Yesterday was the first gym day of the week. No workout, as adductors sore from an over done isometric session on Sunday preventing leg work, a dodgy elbow still stopping arm work, and sore abs from the ab workout the day before. So, it was simply another run, Week 5 Run 1 of couch to 5k, and then a half hour swim.
This week has been good. 3 good classes of Muay Thai, I developed a lazy return of my left leg when kicking with it, so I spent a lot of time concentrating on correcting that, adductors were fine yesterday so I did some more isometrics. I also completed run 2 of week 5 with the final run tomorrow (Rest day today), I did also try to do some weight training with my arms, but any involving triceps seems to irritate my elbow so I am going to need to leave that a bit longer before trying again. Week 5 Run 3 will be my longest and hardest run yet with no intervals, just a continuous 20 minute run. Since (engineer), I am obsessed with measurements and data tracking, I have started to also measure the distance of my seated V-leg spread thingy, so that I can see if I am improving, as everybody should agree that flexibility is a gradual thing that we may not notice over time, so. On my Sunday weigh in, I now measure weight, body fat, abdomen size, and leg flexibility. You can never have too much data
I'm so excited And I just can't hide it I'm about to loose control and I think I like it Maybe a little excessive, but on Sunday was Week 5 Run 3 of Couch to 5K which meant a 20 minute run with no walking intervals, this is the longest I remember running for uninterrupted since I finished college many years ago :lol: I did the whole 20 minutes at 10kph which was about 3.3km, if I stay at this pace, then by week 9, 5k within 30 minutes is definitely achievable. Additionally, weigh in saw me come down to 84kg that's now 14kg lost in just over 10 weeks, and abdomen size has come down from 97cm to 94cm Yesterday I also did a good bit of swimming and also did some leg resistance training and an ab workout. Back to class tomorrow, so I have my rest day today. Plans Tonight: Measure sitting splits for improvement Tuesday: Class Wednesday: C25k Week 6 Run 1 - Abs workout Thursday: C25k Week 6 Run 2 - Class Friday: Class - C25k Week 6 Run 3 - Abs workout and Legs Saturday and Sunday: Rest days Friday I am also getting x-ray results back, and if I get the go ahead to be able to resistance train if I prevent the elbow from knocking, I will be adding a shoulder and back session in somewhere in the week too.
Flexibility progression: with inside leg measurements of 89cm Sitting and spreading legs as far as possible I reach 134.5cm with no warm up. I work this out at an angle between the thighs (what I will call from here as splits angle) as 98degrees
Scales seem to have packed up, but so far as I can see I am down to 83kg. This means that I am now at 25.1 BMI, so just .2 away from being classed as healthy, which is a massive milestone for me as 12 weeks ago, I was .2 away from being classed as obese. Additionally, I managed to do Week 6 of Couch to 5k, which ended with a successful 25minute run at 10kph. So, I am still on target for 5k in 30 minutes, in 3 weeks time. I have amended my weights programme to increase intensity, and feel like I can work harder and harder each time Hip flexibility has improved by an extra 4cm sitting with legs in a v to 138.5 so the extra 4cm reach in 7 days brings me to 102degrees hip angle, a 4degree improvement in 7 days (for those interested it appears for every 1cm in reach, it results in a 1.1 degree change in the angle, though this is not true for all leg lengths, just a point to note) makes me happy. All in all, the doubt at the start, the hatred of calorie counting, the misery of being hungry has totally gone, instead, after seeing progress it has been replaced with happiness and excitement about what is still to come.
Good 40 minutes worth of sparring today, which was fun most definitely. I am unsure on etiquette though, my sparring partner through out was an older guy who didn't want to get punched in the face, hooks etc he didn't mind, but didn't want to get hit with any jabs or crosses. What is the etiqutte in this situation, as it feels wrong to pull punches to barely make contact, while sparring with headgear, shinpads and 16oz gloves.
I think I would treat them less as jabs and crosses and more as feints to get a reaction in that situation. Though it is awkward, it's only fair if your partner isn't going to cope with it. That and take it as an assumed compliment your jabs and crosses are beastly
It probably says more about his guard than my punching if I connect lol, my punching is far weaker than kicks, knees and elbows.