Killsession Musings: September 2011

Monday, September 12, 2011

I've moved!

Hey guys, I've packed up, and moved my Killsession Musings to another blog, please follow me over at wordpress via the link below. I'll be leaving this blog up for any who still wander in, but all traffic will now be directed, thanks :)

https://killsessionmusings.wordpress.com/

Friday, September 9, 2011

What Motivates Clients? Your Stories!

Sean

Wow, good question. The immediate response for me is that I want to like what I see in the mirror each morning. Having been overweight to some degree for most of my life being "in shape" represents a huge positive achievement, something tangible that says if I work hard and am consistent and dedicated, I can improve myself. It is a revelation to go shopping and realise I can buy a tight fitting shirt to look good in when the baggy style has always been my friend.

I like the positive reinforcement when a friend or colleague I haven't seen for a while says "hey, you're looking good" and I can modestly reply "yeh, I've been trying to eat healthy" or "I've been working out".
Kara referred in another post to "social capital", and while I have never thought of it that way I think there is a definite respect amongst my friends/colleagues/peers when you can honestly say that you're trying to look after yourself when my peers are working long hours, eating bad food and drinking too much.

On a short term reward scale, I look forward to breaking old personal records and setting new PR's. I've never consciously experienced that endorphin rush that people talk about from exercise but sometimes I will go home after a big session on a massive high that can last for days and feel incredibly enthused about working out - best two examples were after one particularly intense boxing cardio/HIIT workout and the first time I squatted 100kg. I felt great!

So maybe it's about ego and self respect for me? I like being fitter but my lifestyle has never really required much in the way of fitness and I haven't really spent much time worrying about long term health issues.

Eloise

Brutal honesty that will make me sound like a complete superficial prat to follow:

I figure if you're a girl with a fairly tight body, then you don't ALWAYS have to worry about how the rest looks (i.e. face and hair), because y'know, at least you have your hot body to fall back on (you can insert some discourse on superficial image-driven society here to make me sound more intelligent and like this has any scientific backing). Some days my hair looks crap, or I didn't get enough sleep. If I can still wear a tight dress and rock the bust-waist-hip measurement aspect, then it's better than nothing.

What else... Oh yeah, I like being able to outdo boys at things. It's fun when you can do more push-ups than them. It's a lame little quasi-feminist notion of mine, even though actual "fit" boys can kick my butt. I take what I can get.

Other dumb things: Sometimes my friends and I get a bit drunk and bitchy and rag on fat people (I know, I know...). If we get fat, we can no longer share this immature joy.

I'm better in bed when I'm working out more (or at least less lazy)

If I'm in better shape I have a better chance of running for the bus and ACTUALLY making it, instead of looking like a loser and running and NOT making it, and standing there hating life.

Yes, these are the things that consume my mind on a daily basis. A nice mix of vanity and concern for my overall health and wellbeing :)

And finally, and perhaps more frighteningly, Cherie!

Hmmmm....being strong enough to Javelin-launch a 50+kg barbell at your head when you call me "Chezza"?

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

A Model Was Told She Was Too Fat?

Regarding body image and society, what is acceptable and what isn't? Who's responsible for the 'ideal type', and who isn't? Why do I ask? Because of this story regarding Australia's Next Top Model:

"Alissandra Moone, 18, who at 57kg is considered underweight on the Australian body mass index, was "stunned" when her size became an issue on Foxtel's top-rating show.

Judge Alex Perry has openly criticised Moone's body, likening it to "overstuffed luggage", and the clash is set to reach a head on tonight's episode."

The headline is attention grabbing for sure, but immediately we can see this story for sensationalising a seemingly innocent event:

"Perry this morning took to Twitter and Channel Nine's Mornings with Kerri-Anne to answer his critics, saying it was "incorrect reporting".

Responding to people tweeting their anger over his comments, Perry said:

@AlexPerry007 @bekskins bek, watch the episode, I was referring to her posing skills in a confined space, NOT her size. Alex ;i-)"

The article continues on not even addressing the photographers position:

"The model at the centre of the controversy, Alissandra Moone, yesterday said: "It's a very bad message to be sending to young girls who watch the show.

