# The journey towards my ambition



## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

right, well long story short this journal is going to contain my diet/training as well as my mission to get into the Army (Parachute Regiment)

*my current stats*

age:19

Height:6 foot

weight: currently 13 stone 10 and cutting 

*About me*

*
*Ive always had an ambition for a military career, and ive always wanted to be part of the best i could possibly be. Last year i applied for the royal marines, after getting a great setback when i medically failed, i did a huge bulk. Got to 16 stone 10 as of about july 2012, but dislocated my shoulder on holiday and thought enough is enough. I started dieting and have lost 3 stone in 3 months (will put pics up at some point) and have been hitting cardio and weights hard since.

About 2 weeks ago i applied for the army, but i asked if i could do the medical forms first (so if i was going to fail medically again, it would be early on for less upset) and this morning i got the humbling news that ive been medically cleared  but i still have a long way to go before i get to where i want to be, so im not banking 100% yet

*My training*

*
*I do weights 4x a week doing each bodypart once, ill go into details of each workout on days i do em  but here's my split:

monday - legs

tuesday - chest n tri's

thursday - back n bi's

saturday - shoulders n core

I dont have a set in stone running schedule, but each week i aim for a hill sprint session, interval sessions, and 1 distance run.

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*friday 12/10/12*

Today was a rest day off weights but not off cardio! After my phonecall today saying i was medically clear i was fired up and hit the gym ready to smash out a good interval session 

Here's what i did:

3x 800m intervals at 16.5kph with a 2 min rest between each

3x 600m intervals at 16.5kph with a 2min rest between each

6x 400m intervals at 17kph with a 1 min rest between each

I was dead after this so all in all a good workout 

Diet wise i've had just under 2000 calories (my daily goal) and just over 200g protein  so im happy with today


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Gonna finish up today now with a bit of telly and an early morning tomorrow consisting of a big shoulders + core weight session and a good hard cardio session :thumb:

Should be updating with before and current pics of me on sunday hopefully too


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## ItsaSecret (May 28, 2012)

how the **** did you lose 3 stone in 3 months O.O!!! lol thats crazy bro. subbed


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

ItsaSecret said:


> how the **** did you lose 3 stone in 3 months O.O!!! lol thats crazy bro. subbed


just stuck to 2000cal a day, hit the gym hard as soon as my shoulder was ready and started hard cardio not long after


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## ItsaSecret (May 28, 2012)

murphy2010 said:


> just stuck to 2000cal a day, hit the gym hard as soon as my shoulder was ready and started hard cardio not long after


u drop weight pretty easy then lol i used to be able to retain so much weight then lose like 20lb in a month but then it soon goes to like 1lb a week. even on 2k cals.


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

ItsaSecret said:


> u drop weight pretty easy then lol i used to be able to retain so much weight then lose like 20lb in a month but then it soon goes to like 1lb a week. even on 2k cals.


Im hoping things stay the same until im about 13 stone, thats the weight im aiming for  ill be nice and lean but most importantly wont be carrying excess weight for running


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## ItsaSecret (May 28, 2012)

murphy2010 said:


> Im hoping things stay the same until im about 13 stone, thats the weight im aiming for  ill be nice and lean but most importantly wont be carrying excess weight for running


true that lol, i think any ripped guy should blitz the army exam


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

ItsaSecret said:


> true that lol, i think any ripped guy should blitz the army exam


Only part im slightly worried about is the 1.5 mile run. i need to be able to do it in 9:30 but i want a sub 9 minute time


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## ItsaSecret (May 28, 2012)

murphy2010 said:


> Only part im slightly worried about is the 1.5 mile run. i need to be able to do it in 9:30 but i want a sub 9 minute time


you don't have to right away do you? or have the standards raised, my mate joined about 16 months ago and it was 10:30 he had to beat?


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

ItsaSecret said:


> you don't have to right away do you? or have the standards raised, my mate joined about 16 months ago and it was 10:30 he had to beat?


i still have months before it comes to when i have to do it in that time. And different parts of the army have different times they need for the 1.5miler, im wanting to join the parachute regiment and theres is 9:30 i think


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Saturday 13/10/12*

Nice sleep in, morning whey shake then off to the gym to do shoulders 

Since i dislocated my shoulder i like to hammer my shoulders hard, seems to make it abit stronger each week.

so heres what i did:

3x standing bb shoulder press

3x seated smith machine shoulder press

3x facepulls

3x db shoulder press

3x side lat raises

Finished off then went over to the treadmill to do some cardio  since i started a journel i wanted to see where i was with my 1.5mile run time, so i tried it today for a best effort.

I did it in 9:22 so im already under the required 9:30 time :thumbup1:

Gonna have a nice day today at gf's house, eaten 600cals so far and 90g protein  ill be aiming for 2k cals and 200g protein so im on a good start


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Sunday 14/10/12*

Going to enjoy a nice rest day today  no gym or cardio. Since my activity levels will be low today ill be eating roughly 1850 cals with 200g protein.

