ManofKent

That looks gooooood! Usually I'll have an omelette and some fruit if I'm heading to work or fried bacon, eggs, mushrooms, onions etc if I'm not.

Man, this is a seriously motivating thread to read through! Loving your work, keep it up!

Hey, just read your update. You might be interested in this success story from Mark's Daily Apple about a couple of triathles who went primal. It took me a long time to get my head around eating paleo/primal as I had been taught that I needed carbs to fuel training for so long. Once I tried it full on it clicked for me though!

Updates for the last few days; four weeks into the challenge now and the end is starting to appear on the horizon. In terms of my goals, I'm not sure I'm going to hit all of the mini-goals that make up goals 1 and 2 but I'm going to be close. I'm now up to working the progressions that I want to be working for goal 1, I just need to add reps to them. For goal 2 I still need to try a free standing handstand but I can hold freestanding for over 10s now from tapping off with a wall as support. I think I'm going to miss the manna progression mini-goal, those are tough! At least I have improved from my starting point though. For goal 3, I've been really disciplined again this week, no slips at all and finally for goal 4 I'm still on track. I've definitely had more time to do other stuff like read books etc since I vowed to spend less time aimlessly surfing! Day 25 Friday 19/10/12 Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Rest day from strength training Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: On target - 23/25 days so far. Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (25/25 days so far) Day 26 Saturday 20/10/12 Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Rest day from strength training, went for a long walk with my fiance Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: On target - 24/26 days so far. Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (26/26 days so far) Day 27 Sunday 21/10/12 Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Hypertrophy session: - Controlled Movements, 90s rest periods between sets, supersets of pairs of exercises.. Chin Ups: 6, 6, neutral grip 6, Pull Ups: 7, 7 Handstand Work: 5 sets of holds to failure of holding a handstand against the wall, tapping off the wall and holding freestanding for as long as possible, dropping down and kicking up again if necessary Single leg box squats - trying to go as deep as a full pistol squat: L - 7, 8, 8, 8, 7 R - 7, 7, 7, 7, 7 Horizontal Rows (feet on the floor - wide grip on rows): 7, 7, 7, 7, 8 Uneven Press Up: L: 7, 7, 7, 7, 8 R:,7, 7, 7, 7, 8 Manna work - 60s total of middle split holds split into: 8s, 8s, 10s, 10s, 8s, 14s! and 5s Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: On target - 25/27 days so far. Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (27/27 days so far) Day 28 Monday 22/10/12 Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Rest day from strength training, walked to the pub and back for a drink with my fiance's bro and his girlfriend Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: On target - 26/28 days so far. Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (28/28 days so far)

Updates for the last few days: Day 22 Tuesday 16/10/12 Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Max strength session - 2 min rest periods between sets, superset pairs of exercises, Uneven Grip Chin Ups L: 3, 3, 3 ,3 R: 3, 3, 3, 3 Handstand Work: 4 sets of approx 1 mins work Pistol Squats (+10kg): L: 5, 5, 5, 5 (20) R:5, 5, 5, 5 (20) Horizontal Rows (feet on chair) - really slows and controlled: 6, 6, 6, 6 Uneven Push Up (feet on a chair): L: 6, 6, 6, 6 R: 6, 6, 6, 6 Manna Work - 5 max holds Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: On target - 20/22 days so far. I've decided keeping a complete log of all my food is a bit boring and unnecessary so I'll just note if I've stayed on track or if I've strayed off target. Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (22/22 days so far) Day 23 Wednesday 17/10/12 Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Rest day from strength training, played my weekly game of football (soccer). Won promotion to the top division in our five-a-side league tonight so chuffed about that! Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: On target - 21/23 days so far. Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (23/23 days so far) Day 24 Thursday 18/10/12 Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Strength endurance session - 45s rest periods between sets: Chin ups: - 7, 8, 8 Handstand work: - 3 sets of holds to failure of holding a handstand against the wall, tapping off the wall and holding freestanding for as long as possible, dropping down and kicking up again if necessary Single leg box squats - these are staying pretty much static in terms of reps but I'm working on going slowly and with maximum control over the movement as a progression L: 12, 12, 12 R: 12, 12 ,12 Horizontal Row (feet on floor): 12, 12, 12 Pushup (feet elevated on three stairs): 13, 13, 14 Manna work - 3 sets of holds from floor 15s, 7s, 13s Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: On target - 22/24 days so far. Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (24/24 days so far)

