5:2 / IF Exercise & Fitness Thread Number 3: Advice and information for those following Intermittent Fasting .... and anyone else too

[BigChocFrenzy]

Why Exercise ?

Maintaining a normal bodyweight and taking regular exercise are 2 major areas of life which we can address to improve our health.

Regular exercise helps reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, some cancers, osteoporosis, dementia, depression.

Increasing your % muscle and / or reducing your % body fat lowers the risk of death from all causes LowerRiskMuscle

Regular exercisers gain the greatest benefits over their lifetime and they can minimise biological aging, i.e. "Bend the Aging Curve BendAge

Recent Research showed that lack of exercise is twice as likely to lead to premature death as being obese (BMI 30 -35)

Body Fat, Exercise & Diet
People who maintain their weight through diet alone without exercise are likely to have major deposits of visceral fat (the more dangerous kind around organs), even if BMI is ok.

They are TOFIs (Thin Outside, Fat Inside)

A MRI study found that:
45 % of women and nearly 60% of men with “healthy” BMI, had excessive levels of visceral fat i.e. clinically overweight

A Can J Card study showed visceral fat can be burned off via exercise, even if weight is unchanged (increased lean mass)

Hormesis

Hormesis, see Mattson , BlackSwan and Stronger is cutting edge science for nutrition & fitness.

Its principles are that alternating between “extremes” - e.g. feast & fast (5:2 / IF) , intense training & rest (HIIT) - makes the body more resilient.

The intermittent stress of lifting an extreme weight or performing at high speed for a short period pushes the body to overcompensate and prepare for an even greater future challenge HormesisTrain , Hormesis-Edge , and AntiFragile
The following recovery period avoids damage from over-stressing.

Fasted training

i.e. training on FDs (Fast Days), seems to increase the benefits of both training and IF.
Most experienced exercisers soon manage fasted training without loss of performance for sessions of up to 90 mins.

TYPES of Exercise

Main types: Aerobic, anaerobic, flexibility.

All exercise will burn fat, the more intense the faster the fat burn

Anaerobic
e.g. HIIT (see below), sprints, strength training
. Shorter training period
. Increases the RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) for up to 48 hrs
. Soon increases fitness
. May help correct insulin metabolism issues & target abs fat.

Aerobic
e.g. walking, running, cycling, swimming
. Longer training period
. May burn more calories during exercise, if it is lasts much longer than HIIT, but burns fewer afterwards
. It is easier to do for the less fit

Flexibility, Stability, Relaxation
e.g. yoga, stretching

The best exercise routine is one you enjoy and is sustainable.

HIIT cardio and resistance training / weight lifting are especially recommended to boost the effect of 5:2/IF, to increase weight loss, reduce body fat, retain muscle and maintain TDEE / BMR.

HOW to Exercise

If you are a very overweight unfit beginner:
. Check with your GP before starting exercise
. Start by walking 5-10 mins twice per day, gradually increase
. Try walk intervals: alternating 1 min faster pace, 1 min normal
. Build up to a brisk 30 mins daily walk and you will significantly improve your health & fitness
. Swimming is also good, preferably crawl or back stroke for less strain on back & joints.

Everyone Else:
Whether you join a gym or train at home or in the park:

• Train as intensively as your time, health and fitness level allow.
• Do not remain in your comfort zone, or you will not improve. But stop immediately if you feel any sharp pain.
• You are supposed to drip sweat and pant heavily !

Efficiency / Intensity: This Study proved that at speeds of 5mph or faster, running will burn more calories per mile than walking

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

HIIT is an exercise strategy which alternates brief intervals of high intensity exercise with less intense recovery periods

. Very time-efficient, producing the greatest fitness benefit in the least time (the advantage of hormesis)

. Increases both aerobic and anaerobic endurance

. May improve insulin metabolism, very important for health and abs fat.

. Reduces risk of heart problems more than doing lower intensity SteadyState , pp. 31-34.