"It's harsh. It's stupid. And it's out of touch. I understand it's a reality of the (modelling) industry but this is a TV show and they should have a responsibility to censor that kind of thing.

"I know this has happened to other girls in the past but I was shocked when he (Perry) said I was too fat.

"I'm only a size eight. There's going to be a lot of young girls watching this who are bigger than me, and how's this going to make them feel?""

The defense raised by the photographer above, if focused on, would have reduced the force of this article, as such it is simply overlooked (which isn't to say his comments were admirable). But why, is it overlooked?

Factual reporting is key when discussing issues of bodyweight, when an incident, such as this, is obscured to push an agenda, it reinforces negative bodyweight stereotypes. As we see, the article itself is aware there is a problem, and indeed addresses the issue of public perception of women's weight:

"The average dress size for most Aussie women is a 12 to 14, while the most recent Mission Australia youth survey showed body image was the most serious concern facing young people between 11 and 24 -- above bullying, drugs and family conflict."

We are left to ask the question: "Is body image for women such an issue because of personal preference?" Or "is it an issue (to whatever extent, remains to be determined, by an article with greater investigative depth than this) due to the media, and their pushing of an archetypal body image?" The former may indeed be dependant on the media, it would be admittedly difficult to differentiate correlation from causation. If it is the latter, and I'm making a case it is, at least in the instance of this article, which distorts seemingly 'innocent' remarks about a model's pose, into a witch hunt. The authors of this article share a burden to promote healthy ideas, not biased sensationalism.

As we continue, we see again here:

""I understand it's probably a reality of the industry but no one likes to be told they look fat - regardless of what job you are in," Moone said. "I have never thought of myself as fat. I am a health freak. I go to the gym and eat well."

A spokeswoman for the ButterFly Foundation, which is aimed at educating and supporting people with eating disorders, said: "The (fashion) industry has a responsibility for portraying women of all healthy sizes and in playing a strong educated role in the contribution they make to the serious issue of negative body image."

As the article states this girl is underweight, and above, that women and their bodyweight represent a serious concern. We have to ask; if this model is so underweight why is she being modelled on T.V., where she is easily turned into an 'ideal type'? I agree with Moone when she states above, that an underweight girl being labelled as overweight, will passively have all over 57kg women looking at themselves in the mirror asking "if she's getting called fat by professionals, what am I then?" It might be one thing if this article was based on factual reporting, but as we can see, it isn't. It is fabricating an issue, which helps to reinforce the stereotype.

It's not only the fashion industry which bears a burden to accurately portray women and women's issues, it's also the media proper, which reports on the various fashion industries, who should report on those events correctly, and to portray healthy attitudes towards women. Not to simply offer faux sincerity to circulate articles, which end up reinforcing the very stereotypes the article is morally outraged against.

Reference
Australia's next top controversy - size 8 model bullied for being too fat. New.com- Retrieved 5/09/2011-
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/television/australias-next-top-controversy-size-8-model-bullied-for-being-too-fat/story-e6frfmyi-1226129310943?newscomautrack=news-newsfeed-1

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Your Thoughts On Running.

Here's a response to my blog on the "dangers" of running the other day, I thought it had some positive things to say about running, that I might not have included thus far. So as not to seem too strident, or unwilling to listen to reason I thought I'd include Emma's thoughts. Enjoy!

Yeah, I guess runners are a bit nuts... I don't know the area that the race was being held in, but I'm guessing it's no run in the park. I really want to do the Wall of China Marathon one day. It sounds absolutely hard core. I find that pretty appealing :-p.

You do have a very good point that running is bad for people. I know that running is absolutely hideous for people's bodies. I haven't found anything else that gives me the same sort of buzz exercise wise though. Crossfit is pretty good but not quite the same. My PT reckons that running appeals to people with addictive tendencies. I can understand this. It's the whole buzz after a really hard session, but also a massive sense of achievement when you finish a set number of kms. So many times you just want to stop, but you finish anyway, it's kind of fulfilling. Definitely best in moderation though to avoid injury. All runners I know are in 1 of 3 states, not injured and running well, injured and not running, or running after returning from injury :-p.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Destination: Abs (Redux)- Wk5.

