New Year – New Regime ?

Well, Happy New Year to you all !!

I know, you are going to say that I have already posted an article this year – well yes, you are right, however, I didn’t wish you a happy new year !

So, who ate too many mince pies or drank too much over the festive period ?  Well, I guess that would be most of us.  I certainly ate a lot more and wasn’t watching my portion sizes like normal, plus I was washing the food down with a good glass or wine, champagne, beer or port !  Although I did make sure that I carried on swimming and played the odd game of squash, so my exercise regime suffered, however, I did manage to keep up to a certain extent !

What, was amazing was that my weight stayed exactly the same, despite me eating more and drinking more than normal – so why is that ?!  Well, I can only put it down to the fact that my metabolism, has increased prior to Christmas, due to the level of exercise – swimming once a week and playing squash twice a week.  Plus that fact that I did swim a number of times over the festive period !

So, New Year New Regime.  Well for me, the plan is to stick with pretty much the same exercise plan, as I was carrying out prior to Xmas, with a few minor adjustments.  I am also watching what I eat in respect of carbohydrates, particularly making an effort around finding alternatives for potatoes.  As I have written before, Sweet Potatoes are a good alternative to the standard white potatoe, such as your Maris Piper etc.

I’ve written up my latest exercise regime before and please contact me if you want any tips in carrying out any of the exercises – after all this is a learning exercise for me.  So here goes:

1. Knees to Chest / Reverse Crunch

For this exercise you lie on your back on the floor and place your arms at your sides, wih your plms facing the floor.  Rest your head on the mat and tighten your abdominal muscles.

Position your legs together with your knees bent at 90 degree angles.  Lift up your legs until your thighs are perpendicular to the floor.

Keeping your lower back on the floor, slowly lift your buttocks a few inches off the floor so your legs lift up and lift slightly back towards your head.

Pause for a moment and then slowly lower your buttocks back to the starting position.

2. Bridge

Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent.  Position your feet flat on the floor, roughly shoulder width apart.

Place your arms at your sides with your palms facing down.  Tighten your abdominal muscles.

Slowly lift your buttocks off the mat by pushing through your heels until your body and thighs form a straight line.

Hold the position for about 10 seconds and then slowly lower your buttocks back to the mat.

3. Oblique exercise

This exercise is similar to a form of oblique sit ups, however this is the back friendly version, since as I pointed out in a previous post, I have suffered from lower back problems in the past.

4. Bicycle Legs

Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent.  Position your feet flat on the floor, roughly shoulder width apart.

Place your arms at your sides with your palms facing down.  Tighten your abdominal muscles so you feel your back being pushed in to the floor. 

Slowly lift raise both of your legs off the floor and get them in to a position as if you were riding a bike.  You should then effectively ride the bike, the slower you do this exercise the more effective it is in terms of developing your six pack.

Here are my current reps for each of the exercises:

1. Knees to Chest / Reverse Crunch – 120 reps

2. Bridge – 70 reps

3. Oblique exercise – 120 reps

4. Bicycle Legs – 120 reps

6. Back Stretches – 70 reps

I’d love to hear from any one else who carries out these exercises and hope that you too start to see the benefit !

Enjoy and keep in contact.

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