A few days later than usual, the blog is here with an update on the training and physical demands of Lifestyle editor Adrian Collins’ attempt to #GetRippedOrDieTrying.
This week proved to have some stumbling blocks, and while up to this point I’ve been able to turn down invites to go out to various functions and prepare my breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, I had to travel from Monday to Wednesday with work and there really was no practical way I could have control over the food I was eating. With a jam-packed schedule on those days and no access to a gym, I was forced to take a couple of days off. Now, there was probably no doubting that a bit of a rest was no bad thing, but the idea of not being able to control my food was worrying.
Still, I tried to be reasonable (I couldn’t resist the tiramísu for dessert on the last day though, it was my first trip to Italy) and came back feeling a little more bloated than when I had left, but I got straight back into it. I walked in my door after midnight on Wednesday night and was up at 6.30 making my breakfast and getting ready for the gym the next day, and I felt much better for it. I’ve spent the days since on a low carb diet and am feeling back to myself having cut the excesses of the previous days, I hope.
Early next week, Ant at Raw Gyms Dublin will sit down and have a look at how I’m doing on the gaining part of the program, and these workouts have been incredibly demanding. I outlined what they consist of last week, but had only just started them, and the key is to find a weight that’s heavy enough to push yourself to failure.
On Saturday, I had a workout to remember though, and with the combination of the warm weather, pushing myself to my limits and doing a few things that looked like they could have been in a Rocky movie, I felt absolutely fantastic afterwards and realised that all the sacrifices up to that point had been worth it. I walked out of the gym with a huge amount of energy despite having pushed myself hard, and that was just from the high of having had a good session.
The cardio days have been difficult, as they’re the days where I tend to get really hungry (they’re also low carb days) and by chance I’ve ended up doing double sessions by working out in the morning and playing football in the evening. I do enjoy running but it gets a bit monotonous, so I put together a few exercises that I found really challenging for cardio day too, in particular ones that I dislike, because I know they’re the ones that will help me improve. Here’s a brilliantly cheesy clip thing using the GoPro that I put together, and features me breaking a serious sweat at Raw to the tune of Bill Conti’s ‘Gonna Fly Now’. Has this montage secretly been an ambition of mine for years? No, I’ve been very vocal about always wanting to do this, so you’re wrong there.
Something I have also started doing are the Rip 60 workouts that aren’t featured in that video (mainly because the battery ran out!) and while at first I thought it might be a bit of a gimmick, it is one of the most challenging things I’ve done so far, in particular as an abs workout. Anthony recommended I use the equipment every day and I can feel and see the difference, so it’s definitely worth trying to incorporate into your routine if your gym has it, like they do at Raw.
The other challenge has been the food. Not the eating, as I tend to be hungry a lot with the new workout plan, but the cost. This could well bankrupt me, as my last two trips to the supermarket have been just under €100 each time, given the sheer amount of meat I need to get. Steak ain’t cheap, especially not when you’re eating it three times a week. As far as that part goes, I simply couldn’t afford to train like this on what I earn, I’d have nothing left at the end of the month. On the plus side, I haven’t spent a penny outside of the shopping really because I can’t go out on the weekend, can’t eat dinner out, can’t drink and can’t have any fun at all really, so the cinema is about as exciting as it gets.
There will be no cheat meals now as I need to cut, so it’s back to basics for the next few days and a pretty quiet weekend ahead for me, and I’ll be working out pretty intensely trying to get back into the best possible shape before next week. Hopefully my results show that I have been putting in some serious work, even if I had two days off in the middle.
If you want the incredibly grim meal plan, or if you’ve started the program yourself or you’re thinking about making a change and getting fit, then don’t be afraid to drop me a line on Twitter or get in touch with the lads at Raw. They know their stuff, clearly.
Check out the blogs from the other weeks here:
