Running 26-Nov-2014

Raining up to an hour or so before I ran today, so there was a lot of moisture in the air making breathing 'interesting.' None the less not too bad, just outside current aim of 41 minutes standard.

5.39 miles in 41:07 average speed 7.9mph

Running 25-Nov-2014

Just above freezing, cool clear, ideal.
Work stuff stopped me running yesterday and having hit myself in the eye with a hammer I get pain in the eye from elevated blood pressure so squats would have been stupid.

Current aim is to keep all runs under 41 minutes so I will get a regular 8mph soon.

5.38 miles in 40:52 average speed 7.9mph

Deadlifts 22-Nov-2014

Today I learned deadlifts and kittens don't mix. Kitten got into the gym, I hurt myself concentrating on not hurting her then getting her out of the gym.
A poor end to an otherwise good week. By the time I got her out head wasn't in it, so continuing could have been dangerous.

Deadlifts with fat gripz 90kg
Overhand 4, over under 3, under over 6

Running 21-Nov-2014

PB and target achieved, well it is when rounding to 1dp as the app on my phone does.
Strictly speaking 8mph would be achieved if the distance was 5.4 miles and time was 41:10 but this close.
The actual speed based on distance and time shown on the app is 7.976935749588138mph and with this being my personal best on this route I will confess I am very happy with it.

5.38 miles in 40:28 average speed 8mph

Bench 20-Nov-2014

I will explain the 2.5 sets first. I got to 5th rep on second hand, mistimed the swing and bashed my forearm with the kettle. That finished that set and has left my arm with a nice little tender red spot today.

Alternate kettlebell snatch, high start
2.5 x 10 a side x 24kg

Suspension trainer push ups
3 x 10 dropped the start point each set, last one wasn't anything to boast about form wise, so that is current limit.

Alternate kettlebell side raises to overhead tricep extensions
3 x 10 a side x 8kg

Squats 18-Nov-2014

The joy of writing up training the day after having done it, I know it was a good session based on how I am aching. Expected this to be hard due to being a day late so after good intervals, I wasn't wrong.
I have been wanting to improve my core strength, which will mean having a bigger core no doubt, just what most people don't want. With the way driving around corners in the car was making me groan internally, I would say it is going well.

High bar squats
3 x 10 x 100kg

Low bar squats
3 x 10 x 110kg

Overhead squats
3 x 10 x 50kg

Intervals 18-Nov-2014

Was really able to give it welly on the sprints today, probably due to not doing squats yesterday, that session will be hard this evening. Got that great feeling of having my lungs ripped open from the inside which accompanies a good interval session.

3.72 miles in 33:21 average speed 6.7mph

Running 17-Nov-2014

Yesterday was quite physical and I was quite worn out so this wasn't going to be epic.
However the app that records my run was initially told to stop at 41:54 and took 18 seconds to take the hint. Can't be bothered to work out what it should have been so recording what the non-responsive app said.
Colour coding on the route shows I was consistently fairly quick throughout, making the recording all the more annoying.

5.38 miles in 42:12 average speed 7.6mph

Deadlifts 14-Nov-2014

I would like to say the increased weight was accompanied by complete sets without breaks. Truth is every set with fat gripz needed re gripping at least twice. My forearms are going to suffer for this.

Deadlifts with fat gripz, overhand, over under, under over, going weakest to strongest helped
3 x 10 x 90kg

Underhand bent over row with fat gripz
3 x 10 x 60kg

Single arm kettlebell upright row
3 x 10 a side x 16kg

Running 14-Nov-2014

Best run in a while. Raining, cool and seemingly ideal for going well.

5.4 miles in 40:50 average speed 7.9mph Really want 8 now.

Running 13-Nov-2014

A good run. Felt tough on the lungs and tiring but ideally at the level I could have just kept going as long as I wanted. Back to high level plodding as I like it again. Obviously want to plod faster but this has me happy for today.

5.39 miles in 41:31 average pace 7.8mph

Bench 12-Nov-2014

Reduced drop alternate kettlebell snatch
3 x 10 a side x 20kg (try 24 next time)

Push ups on suspension trainer
3 x 10 shifted feet back to increase intensity

Alternate kettlebell side raises to overhead tricep extension
3 x 10 a side x 8kg

Intervals 11-Nov-2014

Today marks the anniversary of lots of people stopping killing each other in a way that guaranteed there would be more killing in a few more years.
To commemorate this I killed my legs doing intervals. There was an almost 2 minute pause when I was marking time waiting to be able to continue, this made little difference to the overall stats as it was a recovery slot.

3.54 miles in 32:25 average speed 6.6mph

Squats 10-Nov-2014

More off the same. Increase next time.

