Tapout XT - first 10 days

So day 10 has been and I have to say I am super excited by my results so far (a bit vain I know) although I'm not so happy about the pale skin tone ;(
I have been really experimenting with my diet, supplements and even water consumption and am finely at the stage where I can confidently say that I will be pretty much palaeolithic in my approach except with the addition of some dairy (whey protein/milk) and a few legumes (kidney beans in chilli etc)
For the additional carbs I require for the obstacle races I will be relying on white rice in the form of sushi. Supplements will be good old whey protein, BCAA powder, creatine and ZMA. This will be complimented with some quality vitamins, omega3 and glucosamine.
These have all been used by me for at least 30 days then removed to see the effects and whilst they may just be having a placebo effect I don't care as its still an effect and helps me push harder. Supplements that have fallen by the wayside are pre-workout drinks, tribulus, CLA, and taurine, whilst I'm not saying they don't work I don't see the 'real world' effect and don't have the money to continue with them. Plus there are only so many pills/powders you can stomach. In the next 30 days I shall be trying out a beer root juice shot that I've been asked to try by my local health food store, this will be more for my running than Tapout though.
Other than that I've had an awesome 10 days except the 3 days following the spartan sprint race that were very sore (in a good but hard way) I have a race every other weekend for the next few weeks so it's going to be tough as that's my rest day, so I'll have to see how I go. Truth be told I won't give up either so I'll just have to HTFU and get on with it.
Until next time AROOO & run to it !!

Obstacle race training

People who know me know that my passion is for adventure racing (obstacle racing or mud runs) this said I am by no means running to win just to finish and have fun.
My favourite events in the UK are the www.spartanrace.com events with their sense of fun, plenty of mud (and a bit of fire) there is plenty there for beginners and advanced alike, especially with the variety of distances available.
With the popularity of these events I thought I'd share a few tips for new people wishing to give these races a go.
Firstly obviously there is running, this of course is the core of any training program for a run, however, not in the sense that most people think. You will not be running for the whole 5/10km in any race so whilst getting some steady state cardio base training in it is not how you will run on the day. During your race you will be stopping and starting a LOT, generally the organisers will create a bottleneck near the start of the run to spread everyone out then you will get to the obstacles so you'll be stopping and starting all through, this coupled with the time doing the obstacles means HiiT is by far more beneficial.
Obstacles: in all of the races I've done there are certain obstacles that recite, along with the brutally steep hills there will undoubtedly be some 'carrying' obstacles, think tyres, sandbags, logs, breeze blocks and even traffic cones. Whilst lifting weights will help with strength you need to be able to carry these types of objects and more importantly move, so next time your out grab a sandbag, log or even big stone and carry it along for a way.
This brings me to throwing, so find a nice spot and practice chucking said object, I like to throw it, sprint to it and repeat for a bit of short sprint training.
Other than this is climbing and crawling and the only way to get better at this is to practice, find a nice wall and get jumping up and over it, for crawling a bit of walking plank doesn't hurt.

I think the biggest point is to think about what is actually involved and train accordingly, you won't be running miles and miles on concrete so find some trails with steep hills and get hurting !! Cant find steep hills then use stairs, get creative AROOO!!!

Tapout XT - Team Wor-Beast Challenge Group

Tapout XT - Challenge

Ok so i have stuck to my fitness plans but not my blogging plans. Time to change that.
I have taken on the first ever challenge set by Tapout XT, so will be using this to log my journey.
I was on week 7 of the program but have today 16 July 2012 restarted to week 1 day 1

That's me 38" waist 193lb
Here we go !!!!

Day 1 of the rest of my life

After a final blow out of Sausage, egg, chips, beans, bread & butter and a bar of chocolate, well ok 2 bars of chocolate and a can of coke last night, I have started the new year with my first challenge. I will embark on a 30 day Paleo challenge, I will therefore not be eating any wheat, dairy, grains, or any kind of processed food (no more morning latte and tea-cake for me). Putting it in simple terms I'll be eating fresh meat and fish with an abundance of fruit, veggies and salad.
This is however only 1/3 of what is required, I also need to exercise and get plenty of rest.
My exercise will come in the form of the insanity workouts courtesy of www.beachbody.co.uk these consist of a number of high intensity circuits that you complete 6 days a week. This is one of those workouts you see on late night infomercials, I have completed a couple of weeks before but never properly followed it through so I know they get you sweating and breathing heavily so time to see what 60 days will result in. I also plan to run twice a week and throw in a few short TRX workouts in for good measure but only when/if I feel up to it.

Starting stats
On Jan 01 2012 I weigh 88kg, at a height of 179cm that puts me at a B.M.I 27.5 with 25.2% body fat, and 39.9% muscle

And I look like the photo attached.
I plan to repeat this measurement and photo at the end of every calendar month to see how my stats improve (or don't)
Tomorrow I will take measurements also to see how they change.

That's it for now.
Wish me luck

Where to start

I've realised I need to make some decisions regarding exactly what I want to achieve and how I'm going to do this.
Firstly I need to set short, medium and long term goals. This is completely new to me as I rarely set or plan anything long term but here goes. Professionally Short term I need to secure a place (and funding for) on a personal trainer qualification. My medium term goal is to be working part time in the fitness industry and building up my experience/reputation as a PT. I plan to do this in a gym which although goes against my own values I feel is needed to gain this "traditional" experience and portfolio of clients to give myself credibility. Long term I want to give up my retail career and be able to support my family by doing so. Physically Short term I want to get my BMI below 25 and my body fat below 15% because as my fiancé keeps reminding me I need to look like a PT if I want to be one. Usually my training motivation comes from entering a number of adventure runs and races. This year however I have reduced this to only competing in the spartan races around the UK. Of all the races I've competed in these are like a short sharp shock of a race and excellent fun. To join me in these go to www.spartanrace.com
Each month I plan to set myself mini challenges. January will be the abs challenge follow @AbChallenge
All of my workouts will be using circuits, TRX, medicine balls and trail running. I plan to workout at least 5 times a week using a variety of these in random combinations, depending on how my body is feeling and what fits around my family time and what is happening with work/study.
Nutritionally I will be loosely following the paleo style of eating using the paleo diet book. I will still be eating the occasional pasta dish and eating sweets for energy during long runs.
That about sums up how far my planning has gone so far a little vague but then these are just the beginnings. I'm still reading the paleo diet book and working out how/when to fit in my required exercise without sacrificing family time.
Think I need to take some measurements and photo's for a before snapshot to be able to measure my physical achievements.

Newbie

Being new to the whole blogging thing I hope to show my journey from a BMI of 26 and being able to run a bit and averagely fit to becoming a full time personal trainer and fitness worker.
I intend to add links and info that I find useful in my search for this level of fitness and health.
I believe in functional fitness and general health as supposed to long countless hours in the gym pumping iron and running/cycling on machines.