HIIT can be applied to cardio or to bodyweight exercises, at home or gym.
Most gyms offer HIIT classes, e.g. spinning, circuit training, CrossFit, Tabata, Fartlek (=HIIT with irregular intervals)

FAST Exercise

"No time" to exercise ?
Or want to boost fitness & fat-burning metabolism

Dr Mosely developed a FastExerciseProgram to complement his 5:2 WOE
His Fast HIIT and strength routines can significantly improve metabolism & fat-burning capability

Other scientists like Tabata have developed routines now wisely incorporated in training.

HIIT Fitness Blasts

A few mins per day, 3-5 days per week

START with 2 mins warmup then EITHER

Sprint or Rope-skipping intervals
. 1 minute sprinting / skipping @ max effort +90 secs jogging to recover
. Do 5 intervals

OR

Fast Blasts
Choose from:
Running, stationary bike @ low resistance, rope-skipping, burpees, jumping jacks, spotty dog, punching air or bag, step-ups, swimming, squats, lunges, pressups, tricep dips, situps ... or any combination you like.

Choose type of Blast:

4-minute Blast
. 4 mins @ 90% effort

OR "Tabata" = 8 x intervals of 20 secs @ 100% effort + 10 secs recovery @ rest or slow speed
( FreeTimerApp )

OR 2 x20-sec intervals=
. 20-sec @ 100% effort
. 2 mins walk to recover
. 20-sec @ 100% effort

END any HIIT or Fat Blast with a few mins cooldown walk / jog

RESISTANCE Training / LIFTING

Helps retain muscle mass during weight loss and hence to maintain TDEE.
Lift at home / in the gym weights area / in a pump class.

It is best not to train the same muscle groups 2 days in succession, so have rest days, or cardio, or train different muscle groups on different days.
Try to build up to weight training for 30-60 mins twice per week.

Reps = the number of repetitions in a set of lifts
Sets are separated by brief rests
E.g. 3 sets of 12 reps = 36 lifts
Breathing: Inhale before lifting, exhale while lifting. Don't hold your breath.

WARNING
Do not lift massively heavy barbells, more than bodyweight, unless you are really fit with good technique.
Women who have given birth and / or are aged 40+ have a higher risk of pelvic floor / prolapse injuries when lifting heavy than young non-mums.

Press ups
Video

• The best upper body exercise
• Keep attempting one full pressup rather than doing several dozen girlie ones with your knees on the floor
• Once you can do one pressup, you will soon be able to build up to 5, then 10 etc.
• Tip: keep the abs rigid, so strong abs are as important as strong shoulders & arms
• Hand Release Pressups are good to build up strength for full ones
• Also build up via inclined pressups IncPress , see bottom of wiki page
• To increase the number of pushups IncNum

ATG Arse To Grass bodyweight squat

• The best exercise for the large muscle group in bum and thighs
• Basic principle: It is like having a pee on a public loo - get your bum down low and pointing to the rear, but not actually touching the seat

-Lean back on your heels, so that weight is on them, not on your toes

• Bring your arms forward
• Keep your back straight, but angled slightly forward, not vertical
• Squat down as far as you can without knee pain or hunching your back
• Push up from your heels, exhaling.

Pullups

• Very few women can do full ones, but assisted ones build excellent muscle
• Work the same muscles with the much easier Australian pullup / InvertedRow

If you have access to dumbbells / barbells, then for maximum effect, work the large muscle groups:
Squat BentOverRow (press button "female")
BehindNeckPress (press button "female")
DeadLift

To increase Strength
Lift as heavy as you can, low reps, with 1 minute rest between sets e.g. 5 sets x 5 reps each, i.e. totalling 25 lifts

To Build Muscle
Lift lower weight, 3 sets x 8-20 reps, i.e. totalling 24-60 lifts

To Build Endurance
Lift lower (NOT Girlie) weight for 3-5 mins, preferably without pauses

BUM / GLUTES
Squats & lunges are excellent
Also this 2-min bodyweight workout especially for women, targeting the bum:
WorkYourBum

