Earlier in the summer I tripped over about two minutes into a run. I was trying to get out of the way of someone and tripped over a bollard. Landed funnily and alongside gashing my knee, I did something weird to my arm. Thought I might have fractured my elbow, but my doctor said it was probably muscular. Ever since then I’ve had weird painful twinges in my arm around the bicep/elbow.
It makes doing Freeletics a bit difficult sometimes. Especially when I have to do upper body stuff like pullups and pushups. But I’ve been just kind of carrying on, and also the yoga has helped build back a bit of strength I think.
Anyway, did a couple of coach sessions this week. I have to say that I’m still finding some exercises as difficult as I did when I first started Freeletics five years ago – pullups, clapping pushups, for example. I feel like I’m missing something somewhere. It might be lack of consistency, but I feel like I’m reaching a plateau, that maybe you can only get over by doing gym workouts with weights. And I really hate gyms.
In other news, did a 5k run this week and really enjoyed it. Those new running shoes are a revelation. Going to do a 6k today. Will report back.
It’s been over a year since I last wrote on this blog. In all honesty, I’d forgotten about it. And then someone commented on a post and it made me think that I ought to update it.
Because, um, rather a lot has changed in the world since last April.
I’m still doing Freeletics. It’s still an (almost) weekly part of my fitness routine. And I am still swimming, although that took an enforced pause during lockdown for obvious reasons. Over the summer I’ve taken every chance I can to swim outdoors, even if just for a short time. There’s something about being in the water that just makes everything okay.
I started running in January. It was kind of a new year’s resolution. I set myself the goal of running 5k by the end of the year. Turns out I easily beat that by about April.
I started running because I chose the hybrid Freeletics journey, combining bodyweight with running. It was great. The coach really eased you into the running and before long I was doing distances that I wouldn’t have been expecting to do so early.
I’m so thankful I started running back in the cold, dark days of January. When lockdown began, being able to leave the house once a day for a run kept me sane. It was bizarre running around the empty streets. Hardly anyone around. As lockdown began to ease I became frustrated with people getting in my way when I went out to run.
Running exacerbated a long-time ankle injury I have. I’ve no idea how it happened, but I used to notice it when I was doing breaststroke. I didn’t really think much of it, but then when I started running it began to hurt a lot more. I also noticed that as my distances increased that I would get pretty sharp and debilitating pain in my calves, and sometimes shin splints.
A few weeks ago when I was on holiday, I was feeling smug by getting up at 7am on a Sunday to go for a run. It was a boating holiday so I thought I’d run along the tow path. Just a quick 3k. But half way through I could hardly run at all, the pain in my legs was so bad. I limped home and decided to do something about it.
When I got home I called my doctor about my ankle. He gave some pretty generic, not particularly helpful advice (take ibuprofen – despite me having told him I’d had the pain for more than two years). But he did advice me to get one of those physio rubber bands to do some exercises, which I’ve done.
I booked an appointment with my local running shop for a shoe fitting. And oh my, that has changed everything. I spent maybe 30 minutes there. They watched me run and scanned my feet to see where on the foot there was the most pressure as I walked/ran. And then I tried on around eight different pairs of trainers. I knew that the Nikes I’d bought in the sale a few years back were bad, but I didn’t realise quite how bad. These shoes felt so comfortable. The pair I bought (Asics Evoride) were perfect. They kind of propel you forward when you’re running. The first run I did after buying them was a warm-up 3k to get back in the stride after a week or so off. I easily beat my PB. Revelation. And worth every penny of the slightly eye-watering price tag.
The final thing I did to recover was a seven-day yoga course. I’ve done yoga off and on for years, but never really bought into it properly. I turn 40 next year and I’ve noticed that I’m just not as flexible as I used to be. Things ache. There are more twinges and pain. So I thought I’d give it another go. I did the Breathe and Flow Beginners Course and really enjoyed it. Clear, non-bullshitty instructions and it includes some meditation and breath work which helps ease that day’s pandemic-related anxiety. I was also surprised how many yoga poses are part of the Freeletics cool-down, with different names. I’m going to try their 28-day Impact Course next and try to build it into my routine.
Between running, Freeletics and yoga I feel like I’m managing to keep active. I’m moving less than I used to as part of my job. I’m working from home and not cycling around town every day to and from the office and to meetings. So I need to keep active.
