Well
Not put on much weight since I replied to this thread. Still trying, but been incredibly busy in the past few months playing with diesel engines. Still hovering around 75-76kg. Never got on to rock climbing either, the club here seems organise occasional trips out to climb rather than there being a weekly or bi weekly go on a climbing wall (which is what I was after). But swimming is going well I think.... backstroke is getting much better after me and a friend worked on it for a while. Freestyle sprinting is good too, regularly clocking 25's for 50m sprints in training now so 24's in competition looking more likely.
When I can get to the gym, its still bloody packed! but I can get round enough machines to call it a half decent session. Need to step it up more like but it might have to wait till nearer christmas as theres a couple of competitions coming up and having sore muscles doesn't do you any favours in a sprint!
Started doing swimming mixed with resistance exercises... do a swim, get out do some squats, press ups or dips, straight back into a swim, out again ... rinse repeat. Awful set I did once involves doing a pull out, which is basically like you are pulling yourself up over a wall. First parts ok because you're in the water, but at the transition to pushing yourself out the water, its nearly all body weight. Anyway if you wanna try it you really need a pool with high walls at the ends. You swim 1 length, do one pull out. 2 lengths then 2 pull outs, 3 then 3 etc etc... keep going to 10 lengths, 10 pull outs, then come down again. Fuck me its hard.
Good workout today, although I did make a couple concessions.
I hate the dumbbell chest press, I feel like I'm using 98% arms. I just don't feel it in the chest. So I used the machine instead, and somehow even with the same weights (plates) on either one, I feel it more in the chest than with dumbbells. I must be doing something wrong.
The other concession is that in between exercises I have do 1 minute on and 1 minute off treadmill runs, repeating 5 times, and 3 sets of that spread over the course of the workout. At the 3rd set about 6 mins in, my HR was 205, I was feeling pain and having been sick on Wed and Thurs I'm sure there may have been some small side effects. So I said fuck that shit and stopped the cardio, even though I had about 4 more minutes to go.
Fucking hate that cardio exercise.
I have the same issue....chest press with dumbbells lying on a gym ball (for the core engagement), and my arms are burning but can't really feel the chest too much. Odd thing is going on the chest machine gives the same result. However, last time I picked up some much heavier weights than usual (after seeing another swimming mate in there and noticing what he was lifting, I thought I need to man up a bit more!) and again while I felt my biceps burning, the next day I had stiffness in the chest, so I guess it must of been working that as well.
So maybe try a heavier weight?
Also I have a good book with lots of core exercises in. I can scan the pages and post them up if anyones interested. Good thing about these is you mostly don't need any equipment, though for some, light weights, gym balls, med balls and stretch cords come in useful.