Fitness Training Getting Back into Shape

Thursday 8.6 mile Bike Ride

2008-03-30T13:37:00.004Z

At last i have managed to buy a new bike to replace my aging steel framed mountain bike which means at last i can use the brakes without fear of frightening any horse riders on the route by the terrible squealing noise of the well worn brakes and gears

A New specialized Rockhopper Disc was bought in a fit of madness and boy has this turned out to be a very much superior bike , which practically weighs next to nothing

For my first test i did my old training route around the linacre circle going at a good steady pace which resulted in an under 1 hour time

Time Taken 59mins

Max Heart Rate162

Average Heart Rate144

Length 8.6 miles

Height ascended 289 metres

Quarry Trail 7.18 Miles Bike Ride

2008-02-19T20:34:00.001Z

The Quarry Trail

This route can be found in the White Peak Mountain Biking "the pure trails" by Jon Barto

Length 11.5Km (7.18 Miles)
Time taken 1 hour 17mins
Max heart rate 161
Average heart rate 144

Weight 15st 4.1/2lb
Very Enjoyable Easy only had to push bike on first hill

Sunday Bike Ride 8.6 miles

2008-02-10T18:28:00.001Z

Did my old training route from last year for the first time in 2008 needless to say it was tough and very hard on the breathing but i didnt have to stop because of this although i took it steady and had to stop to put on my reflective jacket as it was getting dark on the last road section

I was very slow on the ride at over 1 hour

Time Taken 1hr 6mins

Max Heart Rate168

Average Heart Rate147

Length 8.6 miles

Height ascended 289 metres

Back to the Weights

2008-02-10T17:54:00.000Z

Been weight traing with will for 2 weeks now doing an all over session

4 sets 8-15 bench press
2 sets 8-15 flyes
2 sets 8-15dumbell press
2 sets 8-12 uprightrows
2 sets 8-12 pulldowns
1 set 12-15 seated pulley row
1 set 15-20 leg extentions
4 sets 12-15 leg press
1 set 12-15 leg curls

A More Accurate way to Calculate Max Heart Rate

2008-01-19T13:27:00.000Z

Heart Rate max is a personal trait that cannot be predicted and can only truly be found by an exercise test on that individual of some sort. But if you want to guess it 205.8 - (age x 0.685) is better than most equations.

Monday 30th July 8 mile bike ride

2007-08-02T11:50:00.000Z

My normal route with a good steady hill climb section out from brampton to the top of pudding pie

Very Enjoyable Ride
No times logged roughly 55 mins
8.6 miles
Height ascended 289 metres

Wednesday 11th July 8 mile bike ride

2007-08-02T11:45:00.000Z

My normal route with a good steady hill climb section out from brampton to the top of pudding pie

Very Enjoyable Ride
No times logged roughly 55 mins
8.6 miles
Height ascended 289 metres

Curbar to Great Longstone Circuit 18mile Bike ride

2007-07-14T18:56:00.000Z

This ride is really great apart form the part where you loop back under baslow edge in the guide book it says a little technical what it means is lots of deep puddles and meduim sized rocks to throw you off your bike

18.1miles
Hieght Accended 805Metres
Time Taken 2.57mins
Max Heart Rate 159
Ave Heart Rate 136

Thursday 12th July 8 mile Bike Ride

2007-07-14T13:43:00.000Z

Did my normal ride around the linacre-brampton circle at just over 8 miles but as i had broken the chain on my bike i thought it would be a good time to test my son Will's bike against mine

His bike is a Trek 4300 which is a much better model than my old steel frame Raleigh , it has disc brakes and is a light weight aly frame

Needless to say my time was close to 5 minutes faster on his bike and so its a new better bike for me

Time Taken 51.08
Max Heart Rate166
Average Heart Rate143
Length 8.6 miles
Height ascended 289 metres

Was tough tonight but needed the workout to ease my back stiffness

Tuesday 10th July 8 Mile bike Ride Almost

2007-07-13T14:29:00.000Z

My back was sore from a visit to physio on Monday evening and so i set off on my normal route , linacre to brampton a nice 8 mile ride

This time i had decided to push myself hard to get some improvement in my time as i would like to get fit enough to do the dark and white peak challenge events http://www.darkandwhite.co.uk/

