A Hebridean Diary

Good stuff

Got a job today. First time since 1997 I've had a proper paid job. Just hope it doesn't affect my lifting! Some things are sacrosanct.

more details needed!

Brilliant! Really pleased for you mate !

Housing Officer, mainly dealing with rent arrears, antisocial behaviour and tenant participation.

Thanks John - and I came back to semi retire! Allegedly.

congratulations Martin.

Thanks mate

sounds like you will be meeting some "interesting" folk

Oh you do that anyway as soon as you step off the ferry...

Today's Activity

Car Pulls (yes, you read that right) - 5 pulls (Astra plus driver, about 40 metres) along Aird School car park. Never pulled a car before. Interesting! Arm over arm style. Muscles were ok, but the lungs were hammered.

Then 45 minute walk along beach with the pack.

Then Sports Centre, not been for weeks

Cross Trainer - 1.5 Km in 21.52. Pleased with that. Furthest I've gone, easiest it's felt. Feel my cv fitness is getting better. Did my 1.2 Km speed, but max heartbeat was 10 bpm less. Felt easier too. Must be all that dragging golf clubs up hills.
Lat Pulldowns - sets of 10 with 50, 60, 70, 70, 70
Facepulls - sets of 10 with 35, 40, 42.5, 45, 40. 45 was getting into cheating territory so reined the weight back to get proper reps in.
Ab Machine - 5 sets of 20 with resistance at 50 Kg.

Then steam, sauna, spa and flop in front of X Factor. Vote for Kitty!

Bench.

Not done much raw work lately, plus been ill this week and want to check base strength level, plus inexperienced spotters today all adds up to a little raw session.

Bar for 20
40 for 10
60 for 8
80 for 5
100 for 3
120 for 2
140 for 1
150 for 1
160 for 1 - pretty much my limit today, maybe 2.5 more, but told that it looked easy! Didn't feel it!

One big blue band added

40 for 5
90 for 3
110 for 2
120 for 1
130 - fail.

Finish.

Not too unhappy with a raw 160 when I've been feeling rough all week. The 130 + band would have been a pb. It was trying that a couple of months ago that tweaked the shoulder, and the shoulder's pretty much ok after today's attempt. Not much volume, so I'll probably do speed work tomorrow evening, but nothing heavy now till Thursday.

deleted

Hi Nick. Things are going really well thanks

Tonight's Bench Session

Truly awful.

Warmed up to 120 for 2, then shirt on and 160 for 3 high.
200 for 1 to 4 boards
200 for 1 to 3 boards
200 failed to 2 boards
Ffs, I've done 220 to 2 boards!!

Shirt off

150 for 1
140 for 3
130 for 5
120 for 8

3 reps down on my raw sets. What's going on? Horrible, just horrible. Tom reckons maybe too much golf the last couple of weeks. He might be right. But the weather turned today, golf can take a back seat for a while. It could be as simple as training at 8 at night when my body's used to training in the middle of the day. Whatever, it was horrible, everything felt heavy.

Only three weeks training till the commonwealths. I've decided I know how to use a shirt, so the focus will be getting my raw strength back up to more than 160 asap, hitting the protein, and getting back on creatine.

solid work going on Martin

and Arm over Arm next it will be Yoke and FArmers

Martin Flett - STORNOWAYS STRONGEST MAN 2012