ABS
Choose the exercises & number of reps for your fitness level

The plank
. Start at 2 x 15 secs. Build up to 2 x 45 secs
. Advanced:

1. Use TRX slings, picture 2

Side plank + hip raises
. If you can, keep the side of 1 foot plus 1 forearm on the floor, free arm straight up in the air, picture 3
. Easier - free hand on your hip. Easier still - keep calf & knee on the floor, instead of bent at the knees
. Start at 3 sets of 3. Build up to 3 x 30

Leg raises
. Lie flat on your back, with legs bent to 90 degrees
. Lower the legs one at a time to 1" above the floor (straight leg if you can) then raise again
. Start at 3 sets of 3 each leg. Build up to 3 x 15
. Advanced:

1. Lower both legs at the same time

Situps
. Hands forward to really work abs & avoid pulling the neck
. Alternatively, cross your arms over your chest
. Start at 3 sets of 3. Build up to 3 x 30
. Advanced:

1. Raise legs to 90 degrees & bring them towards you when you situp (double crunch)
2. Legs nearly flat on the floor
3. One leg bent at 90 degrees, the other held straight 1" above the floor
4. Hold a weight disc / dumbbells / barbell above your head

Angled Situps
. Lie on your back and rest one ankle on the opposite knee
. Angled situp so your opposite elbow touches the knee
. Keep the other hand be in the air by your knee, or alternatively supporting your head - do NOT pull on the neck
. Build up to 3 sets of 20 each side
. Advanced:

1. with dumbell
2. Situps with legs rotated 90 degrees to the left, resting on floor. Then repeat set with legs rotated to the right, on floor
3. Lie on the floor, rotate legs 90 degrees to the left. Raise and lower legs like that, keeping back on the floor. Repeat set with legs on other side
4. Keep legs raised & rotated to the left and do situps (double side crunch) Repeat with legs raised & rotated to the right

AVOID OSTEOPOROSIS

To retain bone strength and avoid a painfully disabled old age, start now:
Ideally weight-bearing exercises that load the bone along its length of these types:

Impact exercise E.g. walking, running, jumping, skipping rope, step class, hitting a heavy punch bag

Lifting: squats, press-ups, bench press, overhead press etc

Squats are much better for osteoporosis than lunges, also for knees:
The weight in a squat is transmitted down along the spine, through the hip, and down along the bones of the leg, whereas in a lunge, it is transmitted across the shinbone and puts pressure on the knee joint

Cycling normally does NOT increase bone density, as it does not load bones along their length. Osteo

KETTLEBELLS Kettle
Beginners:
. Two-handed swing
. Sumo Deadlift
. Turkish Getup
. Swing
. Clean and Jerk
. Press

Improve GRIP STRENGTH GripStrength , GripBuild

RUNNERS

. Sprinting improves fitness
. Regular 5 - 10 km runs burn significant fat, especially fasted

Running illustrates the "J or S-curve" effect, where increasing exercise improves health, up to a certain point, after which health worsens e.g. MayoClinic , RiceUni , JMed :

. Running 20 mins improves immune system

. A run of 90+ mins may weaken the immune system for up to 3 days.
With insufficient recovery periods, the damage is cumulative.
Elite runners have immune systems that handle that strain

. Long races 20k+ may cause micro-tears to the heart muscle in some runners, hence a 2-week recovery period is recommended.

CALCULATORS:
Calories Burned for specific exercises: ExerciseCals
Fitness Calculators: 52FastExercise
Estimate fitness age: FitAge
Estimate Vo2Max iTunes App: Vo2APP
Running Calories burned: RunningCals
Running Standards: Age-RelatedRunCalculator
TDEE 24hr activity times & body fat TDEE-Detail

Well done, love!

We older women are hard. Don't mess with us !

Excellent plank, lovemyway
With the interval principal, you can also vary with 3 x 1-min planks, with 1 min recovery between

Well, I guess I can officially declare myself fully recovered.

I did my usual two teaching sessions this afternoon, plus a shopping trip, and felt fine.

And this evening I've done 2 x 100 press ups, with ease!

