1 week down, many more to go!
Week 2 was a reiteration of the first week but with the introduction of super-sets. So the weights were kept the same along with the repetitions, to form what was explained to me as an endurance phase. My understanding of this is to build muscle function but not necessarily bulk. It’s to condition the muscles to work effectively during training to provide a foundation from which to then build muscle. I do believe my muscles will thank me later for this vital training stage.
My diet has changed considerably, I am packing in protein and substituting snacks of fruit (maybe chocolate) with snacks of mixed nuts. I’m also learning about the skill of over cooking for dinners and using the leftovers as lunch the following day…quick and simple food suitable for anyone’s busy lifestyle.
The super-sets are essentially a way of maximising training time by resting one muscle group whilst still working on another, instead of just standing around to rest. This keeps your pulse rate at a good training level whilst still allowing muscle groups time to rest. ‘Rest’ was not a state I particularly noticed but my muscles certainly felt the benefit of moving to super-sets, and were quietly grateful for not enduring heavier weights this week.
It’s only been 1 week with JLPT but one thing that is really noticeable is that I am starting to feel better about myself, concentrating more on fluid intake and strangely just feeling more confident about everything. So far…so good!
