Thailand
I have to give a big thank you to Tiger Muay Thai and the great bunch of guys and girls who I have been training with for the past six weeks. It has been perfect preparation for my first summit Aconcagua, Argentina which will be upon me in a short week’s time. I wasn’t able to take part in the TMT Adventure Race designed by Randy Hale, but am very proud of all those who took part especially those who completed the event. It was a massive task; take a look at what was involved.
Start 6AM-
Full Race Shorter Race
Push Ups x 250 Push Ups x 125
Sit Ups x 500 Sit Ups x 250
10 km Run Dragging Tyre 6 km Run Dragging Tyre
Chin Ups x 100 Chin Ups x 50
V-Ups x 200 V-Ups x 100
Knees to Elbows x 200 Knees to Elbows x 100
10 km Run 6 km Run
Mountain Climbers x 1000 Mountain Climbers x 500
Run to Top of Big Buddha carrying 15kg Run to Top of Big Buddha
Jump Squats x 10 Jump Squats x 10
Run Back to Tiger Muay Thai Run Back to Tiger Muay Thai
Finish
The fastest finish time for the full version is held by Will with his great effort of 7hrs 20min. The shorter version was completed in 5hrs46min by John and Shawn. John has only been at the training camp for a month, has lost 10kg and has achieved something incredible by grinding it out for nearly 6hrs in the Thailand heat to finish.
I am currently the fittest and strongest I have ever been in my life and am more than ready for my first test in the mountains. I flew out from Thailand Friday morning after a farewell dinner with the crew at one of our local restaurants. From Phuket to Singapore, then on to Perth it was an uneventful flight. I did learn however that with Tiger Airways you can’t get free cold water refills. If you wanted to get your water bottle refilled you must purchase these 200ml bottles of water for $5 a pop. They can however give you hot water refills, I laughed when the stewardess told me that. I’m not cheap at all but I do believe that everyone should get free water. So to make a point I got the girl to refill my water bottle with hot water and sipped on the hot nectar for the remainder of the flight. I’m here in Perth for two nights visiting an old Army buddy of mine; He is a member of Australia’s elite SAS and has a couple of training sessions in store for me. Stay tuned for the SAS training package.
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127 Hrs
January 11th, 2011
I remember reading an autobiography written by Aron Ralston a couple of years ago, it was titled “Between a rock and a hard place” and tells the story of Ralston having his arm trapped by a boulder in Robbers Roost, Utah for more than five days. Aron eventually severed his arm off with his multi tool and walked out of the canyon to rescue. It is an amazing story of survival and for me brings to the surface the realities of these adventures we seek. I also read an article about an experienced climber who fell through a snow bridge to his death on Aconcagua, the very same mountain that I will be setting foot on in the very near future. I know it must seem very strange but even after reading these books and hearing the news of tragedy on expeditions it still doesn’t deter me. I definitely do not disregard the dangers and am well aware that greater men than me have perished in search of the summits I too am searching for. I will however, continue my journey. I do not know why I am not satisfied simply building a life for myself in the suburbs, maybe at the end of this adventure I will.
Today’s training session is for core strengthening and is great for building functional strength and stability.
Warm Up 5min
Side Plank Elbow Touch – 20sec work, 10 sec rest x 8sets
Knees to Elbows – 20sec work, 10 sec rest x 8sets
High to Low Plank – 20sec work, 10 sec rest x 8sets
Superman’s – 20sec work, 10 sec rest x 8sets
V-ups - 20sec work, 10 sec rest x 8sets
Leg Extension Crunch - 20sec work, 10 sec rest x 8sets
Leg Raises - 20sec work, 10 sec rest x 8sets
Push ups from Side Plank - 20sec work, 10 sec rest x 8sets
Finish
A movie came out based on Ralstons Autobiography and sticks very closely to the book. It’s titled 127hrs and is worth a watch.
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Training for a marathon
January 11th, 2011
Normally on a Monday morning we would be doing the fit test, this week however we had a Body fit session built around training for a workout on Thursday that is the biggest so far in Tiger Muay Thai history. The Thursday session contains over a marathon of running, 10km with a tyre, a big Buddha run, and countless reps of some of the toughest exercises. It will be a 6hr endurance session and I’m afraid I wont be able to take part this time around. I’m leaving the following morning for my first summit and it would be a little risky to try a session that tough before departure. I am loving the training sessions for it though, here is our training session for a Monday,
Warm Up 5min
Superset the following workouts together
Push Ups x 100 / Chin Ups x 50
Run 800m
Push Ups x 100 / Knees to Elbows x 100
Run 800m
V-Ups x 100 / Situps x 100
Run 800m
Knees to Elbows x 100 / Sit Ups x 100
Run 800m
Finish
On Thursday I will be the Scooter Safety Official to keep an eye on all the crazy athletes taking part in the race. It will be the toughest event most of the competitors have ever been involved in, they will push to breaking point and find out what their true limits are.
I have uploaded some new pics from the weekend of climbing, check them out.
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Deep Water Solo
January 10th, 2011
The forecast for the weekend was supposed to be rain but I was determined to get another climbing trip in before I set off for South America. I met a great couple at the camp, Alison and Leigh, both Aussies training Muay Thai and living the dream in Thailand. Alison is a professional photographer so I asked her if they would like to come on two days of climbing, my shout, as long as she could take a heap of pics for me. They were keen for it so the three of us set off Saturday morning on the ferry to Phi Phi Island. The ferry took a little longer than usual because it took us on a small tour of the surrounding islands, including Maya Bay where the movie “The Beach” was filmed. It was all very nice but I was just keen to get onto the rock and have some fun. Once we were unloaded on the main Island of Phi Phi Don we made our way through the hundreds of tourists and hectic little streets to Cats climbing shop. A Nepalese climbing guide named Bicram was there waiting and was ready to take us climbing straight away. A quick feed of Muesli, fruit and yogurt and we were off. Alison and Leigh had never climbed before but they are super fit and I knew they would be fine to go straight to the 6A-6B routes, which are a step above beginner. The Thai climbing guide Fit, that took me climbing before New Year was at the base of the cliffs with a couple of clients, he remembered me and we had a quick catch up before it was time to get to work. My first climb was great, felt good, but got fairly gassed about half way through. I haven’t been doing as much endurance work with my arms as I should be and it showed on my first pitch. Took a while for the blood to vacate my forearms but after that it was smooth sailing. Leigh and Alison both climbed great they were built for endurance and even though they didn’t have the technical skills straight away they had plenty of time and worked through the problems. After we had all warmed up with a few climbs I got Ali to climb half way up a route and anchor onto the rock face, taking here telescope of a camera with her. Then I picked a route next to her that had a great back drop and started my climb, she was able to get some great pics as I ascended and gave her a first taste of adventure photography. It was a top afternoon of climbing and my hands and forearms were definitely feeling it, we called it a day and went off in search of a cheap place to stay for the night. This turned into a harder task then we first thought, I forgot that it was peak season for tourists and there was not a single room available on the island. The three of us ended up sleeping on the floor of the climbing shop for the bargain price of $6 each, what a result. After years on the road and the conditioning the Army gave me while sleeping in Jungles all around the world I slept like a baby. Ali and Leigh on the other hand did not get a wink, they had some bed bug issues, some stray cat problems and woke up looking a little worse off. They were excited for a day of climbing though and after some breakfast and coffee they were ready to rock. We were off to do some deep water solo climbing, all that means is that at high tide you climb out of the longboat onto the cliff face, climb up as high as you can then jump into the sea. Its exciting stuff, it builds your mental strength and confidence in your abilities, there is no rope to catch you if you fumble a move. I managed to reach the top off one of the routes on my second attempt, the first time I jumped from just over half way because the water looked a bloody long way down. Another climber named Luke made it to the top so of course I had to follow suit and push through the fear barrier. The jump was 20m and you have to land the right way on impact or you could damage yourself badly, the perfect pin drop had to be achieved. Ali managed to get some great pics of the climbs and the drop, and then it was her turn. It is scary stuff for first timers, especially if they have never been rock jumping either, but Leigh and Ali both done well and jumped from their limits. It was a beautiful morning with not a cloud in the sky, so much for the weather report, and when our arms were finished we had a play around snorkelling and it was time to head for home. Another top weekend of climbing on the Islands off Phuket and instead of the rough ‘point and shoot’ pics you will normally get from me, there will be some pro stuff getting posted in a couple of days. If there are any up and coming photographers out there who wish to join Oloc Adventures as my full time photographer get in touch, you will be payed in great stories to tell the grand children which are the only things we really own anyway.