Did the down hill parts at a real good speed and attacked the hills on the second short but steep accent the chain broke and that was the end of my ride

Its about time i got a decent bike i reckon , i fancy a GT Avalanche 1 Disc or a Specialized Hardrock Pro

Weds 4th July 8 Mile bike ride

2007-07-13T14:23:00.000Z

Had a quick outing on my normal 8 mile route round linacre and up brampton managed it i a good time of 55 minutes but could not find my heart rate monitor so i have no heart rate details

Time Taken 55 mins
Length 8.6 miles
Height ascended 289 metres

Wednesday 8 Mile Bike Ride

2007-06-27T20:37:00.001Z

Nice evening route with a good steady hill climb section out from brampton to the top of pudding pie hill

Not been able to get out on bike since saturday due to the storms and flooding , route was well cluttered with debris from storm and just on the climb out of linacre a tree was across the pass and i had to climb over with my bike

Very Enjoyable Ride
59.44 Mins
Average heart rate 137
Maximum heart rate 159
length 8.6 miles
Height ascended 289 metres

Saturday 17 Mile Bike Ride

2007-06-27T18:21:00.000Z

This ride is called the Linacre Circle and can be found in the Mountain Bike Guide Derbyshire and Peak district 1996 amended edition by Tom Winsor, Tim Banton and Any SpencerTime

The second half is the normal route i cycle most evenings but the first half has some rough offroad tracks especially as we had had the wettest June on record which had mad some of the tracks very wet and very rough

the book says 18 miles and so did my bike mileometer but the map says 17!

Height Ascended 625Metres
Taken 2 Hours 31 Minutes
158 Max heart Rate
134 Average Heart Rate

Wednesday 8 Mile Bike Ride

2007-06-20T20:06:00.001Z

Nice evening route with a good steady hill climb section out from brampton to the top of pudding pie hill

Getting to know this route quite well now and can ride the downhill sections quite fast i was even quicker tonight than previous nights

Very Enjoyable Ride
57.14 Mins
Average heart rate 135
Maximum heart rate 155
length 8.6 miles
Height ascended 289 metres

Tuesday 8 Mile Bike Ride 19-6-7

2007-06-19T19:20:00.000Z

Nice evening route with a good steady hill climb section out from brampton to the top of pudding pie hill

Getting to know this route quite well now and can ride the downhill sections quite fast i was quicker tonight than previous nights

Very Enjoyable Ride
57.25 Mins
Average heart rate 144
Maximum heart rate 161
length 8.6 miles
Height ascended 289 metres

8 Mile Bike Ride Sunday 17th June

2007-06-18T14:52:00.000Z

Nice evening route with a good steady hill climb section out from brampton to the top of pudding pie hill

Despite taking a week off from training of any kind due to suffering from a very bad cold that led to sinutitus and coughing etc i surprisingly i was quicker tonight than previous nights

Maybe with a littl more work and a lightweight bike i may be able to beat Will

Very Enjoyable Ride
58.22 Mins
Average heart rate 141
Maximum heart rate 162
length 8.6 miles
Height ascended 289 metres

8 Mile Bike Ride Friday 8th June

2007-06-18T14:40:00.000Z

Nice evening route with a good steady hill climb section out from brampton to the top of pudding pie hill

Both will and James came alomg this time again Will was quicker than me but i was quicker than my elder son James and waited a little for him on the hills hence the slower time

A Visit to the pub was arranged for afterwards and a few beers sank ;-)

Very Enjoyable Ride
1hr 19 Mins
Average heart rate 127
Maximum heart rate 155
length 8.6 miles
Height ascended 289 metres

8 Mile Bike Ride Wednesday

2007-06-06T21:02:00.000Z

Nice evening route with a good steady hill climb section out from brampton to the top of pudding pie hill

Surprisingly i was quicker tonight than last night when i rode this route with my son Will who is definitely fitter than me and left me behind a little ;-)

Very Enjoyable Ride
59.44 Mins
Average heart rate 137
Maximum heart rate 165
length 8.6 miles
Height ascended 289 metres

