The problem was stamina and upper body strength, particularly important in bouldering.
It was around this time that my loving and powerful wife rekindled an old friendship, this old friend now runs a fitness studio offering group fitness classes along with his own loving and powerful wife.
So begins my fitness journey...
It starts with Les Mills (more on that to come) group fitness classes , Bodypump, Bodycombat and Bodybalance sessions 2-3 times per week.
This was soon followed up with GRIT, a 2-3 day per week HIIT (high intensity interval training) sessions, the most punishing thing i'd done in a long long time.
There was a somewhat misguided strength/bulk weights workout added which has since been refined into something more practical and beneficial .
Then we add INSANITY to the mix, a daily 60 day HIIT home workout I, ahem, acquired.
Up to this point I am utterly clueless with regard to nutrition and training in general.
All I knew is I want to be bigger , faster, stronger and do it as naturally as possible, no supplements, fads or easy options (more to come on this). Add to this a possible return to a vegetarian/vegan diet and it gets a little more difficult.
Luckily it's at this time that I gained a training partner, an experienced, knowledgable and naturally supportive individual with a wonderful passion that has made a huge difference.
I've come to realise that a good training partner is incredibly beneficial in so many ways and should never be underestimated.
We've since added WODs (workout of the day) and a military style pyramid workout to the reportoire.
A barbell, dumbell set and pull-up bar have also found their way into the house to great effect.
Words and phrases such as sets, reps, gains, simple carbs, leptin, glucose etc are no longer such alien concepts.
Improved diet, physical results and a general feeling of well being have combined to create something of an addiction and I love it.
Free time is often spent scouring the internet for research on nutrition, bombarding said training partner with questions and daydreaming of various challenges, most recently, martial arts and obstacle races, who doesn't love an assault course?
Big tings....motivation...
I don't just want to be around for my boys, I want to be actively involved, in their games, learning, passions and life experiences, as long as they wish it.
I want to be an inspiration to them in every way not just in fitness, as they grow into men.
I want to be the role model I wish I'd had.
I don't want to be better than you, I want to be better than me.
I'm so excited to see where this, possibly the best change I've ever made, will lead.
One love.
