Big Show gets flexy

[Rurik Harrgath]

I just came here to post this

 

 

AND TO CLAIM YOUR PAGE 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Big_Show]

On 10/30/2020 at 7:42 PM, KB Girl said:

Step away from the bands!  

Hehe, seriously though, in my/our experience band assisted chin-ups don’t work quite as well as other progressions. 
 

hope the curry is awesome!

 

Well cirumstances have now changed, so the bands shall be avoided!

 

On 10/31/2020 at 3:40 AM, Rurik Harrgath said:

I just came here to post this

 

 

AND TO CLAIM YOUR PAGE 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

And I most heartily thank you for it.  I'll have to make it to page 3 so you can do more of the same.

 

---------------------------------------------------------

 

So it's been an eventful few days!  Here's an update:

 

Friday night was a realy nice curry.  We haven't ordered from that place before, but it's a new site from the same guys that run the favourite one we used to go to before we moved, so we knew the quality was going to be good.

 

Saturday morning I got up and headed to the gym, having just heard that there was going to be an offical announcement later that afternoon about an impending national lockdown.  It gradually got quite busy, but I was able to get myself a deadlift platform before all the others arrived.  My worksets were:

75kg x3

85kg x3

95kg x3+ (I did 5).

This was followed with 5x10 @ 70kg, and my grip didn't feel like it was giving out by the end this time so that means I must be making progress.

 

The other acccessory was supposed to be 5x10 forearm knee raises, but as it's the first time I've attempted this progression I could only manage 5x6 - next time I'll try for 5x7, etc.

 

Did a bit of shopping, and the supermarket seemed pretty busy - we stocked up the house with wine and few ciders for the afternoon's rugby game, then headed into town to collect another few bits we needed.  Went for a walk to the other end of town to a nice pub that we knew was playing the Wales v. Scotland game, and also serves good cider - I've been collecting loyalty points from them for a few years now so we had enough for three free pints each.  Won't be doing that for a while so we made the most of it while we can!

 

Then home for the England v. Italy game, and the inevitable lockdown announcement.  Then some treat food and Hocus Pocus.

 

This morning was supposed to be a rest day, but instead I headed back to the gym for my bench press workout.  The worksets were:

50kg x3

57.5kg x3

65kg x3+ (I did 4 - just).

Then 5x10 DB bench press @ 2x20kg, accumulating the 50 reps eventually.  Bit short on time so then I just did some broceps curls before heading home.

 

So now it looks like we're heading into a four week national lockdown.  All pubs & restaurants are closing, non-essential shops, gyms and other indoor fitness places too.  Basically only supposed to leave the house for groceries, outdoor exercise, and other essentials.  Not going into other people's houses, can meet one person outside.  That kind of thing.

 

I feel like we're in a much better place for this lockdown though - for a start I actaully have a permanent job now, we've moved to a bigger house where we can both work from home, and the garage can be used for workouts.  Just need to figure out what to do - I did a little audit of the fitness equipment we have available and it's not actually too bad:

- 2x dumbbels with 4x 2.5kg plates, 4x 1.25kg plates, and 4x 0.5kg plates - the highest it can be is 15kg (+ the dumbbell & spinning locking things).

- a selection of short resistance bands, plus some kind of long flexible thing with grips at each end?

- rowing machine (without computer)

- exercise bike

- skipping ropes

- Garmen Fenix 3 watch + running shoes

- foam rollwer

- yoga mat + NF videos

- Switch RingFit (arriving tomorrow - the Welshman decided to buy himself a payday treat)

 

I'm thinking of concocting some kind of DB workout consisting of military press, press-up progressions, and loads of curls.  Any advice/suggestions gratefully received!

 

Put this with a load of daily walking, some garage-based cardio machines, and RingFit games, and we should hopefully come out of this lockdown with smaller waistlines this time round.  Plus all that time in the world to do yoga and get flexy as h*ck!

[h3r0]

Sorry to hear about the lockdown but if they are going there it must be needed. 

 

For a good free DB program I have used this one and recommended it a few times. If you follow the time instructions it is tougher than it looks. 

 

https://darebee.com/programs/ironborn-program.html

[Rurik Harrgath]

2 hours ago, Big_Show said:

I feel like we're in a much better place for this lockdown though - for a start I actaully have a permanent job now, we've moved to a bigger house where we can both work from home, and the garage can be used for workouts. 

