Too fat to be a cyclist. Too skinny to be a weightlifter.

[Big Good Wolf]

Not really a training log entry, more a life in general entry...

I've had a lump on my throat which I can feel pressing in to my wind pipe for a few weeks. It comes and goes a bit, sometimes it's very noticeable when I'm working and breathing hard.
I went to the doctors and was told I would have to go to the hospital for some tests. I was hoping it would be general knowledge, I'm good at that.
It turned out to be a blood test to check for thyroid problems. Apart from a very low slugs & snails & puppy dogs tails count, my blood was normal.
I went back today for an ultrasound scan.
I've heard tales of hospital car park charges and thought I might overrun the two hour limit in Sainsbury's car park down the road, so despite the rain, I went on my motorbike.
After feeling quite big at the weekend, the lump was almost gone today and nothing showed up on the scan.
I set off straight from the hospital to work.
The first roundabout I got to was all blocked up. I wanted to go straight ahead, but there was some sort of hold up on the exit to the left and the cars were all stopped on the roundabout. I got through the gaps and out in to the open, changed in to second gear and the front wheel slid away.
I've always had trail bikes so I know what off road tyres are like on wet tarmac and I know that the first rain after a dry spell is the worst for making the roads slippery, but this caught me completely by surprise.
I was only doing about 10mph and the knee, hip and elbow padding in my bike gear did its job perfectly. I jumped straight up and picked the bike up. Apart from a slightly bent brake lever there was no real damage.
It carried on raining all afternoon and evening. I really wasn't looking forward to riding home in the dark and wet, then we got a call out to a breakdown at around 9pm so I went out in the van and came straight home afterwards leaving the bike at work.
So after a good start to the day, setting a new PB on the squats, things sort of went down hill, followed the contours for a bit, then went slightly back up hill.

[Big Good Wolf]

Upright row 5 x 5 x 25kg
Squat 50 x 40kg
Deadlift 5 x 5 x100kg

I had a slight pain in my right shoulder after crashing my bike which didn't seem worth mentioning at the time. It gradually got worse over the following day and it's quite painful to extend my right arm now so I've given up on the overhead presses for a couple of days.

I read the message in the running forum about barefoot running and that got me thinking.
I've had painful feet for a while as if my heels are bruised. The doctor told me the proper medical name for it, which I've forgotten, and told me to take Ibuprofen as an anti-inflammatory for two weeks and not to run in that time. It's not right yet, but there is an improvement.
Anyway, I thought I'd try barefoot skipping. I skip on my toes, my heels don't touch the ground once I'm going, and I found it easier than usual. I can skip to exhaustion now without getting tangled so often.

[albin]

Have you ever tried single leg split squats? You don't need to go that heavy, so no real risk of being pinned under a lot of weight if you lift on your own, and you don't need to do 50 reps in one go to get a decent leg workout.

[Big Good Wolf]

Hi Albin.
I just tried that with my hands behind my head to practice the movement before I try it with a bar. I was wobbling all over the place. It was easier with a couple of dumbells held straight down at arms length, they seem to lower my centre of gravity.
I'm doing the sqauts in 50s because I'm going for thehigh rep squat challenge. I've done 50 x 50kg before so I thought I'd have a go at getting comfortable with lower weigts for a while rather than work on the limit all the time.

[Big Good Wolf]

I still haven't got myself a proper programme or routine, I'm doing a bit of something everyday, I'm just not writing it in my log.
I'm at Moggy's this weekend so I've been playing with railway sleepers outside, carrying them on my shoulder and rigging up a farmers walk.
The best I've managed so far is 8m with 75kg per hand. It's my left hand grip that gives up first.
Bench press 3x12x40kg. I've still got pain in my right shoulder when pushing, I can get round it by using a very narrow grip with my thumbs touching.
Concept II rowing machine. 5000m in 21.22 on the highest setting.

[Kryptonite V]

Write all the stuff in your log, BGW! It helps tracking progress and it's good for feedback.

Keep doing the Farmer's once a week, don't wear yourself out by doing it too often.

[buzz]

8m with 75's is decent work. Like krypto says, don't overdo it though with the frequency.

Instead of bench, you could do overhead? Does your shoulder still hurt with that?