Halfway through the challenge now! This week I plan to recover from a bit of a slip this weekend when a heavy drinking session caused me to miss a second day in my goal of eating/drinking 100% primal for the duration of the challenge and also caused me to miss one of my workout sessions for the week. No matter though, just provides more motivation to train hard and eat well this week. In terms of progress towards my goals, I reckon I am still roughly on target for all of the mini-goals within the first two, I have missed two days on goal three so I can now only achieve 2 constitution points out of a possible 4 and I'm still on target for goal four. Pretty pleased with that so far. Day 20 Sunday 14/10/12 Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Rest day from strength training. Went for a long walk up on on some local hills with a few friends. Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: On target - 18/20 days so far. Breakfast - Scrambled eggs, bacon and fried cherry tomatoes Lunch - Stopped in the pub after walking for a Sunday roast, can't beat it especially now autumn's here! Turned down the yorkshire pudding to keep it primal Snack - Handful of almonds Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (20/20 days so far) Day 21 Monday 15/10/12 Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Rest day from strength training. Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: On target - 19/21 days so far. Breakfast - 3 egg omelette, black coffee and a pear Snack - handful of almonds Lunch - Made a big batch of beef stir fry to portion out to take to work over the next few days Dinner - Primal bolognese sauce served as stuffing in a roast pepper Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (21/21 days so far)

Just checking back in, looks like it's going really so far, keep it up!

Updates for the last couple of days below; Day 18 Friday 12/10/12 Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Rest day from strength training. Went for a half an hour walk with my fiance. Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: - On target (now on target 17/18 days so far) Breakfast - 3 egg omelette, black coffee and a pear Lunch - Turkey stir fry and a handful of red grapes Snack - Handful of mixed nuts Dinner - Got a curry from the local take-away with the future Mrs ManofKent - chicken saagwala (kept this primal by resisting accompanying with any rice or naan). Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (18/18 days so far) Day 19 Saturday 13/10/12 Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Rest day from strength training. Just went for a walk around town. Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: - Nooooo - second day off target of the challenge (now on target 17/19 days so far). I gave in to temptation and ended up going drinking in the afternoon with one of my friends and then carrying on out for dinner in the evening. I kept my food primal but had a skinful which is definitely not primal! Breakfast - 3 egg omelette, black coffee and a pear Lunch - Had tapas while we were out - kept it primal, meat and veg dishes only no bread etc. Dinner - Went out for dinner in the evening as well; white bait to start followed by seabass with salad. Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (19/19 days so far)

Hey Jimmie, just dropped by to say thanks for the comment on my thread. Nice work on achieving the pull ups goal especially so quickly, it took me literally years to get beyond 10! Keep going with regards to your semi-Paleo goal as well, you're doing really well and I think you're being a little hard on yourself, not sure who's quote it was but "never let perfection get in the way of excellence".

Thanks Jimmie, I'm psyching myself up to get outside and try a few freestanding handstands where hopefully I can fall without doing too much damage to myself! Updates for the last couple of days; Day 16 Wednesday 10/10/12 Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Rest day from strength training, played my weekly game of football. Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: - On target (now on target 15/16 days so far). Breakfast - 3 egg omelette, black coffee and a pear Lunch - Turkey stir fry and an apple Snack - Handful of almonds Dinner - Fried haddock fillet with roast carrots, parsnips and blanched kale. Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (16/16 days so far) Day 17 Thursday 11/10/12 Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Strength endurance session; 45s rest periods between sets Chin ups: - 7, 7, 8 Handstand work: - 3 sets of holds to failure of holding a handstand against the wall, tapping off the wall and holding freestanding for as long as possible, dropping down and kicking up again if necessary Single leg box squats L: 12, 12, 12 (same as last week but with stronger control over the movement) R: 12, 12 ,12 Horizontal Row: 12, 12, 12 Pushup (feet elevated on three stairs): 13, 13, 13 Manna work - 3 sets of middle split holds; 10s, 7s, 10s Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: - On target (now on target 16/17 days so far) Today was a bit of a borderline day as I was starving when I finished my late shift at work so in the interest of quick snack when I got home I had a bowl of the primal cereal which my fiance usually has for breakfast and a few squares of 85% dark chocolate. I've allowed myself to count today as on target as all the things involved are on the "occasional" list on Mark's Daily Apple but I won't allow myself that every day. Breakfast - 3 egg omelette, black coffee and a pear Lunch - Turkey stir fry and a handful of red grapes Snack - Handful of almonds Dinner - Leftover turkey curry from Tuesday's dinner Snack - Bowl of primal cereal (flaked almonds, chopped hazelnuts and walnuts mixed together with full fat milk) and a couple of squares of 85% dark chocolate Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (17/17 days so far)

Just been reading through, nice work so far, keep it up!!

