makes Giles pay for all past, present and future sins"…..

          My brief to Chris was.  "This is how I cast, this is how I play a fish, this is how large the fish are and this is the sort of seas that will be running and I need to be able to stand up and do the casting and playing whatever the sea conditions.  I want to be able to cast further and fish for longer than anyone else on the boat.  If I lose weight or get fitter as a result, that's a bonus."

          So he's working on core (for balance) and upper body for the casting and playing.

          All resistance stuff with a bit of beasting (I understand that is a oft used term in these circles as my BUPA person used it unprompted yesterday) CV for the last 5 minutes....

          "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • neph93N
            neph93
            見習いボス
            Joined:

            Good program. Although I'd have thought some decent leg work (deadlifts, squats) would also be useful for for balance, and endurance. Stable base and all that. One things for sure any program that is giving the kind of results you're seeing will help you do most things better and longer.

            I had to google beasting. Sounds uncomfortable [emoji38]

            “Some of those that work forces
            Are the same that burn crosses”

            • Virginia Woolf
            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • GilesG
              Giles
              IHUK Crew
              Joined:

              I'm doing leg presses and barbell squats…..The one thing I have always had is pretty strong legs, so I'm not focussing on them that much, what I believe (and what the F do I know really?) will help me, is better core strength, thus enable me to deploy my legs muscles better and quicker in the right place at the right time.

              "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • BloodnThunderB
                BloodnThunder
                Raw and Unwashed
                Joined:

                Just curious, Giles.  Did they have you do a full VO2Max test on a treadmill with the respirator hookup and everything?  Always wanted to do one.

                IG: Shadesofindig0

                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • GilesG
                  Giles
                  IHUK Crew
                  Joined:

                  VO2 was on a bike hooked up to respirator…

                  "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • neph93N
                    neph93
                    見習いボス
                    Joined:

                    @Giles:

                    I'm doing leg presses and barbell squats…..The one thing I have always had is pretty strong legs, so I'm not focussing on them that much, what I believe (and what the F do I know really?) will help me, is better core strength, thus enable me to deploy my legs muscles better and quicker in the right place at the right time.

                    Makes sense about the legs and I'm sure you're right about the benefits of a strong core. Throw in back rows and you're set!

                    “Some of those that work forces
                    Are the same that burn crosses”

                    • Virginia Woolf
                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • GraemeG
                      Graeme
                      啓蒙家
                      Joined:

                      Speaking of legs, my PT has me on German Volume Training right now. It's a pretty simple programme: Ten sets of ten reps each on a single exercise, with a couple of accessory moves to finish you off.

                      I did squats today. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to walk tomorrow. :o

                      Yeah, those Germans, they're cruel… 😞

                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • AppfaffA
                        Appfaff
                        Raw and Unwashed
                        Joined:

                        If the Germans seem mean, check out the Smolov squat cycle haha

                        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • den1mheadD
                          den1mhead
                          Raw and Unwashed
                          Joined:

                          Completed the Bristol half marathon yesterday.

                          Completed run in an unadjusted time of 1hr 53mins. Expect actual time may be a minute quicker. It was tough !!

                          Corrected time; 1hr 50 mins

                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • GilesG
                            Giles
                            IHUK Crew
                            Joined:

                            Paula and I did a 4.5 mile walk with a pub at the end, that was enough for us…..

                            "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • den1mheadD
                              den1mhead
                              Raw and Unwashed
                              Joined:

                              @Giles:

                              Paula and I did a 4.5 mile walk with a pub at the end, that was enough for us…..

                              I like that kind of motivation, the promise of food and alcohol [emoji488][emoji481]

                              Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • AppfaffA
                                Appfaff
                                Raw and Unwashed
                                Joined:

                                Had a great workout with some clients tonight with the music blaring and barbells being thrown around. Reminded me why I started working out in the first place - having fun.

                                Hope everyone is finding their inspiration to achieve their goals 🙂

                                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • spitfiredealerS
                                  spitfiredealer
                                  Raw and Unwashed
                                  Joined:

                                  I am  trying to get some size back on at the moment. Since my son was born I have lost 16 kilos of which most was muscle. I have never stopped working out although less times a week as
                                  I was before he was born. The main factor in this was the amount of food I have been eating. Or more importantly the lack of food.

                                  So as of 2 weeks ago I have begun to hit 3200-3500cals a day.

                                  I can only get to the gym 3 times a week now. So I follow a 4 day split but only training 3 days a week. So everything gets trained every 10-12 days.
                                  I feel the extra rest is definitely helping me. I can't say I wanna be back to my heaviest but if I can get a solid 5kg back I will be happy a man.

                                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • S
                                    Snowy
                                    Joined:

                                    dropped 2kg's of late, just a matter of eating less and cleaner. shit like that still amazes me!

