Let's try again...

NTA

Mrs TA had a shit day at work, so we went out to dinner. Limited the damage by making it the new Chinese place nearby, and only eating the meat and veg without the rice. Quite classy actually, and probably the best black pepper sauce I've had on a well tenderised sizzling beef - given the high standard of Asian cuisine available in Sydney, that is saying a lot. Szechuan prawns and crispy chicken were also top notch. 
 
So feeling a little more sated than usual, let us get into hundred pushups with more than a little trepidation, hmm? 
 
Week 4, Day 1 - 120s rest instead of 60s. 
 
Set 1: 21 ok 
Set 2: 25 ok 
Set 3: 21 ok 
Set 4: 21 ok - smashed it actually! 
Set 5: 32 ok, rest at bottom on 25 and 28. 
 
Not sure if my form was 100% midway through the last set, but I fucking did it! Getting up from the floor on 26 and 29 was tough. 
 
Did floats to finish after a rest: 
90s hold, 60s rest 
60s hold, 30s rest 
30s hold, 60s rest 
60s hold, 90s rest - back starting to hurt, and losing form 
60s hold then crapped out. 
 
Stretches to finish

NTA

Run this morning - drizzly conditions made footing a little hazardous - those pebblecrete driveways suck, but the slate tiled ones are even worse! Time was 27:08 to 5km. 
 
[quote name='NTA' timestamp='1351283676' post='320973'] 
Today: 94.9kg, Chest 109cm, Waist 99cm, Hips 104cm. 
[/quote] 
 
Today: 95.4kg, Chest 110cm, Waist 99cm, Hips 104cm. 
 
Just goes to show that even trying to limit yourself at a restaurant doesn't always work. I was down at 94.9 regularly during the week so I'm not too cut, but it does mean my decision to drop the concept of Diet Day Off was justified. Four weeks to go, 5.4kg to lose. Let's rol!

NTA

Last night Mrs TA had her 20 year High School Reunion, and there wasn't a lot of food, but I did have a few bevvies <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/rugby/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> Yesterday I decided to have, as my treat, a sourdough cob - bloody nice straight up with butter. 
 
Today I bought some more weight plates and changed all the pound weights for kilos at last. Can't even remember where I got those. So now the simple layout is 50kg on the curling bar (increase of 7.5kg) and 14.25kg on each dumbell (same weight, roughly). 
 
So did two circuits of this: 
 
5 x chins 
5 x hammer into bicep curls 
5 x military press into shrug into deadlift into bent row 
Neck set 
25 x lunge left then right 
50 x squat 
3 x pullups 
 
Adding the 5 extra lunges and the extra 7kg on the curling bar slowed everything down a bit, so I ran nearly a minute over on the first set and had to bust out the squats damn fast in the second. Was also fatiguing bad in the second set so the bent rows were crap. After I hit the 20 minutes I repeated the 5 bent rows to proper form. Will add more pullups next time out. 
 
Did myotayics and cat voms after that and then decided to go for a walk to cool down the legs and just finish the burn - 3.62km in 32:36.

NTA

Got a work call to the UK tonight, and DST changes mean the time is all fucked up. So I decided to duck home for dinner, and after a short nanna nap, do hundred pushups Week 4 Day 1 (90s rest between sets) 
 
Set 1: 25 ok 
Set 2: 29 ok, but had a couple of moments there <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/rugby/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> 
Set 3: 25 ok and getting to struggle street with pauses at the top 
Set 4: 20 ok, 5 on knees 
Set 5: 12 ok, 24 on knees 
 
Nice and tough that one, but the rest helps. 
 
Myotatics and cat voms to finish, then dinner and back to work!

NTA

Got up early and went for a run this morning: 5km in just over 26 minutes. 
 
Karate tonight. Hot in Sydney today so should be quite sweaty <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/rugby/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

Paekakboyz

That is a good clip for your 5km mate! as you drop weight your power:weight ratio will be improving, soooo much better running once you've leaned down a bit.

NTA

BP is 25:20 for 5km so I can do better. Have to work out on grinding down those middle three laps to get consistency - today the km markers were: 5:15, 5:41, 5:19, 5:24, 4:38 
 
So really it was the second km that let me down - no surprise as its got the only real uphill work in the circuit. Still, better than the 28-29 minutes I used to run. 
 
Want to get it under 25 as a first point, then move on from there to 4 minute kilometres. Got to get the odd 10km in as well to help build for City 2 Surf next August.

NTA

So yeah, karate. Sweaty as predicted but not exhausting... might have to do something in the breaks to keep the heart rate up. 
 