Thanks! Got to say not just the accountability but also the encouragement on this site is awesome! Here's my update for the last few days. As I've passed the end of the second week of the challenge I guess it's time to reflect again on how it's going. So far I still haven't missed a strength workout and seem to be making pretty good progress towards the first two goals. In terms of goal 2, I feel like a full freestanding handstand is very close to within reach, I can now tap off the wall and hold for over 10s at a time. For goal 3 I have managed to stay 100% primal this week and I'm currently on 14 days out of 15, very pleased with that! And finally goal 4 I've found much easier than I actually expected. I think I just needed a goal to focus me towards cutting down on aimless internet surfing. Day 13 (Sunday 07/10/12) Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Hypertrophy session: - controlled Movements, 90s rest periods between sets, superset pairs of exercises.. Chin Ups: 6, 6, neutral grip 6, Pull Ups: 6, 7 Handstand Work: 5 sets of holds to failure of holding a handstand against the wall, tapping off the wall and holding for as long as possible, dropping off and kicking up again if necessary Single leg box squats: L - 7, 8, 8, 8, 7 R - 7, 7, 7, 7, 7 Horizontal Rows (feet on the floor - wide grip on rows): 7, 7, 7, 7, 7 Incline Press Up (feet on 3 stairs): 11, 11, 11, 11, 12 Manna work - 10 sets of holds Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: - On target (now on target 12/13 days so far). Breakfast - 3 egg omelette, black coffee and a pear Snack (post-workout) - handful of almonds Lunch - Chicken ceasar salad Snack - Chicken leg and an apple Dinner - Roast pork belly with roasted carrots, parsnips, broccolli, swede mash and paleo gravy (used ground arrowroot instead of cornflour as a thickener) and a glass of red wine. Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (13/13 days so far) Day 14 (Monday 08/10/12) Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Rest day from strength training, went for a half hour walk in town. Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: - On target (now on target 13/14 days so far). Breakfast - Scrambled egg, 2 rashers of bacon, black coffee and a pear Snack - Chicken leg Lunch - Leftover bolognese from Saturday night and an apple Snack - Handful of almonds Dinner - Fried haddock fillet with parsnips, carrots and broccoli left over from yesterdays Sunday dinner. Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (14/14 days so far) Day 15 Tuesday 9/10/12 Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Max strength session - 2 min rest periods between sets, superset pairs of exercises, Wide Grip Chin Ups: 5, 6, 6, 6 (23) Handstand Work: 4 sets of holds to failure of holding a handstand against the wall, tapping off the wall and holding freestanding for as long as possible, dropping down and kicking up again if necessary Pistol Squats (holding a 10kg weight plate): L: 5, 5, 5, 5 (20) R:5, 5, 5, 5 (20) Single Arm Horizontal Rows (feet on floor): Right arm: 4, 3, 4, 4 Left arm: 4, 4, 4, 4 Single Arm Incline Push Up (hands on a chair): L: 6, 6, 5, 5 R: 6, 6, 5, 5 Manna Work - 5 max holds - 10s, 8s, 8s, 7s, 10s Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: - On target (now on target 14/15 days so far). I worked a late shift at work today so after I'd trained I used the time to make a big batch of turkey stir fry and turkey curry to portion out and have for lunches and dinners over the next few days. Breakfast - 3 egg omelette, black coffee and a pear Lunch - Turkey stir fry and handful of red grapes Snack - Handful of almonds Dinner - Turkey curry and an apple Snack - Chicken leg Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (15/15 days so far)

Quick double update today. Day 11 (Friday 05/10/12) Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Rest day from training Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: - On target (now on target 10/11 days so far). Breakfast - 3 egg omelette and a pear Lunch - Portion of beef stew from the batch I made earlier in the week followed by an apple Dinner - Cod fillet with roasted leeks, cherry tomatoes, peppers and broccoli Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (11/11 days so far) Day 12 (Saturday 06/10/12) Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Rest day from strength training, just went for a walk in the local park. Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: - On target (now on target 11/12 days so far). Breakfast - Primal fry-up; bacon, eggs, mushrooms and onions Lunch (went out for lunch with my parents) - Cajun chicken salad Dinner - Bolognese served stuffed in a pepper followed by some blackberries and raspberries Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (11/11 days so far)