I’ve also put on some weight. Most of it is definitely due to comfort-eating and drinking during possibly some of the weirdest times for half a century, so I’m not going to beat myself up too much. I think some of it is muscle building, which I’m fine with. But the NHS website tells me I’m at the top end of being normal weight for my height, so I want to keep an eye on that. I’ve been trying to eat healthily again – tracking calories (ish) with the aim of being a) in a calorie deficit b) active and c) drinking enough water every day.
Actually, writing this blog has made me want to revive it properly. As some kind of accountability. Even if those of you who were reading it at the beginning have understandably moved on with your life.
Blimey. Haven’t written this blog since November. Where does the time go?
Even though I usually train indoors rather than outdoors, I’ve been finding it really hard to find the motivation to get up and exercise. Something about the cold weather, the desire to hibernate. So I haven’t been training regularly. And then I was ill for a few days just before Christmas, and then there was Christmas. However hard I try, I’m just not one of those people posting pictures of their Christmas Day workouts on Instagram. I’m in soft clothes, drinking red wine and eating chocolate.
I did manage to not completely overdo it over Christmas though. My parents are getting old and their appetite is shrinking, so there just wasn’t the usual level of gluttony of years gone by. So as I enter January, I’m not feeling too unhealthy. Although I did rather overdo it on New Year’s Eve, so yesterday was a complete write-off.
Today’s Training
So this morning, my last day before I go back to work, I made myself get out of bed and train. As much because I find that working out helps curb that too-much-booze anxiety that often comes with a hangover.
Thankfully Coach wasn’t too hard on me for my first workout of 2018. It was:
20 Lunges
2 Split Lunges
Conditioning: Abs and Legs – 20 Squats, 20 Side Lunges, 10 Knee-wipes
1/4 Venus
There’s something hilarious about the algorithm – sorry, Coach – giving you 2 split lunges. It’s over in about 2 seconds. Surely there should be a way that Freeletics could put a lower limit on any one exercise.
Anyway, it felt good to get moving again and I was glad I dragged myself out of bed.
Trying to Unlock Advanced Skills
I also managed to squeeze in a workout on the day before New Year’s Eve – that in between bit between Christmas and New Year where no one really knows what to do with themselves.
After doing the workout – 6/10 Gaia and interval – I decided to try and unlock some of the advanced skills. It didn’t end well.
I did manage to do 5 OH Push-ups, and I’m going to start trying to do them alongside my Coach workouts, in the same way as I do assisted pull-ups. And then I tried to do a Pistol Squat, which was just impossible, and a HS Pushup, which was also laughably hard. I just couldn’t do it. And then when I came out of it, I didn’t let my legs fall as one would normally do when coming out of a handstand. Instead, I kind of slid down the wall, which kind of crunched up my head/neck. It was pretty painful. And a stupid way of trying to come out of the push-up. Felt like I could have done some serious damage if I’d carried on. Thankfully I figured out what I should have done and did that. Was in pain for about two days. Which was lovely. Suffice to say, I didn’t unlock those two. It did make me think that in those training videos, Freeletics should show how to get into and out of those more difficult skills. It would really help.
Yoga
As a result of the neck pain, I ended up doing a YouTube yoga workout to try and relieve it. And it kind of worked. I think I’m going to try and do more yoga in 2018 alongside Freeletics, to try and increase my flexibility and sort out some niggling muscle pain I get every now and then. This is the video I did, in case you want to do it to:
I might do his 30 Day Total Body Yoga Workout Challenge. Looks great and might get me into the habit of doing it regularly.
2018 Goals
So, what’s my plan for 2018? I’ve been doing Freeletics for over two years now. I certainly haven’t do the 15 week transformation that the YouTube videos show. I guess when I started I didn’t want a quick fix, I wanted a way to exercise regularly, and that’s what I use Freeletics for. But I would like to build my strength, particularly in my arms, and I’d like to lose a bit more belly fat – I suspect that will be more down to diet than to exercise, so I’m going to make a real effort to eat well and drink less (pretty standard New Year resolution stuff here). But I think I also want to increase my flexibility, and build consistency – fewer breaks, more regular workouts. I suspect that’s the key to really making progress.
And maybe by this time next year, I’ll be able to do a couple more of those advanced skills.
Despite all my enthusiasm and renewed energy at the beginning of the year, I’m finding January really hard. I’m sleeping lots, feeling tired (work is also quite full on at the moment), and finding the motivation to exercise is really low.