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Finally Friday
January 8th, 2011
It has been another big week of training and my body is begging for some rest. Even though I have been laying off the running to restore the strength in the shins, the weight room and pool have taken up the slack. The boy fit session today was a nice easy one to finish off the week, or so we thought, after the warm up Randy said there is training all weekend for those who want it. If its not raining in the morning I’m going to go for a weekend of climbing over on the islands, see if I can get some cliff hanger pics for sponsors. Heres todays session, Fri fun.
Warm Up 5min
Push Ups x 100
Run 800m Dragging Tyre
Sit Ups x 150
Run 800m Dragging Tyre
Push Ups x 100
Run 800m Dragging Tyre
Sit Ups x 150
Run 800m Dragging Tyre
Finish
For an afternoon session I picked a small kettle bell and travelled over to a 30m lap pool. I spent an hour in the pool completing various exercises to improve my O2 consumption. Running laps on the bottom holding on to the kettle bell is one of the best for this, at first you wont be able to go 10m on one breath by the end of the hour you can do 40m with the same amount of air. I’m not too sure on a technical level whats exactly happening in the body but to perform a greater workload on the same breath of air has to be of benefit to me when I get to high altitude and limited O2.
Stay tuned for the pics when I get back from Phi Phi Island on Sun night, have a good weekend Oloc Adventurers
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Abs without Oreos
January 7th, 2011
Before New Year I was consuming at least a pack of Oreos a night with milk, since I had the little slip up with the Ice water out of the bin at training and spent 8 hours out of my day giving the water back, I haven’t had a single cookie. I think because Oreo came out with the contaminated water and tasted terrible it has cured me of my cookie addiction. A nice little by-product of this cure is now that im not eating high calorie biscuits right before bed every night my body fat has dropped right down to 7.37%. I was continuing to rest the shins at training this morning so completed the stair training and then slotted into the position of photographer for the guys leaving Thailand soon. It was a top session, check it out.
Warm up 5 min
Hand Stand push up on each step heading up x 14 steps
Reverse walking on hands and toes up steps, then steep slope x4 no stoppingTyre carries above head, up and down steps x 10 times up
-Tyre Squats at the top of Stairs x 10 counting down to zero
Run down the hill to beach carrying tyre – 100 Jump SquatsRun half way up hill carrying tyre – 50 Push ups
Run to top carrying tyre - 100 Jump Squats
Run down the hill to the beach carrying tyre – 50 Jump Lunges
Run half way up hill carrying tyre – 100 Mountain Climbers
Run to the top carrying tyre – 100 Jump SquatsFinish
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Schoolboy
January 6th, 2011
One of the things I love most about training and the fitness industry is that every day you can learn something new, no matter how long you have been training for. I have been laying off the running for a couple of days now just to let some tender shins refresh, so I have been hitting the weight room with a monster of a man named Lou. Hes an Aussie guy who has come to the camp to lose some weight and clear his mind. I have had two sessions with the big fella and both times I have come out exhausted and have learnt some bran new techniques. Yesterday, after an arms session with him, on the way home I almost crashed my scooter because I couldn’t operate the throttle properly. I’m not sure what muscle group he is going to take me for today but all I know is, even after ten years of training, I will be the Schoolboy.
Today’s Body Fit session was another good one with six runs of 800m cut into it, try this one at home.
Warm Up 5min
V-ups x 100
Run 800m or Stationary Bike for 4min
Knees to Elbows x 100
Run 800m or Stationary Bike for 4min
Mountain Climbers x 500
Run 800m or Stationary Bike for 4min
V-Ups - x 100
Run 800m or Stationary Bike for 4min
Knees to Elbows x 100
Run 800m or Stationary Bike for 4min
Mountain Climbers x 500
Run 800m or Stationary Bike for 4min
Finish – Let me know your completion time.
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Blind guy and a torture chamber
January 5th, 2011
As I am currently under the influence of Shin Splints, today’s workout was a bit of a mash up for me. Im struggling already not taking part in the running during the sessions and its only been a day. Have to put the mind at rest though, it would be silly to keep pushing and start my first summit with an injury. The workout was a tough one, with six intervals of running spliced in, I substituted the running with my best impression of Lance Armstrong on the stationary bike.
Warm Up 5min
Wide Grip Chin Ups x 25
Run 800m or 4min Stationary Bike
Push Ups x 75
Run 800m or 4min Stationary Bike
Sit Ups x 75
Run 800m or 4min Stationary Bike
Wide Grip Chin Ups x 25
Run 800m or 4min Stationary Bike
Push Ups x 75
Run 800m or 4min Stationary Bike
Sit Ups x 75
Run 800m or 4min Stationary Bike
One of our fittest guys Will, completed the session in 45min, that would be a good time to aim for, let me know what you get. As part of Doctor Googles treatment for Shin Splints, massage was recommended, so after training I sought out the blind masseuse. I had heard a few people talking about a little blind Thai guy who was really good at sports massage but as I had never had one before I had no idea what to expect. I found his little parlour in a back alley about 5min from camp, I parked my scooter outside, slipped off my thongs at the door and went inside. He wore a white coat like a surgeon and glasses that made him look something of a mad scientist. I thought to myself, why would a blind guy need glasses? It turns out he isn’t fully blind, but is close enough to warrant the marketing slogan. I lay down on the bed and played a small game of charades to indicate that I just wanted some work done on me legs. He nodded his understanding, bowed to a picture of Buddha on the wall saying a small prayer, then let his mitts of steel fall onto my body. I wanted to leave after the first minute, the pain was unbearable. He knew exactly what he was doing though, feeling along my shin and asking me ” you run lot every day”, after replying yes to him he would nod his understanding then let his fingers of iron do their work on my shins. I have to say that the hour was like a workout for me, I was near tears when he worked on my Shin, and again when he toiled with me ITB. He giggled from time to time saying “sorry” but then would say “no pain no gain” and I would laugh between cringes. I watched the clock, counting every second till the end of our torturous hour together, and at the end I let out a big sigh of relief that put a smile on the little half blind guys face. He only wanted 150Baht which is about five dollars, I handed him 200 letting him keep the change and made an appointment to see him again in two days time. I exited covered in sweat even though it had air conditioning inside and was hoping that Doctor Google is right about massage being part of the treatment for Shin Splints. If it does work I will tell everyone to visit the Blind guy and a torture chamber.
