Notes by Nectar

Another good week at the gym!

I had my usual session with Trevor on Sunday morning. I started with a 5-minute warmup on the bike and then did the following weights circuit before beginning day 5 of his abs challenge:

• Lateral pulldown x 10 (wide grip)
• Squats x 15
• Lateral pulldown x 10 (regular grip)
• Squats x 15
• Lateral pulldown x 10 (underhand grip)
• Squats x 15
• Tricep extensions x 10
• Deadlifts x 10 (15-lb weights)
• Tricep extensions x 10
• Deadlifts x 10 (15-lb weights)
• Tricep extensions x 10
• Deadlifts x 10 (15-lb weights)

I did 15 minutes on the treadmill – alternating between walking and running each minute (1.6 km). And then did the abs circuit:

• Bicycle crunches x 40 s
• Rest x 20 s
• Russian twists x 40 s (3-kg weight)
• Rest x 20 s
• Flutter kicks x 40 s
• Rest x 20 s
• Double crunches x 40 s
• Rest x 20 s
• Rest x 1 min 20 s
• Repeat three more times

The hardest of those four exercises were the flutter kicks. And I think they were hardest on my back than anywhere else. I did some stretching after that circuit and was done for the day.

On Monday I went back to the gym and did 5 minutes on the bike as a warmup. I did 20 minutes on the treadmill (2.25 km), alternating between walking and running. Then I did the abs circuit:

• 1-2-3 mountain climber get-ups x 40 s
• Rest x 20 s
• Reach through crunches x 40 s
• Rest x 20 s
• A-frame twists x 40 s
• Rest x 20 s
• Toe touch leg drops x 40 s
• Rest x 1 min 20 s
• Repeat three more times

The 1-2-3 mountain climber get-ups were the worst of those four – it’s exactly as it sounds: three mountain climbers and then get up, then get down and do it over and over again. It was almost like burpees. Each session has been tough but I have to say that the 20 minutes does actually go pretty quickly.

I had yoga on Tuesday morning. Again, it was just me as my cousin was away. It was a good class though. Before she left, for some reason we started talking about botox and other ‘rejuvenating’ treatments and I told her that I’d never tried any of it but that if I looked my age I might reconsider. She asked me how old I was and was shocked when I told her I was 42 last week. ‘I really thought you were about 30,’ she said. I knew there was a reason I liked her…

On Wednesday I had an early session with Trevor. I warmed up on the bike and then did 20 minutes on the treadmill (2:17 km; walking and running). I then did his abs challenge for day 8. It was the same as day 1 so I knew what I was doing:

• Mountain climbers x 40 s
• Rest x 20 s
• Side plank x 40 s (changing sides halfway through)
• Rest x 20 s
• Abdominal in and out x 40 s
• Rest x 20 s
• Abdominal toe touches x 40 s
• Rest x 1 min 20 s

I was supposed to do the circuit four times. In the last round, Trevor suggested I change the exercises to the ones he’d posted on Instagram the day before. I hadn’t done them before as I’d had yoga and was quite keen to try something different:

• Feet elevated crunches x 40 s (with my feet on a bench)
• Rest x 20 s
• Breakdance leg sweeps x 40 s
• Rest x 20 s
• Knee to elbow twists x 40 s
• Rest x 20 s
• Plank walkers x 40 s
• Rest

In his video, Trevor made the breakdance leg sweeps look so easy (I’ve tried to find a video of this, but no such luck). From a standing position, you lean down so that your hands are on the floor (almost like downward dog but with knees slightly bent). You then sweep the left leg forward and to the right, twisting your oblique muscles, and then back again. Repeat on the left. It was hard. Keeping my leg off the floor when it was extended was impossible! I have to admit I felt like a bit of a loser after that round! The knee to elbow twists were similar to Russian twists but with your arms folded at your chest (like a Cossack dancer) and your elbows touching the opposite knee and then the same on the other side.

We still had a few minutes left after that fourth (disastrous) round so Trevor introduced me to the 50-rep finisher:

• Bicep curls x 10 (10-lb weights)
• Shoulder press x 10 (10-lb weights)
• Dumbbell tricep extension x 10 (10-lb weight)
• Tricep dips x 10
• Push-ups x 10

I decided it was something I should add to the end of all my workouts!

On Thursday I went back to the gym. I did my warmup on the bike and 20 minutes on the treadmill (2.25 km). I then did the abs challenge for that day:

• Situps x 40 s
• Rest x 20 s
• Spiderman crunches x 40 s
• Rest x 20 s
• V ups x 40 s
• Rest x 20 s
• Hip rolls x 40 s
• Rest x 1 min 20 s

It was still hard, but I did find it more doable than the week before! In the last set I swapped the hip rolls for Russian twists. The week before, I did Russian twists in the last two sets.

I didn’t work out over the weekend.

Low point of the week? I was out a lot this week – dinner on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I also drank on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Oh, I also had some bread – I had three bites of my mum’s pizza on Monday.

High point of the week? Working out five times this week. My yoga teacher thinking I was 30 years old!

Weight loss? Still up and down – but I’m not going to focus on that at the moment.

Read more updates here.