exercise

4 videos that will inspire you to get off the couch and do more

February 5, 2014 by Peter Fletcher

Gets me motivated to hit the bar every time.

Super Human Strength Pullups

Holy cow these guys are strong. And abs? Whoa. Impressive. After watching this I’m always pumped to get out and do a few more pullups.

People Are Awesome Women’s Edition

Just an amazing group of women doing amazing things.

Best of Web 4 – HD – Zapatou

Watch this in HD. Bet you can’t turn it off, even though it’s 8 minutes long.

PEOPLE ARE AWESOME 2013 (THE BEST)

Yep, this is plain awesome. How people can even conceive of doing stunts like this is beyond me.

15 ways to get motivated for exercise when it’s the last thing you feel like doing

January 22, 2014 by Peter Fletcher

Don’t be a slave to your exercise goals. Sometimes it’s good to do something different.
Image: Andrés Aguiluz Rios http://www.flickr.com/photos/magoexperto/

A text arrived. It said: “Hey PF, if you’re keen, we’re doing the 80 mins as per program tomorrow. 5:14am at my place then heading…”

My eyes glazed over.

By the end of the message I’d lost interest. It was hot, I was tired and the last thing I felt like doing was grinding out 8o minutes in the heat.

Come to think of it I couldn’t bear to even think about running.

The day wore on. I wrestled with excuses.

Then it came to me: tackle this lack of motivation head on.

The question I asked, then, was this: How can I motivate myself to run when it’s the last thing I feel like doing?

Here are the answers I came up with.

Don’t fight it. Roll with the flow and have a day or two or three off. Have faith that the inspiration will return.
Do something short and easy. Do it for the joy of being back on the bike, back on the track or back in the gym.
Adjust your workload. Trying to cram too much into the day can sap the joy out of life. Slow down.
Don’t think about the big goal. Think about doing the first kilometre, the first rep, or even just getting out of bed.
Read success stories, how to articles or watch inspirational videos.
Make an exercise date with like-minded people. I run with a group in Victoria Park and do strongman training with some comrades in Cannington.
Own your lack of motivation. Talk about it and write about it. Own the syrup you’re trying to swim through.
Don’t beat up on yourself if you skip a workout. Shit happens. There’s no point in getting down on yourself, that just makes it harder to get back on your feet again.
Keep your goal in the public eye – like I’m doing with these blog posts.
Look failure squarely in the eye. When I did my big ride my sports psych got me to address the worst case scenario. It was a liberating experience.
Remind yourself about the good stuff you’ve done and the goals you’ve achieved.
Get a good night’s rest.
Take it easy on the booze. I haven’t had a drink since September 14, 2013 and I still feel flat. Imagine how much worse I’d feel if I’d ploughed through a bottle of red.
Think small. Do a tiny workout even if it’s just a few pushups or a walk around the block. Something small is better than nothing at all.
Mix it up. Go for a ride instead of a run. Go for a swim or paintballing.

How do you get your mojo back if you’re in an exercise slump?

The single best and proven way to be smarter and healthier

January 18, 2014 by Peter Fletcher

There’s a direct relationship between a healthy lifestyle and success.
Image: Josiah Mackenzie http://www.flickr.com/photos/josiahmackenzie/

You want to be smarter, right?

You want to be healthier, too?

Not sure how to do it?

The answer is simple. Stop staring at this screen and go for a run. Get your blood pumping.

And do it again tomorrow and the next day.

Make it a life-long habit.

Want proof that the recipe works? Read this article.

Then for god’s sake, go make yourself sweat.

The 50 chin-up challenge

March 9, 2013 by Peter Fletcher

As most of my friends know by now, I’m in the middle of a 50 by 50 challenge. That’s 50 consecutive chin-ups by my 50th birthday in August. I know people who know people who’ve done it and I’ve seen videos of people doing more than 50, so I know it’s possible. Whether it’s realistic is another story altogether!

The rules of the challenge are simple.

Chin-ups must be performed using an overhand grip. Some people would call that a pull-up.
Each chin-up must go to a dead hang. That means the arms must be fully extended at the bottom of each rep.
The feet must not touch the ground at any point of the set.
No mechanical or other assistance is allowed e.g. no exercise bands.

My best set so far has been 12 but since then I’ve gone backwards. Today I only made it to 6. But I’m undaunted!

Thanks to Henry Day I’ve shifted my training in a new direction and am now going for increased reps using exercise bands. Henry recommended I use the bands to get myself up to 60 reps in a set then gradually reduce the reliance on the bands.

I’ve also modified my diet, thanks to advice from Simone Allen from Nutrition Works. The goal is to cut my body fat percentage down so I’m lifting less unnecessary weight. So far I’ve dropped from 81.5kg at 11.9% body fat to 79.6 and 10.5.

I’m also going to start doing weighted chin-ups again to increase my strength. I figure that both strength and endurance will be needed if I’m to achieve my goal.

Jacob’s Ladder: 10 laps sub-30 minutes

February 24, 2011 by Peter Fletcher

I ripped out 10 laps of The Ladder in 28:48:48 today.

This was done after I’d done 10 laps to warm up. I had the engine well and truly at operating temperature.

There was only light traffic and I was able to maintain my downhill speed. I set up a fast lap with a fast desecent. Under 60 seconds is good and 56 seconds is my best.

It’s still very warm and that adds to the effort required to achieve a good time. I’m looking forward to the cooler months ahead.

Lap	Time	Elapsed time	Comment
1	2:57.12	2:57.12	Solid start
2	3:02.66	5:59.78	Lost ground
3	2:52.72	8:52.50	Up and running
4	2:52.81	11:45.3	Consistent
5	2:56.02	14:41.33
6	3:01.62	17:42.95	Traffic?
7	2:59.62	20:42.57
8	2:48.59	23:31.16	Winding up for the finish
9	2:47.95	26.19.11	Setting up last lap.
10	2:29.37	28:48.48	Quick!

The Five Step Programme Guaranteed to Give You a Six Pack at Any Age

February 16, 2011 by Peter Fletcher

I’m about to reveal the secret to having a six pack at any age. Guaranteed. No need to buy my book, no need for fancy gym equipment and no need to go broke on expensive supplements.

Sound to good to be true? It’s not.

Ready? Here they are.

Don’t drink alcohol.
Eat less and then only eat fresh, healthy, mainly plant-based food. Skip anything that’s pre-cooked or pre-packaged.
Exercise more. That doesn’t mean strolling to the mailbox. I’m talking an hour per day at intensity that gets you breathing through your mouth, not your nose.
Drink plenty of water.
Get plenty of rest.

Simple. Do that for 12 months and you’ll have a six pack.

Guaranteed.

Photo credit: Hairy.Jacques