[Clare Barks]

Today is a rest day. Unfortunately, running was a no go as my foot seems a lot worse than I initially thought and has come up in a lovely bruise. I need to give it a couple of days to heal before running on it, which is annoying, but it is what it is. I can just about shuffle along, so I did a very slow walk this morning instead!

Aside from that, it was work as usual. Online check ins this morning and a couple of posing sessions this afternoon. I’m going to attempt another short walk in a bit, then I have a massage client this evening before I’m done for the day.

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[Clare Barks]

Hi Ollie. How are you getting on? Did you try the Cream of Rice as your pre workout meal?

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[Clare Barks]

Hi Georgios

How has your sleep been? Have you managed to get on top of it?

still trying to work on pre bed routine. Deep sleep remains an issue and i keep waking up earlier that i am supposed to. No extra rest has been taken. Limiting screens, caffeine and eating bit further from sleep. Getting to sleep is not much of a problem for me rn[/quote]

Why are you so resistant to taking a few days off training if it may improve your recovery and sleep?[/quote]

i did actually took two consequtive days off. Helped quite a bit with recovery, although food is not crazy high on those days and i still do a bit of cardio in a fasted state. Todays session went very well after the two day break. Sleep issue hasnt been resolved though as i keep finding myself waking up early. Deep and rem sleep not the greatest, but sleep efficiency is pretty good. Duration seems to be the main problem rn.[/quote]

I think you’ll find that resolves over time, especially as food is increased.

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[Clare Barks]

Today was a Leg day. Turned out to be a really good session, despite stubbing my toe quite badly last night to the point where the bridge of my foot is now bruised and I can barely bend my toes and walk.. haha! Fortunately that didn’t affect any of my movements today.. Tomorrow’s run may be a little tricky though, but we’ll cross that bridge when it comes.

I switched the 45 degree Leg press out to the upright leg press today and gave banding it a go, which felt lovely, so will keep this in now for a decent run.

I filmed some content today too and got some pics done in the new TBJP T-shirts that will be out soon.

Lying Hamstring curl x 2
Adductor x 1
Pendulum squat x2
Banded upright Leg Press (Hip press) x3
Leg ext x 2
Abductor x2

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[Clare Barks]

Hi Georgios

How has your sleep been? Have you managed to get on top of it?

still trying to work on pre bed routine. Deep sleep remains an issue and i keep waking up earlier that i am supposed to. No extra rest has been taken. Limiting screens, caffeine and eating bit further from sleep. Getting to sleep is not much of a problem for me rn[/quote]

Why are you so resistant to taking a few days off training if it may improve your recovery and sleep?

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[Clare Barks]

A super session today! I know I keep saying it, but I love having deadlifts back in my plan.. I get a real buzz after every session when I get to deadlift. The load is progressing nicely back up again too and they’re feeling super comfortable, so I hope I can continue this way!

Since getting a recurring QL injury after deadlifting in the past, I ditched my belt and focussed massively on my core work, which seems to have payed off, not only for deadlifts, but squatting movements too.. and pretty much any exercise. I’m able to consciously brace a lot harder and be more in control. The belt had become more of a habit and something I thought I needed, but I’ve progressed much more without.

Lat Pull down x2
Back Row x2
Reverse Hyper x2
Deadlift x2
Glute Drive x 2
Dips x2
Lateral delt raise x2
Hanging Leg raises/Ab twists x3 each

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[Clare Barks]

Around 1lb a week is a good rate of gain, however some weeks may be more and some less. I would base your decisions about when to increase food on not only scale weight, but your look and performance in the gym also. If you’re progressing well in the gym and weight has stalled for a few days, I would potentially hold off increasing food a little longer.

Keep your protein consistent at the upper end and keep daily fats in a good place to support hormonal health (around 50-80g), then increment carbs up when a food bump is needed. If you feel good and perform well on higher fats, you could push these to the upper end and/or have more fats on your rest days in place of some carbs.

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[Clare Barks]

A busy day of work for me today, so nothing really exciting to report. I have several clients competing over the next few months, so have been busy checking in with them and making sure they’re all where they need to be.

No training for me today, just a run first thing. I did a different route, which was a little more challenging as it involved a few hills, but all good fun!

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[Clare Barks]

If you don’t want to use a watch, you can buy a cheap, simple clip on pedometer. Alternatively, there are plenty of basic apps you can download if you want to track via your phone and always have it on you.

A more comprehensive and pricey fitness tracker alternative, would be the Oura ring.

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[Clare Barks]

I’d keep them the same for now and wait another week. If still no change in scale weight, then bump food up slightly. Keep tracking your performance and look.

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[Clare Barks]

A super Leg session this morning. I love training on a Sunday.. there’s always a great atmosphere in the gym and I love to see people training hard.

Everything felt really nice today 🙂

Lying Hamstring curl x 2
Adductor x 1
Hack squat x2
Banded Leg Press x3
Leg ext x 2
Abductor x2

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[Clare Barks]

Hi Martin. You have a starting plan,so the best thing you can do now is simply follow it and see how your body reacts. Track your look, scale weight, performance, recovery, energy levels and adjust as necessary.

In terms of how many calories you’ll need on training and non training days, this will depend on your lifestyle and where you need those calories most. Many people are less active on non training days and therefore have less energy demand, so reduce carbs. This allows for more food to be utilised on training days around the workout window to fuel performance and aid in recovery. However, some people have active jobs and more daily energy demand, or may feel that they need similar calories on rest days to facilitate their recovery. It’s very individual.

Your sleep, adherence, hunger, appetite will all come in to play too when it comes to setting up a diet and where you may need more or less calories or more or less carbs.

I would follow your plan for a minimum of 2-4 weeks, then react as necessary.

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[Clare Barks]

Today has been a rest day. A refreshing run in the rain first thing, some jobs around the house and online client work this morning, then my husband and I went out to view a couple of houses. Not that we’re necessarily moving any time soon, but we like to look if something comes up that we may be interested in. I’m going to cook a meal for the family later, then probably have a night in with a film.

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[Clare Barks]

Thanks for the replies everyone. My recovery is okay at the moment. Could definitely do with more sleep though.

I am currently running, upper, lower, rest. So sessions are pretty brutal and I’m wrecked at the end. I had a deload prior to starting the fat loss phase.

In terms of weighing food and sauces I track everything except the salad. So I shall start doing that. I usually eyeball it.

I will add in the extra expenditure!

Thank you

Let us know how you get on Ben after increasing expenditure. You may also find utilising UNWIND post workout and Dream Sleep pre bed will help with your recovery, sleep and reduction in stress.

[/quote]
Thank you Clare. I usually train after work, by the time I get home it’s late so I eat and then go to bed. Would you still recommend taking both?[/quote]

I would just use Dream sleep pre bed then.

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[Clare Barks]

Thanks for the replies everyone. My recovery is okay at the moment. Could definitely do with more sleep though.

I am currently running, upper, lower, rest. So sessions are pretty brutal and I’m wrecked at the end. I had a deload prior to starting the fat loss phase.

In terms of weighing food and sauces I track everything except the salad. So I shall start doing that. I usually eyeball it.

I will add in the extra expenditure!

Thank you

Let us know how you get on Ben after increasing expenditure. You may also find utilising UNWIND post workout and Dream Sleep pre bed will help with your recovery, sleep and reduction in stress.

Instagram @ClareBarksPT | tb-jp.com/collections/clothing - The most anabolic clothing ever! |
tb-jp.com/collections/nutrition - highest quality supplements on the market.