The last week of training in 2022
The week before Christmas was always going to be a tough ask for some. It’s easy to switch off or struggle to find time in the build-up to the big week. Unfortunately this time of year the weather brings with it, the good old retro flu. I was wiped out with it, as were my colleagues, family, and friends.
The knock-on of this was that Monday and Tuesday regime had to be knocked on the head, and with the gym closing for Christmas that meant I could only get two gym sessions done this week. So Wednesday we started.
Wednesday:
Back and maybe some chest and shoulders, depending on mobility. Thankfully everything seemed fine, albeit weights were quite low on chest and shoulder movements, but it was an improvement. The back was much the same routine I have been accustomed to, what I always fail to record though is the weight. So I never know if I am improving. So I have decided to get a notebook for 2023 and record every exercise I am doing, with exact reps and weights, so I have something to strive to beat. There is accountability for it, which is something I think I have been lacking these last ten weeks.
Thursday:
So this day would turn out to be my final session of the ten-week course. And boy did Davy have a surprise in store for me. A challenge was laid down and begrudgingly accepted. Ten exercises, each with four sets and 1000 reps in total, on legs. It was nice to count down at times, going only 975 more to go! Ohhhh only 950 more to go. It got real very quickly though, with certain exercises that I was just not prepared for. The single leg press being one, which was the fourth exercise, the weight just seemed too much to be able to accomplish, so I had to remove 10kg to hit the 100. The hack squat was next and that was a real ball ache. I really had to blank myself out of the exercise, sometimes I look at a pattern on the floor, machine, or ceiling and start counting before my mind starts to go blank. This time I picked up my headphones and blasted out some Motorhead. Nothing like Lemmy to get you going.
It provided the jumpstart I needed to get passed the 500-hundred mark. More squats and leg presses got me down to 300, with the belt squat machine up next. Belt squats will target pretty much the same muscles as barbell squats, those being your hamstrings and quadriceps and to a lesser degree your glutes and trunk stabilisation muscles. In my head, I was doing them right, but Davy constantly encouraged me to lower, and lower, like I’m in a pair of apple-bottom jeans and boots with the, fur. The remaining 200 were hamstring curls and leg raises, and boom I was done. 1000 reps done, and I was elated at the time.
The doms started setting in the next day but were at their worst on Christmas Eve. I can live with that reality, however, a reoccurring medical issue flared up immediately after. It is something I am waiting on an MRI for, and I can only imagine the pressure put on that area of my body during the 1000 rep challenge caused the issue to rear its ugly head again.
Overall:
Overall these ten weeks were probably the hardest ten weeks I have experienced in the gym. The constant battle with injuries was annoying and the mobility issues being so persistent made me drop my head on many occasions. Aesthetically I managed to drop 2 % body fat and around 2.5kg in these ten weeks, however, it’s still more than I was at the end of my previous ten-week training regime. The abstaining from alcohol I did not find to be much of a benefit, physically or mentally. I did decide to go for a night out over Christmas and did not enjoy the feeling of being drunk so I guess that is a positive going into 2023.
Speaking of 2023, I will be continuing another 10 weeks with Davy in January and beyond. If I stay injury free and can be able to stick to my running, I have a feeling this will go well. Previously I set myself running challenges, so that is what I am setting out to do.
If you want to make a change, you can contact Davy on 0892528904 or email [email protected].