Just going to update now with some pics:

This first picture is me just coming back home from holiday after dislocating my shoulder, date is 17/7/12



This next lot of pics are from this morning:

Back



Relaxed



Tensed abs



So id like to hope i've dropped a good level of bodyfat, and hope that im somewhere below 15%bf now


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

well today hasnt gone well, ive eaten 600cal worth of cereal  and i've gotta go out for a pub lunch with my girlfriends mum :/

ill probably eat nothing after that to be safe cal wise.

just curious here, what would anyone say my current bf% is off my pic above?


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## dan_mk (Feb 16, 2012)

I'd say about 15-16%


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## ItsaSecret (May 28, 2012)

probs 12% you're in crappy lighting. get in some powerful downlighting like my pic and i bet you look ripped as **** lol


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Sunday 15/10/12*

Ok well im back home after stopping at my girlfriends house, just had a pre-gym snack and vit-c drink so ill be hitting the gym sooon 

Today is leg day  and so for obvious reasons i wont be doing any cardio today after the gym.

here's my leg routine:

3 sets barbell squat

3 sets leg press

3 sets lunges on smith machine

3 sets stiff-legged deadlift

3 sets calf raises

Diet wise it will be same aim as usual, 2000cals to 200g protein  ill try getting a picture in better lighting soon.

Still waiting to hear back from the army office as the one i go to has shut down and i should be hearing from the office im being re-assigned to soon i hope 

On the plus side ive got work 5:30pm till 10pm tonight and me been a cnut i left my chesteze in my work locker so ill be able to get them back today and make this weight loss abit easier


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Just got back from a greuling leg workout, im knackered, gonna kick back have some food and relax before work now 

gonna pop a chesteze+200mg caffeine too before work to get me through it


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Tuesday 16/10/12*

Just back from the gym  had a big food intake this morning as i was starving, ate 720 cals at 6:50 am just before gym which wasnt my best idea tbh i felt bloated and abit sick in the gym, but i enjoyed the food 

Today was Chest and Triceps at the gym, and here's my routine:

3 sets incline DB press

3 sets Decline DB press

3 sets Flat BB bench

3 sets Pec flies

3 sets skullcrushers

3 sets cable pulldowns

Just gonna kick back now till 10am ish then ill go off to do some cardio  gives me chance to settle my stomach as well as for traffic from people going to school+work to die down 

Todays cardio will be hill sprints, which is always a challenge with leg DOMS from yesterday :thumb:

Oh and i weighed in at 13 stone 8lbs this morning so im happy with that  might even be lucky and get a call/post from the army office ive been re-assigned to today with any luck 

Ill update later after my run or if any interesting news comes in


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## lightweight09 (Apr 22, 2009)

When training for your mile and a half make sure you are good for about 3 mile because before your mile and a half you will have a slow jog in a big group to where you will start you mile and a half so you end up covering over 2 miles unless it's changed.


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

lightweight09 said:


> When training for your mile and a half make sure you are good for about 3 mile because before your mile and a half you will have a slow jog in a big group to where you will start you mile and a half so you end up covering over 2 miles unless it's changed.


I heard there was quite a hard warmup prior to it, but ill be ready :rockon:


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## Kemot (Oct 2, 2012)

Hey Bro , Good luck with your cutting phase 

- What is your diet now , and do you support yourself with supplements ?


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Kemot said:


> Hey Bro , Good luck with your cutting phase
> 
> - What is your diet now , and do you support yourself with supplements ?


Diet wise i dont really follow anything set in stone, i set myself 200g minimum of protein a day to hit, and use iifym so i throw a few treats in a day  keeps me sane, if anything i try a 50/40/20 macro split, but only follow the protein side of it religiously 

Supps wise i dont use awt apart from whey 

Sometimes i take ECA but never bother with the asprin


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Just got back from my cardio  t'was a good session 

did hill sprints up a road with a very nice steep incline 

I sprint up as far as i can which is to this bush which i'd say is roughly 250meters from the bottom, then i jog down and repeat 

I managed this 7 times this week which is an improvement from last weeks 6 so im doing summit right 

Got work 5:30 till 10 tonight so from now till 4:30 im just going to chill and eat 

Just taken 2x chesteze with 350mg caffeine  so ill be on top form for the rest of today


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Right well time to make my food, and get ready for work :/ 300g turkey breast 

heart rate still high from the ephedrine so this will be interesting 

Considering picking up a high vis thermal top for early morning runs too before work


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## Bull Terrier (May 14, 2012)

murphy2010 said:


> Only part im slightly worried about is the 1.5 mile run. i need to be able to do it in 9:30 but i want a sub 9 minute time


Would that be in army boots also carrying some kind of kit? If so, damn difficult..


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Bull Terrier said:


> Would that be in army boots also carrying some kind of kit? If so, damn difficult..


Nope, for the test before entry im sure its any any clothes


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Wednesday 17/10/12*

Since today is a rest day from weights and i have nothing to do i thought i'd enjoy a nice sleep in 

Just gonna be hitting cardio today, going to do interval training but vamp the incline up this week to make it harder as well as more comparable to outdoor running

Feeling really bored most of the time now, i just keep waiting for a phone call/letter from the new careers office so i can get on with the next stage, all this waiting is killing me i just want to get in asap 

Ill probably head out to do the cardio at 11ish so now im just gonna relax and have some food


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Today's cardio session was really intense, i did interval training but put the incline up so it resembled outdoors.

