Notes by Nectar

I woke up on Sunday unable to move – I’d had a late night the night before. My plans for going to the gym went out the window.

I had a session with Pete on Monday morning. I warmed up with a 10-minute uphill walk, starting with an incline of 1% and increasing it each minute until I was walking at an incline of 10%. I did some stretches after that and Pete told me I was going to do a metabolic circuit. It sounded painful. He also told me he had a new toy we were going to use. I corrected him: ‘You mean a new instrument of torture!’

I began with 4 minutes on the treadmill, alternating 30 s of walking with 30 s of running.

I then did:

• Combined squat/shoulder press x 6 (10-lb weights)
• Repeat each minute for 6 minutes

Oh yes, I’d done something similar the week before and it wasn’t too bad. Pete told me he was making it harder this time. Instead of resting for the rest of the minute after I’d finished the exercise, I’d have to do 10 reps of an abs exercise. So really, it was more like this:

• Combined squat/shoulder press x 6 (10-lb weights)
• Abdominal knee-ins x 10 (for the first 3 minutes)
• Rest for the rest of the minute (if there was any time left)
• Combined squat/shoulder press x 6 (10-lb weights)
• Abdominal toe touches x 10 (for the last 3 minutes)
• Rest for the rest of the minute (if there was any time left)

So by the end of that, I was pretty tired!

He then opened the ladder and told me I would do a 4-minute Tabata circuit. I told him I’d used the ladder before and he said that it wasn’t the new toy. The circuit went like this:

• Lateral high knees x 20 s (2:01 in the video)
• Rest x 10 s
• Jumping jacks x 20 s
• Rest x 10 s
• In-in, out-out x 20 s (1:07 in the video)
• Rest x 10 s
• Side to side jumps x 20 s
• Rest x 10 s
• Repeat (no break)

I then did three sets of the following without a break:

• Standing oblique twist x 10 (15-lb weight)
• Bicep curls x 10 (10-lb weights)
• Standing side leg raises x 20 on each side

I had a water break and then Pete pulled out his new toy: Slides (or gliding discs)! My feet or elbows would be the slides while doing two of the exercises. The circuit was as follows:

• Mountain climbers (with slides) x 30 s
• Rest x 30 s
• T raise (lifting opposite arm and leg) x 30
• Rest x 30 s
• Pulses (elbows on slides) x 30 s
• Rest x 30 s
• Double crunch x 30 s
• Rest

For the pulses, I was on my knees and elbows with my elbows on the slides. I had to move my elbows forward and back at the same time! Totally knew to me, but I could really feel it in my abs. I did some stretching after that and was done.

I was all set for yoga on Tuesday morning but my teacher texted at 9am to say that she had a flat tyre and wouldn’t be able to make it. As I was up and ready, I decided to go to the gym instead. I started doing the 5k Runner app but a few minutes in I decided I didn’t really feel like it so I alternated walking and running each minute until I got to 20 minutes.

I then tried two new apps from Fitness22.com which I’d downloaded a few days before: Great Abs and Great Butt!

Week 1 Day 1 of the Great Abs app went like this:

• Crunches x 4
• Rest x 30 s
• Crunches x 4
• Rest x 30 s
• Side obliques x 5 on each side
• Rest x 30 s
• Side obliques x 5 on each side
• Rest x 30 s
• Reverse crunches x 5
• Rest x 30 s
• Reverse crunches x 5
• Rest

Easy! And a bit less monotonous than just doing situps.

Week 1 Day 1 of the Great Butt app went like this:

• Reverse leg lifts x 5 on each side
• Rest x 30 s
• Reverse leg lifts x 5 on each side
• Rest x 30 s
• Reverse kicks x 5 on each side
• Rest x 30 s
• Reverse kicks x 5 on each side
• Rest x 30 s
• Butt raises x 5
• Rest x 30 s
• Butt raises x 5
• Rest

I did a few stretches after that and went home.