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Shins are weaker than the mind
January 4th, 2011
I hope everyone had a great New Year, the training camp was near empty the past few days with people shooting off to raves and beach parties across the country. Monday morning the tide had turned and people were coming back to continue their training regimes and sweat out the festive spirit. The Fit test was first up this morning, the test is made up of ten exercises, all timed for 1min with 30sec rest between exercises. Record your max reps and try to beat that score the following week. I have been slowly increasing my max reps over the past month, except the wide grip chin ups that have stalled on 15. Let me know your results.
Switch Kicks -1min – 135 Reps
Butt Drops - 1min – 36 Reps
Tuck Jumps – 1min – 80 Reps
Burpees - 1min – 30 Reps
Power Push Ups - 1min – 35 Reps
Knee Tucks From Plank – 1min – 77 Reps
High to Low Plank -1min – 35 Reps
Tabata Squats -1min – 64 Reps
Jump Rotating Lunges - 1min – 47 Reps
Wide Grip Pull Ups -15 Reps
Plank - 3min Hold, One Arm One Leg
One thing that is going to slow the hectic training schedule I have built for myself here is Im starting to develop some lower leg pain associated with Shin Splints. I did not know too much about shin splints, so yesterday I hit the education system of Google and became an expert. There is so much info out there on sporting injuries and lots of it contradicts each other. The main causes of shin splints that I found are-
Im fairly sure I have done all of this which could explain why im starting to pull up a little lame. So to remedy the issue I consulted doctor Google and asked for some treatments. He was very knowledgeable and prescribed me,
- Replace ill fitting or uneven shoes
- Cease high intensity training until pain subsides
- Deep tissue massage
- Maintain fitness with non weight bearing exercise.
I have done all of this, I was reluctant to dispose of my Asics runners, we have covered a hell of allot of ground together but there comes a time when you have to part ways. They are still in my room though, cant just throw them in the bin, they have carried me part of the way to greatness. I was recommended a massage therapist who is supposed to be the best, he is a Thai guy, apparently blind and really good. Ill go find him today, stay tuned for the report on the blind masseuse.
New Year with 2011 Reps
December 31st, 2010
Sitting around at the table eating lunch a couple of days ago, Will and I had a thought. Why not bring in the New Year with a training session to end all training sessions and have a total rep count of 2011. We conjured up a program that was going to push everybody to their limits in all aspects of fitness. To guarantee a quality number of people turning up for the session everyone was told that Friday was going to be a nice easy stretching and cool down workout for the end of the week. It worked a treat, we had twelve dedicated people turn up for the customised 2011 rep session smash. Take a look at the below program, I’m like a proud father.
Warm Up 5min
Kettle Bell Swings x200
Run 800m Dragging Tyre
Mountain Climbers x500
Run 800m Dragging Tyre
Push Ups x150
Run 800m Dragging Tyre
Tyre Squats x150
Run 800m Dragging Tyre
Jumping Chin Ups x300
Run 800m Dragging Tyre
Burpees x100
Run 800m
Knees to Elbows x230
Run 800m
V-Ups x130
Run 800m
Butt Drops x100
Run 800m
Jump Lunges x151
Run 800m
Total reps = 2011 and my finish time was 2hr12min. It was tough to say the least, but everybody gave their best and finished. Even two new guys, John and Michael, fresh from Australia after only a week in camp ground it out to finish , it was inspirational stuff. Happy New year to everyone back home and a big thank you to the select few who became part of history as the 2011 rep team.
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Bad Press
December 31st, 2010
Thursday morning training is my favourite of the week, its hard, hot, but its also where busloads of tourists all stop to take photos of the lads with their shirts off. We would be half way through the warm up when the first bus would pull up and off load the identical mass all with enormous cameras around their necks, short shorts and bum bags. When they see the guys and girls carrying tyres over their heads, sweating profusely while racing up the stairs, the look on their faces is priceless. Out come the cameras, on go the lenses and the paparazzi are born. For some reason I tend to get lots of attention from the male tourists, they will sit back on the side wall and snap away, never saying a word or asking to get in the picture. Its all in good fun but who knows, I could end up on the cover of some foreign magazine, possibly one produced just for men, and I wont mind because there is no such thing as bad press.
Warm up, stair running 5min
Reverse walking on hands and toes up steps, then steep slope x4 (no stopping)
-Get into groups of three-
Tyre carries above head, up and down steps x 10 times up
-10 x Tyre Squats at the top and bottom of stairs each time-
Run down the hill to beach dragging tyre – 100 x Jump Squats
Run half way up hill dragging tyre – 50 x Burpees
Run to top dragging tyre - 100 x Jump Squats
Run down the hill to the beach dragging tyre – 100 x Jump Squats
-This is where we would normally just run back up the hill, today though try running backwards up the hill dragging the tyre, it is a new type of pain-
Run backwards half way up hill dragging tyre – 100 x Mountain Climbers
Run backwards to the top dragging tyre – 100 x Jump Squats
Finish- Go swimming
Ive uploaded a video demo of reverse walking up stairs and one of Willy and me completing hand stand push ups for some extra fun. Enjoy.
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Core of Iron
December 30th, 2010
“No citizen has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training, what a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” -Socrates 469-399 BC-
When I think of this quote it reminds me of one man, the same man who trains me in conditioning every morning, Randy Hale. Randy is an ex US Marine who has had a lifetime of pushing his physical capabilities. I do not know anyone who could match his fitness and stamina in my age group, let alone his own, so when a man like this is putting you through the paces in Ab and core strengthening, you know its going to be a tough session.
Warm up 5min
Flutter Kicks x 200
Up downs – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8 sets ( Hold plank for rest )
Elbow touch side planks - 20sec work 10sec rest x 8 sets
Leg raises - 20sec work 10sec rest x 8 sets
Slow bicycles - 20sec work 10sec rest x 8 sets
Slow raised leg crunch - 20sec work 10sec rest x 8 sets
Knees to elbows - 20sec work 10sec rest x 8 sets
Superman holds - 20sec work 10sec rest x 8 sets
Finish
Now look down at your bulging abs because like Randy always tells me, ”If you don’t have abs no one will ever love you”. I will make some more demo videos of the exercises and get them up today for those requesting them.
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If you cant do it, thats great
December 29th, 2010
Most of the workouts we do here at the training camp are designed to be hard and make it near impossible for the average person to finish. You will notice in gyms all around the world personal trainers will give their clients workouts that are nice and easy to finish in order to keep them comfortable. They do this for two reasons, a large portion of people who sign up to gyms don’t want to train hard or have never trained hard in their lives but also the PT wants the client to keep coming back to them in order to make money. There is no point doing something that you can already do easily, always continue to push yourself, explore new exercises and try different things. To be the best you first have to struggle with the rest.
