Fighting Spirit Kick Boxing Blogtag:www.fskbc.com,2008-10-14:/blog//12010-07-28T13:23:16ZInformation on anything kick boxing relatedMovable Type 4.21-enNew Summer Classtag:www.fskbc.com,2010:/blog//1.132010-07-28T13:20:39Z2010-07-28T13:23:16ZThe new summer class is here! :DI've arranged the Thursday venue in Westbury on Trym. Check the class times for details and location.I'm currently trying to sort a temp hall in stokes bishop as well for Mondays, otherwise we may...Admin I've arranged the Thursday venue in Westbury on Trym. Check the class times for details and location.
I'm currently trying to sort a temp hall in stokes bishop as well for Mondays, otherwise we may well have the summer class in Avonmouth.
See you all on the 5th, let me know if you need a lift.
Lyle
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We are back in business :)tag:www.fskbc.com,2009:/blog//1.122009-01-16T15:25:51Z2009-01-16T15:28:24ZGood to see some new faces at the first class back of the year. Don't worry if you ache a bit today even I do a bit. It takes a few weeks to get used to things.Lyle...Admin
Lyle
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Merry Christmas, Happy new year and training updatetag:www.fskbc.com,2008:/blog//1.112008-12-28T21:39:08Z2008-12-28T21:53:24ZAdmin
Been a long time since I've had chance to post. I was asked to be best man (again) and had a lot of stuff to sort out with the stag getting in touch with people he hadn't spoke to in ages, etc... The Wedding itself was in Jamaica so that took at lot of sorting and time as well. Then it was getting ready for Christmas and so no. Anyway, back to normal now so lets pickup where I left off.
Crash diet I lost 9 pounds in 3 days, and about 1% of body fat. Pretty impressive. One thing I should note is that as with most crash diets, this can dramatically effect your bowl movements. After the first day be cautious breaking wind, lol. On the 3rd day I ate the same as the second, and spent 1 hour on the cross trainer (to sets of 30mins) and an hour on the bike (to sets of 30 mins). I looked considerably leaner.
Goals update With the wedding and all training had gone off the rails a little. Although this week I'll be getting back to it.
Running Bristol 10k is coming up in May, it's an ideal stepping stone if you are thinking about doing the Bristol half. I'll certainly be doing it, and trying to convince as many people to join me as I can. It usually only takes an hour to complete the race, so it's nowhere near as grouling as Bristol half.
Lyle ]]>
Time for detoxtag:www.fskbc.com,2008:/blog//1.102008-11-05T22:53:29Z2008-11-05T23:30:24ZAdmin
At first I had planned a 1 day a week detox. It worked well at first, but when I started to increase my weight training it seemed to be effecting my muscle gains to much. (The idea of drastically cutting my diet while my muscles were still aching and repairing wasn't good).
So now I've switched to a 3 day a month detox.
I weighed myself this morning at 15st 4pounds (naked weight) and the Fat analyser gave me a 16.4% body fat.
I ate nothing all day, in the evening I did 30mins on the cross trainer, then 30mins on the bike. At night I'd usually have some mixed veg and a small tin of tuna (very lean protein). But today I had some dental work, so instead I had a tin of Weight Watchers Carrot & Lentil Soup (healthiest I could find in the shop) and mixed in the small tin of tuna. If that doesn't sound appealing, don't worry, at this point pretty much anything tastes good.
For the next two days it'll be nothing but fresh fruit and veg (no carby veg such as potatoes).
It's important to keep active, tomorrow I'll fit in running (cross trainer if it's raining) and swimming. Now there is very little food going into my body, and I've spent the day burning up what I ate yesterday, to keep going my body is forced to use the reserves, forced to burn fat.
From experience with these crash/detox diets before I've found it's important to take a good multi vitamin.
I'll update in a couple of days with my weight and fat %. ]]>
Finally a Fat Analyser that works!tag:www.fskbc.com,2008:/blog//1.92008-11-01T03:59:23Z2008-11-01T05:57:09Z3rd time lucky as it turns out. After returning the last fat analyser as it turned out to be a fake like the first, I didn't hold out much hope for this latest one. But finally, I've got one that...Admin At first I was worried. When I turned it on it asked for the height, weight and age just like the fake ones. A BMI machine that pretends to analyse fat seems to be very common. It'll ask you to hold two metal plates, it'll pretend to put a small current through your body, it'll wait for a few seconds, then it'll lie and give you a fixed fat % based on your BMI.
But finally this one was different, it did all those things but actually gave a reading that seemed real. I tried it again with a piece of wire, it gave an error! (The others gave the same result). Tried it lying down like it said not to, different result again. Tried it stood up holding it properly, pretty much the same result. Wicked, this one works.
