Yet another week gone and I am that little bit further into the fat to fit journey, the backpack I’m carrying that little bit lighter, my muscles coping with a little bit more exertion. As sad as it sounds I love my Monday nights, it hurts, it leaves me sweaty and breathless and for the next two or so days its usually only my head that doesn’t bring out a groan when I move it, but dya know what, I wouldn’t change it for the world.
As always my wingman and brother Anthony was there beside me as we worked our way through tonights plan, expertly put together by Kenny. Normally I do 10 minutes on the bike but not tonight, tonight I was on the treadmill for the full half hour, mixing it up between walking, jogging and running. The treadmill I’m used to is in mph but the last two weeks I’ve been using a treadmill thats in km/h. I started off at 4.3km/h as a 5 min warm up then up to 5.3 which was my base pace for walking, with 1 and 2 minute bursts at 6.7 and 7.5km/h.
I’m not a massive fan of the treadmill, but then again is anyone? As the timer made it’s way to zero my legs grew wearier, I’m by no means the fat Mo Farah, I aint gonna trouble any distance or speed records, but even at my slowest I am going faster than I have in the previous 20 years. I like to set myself targets, it motivates me, I like to beat the week before’s numbers, I like to see the progression in real numbers to re-inforce the feeling of progression. Doing so gives me a buzz that’s difficult to describe, a right good sense of “I’m getting there” mixed with pride at how my body is changing to meet and beat these challenges!.
As much as I’m not a fan of the treadmill, the weights I do enjoy, it’s mind over matter, the feeling as your muscles burn with every rep, each machine working different muscles, within the same part of your body, the gritting of teeth as those little weights you were thrusting skywards on the first 8 reps turn to slabs of granite for 9,10,11 and finally 12.
Tonight’s weight circuit consisted of the 3 mini circuits with 3 sets of 12 reps on each exercise. Starting off with bicep curls. I got a lucky break on my first set as after I had finished on them, Ross wanted to use them for another client so Kenny decided to up our weights, which delighted Ants no end. I did allow myself a smile, till I realised I still had to do another 2 sets of them so would be feeling the difference in 10 mins or so. After the bicep curls it was vertical pull downs then deadlifts. The next mini circuit saw seated pull downs, Butt to Bosu (Although I swapped the bosu for an Aerobic step, which seemed a lot futher away for my butt to find), and my second ever attempt at the chest bench press (which you can see beside here). As I’m typing this I can actually feel it starting to seize up so it’s deffo worked something haha.
Whilst I was doing my butt to bosu Anthony was having his first ever attempt on the climber. A strange looking contraption (See right) that no doubt I will get to visit but Anthony’s that little bit ahead of me in terms of fitness (He’s at least Kilmarnock to my Royal Albert in footballing terms).
The brother is a total inspiration, seeing the change in him is one of the big reasons I got into this journey. He’s lost a fair amount of timber and overcame some big challenges and look at him now, a flying machine. If I get to half the level of fitness that he’s achieved over the past 4 or 5 years then I will have won a watch, but it’s not just watching him in the gym, it’s the little bits of advice he passes on, it’s the encouragement he gives me when the going’s tough, it’s the arm round the shoulder or kick up the arse after a bad scales visit. He seem’s to know what to say and when! (I will take that twenty quid in note form bruv haha).
Talking of inspirations Kenny is right up there too, he has his ways of getting you to do things you don’t think you can, he knows how to get you ticking and he lets you know, not in a bad way, that you can do better when you’ve let yourself down in terms of end goals. One of the biggest things about Body Morph, as I said in the last blog is the people there, All shapes, All sizes, all there for the same thing!.
Anyway back to the last circuit as I’m waffling a bit, the end was in sight with just 3 more exercises to go, so it was Kettle Bell, Side Pulls and straight arm rows to finish, 108 reps left in sets of 12 reps, Job done it was time for the weekly weigh in. I was looking to lose this week again as my 3st in 3 months challenge continued although I had to let Ants go first as my legs were shaking like Elvis at the height of his popularity. I’d been watching carefully what I was eating as the diet is more important really than the hour’s workout, You can’t out-train a bad diet, I’ve seen this first hand haha.
Tina has been immense the last couple of weeks (I say weeks, I mean years) to help me get back on track, and I’ve ate really lovely food, Steak, Chicken, Spicy Mexican Quinona, Actifry chips so it’s not been all rabbit food and pulses (although there have been some obvs!). I stepped on the scales and the digits started climbing faster than the guy who’s set the climber record in the gym (114 in a minute!!! Well impressed) but then they suddenly stopped. Last week they stopped at 161.4, this week at 160.4kg and I was another 2.2lb closer to reaching the end of this particular leg of the journey and my weight now sitting at 25st 3.6lbs which is down from 25st 6lb.
There have been so many kind words, so many words of encouragement and every one of them means the world to me. It sounds cheesy and corny but it’s true so thank you to each and every one of you who has been there for me at any and every stage of this journey.
If I can do it, so can you, so why not get in touch with Kenny and the guys here at Morph Towers and start your very own journey. Take it from me, it will be up there with the best decisions you ever make
Till next week thanks for reading
IT’S TIME TO SHINE!!!!!