I had a session with Pete on Wednesday morning. I started with a 10-minute warmup on the treadmill:

• Walking x 4 min
• Running x 30 s
• Walking x 30 s
• Running x 30 s
• Walking x 30 s
• Running x 30 s
• Walking x 30 s
• Running x 3 min

I did some stretches after that and did the following circuit:

• Kettlebell swings x 15 (8-kg weight)
• Ladder (wide squat, narrow squat) x 1 length
• Treadmill x 200 m sprints

I did that three times continuously, without any breaks, and Pete timed me. In the first set, Pete put the treadmill speed at 8 km/h and then increased it to 8.3 km/h. By the time I finished I was totally breathless. I barely breathed while I did the next round of kettlebell swings and the ladder. When I was on the treadmill the second time, he told me to walk for 60 m at a speed of 6 km/h to catch my breath and then put the speed up to 7.5 km/h. When I got to the treadmill the third time, I walked for 20 m and then ran the rest of the way. It took me 9 minutes and 15 seconds. It felt like a lot longer, but I also felt that my time should have been shorter!

He told me that my running technique was fine – I could do the long strides to run 8.5 km/h. He said I’d even have no trouble doing 9 km/h but I needed to work on my breathing. He also said he suspected half the problem was in my head. Yes, I do have a block when it comes to running!

That circuit was tough. I had a rest and had some water. I wanted to have a nap but didn’t think Pete would let me. He pulled out the slides again, admitting he was a little in love with them! I did the next circuit:

• One-leg sliding squats x 6 on each side
• Glute kickbacks with straight leg x 10 on each side
• Wood chopper x 10 on each side (10-lb weight)

I did that circuit three times continuously, no breaks. I asked Pete if he thought that my body had changed at all over the last few weeks. Sometimes I think it has and at other times I feel like I’m working out with absolutely nothing to show for it. He said my waist was a lot more toned, as well as my legs and bum. Hmm. OK, then.

After that I went back to the treadmill for 4 minutes, walking at a speed of 6 km/h at an incline of 6%. That was followed by an abs circuit:

• Slides in and out x 30 s (3:21 in the video)
• Rest x 30 s
• Double crunches x 30 s
• Rest x 30 s
• Plank x 30 s
• Rest x 30 s
• Situps x 30 s
• Rest

The slides were the worst out of that group! I did some stretches after that and was done for the day. That session really wiped me out though and I spent the rest of the day trying to keep my eyes open!

I woke up on Thursday to a grey and wet Dubai. Ugh, the whole city comes to a standstill when it rains for 5 minutes and apparently so do I. I decided to skip the gym and spend the day at home working.

Even though I was out late on Thursday night, I went to the gym at the Shangri-La on Friday morning. I didn’t feel like running but I thought even a 30-minute walk on the treadmill would be better than sitting in bed. I walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill, varying the speed between 6 km/h and 6.5 km/h. I did 3.06 km. After the treadmill I did Week 1 Day 2 of the Great Abs and Great Butt apps.

Week 1 Day 2 of the Great Butt app went like this:

• Reverse leg lifts x 6 on each side
• Rest x 30 s
• Reverse leg lifts x 5 on each side
• Rest x 30 s
• Reverse kicks x 5 on each side
• Rest x 30 s
• Reverse kicks x 5 on each side
• Rest x 30 s
• Butt raises x 6
• Rest x 30 s
• Butt raises x 5
• Rest

Week 1 Day 2 of the Great Abs app went like this:

• Crunches x 5
• Rest x 30 s
• Crunches x 5
• Rest x 30 s
• Side obliques x 5 on each side
• Rest x 30 s
• Side obliques x 5 on each side
• Rest x 30 s
• Reverse crunches x 5
• Rest x 30 s
• Reverse crunches x 5
• Rest

I did some stretches after that and went home. I didn’t work out on Saturday.

Low point of the week? I ate and drank a lot on Thursday night.

High point of the week? Four workouts done this week!

Weight loss? No change.

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