Push Ups x 150
Run 800m
6 Count Body Builders x 50
Run 800m
V-Ups x 100
Run 800m
Jump Chin Ups x 100
Run 800m
Completion time was 28min54sec, let me know your time. I have posted some more demo videos requested for some exercises, find the links on the video page of the website.
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Fit Test Monday
December 28th, 2010
Part of the normal routine here at Tiger Muay Thai is the Monday morning fitness tests. It is a short session but intense and each week you try to beat the scores that you got the week before. The Christmas training session we put together was a tough one and I was still sore when it came to the test, but with a protein coffee combo working its magic on my system and some “Girl Talk” echoing round the training camp, it was game on. The test is broken up into eleven exercises that you complete for time with thirty seconds of rest in between. The number of reps you complete is recorded which you will try to beat the following week, here are my scores.
Switch Kicks -1min – 125 Reps
Butt Drops - 1min – 35 Reps
Tuck Jumps – 1min – 75 Reps
Burpees - 1min – 26 Reps
Power Push Ups - 1min – 33 Reps
Knee Tucks From Plank – 1min – 65 Reps
High to Low Plank -1min – 31 Reps
Tabata Squats -1min – 63 Reps
Jump Rotating Lunges - 1min – 42 Reps
Wide Grip Pull Ups -15 Reps
Plank - 2min54sec Hold, One Arm One Leg
The test is a great way to follow your improvement, my numbers have gone up slowly in all areas over the past three weeks. I have had requests for some more demo vids on exercises so ill get onto that today and get them up as soon as possible. Have a go at the test and let me know your scores.
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Christmas Special
December 25th, 2010
Most people at Christmas time surround themselves with family, eat, drink and generally take a well deserved break. So when your miles from home and surrounded by dedicated athletes what do you do at this merry time of year. The answer is, you concoct a training session that is something from the French foreign legion handbook and almost push yourself too far trying to finish it. Talk started to circulate Thursday about a smash session Christmas morning that was going to be of epic proportions, and for once I must say that the rumours didn’t come close to doing the session justice. Take a look at this.
Push Ups x 150
Run 800m Dragging Tyre
Kettle Bell Swings x 300
Run 800m Dragging Tyre
Tyre Squats x 200
Run 800m
Mountain Climbers x 1000
Run 800 m
Completion time was 1hr18min
We then travelled by scooter to the base of the Big Buddha mountain, from there it was our job to get to the top and back again as quick as possible. 6km up, 6km down. By this stage it was 11AM and the sun was cooking, at a couple of points along the way I was beginning to get light headed. Lucky for me though, just when the heat was about to halt the fun I would turn the corner into a breeze and all would be forgotten. It took me 35min of pushing hard to reach the top then plant myself in the shade to recover. The down hill was easier to handle but the knees took a punishing.
This was our little Christmas treat and it was definitely one for the records. The Ice bath was to follow straight after food and water, I consumed, a whole chicken, a bowl of fruit muesli and yogurt, one pack of Oreos, two sponge cakes, one bottle of milk, one ice tea, and two bottles of water. I love the recovery part of training. I could have done without the ice bath but it helps speed recovery and this session was a tough one that warranted it. 3min soak in water that makes your skin feel like its on fire, followed by a 1min hot shower for three cycles, that was enough for me. Ill have a rest day tomorrow so I’m fresh for Monday morning fit tests. I wonder how my family is going to react next Christmas when I introduce them to my Thai sponsored Christmas Special.
The Ice Bath – cold torture
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Lets make it harder
December 24th, 2010
The beach training day has always been the hardest session of the week, this however seemed to be of little consideration when Randy decided to make it even harder. The normal program consisted of,
Warm up, stair running 5min
Reverse walking on hands and toes up steps, then steep slope x4 (no stopping)
-Get into groups of three-
Tyre carries above head, up and down steps x 10 times up
-10 x Tyre Squats at the top and bottom of stairs each time-
Run down the hill to beach dragging tyre – 100 x Jump Squats
Run half way up hill dragging tyre – 50 x Burpees
Run to top dragging tyre - 100 x Jump Squats
Run down the hill to the beach dragging tyre – 100 x Jump Squats
-This is where we would normally just run back up the hill, today though try running backwards up the hill dragging the tyre, it is a new type of pain-
Run backwards half way up hill dragging tyre – 100 x Mountain Climbers
Run backwards to the top dragging tyre – 100 x Jump Squats
Finish- Go swimming
I have been receiving requests for demos of the exercises that we are using over here, so after training I started to make some videos and upload them into the video page of the website. They are just quick demos but let me know if there is anything you need more detailed instruction on and ill break them down as best as I can. I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.
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The Ultimate Christmas Present
December 23rd, 2010
Two days ago I mentioned in my blog how we were fundraising to save the life of baby Tup Tim, a Thai trainers little girl who needed a liver transplant within four weeks or she would die. The amount we needed for the surgery alone was near enough to $50 000. It seemed like an impossible task to accomplish six days ago, today however my faith in humanity is fully restored and the Christmas spirit is shining like a beacon of hope. The head of the UFC Dana White found out about our little crusade to save Tup Tim and has offered to pay for her surgery. This is pure act of kindness as he wants no media attention in return, he just wanted to help. As you can imagine we are all over the moon with the result, it is a surreal outcome. We still have two fundraisers planned for this weekend which will go towards Tup Tims medication needs after the surgery which will run into the tens of thousands in the years to come. It was an honour for me to be a part of the team that put the wheels in motion that saved this little girls life, and has solidified my own ideals and future plans for OLOC Adventures.
The link below is the CNN clip informing the world of Dana Whites generosity.
CNN – Dana White pays for Tup Tims surgery
It was core destruction at the camp today and here is the program,
Warm Up
Flutter Kicks x 200
Up Downs – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8sets
Superman Holds – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8sets
Knees to Elbows – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8sets
Push Ups from Side Plank – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8sets
Weighted Side Holds – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8sets
Slow Crunch( Legs Raised ) – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8sets
Side Tucks from Plank – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8sets
Finish
I added in some weight training after lunch and then another trek up to the Big Buddha temple was in order, this time however I had a great little team joining me. Bayon, Willy, Jess and Sarah were all keen to come for a hike so we made a meeting time at the base of the mountain and set off together at a walk and talk pace. We made it to the top and back in a little over two hours, we were more concerned with dissecting the ways of the world then getting a personal best trek time though. Its beach training day tomorrow and the hardest day of the week, I’m excited already.
The Big Buddha Crew
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Ice bath
December 21st, 2010
Yesterday afternoon just for some extra credits my two mates, William and Bayon, and I ran up the biggest mountain in Phuket, where at its summit is the Big Buddha Temple. After two days of climbing then an arduous hike carrying 30kg, my legs were fairly fatigued before the run. Setting off was the hardest part with every muscle fibre begging for rest, once warm however the pain sub sided and then it was a steady grind to the top. It only took us 35min from base to summit along a 6km route. On the way down Willy suggested that we get an ice bath going to help recovery, I had never used an ice bath personally but Willy swore by them so we all agreed. Once back at Tiger Muay Thai we organised through one of the local restaurants to get some ice delivered to us. It cost $4.90 for 5 x 10kg bags delivered 5min later, fairly great service I thought. The training camp already had a large plastic container big enough for a six foot guy to sit comfortably inside for just such an occasion, sitting comfortably however went straight out the window after it was filled with water and ice. The rotation was 3min inside the bath followed by a hot shower to get the blood flowing again, the theory being that the cold contracts the muscle forcing the blood out along with Lactic acid and other toxins that will slow recovery. When you warm up in the shower fresh blood flows back into the muscle and then the cycle is repeated. Its not a fun thing to do but if it was going to help recovery and performance I was all for it. Trust me though by then end of the first minute I was watching the stop watch begging it to go faster. If I sat really still it became bearable, that lads quickly caught onto this though and would stir the bath every 30sec to keep it freezing, good mates. We completed three cycles each and that was enough for me, this morning I was still sore but if i was going to be worse for not taking a bath in Antarctica then it was all worth it.
