The 104 week experiment

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Reinout
Posts: 88
Joined: Tue May 03, 2022 11:31 am

The 104 week experiment

Post by Reinout »

Hello everyone,

I am logging here to keep myself accountable. Just a little bit of background first:
Male/50 years young/190 cm tall. Overweight (there, I said it) at 113 kg (01 May 2022).

Exercise history: trained Kyokushin in the period 1987 - 2003 (passed nidan grading in 2001). Started getting an interest in kettle-bells around 2003. Been exercising on and off since that time. Started and stopped training on a regular basis, with a typical run being 6-7 weeks of exercise, followed by the same amount of time of no exercise. Reading more about exercising than actually doing it, resulting in a fair amount of Dunning-Kruger :roll: Discovered TB in 2020, with a successful Base Building run followed by a couple of weeks of Operator Black. Then crashed again, and repeated the same thing two more times with the last run ending in February 2022.

Eating has been horrible, which resulted in me now being fatter than what's healthy. I didn't eat until mid/late-afternoon, then got so hungry that I snacked on cheese until supper. This is basically how sumo-wrestlers get themselves bigger. My main problems: cheese and wine.

This time something has to change. I decided to reward my gorgeous wife every time I finish a block, so she's pushing me now :lol: I also decided to start logging, not just in my notebook, but publicly (here) to keep myself accountable. Also started looking at my eating, trying to get at least 3 meals per day and getting less/no cheese and wine in. Steadily building some healthy habits.

Initial plan with targets:
See how far I can get in the period of two years (hence the title ;) )
Block 0: Pre-Base Building (building the habit, determining weights for the cluster, jogging 5 km non-stop); started this 02 May 2022.
Block 1: Base Building
Block 2: Operator Black-Pro
Last edited by Reinout on Sun May 08, 2022 5:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Barkadion
Posts: 4482
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 3:09 am
Location: Massachusetts, USA

Re: The 104 week experiment

Post by Barkadion »

Welcome mate! Good luck with TB journey!
"Man is what he reads." - Joseph Brodsky

Reinout
Posts: 88
Joined: Tue May 03, 2022 11:31 am

Re: The 104 week experiment

Post by Reinout »

Block 0: Pre-Base Building.

Targets:
Building the habit of daily exercise in the morning.
Determine weight for the SE cluster (in the past, using a 16 kg kettle-bell was not possible)
Jog 5 km non-stop (was possible in during the last pre-base block in January 2022).

02 May 2022: Pre-base building W1D1 SE
All with 16 kg kettle-bell except the push-ups. 3 sets 10 reps. 75 sec rest between exercises; 3 min between sets.
Swings
Knee-push ups
Goblet squat
Row
Romanian deadlift

plank 30 sec; 1 min rest x 3
Duration: 35:21; HRav = 125; HRmax = 155.

03 May 2022: Pre-base building W1D2 E
Hamstrings sore
warm up: 5 min walk. Then 1 min jog, 1 min walk
T = 35:37; HRav = 137; HRmax = 158. Thing said it's 4.1 km but closer to 3 km.

04 May 2022: Pre-base building W1D3: SE
same cluster as 02 May
T = 35:51; HRav = 113; HRmax = 140
Tried deliberately to stay calm during the sets.

05 May 2022: Pre-base building W1D4: E
Still tired, this is a terrible week at work.
5 min walk, 2 min jog, 1 min walk.
T = 34:34; HRav = 142; HRmax = 164.
Felt like 'effortless gliding' despite being tired. One minute is a strange interval, I tend to not notice this in time.

06 May 2022: Pre-base building W1D5: SE
same cluster as 02 May.
T = 36:30; HRav = 106; HRmax = 131
Went surprisingly well. Was tired when starting. Still mild DOMS all over.

07 May 2022: Pre-base building W1D6: E
Slow start. Warm-up: 3 min walk, 1 min jog, 1 min walk.
3 min jog; 2 min walk x 8
T = 42:34; HRav = 145; HRmax = 169
Distance was further than the previous two sessions. Aiming at going 5 km in two weeks or so.

Feeling good about this week, despite not being able to get up in time properly.

Reinout
Posts: 88
Joined: Tue May 03, 2022 11:31 am

Re: The 104 week experiment

Post by Reinout »

Barkadion wrote: Sat May 07, 2022 11:47 am Welcome mate! Good luck with TB journey!
Thanks so much!

TBPenguin
Posts: 294
Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2016 4:50 am

Re: The 104 week experiment

Post by TBPenguin »

Reinout wrote: Sat May 07, 2022 11:53 am
Targets:
Building the habit of daily exercise in the morning.
This is the most important one. Great that your wife will provide some motivation. Would it help if you were to commit to somebody else that you will report in daily, even on those days when something prevents you from completing your self-appointed physical activities?

Now you didn't ask for any tips on the diet, but there is a trick that has helped those that will binge eat some item. Don't buy that item. If it isn't available, it is much harder to overeat it.

Good luck, you can do this.

Reinout
Posts: 88
Joined: Tue May 03, 2022 11:31 am

Re: The 104 week experiment

Post by Reinout »

TBPenguin wrote: Sun May 08, 2022 2:44 am
Would it help if you were to commit to somebody else that you will report in daily, even on those days when something prevents you from completing your self-appointed physical activities?
Thanks so much for the kind words. I think you have a point here, and I am planning to rope in a number of friends to keep me accountable, besides logging here daily. Today is the first rest day, and it feels good. Tomorrow 3 sets of 20 reps SE.

Reinout
Posts: 88
Joined: Tue May 03, 2022 11:31 am

Re: The 104 week experiment

Post by Reinout »

TBPenguin wrote: Sun May 08, 2022 2:44 am
Now you didn't ask for any tips on the diet, but there is a trick that has helped those that will binge eat some item. Don't buy that item. If it isn't available, it is much harder to overeat it.

Good luck, you can do this.
Thanks, in the previous run I told myself that the wine is sabotaging my progress. That was a successful dry go-through. If I'm keeping full, I'm not tempted with the cheese and wine option. I will start logging the food as well :D

TBPenguin
Posts: 294
Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2016 4:50 am

Re: The 104 week experiment

Post by TBPenguin »

Excellent, look forward to seeing your progress.

Reinout
Posts: 88
Joined: Tue May 03, 2022 11:31 am

Re: The 104 week experiment

Post by Reinout »

Its dark and cold in Johannesburg, South Africa, at 05:30. The coffee did not wake me up. As I stumble to the corner of the living room where the iron ball lives, I mentally hear Whitesnakes 'Here I go again'.

Pre-base building. W2D1 SE
Three rounds of 20 reps (16 kg kettle-bell, except push ups):
Swing
knee push-up
Goblet squat
row
Romanian dead lift

75 sec on the timer between exercises. Double that time between rounds.
35 sec plank, 1 min rest x 3

That first round woke me up like a kick in the n*ts. Was difficult on the third round. Had to stop on the goblet squats during the third round. Overall was ok.

Reinout
Posts: 88
Joined: Tue May 03, 2022 11:31 am

Re: The 104 week experiment

Post by Reinout »

Pre-base building W2D2 - E

Trying the interval scheme of C25k to get to 5 km jog @ HR < 150.

Slightly behind schedule; starting at 06:09
warm up: 3 min walk, 1 min jog, 1 min walk
workout: 3 min jog; 2 min walk (x8)
T = 42:42; HRav = 137; HRmax = 161. Distance ~ 4 km.

Went OK. HR just got high on the uphill.

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