Tuesday 8 Mile bike ride

2007-06-06T20:54:00.000Z

Nice evening route with a good steady hill climb section out from brampton to the top of pudding pie hill

rode this route with my son Will who is definatley fitter than me and left me behind a little ;-)

Very Enjoyable Ride
1 hour exactley
Average heart rate 140
Maximum heart rate 161
length 8.6 miles
Height ascended 289 metres

Wednesday Bike 6 Mile Ride

2007-05-23T20:31:00.000Z

Nice evening route with a good steady hill climb section out from brampton to the top of pudding pie hill

Very Enjoyable Ride
1 hour 6mins
Average heart rate 138
Maximum heart rate 165
length 8.6 miles
Height ascended 289 metres

Thursday 7 Mile Bike Ride

2007-05-10T19:55:00.000Z

The Quarry Trail

This route can be found in the White Peak Mountain Biking "the pure trails" by Jon Barto

Length 11.5Km (7.18 Miles)

Time taken 1 hour 18mins

Max heart rate 166

Average heart rate 146

Weight 15st 4.1/2lb

Very EnjoyableEasy only had to push bike on first hill

5 mile walk at pace

2007-04-05T19:37:00.000Z

5 mile walk along Cromford Canal and up the high peak trail and back

1 hour 10mins
130 Average heart rate
159 Max herat rate

pleasenat walk along the canal and then up the big hill up the high peak trail once at the top take the path up steps in hill side on bridal way towards the big mast

Kept up a good pace all the way , fartleked all the way back along the canal

Quarry Trail Bike ride 7 Miles

2007-04-04T19:32:00.000Z

The Quarry Trail

This route can be found in the White Peak Mountain Biking "the pure trails" by Jon Barto
Length 11.5Km (7.18 Miles)
Time taken 1 hour 21mins
Max heart rate 164
Average heart rate 145

Very Enjoyable
Difficult had to push bike on some hills

Cross Trainer & Rowing Session Mon 19-3-7

2007-03-23T10:44:00.000Z

Did a 30 minute session in total on Monday consisting of 20 minutes on Cross trainer and 10 minutes on rower

Max heart rate 142
Average heart rate131

Easy 3 mile Run

2007-03-10T18:52:00.000Z

Been a month since i was last able to run after a visit to the chiropractor seemed to have a negative effect on my back and made matters worse this has meant its taken a few weeks to settle down plus a change from Chiropractor to a Trusted Physio

So i managed a gentle jog around my easy 3 mile route although it felt very tough due to the fact i have put more weight on through no exercise and no restraint in my eating

Time Taken 42.35mins

Average Heart Rate 155

Max Heart Rate 165

Difficulty

Very hard run my calves were pumped solid and i had to take it easy to keep my back loose

Tuesday 3 mile run

2007-02-07T09:11:00.000Z

Once again i managed to squeeze in my easy 3 mile route along the top of Baslow Edge whilst the afternoon sun was setting

It was bitterly cold but i really enjoyed the run this time and i noticed i was able to stride out more and run in a better fashion

Time Taken 35.53mins
158 Max heart rate
149 Ave heart rate

My heart rate reading may not be accurate as my polar was showing a max heart rate of 231 which is slightly impossible and so i have estimated my max rate from the average heart rate

Difficulty: the run was the most enjoyable yet and i was able to run in a longer more relaxed stride and this is shown on the time taken

Monday Weights Session

2007-02-07T08:56:00.000Z

Due to my long term problem over the last year or so with a back problem that i have been receiving treatment for by a chiropractor on a weekly basis i have been unable to do any real form of weight training and indeed any hiking

Over the last 3/4 months my daily employment has changed from a purely office bound role to a 70% time involving manual labour with 30% office time , in doing this i have noted that my back has responded better to this than i thought and it has indeed helped start a recovery more can be found on my personal blog here

This is the first weights session for at least 6 months and it was aimed exercising my back and strengthening it etc

3 sets of 15 stiff leg deadlifts
3 set of 15, 12, & 8 Reps bench press
2x12 dumbel shoulder press
2x12 wide grip pulldowns to front
2x15 leg press

Training was hard and slow but enjoyable , legs were trained lightly due to the amount of stiffness caused by running and biking on previous days