Omron BF306 BODY FAT MONITOR, the cheapest one I could find on Ebay that was genuine. ]]>
Goalstag:www.fskbc.com,2008:/blog//1.82008-10-28T22:59:43Z2008-10-28T23:48:01ZYou've gotta have goals. As this is titled "Getting back in shape", then my first set of goals will be getting back to levels I was at before.Weight trainingI can't remember all of what I could lift before, but here's...Admin
Weight training
I can't remember all of what I could lift before, but here's what I can remember.
Bench press:- I'm not sure what I can lift at the moment, I've only been weight training again for 3 weeks, the last thing I want to do is push myself too soon and get an injury. In the past I could lift 90Kg. So getting back to this weight is my aim.
Shoulder press: At my peak I could shoulder press two 20KG dumb bells for 3 sets of 10 reps. At the moment I can manage about 1 set before I have to drop weight.
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Running
I was never
really that fit. At my peak before I could run about 3 miles non stop
but that certainly isn't a lot. I'm going to set my goal at 10k non
stop running.
Swimming
I've
never really done a lot of swimming before, I probably beat my record
last week when I did 30 lengths. But again that isn't a lot. I'll set
my first goal at 1 mile.
Physique
I
had a six pack when I stripped down to 13 1/2 stone. I'd like to get
the six pack back (Laura would most definitely like me to get the six
pack back), but I don't want to be that light. My real aim is to be a
ripped 16st, but for now I'm setting the goal at ripped 15st.
Kickboxing
I never planned to do full contact competition for long. After all I'm
a software developer and need all the brain cells I can keep for
figuring out complicated algorithms. I certainly don't see any reason
not to do more semi contact and continuous tournaments. I won several
continuous titles, such as English Champion 2 years running. I did have
my heart set on getting the British Champion title, but ended up
training for full contact instead. So it seems British Champion should
be a good start for a goal :)
Problems with goals
Wanting
to be a ripped 15st, makes the goals more difficult. I'm 15st at the
moment, but I'm certainly not ripped. I wont be able to weight myself
and see the pounds shedding off because I don't want that, I just want
to put on muscle and loose body fat. I'm been looking for a good (and
cheap) body fat analyser of ebay. So far I've ordered 2, both of which
turned out to be nothing more than BMI calculators what pretended to
analyse body fat with two touch pads. I've found another seller that
has assured me that his product is genuine, I'll let you know if I have
any luck this time. As I'm not planning on loosing weight I think one
of these is vitial for me to monitor my progress and ensure I'm no the
right track. ]]>
Plan of actiontag:www.fskbc.com,2008:/blog//1.72008-10-20T23:39:02Z2008-10-28T23:27:03ZMotivationI'm not getting any younger and sorting myself out now will be much easier than doing it later. Also as I mentioned before my girlfriend is in perfect shape. It's only fair that I offer her the same level of...Admin
Motivation
I'm not getting any younger and sorting myself out now will be much easier than doing it later. Also as I mentioned before my girlfriend is in perfect shape. It's only fair that I offer her the same level of fitness that she offers me. Being in top shape sets a good example to the students at the club, also going from being quite out of shape now to being ripped again, should help motivate those that are training to loose weight. Sticking any new tournament titles in the local papers would also help promote the club and generate interest. + all the obvious reasons such as health, etc...
Activities
Kickboxing twice a week Not a lot of choice here being that I run the club :) Kickboxing is a great all round work out, and also come in very handy when you find yourself in a scrape. Doing more circuits in the class will help to loose fat.
Judo once a week. Fills in most of the side of martials arts that I don't already know (Kickboxing is striking, Judo is grappling). After all a striking style isn't going to help you much if a fight goes to the ground.
Weights twice a week. The only real way to improve muscle strength.
Running twice a week. The two main forms of cardio are running and cycling. I've never like saddle sore myself.
Swimming once a week. Great for improving lung capacity, all round muscle stamina, and also strength as the water provides resistance.