The session today is one we have completed in the past, it involves two exercises with a run in between. It uses kettle bells to build shoulder endurance and one of my favourite exercises, the 8 Count Body Builder.
Warm Up 5 min
8 Count Body Builders x 25
- Run 800m
Rolling Get Ups x 20 rep each arm.
- Run 800m
8 Count Body Builders x 25
-Run 800m
Rolling Get Ups x 20 rep each arm
Run 800m
My finish time was 37min51sec, let me know how you go.
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The Barber
December 21st, 2010
In search of a haircut I found a small little barber shop yesterday, It wasn’t far from from the training camp and had a few Thai guys waiting for the service which is always a good sign of quality or cheapness, im happy with either. I went in and sat down with the waiting clients and watched how the process worked. First the haircut, then the shave and then a face and upper body massage. The locals were only handing over 100 Baht for the treatment which is $3.33. However me being a westerner I was expecting at least double, so we will just wait and see. It was my turn and the Barber gestured for me to take the seat, with smiles and a quick game of charades I told him what I was after. He needed no instruction and delivered me a great short back and sides. He was prepping his razor for the shave portion of our time together and I was in second thoughts, id never had a traditional shave and wasn’t that confident with a stranger dragging a blade across my skin. I couldn’t bail out now, so shutting my eyes I let him carry on. I was tensing at first but after a few broad strokes of his razor I got comfortable and relaxed. It was great, my skin came out smoother then its ever been with the face and shoulder rub a nice way to conclude the transaction. When it came time to pay he asked my for 160 Baht, 60 Baht more than a local, but still only $5.30. That sure beats any Just Cuts, or Dollar Hair experience back in Australia.
Today was Fit test day and my numbers have been creeping up ever so slowly, the results were as follows. Remember 30sec rest in between.
Switch Kicks - 1min – 110 Reps
Butt Drops – 1min – 32 Reps
Tuck Jumps - 1min – 72 Reps
Burpees – 1min – 28 Reps
Power Push Ups - 1min – 32 Reps
Knee Tucks From Plank – 1min 60 Reps
High to Low Plank – 1min- 40 Reps
Tabata Squats - 1min - 60 Reps
Jump Rotating Lunges -1min – 41 Reps
Wide Grip Pull Ups - Max15 Reps
Plank - 2min30sec Hold One Arm One Leg
For the past week I have been helping an amazing group of people do something really special. One of the Thai trainers from Tiger Muay Thai has a very sick baby girl named Tup Tim who is in need of a liver transplant within the next 3 weeks or she will die. It seemed like an impossible mission to raise $50000 that is needed for the surgery but these guys from all warps of life and corners of the world have gotten together and are making the impossible seem possible, the story has covered the globe and donations have been streaming in from strangers from many nations. We are still a way to go so if you would like to be involved with this unique act of humanity then please copy the link below, have a look at the page and contact us.
http://www.facebook.com/Save-Tuptim/#!/pages/Save-Tuptim/175453112476515
Deep Water Solo
December 19th, 2010
I have spent the last two days high on the rock faces of Thailand. I hadn’t touched any rock in about three years so it was definitely time to get the feel for it again, I was not disappointed. I travelled from Phuket to Ko Phi Phi on Friday morning after seeing that it was going to be a sunny day. Phi Phi is a small party island and a big tourist draw as it is situated right along side an island national park in which Maya Bay is located. Maya Bay being the location that “the beach” was filmed with Leonardo Decaprio. If you can tear yourself away from the bright lights, packed beaches and thumping music of the beach bars and look to the horizon you will see some amazing rock towers just begging to be climbed. I stumbled upon CAT’s Climbing Shop, and a local guy named Fitt who told me about some of the best climbs on Phi Phi and offered to guide me up them. Fitt spoke broken english and Ispoke no Thai but with an unspoken understanding we hit it off immediately, we packed the gearneeded and set off for the cliff face. Fitt wanted to start at the basics of climbing, which was fine with me as I was in need of a refresher, then he lead me up some nice e
asy climbs on Tonsai Tower, a massive cliff face that overlooks the entire island. The Tower is a popular spot with climbers and there were at least four other pairs climbing that day with us, we must have looked quite the spectacle, a 60kg Thai guy on belay for a 91kg westerner.
Climbing has many varying levels of difficulty to grade yourself on. Numbers and letters are utilised in sequence with the higher the number and letter the harder the climb. 5 being a nice easy climb and 8 is very hard. 5 progresses from 5A, 5A+, 5B, 5B+,5C, 5C+, 6A and so on. Although the best in the world climb up to 10, Fitt told me after eight years of climbing a 7A+ is his limit. I took a fall on a 6C after building up from easier routes and the extra weight that im carrying over Fitt came into play, he caught me but was launched into the air and I stopped from hitting the ground by about 15cm, now I trust him. I had a second attempt at the route and made the crux move to finish the climb. The crux is the term used for the hardest move in the sequence of the climb. Fitt and I had a great first day and at the end he asked me if wanted to go again tomorrow, I turned to him with a smile and said “tell me about deep water solos”.
Deep water soloing is a big draw card in Thailand for climbers from all over the world. It involves swimming, kayaking, or getting dropped by boat at the face of a cliff that climbs vertical or usually overhanging out of the water. The climbs have to have deep pools of water at their base as climbers will push to their limits and fall from big heights hitting the water with speed. We set off in the early hours of the morning in a long boat. Fitt, myself, an English guy named Eddie and a Czech named Jacob all keen for the deep water. Fitt told us to get ready, I put my climbing shoes on, chalk on the fingers and I was ready to go. No need for the harness today because there is no rope to catch me. We were dropped on a small edge on the high water mark that was the start point for the climb, I was the first to head up. The climbing was great, nice holds, fairly exposed but exciting fun. I got carried away and ended up a lot higher then I would have liked for my first drop into the water. It was only about 16m but from that height up on the rock looking down at the water it was enough to bring out the fear. The landing on the water had to be right, if your arms are out or you fall in the wrong way you can give yourself some nasty injuries, I positioned myself, braced for the launch and shot off the cliff into a decent pin drop. I hit the water in a good position and dove deep into the sea. On surfacing I looked up at the two lads exposed high up on the cliff where I has just leapt from, over excited I let out a shout, maybe a small fist pump then swam to the rock to go again. This is living.
We continued to climb for another four hours pushing it harder and higher until we were all exhausted and decided to call it a day. It was a great couple of days of climbing and I can highly reccommend it to everyone of all skill levels to come and give it a go. I made a deal with Fitt that I would come back after the new year and go on a multi pitch climb to one of the most beautiful locations in Asia, stay tuned for the next adventure.
