Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud

Over the last week at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud I have been busy working in the garden.

'Killing two birds with one stone' I dismantled the terrace of La Forge to fuel the fire to burn out the large tree stump within the garden. For a full explanation of the work carried out click this LINK

The tree stump is now gone and my next job will be to build a new terrace for the Brittany holiday cottage La Forge.

The other cottage La Veille Maison has a large fixed terrace over looking the garden and pool also.

The terrace of La Veille Maison Brittany holiday cottage

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym / fitness center near Baud

A couple of weeks ago at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym / fitness center near Baud I hit the tender age of 50.

In the body building fraternity it is custom to perform squats on your birthday - with that in mind I attempted to turn the clock back and perform a weight on front squats that I last did around 30 years of age, a 140 kg front squat.

The week before I got 4 reps on 130 kg but on this attempt I actually crashed out on 120 kg due not to my legs but my shoulder injury - the hardest part of the exercise for me is actually holding on to the bar, either the bar is to high on my neck restricting my breathing or its lower down and has the tendency to roll off.

You can see from the  clip how low I perform the squats using a pause at the bottom on 100 kg.

The gym at our holiday cottages La Forge and La veille maison is available for all our guest to use.

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private swimming pool and gym near Baud

Just a 45 minute drive from Laforge is Lamour-Baden where you can board a boat to take you to the Island of Gavrinis where your find Brittany's very own pyramid that was built around 3500 BC and is notable for its megalithic art within the burial tomb. Near to the pyramid is another island with standing stones that have been erected that also descend in to the sea. We really enjoyed the trip and will be recommending it to our guest Staying at La Forge and La veille Maison. As a bonus for me while waiting to depart the small harbor was swamped with fishermen catching Garfish - I will return soon for a bit of sport!

Early booking deals at our Brittany holiday cottage with heated private swimming pool and gym near Baud

Early booking deals at our Brittany holiday cottage with heated private swimming pool and gym near Baud:


In conjunction with Brittany ferries we are offering some great early booking discounts:

20% discount on any weeks booked before 7th October starting 8th October through to 19th May 2017.

5% discount for any holiday from 20th May through to 30th September 2017

Offer does not include Christmas and New year which are already being offered on a special price of just £349 per week or both weeks for £650.

Book your holiday during this period and increase your Brittany ferry discount from 20% to 25% when booking La Forge.

Our Brittany holiday cottage La Forge near Baud

Weight training at the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Back weight training at the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud today for a leg session.

I've just started a new workout mixing every thing up after recently waking up to the fact I am no longer in my twenties and as such my training should change in accordance to my needs.

Once you hit 30 your testosterone levels start to decrease and I've also discovered that long sessions of cardio are also detrimental to testosterone production - long cardio sessions release cortisol which in fact eats muscle tissue.

I need to increase my testosterone levels in order to build muscle at 50 therefore I'm now going to train 6 days per week doing a 4 day split, training 4 days on with 1 day rest then repeat the cycle only training 30 - 40 minutes to maximize the testosterone production by lifting as heavy as possible keeping good form in each session.

I then create a situation where I'm gaining more muscle, which means i'm burning more calories during rest and therefore should get leaner.

When I'm 20 weeks out from a show I'll start adding walking sessions - walking is the only exercise that does not promote cortisol production.

My workouts now consist of:

Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Biceps and Triceps
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Back

The gym at our Brittany holiday cottage allows for any one to have a good workout.

Bastille celebrations at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Last week we celebrated Bastille day at Josselin just 25 miles from our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud.  Josselin is always a recommended tourist attraction for guest staying at our Brittany holiday cottage and the festival is simply the icing on the cake.

We had our hair cuts done to compliment the costumes and as a family I think we hit the mark with our son stealing the show.

Like father like son at the Josselin medieval festival

We love the atmosphere of the medieval festival at Josselin

We had a large family party who over the last two weeks rented out both holiday cottages La Forge and La Veille Maison who all said enjoyed the festivities of the Josselin medieval festival.

Enjoyed a lovely day out as a family

 After wearing 13 kg of chain mail for 6 hours - it was time for the warriors to return to the car.


Josselin holds its medieval festival every other year on the 14th July and is always a highly recommended day out for our guest staying in La Forge and La Veille Maison.

Weight training and keeping fit at the gym /fitness center at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

The weight training  at the gym /fitness center at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud is going really well - especially using the new seated row machine.

It's hitting my back in the same areas as would dead lifts, the middle back and traps but without the risk to my lower back.

Muscles worked during the seated row.

We bought some new 20 kg plates just for the seated row in order to increase the amount of weight loaded, just using the initial pair of 20 kg plates followed by 10 kg disks I was limited to 100 kg now with 4 20 kg plates I'm up to 130 kg now on the machine and loving the feeling I get when training.

Its also increasing my grip strength and like dead lifting my forearms are getting bigger also due to holding the weight.

My back work out now consists of:

6 sets of ultra wide grip pull downs to back of head
4 sets of narrower pull downs to front of head
6 sets of seated rows

We can now load a bar up to over 200 kg so I'm sure we can cater for any level of person staying for a holiday in either La Forge or La Veille Maison.

Weight training at the gym / fitness center at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Back weight training at the gym / fitness center at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud yesterday after a 2 day rest to train back and biceps.

Every year we try to expand the facilities within the gym and this year we purchased a dip station and a seated low row.

So hitting back yesterday I started of with 6 sets of wide grip pull downs to the back of the neck, then 4 sets of narrower pull downs to the front, followed by 6 sets on the new seated row.....what a great exercise - very similar to the seated cable rows I grew up using in the commercial gyms in hitting my middle and lower back.

The new seated row within our gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage

I went up to 100 kg yesterday on the seated row and loved the movement, my back is feeling it today!

