HE Labour Party is having its annual one-week conference at the hotel where I regularly work out (been there since 2001). As a consequence, and as was the case 2 years ago, the place will be closed to all guests and all members. In the interim, I am forced to go to a different health club (YMCA), which is located further away. Although the equipment there is better, I don’t fancy the idea of going there on a daily basis. But this uncalled-for event intersects with another factor that makes this somewhat of a timely opportunity.

Due to an injury in my right arm or chest (ongoing for 3 weeks and counting), I might just rest for a week. It’s my first major workout-related injury ever (been over 10 years), apart from temporary back issues. I finally realise for myself the pain and nuisance that is prolonged injuries. On the brighter side of things, this will give me more time to be on the Internet. I typically have 15 hours per week consumed due to this long-standing exercise regimen. But I could use the energy…

This may actually be my first break since April. And having finished the competition, I can afford this break, I think.

was not able to reproduce an achievement I had attained 2 years ago, as well as 3 years ago. Although I did my best in this years’s Mr. Fitness competition, another participant, who is also a tough competitor, did brilliantly. Fortunately he is a friend, which by all means makes me happy for him.

Although I was expecting to have won the mini triathlon — that which was completed this morning — overall, I am expecting to finish in a repsectable second place. Well done, Mike Coogan. You deserve the big trophy this year. I will still have my memories of some older and more successful endeavours…

have just entered a squash competition, which is due to begin in October. I hope I can make a decent run for a change. I tend to lose in the early rounds, judging by previous years. While I’m experienced at tennis, I rarely get the chance to practice squash. Moreover, those who participate are in the competition are rather good in general. They seem to be skilled with the swing and are able to see the game from a different and more advanced perspective. Endurance and strength cannot defeat these qualities.

As a secondary note, my site is likely to be down (offline, to phrase it more gracefully) for 8 hours tonight. The domain is being moved to a newer server, which is definitely good news. Zombie armies are said to have grown in scale quite significantly.

Earlier today I read an article about their impact. It claimed that Windows vulnerabilities have led to a rise of 20%+ in just one week and the implication to a Linux user is more SPAM and more DDOS attacks. With control by proxy there is, quite sadly, no liability. Yesterday I spotted an unidentified bot (probably illegitimate) which devoured half a gigabyte of pages from my site. It’s costing resources and money.

In other news, this morning I submitted a first draft of my thesis. I can finally exhale for a while.

HAT a relief! I am finally through with the most dreadful stage of this year’s Mr. Fitness competition. Not only did I complete it, but I am also in a good position to have finished in first position, at least for that one event that is the 10 kilometer run on a treadmill. My time was 39 minutes and 18 seconds. The next stage (as well as last among a total of 10) is a mini-triathlon.

A random photo taken at the gym which I have gone
to for the past 4.5 years (captured in July 2005)

ODAY at the health club, I finally received some more results from the Mr. Fitness competition. I did very well at the fourth stage (among ten) compared to the other nine contestants. I shoulder-pressed 110 kilograms (1 repetition maximum, on a Scott Machine), giving me 2ⁿ place and leaving me in joint in 1^st overall, on par with another competitor. This weight happens to be precisely 150% of what I was able to benchpress, excluding the weight of the bar.

My days of innocence

have never, in my entire life, not even after 10+ years of persistent training, attempted to find out how much weight I can benchpress. I am referring to a proper trial under good conditions and just one repetition, at maximum capacity. Perhaps I feared find this outing because of the possibility of injuries (particularly if the spine is permitted to bend). And yet, the curse has just been lifted, so to speak.

Today at the Health Club we undertook the second stage of the Mr. Fitness contest (I fortunately won the first stage). This time, for a change, the task was to benchpress the most weight just once, on a Scott Machine. Arms had to hover over the chest and the grip could be relatively wide if necessary. The back needed to stay tight on the bench. I started by securing a weight of 150KG (we get 3 attempts/goals in total), plus the bar which weighs about 5 KG. I then attempted 160KG successfully and finally I did 165KG, at which point it became hard. I could probably benchpress more, but I ran out of attempts (the third must be last). I later tried 170KG (175 including the bar, which bent under the heavy load), but I mistakenly allowed my arms go too low (below 90 degrees on the elbow), which botched it. I am still extremely pleased with this achievement.

Picture from the BBC

XCITING news (for me at least) came out yesterday afternoon. I won the rowing competition (first stage among 10) with the time of 10:43.5 for 3000 meters. The second among the 10 contestants was almost 1 minute behind me, which considering my neglected endurance, makes this a high achievement.

Related items on exercise:

• Rowing Ahead
• Decade of Exercise
• Mr. Fitness