I was planning on doing my usuall interval runs (3x800m,3x600m,6x400m) but after the 3rd 800m i had nothing left so called it a day.

Bit dissapointed really, but 3x800m on incline at 16.5kph is still good, and gives me a target to aim for in the future


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## bottleneck25 (Sep 25, 2009)

Well done mate nice progress and good luck with your goals it would take me about 30 mins to run 1.5 mile lol but im a fat ****


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

bens1991 said:


> Well done mate nice progress and good luck with your goals it would take me about 30 mins to run 1.5 mile lol but im a fat ****


No lie, about 2 months ago i could barely run 2 miles without having to stop, it was embarassing


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Friday 18th/10/12*

Well today is my favourite weights day of the week  back + biceps 

Here's my routine:

4 sets of deadlift

3 sets of wide grip pullups

3 sets straight arm pulldowns

3 sets dumbbell rows

5 sets heavy barbbell curls

3 sets dumbbell shrugs (inbetween sets i shrug a 25kg plate to failure to burn my traps)

Cardio wise i thought id give myself a rest today since i've done alot of sprint work already this week and a rest would be beneficial

Still havent heard back from the army yet which is frustrating, just wanna get the process going 

Diet wise today's been good and ive worked it out at just under 2000 cals with about 210g protein so all is well


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Just been in contact with the bradford ACIO  im going in tomorrow to pick up barb test booklets and probably some other forms  this is just what i wanted, the ball's finally moving  im so happy right now 

Ill be able to have a good chat with the careers advisor and clear everything up and hopefully know where i stand and how long it all takes


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Just got back from the Bradford ACIO  good news, ive got forms and ive been booked in for a barb test on monday at 12:00 

REally glad to be moving on and getting the ball rolling so to speak 

Just going to get changed then hit the gym with a new found motivation and do some intervals 

hopefully ill do better than i did earlier in the week


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Right im back from cardio, great interval training session 

Just currently filling out army application forms and sorting out certificates, id, nhs card and everything basically that i need to hand in when i do my barb test on monday 

The barb test is easy, but ill still do online revision just to be safe


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

F**k sake, ended up eating 2500ish cals today  hopefully ill still be under maintainance, but tomorrow ill make sure im definatly back on track. bloody rainbow drops :lol:

I think tomorrow ill do a timed 1.5mile run outdoors so that'l be interesting to see how i do


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Saturday 20/10/12*

Well this has been a very eye opening and humbling morning. Since i knew my 1.5 mile time that i did on the treadmill with no incline (9:22) would be quicker than my time outdoors i decided to do a 1.5 mile outside this morning.

The road i do it on has a fair few inclines and declines making it a good run. The humbling part was my horrible time of 10:20 :/ ive still got 50 seconds to shave off it to be safe. But, i have got more than enough time to do so, so its time to step up the training next week!


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## latblaster (Oct 26, 2013)

Hi mate, you're really do well how long have you got to shave off the 50 seconds?


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

latblaster said:


> Hi mate, you're really do well how long have you got to shave off the 50 seconds?


Id say2 months as a good estimate, its do-able im just going to have to work harder


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## latblaster (Oct 26, 2013)

At your age, you'll do that easy, with a bit of work ofc.


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

latblaster said:


> At your age, you'll do that easy, with a bit of work ofc.


Definatly  ill just use this as motivation to push harder on each run i do from now on


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Right well i've been informed by an army careers advisor it can be 4-6 weeks from after the barb test to the point where i need to do a 1.5mile run in 9:40. the pressure is on 

Ive tweaked my traininng schedule around a bit, and as a rough guide here is what ive come up with:

Monday - Rest

Tuesday - Hill sprints

Wednesday - Interval - 6x400m 4% incline 17-18kph (treadmill)

Thursday - rest

Friday - Interval - 2x 1mile, 2x 800m, 2x 400m (road running)

Saturday - 1.5 mile run best effort, 1.5 mile run home

Sunday - 6 mile run with fartlek sprints


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Back from a good shoulder session  did the following;

3 sets standing millitary press

3 sets seated smith machine shoulder press

3 sets facepulls

3 sets side lateral raises

Feeling a bit edgy knowing ive got alot of improving to do within the next 6 weeks ish, i need to make sure i have it nailed 100%

Anyways rest of tonight ill rest, going to go through my practise barb test booklet and see how i fair at it


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## Marshan (Aug 27, 2010)

Fair play and well done on your achievements so far Murphy...good for you bro! You will definitely make that 9:30 mile. More power and best of luck to you man.


