MONEY, MUSCLE & THE MILLENIUM SQUARE

The 3 M's this week are Money, Muscle and the Millenium Square.

Why? Let me explain......

Ebay

Until last weekend I was a virgin to selling anything on Ebay, Im not now! My new hobby is selling items on Ebay! I sold a projector stand that was bought for the projector in the kitchen but didnt fit. It was still boxed and had never been used and I had 5 bids for it on Ebay and eventually sold it for £72, happy days. I curently have a multi function oven on there that is still brand new and boxed which with one day left has only had one bid for £50. What I have found out though is that the fun really starts in the last 24hrs and even more so in the final couple of hours when the bidding really starts hotting up.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260511833207&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

We have got a few items that need selling so I plan to get these on before xmas to hopefully generate a bit of extra pat cash.

Muscle - Training

I talked last week about momentum in my training and I have continued with another great week of training. I set myself a target of training all week on the bike but it didnt turn out like that. Monday and Tuesday evening was spent on the bike covering 18 miles across the two nights on the trainer. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evening session where short and sweet. I only spent a maximum of 30 mins each time in the gym but worked at quick reps with only a 30 second max break so I was really feeling it by the end of each session. My diet has been spot on this week again, plenty of protien, plenty of veg and regular eating times during the day.

For the first time in all long time I feel like I am going in the right direction. Main reasons behind this are momentum, keeping up the regular training session even when I have been limited for time on an evening, keeping up on the diet with plenty of protien. Granted over the last week or so I have had a couple of beers but everything I do has to be about sustainability and having a few beers once in a while is always going to be on the cards, which leads to the next M.......

The Millenium Square - The German Market - Leeds

Wow, this event is awesome, right up my street. We visited last weekend with my mum and dad and sister. We got on the train at Selby where we met them and headed over to Leeds. We went into Prohibition for a coffee then headed to the German Market. Wwe couldnt have timed this any better, both the girls fell asleep as soon we got to the market and satyed asleep for 2 hours. This allowed us to have a short walk round then head into the beer tent where we sat in a perfect little alcove eating the finest german sausage sandwiches and drinking glasses of 1 ltr german beers (2 pints in one glass). Having had 3 pints me and dad where feeling a bit light headed to say the least. The atmosphere was fantastic and it really felt like you where in Germany at one of the local beer / xmas markets.

Now thats what I call a serious bbq, MEGA................................................

Momentum...... 6 weeks to take it to the next level

Last week was a great week for training, a week that was well thought out, about when I would train and the diet I would have. I watched a program on SKY that said when weight training / exercising and getting into shape its 70% diet, 30% training that constitutes getting to where you want to be? Open for discussion I guess?

My thoughts are that they both go hand in hand and that what ever you do has to be sustainable for the long term which is an aspect of my training that i am still striving for and feel I constantly will be buts it what i / we all do now that makes a difference.

Momentum Definition

The impetus of a body resulting from its motion
Driving power or strength

Planning and Prep for your goals is invaluable and with the hectic lifestyle of my wife, two kids and work, trying to have a balance and the energy to fit in the training sessions is hard. On the back of last week I feel I have found momentum.

I did a total of 4 one hour sessions. Dont sound alot but I focused on all areas of the body in chest, triceps, biceps, back, shoulders, legs and some real work done on my abs. Apart from doing the sessions I felt they where quality sessions by:

1. Pushing myself to failure on the weights on every muscle group



2. Doing abs til failure after every



3. High intensity on the bike and doing 5 miles on the trainer after each weights session

Based on the above statement of 30% training constitutes the way you want to be, and the good weights sessions I had last week, I backed this up with a really strong week on the diet front. How did I do this?

1. Sticking to regular eating times

2. Eating key proteins such as eggs, chicken, nuts and fish

3. Due to been on the road with work alot, I have backed this up with taking protien shakes twice a day when training both pre and post workouts.

4. Herbal tea and Coffee as a source of caffine and herbal tea at other times.

These areas of training are nothing new to me, I have known them for a long time now but its applying them on a regular basis. Momentum is a great thing, it gives you a start on something you are pursuing or wanting to achieve. Based on the week I had last week, I really cant wait for next week and taking the aspects of the training that went well into the week and ensuring I get a second week of great training.