Hey guys, no training diary blogs for a couple of weeks now, sorry about that, but there has been very little to report. As far as my back goes, I've had no body issues at all, and now that I'm in this new phase, I'm lifting heavier weights which is nice. As you'll see below, I've basically stopped doing intervals in the conventional sense, as in boxing, X-Trainer etc, I've replaced them with sled pushes and pulls, with moderately heavy weight. Why? It's functional strength work which will keep more muscle mass than simply sprinting or boxing will. I actually walked out pumped after doing these, and they're hard as hell!

These were my measurements as of the 28/08/11, for my previous measurements, see here.

Height- 185cm
Weight- 92.1kg
Bodyfat Percentage (skin folds)
Tricep- 19mm
Bicep- 3mm
Subscapula- 16mm
Supraillium- 19mm
Total- 57mm
Bodyfat Percentage= 20.47%.
OMRON= 18%

Girths
Arms Relaxed- R- 35.3cm, L- 35.5cm
Thighs- R 60cm, L 62cm
Chest- 103.5cm
Waist- 91.5cm
Hips 103.5cm

As you can see, I'm down just under 2% BF, and 1.5kgs, with only slight decreases in girths, which is nice, not much I know, but if I keep this up for the next couple of months I should start to get to a place I'm pretty happy with. My goal is to get as close to 10% as possible, I've planned to do this for 6 months, but have no problems going over. I'm not doing anything drastic, I'm not crash dieting, I'm still eating 7-9 meals a day, eating all the time really. I've just cut out the junk, kept my protein levels high, and focused my weight and interval training to a higher intensity. I'm feeling no fatigue, or over training symptoms, in fact, I feel great!

Here are some comparison photos from my first week til now, as always, I report, you decide!

So hopefully from these few pictures you can see some modest change in appearance. True, it's only been 5 weeks, and my Calories have not been dropped to an extreme level (not yet anyway). As any of you who train at CBD would see, I'm always carrying a smoothy around with me (with my bottle of water, and my file, yes I'm a dork!)

Alternating Set System
Day 1- MRT- Phase 2	Set	Rep	Rest	Wk1
A1: Dynamic Lunge	3	8*ea	60	17.5kg,20kg,20kg
A2: BB Pushpress	3	8*	60	45kg,45kg,45kg
B1: SLDL	3	8*	30	45kg,45kg,45kg
B2: NG Chins	3	8*	30	BW,BW,BW
C1: Jacknife (Feet on Fitball)	2	10	0	1,1
C2: Hanging Knee Raise	2	12	30	1,1

Day 2- HIIT
5-10 min warm up				Sled Pushes/Pulls with 70kg
1 minute on	7			1,1,1,1,1,1,1,
90 seconds off	7
Cool down 3-5 mins

Day 3- MRT	Set	Rep	Rest	Wk1
A1: DB Reverse Lunge	3	8*ea	30	20kg,22.5kg,22.5kg
A2: BB BO Row	3	8*	30	60kg,70kg,80kg
B1: DB Jump Squat	3	8*	30	15kg,20kg,22.5kg
B2: DB Incline Press	3	8*	30	25kg,27.5kg,30kg
C1: Pallof Press	2	12ea	0	80kg,80kg
C2: Rollout	2	12	30	8,10

Day 4- HIIT
5-10 min warm up				Sled Pushes/Pulls with 70kg
1 minute on	7			1,1,1,1,1,1,1,
90 seconds off	7
Cool down 3-5 mins

Day 5- MRT	Set	Rep	Rest	Wk1
A1: Dynamic Lunge	3	8*ea	60	20kg,20kg,20kg
A2: BB Pushpress	3	8*	60	50kg,60kg,60kg
B1: SLDL	3	8*	30	45kg,45kg,45kg
B2: NG Chins	3	8*	30	BW,BW,BW
C1: Jacknife (Feet on Fitball)	2	10	0	1,1
C2: Hanging Knee Raise	2	12	30	1,1

Day 6- HIIT
5-10 min warm up				Sled Pushes/Pulls with 70kg
1 minute on	7			1,1,1,1,1,1,1,
90 seconds off	7
Cool down 3-5 mins

Diet's been good, I've been going pretty hard on the bacon and eggs, but apart from the fact that they're fried, they're not affecting my fat loss (hopefully), I only eat one piece of (low fat) bacon, one egg, and one sausage, it's about 3-400 Calories. Apart from that no deviations, no junk, no alcohol (apart from that one night out). Feeling good!