First session I started very gently, with 10 press ups and 2 mins recovery - I found this very easy, so I went up to sets of 15, then 20. It took me around 16 minutes.

An hour later I did 5 sets of 20 - took me 10 minutes. I'm naturally very happy about this!

My goal is to do as many press ups as I can in one hour.

That's great b&W glad your rest paid off. I've got a bit of lurgy now, feel awful in the evening but not too bad by day so I've done my plank, 3 x 60 secs and will do some squats and lunges later but will give the run a miss until it clears up. Not attempted any press ups lately but really enjoying mixing up the exercise(runs, walks, leg work, planks and dumbbells) stops it getting boring and easily fitted in depending on my day. I used to run 3 times a week but just got bored with the scenery and trying to do what I thought was best, longer and longer runs. Now I know that that isn't so important I think I will enjoy running more.

hi - hope it's ok to jump in even though i feel like i'm way out of my depth reading people's feats on this thread!

as an aside just have to quickly say how impressive you are B&W - i remember you from back on the 5:2 thread in 2013 (i was SAF then) but for the first time i just clicked on your profile and saw the pics of what you have achieved with your body - you are seriously ripped now!

quick summary of me - i turned 40 a couple of months back and that spurred me to give up tobacco which is going well. i live overseas but went to england for nearly two months recently and rapidly put on about a stone in weight from sitting round indulging in lots of bacon (no pork in this country) and other calorific crap whilst simultaneously being a lot less active than i would normally be. so the weight went on quick and for obvious reasons but i'm now back in my normal lifestyle plus putting some extra effort in (doing 18:6 daily and increasing exercise) to make up for the uk pig out session.

what i actually want though is to really improve my body and health most particularly with increasing my muscle % and my sta. part of it is like with the smoking that i've turned 40 - it's not that i'm depresssed or horrified about the fact i just am aware that i'm not getting younger obviously and if i want to get and stay fit and healthy it is going to take some effort and commitment and... valuing of my health.

ok so far what i did is to commit to:
-going to a weekly yoga class rather than just practising on my own at home and conveniently just doing what feels 'nice' and comforting rather than pushing at all
-going swimming and snorkeling in the sea (which is a bit chilly now which gives the metabolism a bit of an added challenge) regularly
-cycling everywhere rather than sometimes feeling lazy and taking a cheap taxi home

i realised though that whilst actually yes that's nice it isn't enough really to improve fitness by much or to build strength. so today i've done the 2nd day of Level 1 Shred which seems to be a good wake up call actually as to the level of effort, sweat and pushing oneself IS required to improve things

my calves are absolutely killing and i have a very weird walk today. my core doesn't seem to be suffering too badly so i'm adding in doing planks (3x30secs with 30secs rest between at the minute) as well.

i know shred isn't really a long term solution but i think it will help me gain a bit of fitness and strength so i can build onto that?

even though i live in a small place there is actually a gym here which i have never been into. if i could build up my basic strength and endurance a bit i think i may have the courage to join and to try to learn about weight lifting and really focus on building strength and changing my body. at the minute though i would be embarrassed as daft as i know that is. i need to build some confidence first with exercise at home i think.

i don't have weights but i do have 7litre bottles of water and was thinking maybe i could find a way to use one a bit like a kettle bell?

sorry for really long post. grateful for any advice people have. one more q is it common to feel like people who really are fit or strong are somehow a different kind of species and that your body couldn't do that? i think semi-consciously this is what i believe.

oh god that's ridiculously long -sorry and feel free to ignore

Hi saf Honey!

A blast from the past, eh? Nice to hear from you again!

One thing I've learned about exercise since I've started is that, provided you keep challenging yourself, you can't help but improve!

One of my aims when I began was to do all my exercise at home - I'm not a great fan of the gym. And I've been lucky enough to do that.

is it common to feel like people who really are fit or strong are somehow a different kind of species and that your body couldn't do that? i think semi-consciously this is what i believe.