High bar squats 3 x 10 x 80kg

Low bar squats 3 x 10 x 90kg

Overhead squats 3 x 10 x 40kg

Running 10-Nov-2014

Back to the right side of 42 minutes. Body is now ready to be pushed harder again on a regular basis and the weather is becoming colder which helps a lot.

5.39 miles in 41:55 average speed 7.7mph

Bench 07-Nov-2014

Due to the anniversary of some group of Catholics trying to blow up a Protestant king centuries ago missed doing this on the 5th.

High start alternate kettlebell snatch
3 x 10 a side x 20kg

Push ups on suspension trainer, extended straps this week to increase intensity
3 x 10

Alternate kettlebell side raises to overhead tricep extensions
3 x 10 a side x 8kg, allowing kettle to drop naturally

Running 07-Nov-2014

Plenty of rain this morning giving high humidity. Still slight improvement on yesterday time wise, very slight.

5.39 miles in 42:31 average pace 7.6mph

Deadlift 06-Nov-2014

When I learned how much easier deadlifts are without fat gripz. Got to last rep of last and overhand set, my weakest grip, after 2 attempts I had to concede defeat and took the gripz off, bar went up so easy leaving me realising how pathetic fatties make me. Still good system for remedial and based on aches this morning great for forearms.

Deadlifts with fat gripz under-over, over-under, overhand
3 x 10 x 80kg

Bent over row underhand with fat gripz
3 x 10 x 50kg

Single arm alternate kettlebell upright row
3 x 10 a side x 16kg

Running 06-Nov-2014

Working on my usual principal of if it's cold run faster was an excellent if unimpressive method of improving on Monday's run despite my legs still aching like heck.

5.39 miles in 42:38 average speed 7.6mph

When Eating Disorders Are The Norm

There are some very definite efforts being made by the minority to help people avoid or recover from various eating disorders. It would be nice to say they are winning the battle but all evidence suggests this has now reached the point where eating disorders have become the norm.

This is the point where I am undoubtedly supposed to come over shocked and say it's a modern phenomenon, but both would be a lie. This has been happening for hundreds, possibly thousands of years in various cultures around the world. Today there is more awareness of this being an issue but if anything it has being embraced and encouraged ever more to combat the awareness and enforce ignorance and reliance on the more costly fake lest people become happy with nature and stop spending on imitation.

Before I start in earnest I will openly admit to having been as much victim to wanting to look perfect as anyone else and spent years training to achieve this. There was a sizeable chunk of this time when the shortcut offered by intramuscular hormone supplements was very tempting and in truth it was more financial than moral constraints that stopped me on a number of occasions. I still like looking fit but now I am more interested in being capable and only out to please my wife in terms of looks. So this is not a dig at people wanting to look a certain way or who are unhappy with their body, it is a dig at the unrealistic images portrayed for us to aspire to.

Eating disorders have been around as long as records have shown. There have been periods when being overweight was a sign of prestige and wealth, the poor could barely afford to eat so it was fashionable to be fat. The pressure on women to be thin was severe enough for them to by tapeworm eggs to help them lose weight. So people thinking this is new seriously underestimate how stupid our history has been.

Most of us know about photoshop adjusted photos, and even video editing becoming more common. But no matter how many things pop up saying enhanced in post production etc. people see an image on screen or billboard and want to be like them, even though we know the person shown isn't like the picture.
This isn't new either. Early photographers were as guilty as any modern photshopper, the tricks were less subtle but equally as effective at making people feel ashamed of how they were. These included clipping triangular or rhomboid sections out of the photos and taping them together to make the waist appear smaller then taking a photo of the amended photo.
Before the age of film this was even worse, how many think they have seen what Queen Elizabeth I of England really looked like? Truth is she rarely sat for any of her portraits, she would choose a gown and demand a picture of her in it, a painter showing her in an unflattering light would regret it. The most accurate picture is supposed to be one painted after her death.
There are various tricks that can be used without even going this far, holding a perfect pose for a photo in a position that makes it look as if you are moving, easy way of making you look more perfect than you are.

This is before we add in the joys of surgery, corsetry etc. to give people an artificially enhanced appearance. If you this is aimed at women alone one of the DJs from an old metal club I frequented never went out in public without his girdle and men are the main growth area in aesthetic make up, clothing and surgery today, being seen as relatively untapped.

I made a bold claim at the start that the evidence is showing that eating disorders are becoming the norm. The obvious question to challenge this is 'What evidence?'

Exhibit 1 has to be clothes sizing. A sure fire sign of the shape of the world at large can be measured on what they are wearing. The best selling shapes of clothing drive the market to release more of this shape in different styles.
So when I see the smaller sizes being designed for people without any form to their legs and arms and larger sizes having the most room in the midsection, I draw conclusions that smaller people are getting smaller by under eating causing their limbs to waste away and the larger people are carrying most weight in the midsection due to overeating and inactivity. Even medium sizes are now allowing more room in the middle and less in the limbs in their cut.
The average shape is more centred around more middle and less peripheral bodyweight, and this goes for active or sports wear too in most cases.