Floats when I got home: 
 
90s hold, 60s rest 
60s hold, 30s rest 
30s hold, 60s rest 
60s hold, 90s rest 
90s hold - did it!! Quivering wreck in terms of lower back, but decided to keep going after a 60s rest. 
60s hold, 30s rest 
30s hold, then shot to shit <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/rugby/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> 
 
Pure willpower got me through that second 90, and the 60+30 thereafter. But the line has been crossed! Next time I'll aim for the two minute mark I reckon. 
 
Stretches to finish.

NTA

Not real happy this morning as my weight is back up over 96 and has been for a couple of days <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/rugby/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/angry.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> might need to go a binge diet day to reset everything

NTA

Feeling flat as fuck. Was really strict on the eating today but that and the humid weather has left me a bit lethargic. Don't feel like doing even one set of push-ups but screw that noise - I'm going to do hundred push-ups AND some free weights just to wake myself up! 
 
Set 1: 25 ok 
Set 2: 29 ok 
Set 3: 25 ok but really had to dig the last few 
Set 4: 21 ok, 4 on knees - so close, yet so far 
Set 5: 18 ok, 18 on knees 
 
The 90s rest periods really help with my recovery on these, so might go 120s next time. Managed to get out 100 overall before I had to go to knees which was good. 
 
Bit of a breather, then into weights with as much break time between sets as I want <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/rugby/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> 
 
Chins to fail x 5 
Seated bicep curl @ 14.25kg to fail: Left x 6, Right x 9 
Military press (standing) @ 50kg to fail x 5 
Shrug @ 50kg to fail x 22 where I started to lose form 
Pullups to fail x 4 
Bent row bb @ 50kg to fail x 12 where I lost form 
 
Chins x 5and half into 6 
Seated bi curl: Right x 5, Left x 6 
Military press x 4 - almost 5! 
Shrug x 19 
Pullups x 3 
Bent rows x 10 
 
Then, just for jolly, a set of deadlifts @ 50kg x 20 in case the lower back was not feeling hard done by 
 
Triceps are fucking trashed! 
 
Abs need a rest so that'll do, pig. Got to say my Fivefingers Classics are the best bloody shoes for working out in. 
 
Protein shake, shower, bed, 5am start...

taniwharugby

what are floats, another name for planks/bridges?

NTA

Yep

NTA

Scales say 95.5. Much better, but need to get into low 94 by Saturday morning weigh-in for progress. 
 
Have to say though, the addition of more strength training is helping to define the shape at this point. Still too much body fat of course, and want to keep my aerobic work up for proper fitness. But its nice to see some definition under all that.

JK

You must be up pretty early over in Aus Nick to be posting 715am NZ time

taniwharugby

[quote name='NTA' timestamp='1352312120' post='323692'] 
Scales say 95.5. Much better, but need to get into low 94 by Saturday morning weigh-in for progress. 
 
Have to say though, the addition of more strength training is helping to define the shape at this point. Still too much body fat of course, and want to keep my aerobic work up for proper fitness. But its nice to see some definition under all that. 
[/quote] 
 
SOunds much like me, I can see some shape and definition coming into most areas except the lower abs, and I expect this is where a bit of the final few kg's I want to lose will come from.

JK

Lower abs are still a mile away for me too. Hardest place for me (and apparantly most) to shred the fat from.

NTA

Those lower abs are always the last part of the fat reserves to go apparently. I've still got a bit to go on the love handles, under the arms, and on the butt before I get to that! 
 
[quote name='JK' timestamp='1352315320' post='323696']You must be up pretty early over in Aus Nick to be posting 715am NZ time[/quote] 
 
Yeah I have to pick up the boy from school on Thursdays and take him to swimming, so work 6am start. I only live about 8 km from the office so it works out well.

NTA

Marie Curie: "I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy" 
 
Right on.

NTA

[media]

Holy. Shit. <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/rugby/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':o' /> 
 
I am both in awe and afraid of that guy. 
 
Still, with the weather having closed in, and no time for a run as a result, it is time to get some set work in under cover of the garage: 
 
Pullups x 5 
Arnies @ 14.25kg x 12 
Lunges: Left x 25, Right x 25 
Burpees x 10 
Bent flyes @ 14.25kg x 12 
 
Pullups x 4 
Static hang x 10s straight after 
Arnies x 12 
Squats x 50 
Burpees x 10 
Bent flyes x 12 
 
Myotatics + cat voms to finish.

NTA

I'd also like to point out at this point in time that burpees suck. I'm especially unco at the jumping bit.

The Silver Fern

Let's try again...