Sunday 3 mile run

2007-02-07T08:48:00.000Z

Late Sunday evening i managed to get a run in despite it going dark after watching the six nations Ireland versus wales rugby match

I was on my normal short flat 3 mile circuit along Baslow edge and was enjoyable but hard and difficult due to the low light levels , this is born out in my max heart rate of only 159

Time Taken 38.07
Average Heart Rate 151
Maximum Heart Rate 159

Difficulty: hard run as i was breathing hard as my cardio is letting me down

Chatsworth Circular MTB Route 9miles

2007-02-03T18:20:00.000Z

Here we have a ride that i have done a few times when the kids was much younger although not too long this ride had taken as much as 4/5 hours in the past with the kids

This time i rode the route with my 15 year old son who plays a lot of sport particularly rugby and he is very fit and so i knew this time it would be me that had to push to keep up with him and i was right!!

The route was very muddy and this did cost us time in places as it was like cyling through treacle , it is a good easy/moderate route with a couple of big climbs most noticible is the one at the end through Endser which seems to go on forever

The downhill bit through the golf course is great!!!

WE pushed quite hard on this route and my cardio let me down a number of times on the hilly sections and i couldnt keep up with Will

Flat Length 9.38 miles

Time Taken 2hours .12minutes

146 Average Heart Rate
167 Maximum Heart Rate

3 Miles First Run for Months!

2007-02-02T18:18:00.000Z

OK so its been a month since i did any real exercise but due to family illness's , my sons rugby matches and the pressure of work coupled with the dark nights and mornings i simply havent had the drive to do much at all

Add to this with being unfit and out of shape and you can see the reason why i havent been working out

Today i did my normal 3 mile run for the first time in many many months

Time Taken 38.02mins

151 Average Heart Rate

165 Max Heart Rate

The run was very comfortable and very enjoyable

2nd Rowing Session 15 Mins

2006-12-31T11:44:00.000Z

15 minutes on concept 2 rower set on no8

3196 Meters
155 Max heart rate
142 Ave heart rate

Very Hard out of breath

First Rowing Session 15mins

2006-12-31T11:38:00.000Z

First rowing session on concept 2 rower 15 mins 3000 meters

Very Hard

Sunday Bike Ride 7 Miles

2006-09-17T19:14:00.000Z

The Quarry Trail

This route can be found in the White Peak Mountain Biking "the pure trails" by Jon Barto

Length 11.5Km (7.18 Miles)
Time taken 1 hour 19mins
Max heart rate 158
Average heart rate 136

Very Enjoyable

Saturday Bike Ride 8 Miles

2006-09-17T13:04:00.000Z

Ashover Single Track Route

This route can be found in the White Peak Mountain Biking "the pure trails" by Jon Barton

Unfortunatley the Technical section down to Ashover is VERY technical as it is strewn with many small boulders on average 9 inches in diameter which have been pulled up by the motor cycles that are trail riders, plus in summer you need your ron hills on as its a bit overgrown and i came away with lots of nettle stings and bramble scratches after wearing shorts

I also got a little lost in the quarry area and so it took much longer than anticipated , this is not one of my favourite rides although it does past 3 pubs in ashover

Length 8 miles
Time Taken 2 hours 4 mins
Max heart rate 158
Average heart rate134

Not the best route , but good for for pubs

Friday 15th September Bike Ride

2006-09-16T12:48:00.000Z

The Quarry Trail

this route can be found in the White Peak Mountain Biking "the pure trails" by Jon Barton

Length 11.5Km (7.18 Miles)
Time taken 1 hour 23mins

Max heart rate 168
Average heart rate 146

Very Enjoyable

Sunday 10th August 9 Mile Bike Ride

2006-09-16T12:45:00.000Z

Bike Ride

1 hour 57 Mins

Max heart rate 163
Average heart rate 142
9 miles

Monday 3 Mile Run Birchen Edge Circuit

2006-07-11T10:32:00.000Z

After taking the weekend off any sort of training due to other comitments i decided i had better go for a productive run on monday night and so i decided to once again do the birchen edge circuit

Although i really did not feel like doing a run at all i pushed myself to go as i need to keep the momentum up and i have to say that the run was very good and so much better than the previous run up birchen on the friday , i felt much fitter and was able to attack the hills more