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The Oreo Attack
December 16th, 2010
It is well publicised that yours truly has an addiction to cookies and milk and as of late a symbiotic relationship with the infamous Oreo. Well like my very own chapter out of Trainspotting I kicked the filthy habit for a full three days. That’s right, not a cookie went in for 72hrs, I was jittery and restless but I did manage it. However, following in the footsteps of Lohan I relapsed with a binge last night of a full pack of Oreos, one litre of milk and three medium sized sponge cakes. The combination of sugar and guilt, I have come to realise, is a force to be reckoned with, I hit the stairs and hills this morning with vengeance and had one of the strongest sessions to date, the skies were clear and the heat was relentless but my Oreo charge could not be stopped, the session played out like this.
Warm up 5 min
Reverse walking on hands and toes up steps, then steep slope x4 (no stopping)
(The following is completed in teams of three)
Tyre carries above head, up and down steps x 10 times up
Run down the hill to beach dragging tyre – 100 Jump Squats
Run half way up hill dragging tyre – 50 Burpees
Run to top dragging tyre - 100 Jump Squats
Run down the hill to the beach dragging tyre – 100 Jump Squats
Run half way up hill dragging tyre – 100 Mountain Climbers
Run to the top dragging tyre – 100 Jump Squats
Finish
Now even though I have had a positive experience related to dessert binging and performance, I’m not going to tell everybody to hit the cheesecake shop in preparation for football. However if performance continues to increase at this rate I will be a walk up start for a spot in the Oreo Olympics.
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Im a Model
December 16th, 2010
Before I touch on my second shot at stardom in only two weeks here in Thailand, here is the workout that will build a strong core and abs, because as Randy always tells me, if you don’t have abs no one will ever love you.
Warm Up
V-ups - 20 sec work 10 sec rest x 8 sets
Up Downs from Plank – 20 sec work 10 sec rest x 8 sets (Rest in Plank)
Knees to Elbows – 20 sec work 10 sec rest x 8 sets (Rest in Plank)
Superman Holds – 20 sec work 10 sec rest x 8 sets
Butt Drops – 20 sec work 10 sec rest x 8 sets
Crunches (legs raised at all times) – 20 sec work 10 sec rest x 8 sets
Side Push ups from Plank – 20 sec work 10 sec rest x 8 sets
Tuk Jumps in Plank – 20 sec work 10 sec rest x 8 sets
Rest
Now back to my non existent modelling career. I was approached at the camp by the Manager who asked me if I wanted to be in a few shots with a Phuket Top Model. I’m never shy of the camera in the first place and to have my pics taken with a Thai model didn’t sound like a nightmare, so I agreed. The shoot began inside one of the Muay Thai rings, with the Model positioned in between two of us guys posing as fighters. The power was off due to some maintenance work on the power lines, so the model-I wish I could remember her name but it just didn’t seem important at the time- was having a tough time with make up. It was all going great though until one of the Thai owners found out what was happening and put an immediate stop to it. His case from what I could gather was that the rings and camp have been blessed by Buddha and to have a female, in high heels and a bikini dancing around in the ring was going to curse the camp. The Thais are big believers in this sort of thing so without an argument the shoot was canned, along with my shot as Thailands next top model, what a shame.
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Spice it Up
December 14th, 2010
I managed a PB at training today, we have been completing a certain type of workout for time and to get under 30min was the goal. My first attempt at the workout came in at 42min, the second fell at 33min and today I scraped in at 27min40sec, so that’s the time to beat and here is the workout.
Warm Up 5min
Push ups x 75
- Run 800m
Tyre Squats x 100
- Run 800m
Kettle Bell Swings (20kg) x 150
- Run 800m
Jump Lunges x 50
- Run 800m
I ventured out in the backstreets around my apartment block today to see what was around in the way of food stalls. I hit gold when I came across a little Thai buffet on the street. The basic set up is 10 Stainless steel pots lined up at the front with Tables and chairs all around. As I walked up a little lady gave me a plate with steamed rice already on it and pointed to the pots, as if to say I can help myself, which I certainly did. I tried a dish from each pot and they were absolutely delicious. There were two different soups, a liver dish, a pork dish, three chicken dishes,an amazing local deep fried fish dish, and some tasty vegetable dishes. All the meals were in traditional Thai style, which means they are designed to blow your head off with flavour and spice, and with me not the regular with hot dishes I had the heat sweats on big time. I must say though, the only thing that makes a great meal even better is the price, after gorging myself with four plate fulls of food, upon leaving the lady asked me for “forty baht”. I had to double check that she saw how much I ate, she smiled, nodded and repeated “forty baht”. That’s about $1.30c Aussie. I have now found my local eatery, with those prices my picture will be on the wall as best customer within the month.
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Makes Me Smile
December 13th, 2010
Fit test Monday today and it was a bag of mixed results. I woke up late and rushed to training and straight into the beep test with sleep in my eyes. I ran a 11.11 which is a big slump from last weeks 13.1, I’mblaming the Oreos and milk that went into my body in large quantities over the weekend. I have sworn off the delicious treat till next weekend, its going to be a long week. Body fit test was next, this is the test comprising a selection of movements completed for one minute each with thirty seconds of rest in between. Results are recorded to compare with the week before, my numbers showed improvements on some exercises but a drop on others. The numbers to beat are below.
Warm Up 5min
Switch Kicks - 100
Butt Drops – 30
Tuck Jumps – 72
Burpees – 26
Power Push Ups - 35
Knee Tucks from Plank – 62
High to Low Plank - 31
Speed Squats - 62
Side To Side Shuffle - 40
Wide Grip Pull Ups - 15
Plank (one arm, one leg ) – 2min45sec
A shoulder session in the weight room after lunch was squeezed in before a 10 km Hike carrying 30kg in my pack. The Scarpa boots ( ZG65 XCR ) are a terrific boot, this was the third stomp Ive done with them and so far they have given me no hot spots or blisters. The pack I’m training with and going to take on expedition is giving me a couple of concerns. Its the Lowe Alpine TFX7 Expedition pack which has everything required of a quality pack and is reasonably comfortable, with just one annoying feature. I have to tighten the main shoulder straps every 10 min because the keep coming loose. This isn’t a big issue at sea level while training but at altitude, wearing gloves and trying to climb this could be a bit of a problem. I’m going to have a play with the set up and see if it makes a difference, if not I will be in the market for a new one. Suggestions would be appreciated.
I wasn’t to happy with my 10km finish time of 1hr35min, this will have to be improved upon. To finish on a lite note though, as I was out walking on the side of one of the main roads dissecting Phuket a nice car pulled up and a little girl, no more the nine 0r ten years old called me to the window. She was Thai and her mum was driving but could not speak very good English so the little girl proceeded to ask me if I needed a lift. She spoke perfect English saying ”i saw you walking and thought you were on holidays and had to walk everywhere and that’s not good”. It was the cutest encounter, I told her about my climbing mountains and how I needed to train which she understood immediately and bid me farewell. I was stressing over my straps before she turned up, after she left I had a smile on my face all the way home.
