Work it baby, YEAH

Due to office I work in not having a shower I have recently joined a gym for the first time. It's a crazy new world in there and quite frankly, I'm a little concerned. As one would expect the change room is full of naked men strutting around but what concerns me most is the designated stand around chatting naked zone that I have dubbed the funboy zone. Gone are the days of having to travel to Bardots for a spot of nude conversing.

The second thing I need to share is that I, being a novice gym junkie still haven't got the routine down yet. Not only did I walk through the main foyer in the budgie smugglers (not realising there was a more direct route from the change rooms to the pool) but I have also fallen into the classic trap for young players.

I implore you people never forget these

Especially when you're wearing jeans.....

"Joey, have you ever been to a Turkish prison?"

Italian style leads to weight reduction

Now that I have mastered the "Fatmax Zone" it's time to put the gears into motion, so to speak. I have the know how, I have the bike, all I need now is the motivation. With some quick thinking from the Saturday Peloton a simple yet brilliant plan was devised that even Nat couldn't refuse. Once I hit 85 kg this baby is mine.

Washing the car is the new Thai-bo

My efforts to get to 85 kg by the time we returned home from our 250 day world odyssey (natandev.travellerspoint.com) were on track until we got called home early. Thanks to the plentiful supply of hearty food and slices I put on most of the weight I lost whilst away in a mere 3 weeks. That's not exactly true, I went from 106 down to 92 then back up to 97 and now I have equalized at about 95. I have been working on the last 10 kg but I don't seem to be making any progress. Concerned by my fruitless efforts I decided to consult Mr Fortnight Forta. In years gone by he would have recommended a hot cold pack but this time he gave me a very insightful run down of the ideal fat burning heart rate. It turns out I have been working a little too hard. I have been monitoring my heart rate whilst riding and found that I'm operating at 80 - 100 % of my MHR.


Researchers from Birmingham University's Human Performance Laboratory attempted to pinpoint the exercise intensities at which fat metabolism is maximised in a study of 18 male endurance cyclists with a training background of at least three years. Their work found that the Fatmax Zone is between 68% and 79% MHR.

Mountain biking keeps me in the fatmax zone for longer but it's still burning way too many sugars and not enough fat. After a ride today I forgot to take my heart rate monitor off and I made a startling discovery. Washing the car (hand and bucket method) gets the heart going smack bang in the middle of the fatmax zone. That explains why the ladies at bikini car washes always look so good and also makes you wonder about the link between water restrictions and the obesity epidemic....