Starting back at training in my 30's

I have been training on and off in weights and martial arts since I was around 15 years old.  I have competed in martial arts to a high level but never really taken any training regime to seriously to the extent that I would consider myself a master in any particular field but more a jack of all trades.

Recently I have moved house and am approaching my wedding.  As a result of this I have found there to be a lack of time and availability to visit a local gym.  So I commenced a little project to build a small home gym in my garage.

Now that has pretty much been completed I thought I would write this blog to help keep me motivated, share my training regime and offer any help or advice that I can to others.  I may mix in videos and photographs when relevant and sometimes when not just to keep it interesting for me.  One thing I won't be doing is keeping a note of my weight on the scales. This is as the one thing that I have learn over the ears is that whilst it's nice to track progress, if you are lifting weights and training then you can put on muscle whilst loosing fat and your weight won't change to much.  The best measure is the more practical one, how you feel and how your clothes fit.

So, to begin with today I will be doing one of my favourite workouts, a short 20 minute weighted circuit followed by a second 20 minute circuit of punchbag and ab work.  Then after depending on how I feel some dedicated lifting.

The circuit has 20 50 second rounds with a 10 second rest/transition time.  I try to use as many compound movements as possible in the work out to maximise the work done and metabolic response.  As we get older it's important to ensure that our metabolism (that slows as we age) is pushed to ensure that it stays high.

I will do the exercises using 2 x barbells (one is an ez bar to allow me to do extra exercises at a different weight, ideally it would be a straight barbell) and a 2 x kettle bells.

Exercises include:

• Kettlebell round the world (24kg bell is passed hand to hand around my waist) 2 rounds 

• Kettlebell clean and press 16kg or 20kg bells 6 rounds (3 each side)

• Kettlebell 2 handed swings 20kg and 24kg bells 3 rounds
• Deadlift 7ft bar 90kg 3 rounds

• Ez bar clean and press 37kg then alternate single rounds with swings and deadlifts until the timer runs out

The second circuit is alternate rounds on the heavy bag of free punches/kicks with every other round being situps, leg raises, and planks.