Day 9 – Strength

So it was back to routine 1 today as listed below. And it went well. Although didn’t knock out full sets of everything there was some definite improvement.

For the initial rowing machine warm-up I switched from time based to a standard 2 KM row on full resistance. I was pretty pleased with my time of 9:52 as previous attempts at this were around the 11 minute mark. It felt good. The bench press following I modified a bit to do sets of 8 reps. The first two I barely got through and the last set managed just 3 which was disappointing (and embarrassing as there was a senior citizen on the neighbouring bench knocking out full sets of nearly twice the weight. I guess thats what persistent training can do for you, so I will use that as my inspiration.

The deadlift I completed, but the last set was really challenging. I was concentrating much more on form and body positioning this time and trying to get each one the same. I’ve no idea if it helped but I was definitely more tired come the end. The leg lifts, were challenging too. Much more than I was expected. I’m barely completing the last set and struggling to get the last couple all the way up. I’ll stick at this weight and reps and see how it goes.

Shoulder press again today as well. This was tough as usual. I started with sets of 10 but the the last set barely squeezed out 6. But I did manage to get two sets of 10 in to start which is better than last time. Again, I’ll stick with this weight and pattern.

I closed out with the cycle for 10 minutes, this time with a 60 second sprint at 7 minutes, and a 30 second sprint at 9 minutes. The machine complained a lot about my heart rate, but my watch didn’t complain, and I apparently still had blood pumping so I persevered. 

Overall I wasn’t as tired as the end of routine 2. I think the running there is what does the damage. I’m doing that tomorrow again so hopefully will be a better experience. We’ll see. If I don’t post anything tomorrow it’s been fun! Remember me fondly. 🙂

Speaking of which, I also see the surgeon tomorrow to discuss the removal of the errant gallbladder. I’m looking forward to that meeting and hopefully will be one step closer to a recovery. I’m getting a bit bored of the 2 ready meals of little to zero fat that I’ve found I can eat without causing a massive attack. Be nice to get a little variety back in the diet. On that note, I’m hoping to get some time with a dietician to see if I can’t concoct a decent routine there as well.

Wish me luck!