Graphs of the graft
So here is my post of graphs and whatnot. I'll put in a cut because it's graphics heavy...
My fitness app (FitNotes, it has no ads, it's quite good) makes graphs. And these are pretty good graphs JSYK so they need to be shared.
Twice a week I go swimming, I won't include a picture of what swimming looks like because I think you get that. I do breast stroke because that's as athletic as I get.
I aim to get 1 hour in but do more when I can, sometimes it's been less for time reasons. I go by time because I just can't keep count of how many lengths I do and I swim in two different pools of different lengths (one empirical one metric).
Twice a week I go to the gym with exercises to strengthen my legs/knee and my core for my back/hip pain. Warm up on the crosstrainer and then a whole bunch of cardio because, there's no avoiding cardio. This is how it goes...(my routine varied a bit at first but it's pretty fixed now)
Cross trainer(aka Eliptical machine - the skiing thing) warm up;
The massive dip is the first time I used the ones at Warrender, which are on a different grade so there's no way to start easier and get tougher as you warm up (their level 1 is like 5 or 6 at Gracemount). I have adjusted.
Leg Presses look like this
They're sitting down squats basically. I am currently doing four sets of 15 repetitions with 35kg.
Seated Leg Extensions next. I've been stuck on 20kg (4 sets of 15 reps) for a while now; my GP says that's okay. They look like this (although thanks to all the mirrors in the gym I can assure you I look nowhere near as poised)
And this is how I'm doing with them. They're a real bugger when my knee is playing up but I mostly just take longer to do them.
Core rotations
I do these on a weighted machine and I've been stuck on the same level for a while. Again, that's not a bad thing (apparently). 15 reps turning each way - 1st at 11.24kg, then at 8.75kg.
Weighted Straight Leg Raise The trainer at the gym showed me a way to use the weight machines to do something that's a standing variation of the straight leg raise because the gym don't have ankle weights to do it properly and I didn't want to have to do a separate thing when I got home (this is how the thighmaster has seen so little action). Right now I do 3 sets; one at 6.25kg, then one at 8.75kg and another at 6.25kg
The massive drop is when someone else was using the equipment and I just had to do normal straight leg raises on the matts.
Last but not least - cardio on the exercise bike. Whenever I can, I use a recumbent bike so I have better posture and don't damage by back doing it. However, when I do have to use a regular one I can hold my posture quite well thanks to all the core rotations...although I can't reach the screen as well. Buses and time allowing I try to do 30 mins full speed and then 5 minutes cool down, this averages out at speeds like this...
Recently, I've broken 7 miles without an asthma attack which is an achievement. I listen to Welcome to Nightvale etc at this portion but have used music too when I am without.
My tips are... watch the news at the start. It gets me sufficiently angry that I give a bit more, you can work out the rage. I did quite well listening to Les Mis once or twice too but nothing works quite like the Trunchbull from Matilda (the musical) who just has no sympathy for how tired you might feel in "The Hammer". Alternatively you can be Matilda withstanding her physical challenges in "The Smell of Rebellion" (although it's got a slower start).