Hi everyone,
Well, what an exciting few days I have had!
The most exciting thing has been training with the one and only Steve Cotter here in BELFAST! After me thinking the next time I would ever get to train with him would be across the pond, I was very pleased to hear he was coming my neck of the woods! I learned so much from him and I was blown away (again) by his quiet demeanor and humility.  He has no ego, he’s just honest, and real!  I highly respect that, especially in someone so well known!
So I learned more about endurance Kettlebell lifting and also loads on agility, mobility and flexibility (aka – my weaknesses). Â Now I can pass on what I learned to my own clients and improve these things in them too!
Actually, I am still pretty sore from the training – because I am simply not used to moving as much, in as many different directions. We tend to get stuck in this thinking of strength training being a static or one-directional activity … I am now changing my thinking and believe we should be strong in all directions and have great flexibility as part of our strength. Â Strength is important, but it’s not much use on its own!
Moving on, I have successfully made it through the first week of my Pledge/Challenge/whatever and I have been doing quite well overall. Though I have tripped a few times, it’s nothing major, so life goes on. Â I have also fallen in love with my new slow-cooker – I have used it nearly every day this week! Lamb, pork, chicken, more pork and duck have all been experiments in that pot … mmmm!
My clothes fit better and my weight is down 2lbs since the same day last week. Plus, I feel more relaxed about things again. I have also managed to do my daily walks – no matter the weather, and even got an unexpected walk on Friday when my car broke down about 1 mile from home! It was  beautiful day, so that was lucky!
The only thing that hasn’t gone to plan is my strength workouts. I did 2 lighter ones at the weekend instead of 1 heavy. Then, the last 2 nights my sleep has sucked, so I have only managed my walks (and the masterclass with Steve). Â Tomorrow I hope to make it into the gym for a training session.
ANYWAY – this workout was from last Wednesday/ Thursday. I meant to upload it last week, but I just didn’t get the time. Â SO here we go now …
The Workout
(The talking at the end was in response to concerns about my 30 day challenge. I filmed this last week, so that was still relevant at the time)
Easy peasy 3 rounds of 5 exercises … haha! Easy my arse!
Set your Gymboss Interval Timer for 15 cycles of 20 seconds rest and 40 seconds effort and complete 3 continuous rounds of the 5 exercises.
- Stand-Kneel-Stand (right) (16kg) (13, 13, 12)
- Same (left) (16kg) (14, 13, 13)
- Two-Handed KB Swing (24kg) (28, 28, 27 )
- Renegade Row (2x16kg) (14, 15, 14)
- Dynamic Push Ups (12, 12, 10)
Oh boy! My numbers have gone down! I’m happy that I did the workout, but I was a little disappointed in my numbers! I will repeat this workout this week and see if things have improved. Â It WILL get better!!
You know, I am sitting here rubbing my eyes because they are so heavy from the crappy sleep I have had! It really goes to show how important QUALITY sleep is! I may have been in bed for 8 hours, but it took me over an hour to actually get to sleep (very unusual for me) and then I kept having crazy dreams and waking up! Â Just because you are resting, doesn’t always mean you are recovering – so bear that in mind before you train each day – ask yourself how recovered you feel. If need be, skip your heavy workout in favor of some walking or light cardio.
Have a great day!
Cheers,
Marianne