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Sunday 21/10/12*

Nice easy day today, been practising mock barb tests and going through the booklet i was given, im 100% sure ill pass it 

Starting my new running regeime tomorrow which is also exciting  im hoping each week ill take 10 secs off my 1.5 mile time which leaves me where i need to be 

I have however changed it from what i posted earlier to this:

Monday - Rest

Tuesday - Hill sprints

Wednesday - Interval - 6x400m 4% incline 17-18kph (treadmill) OR 4x800m intervals outdoors along 1.5 mile route

Thursday - rest

Friday - 3 mile run best effort

Saturday - 1.5 mile run best effort, 1.5 mile run home

Sunday - 6 mile run with fartlek sprints


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Monday 22/10/12*

BIG DAY TODAY  day of my barb test  ive been practising and know for sure im going to smash it 

Had a nice early morning today, been to the gym to do legs and necked some whey 

Got all my bag ready with my forms etc and now im ready to just go down there and do what needs to be done 

Ill post back up after im back with my results


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Back home 

I passed my barb test  i got a score of 65 and i think you need 26-28 to pass so i smashed it 

Ive also been given a date for interview 2 (5/11/12) which is all moving good 

The careers officer says if i pass everything i could be looking at the march/april para intake 

now ive just gotta prepare a presentation for interview 2 and smash out the cardio to get as fit as possible!!

Oh and my golds gym vest came today  ordered one off ebay really cheap (only had xl though) its big on me, but still looks good


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Big motivation here


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Tuesday 23/10/2012*

Well had a sleepin this morning which was nice  just had a morning whey shake and 4g vit c 

and when this all settles down in my stomach im off to do hill sprints 

today im aiming for 8 (considering i did 7 last week) but here's the fun part :

After i do 8, ill have a 5 min rest, then do 6, have another 5 min rest, then do 4, have another rest, then do 2  its going to kill me, but it'l be worth it


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Right just got back from cardio, and i've gotta say it was one of the toughest if not the toughest cardio session i've ever done. Honestly i thought leg day made my legs burn, but its nothing compared to this.

i did hill sprints as in the above post:

8 reps (sprint to the top, jog down)

5 minutes rest

6 reps

5 minutes rest

4 reps

5 minutes rest

2 reps

I did learn a good lesson from this though, that fitness is 90% mental i'd say, the amount of times i told myself no im not going to stop and go home and carried on was unreal  the necessity to get fit pushed me through it all, and its only going to benefit me  it talked about the mental part funny enough in that video link i posted in this journal  which is well worth a watch imo

I timed each sprint up too to make sure i wasnt gaining too much time which really would ruin the point of it, the quickest time i sprant to the top was: 1 min 3 secs (first rep) and the slowest was 1 minute 15 secs (about 3rd to last rep) so im quite pleased with that 

Ill head to the qym later when i have energy to move, right now im gonna lay on my bed and drink a loooad of diet coke


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

MMM found a whole steak pie in the fridge  parents said im alright to eat it all 

1440 cals and 52g ish protein  it looks delish  think i deserve a treat 

Ill still stick to 2k cals, just wont quite hit my 200g protein though  but one day wont kill me


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Just got back from the gym, did chest and triceps 

Felt horrible and energyless though throughout the session. so i popped 600mg caffeine worth of tabs and i was alright 

Next week ill have to fit a meal inbetween running and gym for energy and performance 

My steak pie is in the oven now cant wait to sink my teeth into it


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Wednesday 24/10/12*

Ok well i weighed in this morning at 13 stone 4 lbs which is good 

Going to go do some interval training soon, but its really foggy down my end so i think im going to stick to a treadmill run today.

I was thinking of a run somewhere on the lines of 10x400m on atleast 4% incline at a min of 17kph giving myself 1 min rest between intervals 

After i've got back from them i have a completely free day, so im going to relax and probably start the presentation i need to do for my interview 2


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Right just back from the gym + post workout food 

Did the following interval session on treadmill:

3x400meter sprints at 17kph on 5% incline

2x400meter sprints at 17kph on 4.5% incline

1x400meter sprint at 17kph on 4% incline

1x400meter sprint at 17kph on 2% incline

1x400 meter sprint at 17kph with 0 incline

Overall this session was knackering! the first sprints on 5% incline burned my legs and left my heart and lungs also on fire, so all in all a good session 

Since ive never listed my diet , i think today ill post my food for today(since i actually have it worked out for once xD) :

60g whey upon waking

a bag of mccoys salt n vinegar crisps

60g whey after gym

30g fruit loops cereal with 200ml ffmilk

250g lean bacon rashers between 2 slices white bread with brown sauce

60g whey before bed

This totals at about 230g protein and just under 2000cals


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Right ive finished my presentation sheet for my interview, now i just need to learn it off by heart for 5/11/12 ! 

the icebreaker presentation is split into 4 topics and are as follows (for anyone who cares  ):

- Personal detais (30 seconds long)

- Topic (1min30)

- Reasons for joining the army (30 seconds)

- First job choise (30 seconds)

The topic has to be one of these:

fav tv/film

fav hobby/sport

best holiday

best day

current job or best subject at school

Now i just gotta keep revising it until i know it all without reading off a sheet


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*25/10/12*

Nice sleepin this morning 

Today is a well earned rest day from the cardio, and so today i've only gotta look forward to training back and biceps at the gym 

Been waking up starving recently, but its causing me usually to have a massive breakfast and then cut back on food during the rest of the day to stay in my calorie limit :/

So today is basically a chill out day, go to the gym probably 11ish, then ill revise my interview 2 icrebreaker presentation whilst playing xbox/watching tv


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Just got back from the gym  good workout, didnt feel too good on deadlifts though  but some strength loss is to be expected


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Friday 26/10/12*

Ok well today i decided to do a 1.5 mile best effort run up along the roady track at the local resovoiur due to it been flatter, and not having to run through roads where cars go and generally less obstacles like sh1ttily parked cars.

