T -31 did i hear a challenge?

T - 32 thanking you!!!

T - 33

T -34

T - 35 toughen up those tootsie's

long weekends & public holidays can always mess up your schedule hence technically having another rest day. a 5.30am wakeup call by mr t, time with the family, 2.5 hour drive back to sydney & a dinner invitation..... it's all about balance :)

since starting the skipping, sparring & kickboxing with pads i had noticed that the nail on one of my big toes was pretty sore. finally taking off the nail polish from my toes i discovered my nail on my big toe was completely bruised & i had been supporting blisters around my heels and under my toes.... Ouch!!! therefore the justification of a rest day was purely for my feet :(

T - 35

1. Rest & recover my feet

i have made the decision to skip, practice my boxing & kicks on the bag bare feet, obviously working towards the event in Thailand as they do not wear shoes while they are training. with the kickboxing training i do here in sydney we do not where shoes either but it is evident that i am going to have to toughen up my tootsie's.

T -36 skip-a-thon

waking up to a beautiful morning i wanted to make sure i wanted to get my training done early so i had the day free to spend with my family.

T - 36

1. 1/2 hour skipping - interval sets practicing my double unders and working sprint sets
2. flexibity with high kicks
3. quality stretching - hamstrings

T - 37 man up or get out

waking up with tired shoulders & sore neck, i decided to listen to my body & rest. i knew another session today i could only potentially work around 75% and also risk more damage or injury which is not what i wanted..... 'smarter not harder' i hear myself say.

therefore this will be a great chance to document my experience i had in an intermediate - advance kickboxing class of recent.

we were asked to spar.... i had never sparred in my life before & it was 8 men and 1 woman (me). you can only imagine the testosterone in this small studio.... it was bursting at the seams. being put on the spot & out of my comfort zone, these boys were all quite experienced with muay thai kickboxing and some had already did their time training over in thailand therefore i was way out of my league. although that didn't stop me even though the boys had no patience for a new person. i still managed to hold my own and after receiving a good couple of hits to the head & couple jabs to the mouth with no head gear or mouth guard, i managed to dig deep, find my strength and protect myself. one guy was quite rough & really wanted to give me a run for my money. this is where i discovered my two strong punches & a kick to the ribs got me out of trouble. i managed to earn my cred as once we had finished sparring he pulled out his mouth guard and said i wouldn't want to be fighting you.....

T - 37

1. rest day

T -38 mr t

nothing like keeping it real with mr t.... mr t is my 18month old, 13kilo nephew who has more energy than he knows what to do with. after an early start and a 2.5 hour drive down south to visit the family.... mr t kept me on my toes with all my functional exercises of squat + shoulder press whiling holding him, throwing him around and playing chasing. i crashed & burned at 7.30pm which was slightly embarrassing as that was technically 'adult time'. the day before T - 39 i had also averaged 120 - 130 frog jumps (plyometric bodyweight jumps) and needless to say that my legs were feeling a little worn & torn.

T - 38

1. functional exercises with mr t

T - 39 ready set go!!!

well rested and ready set go!!!

T - 39

1. strength & conditioning - 90% maximum capacity - interval bodyweight/weights workout example set: 20 secs squat & shoulder press twist with 8kilo weights per side, 20secs pushups doing them on dumbells, 20secs weighted oblique twists, 20secs frog jumps all done back to back with 30secs rest before the next round - 4 sets. today i completed three different rounds working all muscle groups.
2. cardio & muscle endurance - 1 hour teaching cycle class with a twist example: interval sets on the spin bike 80 - 90% maximum capacity 20secs on 10secs off X 6 sets, 1min on 15secs off 45secs on, 15secs off, 30secs on, 15secs off, 15secs on 15secs off.... then off the spin bike and onto the floor for a variety of bodyweight leg exercises such as squatjumps, lunges, calf raises, jump lunges etc - 3-5mins then back on the spin bike.
3. flexibilty - 3 sets x 20 reps high kicks alternating each leg & big stretch for legs especially hamstrings
4. abs - crunches, cycle twists, planks, obliques

successful day.... had thought about a 1/2 hour skipping interval set but to be completely honest i was fried & happy with the quality of my workout. i have been so hungry having to eat every few hours

T - 40 smarter not harder

after two days of quality training working on shorter, faster, harder workouts, my body has completely lapped up the challenge & change. it was great to get some wise advice & feedback from a trainer friend of mine whom i respect and value his advice. week one of my blog you can see i was trying to test myself in every area & push my absolute limits to see where my fitness lies - strength & conditioning - 80 - 90% heavier weights workout, cardiovascular - road cycling & skipping, flexibility - practice high kicks 60 reps on each side & splits, boxing/kickboxing 2hours. i have always had an attitude of all or nothing and what that first week taught me was i was not able to sustain that type of training, also trying to fit it all in between work was testing and I was so sore & tired. therefore the conclusion is what i always talk about is training "smarter not harder" and actually listening to myself & taking my own advice.

