What with the preparation for going away for six weeks I didn’t get to the gym much in November or December, and didn’t get back until the end of January.  Aaron gave me a programme to follow when I was in the UK but needless to say I didn’t do any of it, not once.  However I did spend a few days in London seeing sights, travelling on the Tube etc, and let me tell you, you cannot do this without going up and down an awful lot of stairs.  There wasn’t really a whole lot of choice, the stairs had to be done.

I also met an ex who used to row for his college at Oxford, and as the congnoscenti know, this is a big deal.  Anyway he is in his 60s now but has the body of a 40 year old, and he has been going to a gym for the last 4 years.  We were talking about the rowing machine and he enjoys it even though it’s nothing like real rowing.  He enjoys the workout it gives.  Then he told me what his trainer has him doing: four minutes at 32 strokes/minute, then 1 minute at 38, repeat, repeat, repeat (I don’t know how long for).  38 strokes a minute!  I cannot imagine it. He says it’s hard work

He has proved to be an inspiration because since coming back, I have been gradually building up my workouts to where they should be, and my rowing has been superb. For me, I mean. He was pretty impressed that I average 30-31 strokes per minute over my four or five minute rowing sessions, I was surprised (it may not have been totally clear that it’s only for four minutes although I did say so). Anyway since then I’ve been averaging 32 strokes per minute and have gone over 819m several times. And I look around and see that most people are doing 28 or 29. So maybe I shouldn’t underassess myself. Also he said that it’s much better if you use your legs as much as you can, which I kind of knew but have been trying to do that, that’s probably why I’m doing better. Today, just for laughs, after the first minute I did 30 seconds as fast as I could go, and I did that again on the last 30 seconds. I actually touched 37 strokes per minute for a couple of strokes but I still cannot envisage doing this for a whole minute!

Aaron gave me a wide selection of weights exercises to do, from which I can pick and mix. They go like this:

• Clean and Jerks with 6kg dumbbells in each hand (ie a step up from the 10kg bag, and separate dumbbells are more difficult to manage)
• Squats with 5kg dumbbells in each hand
• Lunges (the hated lunges) with 5kg dumbbells in each hand, no bicep curling though
• Front row with kickbacks with 4kg dumbbell
• Front and Lateral raises (new exercise) with 2kg dumbbell in each hand: this involves standing with feet at hip distance apart, raise left hand to the side so that arm is straight, simultaneously raise right hand to the front so that arm is straight, drop both arms, raise left to the front and right to the side. Repeat x 12. This works on the deltoids primarily, although I also really feel it in my neck and I see from the directory that these raises do work on the neck muscles (trapezius)
• Lat pull-downs – 10kg each side. I’ve only just made it back to 10kg today, been building up from 5kg.

I haven’t always been doing all of them, but I try to always do the squats, lunges, front/lateral raises and the lat pull-downs. The raises are a real killer, but I can feel the effec they’re having. The surprise is the lunges. I can do them! And they don’t hurt! And I don’t wobble (much). I am pleased about this and don’t actually hate them any more.

Then the core exercises, again a large menu from which I can pick:

• Swiss Ball crunches
• Swiss Ball hamstring curls
• Swiss Ball pelvic tilts
• Bird-dog (superman) – new exercise. I’ve seen lots of people doing this one, often with a swiss ball but I am to do them without. On all fours with hands at shoulder width and knees at hip width, then extend right foot and left hand, then switch to left foot and right hand, holding for three seconds each time. 3 x 10 of these
• Box pressups – new exercise. I practically swooned when Aaron said he wanted me to do these, but actually I find them pretty easy – same position as for the bird-dog, bend arms to get nose to floor while keeping back straight, then back up, 2 x 10.
• Bug – this is the exercise Tim had me doing, situps with one leg – 2 x 5 per leg, holding each for 5 seconds
• Single-leg bridges – same as before. These are now completely pain-, creak- and grind-free.

I haven’t been doing the swiss ball exercises at all, perhaps I should but I enjoy the floor exercises so that’s what I do.

You’ll notice a lack of cardio – this might have to be faced.