 

You kept mentioning it was coming so that made me progressively more nervous, but hearing this sets me at ease.  Glad to hear you're in a better mindset, that your Bat Cave is more to your needs, and at least you'll be locked down with someone you love.  All bonuses to me!

[Scaly Freak]

2 hours ago, Big_Show said:

I'm thinking of concocting some kind of DB workout consisting of military press, press-up progressions, and loads of curls.  Any advice/suggestions gratefully received!

 

 

I've been using this Super Strength program from Darebee, and found it both challenging and fun: https://darebee.com/workouts/super-strength-workout.html 

 

EDIT: If you go here and use filters you can find all their dumbbell workouts and sort by focus and difficulty level. That's how I found mine.

[Big_Show]

3 hours ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

 

You kept mentioning it was coming so that made me progressively more nervous, but hearing this sets me at ease.  Glad to hear you're in a better mindset, that your Bat Cave is more to your needs, and at least you'll be locked down with someone you love.  All bonuses to me!

 

Yeah, the writing's been on the wall for a while.  And there are many arguments that it should have happened a month ago so it could have been shorter.  But it is what it is, and now I'm in a much better  place to cope with it this time.

 

4 hours ago, h3r0 said:

Sorry to hear about the lockdown but if they are going there it must be needed. 

 

For a good free DB program I have used this one and recommended it a few times. If you follow the time instructions it is tougher than it looks. 

 

https://darebee.com/programs/ironborn-program.html

 

2 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

 

I've been using this Super Strength program from Darebee, and found it both challenging and fun: https://darebee.com/workouts/super-strength-workout.html 

 

EDIT: If you go here and use filters you can find all their dumbbell workouts and sort by focus and difficulty level. That's how I found mine.

 

Thanks for the tips, I'll have a good trawl through this site!

[Big_Show]

49 minutes ago, Big_Show said:

 

Thanks for the tips, I'll have a good trawl through this site!

 

 

I like the look of these two Darebee workouts - the Serious Lifts Workout and the OX Workout.  Any thoughts? Both seem to fit with my equipment and my goals - decision time will be Tuesday I guess!

[Scaly Freak]

21 minutes ago, Big_Show said:

 

I like the look of these two Darebee workouts - the Serious Lifts Workout and the OX Workout.  Any thoughts? Both seem to fit with my equipment and my goals - decision time will be Tuesday I guess!

 

They're both exclusively upper body workouts. That's... um, well, friends don't let friends skip leg day. Right?

 

That said, I think I would take the OX over Serious Lifts, since it seems to hit a larger number of muscle groups, including core.

[Big_Show]

On 11/1/2020 at 8:07 PM, Scaly Freak said:

 

They're both exclusively upper body workouts. That's... um, well, friends don't let friends skip leg day. Right?

 

That said, I think I would take the OX over Serious Lifts, since it seems to hit a larger number of muscle groups, including core.

 

Yeah, that is regretfully true... I'll give them both a go then add in some squats and lunges to beef them out a bit.

 

---------------------------------------

 

Tuesday weight: 115.9kg

Monday steps: 3997 (4007 over target for the week) - didn't get chance to go for a proper walk today as I had to go get my pre-lockdown hair & beard trim - came out with a very nice fade & tidy beard though, so I feel pretty good right now.

Monday calories: 2489 (1858 over target for the week) - all those unplanned weekend ciders didn't get hit my average again this week, but as the last chance for a month I feel they were justified.  Not got any in the house so they won't be getting drunk this weekend!

 

Today after work I headed straight out for a bit of a walk (and was very glad I had a hat in my pocket as it was colder than expected and I now have no hair on most of my head...) then got straight on with my workout when I returned.

 

The warm-up was another level on the Ring Fit Adventure!  It definitely got everything loosened up and a light sweat on, then I headed to the garage for a go at the OX workout.  I just did 3 sets as described with 2x 5kg dumbbells and it was... fine, I guess?  Can't make the dumbbells much heavier, but next time round I'll do more sets - this still took 20mins to get through.  And maybe a longer warmup on the Ring Fit?  Not like we've got anywhere to go, anyway...

 

(EDIT:  Just remembered that I meant to say: I didn't want to start off the home workouts by trying the hardest, most brutal version of it all I could find because I want to make it something sustainable that I look forward to and actually do - I rapidly ran out of steam and enthusiasm during the last (admittedly longer) lockdown, so I figure less optimal workouts done regularly is better than three balls-to-the-wall full-body blitzes followed by three weeks of drinking wine on the sofa instead...)

