I’ve completed the first four weeks of foundation training in my hypertrophy goals. The initial phase, although tough, was really enjoyable and I was making steady progression on a number of heavy lifts, especially with consistency of reps and sets. The weight didn’t go up very much, but I found that I was able to repeat four sets of nine to ten repetitions, with heavy weight, more frequently. Aesthetically my arms are growing and I’m getting broader. For each of the workouts John has written a ‘finisher’, something right up my HIIT lovin’ street - 10 minutes of utter hell The principle behind it, as put together by fitness writer Ross Edgley, is to build muscle and add a little cardio, but not enough to kill the ‘gains’.
The sheer amount of weight lifted in one 90min session is staggering and according to my dear friend Mike Burrell, strength conditioning coach to Paralympic silver medallist Millie Knight, I’m lifting big already. Both he and John Saxby have been on call for advice and critique on my forms and answer every stupid question I ask. I can’t thank them enough for having them in my WhatsApp corner.
The time had come for me to take Stage 2 on. A progression I thought would be more of the same, with a few simple changes. My goodness I was wrong! John added GBC, German Body Composition Training. Super-setting each exercise and just piling weights on. My first leg day was horrendous, killing me physically and emotionally. Within the first few minutes I was sweating hard. I pushed so hard I swallowed vomit and got right back to it. I have a little gym bag and for my own inspiration I’ve put on the Marines cap badge. I’m not usually that kind of guy, but it spurs me on for when it gets tough, that I’ve been trained with a mindset of just doing whatever it is I need to do, no excuses, just crack on. I’m glad I had that there on that day. I’ve no one but myself to push me on workouts. I feel great about where I’m headed and what’s to come, but bloody hell, are you kidding me?! This is tough.
ARE YOU ****ING KIDDING ME?! I’m writing this blog two weeks in to Stage 2 and I’ve done two days of it only. I’ve injured myself. The first day of my holiday my girlfriends brother and I go to run a gentle round-a-lake jaunt in Anglesey. Easy, I don’t have to push hard, simple. I’m leading and the narrow path takes a sudden turn left, my distance sight is covered by bushes. The track has been just hard mud next to the lake then suddenly there is a 3-4 metre stretch of rocks, about 20cm high, in various shapes and sizes. Now my slow is not slow, my easy running pace is around 6.5-7min mile and I haven’t practiced trail running in months, I can’t break quickly enough; my right foot misses the rocks, my left foot goes between them. David said that the ankle just went sideways and looked awful. I’m now on crutches, paracetamol and ice and feeling occasionally sorry for myself and itching to be training. I’ve got a Grade II sprain of the ankle. I’ve to still try and work so proper rest is tough to get. I’m not up for trying to stand on it and pull 80kg+ deadlift, that would be really stupid too. I’m learning a skill that I’ve never been very good at, though I tell my massage and fitness clients a lot: Stop, eat well, rest, rehab, recover.
I’m on hold with training, despite an effort to attend the gym yesterday and do something. I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to come up with a different programme to work around the leg. It’s okay though, this isn’t my first time like this. I’ve had many injuries and a new mindset of positivity has to be put in. I will recover, I will do my recovery programme and stretching, I will put good nutrition in my body to repair and I will take care of myself. If I can motivate anyone with the same scenario as me, people that want to exercise but can’t; people that are otherwise active that are injured and find the whole thing a problem; I’m the same as you, even though I should know better. I’ve tried to train through the pain and my instructor-forces medic-massage therapist head is saying “are you kidding me?!” “Ah, I’ll be okay, it’s not hurting that much”. I repeat - Stop, rest up, eat well, rehab, recover.