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Supplements
In the past I've tried all kinds of supplements, all the protein shakes, creatine, boosters, fat burners, etc. If it's legal I've probably tried it. I've never taken any illegal supplements such as steroids and I'm proud of it. I think one of the advantages of weight training at home rather than down a gym, is that you don't have any pressure to take steroids. If you are looking at trying different supplements here is my advice:- Avoid:- GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid). This is supposed to make you release more growth hormone. Last I heard it was being taken off the market because people really weren't sure whether it was harmful. You can still find it online being sold for anything from muscle growth to anti aging. Testosterone boosters. There are plenty of legal herbal testosterone boosters. They help increase your levels of testosterone which is linked to helping you grow more muscle. In reality they are much more likely to make you spotty and your hair fall out. Overpriced supplements. Remember that protein is protein, there isn't a great deal of difference. Most of the expensive ones aren't much more than a lot of hype and a few extra vitamins. Weight gainers. Not all weight gainers a bad, but be careful! Some of these are loaded with really bad and unhealthy saturated fats. Always check the label. Legal Steroids mimics. Not hormones themselves but generally get digested and turned into steroid like hormones by your body. Can be just as dangerous as the real thing. Steroids. Avoid at all costs. When chatting to different body buildings it's often frightening to hear the missinformation that goes around some gyms. I met one guy who told me that weight training without steroids is dangerous, that the steroids strengthen your ligaments and tendons... This could not be further from the truth! Steroids do nothing to strengthen ligaments and tendons. In fact they cause a lot of irreparable damage to ligaments and tendons as they get the muscle lifting weights that it should not be capable of and has not built up to properly. At the end of the day do you really want to put on musle a bit quicker now, but have a heart attack before you are 40?
What I'm taking Casin protein - Every night just before I go to bed. It's a slow digest protein to help ensure protein is available for muscle growth and repair during the night. PhD Synergy ISO 7 - Once a day, usually evening or straight after weight training. Protein bars - Imbetween meals. Grabits Chicken on a stick - Great natural 17g of protein and only 0.5g saturated fat. Sci Fit ecdysterone - Claims to help your body turn digested protein into muscle, and I think it just might. Selinium with A, C & E - Every morining for the antioxidant boost. I'll probably write another post about anti oxidants at a later date. Glucostamine and cod liver oil - High levels of exercise and particularly weight training can really give your joints a battering. I take these to help. ]]>
What went wrong, what's different nowtag:www.fskbc.com,2008:/blog//1.52008-10-16T22:15:29Z2008-10-28T23:33:05ZLet's start at the beginning and figure out what went wrong and why I lost shape in the first place. Soon after winning my last title I bought my first house of which the term "fixer upper" is far to...Admin
Soon after winning my last title I bought my first house of which the
term "fixer upper" is far to much of an understatement. I also started my
kickboxing club in Bristol. So now I have much less spare time on my
hands than I used to have. Also the time spent at my club is much more
teaching than training, so where as before I spent around 4-5 hours a
week kickboxing training, I was now spending around 6 hours a week
kickboxing teaching, not to mention all the extra time spent doing
admin and promotions for the club.
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I made
the decision to focus more on dealing with real street fights rather
than kickboxing competition. So my Friday and Saturday nights were
spent working the doors, with lots of standing around and the occasional punch up.
So to summarize:-
Less time available
Now teaching kickboxing rather than training
No steady relationship
Focus on real life fight situations
X 3 years = out of shape
But now things have changed. I've been seeing my new girlfriend Laura
for a year and a half. She is, putting it mildly, physical perfection
:) The relationship has steadied and we are very happy. So that cuts
down the drinking and going into town. Leaving:-
Less time available
All the essentials of my house are now done, Bath room, bedrooms,
heating, plumbing, electrics. So although there is a lot left to do,
it's not as urgent as it was in the past.
Now teaching kickboxing rather than training
The clubs been running for 3 years. We have some higher grades and
Laura is usually on hand to help out. We also have a separate Adult
class which makes it much easier for me to teach and join in at the same time.
Focus on real life fight situations
After more than 2 years door work I've learned much about real life
fighting. I don't think of it as street fighting anymore, but as street
conflict. With being able to spot and read the signs of street
conflict, much
street fighting can be avoided. That said sometimes the quickest and
easiest way to resolve a situation is with physical force, after all,
unfortunately there are some people that only understand one thing. I'm
comfortable that for the time being I've learned enough so I need to
devote the time to my business and getting back into shape.
Verdict I've
still got a lot less time on my hands, but things are not as bad as
they were. I'm going to need to structure my time properly so a weekly
timetable is in order.
In my next post I'll cover my
motivation to get back in shape, how I plan to do it, what's in my time
table, and other concerns I'll be trying to address at the same time.]]>
Getting back in shapetag:www.fskbc.com,2008:/blog//1.42008-10-16T22:12:02Z2008-10-16T22:15:06ZWelcome to my first blog.3 years ago today I was in the best shape of my life which cumulated to me winning the World United Martial Arts Federation tournament title of National Full Contact champion.3 years later and I'm in...Admin
3 years ago today I was in the best shape of my life which cumulated to me winning the World United Martial Arts Federation tournament title of National Full Contact champion.
3 years later and I'm in bad shape. I haven't competed much at all in the last 3 years, and although I won a tournament earlier this year, when I look down at my stomach it feels like quite a hollow victory.
I'm writing this blog to document getting back into shape, how I'm doing it and to keep a log of my progress. ]]>