Mantis

My last post about "scaling up" reminded me, I've been having irregular health assessments at the gym, basically stepping on magic scales that measure weight, body fat%, and sundry other measures. In July, having exercised only minimally over the previous two months due to study pressures (I was only getting to the gym once a week, if at all), I was 95.1 kg with 26.7% body fat. In early September, still fairly erratic with my exercise, this became 95.2 kg and 27.2% body fat. At this point, though, I had changed my routine from doing weights, and started on pure cardio, doing a 2000m row, 4 km bike (sometimes 5 if I was feeling good), and 2 km grinder session 3 or 4 nights/week. Last week I did another assessment and I was at 93.5 kg, 26.5% bodyfat.

On a subjective note, my fitness has improved, which I've noticed at basketball (which I have been playing once a week all year), as well as improving my times on the cardio machines. It's made me realise what lazy habits I had picked up playing basketball, which wasn't actually keeping me fit. There was an article on ESPN today about how, after a certain age, you don't play basketball to get fit, you have to get fit to play basketball, because you do develop these lazy habits on-court and cruise instead of work - you don't get out on the fast break, or chase opponent's fast breaks, but leave it to younger and fitter team members, for example.

Anyway, having reversed the bodyfat% trend direction and boosted my fitness, I have changed my workout again, mixing weights sessions with cardio sessions during the week. The weights sessions will actually have a bigger effect on my body fat than the cardio sessions, since building muscle burns more energy than a cardio session. I am also trying to make the weights sessions more cardio intense, alternating sets of exercises instead just sitting and resting between sets. Well actually, I used to get up and walk around between sets, but this is more efficient, although I have to go when the gym isn't too busy, since I tie up two sets of equipment for some combinations. My weights workout pairs up like this, three sets for each exercise:

Leg Press - Dumbbell Bench Press
Lat Pulldown - Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Dumbbell Bicep Curl - Tricep pushdown

Once I get this routine down pat, I am going to add Pectoral Flies and one other exercise (probably Shoulder Raises) in there. Time limitations are another issue, I have to try to keep my sessions under 30 minutes.