Diet
Monday- 3200 Cals	T-S- 2600 Cals	Sunday- 2100 Cals
Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast
Oats/milk/30g pro powdr	Egg/whites/Spinach	Smoothy
Protein- 39g	Protein- 32.5g	Protein-29g
Carbs- 41g	Carbs- 1.5	Carbs- 45g
Fat- 8.2g	Fat- 13.4g	Fat- 4g
Total- 415 Cals	Total- 260 Cals	Total- 429 Cals
Morning Tea	Morning Tea	Morning Tea
x2veg sausages	Chicken/Mixed Vegetables	Egg/whites/Spinach
x1 multigrain bread	Protein-46.5g	Protein- 32.5g
butter	Carbs- 13.5	Carbs- 1.6
glass hi-lo milk	Fat- 18.2	Fat- 13.4g
Protein- 43.3g	Total- 420 Cals	Total- 260 Cals
Carbs- 31.5
Fat- 18g
Total- 473 Cals
Post Sleep	Post Sleep	Lunch
Vegetable smoothy	Vegetable smoothy	Chicken/Mixed Vegetables
Protein- 46.6g	Protein- 46.6g	Protein-46.5g
Carbs- 37.9g	Carbs- 37.9g	Carbs- 13.5
Fat- 3g	Fat- 3g	Fat- 18.2
Total- 411 Cals	Total- 411 Cals	Total- 420 Cals
Before Work	Before Work	Afternoon Tea
Smoothy	Smoothy	Vegetable smoothy
Protein-29g	Protein-58g	Protein- 46.6g
Carbs- 45g	Carbs- 90g	Carbs- 37.9g
Fat- 4g	Fat- 8.2	Fat- 3g
Total- 429 Cals	Total- 429 Cals	Total- 411 Cals
Post Workout Shake	Post Workout Shake	Dinner
x2 up n go/30g protein	x2 up n go/30g pro	Chicken/Mixed Vegetables
Protein- 45.1g	Protein- 45.1g	Protein-46.5g
Carbs- 55.7g	Carbs- 55.7g	Carbs- 13.5
Fat- 8.3g	Fat- 8.3g	Fat- 18.2
Total- 517 Cals	Total- 517 Cals	Total- 420 Cals
Post Workout Meal	Dinner	Evening
tofu/glass hi-lo milk	Chicken/Mixed Vegetables	Bacon and Eggs
Protein- 39.2	Protein-46.5g	Protein- 42.7g
Carbs- 36.4	Carbs- 13.5	Carbs-3.9g
Fat- 22.7	Fat- 18.2	Fat-28.9g
Total- 432 Cals	Total- 420 Cals	Total- 404 Cals
Before Work
Smoothy
Protein-29g
Carbs- 45g
Fat- 4g
Total- 429 Cals


Protein-276.2g	Protein- 268.9g	Protein- 233.6g
Carbs- 292.5g	Carbs- 198.6g	Carbs- 113.1g
Fat- 68.2g	Fat- 73.6	Fat- 70.2g
Max Total- 3109 Cals	Max Total-2460 Cals	Max Total- 2200 Cals

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Long Distance Running Kills.

Vincent Maudieu, 30, collapsed just metres from the finish line at about 10.15am after running the half-marathon at the City to Surf yesterday.

Paramedics at the event attended to the French man for 15 minutes before transporting him to Royal Perth Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Reference
http://www.perthnow.com.au/city-to-surf-marathon-marred-by-death/story-fn8ou527-1226124023102

And

FOUR runners have suffered serious burns after a bushfire swept into the race route and trapped them in a gorge during an ultramarathon event in WA's Kimberley region. Two women, aged 36 and 24, are in a critical condition at Darwin Hospital, having suffered burns over 60 to 80 per cent of their bodies.