So, whats happening 6 weeks today? Me and my Wingman DR B. Thurlow are doing the below ride I planned out today on the 27th Dec. He is back in Hull with the girls to see his family so I have put the below together. I sent the below to BT on email and along with myself I have challenged him to 120 miles on the bike trainer between now and ride, that only 20miles a week. Challenge set.

The 27th Dec Ride........

1/ Depart 7am Either Elloughton or 225 CL.
2/ Head to Walkington via same route as before.
3/ Follow back road to the outskirts of Beverley.
4/ Beverley to Bainton. Its an A road but should be pretty quite. Some great rolling hills which are great combinations of some steep short climbs and quick rapid decents.
5/ Bainton to Pocklington via the B1246. Again, havent been on some time since been on the motorbike but awesome roads in the middle of nowhere which should be really quite. Again, good combination of hills and decents but if memory serves me right there are more decents so will be great for increasing average speed.
6/ Pocklington to Shiptonthorpe via the A1079. We are only on this for 2miles and hopefully wont be too busy.
7/ Shiptonthorpe to Home on Spalding Moor via the A614. Straight flat road, aim for 19mph avg speed on that section with some serious slip streaming.
8/ Depending on how we feel, choice of two routes. Take the route we took before heading towards to Selby, then howden, Gilberdyke, Newport, North Cave, South Cave and then Elloughton. If we do the other shorter route (probably wont!) Holme on Spalding Moor to Howden to join the Gilberdyke / South Cave / Elloughton road.
9/ If we go from 225 CL , we will do spout hill head back via another challenging couple of hills then those mega rolling hills back towards raywell.

Monday Night training

Biceps and Shoulders - I made this a real intensive workout, Medium rate reps but with only 20 sec breaks between each one. I focused on all areas of the bicep and the forearms. After 20 mins my arms where bits and I was now doing my reps to failure. I felt like I had given my arms one of the best workouts for a while, despite not the quickest but certainly the most effective. I then did my shoulders to failure.

The key difference this session is keeping going through the pain barrier and at the end of the session doing 150 sit ups....... Great session, got the week off to a good start.

Tuesday Night Training

Tonights session for me was all about taking my head somewhere else as its been one of those days, cant really say why but not one I want to repeat on a regualr basis. As a result I sat on the bike trainer for 8 miles focusing on split sets. 1 mile at 16mph, 1 mile at 23mph. Felt good and as this is the first time I have tried this session its given me the benchmark to do 10 miles next time. Again, as with Mondays session my legs are in bits now and feel like jelly.

Thursday Night Training

Just a pure chest session til failure on every set followed by 250 sit ups. The big difference in this session would be I would normally not do sit ups due to, well really not been bothered! Hopefully this is going to be the difference in doing sit ups at the end of session.

Sunday Training

A killer arms session to the piont of not being able to move them for some 1 hour after! My arms felt like rocks for about an hour after. I always remember watching Arnie on youtube doing a training session and talking about the "pump." He believed the "pump" was like having sex! He talks in his distinctive Austrian accent about training your muscles to the piont of explosion and maximum tension so they feel really tight. He talks about how he feels like he is having sex at the gym and at home, "Its like im sex all the time!" Maybe not to the extent of having sex but feeling the "pump" like I did today is a pretty good feeling and for me determins on how much of a good session you have had.

My objectives for this week are purely CV and getting out on the bike. I only did 8 miles on the bike this week and I am aiming on doing 20 a week so feeling like I have had a good week on the weights I am going to aim to do 4 interval sessions on the bike this week and focus on building the time up on the bike.

Bonfire Night and Halloween in pictures!

Bonfire Night spent at Monk Fryston Hall

The two spooky halloween girls!

Parent tip, never leave your 13month old daughter along for a second!

I have been concious over the last few blog updates that the content of them was quite rushed. I am not wanting to write war and peace but at the same time want each of the updates to have a point, benchmark, a reflection and a forward plan for the next day week or month. On the back of this I am going to try and and start to write a bit every couple of days.

What a great feeling..........

Saturday morning, my alarm call goes off at 6am in the form of Nyah shouting "Daddy, can I come in your bed?" Theres only one answer when she says it that cutley! Nyah stays in our bed for 20 mins or so then I go down and get the girls milk for them to have in our bed. By 7am I have got the wind in my face and crusing on the 38 mile bike journey over to Hull. Early mornings are part and parcel of having kids so getting the opportunity to make the most of them and get out on the bike is a no brainer. I was aiming to head over to my mum and dads for 9ish and Nikki and the girls would meet me at my Grandma and Grandads for 09:45am.