That's what I used to think, Honey - but BC has shown us that anyone, including me, can put muscle on. And I'm enjoying every minute of it!

I'm a bit 'rabbit in headlights' with all the info above and could use some insight, any insight anyone might have on the below. Grateful to anyone who wouldn't mind taking the time to give me their thoughts....

Im attempting to run 1000 miles this year but also want to lose weight. You would think they would go hand in hand but 50miles into the challenge and I've actually put on weight despite burning around 600 - 700 kcal per run ! I suspect the problem is craving carbs....

I'm currently 12 st 7lbs (5ft6 - size 16) and want to get back to pre-baby 10st (youngest is now 18 months old) so about time I did something about it. Is it possible to eat 800kcal a day when burning almost all of that during a run - I'm otherwise fairly sedentary.

I started running again last January and am loathe to lose the progress I've made (from puffing through a couple of kilometres to comfortably running for an hour). The 1000 mile challenge is my way of ensuring that I keep motivated/improve ability.

I get niggly jointly aches and sore legs and suspect this would also improve if I weren't quite so heavy! Should I just go for it? Am I likely to pass out mid run??

Welcome, Coocoo
Many runners actually put on weight, if they increase what they eat.
Beginners tend to only really lose weight with exercise if they make sure they don't eat more.
Also, fitness gadgets tend to overestimate exercise calories: A good trainer posted recently that a typical newbie runner would burn about 350 calories per hr net, i.e. subtracting the number they use anyway when awake.

I recommend you cut out snacks and try to keep junk & booze to small amounts.

If you want to do Mosely's BSD (8 weeks of 800 cals daily,) do make sure that you follow his Low Carb Mediteranean food type, to actually improve blood sugar and ensure you get sufficient nutrients from your 800 cals.
It won't work on any old 800 cals.

Most people on 500-cal fastdays can manage 1 hr of vigorous exercise, so you could theoretically run at least 3-4 times per week for an hour
However, some folk don't run well fasted , so see how you find it.
You may take a couple of weeks to get used to low carb exercise.

WARNING: There are no cals for junk or booze at all in the 800-cal phase, particularly if you are training hard.
So, think if you are prepared to or if you'd rather just do his maintenance diet.

Welcome, Honey
That's a great post to give a really good picture about your wishes & preferences.
I've got a v v long answer too !

My exercise for the last 15 years has been focused on maintaining health & fitness into old age and maintaining independence.

• As women in particular, we need weight-bearing or impact exercise now in middle age, to help avoid osteoporosis.
• We need resistance training to build up muscle, because otherwise that is lost annually from about age 25 - (don't worry, you can increase muscle even if you start at age 80)
• And of course cardio fitness protects our most important muscle - the heart - and our entire CV system which supplies noursihment to the brain, which is where we live.

First, I strongly recommend that as soon as possible you put on your big girl pants and
join that gym !

Nobody is looking at you; they just want to get fit themselves and many started less fit than you.

You get so many advantages:

• An instructor in clases to check your form - important to avoid injury in lifting
• A personal trainer to give your training a real boost, at the start or any time you get stale (at least one poster found their PT a huge help)
• Correct equipment: dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, stationary bikes, treadmills, mats ....
• Motivating music & classes that "keep you regular"
• Ideal classes for you to choose from: pump, circuits, abs, spin, martial arts

Until the Big Girl Pants fit < waves stern finger, passes over a grip >
I recommend you do:

• HIIT, to rapidly improve cardio fitness and also help insulin metabolism
• Strength training, to build lean muscle and maintain TDEE as you lose weight via IF. In particular:

HIIT Sprints

• 5 mins jog warmup
• Do 8 x intervals of 1 min jogging and 1 min recovery walking. Build up to 1 min running and 1 min recovery jog
• 5 mins jog cooldown

HIIT rope skipping

• Do intervals of 15 secs skip, 15 secs recovery walk.
• Start with 2 sets and build up to say 6 sets of 30 sec intervals.

Strength
Work the main muscle groups via bodyweight exercise, see OP section "RESISTANCE Training / LIFTING"
Don't bother with the small muscle groups that you see in girlie exercise photos.

