As I begin increasing my training for Ironman and potentially fighting again, I’m working with Sony to monitor my training and get me in the best possible shape for what looks to be an exciting 2016.
Since retiring, my training has changed massively. As a professional athlete I was training 3-4 times a day, now it’s once a day.
Using SmartWatch 3, I was able to track my fitness to really analyse my progress.
I logged my fitness and food intake for one week, and then monitored how I felt at the end of the week. Here are the results:
- Videos
Fitness Diary
Day 1
Pre-workout:
I’ve decided to start my fitness routine today with a morning swim, as it always helps me focus my mind and get me prepared for the week ahead. At the moment my mind is on potentially competing in an Ironman, so getting some good head-space is really important.
After the swim I’m going to do some resistance training. People are usually surprised, because as a boxer they assume that I’m going to be all about the weights. But actually, press-ups and pull-ups are more important, so they’ve always been a big priority for me.
Post-workout:
I managed to achieve 30 lengths over 25 minutes, which I was happy with. Because SmartWatch 3 is water protected* I was able to monitor my progress every step of the way, which really gave me the motivation to keep going.
As I moved onto resistance, I did 40 pull-ups to warm me up – which I was hoping to do more of but I decided to focus more on 150 press-ups and then also another 150 sit-ups.
Day 2
Pre-workout:
Cardio is always an important part of my workout, to keep my fitness levels high, so I always try to infuse one type of cardio technique every day. Today I’ve decided to go on the treadmill for half an hour at the gym, before having a strength session.
Post-workout:
My run on the treadmill was a steady one today, staying at 12kph. I find that a consistent pace is generally the best for me.
For the strength session, I did reps of muscle ups, dead lifts, bench press and squats. For the squats, I went up to 130kg for six reps – which really took its strain on my legs. I’m going to be feeling it in the morning!
Day 3
Pre-workout:
A bike ride is on the agenda today. I’m going to ride around my local area, before heading back to the gym in my house to do some exercises, using SmartWatch 3’s built-in GPS tracker to plot my route.
Post-workout:
I did a three-mile bike ride in 22mins 56 seconds, which is really slow but my legs were feeling quite heavy due to yesterday’s squats, so I purposely kept the ride quite steady, with a couple of faster bursts of cycling.
Back at my gym, I repeated the same workout of press-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups that I did on day one.
Day 4
Pre-workout:
Today I’m going to follow the same route that I did on yesterday’s bike ride, but this time attempt it on foot. Three miles seems achievable so I’m going to give myself a target to complete the run in 21 minutes.
I’ve also got my playlist sorted and ready to go. I find it really helps if I listen to music when I’m running, so it’s great that I can use Sony’s SBH70 Bluetooth headset that connects directly to my SmartWatch 3 when I’m out on a jog. My choice of music may not be what you’d expect – usually Country & Western and a bit of Johnny Cash, because I like a slower pace of music when I’m running so I can concentrate on my own pace.
Post-workout:
I checked my SmartWatch 3 straight after the jog, and it showed that I completed it in 24 minutes, which by my standards is pretty poor and really not good enough, so I’m going to try harder tomorrow.
After the jog, I was feeling quite energetic so I did the same strength session as I did on day two – but without the squats (my legs are still killing!).
Day 5
Pre-workout:
Following my disappointing jog yesterday, I want to up my game today and push myself a bit further so I’m going to attempt a four-mile run and then do some more exercises back at my gym.
Post-workout:
I managed to survive the long run, and I completed it in 30 minutes. My SmartWatch 3 monitors time, distance and pace, and after seeing the results from yesterday I really wanted to kick myself up a gear. At just over 7 minutes per mile, I’m really happy with myself. The comeback is on!
I finished my workout today with more press-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups.
Day 6 & 7 (Weekend)
Pre-workout:
Today is the start of the weekend, so I’m going to dial down the fitness because I believe rest is just as important as working out – it always my body to recover so that I can come back harder the next week.
Post-workout:
I took time in the gym to repeat my strength session that I’ve done previously, as it really works for me. This time I decided to add back in the squats, as my legs were feeling less heavy. However – no cardio for me today!
Food Diary
Ever since I was young, I have always been a big eater and food and drink have played an important part in my training regimes.
I usually follow a strict diet, eating foods that I know work best for me whilst training. I also always make sure I have three big meals throughout the day, to ensure my energy levels are high and I have enough motivation to keep me going.
Over the last week, I alternated between the following meals from Monday-Friday – lunch and dinner is always the same:
OPTION 1
Breakfast:
Porridge with a banana, mixed seeds and honey
Coffee and a glass of orange juice
Lunch:
Pasta with a tomato sauce, garlic and herbs
Roasted vegetable and chicken
Dinner:
Jacket potato with either: cottage cheese; beans and cheddar; or tuna sweetcorn coleslaw
Broccoli and or green beans
OPTION 2
Breakfast:
Brown/wholegrain toast with peanut butter and nutella
Coffee and a glass of apple juice
Lunch:
Pasta with a tomato sauce, garlic and herbs
Roasted vegetable and chicken
Dinner:
Jacket potato with either: cottage cheese; beans and cheddar; or tuna sweetcorn coleslaw
Broccoli and or green beans
Throughout each day I also drank two litres of water, as well a high protein shake, post workout.
Finally, I also took a range of multi vitamins and minerals that also helped keep my energy levels high over the week.
Although my food intake is quite regimented throughout the week, I usually try to enjoy myself at the weekend. So on Saturday and Sunday – anything goes! I treated myself this weekend to a good takeaway and a bottle of red wine.
Results
However, I’m happy as my strength and conditioning feels very good.
I love gadgets, so SmartWatch 3 is the perfect device for me to help monitor my progress and give me motivation to improve my results moving forward.
* SmartWatch 3 is water and dust protected as long as you follow a few simple instructions: you can’t take SmartWatch 3 deeper than 10m of water and for longer than 30 minutes; and the water should be fresh water. Casual use in chlorinated pools is permitted provided SmartWatch 3 is rinsed in fresh water afterwards. No seawater and no salt water pools. Abuse and improper use of device will invalidate warranty. SmartWatch 3 has an Ingress Protection rating of IP68.
Exclusive Car Review at www.automoview.com