All in all a good run

time taken 38.42mins
maximum heart rate 162
average heart rate 149
distance 3.04 mile
height ascended 156 meters

Friday Birchen to Gardoms Edge Run 3 miles

2006-07-07T17:31:00.000Z

Well today is Friday and once again the weather is quite hot and close and I didn't feel like doing my weights routine but as tonight is pub night I thought I would have to push myself to do something to burn off some calories for a few beers

So I decided to go for a run but do a different route rather than the normal baslow edge run and so I opted for a route I used to run on a regular basis

The route takes you up below birchen edge and down to the robin hood pub along the main road for a short while and then up a long hillside to the top of gardoms edge and then along the top and back down to the start , the route is a little shorter at 3.04 miles but has 2 uphill sections with a total height ascended of 156 meters

The run was very hard particularly the hill up to gardoms edge , but my time was reasonable and my heart rates were ok I will have a datum now to check against when I do this route again

time taken 39.39 minutes
maximum heart rate 165
average heart rate 144
distance 3.04 mile
height ascended 156 meters

Thursday 3 Mile Run

2006-07-07T16:26:00.000Z

Yet another run on my normal 3 mile running route , for some reason thursday nights run was very hard although my breathing was ok my legs felt very tired and simply didnt want to do the run

Despite this is did the run in 34.27 which is on 10 seconds slower than the last run mr consistancy or what

Running in this hot and humid conditions is not nice especially when your a novice like me ;-)

Distance 3.16 Miles
height accended 10 meters
34.27 Time Taken Minutes
162 maximum heart rate
152 average heart rate

Wednesday Weights Session

2006-07-06T18:45:00.000Z

Despite the heat i waited till late in the evening to get my session done and it wasnt till gone 10pm in the evening that i started this session even so the session went well and took roughly 45 mins despite it being a short time since i started training my strength has increased

Exercise Sets
leg extensions 2x15
leg curls 2x15
squats 2x25
press ups 2x15
lat pull downs 2x15
bicep curls 2x15
tricep pushdowns 2x15
chest press 2x15
pec flyes 2x15
upright rows 2x15

Upper Abs
hip ups 3x15
revers crunches 3x15

Lazy Tuesday and Heart Rate Zones

2006-07-05T20:42:00.000Z

Unfortunatley Wednesday evening i got sat in front of the PC doing some stuff that i had been putting off for some time and before i knew it was 10 pm and i was not in the mood for a weights session and so i decided to git the session a miss

As promisse3d in a previous post i will elaborate a little about hear rate zone training

The Energy Efficient or Recovery Zone - 60% to 70%
Training within this zone develops basic endurance and aerobic capacity

The Aerobic Zone - 70% to 80%
Training in this zone will develop your cardiovascular system

The Anaerobic Zone - 80% to 90%
Training in this zone will develop your lactic acid system

The Red Line Zone 90% to 100%
Training in this zone will only be possible for short periods of time.

For more info on each zone and more about heart rate training go to Sports Coach

Monday 3 Mile Run

2006-07-04T09:15:00.000Z

Today I definitely had to go for a run despite it being so hot and close I left it till after 9pm so that the heat would have dropped a little and the sun was just starting to set despite this I found the run some what difficult die to the heat plus I have left it too long since my last run I need to maintain at least 3 runs per week and work towards one of the runs to be over 1 hour long the white edge at just over 5 miles more work needed

Looking at my heart rates they look better and unbelievably I was just 4 seconds quicker , consistent if nothing else

Run from one end and then reverse the route back again

Distance 3.16 Miles
height accended 10 meters
34.16 Time Taken Minutes

166 Maximum Heart Rate
157 Average Heart Rate

Day 3 of the 3 minutes Abs book Upper Abs
Crunches legs up 1x15
Crunches knees up 1x15
Crunches knees bent 1x15
Crunches frogs legs 1x15
Crunches Riding the horse 1x15

Sunday Weights Session

2006-07-03T21:12:00.000Z

Again using the multi gym station I started out late on Sunday evening doing my regular routine but did not get to the end due to the lightening storms that hit the midlands that evening , my routine was cut short due to the fact that we had a power cut as a result of the storm and so only the follows exercises were done

