This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 at 7:55 pm and is filed under The Experiment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Three months ago I set myself a challenge. The challenge was this: could I get back to my original fitness after having 6 months without training and could I achieve this within just three months? I have always had a theory that if you have participated in a form of regular exercise and then had a break, it should take you half the time spent on the break to get back into shape – in my case three months.
Did I do it?
Well the simple answer is no! I am sure you would rather hear a success story but you will be glad to know that I was very close to succeeding. My pitfalls came when in the 2nd month work got in the way for a whole week which set me back a little and then in the 3rd month I slipped with my technique and damaged my lower back which put me out for a further 2 weeks and resulted in a slow introduction back into the exercise which affected another week. So all in all I had only 2 months of consecutive training that made a real difference. (Excuses, excuses… - Beeble)
The Figures
|
Pre-Rest |
Rest |
Latest |
|
| Squat |
140kg |
80kg |
115kg |
|
Bench Press |
85kg |
40kg |
75kg |
|
Seated Row |
90kg |
50kg |
80kg |
|
Chest |
46" |
40" |
43" |
|
Biceps |
16" |
14" |
15" |
|
Thighs |
24.5" |
21.5" |
23" |
What the figures show
I definitely got close to my goal and certainly improved my strength a lot over a relatively short period. The biggest shock from the figures is the amount of strength or muscle function lost over a short period like 6 months. If you don’t use your muscle and you have a high metabolic rate like mine then the muscle literally wastes away. I was really quite shocked at my lack of strength that first week when I re-entered the gym.
So Close
I was very close to proving my theory and I think with a bit more dedication and using safer techniques moving weights around the gym (so that I didn’t damage my back) I could have achieved the goal I set out to do. Dedication is so important if you want to get the results you desire. The improvement I saw within myself was fantastic and it has given me the drive again to continue and improve on my previous best.
Summary
If you are about to set off and start training again or start training for the first time understand that results are not going to happen quickly and without hard work and dedication they may never happen. It takes about 6 to 8 weeks of forcing yourself down the gym or any other exercise you decide to take up before it becomes natural and a habit. It is essential that you really force yourself to do the exercise in these early days. As soon as it becomes natural the mind will make it a habit and it won’t feel like you have to struggle to get started. Also remember, like me, to take measurements about every 6 – 8 weeks. Seeing results can really motivate you and that is why I say every 6 – 8 weeks. If you take measurements every week the chances are you won’t see much of a change and this can become disheartening. Give it a go and let me know how you get on.
Be healthy, safe and above all have fun!
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