I took the picture above onmy phone on the old A63 road from Selby to Howden. The air was fresh, the skies where clear and the sun was rising right in front of my eyes. For me, there really isnt a better way to start the day. I was really happy with the pace a made over to my mum and dads, its a total of 27 miles and having set off at 7:10am I arrived there at just before 08:45am. The journey was good and I felt I maintained a constant cadence at a higher tempo that normal. When I arrived at my mum and dads, me and PC Senior May headed to Grandma and Grandads.

On Sunday we headed to see our new born God daughter Angelina Thurlow. It was great to see the guys with the new arrival. Anoushka looked fantatsic considering what she had been through over the last month or so. Little Angelina was even cuter in real life. So proud to be god parents and she is going to be seriously spoilt in years to come! Welcome to parenthood, you guys are really going to make great parents.

Training this week.

This week has seen me complete one of the best weeks of weight training I have done all year. Why? Well because I planned what I wanted to do this week in both my weight sessions and diet and have I have stuck to it. So far I have completed 3 weights sessions:

1/ Chest and Triceps (Monday)

2/ Back and Biceps (Tuesday)

3/ Legs and Shoulders (Thursday)

Equally important if not more so I have been really strict and consistent with my diet. Eating on a regular basis and the eating the right foods have been key. This week has really given me the motivation and drive to deliver consistent training sessions over the winter months. I have spent time in getting the garage cleaned up and it looks spot on now. You are only as good as your last week so key for me will be to deliver 2 training sessions over the weekend and a further 4 sessions next week.

Quality time with my little girls

I write this having just recovered from yet another stomach bug that struck me down in the early hours of Friday morning. Having been poorly since 3am I left home at 07:30am to go to Wakefield to do my team meeting with the guys but didnt even make it to the office. All i will say is good job i had a carrier bag next to me, not good. I spent the rest of the day in bed, still sorting work stuff out as I have not got a vacancy in the team so interviewing Tuesday and Thursday next week to hopefully find the right candidate to come into the team.

Well I have started this chapter the wrong way round with the end of the week first. Nikki and Nat had booked to go away for a long well deserved Spa weekend break, well i say long weekend, it was 3 nights four days which felt like a long time looking after the kids! Nikki left on the Sunday so on the Monday I planned to take the kids to the Deep in Hull. I have never been before but the girls have and they loved it last time and this time was no exception. We set off at 08:30am and arrived there at 09:15am but it didnt open till 10am so we had to wait around for a bit. Once in there, Nyah just loved it and the place is amazing. Cant believe how big it is and the viewing areas of the fish is out of this world. The views really are spectactualar. Having walked round for an hour or so we then into the soft play area which both the girls loved. We then had a further walk round then headed to the restaurant for some food. The only problem is the sandwiches they had where crab and seafood mix, not the best combination you want to give your kids! The view certainly made up for the food with great vies over the humber and we where lucky enough to see a few boats right beneath us which Nyah loved and told the whole restaurant!

Tuesday was spent out walking with the girls. We walked to the canal, fed the ducks, went to the playground and a great time just watching the world go by and been in the great outdoors. I also managed to get a mega training session in when the girls where a sleep.

It was only 25mins but I have only just stopped aching now. Here goes.........

1/ 5 pull ups

2/ 10 press ups

3/ 15 body squats

Task, do as many sets as possible in 25mins. Sounds easy, but trust me, give it a try, its a killer!!

Nikki returned on Wednesday after a fantastic and relaxing few days. We then after the girls woke in the afternoon went for a walk along the canal and to the playground. I never take for granted where we live, i absolutley love it. We are so close to the canal with great walks, next to play grounds with large open green spaces for the kids and mummy and daddy to run around.

Now onto the end of the week, we really could have opened our own ward at Hull Royal over the last few weeks. My sickness bug, My mums cyst, my grandad been diagnosed with Parkinsons, my grandma with her dizzy spells and my little sister with her little finger!

Bring on next week and heres to bulding my immune system ready for the colder weather thats on its way...........