 

Apart from tomorrow night of course - the regular weekly grocery shop for us and my parents, and tomorrow is also the last evening before full lockdown so it should be interesting!  Luckily we're not low on toilet roll and we have a stock of bread rolls in the freezer, but no doubt this week's meals may have to get improvised according to what's actually available...

[Mike Wazowski]

Best of luck keeping the momentum going during lockdown, friend! Are y'all still able to get out and about for walks during the lockdown?

[Laghail]

19 hours ago, Big_Show said:

Apart from tomorrow night of course - the regular weekly grocery shop for us and my parents, and tomorrow is also the last evening before full lockdown so it should be interesting!  Luckily we're not low on toilet roll and we have a stock of bread rolls in the freezer, but no doubt this week's meals may have to get improvised according to what's actually available...

I'm so here for covid cuisine pictures

[Big_Show]

21 hours ago, Mike Wazowski said:

Best of luck keeping the momentum going during lockdown, friend! Are y'all still able to get out and about for walks during the lockdown?

 

We can go out for as much outside exercise as we want this time round (as long as we don't mix hosueholds) so I'm trying to get out straight after work as often as possible, and we're planning at least one longer walk at the weekend to top up the weekly step count.

 

3 hours ago, Laghail said:

I'm so here for covid cuisine pictures

 

We've got some nice ones planned but mainly for the weekend - will remember to take photos if I can!

 

------------------------------------

 

Wednesday weight: 115.3kg - still a bit lighter than last week despite the imperfect diet

Tuesday steps: 6888 (4895 over target for the week) - success!

Tuesday calories: 2506 (1812 over target for the week) - successfully reigned in it for the last couple of days of the week at least.

 

Quiet day at today - got the shopping done, got a nice healthy meal planned, and having a couple of little glasses of wine as a reward for venturing out to the supermarket (carefully factored into the calorie count).  But not too many - I've got my one month probation meeting tomorrow morning (over Teams) and I want to make sure I'm firing on all cylinders for it.  Then tomorrow night it's a yoga mini-session, walk, followed by a slightly harder workout!

 

I need to get better and reminding myself to do press-ups through the day as well - at 9am I did a set of 8, at 10am I did another set of 7, then at 3pm I remembered and did another 7.  Not quite the grand total I was envisioning, but it was my first attempt at blitzing press-ups on non-workout days...

[Big_Show]

Thursday weight: 115.3kg

Wednesday steps: 3893 (2107 under target for the week) - Asda stops walkies.

Wednesday calories: 2355 (197 under target for the week) - a good start to the week!

 

Today I did my yoga mini-session at lunchtime and headed straight out for lockdown walkies after work.  Good to get out while there's a still a lingering hint of daylight.

 

Then it was on to two levels of Ring Fit Adventure - that definitely gets the blood pumping!  I reckon I was on it about 15mins or so before heading out to the garage for the rest of my workout.

 

I did the Serious Lifts workout from Darebee and really enjoyed it!  The idea is to do as many reps as possible of an exercise to failure, rest 20s, then carry on, until you've done 5 sets, then move on to the next exercise.  It took me just over 20mins in total, and I decided to write down my totals for future reference:

Alternating bicep curls - 33, 13, 11, 8, 7 (72)

Shoulder press - 17, 12, 9, 8, 7 (53)

Upright rows - 11, 10, 9, 7, 6 (43)

Bent-over rows - 11, 8, 7, 6, 6 (38)

 

My muscles definitely felt like they'd done some work by the end of it despite only using 2x 7kg dumbbells!  It also kinda feels badass working out in the garage.

 

Not much else to report - last day of the working week tomorrow then a fun locked down weekend!  Should be able to get out for a long walk on at least one of the days though as the weather looks pretty nice.  For November.

[Big_Show]

Friday weight: 115.4kg

Thursday steps: 6367 (1740 under target for the week) - headed out for another walk after work, today down to Lidl to buy us some nice ciders as a treat for making it throught the working week.  Got my steps for the day nicely up to target too in the process.

Thursday calories: 2431 (318 under target for the week) - been a while since I had a healthy deficit heading into the weekend, and Friday's plans should at most leave me hovering around 0 instead of already being 500+ in the red, so I'm pleased with this week already!