I clocked my 1.5 mile run in a respectable 9:34, im pretty happy with that but there is still alot of room for improvement and so im hoping to bring this figure hopefully to below 9 minutes within a month or 2 of hard work and training 

Diet wise i went off the rails last night, eating close to 4k calories which ill make sure doesnt happen again, i feel bloated but i dont look it so im glad with that 

Ill just keep to 1900-2000cals and let the water weight float off and it'l be good as new 

Nawt else to do today really except for work 5-10 which will be sh1te and i really cba with it but its money i guess


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

well work was sh1te.

5 hours of me at crapalan nearly crippling from the need to take a major dump due to last nights binge, needless to say it was a glorious moment when i got home to the toilet


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Saturday 27/10/12*

Just got back from a nice 3 mile run 

Thought id vary the run abit, so i did the first 1.5 at a slightly faster than jog pace

then when i hit the 1.5 mile mark, i reset my stopwatch, stretched for 20 secs while sorting watch out

then i headed back 1.5 mile best effort  mega burner 

first 1.5m i did in 11:35

second 1.5m i did in 9:59

Im quite happy with this  but still plenty of room for improvement

going to go gym soon once ive recovered haha


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## George-Bean (Sep 8, 2010)

Respect (and reps). Doing really well mate.


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

George-Bean said:


> Respect (and reps). Doing really well mate.


Cheers  still got a hellofa long way to go till im fit enough to even get in, but ill keep going


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Monday 29/10/2012*

Nice easy day today, leg weights at the gym and no cardio 

got work 5-10 which is crap but its money atleast 

still weigh 13 stone 4 which im happy with considering i had a binge day a few days ago 

Plus its only 1 week exactly till my interview 2 which im really happy about, cant wait to get it over and move on 

Oh yeah and i ordered usn protein dessert yesterday, saw it bogof so im looking forward to getting that and seeing how nice it is


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Tuesday 30/10/12*

WEll my usn protein dessert came today  so i made it up before going for a run  used 2 scoops with 100ml milk  just over 31g protein at just under 190 cals which is good 

Whilst it was in the fridge i went out and did hill sprints 

First rep i absolutly bombed up knocking 5 seconds off my best time from last week (today was 58 secs up the hill compared to last weeks 1:03)

but after 8 reps i was seeing stars and vomiting in my mouth on the way down so i hadda call it a day early 

Dissapointing, but i trained as hard as i could which is still beneficial 

Going to go to do chest n tri's soon  got a free sample of Maxiforce Nox Pump too which ill take before my workout too see if its any goof 

Oh and im 13 stone 3 lbs now  hoping to be 10%bf or maybe lower by 13 stone with any luck


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Right well i just got back from a good chest and tricep session at the gym  best part was the gym was completely empty


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Wednesday 31/10/12*

Well just got back from cardio 

did 6x400m intervals at 17kph with 1 min rest between

did the first 4 on 5% incline and i was nearly falling off by the 4th interval!

so last 2 i knocked it down to 4% and i was still nearly dropping off by the last one 

all in all great session 

Got myself a double serving of usn protein dessert now to eat yum yum  and a big bag of biltong later as im off to the cinema with my misses 

Who says yummy treats cant be good for you


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Thursday 1/11/12*

Well ive had a nice easy day today  eaten aload of sh1te but im still at 1900 cals so its not that bad 

had a rest day from cardio today 

just got back from a good back and bi's session and now im just going to relax


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

i take it back from earlier about me doing good, ended up today on just about 4000 cals id guess :/

necked 6g of vit-c so hopefully the diuretic effect will help me p1ss out the water weight. im hoping to be the same weight tomorrow or 1 lb heaver (13-2 or 3)

still ill have plenty energy tomorrow for a 1.5 miler best effort!


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*Friday 02/11/12*

Roight well im sitting at 13-03 today which im quite pleased about considering i binged last night :whistling:

Going to have a very low carb today to knock out any water weight and get back on track 

Going to go do some cardio soon oh the joy 

today will be: 1.5 miler best effort, 2 min rest, then im going to carry on down the road and have a nice 4.5 mile jog for a bit for abit of endurance 

Got a batch of usn dessert in the fridge waiting for me too hehe  so that'l be my treat for a good run 

3 days till my interview aswell! going to really knuckle down and revise revise revise!


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Well my run was fkin ruined 2 minutes into it!

I do it along a straight road with 1 turning where i have to run across the road to the other side. Anyways there was a car waiting to go up as i was getting to the road and the cnut didnt wait for me, he drove across which meant i had to stop and ended my run..

Now im gonna rest up for a hour and go to the resovouir and do a 1.5 miler there  only problem is its a 0.4 mile road i do it on so i have to turn around a few times which adds extra seconds on


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Jus did a 1.5miler in 9:31 

Stopped for about 10 seconds too when i was throwing up in my mouth!

