36. Back to Basics

Despite the tabata routines, that I had enjoyed getting to grips with during the autumn, things still weren’t quite right. Some additional fine tuning was required.

Winter 2016/2017

For the first chat of the new year with Luke, at Luke Bremner Fitness, I shared my thoughts on the aims and goals I was setting myself for 2017. Briefly, these are:

• Continue to focus on the mid-section of my torso.
• Adjust my technique for arm-based exercises so they become less challenging.
• Retain at least one Tabata-based workout a week.
• Ensure we do “numbers” at the end of each workout programme so we can assess what progress, if any, that I'm making.
• Introduce a little Himalayan salt into my diet and monitor what effect it has on my well-being.

Taking everything into account, one week later Mr Bremner had produced a workout programme that focussed on my posture and position when executing exercises.

In addition Luke recommended that I booked an appointment with Matt at the Bodyworks Edinburgh to see if he could sort out my shoulder and back problem.

Within a few days Matt was assessing the capabilities of my arm motion, before he set to work. I’m not going to lie here, what Matt did was painful. Very painful! He concentrated on loosening my trapezius and rhomboid muscles, as well as working on my rotator cuffs. But by the end of the session he already saw visible improvements with my reach. 

Before leaving, Matt gave me a few exercises to do to aid my shoulder mobility. As these involved resistance bands and trigger point massage balls, I got into the habit of doing them daily at work. Two more visits and Matt felt that I was on track again.

Certainly I felt a new connection with my back and shoulders. At last I could “squeeze the pencil” that Luke had been encouraging me to do when I first started going to Luke Bremner Fitness. Lifting heavy objects in and out of high cupboards at home – something I’d complained about for ages – didn’t seem to be such a challenge. Most importantly, overhead pressing type exercises felt more natural to do, than they had before.

In summary, the prospects of me improving my workout techniques and increasing weights in the gym, suddenly looked very realistic indeed.

35. HIIT me baby, one more time!

I see from the date of my last blogpost that it's been over seven months since I last wrote anything about my health and fitness regime. 

*Note to self* BAD! 

So in order to make amends, I've decided to write a series of quick pieces that explain what’s been going on between then and now.

Autumn 2016

After my short late summer vacation to Greece – see previous post –  I returned to Edinburgh a couple of kilograms heavier than I left it. I also came back with negative thoughts about work and confused in what I was trying to achieve in the gym.

One Tuesday morning I went to Luke Bremner Fitness as usual in order to workout. However I spent that whole hour discussing my mental well-being with Luke. Together we decided that it was time to refresh my programme, so that I could reconnect with my original aims and objectives. 

Luke's solution was inspired. He introduced me to Tabata training, which is a high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout. 

Out went the heavy-weights, and in came a series of exercises performed for 40 seconds each with a 20 second rest between. After completing five or six exercises I was allowed a longer break, before starting the cycle over again. 

In addition, Mr Bremner decided to crank-up the intensity even more. He produced three different Tabatas for me to do each week. Although at first I found these routines relentless, over several weeks I came to enjoy them. 

More importantly, by the time winter arrived, the bad funk I felt at the start of the autumn had evaporated. Work life had improved again, – more about that in my next post – plus I was back on track and committed to the lifestyle change I proactively decided to make in 2014.

I felt that my rest, over the Yuletide period, was well earned.