Yesterday was the third early shift I had worked in a row (up at 04:50am) and I'm not good with early mornings so I was pretty shattered when I got home from work. I had to really force myself to do my workout and almost talked myself out of doing it, but luckily the fact that I'm accountable to my challenge made me stick with it! So anyway here's my log update. Day 10 (Thursday 04/10/12) Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Strength endurance session - 45s rest periods between sets Chin ups: - 7, 7, 7 Handstand work: - 3 sets of max holds Single leg box squats L: 12, 12, 12 (same as last week but with stronger control over the movement) R: 12, 12 ,12 Horizontal Row: 12, 12, 12 Pushup (feet elevated on two stairs): 15, 15, 15 Manna work - 5 sets of holds Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: - On target today (now on target 9/10 days so far). Breakfast - 3 egg omelette and a pear Snack - Handful of almonds Lunch - Portion of beef stew from the batch I made earlier in the week followed by an apple Snack (post-workout) - 2 chicken drumsticks and a couple of squares of 85% dark chocolate. Dinner - Primal Chilli served in a roasted pepper Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (10/10 days so far)

Bad news on the computer front, but good attitude on switching straight to the old-school pen and paper! Nice work on your diet goals too, keep it going.

Just logged on and found the next mini-challenge started yesterday. Happily sprinting fitted perfectly with what I did yesterday anyway which was played a competitive game of football (soccer). Obviously I have no way of measuring how far I ran but I reckon based on playing for 50mins, I could easily have run 10k in that time so I'll make a guestimate of 2000m of sprinting over the course of the game. Day 9 (Wednesday 03/10/12) Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Rest day from strength training yesterday but I played my weekly game of soccer (see above for contribution to Mini-challenge) Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: - On target today (now on target 8/9 days so far). Breakfast - 3 egg omelette and juice from one squeezed orange Snack - Handful of almonds Lunch - Portion of beef stew from the batch I made earlier in the week followed by an apple Dinner - The left over turkey in a chopped tomato and basil sauce that I made on Monday Snack (after football) - 2 chicken drumsticks and a couple of squares of 85% dark chocolate. Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (9/9 days so far)

Thanks mate! It is going well so far but there's still a long way to go, need to stick at it for the next five weeks! Day 8 (Tuesday 02/10/12) Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Max strength session - >2min rest periods, superset pairs of exercise, aim for steady, controlled movements Manna Work - 10 sets of approx 10s work Wide Grip Chin Ups: 5, 5, 6, 6 (22) Handstand Work: 4 sets of approx 1 mins work, I'm definitely seeing progress here I can now sometimes kick-up and hold a handstand for a few seconds before I have to let my feet hit the wall for support, I can also tap off the wall and hold unsupported for significantly longer than before. Next time I train and it's not raining I think it's time to have a go at a few free-standing handstands in the garden. Pistol Squats (holding a 10kg plate): L: 4, 5, 5, 5 (19) R:4, 5, 5, 5 (19) Horizontal Rows (feet elevated on a chair): 6, 6, 6, 6 (24) Uneven Push Up (feet elevated on a chair, one hand on floor, one hand on bed frame): L: 5, 5, 5, 5, (20) R: 5, 5, 5, 5 (20) Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: - On target again today (now on target 7/8 days so far). Breakfast - 3 egg omelette, black coffee and juice from one squeezed orange Snack - Handful of almonds Lunch - Portion of beef stew from the batch I made yesterday followed by an apple Snack (post-workout) - 2 chicken drumsticks and a couple of squares of 85% dark chocolate. Dinner - Fried haddock fillet with roast broccolli, leek and cherry tomatoes followed by a pear Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (8/8 days so far)

Impressed at how well you're sticking to your Whole30 so far keep it up! Also good to see another English person with a "stick to 100% primal goal", you're making me feel ashamed with your strictness by doing a Whole30 to start though :-)

Week 1 of the challenge is over! Time to reflect on where I am so far........ Well I have managed to complete all my strength workouts so the plan to achieve goals 1 and 2 is on target thus far. I have eaten primally 6 days out of 7, just one slip so far when I couldn't resist the sweets that my fiance had made on Saturday, so I am still on target for 3 of the 4 constitution points I've allocated for achieving this goal. And I have been good so far at limiting my internet usage so I'm fully on target for that goal too. Day 7 (Monday 01/10/12) Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Rest day Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: - On target again today (now on target 6/7 days so far). Breakfast - 3 egg omelette, black coffee and juice from one squeezed orange Snack - 2 Chicken drumsticks and a pear Lunch - As today was my last rest day between sets of shifts I made a big batch of beef stew for my next few days at work followed by an apple Dinner - Turkey in a chopped tomato and basil sauce served as stuffing in a pepper (capsicum) followed by a couple of squares of 85% dark chocolate - Again I made the turkey in a batch so that we can reheat and have a it again later in the week. Snack - Handful of almonds. Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (7/7 days so far) - Again just checked my email, fb and the blogs I usually do but comfortably within 30 mins.