Exhibit 2 is the increasing number of people paying for surgery to remove body fat or insert silicone in various areas of the body, from breasts and butts to under calf muscles. People wanting fat removed are generally eating more than they need regularly, I even remember reading of a court case where a woman had liposuction and was trying to sue because the fat came back, she lost but is an example of why this becomes a form of repeat business. Those wanting implanted body mass substitutes are generally underweight, personal experience has shown me that the majority of women I have seen in real life who have had implants have been built like twigs elsewhere, it's not a good look, think soccer balls strapped to a skeleton and you are getting the idea.

Exhibit 3 is the increasing number of people being admitted to hospitals worldwide for issues relating to eating disorders. This volume is increasing far more than the population so seen as a percentage the trend clearly shows that eating disorders are becoming increasingly common. Consider that most suffering from eating disorders will not end up in hospital for it and you start to see this is becoming the norm.

The good news is there are some people trying to help. Spain now has minimum body fat % on models to counter the insane human clothes hangers shown in magazines and catalogues. There is a lot more awareness and of course songs films etc. about avoiding these issues. There is also some really good news in that if you are genuinely happy about how you are there will be others who see you as attractive purely for this reason.

Now the bad news. There is an increasing trend to adjustment on photos, even on already enhanced figures. So a person who is known to have had surgical enhancements or taken substances to have achieved their physique will still have the photoshop touch applied, giving ever more unrealistic impressions of what physical perfection is. This will not stop, in fact it will get worse, as we become used to seeing adjusted images the adjustments will become more extreme to make that image stand out more.
The why is obvious but unpleasant. There is a lot of money to be made making people feel inadequate and this has always been the case. There is money to be made on diets, pharmaceuticals, make up, support clothing, surgery, anything that will make you look closer to the unattainable image in the magazine. Of course for those who don't have the money, are unwilling to pay it or aren't old enough to be able to buy the medication or surgery there is the alternative of developing an eating disorder.

The latest trend is post anorexic obesity, the most dangerous state of health dietary issues can create. Anorexia is never a good idea, but when done for a short bout as some do there is less long term damage. Of course for those who feel a very low self worth and answer this with anorexic starvation or in rarer cases bulimia for a longer time it becomes less a fad and more a lifestyle. Most of us have seen the extreme pictures or people close to death from anorexia, but in truth this is still the minority, most are less extreme, just constantly keeping themselves at a steadily dropping weight by eating rarely and usually badly. Most anorexics will eat sugary foods when they do eat because their bodies are crying out in starvation mode, they will then starve for as long as they can feeling guilt over the last 'binge' I use this as their term. During this time the body will have catabolised any muscle it can afford to lose, mental capacity will have dropped due to the lack of energy to feed our most hungry organ, the brain, any tissue that can be absorbed will be, this includes many of the vital organs, bone health deteriorates due to malnutrition and this is just the highlights. Safe to say long term under eating comes at a high price.
Fast forward a number of years and many get to a point where they stop being anorexic, though most of the time this isn't from a new sense of self worth but more accepting they will never be what they want and giving up. After so many years in starvation mode the body will store anything it can and cry out for increasing volumes of food, which is why those coming away from anorexia in professional care are monitored carefully for so long after stabilising at a healthy weight. So the body will be consuming far more than it needs and putting as much of it to fat stores as it can. The dangers of long term obesity are well known, putting additional strain on the heart and various other organs, the increased weight puts more pressure on the bones and joints which when not exercised are unable to keep up with the increased demand. Now add this to someone who's body has deteriorated and minimised itself from long term anorexia and you have an even more serious problem. The muscles, bones and connective tissues are unable to maintain mobility with the increased load, metabolism will still be low from years of under eating, so there will be a feeling of lethargy coming from low metabolism and lesser ability to move, often adding to various other factors to worsen already present depression. Vital organs will struggle to adapt to the new demands and some can fail especially if the depression is treated with the most common of over the counter remedies, alcohol.

The truth is there are some happy endings for people suffering eating disorders, but they take a long time coming and the journey is never easy. If you are there now please do seek help and persevere, if you truly want to get out of it, because if you don't I virtually guarantee you will fail. This like anything else linked to depression or low self esteem will take a lot of work and time so you have to want it badly.

If you aren't and are wondering if this makes you a bit weird. Maybe it does, but if so that's a good thing, I say with some authority that most of the greatest people in history are far from ordinary and were likely considered weird in their time.
Truth is there will be immense pressure on you to conform to a form that only exists on a computer and if you manage to resist this I and many others will admire you for it. You don't have to be fitness mad, or look like a magazine image, if you feel self assured enough to be happy in yourself this will give you an edge over others. You will be able to achieve more because you will know you can do it and this it turn will improve your confidence even more, something most people cannot help being drawn to.