T - 40

1. 1 hour chinese massage
2. light recovery swim in the surf

a great rest day and my mind, body & soul sits at ease after accepting the fact that my body has a chance to regenerate and not playing the guilty mind games with myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIQtdSCXwEk

T - 41 quality not quantity

for those who know me well... you know i always talk about setting your foundations and perfecting your form & technique. this applies to all areas of training may that be swimming, weights training, cycling, boxing, abs.... it is the quality not the quantity of the exercise.

therefore today i spent a good hour practicing my punches, kicks, footwork and placement of bodyweight with a kind friend who was willing to hold the pads and take the impact. thankyou :)

T - 41

1. 1 hour form & technique practice - punches, variety of kicks, footwork & bodyweight placement
2. 1/2 hour skipping - working interval speed sets eg: 15 secs on 15 secs off, 1 min on 30 sec off, practicing double unders and trying to do more than ten in a row

skipping double unders are tough and it is all about the tempo & rhythm. i was very impressed and inspired by a recent display of skipping i witnessed from a pro boxer

T - 42 shorter faster harder

after getting some great advice from another trainer, i took his advice which was to push for shorter, faster, harder sets. after having a week of tearing my body apart from everything from skipping for half an hour, long weight sessions, cycling, kickboxing for 2hours i knew i was over training and not having enough recovery.

T - 42

1. 20 seconds on, 4 x bodyweight & weight exercises back to back working at 90% capacity with 30 seconds rest in between - 4 sets ( the different rounds )
2. 1/2 hour skip
3. 1 hour kickboxing form & technique

Outcome: felt pretty worn & torn after weights workout. to top off the day of training with kickboxing & going at my full capacity i will admit for the first time in 5 years i felt like being sick. that is a great day of training!!!! happy with that result ;)

T -43 something smells fishy

aaaahhhhhh.... sunday has always been a day of rest for me. no training & a bit of r&r. important for that work/life balance. initially i had planned to train six days this week but after my body and especially legs were telling me that they were fatigued, tired and sore... the best thing i could do was to take a break and have two days off.

T - 43

with no training involved today i'll take the opportunity to mention a bit of nutrition. i always try my best to eat as well as i can but i will admit i don't mind the cheeky sweet once in while :)

i have added more fish to my diet, cut out the cheeky sweet, no carbs after 6pm and not one to be a big drinker anyway I have also cut out the drinking.

diet is so important as it is part of the assistance of helping your muscles repair, giving your body the essential energy to function correctly with the right food and remember the simply equation of energy in : energy out. everything in moderation :)

T - 44 screaming for rest

after substantial zzz's and a solid week of training my hamstrings were screaming out for a rest! the practice high kicks and splits is what did in my hamstrings. having planned a road cycle as part of the recovery process on such a beautiful day i decided to do the smart thing and listen to my body which was take it easy and have my body recover. ample rest is just as important as the exercise itself. therefore i uploaded 'physical' so olivia newton - john could do the work for me :)

T - 44

1. stretch hamstrings and legs
2. light exercise - walking to help diffuse the muscle soreness

olivia newton-john - physical

T - 45 just do it!

waking up with heavy legs & fatigued shoulders to begin with plus an early start i knew what i had planned for today's training set was going to be tough. not only was it going to be a physical challenge but also a mental challenge where you set your mind to it and just get on with it..... just like the nike ad's.... "just do it!!!!"

T - 45

1. 1.5 hour functional weight training working every muscle group from top to bottom
2. 1/2 hour skipping working interval sets, sprint sets, light footwork
3. flexibility - practicing high kicks and slowly educating my body to do the splits again

tough training set today especially with the weights. feeling quite fatigued after workout but very happy with the completion

T - 46 interval cycle twist

one of my most favourite classes of the week known as the ride class with a twist. like a normal ride class with sprint & hill interval sets and the twist being bodyweight plyometric leg work on the floor in between the cycling sets. eg: sprint/climb sets on the bike then straight onto the floor for squat jumps for a minute & then back onto the bike. effectively the main aim of this class is to build high muscle endurance & memory plus working towards burning as many calories as possible for maximum results for a longer energy burn = train for 50-60mins and continue to burn energy for 2-3 times longer than the time you had trained. this is what i call great time management.

T - 46

1. 1/2 hour skipping prior to class
2. 1 hour interval cycle twist

T -47 sharpen up your skills

a thousand lessons, a thousand experiences.... they say once you stop learning you die.

today i was lucky & fortunate enough to be involved in a group session to fine tune my boxing skills with a true boxer. lessons learnt, now time to practice and perfect.... sharpen up your skills

T - 47

1. 1 hour - functional weight training eg: lunge + shoulder press
2. 1.5 hours boxing training - form & technique power sets

shoulders feeling pretty fatigued

T - 48 skipping on clouds

another beautiful day in sydney... what better way to enjoy the great outdoors and incorporate your training outside. 23 degrees, sunny and pretty clouds

T - 48

1. road cycle in centennial park - 4 x figure 8 hill climbs + 4 x flat sprints
2. 1/2 hr skipping

road cycle - muscle endurance, strength & cardio

skipping - conditioning the body for the compulsory 1/2 hr skipping warmup. calves get hammered & shoulders feel tired from holding the rope in that position for so long

T-49 energise*motivate*educate

after losing sleep and too much thought about a new challenge, i finally took the plunge and booked myself a trip to thailand. the focus of this blog is to share my journey for the preparation of 7 days training in a muay thai kickboxing camp. It will keep me focused, motivated and give me an education of what is required for a challenge such as this. Nothing better than practicing what you preach and learn from it first hand.

muay thai kickboxing training schedule - warmup: 1/2hr compulsory skipping + 3hr boxing/kickboxing morning & afternoon = 6.5hrs per day.

T - 49

1. first steps - 1 hour functional weight training which works upper body, lower body, core & abs = total body workout
2. test - to skip 30minutes without a break. result - successful
3. 2hours kickboxing practice

Promise to keep the rest of the blogs short & sweet :)