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Big Buddha hike # 2
December 10th, 2010
It’s the end of the week and the training finished like it started, pure punishment. Today’s body fit was probably the hardest I’ve had to do so far, especially after yesterday’s session on the stairs and hill. After the usual 5 min warm up came this-
Turkish Get ups with Kettlebell x 20 Each Arm
- Run 500m Dragging tyre.
8 Count bodybuilders x 25
- Run 500m Dragging Tyre
Turkish get ups with kettle bell x 20 each arm.
- Run 500m
8 count bodybuilders
- Run 500m
After training I decided to stop off at the side of the road chicken stand, the only problem was most of the good chicken had been snatched up by the locals. Now I didn’t want to seem rude by walking away so I made a few selections, thanked the lady with a smile and made my way home. Laying out my spoils of two chicken liver skewers and two chunks of fried chicken, I just couldn’t for the life of me decide what part of the chicken I was looking at. With a quick zap in the microwave to eradicate or possible incubate the bacteria that is sure to be coming along for the ride I devoured the lot and will now play the waiting game.
I made the second hike up to the Big Buddha temple this afternoon. I placed a little bit more weight on board to bring it up to a nice 30kg. A 24kg Kettle Bell and some extremely aromatic training clothing were the items of choice for this expedition. Although I was sweating like a beast for the entire time, I made it to the top comfortably in about the same time as my last hike, just under an hour. A really nice Thai guy gave me a lift down last time and I was hoping for much of the same, I started down and the Thai hospitality did not disappoint, I got a lift to the bottom in the back of a locals truck. Only in the land of smiles.
The Big Buddha Temple on the highest point of Phuket
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Who Wants to be a Star ?
December 9th, 2010
At Tiger Muay Thai today we had some staff from the new Ewan Mcgregor movie “The Impossible” come by in search of extras. I heard they were paying a few thousand Baht for a days work, lurking in the shadows of the film, and as I’m on a budget for this assault on the mountains I was all for it. The application was filled, my picture was taken and then I received the immortal lines that every struggling actor becomes accustomed, “we’ll call you”. I thanked them, and followed the other rejects away to training. Maybe tomorrow will be my day.
Randy’s favourite training day.
Warm up 5 min Run, up- down steps
Reverse walking on hands and toes up steps x 6
Reverse Walking on hands toes up steps + push up at each step x 1
Reverse walking on hands and toes up steep concrete to look out x 4
Run down the hill to beach, Dragging Tyre – 100 Jump Squats
Run half way up hill, Dragging Tyre – 50 Burpees
Run to Top, Dragging Tyre - 100 Mountain Climbers
Run down the hill to the beach, Dragging Tyre – 100 Jump Squats
Run half way up hill, Dragging Tyre – 100 Mountain Climbers
Run to the top, Dragging Tyre - 100 Jump Squats
This was a gruelling session lasting just under two hours, but is definitely one of my favourites.
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Monks + Redbull = ?
December 8th, 2010
The Monks in Phuket from what Ive heard do a really good job in the community, They help out the poor, feed and cloth those that need it and generally give blessings to everybody they pass along the way. They don’t get paid for doing this but collect donations and food so they can keep themselves in humble conditions. Today I was sitting on my balcony which overlooks a small shop , the little lady the runs it makes fantastic little cupcakes costing 20c per four pack, ( or so I’ve been told ), when out walks a slow moving monk with a plastic bag full of M150 drinks. Now for those who don’t know about these drinks they are 100ml bottles with four times the potency as a red bull. This got me thinking, what would a monk, who teaches inner peace and control, going to do with energy drinks. He could have night shift guarding the Buddha Temple I guess, or maybe he has to study long hours to become the master teacher. What I like to think is that the humble little monk just loves to get his dance on like the rest of us.
Today’s Body Strengthening session was,
Warm up 5min
V-ups – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8sets
Side Plank Push Ups – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8sets
Up Downs in Plank – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8sets
Knees to Elbows in Plank – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8sets
Superman holds – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8sets
Leg Raise Crunches – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8sets
Butt Drops – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8sets
Tuck jumps from Plank – 20sec work 10sec rest x 8sets
After giving myself a couple of hours recovery I threw up an old Army favourite called a snakebite. It begins with
10 Wide Grip Chin Ups + 3 Push Ups + 3 Sit Ups – Rest for 1min
The next set will be
9 Wide Grip Chin Ups + 6 Push Ups + 6 Sit Ups – Rest for 1min
This trend carries on taking off one chin up and adding on three reps to the sit ups and push ups with the final set looking like,
1 Wide Grip Chin up + 30 Push Ups + 30 Sit Ups
It gets its name for the fact that at the end of it you feel like you have been bitten by a snake, enjoy.
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Just Another Tuesday
December 7th, 2010
I’ve had a few questions about what to eat before a hard training session to stop from burning out half way through. The secret weapon that I, and I’m sure a few million people around the world use before training is a Protein shake with water, banana and two scoops of the famous Nescafe Blend 43. If you throw a few ice cubes in and blend it up it produces a nice cold treat first thing in the morning. So after the secret weapon this morning followed a smash session which is to be completed for time. I skipped the running before training so was fresh for this session. My finish time was 30min10sec, let me know what you get.
Warm Up 5 min
Push Ups x 75
- Run 400m
Tyre Squats x 150
- Run 400m
Kettle Bell Swings x 100
-Run 400m
Jump Wide Grip Pull Ups x 150
Run 400m
.Pass Out .
For a little afternoon fun I gave myself a total of 200 Wide grip chin ups, 200 Laying Heaves and 200 Hanging Leg Raises to complete before I was allowed to go have lunch. Lets just say it took me a while and I was starving. The rest of the afternoon was spent organising flights to Mendoza in Argentina. The first summit Aconcagua is just under seven weeks away, that time is going to fly by and I better be ready…………I’m off to train, see you tomorrow.
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How Fit Are You
December 6th, 2010
It was the King of Thailand’s birthday yesterday and in a show of respect no Thai will drink alcohol and no bar will sell you any. That really got me thinking about home, on the Queens birthday for example its the best excuse going around to get out of your tree on a bender. What sort of person/saint/hero would it take to step up into the prime ministers shoes for all Australians to sit back and not have a single beer as a show of respect, its hard to picture isn’t it. So until that day, on birthdays, public holidays, remembrance days or any day ending in Y the rivers of beer will flow, in the greatest country of all.
Today was fitness test day, the Beep test was first and I struggled to remember the last time I completed one. I think it would have been when I joined the Army at seventeen, so I was keen to see where my fitness was standing. I ended up with a 13.1 which is fairly good apparently. This led onto Randy’s tailored fit test, a selection of exercises completed for 1min each and then your max reps recorded. I want everyone to try this at home and try to beat your totals the next week.
Switch Kicks - 1min – 120 Reps
Butt Drops - 1min – 30 Reps
Tuck Jumps - 1min – 65 Reps
Burpees - 1min – 25 Reps
Power Push Ups - 1min – 30 Reps
Knee Tucks From Plank – 1min – 52 Reps
High to Low Plank - 1min – 32 Reps
Tabata Squats - 1min – 60 Reps
Jump Rotating Lunges - 1min – 32 Reps
Wide Grip Pull Ups - 13 Reps
Plank - 2min05sec Hold
That concluded the fit test, do this every Monday and try to beat your totals.