So realistically i think its safe to say i could push a 9:20 1.5miler


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*03/11/12*

Ok well i had to rest off cardio today due to me splitting open the hard skin under my foot which is painfull and 1 days rest will mean itl be good to go for my next cardio session 

Had a good shoulder session at the gym earlier, my right shoulder is still getting abit stronger each time


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*05/11/2012*

Ok well todays the big day  ready for my interview at 12:00 wooo 

Had an early morning leg session to prepare me haha 

now im all suited up and ready to go!


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Well i passed my interview 2! inteview 3 is next wednesday woop  adsc could be by end of the month which is good and very exciting


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*06/11/12*

Just got back from the gym did chest n tr's 

gym was empty when i got there so i got a quick updated snap shot 

gym was cold so no vascularity though  and no pump due to it been just as i got there, but yeah here i am as of today:



Id like to hope im about 10% bodyfat atm but im not banking on it


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*14/11/12*

ok well i havent updated this in ageees !

well the good news is i passed my interview 3  and i should be getting my adsc date in the next few days!

i picked my 2nd n 3rd job choise today too 

2nd) royal logistics corps as an ammunition technician (they do bomb disposal)

3rd) the rifles

So yeah  ive been having a few cheat days and im at about 13 stone 1 but ill get to below 13 for my medical so its no worries 

and other than that ive been to do some hill sprints today, and all in all im just buzzing that im 1 step closer wooo


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*15/11/12*

Ok well recently ive been having cardio issues which basically is me feeling as fit as a fat kid chasing the ice cream van so i've really been lacking conviction and motivation recently. so after giving in 5 minutes into a 3 miler best effort this morning i thought enough is enough.

I rested, ate jaffa cakes (fat i know but meh  ) and just blasted out a nice 6 miler endurance run in 43:30 which im happy with 

so when ive regained consciesness from this run im going to head down to the gym to do chest n tri's 

on a side note, i wonder if my 1900 cals a day is causing my issues with cardio? maybe its hindering recovery and causing me to have overtraining tendencies recently. either way im considering upping it to 2500 and see if i can maintain weight at that


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*17/11/12*

well i weighed in today at 12 stone 13lbs which is good, but i dont really think i wanna lose much more weight so i think i might bump the calories up starting next week.

Anyways i decided (again) to change up my cardio routine, try summit new!

Monday -

Tuesday - 6 mile run last 1.5m best effort

Wednesday - 1.5m best effort

Thursday - 6 mile run last 1.5m best effort

Friday - intervals/hill sprints

Saturday - 1 hour endurance run

Sunday - rest

Obviously the activity levels are much higher in this routine, so for maintainance i think ill be looking at 2500cals + maybe?

anyways im going to go to the gym soon for shoulders and core 

but first, usn protein dessert double serving mmmm


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*21/11/2012*

Well im still awaiting my ADSC date, i rang my careers office yesterday just to check up on it. Just wish id have the date now, so i'd have an end result kinda to aim for, as well as to give me some motivation as im starting to lose motivation for cardio training atm 

well i did a nice 6 mile run earlier,faster pace than last time so it shows there is improvement 

going to go do chest n triceps at the gym in a bit too


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*22/11/12*

Still no bloody phone call with my adsc date, feels like its tekking forever 

had a rest from cardio today, top of my left foot feels trashed and is quite sore so its for the best 

Had a nice back n bi's session at the gym today too 

now im just going to chill, eat food, play xbox and fanstasise about food that i dont have enough calories to eat xD


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*23/11/12*

well, that pain in the top of my foot has turned into a swelling overnight, which is fantastic.

guess i wont be doing any cardio today now


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*24/11/12*

Well had a nice shoulder session at the gym 

still no cardio due to foot swelling 

Weighed in this morning at 12 stone 11lbs, think ill up my calories a little so i still lose weight, but at a much slower rate.

With any luck ill be at about 8% bf for mid december when i go (hopefully) to tunisia with my girlfriend on holiday


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*14/12/12*

Havent updated now in ages!

i had my ADSC down in Glencorse in Edinburgh between the 10th-12 december 

all in all it was easy, apart from the 1.5 mile best effort run which i nearly died after xD

I managed a time of 9:28 on the run, which i was dissapointed with, but is still a pass 

Now ive been told i can expect my PRAC (Parachute Regiment Assessment Course) in January/Feb time, for this ill need to do a 1.5 mile run over hilly-ish terrain within 9:30, so ive got alot of work to do if i wanna hit that!

So between now and then im gonna step up the cardio, keep around 13 stone weight (might even try go for 12-12.5 stone) and make sure i dont fail!


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Just got back from a lovely 6 mile run in this lovely icy weather :thumbup1:

got a respectable time of 43:31, Which im quite pleased with considering i hadda slow down a few times due to icy patches, and cars been nobs pulling infront of me, but all in all a good step in the right direction


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## GymEatSleepRepeat (Jan 14, 2009)

Ok subbed matey.

Firstly, get off the treadmill, i only read the first page and i saw you were on it! They can be effective but nothing is better than outdoors.