Exercise Sets
leg extensions 2x15
leg curls 2x15
squats 2x25
lunges 2x25
press ups 2x15
lat pull downs 2x15

Abs day 2 of the 3 minute abdominal training book which really isolates and hits those abs hard but as its takes only 3 minutes you don't get the time to get board as abs can be rather boring but as I have a back problem its very necessary for me to strengthen my abdominals

Abs workout (3 mins)
Raised side bends with a cross
Cross overs
Catches

Saturday Rest Day

2006-07-03T21:08:00.000Z

Well I was due to go for a run on Saturday and spent the morning and early afternoon doing chores with the plan of running shortly after the England Match on the TV but due to the extra time and penalties by the end of the game it was time to light the barbecue and so Saturday became a rest day

Friday 3.1/2 hours climbing

2006-07-03T20:52:00.000Z

I thought I would make good use of the sunshine on Friday and decided to miss my weight training session and substitute this for some rock climbing on Birchen Edge , Rock climbing is a very physical sport and if done at your limit you can burn up a lot of calories not only through physical excursion but with the nervous energy

Climbing was tougher than I remeber due to the fact that I hardly climbed last year and this was only the second time I have climbed outside this year but even some I led 4 climbs and seconded the same 4 climbs to clear the gear so a good upper body workout was had

8 Climbs roughly 4 hours in total including a short walk with gear laden ruck sack

Thursday 4 mile walk

2006-07-02T18:02:00.000Z

Well Thursday was abit of a disaster due the the fact that I had to be in Bakewell after the annual boat race to act as taxi service and so scheduling any form of exercise was difficult and so I decided the best that I could do was a 4 mile walk as I wasn't sure what time I would have to be there

A gentle 4 mile plus walk was taken in a circular route some of it on the monsal trail then back along the river into bakewell then out of bakewell up to the old station and along more of the Monsal trail and then back into Bakewell to do my Dads taxi service

Although the walk did not really raise my heart rate it did burn of the calories from my Dinner and so should help in keeping my metabolic rate working

First Run 3.16 Miles

2006-06-28T20:49:00.000Z

Today was my first run for some weeks and i did a route i know very well it is on top of the moors and so is not as easy to run on as a flat road details including times are below

Run from one end and then reverse the route back again

Distance 3.16 Miles
Hieght Accended 10 Metres

34.20 Time Taken Minutes
172 Maximum Heart Rate
161 Average Heart Rate

The run felt great and despite not running for a while the pace felt good but i am sure i will be a little sore tomorrow

First session of Weight Training Tuesday

2006-06-28T19:17:00.000Z

Using a small multi gym station rather than my free weights Mainly due to the fact that the multi gym is more accessible than the free weights I have devised a balanced fitness training routine which is as listed below

Exercise Sets
leg extensions 2x15
leg curls 2x15
squats 2x25
lunges 2x25
press ups 2x15
lat pull downs 2x15
bicep curls 2x20
tricep pushdowns 2x20
chest press 2x20
pec flyes 2x15

The routine took approximately 45 minutes and I trained with my 14 year old son to keep the correct rest pauses to training ratio , I have to say I did a little less than I originally anticipated and it was much harder than I expected

Also did day one in the great book 3 minute abs for my abdominals which I need to strengthen to help with an old recurring lower back problem

The Middle Age Spread 40 Something

2006-06-28T19:10:00.000Z

I am sure many of you will know exactly what I am talking about here , after I became 40 my interest in regular training of one sort of another waned and I started to enjoy the odd bottle of red wine and unhealthy snacks

Over a period of a couple of years my weight has risen by over 2 stone and now its time to finally knuckle down and do something about it , I thought that having a blog recording each days training events would be a good way of motivating myself and may give other either motivation or a good laugh at least

I will be using Resistance Training and Aerobic training in the form of weight training and running mostly with some mountain biking , hiking, yomping, and rowing to keep things fresh and avoid boredom setting in

For the aerobic training I will be using my heart rate monitor and therefore using heart rates zone training for people not familiar with this I will post another blog later details my zone and how you can calculate your own etc

So here goes