“It was his initiation, his time in the wild, for he would return to his people a Spartan, or not at all. The wolf begins to circle the boy. Claws of black steel, fur as the dark night … eyes glowing red, jewels from the pit of hell itself. The giant wolf sniffing … savouring the scent of the meal to come. It is not fear that grips him … only a heightened sense of things. Cold air in his lungs … wind-swept pines moving against the coming night. His hands are steady ; his form … perfect”
Hello all and welcome,
My name is Nathan Skipper and I will be writing a weekly blog about my journey to an event which will mean alot to me – and I am aiming high.
The Spartan Beast, 18th November 2012.
I call this post the new beginning because I have already progressed from obese to overweight, and as I type this it sounds even less impressive – I have been congratulating myself for too long now and have become complacent, I’ve lost almost 5 and a half stone since last summer and although i’m not gaining, i’m not losing anymore either and there is more I want gone! So, this is a fresh start to train to become the fittest I can be, as I believe all you have is this one life – and I want to experience being in peak physical condition and even more than that – live life to the full and be healthier and happier.
I’ve thought long and hard about a training plan and have learnt alot about my body through losing this weight, I know what I enjoy and also what benefits me personally, I will list below what I will be doing to train for this race on a weekly basis to gain a physique and fitness level I will be happy with.
Running – an absolute love of mine, even if I don’t feel like going I drag myself outside 3 times a week without fail, and never regret it! This has been key in my weight loss and has genuinely made me a happier person.
1 x 6miles (increasing by 1/2 mile every 2 weeks)
1 x 10km (working on increasing my speed)
1 x 6.5mile run (increasing by 1/2 mile every 2 weeks)
I will also be trying to get friends together at least once a week for football or tennis…
Push Ups – everybody knows that push ups are the ultimate in strength training, I will be doing the 100 push-up challenge which is an iphone app and the program can be found here – I will be doing knuckle press ups as this is less strain on the wrists (I have sissy wrists).
3 x whatever the program throws at me
Yoga – something I have only tried out in the last month however I find it gets rid of little strains you find yourself getting when you are a runner, it helps to stretch out your muscles and relaxes and focuses your mind, I would recommend anyone to try this.
2 x 20minute sessions
Swimming – never been a huge fan of swimming, however I have decided to try it again because it is an awesome all-round exercise.
1 x 50 continuous lengths (increase as I feel comfortable)
Cycling – I hear it’s good for a runner to cycle as it strengthens muscles in your leg you don’t use as much whilst running and could get weak/prone to injury (mainly hamstrings I assume) – also I enjoy a bit of cycling as long as it’s not all road, luckily there is a lovely trail near me.
1 x 10miles (slow weekly increase)
Workout – this will have to be made on the first scheduled day of my workout, I have decided to have it consist mainly of body weight exercises, as I can do these anywhere e.g. when on holiday / weekend away etc. I have some good ideas of what I will include and these are: Burpees (Legs/Abs), Crunches (Abs), Tricep Dips (Triceps) , Sit ups (Abs), Handstand Push Ups (Shoulders), Bicep Curls (Biceps), Shoulder Shrugs (Shoulder/Deltoids) and Pull Ups (Back/Triceps/Biceps).
3x workout (TBD)
Thank you for reading this blog and if you have any comments or feedback on my training plan, i’ll be happy to hear it!
Nathan Skipper
journey2spartanbeast 