 

No training today, but I did remember to set an alarm and did 5 press-ups each hour for 7hrs, accumulating 35 in total.  That's now the plan for my off-days from now on, upping the numbers per set.  Perhaps I should just go to failure as I can't really do many anyway?

 

Bit of a shame we haven't been able to head out to the pub this week, but lockdown etc. so that's just life.  Instead we're having a night in (obviously) with a Spanish-style chicken bake from the Hairy Dieter's first book, and then tomorrow the plan is to head out walking across the public footpaths for the first time since we moved here.

 

I downloaded the Ordnance Survey app and paid a month's subscription for the full version, so we should definitely be able to find our way over to the woods we can see on the horizon when walking round here.  Pictures to follow at the end of the weekend if I remember!

[KB Girl]

On 11/3/2020 at 9:14 PM, Big_Show said:

(EDIT:  Just remembered that I meant to say: I didn't want to start off the home workouts by trying the hardest, most brutal version of it all I could find because I want to make it something sustainable that I look forward to and actually do - I rapidly ran out of steam and enthusiasm during the last (admittedly longer) lockdown, so I figure less optimal workouts done regularly is better than three balls-to-the-wall full-body blitzes followed by three weeks of drinking wine on the sofa instead...)

 

QFT! because we can all use the reminder

[Big_Show]

Saturday weight: 115.5kg

Friday steps: 6831 (909 under target for the week) - used my "commute" to walk down to Lidl to buy us a couple of nice ciders each as a Friday night treat.  That place is cheap as chips, and they were perfect for a bit of Friday night sofa time.

Friday calories: 2998 (125 over target for the week) - The ciders upped the calories a bit, but that buffer from the last few days worked nicely!

 

 

Sunday weight: 115.7kg

Saturday steps: 14,661 (7752 over target for the week) - it was a lovely sunny day so we went for our first wander across the countryside since moving over here.  As it's lockdown I paid for a month's subscription to the Ordnance Survey maps (only a few quid, just need to remember to cancel it) that should shows all the public rights of way.  I bought some hiking boots over the summer and today they finally got properly muddy as we found our way over to some woods we'd seen on the horizon, then tramped around various other footpaths exploring a bit.  5.9 miles later, that's my step count sorted for the week!

Saturday calories: 3387 (963 over target for the week) - more sofa time!  I cooked the lamb pilaf from the Two Chubby Cubs blog (we've got one of their cookbooks and I've preordered their next one for when it's published at the end of December) and it turned out rather tasty - good to see a recipe that says it serves four genuinely does make four servings!  Would go really well with a bit of garlic bread, so that's on the menu next time.

 

Today is a bit of a home day - got a few random household jobs I want to tick off, a bit more Xbox time later on, plant some daffodil bulbs ready for next spring, probably go for another (less muddy) little wander later on.  A nice second half of the weekend!

[Big_Show]

I just remembered here's a few photos of the weekend's walk and food so far:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Scaly Freak]

You live near beautiful views. And your food looks delicious!

[Big_Show]

23 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

You live near beautiful views. And your food looks delicious!

 

We're really glad we moved further out into the country, especially as couldn't have anticipated a pandemic as well!

 

------------------------------------------

 

Monday weight: 115.7kg - this is being annoyingly static considering I'm being so diligent with my logging

Sunday steps: 12,068 (13,820 over target for the week) - that "little wander" we popped out for ending up being just over 5 miles as we ended up exploring the other end of town that we don't normally go into.  For the most part we now know why, but we did find another walking route that heads out that way and into countryside that we'll probably try at some point.

Sunday calories: 2457 (868 over target for the week) - was tempted to have a cheeky whisky after dinner last night but in the end I resisted, which was the differnce between going slightly over my target and being nicely under.  Lesson learned.

 

When we got back from the walk I immediately got on with my yoga session - today it was a full one so I opted for the Water B session (hey @spezzy).  It's a while since I've done it, but I still found myself yelling "Science!" at the right moment and already making Iron Man noises before Steve did.  So nothing much has changed there.

 

Today has been a regular Monday back at work in my office, but I sent my alarm every hour and did 6 press-ups every time it went off for a total of 48.  Then as soon as the day was finished I went straight out on a walk (just shy of 2 miles), then spent half an hour on the Ring Fit.  I actually got a nice little sweat going from it, and my quads were kinda burning towards the end from all the repeated bodyweight squats so I think I'm getting an adequate workout from it!