Day 6 (Sunday 30/9/12) Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Rest day from strength training, went for a nice long walk with my fiance. Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: - On target today (now on target 5/6 days so far). Breakfast - Fried bacon, egg, mushrooms and onion, black coffee and juice from one squeezed orange Lunch - Last portion of the stir fry that I made in a batch earlier in the week Snack - 2 Chicken drumsticks Dinner - Fried Haddock fillet with roast carrots, parsnips, broccolli and onion gravy (made with arrowroot as a thickener to keep it primal) and an apple Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (6/6 days so far) - This aspect of my challenge is actually proving a lot easier than I anticipated so far, could be famous last words but for now, all good!

Hey, just been checking out your log as you had posted on mine, bad news about the 'bike dude, nice work on continuing to train unphased though!

Glad to be of some help pandapanda, definitely looks like we're very much on the same page! Yesterday's log Day 5 (Saturday 29/9/12) Goals 1 and 2 - "Improve to the next progression of each of the 4 bodyweight strength movements that I use as the basis of my home workout" and "Improve the two gymnastic holds that I use in my training" Hypertrophy day - controlled movements, 90s rest periods between sets, supersets of pairs of exercises, 5 sets per exercise. Manna Work - approx 10 mins Chin Ups: 6, 6, neutral grip 6, Pull Ups: 6, 6 Handstand Work: 5 sets to fail of holding a handstand against the wall and tapping off the wall and holding for as long as possible, dropping off and kicking up again if necessary Single leg box squats holding a 10kg weight plate: L - 7, 6, 6, 6, 6 R - 7, 7, 6, 6, 6 Horizontal Rows (feet on the floor - wide grip): 6, 7, 7, 7, 7 Incline Press Up (feet on 3 stairs): 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 Goal 3 - "Eat 100% primally for the duration of the challenge" Diet Log: - Slipped today, I was starving when I came back from my late shift at work; my fiance had made some sweets with her girl guides - she's a leader not a guide herself just to clarify :-) and I couldn't resist indulging in a few (now on target 4/5 days so far). Breakfast - Fried bacon, egg, mushrooms and onion, black coffee and juice from one squeezed orange Post-workout snack - 2 Chicken drumsticks Snack - Handful of almonds Dinner - Portion of the stir fry that I made in a batch earlier in the week followed by an apple Snack - Sweets Goal 4 - "Spend no more than 30 mins of my free time aimlessly on the internet each day for the duration of the challenge." On target (5/5 days so far)

Originally from Whitstable in Kent but stuck in Birmingham for the last 10 years!

Hi, thanks, I'm certainly working harder and with more focus than ever before! I don't have any of the other planches down but I'm working on Manna because that balances out some of the other exercises in my program which without balance in the program can cause shoulder instability and muscle imbalances - a better explanation of that than I could ever give is here - http://www.eatmoveimprove.com/2010/03/the-fundamentals-of-bodyweight-strength-training/ I am not training the other planches because I'm currently using exercises (e.g. pushups) rather than static holds (planches) to train each body part where possible. Turning to why I do three days of different types of strength training, it's really because I want to try to remain as an all rounder. I would probably actually progress quicker towards my current challenge goals if I trained purely max strength (using >2 mins rests between sets, 4 or 5 sets per exercise and exercises of a difficulty that I could only manage less than 5 reps per set) each session and spaced the sessions out a bit further. But because I still want to try to maintain the other aspects of my strength I use different sessions for different types of training (max strength, volume, endurance etc). This is just my current choice though, there are other ways of achieving a similar aim and when this challenge is done I may well mix up my training and go for different goals and different sessions. I would love to go into more detail but if I regurgitated everything that I've read over the years that's led to this way of thinking this would be a very long post! I can however recommend a few good books and websites that you might find useful. For programming of strength training: Optimizing Strength Training by Wiliam Kraemer Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training by Tudor Bompa The Complete Guide to Postural Training by Kesh Patel Complete Guide to Strength Training by Anita Bean Bodyweight Exercise www.gymnasticbodies.com www.alkavadlo.com www.rosstraining.com www.beastskills.com www.eatmoveimprove.com Hope that helps, this may seen like a heck of a lot to read but trust me, the more you learn the more you can enjoy your training!

Bought this a couple of weeks ago but personally found it disappointing. No exercises I wasn't pretty much already aware of and the program is no better than a lot that you can find for free online. I think that the free ebook here would be more useful for the majority of people.