A good friend of mine Zack Mellette works for a charity based in Columbia called GIVE US NAMES. I met Zack during a trip to Argentina some years ago and last year I caught up with him in Alaska. We had a great time Camping, Climbing, Rafting and enjoying everything Alaska has to offer. He is a selfless and honest human being devoting the majority of his time in helping displaced Colombians by sharing there devastating stories with the world. OLOC Adventures is extremely happy to partner with Give Us Names and help raise awareness for them. Zacks first blog is sharing the Seven Summits story and is a great read.
Big Buddha Hike #1
December 3rd, 2010
First of all i would like to thank all those who are donating through my website, every cent of your money goes to the Central Asia Institute. If you would like to know more about the CAI find and read the book titled ”Three Cups Of Tea”, It was written by the founder Greg Mortenson. Its his story of survival after a failed mountaineering expedition in Pakistan and the amazing locals who help him to recover, it is a remarkable tale of adventure and the beginning of a very worthy NGO.
IF the legs werent sore enough after the hill runs yesterday, todays body fit session certainly pushed them closer to the edge. After a protein shake with water and coffee was thrown down the neck we cracked on with-
Jump Squat 180 degrees – 20 sec work 10 sec rest x 8sets
Jump Lunges -20 sec work 10 sec rest x 8sets
Push Kicks – 20 sec work 10 sec rest x 8sets
Speed Squtas – 20 sec work 10 sec rest x 8sets
Plank Hops, One Leg – 20 m x 4
Wheelbarrows – 20 m x 3
Hand Stand Push Ups – Max reps x 3
Shoulder Push Ups – 20 sec work 10 sec rest x 8sets
agJust a nice easy one for a Friday apparently. A few hours later I threw in some weight training. Chest + Back today, higher rep super sets for a change. Then this afternoon I thought it was time to work on the pack fitness and decided to try out the road to the Big Buddha statue and temple that looks out across all of Phuket. Got the pack ready with a 20kg Kettle bell, all my dirty washing and a duffel bag thrown in for good measure, all up about 25kg. My old corporal would laugh at me now but ill start with that and work my way up. Its a fairly steep road winding its way up to the high point that has to be just under a thousand meters, we will say it is anyway. Along the way a car, one scooter and a cement truck all with Thai drivers stopped and asked me, with a little game of charades, whether I needed a lift, the people are so friendly here and in the nicest possible way I declined all three. I broke in the new boots and made it to the top in just over an hour, I threw the pack down an lay under a thatched hut with the Tuk Tuk drivers for a few minutes to catch my breath and stop sweating. I began to barter a lift down the hill to save the wear and tear on the knees (my excuse) but none of them could help me as they were all booked with tourists who were visiting the temple. The pack went back on with a few laughs from the drivers and I began the slow journeydown, a Tuk Tuk came by with two tourists in the back but they didnt offer me a ride, I was beginning to get disgruntled when a local pulled up on his scooter and gestured for me to jump on, I tried to say that Iwould be to heavy for his little bike with my pack on but he would’nt hear of it, on I climbed and away we went. Shaky at first but by the bottom we were Superbike pros in the making. He was a top guy who spoke broken english and was a painter, He went out of his way to help me and I was most grateful for the assistance in concluding Big Buddha hike # 1.
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Beach Training Marine Style
December 2nd, 2010
Last nights trial of the road side chicken went really well. The stomach didn’t skip a beat all night, I guess after years on the road and eating what I’ve had to eat my stomach has finally evolved. I will now become one of the regulars at the local chicken stop. I was up with the first honk of the local scooters this mourning after a top sleep. I went to get out of bed and almost hit the deck my legs were that tight but caught myself and hobbled around getting ready for what is supposed to be the hardest Body Fit session of the week. We travelled away from the camp down to a secluded beach on the eastern side of Phuket. The beach was situated next to a steep road winding upwards about 300m to a steep set of steps that led to a lookout. It would have been a beautiful scene if I wasn’t in so much pain from the beginning. Randy is an ex US Marine and this is his Beach training day.
Warm up 5 min Run, up- down steps
Reverse walking on hands and toes up steps x 6
Reverse Walking on hands and toes up steps + push up at each step x 1
Reverse walking on hands and toes up steep concrete to look out x 4
Run down the hill to beach- 100 Jump Squats
Run half way up hill – 100 Jump Squats
Run to Top
Run down the hill to the beach – 50 Burpees
Run half way up hill – 100 Mountain Climbers
Run to the top
Drills on the Beach included
High knees 1min-Push Kicks 1min-Push Ups 1min-Flutter Kicks 1min, Up and In Crunches 1min, Thrusters 1min.
The session was tough but at the end of it we all hit the water that looked out on some of the beautiful islands that surround the Phuket Peninsula. It was a sunny day and I thought to myself that this has got to be one of the best training spots in the world.
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Side of the road chicken
December 1st, 2010
This mourning I woke and felt like i had gone 3 rounds with Randy Couture, I really have to learn to ease into things. Never the less a short time later I was in with the group warming up for Body Fit, Core Day. The 5 minute warm up is more then enough to surround myself with a lake of sweat. No point being worried about it because everyone is in the same boat, or ocean, with the Europeans the worst by far.
5 min warm up
V ups- 20 sec work, 10 sec rest x 8 sets
Push Ups- 30 sec Max reps
Up Downs From Plank – 20 sec work, 10 sec rest x 8 sets
Push ups- 30 sec Max reps
Superman Holds -20 sec work, 10sec rest x 8 sets
Knees to Elbows From Plank – 20 sec work, 10 sec rest x 8 sets
Leg Raises- 20 sec work, 10 sec rest x 8 sets
Flutter Kicks – 4 min
Up and In Ab Crunch-20 sec work, 10 sec rest x 8 sets
Push Ups- 30 sec Max reps
Jump Tuks From Plank – 20 sec work, 10 sec rest x 8 sets
The session concluded and I was in need of food and rest. I decided to take it easy for the afternoon and threw in some light weight training. Ill keep posting these sessions as its stuff you don’t see very much of in mainstream gyms and I know some of my faithful fans appreciate it. If you don’t know what a particular movement is just drop me an email and I will break it down for you. For dinner tonight i decided to try my luck with a local stand on the side of the road near my apartment. I bought a half chicken, an additional quarter chicken, three bananas, salad and some spicy stuff that looks like it would strip paint, for 100 baht. Thats about 3 dollars. If I survive the night without developing spews or number twos i think ill become one of the regulars.
Edit
The journey has begun
November 30th, 2010
I am now a resident of Chalong Thailand where i will be living, training and preparing for the Seven Summits. The first of which is only a short 6 weeks away. Ill be doing the majority of my training at Tiger Muay Thai, which is a famous MMA and Muay Thai camp. I flew in at ten o’clock last night but was ready for the 7am, 6km timed run. This was followed straight after by the famous body fit session held by Randy, it ran as follows,
Tyre Squats 100 rep - 200 m Run
Kettle Bell Swings 150rep – 200m Run
Jump Lunges 100 rep – 200m Run
Jump Chin Ups 150 rep – 200m Run
I decided to ease into the afternoon with some free weights and a protein shake. So Day 1 of training was not as easy as I was planning but hey, it only gets harder from here.