[nik at work]

Probably in the top ten saddest things I've ever done but as requested Fiend here is a video of the first half of this mornings 400. It took about 7 minutes in total what with moving the camera and the dog and such like. Also I have no idea what the soundtrack is like, I just downloaded a free thrash metal MP3 and stuck that on without listening to it (didn't want to disturb the wife watching Broadchurch) anyway it seemed appropriate for the audience...
Enjoy

[the_dom]

I thought it was mandatory.

And its doing my fuckng head in...

Thats probably a good reason to keep it mandatory....

I've decided to give up beer for January, but not wine. You can claw the wine bottle from my cold dead hands.

Oh, and I'm still on track - 12 days on.

I read this as 'and I'm still on crack - 12 days on'.

One thing at a time hey.

You'd be surprised as how much dedication that takes.

[Duma]

Probably in the top ten saddest things I've ever done but as requested Fiend here is a video of the first half of this mornings 400. It took about 7 minutes in total what with moving the camera and the dog and such like. Also I have no idea what the soundtrack is like, I just downloaded a free thrash metal MP3 and stuck that on without listening to it (didn't want to disturb the wife watching Broadchurch) anyway it seemed appropriate for the audience...
Enjoy

Private video...

[tomtom]

Probably in the top ten saddest things I've ever done but as requested Fiend here is a video of the first half of this mornings 400. It took about 7 minutes in total what with moving the camera and the dog and such like. Also I have no idea what the soundtrack is like, I just downloaded a free thrash metal MP3 and stuck that on without listening to it (didn't want to disturb the wife watching Broadchurch) anyway it seemed appropriate for the audience...
Enjoy

Private video...

Which might be for the best

[Fiend]

Also I have no idea what the soundtrack is like, I just downloaded a free thrash metal MP3 and stuck that on without listening to it

[nik at work]

Password:
the400

(obviously...)

[andy_e]

Couldn't you have sped it up with some Benny Hill theme music to make it better?

[rich d]

is your grill counting the reps down?

[Fiend]

Okay that makes sense now, as you've said the exercises are shorter range than expected (and I thought it was hanging leg raises). Still impressive, I'd pass out after that. I notice you snuck a lego box in of course 

[Nibile]

Nik, I don't want to piss on your chips, but the crunches and leg raises that you perform in the video are widely considered two of the best ways to:
- train the abs very little;
- ruin your lower back;
- get abductor's and sartorius' inflammation.
My personal experience confirms that.
I think you can find better excercises to do or better ways to do the same ones, mainly by reducing the ROM.
Abs are very small muscles, and they absolutely can't generate a contraction big enough to raise the whole torso or the whole leg. The greatest part of that movement gets done by the back and leg muscles. I found great improvement by concentrating the ROM of the crunch just enough to raise the shoulder blades (liying flat on the back); and doing the raises with legs pointing up and moving on a vertical plane only by 10/15 cm just thanks to the pelvis rotation, that is produced by the lower abs contraction.
HTH.

[rodma]

I found great improvement by concentrating the ROM of the crunch just enough to raise the shoulder blades (liying flat on the back);

 

this is the way if you're trying to hit the abs and not the hip flexors

[duncan]

Nik, I mostly agree with Lore. The way you're doing the leg raises is certainly putting a lot of stress on your low back. This isn't guaranteed to give you a bad back but it might do. If you look carefully you will see your back extends (arches up) each time you lower your legs. This is what I was attempting to explain here. If you can keep your back steady as you lower, this is a good exercise. Most people are not strong enough.

Try a . This is also a good illustration - 2 mins onwards - of someone who is not strong enough to do a safe double leg lower. She's all over the place, but well...watch the video. 

You're doing two trunk flexor exercises, perhaps you could substitute a trunk extensor exercise for one of them? Single-leg bridge, reverse plank, or ?

[Fiend]

That's very informative. Do you have any more videos like #1 and #4 to further illustrate those points?

[nik at work]

No piss on any chips here Nibs (in fact, going OT for a moment, most of your posts leave me mighty impressed at your understanding of the English language "piss on your chips" as a perfect example). I freely admit to knowing the best part of very little about this general exercise type of stuff, and what I do know was gleaned from sadistic games teachers at school a disappointing length of time ago. No doubt whatever the basis for their regimes (if there was one beyond pain and misery) is now outdated thinking. So yours and Duncans (and Rodma of course, as if I could forget Rodma...) thoughts, musings and advice are welcome. Your suggestion for the crunch sounds interesting. I'm not sure I fully understand your description of the leg raise though. Do you mean lying on back, legs pointing up vertically (i.e. bent 90 degrees at the waist) and then moving your feet a small distance (10-15cm). If so I fear your suggestion may fall foul of my woeful hip flexibility (which perhaps suggests my energies would be better focussed on a different aspect of my physical make up, but that's a seperate debate...).
Anyway the 400 idea just started out of an interest in doing something for the Sharkathon  coupled with a Stevie Haston (?) blog post about doing 100 pull ups a day, or something. I just added in the standard exercise from school days and the injury inducing regime was born. I guess I need to decide whether I am willing to change the exercises and still be doing the 400? Not a reflection on the quality of the advice given (which I'm sure is good) but rather if my OCD tendencies will accept the changes as valid. Right, I'm off to have a heated internal debate with myself...

P.S. I still haven't listened to the music, how was it for you Fiend?

[Fiend]

Quite splendid thanks 

[nai]

Two months on I'm still recovering from a back issue caused by overdoing leg raises.

Makes me wish I'd been posting in Power Club, maybe someone would have picked up on it and educated me.

My diary tells me I'd been doing them for three weeks.

Heeeeeeed the warnings, stick to the path, don't go on the moors, etc

[rich d]

Did half the ab ripper routine tonight in the hotel room, and didn't drink in the airport, plane or hotel. I needed the breaks so it took around 30mins, as I still can't move my arms properly after Sunday's weight session (is it wrong that I like that?)

[Nibile]

Yes Nik, that's how to do the raises. You have to concentrate on a simple backwards rotation of the pelvis, done by the lower abs. This will make your feet go up a little bit.
Not much hip flexibility involved, but a good dose of hamstrings and glutes stretch.
A little bend at the knees will help, it's not important to have perfectly straight legs, it's just the pelvis that matters.
I'm glad if I could help you.
Oh, and thanks for the little off topic, I really appreciate it.

[Duma]

2hrs at wall, circuits. Managed 8a ish yellow first go, but then fell off at end of 7b, 7a, 7a, 7a. Skin hurts now.

[Fiend]

13 - 1 hours brisk march. Listening to old skool techstep from Biostacis.

[webbo]

13 - 1 hours brisk march.

Have you finally joined up so you get paid for wearing cammo.

[tomtom]

13 - 1 hours brisk march.

Have you finally joined up so you get paid for wearing cammo.

I think listening to one of Fiends video sound tracks should count as exercise

[Fiend]

The sort of music I use in my soundtracks is the only thing that keeps me doing non-climbing exercise without dying of boredom!

[lagerstarfish]

The sort of music I use in my soundtracks is the only thing that keeps me doing non-climbing exercise without dying of boredom!

doing everything in fancy dress must be helping as well?

[nik at work]

For yesterday
The 400
30 min BM session.

Decided I'm going to stick with the 400 until the 16th then switch to the nibs approved 400 (keeps it symmetrical innit)