Fine start: 30min upper body set, sauna and cold.plunge

Just a quick follow up from my earlier post (2 blogs in one day - look at me 😄).

Back home, an hour catching up on work emails then into the gym (cave of pain, or garage) for 30mins of upper strength work, courtesy of the Peloton App. Then 15mins sauna, cold shower and then 1min in cold plunge - job done.

If I can get my s**t together, I want to target one upper body, one lower body and one full body workout, a week (30mins each).

Let's see how I do!

The Shift I Need: Less Shiny Tech, More Actual Strength

I am writing this on the train back to Haywards Heath after a few hours in London. The day was a mix of a business meeting, a wander through a few shops, a quick Itsu lunch, and now the journey home. Not exactly a big fitness day, but I still managed to crack out more than 15,000 steps, so I will take that.

Although I would not say my fitness has stalled, it is definitely lacking some direction. My wife made a simple but probably accurate observation the other day – that I could really benefit from a greater focus on strength. At my age, and with the running and cycling challenges I want to keep enjoying, she is right. I hear it all the time.

So why the reluctance? I genuinely do not know. Maybe I find weights and resistance work boring, or maybe I find it too hard. The truth is that I naturally gravitate to what I enjoy: jumping on my bike (or Peloton) or heading out for a run, whether outside or on the treadmill.

However, deep down I know the greatest gains – strength, weight management, body shape, injury prevention, and long-term longevity – will come from actually committing to strength training. I cannot expect real results from one half-hearted attempt every couple of weeks.

If I kept it up and started seeing progress, I know it would motivate me to continue. And with all the resources at my fingertips – TRX routines, Peloton strength classes, YouTube, and even ChatGPT for structure – it is not as if I have a shortage of options. The structure is there if I choose it.

What I need now is commitment. If I can build a stronger foundation, everything else becomes more enjoyable – from my upcoming half-marathon trail run next week to the longer cycling adventures I have planned for the New Year.

So the focus going forward is simple: less obsession with the shiny new toys or the latest data metric, and more commitment to building strength where it matters.