 

Today I'm aiming for a nice early night as I have my first full departmental meeting with my new corworkers tomorrow (over Teams) so I want to make sure I'm at my best.  Might treat myself to that cheeky whisky after dinner though, calories permitting...

[Big_Show]

Tuesday weight: 114.6kg - now that's MUCH better!  Lightest I've weighed sine *checks notes* 26th September 2019!

Monday steps: 5454 (13,274 over target for the week) - looking good!

Monday calories: 2081 (397 over target for the week) - I nursed that little whisky (and then nursed another) and it was delicious.  Perfect to round off a nice dinner.  Might have another little one tonight if I fancy it, but want to make sure I still keep the calorie count down again.

 

Today's big departmental meeting went well, it was good to put faces to some names.  And now my work computer systems have crashed so I'm getting a cheeky little update in now while I wait to see if they reboot before I finish work.

 

Irrespective of that, though, I shall be heading out for my walk in ten minutes and then cracking straight on with the Ring Fit warm-up and the Darebee DB workout in the garage.  Then another nice lazy sofa nice as for some reason I am feeling too damn knackered to bother with much else!

[h3r0]

What do you think of the Darbee workout? 

[Big_Show]

3 hours ago, h3r0 said:

What do you think of the Darbee workout? 

 

I'm quite enjoying it, actually - it seems really, simple, but it's surprising how heavy those dumbbells can feel by the last few sets, and my muscles definitely feel like they've worked by the end of it.  It'll do for a few more weeks until I can get back in the gym (three weeks today, in fact).

 

--------------------------------------

 

Wednesday weight: 114.6kg - it wasn't a fluke!

Tuesday steps: 5782 (13,056 over target for the week) - seems a bit excessive, but I also don't want to stick my daily target up during the week because it's just not realistic that I'll get there right now.  I'll hold that one as a backup plan if I hit another plateau.

Tuesday calories: 2150 (5 under target for the week) - first time I've ever actually ended up under my calorie target instead of several hundred over!  And all it took was for the governments to close all the pubs!

 

After my walk I did a warm-up level on the Ring Fit then headed out to the garage for the same Darebee workout again.  All simple, all done, then we settled in on the sofa with another episode of The Boys.  We're halfway through season 2 now, and teasing them out as we know we've only got a few more episodes before we run out and have to wait for S3 to be filmed and released, which these days could take who knows long...

 

But no worries, because this weekend the rugby Nations Cup starts, and most of the games are available on Amazon Prime so I'll be able to watch them all as and when I want!  Plus I re-downloaded Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson to reread the end of, then bought Dawnshard and pre-ordered Rhythm of War ready for when it's released next week - having myself a bit of a Stormlight Archive binge over the next few weeks, I've even taken Friday next week off specially for it!  I mean, I've got 14.5 days of annual leave to take by the end of March and nowhere we're allowed to go, so it seemed like as good an idea as any...

[KB Girl]

6 hours ago, Big_Show said:

Plus I re-downloaded Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson to reread the end of, then bought Dawnshard and pre-ordered Rhythm of War ready for when it's released next week - having myself a bit of a Stormlight Archive binge over the next few weeks, I've even taken Friday next week off specially for it!

that's brilliant! I need to arrange for someone to take my kids so I can binge it too. 

[Big_Show]

Thursday weight: 114.8kg - three days in the 114s, this is a Good Thing.

Wednesday steps: 3687 (2313 under target for the week) - no exercise yesterday due to the Asda trip, although I did do 7 press-ups hourly during work for a total of 56.

Wednesday calories: 2497 (40 under target for the week) - carefully planned the food today to allow some malbec with dinner and tv

 

Today I've been resisting the urge to "treat" myself for last week's weight loss - my biggest treat will be to get down to my first weight target and then reassess when I can start my first (deliberate) bulk, so I'm trying to keep focussed on the long-term goal at the moment.

 

This evening I'm off out for my walk shortly, then it's another garage workout before heading to the sofa to read some more of Oathbringer seeing as it's not my turn to cook!

 

One week in to lockdown and a load of awesome reading material presents itself - very handy timing indeed!

[Scaly Freak]

5 hours ago, Big_Show said:

One week in to lockdown and a load of awesome reading material presents itself - very handy timing indeed!

 

That is actually really awesome. Enjoy your reading!