I last did proper workouts nearly a week ago. I’ve still been cycling to work, and I did my first yoga class last week (more on that later), but Freeletics has been a really struggle.
Today I did 50 jumping pull-ups and 50 burpees, which is one part of a day that Coach has given me this week.
So here’s the thing. I think I need to make some routine changes. First, here are the problems…
I never work out in the morning, but when I do, I feel amazing
I’m always too hungry to work out after work
Here’s why I think these things are happening (bear with me on this)
I try and be in bed by 10:30pm, but then I often don’t go to sleep until about 11.30pm, which means that to get eight hours sleep I don’t wake up until 7.30am. I like to have a cup of tea in bed, check the news, plan the day. Which means I’m not usually in the shower until 8.30am, and then it’s a rush to get to have breakfast and get to work for 9.30am. And ideally I’d like to be there at 9am.
I tend to eat porridge/fruit or yoghurt/granola for breakfast and something light for lunch (salad, sandwich etc), so by the time it gets to 5.30pm, I’m starving and just want to finish work, go home and cook dinner.
So at either end of the day, I don’t have the energy / time / desire to exercise.
Now the solutions.
Go to bed earlier. Lights out by 11pm.
Get up at 7am
Spend less time drinking tea and looking at the internet in the morning
Work out in the morning
Eat a big breakfast and a bigger lunch
Then I can relax in the evening, or do other fitness stuff, having completed my Freeletics workout.
Which brings me on to… Yoga!
I did my first class last week. I’m doing Iyengar, which involves a lot of held poses, rather than yoga with ‘flow’. I enjoyed the discipline of holding stretches and poses, and I felt great afterwards.
Also, I was really surprised with how much Freeletics had improved my ability to hold the poses and my general flexibility. I’ll definitely be going back.
Tell me – what’s your routine? When do you work out?
I put it off for as long as I could today. I did other Sunday chores, like washing and cleaning and personal admin. I thought about skipping it and doing the next day’s workout. I put it off for so long I forgot about it and almost jumped in the shower. But NO. I couldn’t avoid it: KENTAUROS was waiting for me.
It still took ages. I set out to match or just beat my PB. When I was in the first set and it was only like 04:00 minutes in I thought I was going to easily smash it, but then it begins to wear you down and I slowed a lot.
It’s kind of helpful to think of the 2×2 version of Kentauros as basically just 240 burpees with some extras thrown in. The jumps and the lunges are a welcome break, but they’re over so quickly that you’ve hardly caught your breath before you have another 40 burpees to do.
As soon as I hit 4/6 sets I knew I could do it, I just had to keep pushing. Earlier on I was way ahead of my PB, but now it was edging closer, that threatening, irritating white line on the app getting closer and closer.
The feeling of elation and the endorphins you get at the end of this particular workout are amazing. I lay on the mat for ages feeling all satisfied and woozy.
I’ve still got this neck injury, so I’m really trying to pay attention to my stretches and keep as supple as possible. Haven’t managed to get to yoga yet, and I’m away for the next two and half weeks so won’t for a little while. If the pain persists I’m probably heading back to the osteopath, or for a massage.
But yes, very pleased with today. I also did about 20 minutes fast cycling across town today, so I’ll probably sleep well tonight.
I’ve now had about a month off for various reasons. I pulled a muscle in my shoulder which still isn’t quite healed, and I’ve been really busy at work. But still, #noexcuses, right?
So as we’re now at the beginning of September, I’ve got that ‘back-to-school’ feeling, so I’ve decided to do something of a reboot.
I’m going to re-do the fitness test today and start afresh. I feel out of practice, and the Coach week I’m in feels like it might not be the best place to re-start.
I’ll let you know how I get on.
Also planning on starting yoga this week too. Need to do more stretching.
You might remember that back when I started Freeletics, I was experiencing a fair amount of lower back pain. I thought it was a combination of long-haul flights, sitting down for my job, and possibly performing the exercises wrong.
Over the past couple of weeks, that lower back pain has almost disappeared. I feel stronger and have more stamina. I think this is probably due to strengthening my core, and my body getting used to the workouts. It feels great!
I’ve also worked in a bit of yoga into my stretches at the end of each workout, which is really helping with my flexibility.
I think this reduction in pain is absolutely connected with making sure I’m hydrated and that I warm up before and stretch properly afterwards.
Having said all that, I’m about to get on a long-haul flight, so it’s entirely possible I’ll be eating my words.
A Freeletics Journey 