Two men, aged in their 40s and 50s, have suffered burns over 10 to 20 per cent of their bodies and are in a serious condition following the incident about 5pm (WST) yesterday. They will be flown from Kununurra to Perth today.

The race has been called off.

Ms Hill said the four people had been competing in the Kimberley Ultramarathon when a bushfire trapped them in a gorge at El Questro Station near Kununurra.

The Ultramarathon, part of the Racing the Planet Series, was being staged over 100km of outback between Kununurra, the Gibb River Road and El Questro Wilderness Park, from September 2 to 4.

Sport Minister Terry Waldron said last month that the race, which would attract 100 competitors from 30 countries, would be a "fantastic opportunity" to showcase the region to the world.

On the event's Facebook page today, organisers said the race had been cancelled with all competitors removed from the course due to bushfires in the area.

Reference

http://www.news.com.au/top-stories/marathon-runners-trapped-in-bushfire-horror/story-e6frfkp9-1226128705128#ixzz1WrQmjDEN

Friday, September 2, 2011

What Motivates Me? A Guide To Finding Your Own Motivation.

In wondering how to motivate my clients, I asked myself: "what motivates me?", and it's an interesting question. What does, intrinsically motivate me, what basic assumptions am I working under, that make me go through the rigmarole of the training life, the difficulties of lifting weights, doing intervals and dieting?

For me, it comes down to 2 ideas; (a) the first 25 years of my life, especially my teen and early 20's, were spent eating junk food, drinking and generally punishing my body, and mind. I used to eat, 6 meat pies over a day, and the only liquid I would drink, by the gallon, was soft drink. When I diverted from this, it was to eat McDonald's, KFC, and still when I diverted from this, I drank booze! I never exercised, I stayed up all night, I did nothing positive to and for my body. This has put a fear in me about my latter days, am I going to get bowel/esophageal/stomach etc cancer at age 40 because of the crap I've done to myself?

Maybe. It's on the cards.

(b) I also, from about age 12, went absolutely spastic for comics, I own a modest collection of about 10,000 (don't ask how much money I spent on them!). What does this have to do with motivation? I grew up, as a skinny little dweeb (no wonder why when you look at the above eh?) who emulated muscle, the power, confidence and general appeal I took from that made me want to get involved with weight training, but I didn't know how. Fortunately I worked with a big guy, who took me under his wing, let me train with him, and immediately, my inner geek, fan boy was addicted.

Trying to look like an action hero? That was for me.

These 2 driving principles, the desire to avoid an early death, and the desire to emulate the action heroes I grew up with, are what, at my core, motivate me. Don't get me wrong, I want to be healthy for health's sake, I enjoy learning about training etc, this has become my life, but the reason I get up at 5am to come to work, to train you guys, and to train myself, and to get better at it, starts from those two basic, intrinsic desires, that I'm barely conscious of anymore.

If you're wondering how to motivate yourself- ask yourself- what motivates you? At your core, what basic assumptions keep you where you are, from your goals, and from the body you want.

If you feel like sharing, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Dan Barker On Having A Purpose-Filled Life.

A little positivity for you guys, on this, the first day of spring, with new hope and a warm summer to follow!

Do you want a purpose-filled life? Find a problem to solve... Purpose is mainly about finding solutions. If you are trying to eliminate a threat to survival or to enhance the opportunities for a quality life, you have purpose. Find something you hate and work against it. Find something you love and work for it. Hunger, natural disasters, inequality, oppression, unfairness, predation, disease, invasions, aggression, racism, sexism, cruelty to animals, pollution, endangered species, political corruption, corporate greed, unsafe working conditions, exploitation- these are all worth fighting. The toil to gain scientific and historical knowledge; or the exercise of creating beauty, art, music, literature, theater, and architecture; or the efforts put into sports, entertainment, cooking and gardening- all these are worthwhile, useful and purpose-filled activities, and you can probably think of more. (Barker, The Good Atheist: Living a Purpose-Filled Life Without God, pp. 36-7, 2011)

Barker D. (2011). The Good Atheist: Living a Purpose-Filled Life Without God. Berkley, California. ULYSSES Press. pp. 36-7.