As i have mentioned to you, stop doing 1.5 miler PFA best efforts every week, especially 3 times a week! this should only be done every 3/4 weeks to test your improvments.

Dont worry yourself with the PFA's mate, that is one of the easiest phys sessions that you will do whilst in the Army lol. Concentrate on pure hard graft, fast, endurance phys. you are already doing the intervals/hills and fintan circuits which are PERFECT for this so keep it up 

keep it there pal, work hard , jack


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

GymEatSleepRepeat said:


> Ok subbed matey.
> 
> Firstly, get off the treadmill, i only read the first page and i saw you were on it! They can be effective but nothing is better than outdoors.
> 
> ...


Ill definatly keep it up  and i love the idea of fintans on a hill ! that's gonna be great to try when i next do em  just out of curiosity, at a PTI, do you think i should try to cut down a bit more bf%, im 6ft and 13 stone which isnt heavy by anyones standards on this forum, but it is for people smashing out rediculous run times?


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## GymEatSleepRepeat (Jan 14, 2009)

murphy2010 said:


> Ill definatly keep it up  and i love the idea of fintans on a hill ! that's gonna be great to try when i next do em  just out of curiosity, at a PTI, do you think i should try to cut down a bit more bf%, im 6ft and 13 stone which isnt heavy by anyones standards on this forum, but it is for people smashing out rediculous run times?


you will have your dinner on your chest after the fintans on a hill. :laugh:

You dont need to try to cut bf mate, it will just happen with all the training that you're doing. just concentrate on your training and eating. Unfortunately, its one or the other regarding getting seriously fit or bodybuilding. Depends what you want more. as soon as your in your battalion you can start bodybuilding style training again.


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

GymEatSleepRepeat said:


> you will have your dinner on your chest after the fintans on a hill. :laugh:
> 
> You dont need to try to cut bf mate, it will just happen with all the training that you're doing. just concentrate on your training and eating. Unfortunately, its one or the other regarding getting seriously fit or bodybuilding. Depends what you want more. as soon as your in your battalion you can start bodybuilding style training again.


Ahh right  i just always wonder how much faster id run if i was abit lighter as all haha xD

anyways, i remember yesterday you was recommending a power bag during fintan circuits? are these basically like a backpack with some weight in them?


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## GymEatSleepRepeat (Jan 14, 2009)

murphy2010 said:


> Ahh right  i just always wonder how much faster id run if i was abit lighter as all haha xD
> 
> anyways, i remember yesterday you was recommending a power bag during fintan circuits? are these basically like a backpack with some weight in them?


Yeah man, powerbags are similar to that i guess but they are made to be picked up and ran with easily. google the powerbag. they go from 10kg - 30ishkg. If you can get about 20kg in a backpack it would work. just pick it up, sprint 40/50m with it, drop it off, sprint back, touch the marker, sprint back and pick it up again and repeat. then do your best effort round the field :2guns:

Repeat


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

GymEatSleepRepeat said:


> Yeah man, powerbags are similar to that i guess but they are made to be picked up and ran with easily. google the powerbag. they go from 10kg - 30ishkg. If you can get about 20kg in a backpack it would work. just pick it up, sprint 40/50m with it, drop it off, sprint back, touch the marker, sprint back and pick it up again and repeat. then do your best effort round the field :2guns:
> 
> Repeat


that sounds brutal! i bet that in its own you could make a killer sprint session from tbh


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*15/12/12*

nice interval session today down on a rugby pitch  although it was very slippy and my calves were trashed from yesterdays run still haha xD

Got some great training idea's and help on my routine from the beast of a PTI @gymEatSleepRepeat so now theres no way ill fail PRAC as long as i give my all in every session which i will!

Oh and i weighed in at 13 stone 1 this morning which isnt bad considering ive gone off the rails with my diet since ADSC so im pleased


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*17/12/12*

Just got back from my fintan circuit, and boy was it brutal haha!

i loaded up my rucksack with some weight (total weight of the rucksack was 16.8kg)

it was just over a 2 mile tab to the resovouir, which felt nice and easy although slightly uncomfy on me back.

then the actual circuit 

the banking hill is like 30m long id guess and is very steep, which makes it perfect for this!

i started at the bottom, sprant up, did 15 reps of an exercise, then walked down, and repeated 9 times before doing a little best effort run followed by 2 minutes rest. I did this 3 times and by the end i wanted to jump in the resovouir and commit suicide i was feeling lightheaded and sick.

then i grabbed my rucksack and tabbed home 

for the exercises i did these:

15 pressups

15 squat thrusts

15 pressups

15 bodyweight squats

15 pressups

15 squat thrusts

15 bodyweight squats

15 pressups

15 tuc-jumps (absolute burner at the end)

so yeah, im pleased with how this session went, and im proud of my performance


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*18/12/12*

Ok well i just got back from my first new and improved hill sprints session!

started out with a 3 mile run (aiming for a time between 20-21 mins)

then went to the hill where i do my hill sprints 

i sprant up (takes 50-60 secs) and walked down, repeated 5 times

then after this i did another 3 mile run, aiming to keep below 8 minute miles 

the last 3 miles was absolutly brutal! my legs and chest were in agony from the word go haha, but i stuck it out, and sprant the last 500meters 

all in all a great sesh im really pleased, now im going to eat a sh1t load of food and maybe do weights later today


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

Heading out to the gym soon! thought id share this video for those needing some motivation! dude's my inspiration haha  oh and no ****.