                                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • den1mheadD
                                      den1mhead
                                      Raw and Unwashed
                                      Joined:

                                      More training today for the upcoming Bath half marathon, March 2017, where me and Jules ( @Black Orchid ) have pledged to raise a minimum of £300 each for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity .
                                      Huge thanks to those IH forum members that have already sponsored us.
                                      To read the backstory click; https://www.ironheart.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=3976.msg474036#msg474036

                                      My Garmin GPS watch died before I finished my route so I used http://gb.mapometer.com/ to measure the full route. I did 11 miles and Jules did 5 miles. Today's training route and data;

                                      To donate to this amazing charity, whilst supporting me and Jules, simply click on links below;
                                      http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/barcleyroberts
                                      http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/julesroberts

                                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • neph93N
                                        neph93
                                        見習いボス
                                        Joined:

                                        @spitfiredealer:

                                        I am  trying to get some size back on at the moment. Since my son was born I have lost 16 kilos of which most was muscle. I have never stopped working out although less times a week as
                                        I was before he was born. The main factor in this was the amount of food I have been eating. Or more importantly the lack of food.

                                        So as of 2 weeks ago I have begun to hit 3200-3500cals a day.

                                        I can only get to the gym 3 times a week now. So I follow a 4 day split but only training 3 days a week. So everything gets trained every 10-12 days.
                                        I feel the extra rest is definitely helping me. I can't say I wanna be back to my heaviest but if I can get a solid 5kg back I will be happy a man.

                                        This is interesting to me as it chimes with some of my experiences although you're coming at it from a different angle than I had to. My starting point back in April was that I was overweight and hadn't trained meaningfully for almost a year as a result of injury, then new baby etc. I was 105kg. I've been following the program posted here back in may but have doubled the amount of exercises (and therefore frequency) and increased volume. I've now hit my target weight of 95kg and I'm lifting at an acceptable level (1xRM squats = 145kg, 1xRM deadlifts =140kg, 1xRM bench = 90kg). All my gear fits me much better, with the exception of a couple of shirts and a pair of BB's that are now too big.

                                        Progress has stalled here for two reasons (I think). Firstly I'm not eating enough to support any more muscle growth as I've kept myself in a deficit, and secondly I've been doing an alternating full body split three times a week, with about 9-10 exercises each day, so I'm probably not giving my body enough time to recover.

                                        I'm now starting a classic upper/lower split four times a week (upper A/lower A/ rest day /upper B/lower B/weekend). I'm increasing volume but decreasing frequency. The scary part for me is increasing calorie intake. My primary goal is to build strength rather than mass, but I guess some muscle gain is secondary but necessary to this goal? Honestly I'm petrified of putting on too much. Anyone ( @Appfaff @spitfiredealer ) got any tips?  I mean, muscle takes less place than fat in theory, no? Is there anyway to concentrate on increasing strength without putting on a lot of muscle?

                                        Good luck with your goals @spitfiredealer ! I'll be interested to hear about your progress.

                                        “Some of those that work forces
                                        Are the same that burn crosses”

                                        • Virginia Woolf
                                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • spitfiredealerS
                                          spitfiredealer
                                          Raw and Unwashed
                                          Joined:

                                          @neph93 i would suggest adding 500 cals to your daily intake and log your progress for say a month. Use the scales and the mirror.
                                          There is no way you are going to get stronger eating in a calorie deficit. I wouldn't worry about putting on too much, your aren't suddenly going to blow up with a extra 500 calories. Those extra calories will no doubt make you feel stronger almost straight away if you have been in a deficit for a while.

                                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • tmgT
                                            tmg
                                            Joined:

                                            @neph93 I'm also pursuing pure strength in my training, and as such have been concentrating on the big 3 compound movements (bench, squat, deadlift) along with selected accessory exercises for the past 12 months. During this time I found that I wasn't progressing quickly (or at all in some cases), and experiments with both deficit and keto diets didn't really work for me - I think if I'd pursued keto I might have started to see general improvements, but it requires a much more disciplined and organised life than I'm prepared to commit too, at least at the moment!

                                            What I did find extremely useful was Andy Bolton & Pavel Tstatsouline's book "Deadlift Dynamite", which, although it primarily focuses on the deadlift, also examines the other compound movements, and how to develop an overall strategy for strength training. I bought the Kindle edition from Amazon, for about £7, since the paperback is priced at £60!

                                            As a complimentary book, I'd also highly recommend "Becoming a Supple Leopard" by Dr Kelley Starrett which has helped improve my flexibility, taught me how to fix a lot of my aches/pains, and provided a great insight into biomechanics and how to apply it to strength training, i.e. how to not injure yourself through poor movement discipline and/or bad habits 😀

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