• Pressups
• Tricep dips
• Deep squats
• Situps & leg raises

Routine
If you want to combine several exercises:

• 4 min jog warmup
• 1 min rope skipping
• 10 jumping jacks
• 10 deep squats.
• 5 forward lunges each leg.
• 10 situps (hands forward).
• 10 leg raises (read OP Abs section if you don't know these).
• 8 pressups.
• 10 tricep dips on a step.
• 10 burpees
• 5 min jog cooldown

In the routine, start with 1 set of each exercise as listed and build up to 3 sets of as many of these as you can

Hi CooCoo and welcome to the thread.

I applaud your ambition - that would be some achievement, and all the best with it!

I've just done 200 press ups in two tranches - both of which took around 7 minutes. Am tempted to do another 100 - we'll see.

Just completed 100 more - took just over 8 minutes.

Won't be long before I string these together - perhaps my short-term aim should be 500 in 50 minutes.

wow lots of info - thanks bigchoc.

my calves are absolutely killing (even more than yesterday) from two days in a row of shred. i don't know if i'm meant to just push through and do it again or go with what i think is my instinct (but could be my ego coming up with excuses to keep me comfortable) that battering one muscle to death three days in a row without letting it recover is not wise?

it also seems strange that it is just my calves? i 'think' it's from all the jumping jacks and skipping move and kicking your bum stuff that puts you on your toes/balls of feet. from yoga and pilates i'm more used to doing things with your ankle bent and the stretch going through the heel rather than pointing your toes and maybe it's that 'on your toes' unusual for me use of the legs that is causing my calves to react so strongly?

i can feel that the shred is also working on larger muscles like thighs and buttocks and core but whilst they feel 'used' and strong they don't hurt or seem like they're getting as worked on and it really is my calves that are getting the battering which doesn't feel... balanced?

i'm wondering whether to not do the shred today and focus instead on doing sets of exercises like you outline above? i need someone to tell me (baby i know) whether i'm being lazy and wrong to take a day off shred or if it's a good idea to have a rest from it and do more core and upper body hitting stuff to balance it out?

also should we be doing this every day or do we need 'rest' days from strength training? i don't get total rest days from aerobic stuff obviously as my mode of transport is a bicycle and from here to the bay or the shops is a nice against the wind ride.

sorry that's long again!

Rest days are when you become stronger. Work on alternate muscle groups..

I do weight-bearing one day and kettle bell the next.

Honey I suggest a short relaxing walk, no more.
It is generally best to allow a rest day before using the same muscle groups again.
When you work your muscles intensely, this causes tiny tears in the fibres, which need a day of rest to repair - this is the process by which muscles become stronger:
Exercise > rest & repair > exercise.

Many weightlifters train the upper body and lower body on alternate days, to reduce the rest days.
For those who like a range of different exercise (probably you), training most of the body 3-4 days per week, with a gentle walk on the rest days, fits in well with normal life

Oh, I see you cycle. So that is a good "active" rest day instead of walking.
I suggest alternating shred days with either rest or lifting days.
You need to let your CV system have rest days too, not have aerobic / cardio every day.

Thanks bigchoc, I think I might try the maintenance diet to start, cut out the snacks and see what results I get.

Thanks bread, perhaps too ambitious but if I'm more likely to manage the running than the dieting!

By the way bread, 300 press ups ?? How?? I can't do 3! I'm in awe....

CooCoo, if you can manage 3 press ups, you can do 4 sets of 3 with a gap in between.

Then, in two days time you'll manage 4 sets of 4 - it's amazing just how quickly your body adapts. In a couple of months you'll be doing sets of 20 and you'll see your shoulders and upper arms gaining more definition - and you'll be hooked!

It's taken me two years to get to where I am. One of my drivers is to beat my son at number of press ups in a minute. He's pretty fit - in the forces - but he doesn't know he's in a competition!