Intervals 04-Nov-2014

There is something deeply wrong with feeling as if you have been breathing so hard your ribs have been bruised from the inside and considering this to be a good thing. Of course if I knew what was deeply wrong about it I would have a better grasp of moderation than I ever have, because I don't I feel great.
Sprints were definitely faster than I have been able to manage in a while, a sign I am recovering well. Recovery phases got slower over time while sprints stayed consistent. I need something that can tell me for certain how fast each split is, GPS is far from that accurate though and I am doing this on public roads.

Meaningless stats

3.69 miles in 33:14 average speed 6.7mph

Squats 3-Nov-2014

It's good to have someone pointing out every fault. All but 1 was really minor but I felt the difference.


High bar squats 3 x 10 x 80kg

Low bar squats 3 x 10 x 90kg

Overhead squats 3 x 10 x 40kg

Genre Snobs or Metal Pretenders

As the name of the blog covers and a vast minority of my posts state as well as lifting heavy metal I like listening to it. My upbringing introduced me to the inescapable fact that fans of often ear bleeding metal are in somewhat of a minority in civilised or uncivilised society. So of course there is no way a minority group like this would be stupid enough to try splitting themselves into yet more miniscule minority groups is there? That would be stupid beyond belief so of course it happens.

I watch rather a lot of my music on youtube, because I am old and out of touch so this is a good way to find new music I like, and the volume of pretenders stating the album isn't hardcore, melodic death metal because the lead guitarist is using a silver spoon as a plectrum or similarly pointless comparison is just mind numbing for those of us who have one. There are more genres of metal out there than there were bands performing it in the UK charts for most of the 90s, in fairness the metal scene in the UK was pretty slow in that decade but seriously guys you need to get a grip a bit less often. There is classic metal, soft metal, death metal, metalcore, death core, melodic death, hardcore punk, tutu wearing metal, and so many more it is absurd to think no song could end up in more than one genre let alone a full album.

Being the sort of person who tolerates stupidity so happily I of course support the pretenders at every opportunity by pointing out they need to spend a bit more time enjoying the music or finding stuff they do like rather than trying to be a pseudo aficionado on if the power chords are suitably low and bar is the correct amount of milliseconds each to fit the genre in the title.

There is no specific genre I seem to like universally, I like metal that is heavy in sound, fast, with lyrics that are either ridiculous, callous or thought provoking, and clear enough for me to understand while still having the sound that keeps it aggressive. A lot of my music is from this century, because the foundations laid in the classic metal mean newer bands can take more risks, making the music faster, heavier and more abusive than before without risking having no audience. Without the likes of Alice Cooper, who is still awesome if a bit soft for my tastes (who hasn't got away with more than they should to 'Poison'?), there could have been no Iron Maiden, without them there could be no Sepultura then Heaven Shall Burn etc. Of course such views are always well received by the genre snobs as all could imagine, of course this last is total nonsense, but there are always several liking my comments, ranging from kiddie metalheads to other middle aged men who are supposed to have grown out of this by now.

My tastes are definitely getting heavier, something I am noticing due to the number of times I am blipping through songs in the car that would have been fine years ago because they are too soft or slow. I can imagine me listening to someone singing about the injustice of war and government with white noise in the background in a matter of months, I am sure youtube will have that somewhere, I think it might be under the genre of hardcore metalcore with added tutu or something similar.

Running 03-Nov-2014

After a lazy week off running this should have been dreadful. However a nice cool clear day and minimum speed achieved.
Squats this evening and much as my son is not able to spot me he is absolutely brilliant at pulling me up on even the slightest faulty form, no cheating on his watch. Nice too because all the weights I use, even the still remedial, are heavy for him so he doesn't sympathise based on load, just tells me off if the movement is wrong.

5.38 miles in 42:53 average speed 7.5mph

Training w/c 27-Oct-2014

On holiday last week but did all weights, just no running.
Got a new training buddy, not going to be able to spot me for a number of years yet as he's my son, but he is keen to lift. Currently using a plastic tube for a bar with some 1.25kg discs on it or light kettlebells and 1.36kg hand weights.

Squat session

High bar squats 3 x 10 x 70kg

Low bar squats 3 x 10 x 80kg

Overhead squats 3 x 10 x 40kg


Bench session

alternate snatch with minimal knee bend 3 x 10 a side x 20kg

Suspension trainer push ups 3 x 10

Alternate kettlebell side raises & overhead tricep extension 3 x 10 a side x 8kg (allowing kettle to swing back)


Deadlift session

Deadlift with fat gripz 3 x 10 x 70kg (under-over, over-under, both over)

Underhand grip bent over row with fat gripz 3 x 10 x 50kg

Single arm kettlebell upright row 3 x 10 a side x 16kg