[Big Good Wolf]

Overhead is worse than bench.
Up 'til now the only chance I got to do bench was at Moggy's at weekends. I have bought a bench off ebay and picked it up on the way to work this morning. I got home at nearly 11pm and couldn't wait to unload it and have a go. It took two trips to carry it up the hill, but once I'd got it assembled I did 3x10x30kg just as a try out.
I've been working long shifts this week and not done much training at all. just a few 3x10xwhatevers now & then.
I'm off to a big military vehicle show this weekend, so no doubt there will be some rope climbing practice with the crane on my truck.

I suppose 2x75kg for 8m is reasonable for a first time farmers walk.
I always feel that for someone my size I should be lifting a lot more weight than I am.

Time to set some more short term achievable goals.
Now I've got a bench, I'll aim for 3/4 bodyweight(75kg) bench press. Current pb 60kg
I'll rig up a farmers walk at home somehow. I'll aim for 20m with 2x1/2 bodyweight(50kg), then up the weights from there.
Deadlift 1.5x bodyweight(150kg). Current pb 145kg
Longer term, I'll aim for bodyweight(100kg) squat, current pb 85kg, although I'll leave that until I get a rack of some sort.

[ralst]

I always feel that for someone my size I should be lifting a lot more weight than I am.

I feel that way a lot. I weight a kilo or two more than you, and I try to look at it as my strength just needs to grow into my size. Nothing wrong with being big, and we're only going to get stronger, right?

Anyways, I also wanted to say kudos on the railway ties. I'm not even sure I could pick up that much weight, let alone walk with it. Not only that, they look damn cool in your pictures

- Eric

[The Duke]

I suppose 2x75kg for 8m is reasonable for a first time farmers walk.

BGW

75kg on a first time farmers is fantastic. Its pissed me off so much!!!!

I think the easiest way to make them heavier would be to wrap chain around them near the CoG. (Your place looks like its not short of chains).

[ninearms]

Excellent new avatar, Graham!

[Big Good Wolf]

Still just playing with the bench seeing what I can do.
Bench press, 3x10x30kg
Cable front pull down, palms down, 3x10x30
Cable front pull down, palms up, 3x10x30
Front squat 10+10+3x25kg Maybe doing squats straight after a mountain bike ride isn't the best idea.
Farmers walk. No sleepers here at home so two 56lb (25kg) weights tied together in each hand. Not much hard level ground to walk about on either so 16 step up/step downs with alternate feet leading on to a 150mm pallet.
Bench press, 3x10x40kg

...and I try to look at it as my strength just needs to grow into my size

That's pretty much how I see it. That's why I like to see all my lifts as a proportion of bodyweight. I've either got to gain some muscle or lose some lard.

Part of the reason for using the dumbbells on the sleepers was to make it easy to increase the weight when I want to. At the moment I'm using the smallest plates simply to space the handles away from the sleepers. When I'm ready I can put some bigger plates on to up the weight.

[Big Good Wolf]

Not much done over the weekend, just a bit of running and rope climbing.
Got up late on Monday, just started playing Baldur's Gate again so was up 'til 3am on Sunday night, so no training done before work.

Today;
Bench press, 3x10x40kg
Cable front pull down, palms down, 3x10x40kg
Cable front pull down, palms up, 3x10x40kg
Rear squat 3x10x40kg
Kneeling dumbbell rows 25x14kg
Step ups 22x150mmx50kg per hand



I'll try to keep a log of what I'm eating each day from now on as well as I've probably got one of the most unvaried crap vegan diets ever.

Tin of spaghetti with 3 slices of bread and marge.
Bowl of redibrek with currants and rice milk
Three mugs of rice milk with banana Nesquick
Four slices of toast with Marmite.
Four slices of toast with Tartex.
Banana
Packet of Bourbon biscuits.
About 2 litres of orange squash.

[Frostfire]

Got up late on Monday, just started playing Baldur's Gate again so was up 'til 3am on Sunday night, so no training done before work.

Awesome, its nice to know I'm not the only one who occasionally falls into the gaming trap .

[Big Good Wolf]

Awesome, its nice to know I'm not the only one who occasionally falls into the gaming trap .

Yeah, you know how it is. "I'll just explore this area of the map, then I'll go to bed." "I only need 50XPs to level up. I'll just play through one more encounter, then I really will go to bed." And so it goes on to 3am.