SAD or just lazy?

I was woken up a couple of times last night by the terrible wind and rain (and the car alarms it was setting off) – As a result, I was chuffin knackered this morning and managed to sleep through my alarm.

I had planned on being up at 6am to get the gym with time to do a chest, biceps and triceps session before spinning but ended up waking up with just enough time to get there in time for spinning.

It wasn’t a great session and I don’t feel like I worked it hard enough but my legs are still as tight as a ducks arse from Monday’s squats (even though they were only light!). It just goes to show that a change in exercise can lead to a big difference in muscle groups.

Body Balance first thing tomorrow – I’m not sure how well it will go since I am feeling as flexible as a pencil! 🙂

At the centre of everything is a core…

I’m terrible at neglecting my core strength. I tend to tell myself that it will just strengthen itself through my usual activities. Well, I’ve decided to take the viewpoint no more and to dedicate at least one session a week to core strength exercises.

Today included:
Medicine ball wood chops
Standard crunches
Leg raise crunches
Leg & Torso crunches (lifting both)
Plank

Nothing too much to get me going, but enough to know I’ve done it! I’m also booked in to Body Balance on Thursday morning, to add to my core work and flexibility. If my legs are as tight then as they are now, it might be interesting!

Monday Morning

My alarm went off at 06:00 and I woke to the sound of the rain and wind battering my bedroom window – The perfect start to a week! It never gets any easier to get up knowing that you’re about to slog your guts out in the gym…

After a quick snack and a smoothie, I pedaled my way into work (about a 2 mile ride) battling the elements. I had a little accident en route though, as I dropped the bike on wet leaves; not the first time it’s happened either. I hit the deck, made sure no one saw and carried on along my way 😀

Anyway, I got to the gym with a plan to do a leg session followed by the usual 45 minute spin session. I wanted to incorporate more compound exercises, rather than focusing on specific muscles, so I opted to include squats. Here’s how the session panned out:

Weight: 40kg
Exercise: Squats > Calf Raises
Reps: 8 > 12
Rest period: 1 minute
Sets: 3

Weight: 20kg
Exercise: Leg Extensions (one legged)
Reps: 10 (each leg)
Rest period: 1 minute
Sets: 3

Cycle Based training: 45 minute spin class, preceded by some dynamic stretching and followed by some static stretching.

Post workout fatigue: 7/10

I’ll soon work out a better way to document this (for progress tracking) but overall it was a good session. After the two turbo sessions at the weekend and this morning’s session, my legs are somewhat knackered!

The turbo…

As mentioned previously, I’ve got myself a turbo trainer to help with winter training.

I’ve been meaning to get one for ages, but wanted something that met the following criteria:

– Must have a power meter
– Must have adjustable resistance
– Must be as quiet as possible
– Must be under £300

So it took me a while to find what I was after. Initially I wanted an Elite SuperCrono HydroMag, with the digital upgrade. Sadly that’s no longer available as a package and was going to be over £350 to buy the two components.

Eventually I found the Tacx Flow, which met my criteria. Having only ever experienced the Elite trainers before, I was a bit uncertain; however, a read of various reviews led me to believe it was going to be suitable. Once such review was the one from BikeRadar.

The list price for the unit is £385 but I managed to get it from Rutland Cycles for more than £100 less than that – Bargain.

Anyway, I set it up yesterday for a quick trial run and then again today for my first training session. I must admit, I’m pretty pleased with it. It’s very quiet, the resistance available is more than adequate and the computer tells you everything you would need to know (power, cadence, HR, speed, time etc). I’m yet to work out any ‘proper’ training programs for it but for today I just did a pyramid session:

10 min: Warm up spinning – resistance at 0 – Cadence 85+
1 min: resistance +1 – power 220 watts +
1 min: resistance +2 – power 220 watts +
1 min: resistance +3 – power 220 watts +
1 min: resistance +4 – power 220 watts +
1 min: resistance +5 – power 220 watts +
1 min: resistance +4 – power 220 watts +
1 min: resistance +3 – power 220 watts +
1 min: resistance +2 – power 220 watts +
1 min: resistance +1 – power 220 watts +
1 min: resistance 0 – Recovery
Repeat last 10 steps, with power at 230 watts+
5 min: resistance 0 – cadence 90+ – power 220 watts +
5 min: cool down

I’ve got it set up in the coldest room in my flat (the spare room) as it means I can leave it set up and open the window to stop me overheating. Despite these efforts, and training in only my shorts, fluid loss is pretty high! I’m going to get a fan to ease it a little more during longer sessions.

Here’s my setup at the moment. Once I’ve got the winter bike, that will be going on the turbo instead of my race bike. Oh – Excuse the

Tacx Flow Turbo Trainer