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*19/12/12*

Finally! a well earned rest day from cardio and weights  just going to chill today 

give my body time to recover because tomorrow im doing a mock PRAC run, and im on a mission to beat 9:28 on the 1.5miler back haha


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*20/12/12*

Ok well back on the cardio! went to my local footy pitch today for a sprint sesh 

started out at one goal line and did the following:

sprint to 18 yard line, jog back

sprint to half way, jog back

sprint to other 18 yard line, jog back

sprint to other goal line, jog back

jog whole lap of pitch, but walk the last width (walking the last width incorperates fartlek and allows recovery for the sprints)

all of this is 1 rep, i did 10 reps of it 

Going out to town for abit with my girlfriend, but when i get back im going to do another run  im thinking 3 mile road run with some lampost fartlek sprints in


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

well didnt end up going on another run today :/ spent too long out in town, but still i think i've done enough today 

tomorrow's a big day, going to smash out a nice steady 12 mile run hopefully within 85-90 mins max


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*21/12/12*

Ok well i decided not to do the 12 miler today, but instead i decided on a 6 miler so i could still be doing a longish distance run, but at more of a pace,

but yeah, my last 6 miler was on 14/12/12 and i did it in 43-31. Todays 6 miler clocked in at 41-44, which is 1 minute 47 seconds faster than my previous best!

great improvement


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*22/12/12*

Just got back from another session involving 2x 2mile walks with 16.8kg backpack on, and a fintan circuit in the middle 

did the same as i did on the 17/12/12 so if you're curious exactly what it consisted of it just there 

going to up the reps of the circuit next week to 4 so i can introudce progression into it 

Oh and ive taken off a sh1t load of skin from under my toe haha quite painfull to walk on, and it burns like fcuk in the shower, but ill bandage it up and it shud be reet for monday


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*23/11/12*

Right had a nice rest day today  although i have pigged out and feel hugly bloated, but oh well 

right then, so tomorrow im going to be doing the same as i did yesterday (weighted walk + fintan circuit)

and if anyone is interested, here is my training plan cardio wise:

Monday - 2mile weighted walk, fintan circuit, 2mile weighted walk

Tuesday - 3 mile run, hill sprints, 3 mile jog

Wednesday - rest or swim

Thursday - Sprint sessions, 3 mile jog (will replace with a mock PRAC run on the 10th january to monitor progress)

Friday - 6 mile run (may increase distance)

Saturday - 2mile weighted walk,fintan circuit, 2 mile weighted walk

Sunday - rest


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*24/12/12*

Ok just back from my fintan circuit  same routine as always, except today i did 4 sets not 3  so im happy with that 

However, the skin underneath my big toe is fcked, it started out a few days back as a blister that came off, and now the skinless area is gettting bigger with white skin round it haha


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*25/12/12*

merry christmas!!

just got back from a 3 mile run  thought id change up my routine today abit with it been christmas and what not 

so instead of hill sprints and another 3 mile run, im going to do 30 minutes skipping later in the day 

and ill throw in hill sprints at some other point during the week so i dont miss out 

now its time to eat massivly for 2 days haha


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*28/12/12*

well i was 13 stone on the 25th december, now in 13 stone8  dat christmas bulk 

so yeah i was feeling sick this morning from last nights binge eating, and i really felt it when doing my run this morning.

i did a 6 miler in a horrible time of 44:56, which is terrible considering last week i did it in 41:44, but hopefully ill drop the weight this week and next week ill beat both times when im light as a feather again 

let normality resume!


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

ahh nawt like normality been resumed  ate a very respectable 2000-2500 calories today  now there's nothing else to stop me from hitting a good weight of 13 stone on the dot and getting as fit as possible 

im glad xmas is over just for that alone


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*31/12/12*

ok well got back from my fartlek session 

today i thought id do it at my local football pitch so i could sprint both ways rather than having to walk down the hill at where i usually do it 

i did 4 sets and by the end i was dead so all in all a good session


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*1/1/13*

well today was a sh1t training session, my body felt awful and i ended up coming home early  feel like crap now :/


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*7/1/13*

right well today the army careers office re-opened after their christmas break 

got a phone call earlier saying my PRAC is on the 15th january which was amasing news 

so now i need to make sure im strict with my diet as im hoping to cut in at just under 13 stone for prac 

anyways today i did 4 sets of a fintan circuit which as always is a killer of a session but one i love


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

*14/1/13*

well tomorrow's the big day, ive picked up my tickets and packed my bags for it. finally im at the last stage of my army application,the parachute regiment assessment course, and the hardest too by a long shot.

still ive trained hard and hopefully ill pass it and get on the 3rd march intake of para's 

if anyone other than myself reads this thread, all wishes of good luck appreciated :lol:


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## murphy2010 (Dec 17, 2010)

18/1/13

Passed PRAC, yeeeah buddy


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