Coocoo I did 500 during a Christmas gym session.
I'm sure I could do 600 before summer, when I'll be 60 and I've suggested B&W aim for about 780 (whatever 10 x his age is)

B&W You have sooo totally got to beat your son. Think of his face when he sees what his dad can do ! He'll be so proud of you (I'm sure he is already)

at not warning your son B&W. just surprise him one leave.

just saw your post this morning BChoc.

yes, i'd be cycling most days. weird as someone who doesn't drive to think of having to schedule in a walk. having never driven is probably accountable for any fitness/health i have maintained to this age.

in the end i was dealing with water problems and plumbers most of yesterday so didn't do just did tricep dips and a set of planks but that's it bar a quick cycle to the shops and back - think i can call that a rest day.

just sat on the front step with my coffee and thought ooh might as well do some tricep dips whilst there's a step handy be good if it became instinctive like that to just use little slots of time and opportunity for strength stuff. i do find it really hard to believe i'll actually get stronger and eventually see muscle changes - guess i need to actually see it to believe it.

calves still really hurt and not allowing me to walk normally but i've had my rest day and should do shred again presumably - feeling so much resistance to doing it - it seems counter-intuitive to do something that puts you in pain and you're still in pain from having done two days ago. think my intuition may be a bit 'off' when it comes to using my muscles though or i'd have more of them

sod it - just cannot bully myself into doing shred today and it would be hell with ds here and laughing at me anyway. i'm thinking to do shred 2-3 times a week as a good work out but i can't get my head around the idea of stressing the same muscles with the same exercises every single day.

focussing on upper body today as that's where i most need to be able to build strength in order to be able to progress as well as a bit of core.

did 3 sets of 20 'counter' push ups (am following some guys guide to building up to being able to do 100 'real' pushups ha ha ha) and another set of tricep dips and pathetic or not i can really feel i've worked the muscles in my arms and shoulders (and my boobs a bit - tell me there's a free breastlift in this and my motivation will take a boost!).

will also fit in 3x3 sets of plank today - one on elbows, one on hands and one reverse plank.

that really doesn't seem like much to do- is it enough?

i'm thinking:
-2 days like this a week working on upper body and core
-2 days of shred
-1 day kundalini yoga class and the big bike ride it takes to get there and swim/snorkeling afterwards
-two days pretty much rest days but still likely to cycle places and maybe have a gentle swim.

does that sound ok for starting out? thanks for help.

Honey Walking on rest days would help loosen those stiff muscles - it's just they are not used to working hard, but you should find after 3-4 weeks that you just have minor soreness ir stiffness after a good workout.
Your swimming days will help there too.

I'm another one who cycles everywhere.
I prefer to vary exercise too, better physically and psychologically for most folk.
Your program sounds good, but I'd add squats and lunges to your strength days. Also for those days, look in the OP and do the 2 min Bum / Glutes workout video there.

When you feel able to join the gym, you can add barbell rows, bench press, shoulder press, weighted squats and other really good strength builders.

500 press ups in 55 minutes tonight.

Started off with sets of 15 every 2 minutes - finished strongly, doing the last 100 in sets of 20 with a 1.30 gap.

Soon as I can do 500 in 30 minutes I'll go for 1000 in under the hour!

i can't imagine ever being able to do that. i'm doing 3 x 20 counter push ups at the minute and feeling it! what is good though is that i'm sure i can already feel that my shoulders and shoulder blades are 'sitting' in a better position and feel more supported - presumably because the muscles around them are waking up? my mid back (don't know if that's the correct term but from shoulder blades to waist feels sort of straighter and stronger too. it might be in my head because it is less than a week and i haven't done anything that major but maybe you do feel benefits quickly in your back and shoulders?

i'm working out some good things you can do with 7litre water bottles now - a kind of military press resting the bottles on backs of arms then pushing up to straight is pretty intense - 3 sets of 7 is enough of those for now. also some squat lifts and variations that focus on one leg/glutes at a time. i actually like this - i like the pattern of doing something then resting then repeating. much less despair inducing than endless aerobic exercise.