Notes by Nectar

It’s been a while since I updated this! So, on Sunday the 4th of September I went to the gym and did Week 3 Day 1 of the 10k Runner app:

• Warmup x 5 min
• Run x 1.5 min
• Walk x 1.5 min
• Run x 2.5 min
• Walk x 2.5 min
• Run x 2.5 min
• Walk x 2.5 min
• Run x 1.5 min
• Walk x 1.5 min
• Cooldown x 5 min

I had a session with Pete on Monday morning. I began with a 10-minute warmup on the cross-trainer and some stretches. It was a weights session and the first circuit consisted of:

• Chest press x 15 (5 bars/4 bars)
• Bent over row x 15 (10-lb weights)
• Rest and repeat two more times

I lifted 5 bars for the chest press in the first set but it was too heavy for me, so for the next two sets Pete reduced it to 4 bars. The second group of exercises was:

• Lateral pulldown x 15 (6 bars)
• Shoulder press x 15 (10-lb weights/3-kg weights)
• Rest and repeat two more times

For the shoulder press, I started with 10-lb weights but could barely lift them in the second set so Pete swapped them for 3-kg weights. After a short break, I moved on to the next set of exercises:

• Goblet squats x 15 (20-lb weight)
• Romanian deadlifts x 15 (15-lb weights)
• Rest and repeat two more times

The final set consisted of the following:

• Fly x 15 (10-lb weights)
• Prone fly x 15 (10-lb weights)
• Rest and repeat two more times

I did some stretches and was done.

I didn’t go to the gym on Tuesday and I had another session with Pete on Wednesday. I warmed up with just 500 m on the cross-trainer – walking for 1 minute and then running until I got to 500 m. I then did some stretches. Pete’s new favourite stretch is a walk-out to plank and I hate it. I don’t know why but it just pisses me off. Pete’s started incorporating it into my warmup along with the ‘world’s greatest stretch‘. There are also squats, lunges and other awful things.

After a thorough warmup, Pete explained a new exercise format to me. The exercises are split into two groups, A and B. Group A consisted of mountain climbers, combined reverse lunge/press (10-lb weight) and squat jumps. Group B consisted of kettlebell swings, plank jumping jacks (jumping my feet in/out while in a plank position) and the ribbon (similar to the halo). The circuit consisted of doing the exercises in Groups A and B for different lengths of time. I eventually figured out that it went like this:

• Group A x 20 s (mountain climbers for 20 s, combined reverse lunge/press for 20 s, squat jumps for 20 s)
• Rest x 20 s
• Group B x 30 s (each exercise for 30 s)
• Rest x 10 s
• Group A x 30 s (each exercise for 30 s)
• Rest x 20 s
• Group B x 30 s (each exercise for 30 s)
• Rest x 10 s
• Group A x 40 s (each exercise for 40 s)
• Rest

Bloody hell! I had some water and a rest and did the same format with different exercises. In the second circuit Group A consisted of combined squat/upright row (8-kg kettlebell), jumping scissors and halos (3-kg weight). Group B consisted of dead bugs, reverse wood chop (3-kg weight) and skaters.

Oh man, I was glad when that was over. I did some stretches and went home. I didn’t work out again in the week or over the weekend.

I didn’t work out again until Monday the 12th of September, when I had a session with Pete. I was so not in the mood and was kind of pleased when two of the treadmills were out of order. However, my warmup consisted of the walk-out to plank stretch, squats, A skips, running on the spot, butt kickers, side lunges (and everything repeated) and 400 m on the cross-trainer.

And then I did the first circuit:

• Reverse lunge x 20, alternating 10 on each side (10-lb weights)
• Reverse lunge/forward drive x 10 on each side
• Bent over row x 15 (15-lb weights)
• Dead bugs x 30
• Rest x 30 s
• Reverse lunge x 20, alternating 10 on each side
• Reverse lunge/forward drive x 10 on each side
• Bent over row x 15
• Lifting knee to chest x 20, alternating 10 on each side
• Rest x 30 s
• Reverse lunge x 20, alternating 10 on each side
• Reverse lunge/forward drive x 10 on each side
• Bent over row x 15
• Skaters x 20
• Rest

I had some more water. I wanted to take a nap but settled for sitting down until it was time for the second circuit:

• Combined squat/press x 12 (3-kg weights)
• Pushups x 12
• Lateral pulldown x 5 (8 bars)
• Rest x 30 s
• Combined squat/press x 10
• Pushups x 12
• Lateral pulldown x 5
• Rest x 30 s
• Combined squat/press x 8
• Pushups x 12
• Lateral pulldown x 5
• Rest x 1 min

I had another water break and then did the final group of exercises:

• Bicep curls x 12, alternating 10 on each side (3-kg weights)
• Tricep dips x 20
• Heel to butt stretch x 10, alternating 5 on each side
• Rest x 30 s
• Bicep curls x 16
• Tricep dips x 16
• Rest

I did some stretches and went home. I didn’t have a session with Pete on Wednesday as I had a friend’s birthday on Tuesday and knew it would be a late night. In fact, I didn’t get back to the gym at all that week. I did, however, make it to yoga on Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning, so that’s something!

Low point of the two weeks? Not doing as much as I should.

High point of the two weeks? Finally getting back to yoga!

Weight loss? Meh. The less said about that the better.

Read more updates here.