The gym is available to use for all our guest staying in either La Forge or La Veille Maison.

Last minute bargain at our Brittany holiday cottage with heated swimming pool near Baud

We have a last minute bargain at our Brittany holiday cottage with heated swimming pool near Baud for the month of June and July in La Veille Maison.

10th - 24th June now just £499 per week
24th June - 8th July now just £649 per week.


We also have week starting 26th August available for just £999 reduced down from £1195.

In La Forge we still have 2 weeks available at the start of October with the heated swimming pool offered on a private basis for just £399 per week.

Our Brittany holiday cottage with pool near Baud

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud

Yesterday at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud we enjoyed a day out at Branfere animal park just the other side of Vannes.

It makes for a great day out for all the family to enjoy and is always recommended to our guest staying in La Forge and La Veille Maison

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud

Yesterday at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud I popped out to our local swimming pool shop to purchase every thing I needed for the start of the season.

A tub of all in one pool chemicals, box of skimmer nets, new pool net and a little treat for the children to enjoy an inflatable pool slide.

The type of pool slide I purchased yesterday for the children to enjoy.

I'm sure the slide will provide hours of fun and makes for a lovely treat for guest to enjoy in La Forge or La Veille Maison our child friendly Brittany holiday cottages.

Weight training at the gym / fitness center at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Back weight training at the gym / fitness center at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud yesterday after a week off due to having physio on my neck.

Just took it easy with 7 sets of incline bench press followed by 5 sets of tricep push downs - the next chest workout will be back to normal in 5 days time. Today I am back in the gym to train back and biceps.

Its lovely having the gym located at the holiday cottages enabling easy access to train on a whim.

The gym is available for all our guest staying in La Forge or La Veille Maison for a holiday.

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud

Today at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud the pool heater was switched on to get the pool ready for the guest arriving for a holiday in
La Forge on 2nd April.

Last weekend the pool was opened and we emptied the pool taking out 40% of the water to reduce the stabilizer level within the water and have run the pump 24 hours per day since opening the pool.

renewing 40% of the water in the pool

This week the pool area has been power washed and all the sun beds cleaned ready for the arrival of our guest to enjoy staying at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud.

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud

Today at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud James was able to play on the children's play house as the paint had finally dried.

To keep the little ones entertained so you can relax

The children's play area at our Brittany holiday cottage 

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud

Today at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud we opened the swimming pool in order to get the pool ready for guest staying in La Forge on 2nd April.

The pool was really clean on taking off the winter cover yet I decided to drain 40% of the water away in order to reduce the amount of stabilizer within the existing water.

Opened the swimming pool today at our Brittany holiday cottage

 We will run the pump now 24 hours per day and will start the heater on the 20th March to provide enough time to get the temperature up to around 26 degrees for the arrival of the guest.

Fishing at our Brittany holiday cottage with private pool near Baud

Today was the start of the fishing season at our Brittany holiday cottage with private pool near Baud, and along the river Tarun were cars parked as fishermen were keen to catch there first wild trout of 2016.



The river Tarun is only 4 or 6 meters wide but holds a good head of wild brown trout and salmon par and is located just 100 meters from La Forge and La Veille Maison.

Weight training at the gym / fitness center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Back weight training at the gym / fitness center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud today for a back and biceps workout.

I don't normally train in the morning but had a physiotherapy session booked for midday and boy am I glade I trained before hand as this afternoon I'm feeling rather beaten up - I had a car accident a month ago and still experiencing problems with my neck so my doctor prescribed a 10 session coarse of physio.

That's one way to straighten out your back!

Unlike the public gyms that are only open for set hours in the day having the gym located at our holiday cottage gives more flexibility in when one can train.

The gym is available for guest staying in La Forge or La Veille Maison to utilize during there holidays.

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud

Today at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud we announce some fantastic last minute booking deals with the swimming pool offered on a private basis for guest staying in La Forge.

Last minute bargain at our Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

From 26th March - 30th April book a week for just £350 reduced from £549 per week.

The swimming pool is offered on a private basis from 12th March through too 21st May and again in September and October for guest staying at our Brittany holiday cottage La Forge.

Weight training at the gym / fitness center at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Today I was back weight training at the gym / fitness center at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud for a leg session.

Started of with 4 sets of leg extensions to warm up my knees then it was on to 6 sets of deep front squats then back for another 4 sets of leg extensions.

Arnold performing the front squat

Finishing the workout with 4 sets of leg curls.

18 sets in 40 minutes then back in the house for dinner - perfect!

It's wonderful having the gym literally on your door step - making it easy for all our guest wishing to train while on holiday at either La Forge or La Veille Maison a very simple mission.

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and gym near Baud

Over the last week we had a problem at our Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and gym near Baud with watching English TV.

In La Veille Maison we have a free sat satellite system installed and over the last week we were getting a message saying ' New service - please wait' and nothing would ever happen on half the channels even though it said we had 100% signal.

Then on Friday all channels were lost as it said no signal what so ever - I tried again on Sunday to see  100% signal had returned but still half the channels were missing and we had the same message showing on the screen.

Today we had our new receiver arrive a Manhattan Plaza HD-S2 and within 5 minutes we were back up and running all for just £44 on Amazon and it looks like the picture quality has improved from the previous receiver.

Weight training at the gym / fitness center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Had a great weight training session at the gym / fitness center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud today - training chest and triceps.

Kept it very basis just doing 8 sets of incline bench press up to 80kg and on the last set I failed getting the 7th rep and had to roll the bar from my chest on to my stomach in order to sit up of the bench to rescue myself. It's not a thing I would recommend any one to do and it's something I always try to avoid, but trying to push myself its inevitable that its going to happen at some point.

After the fail I stopped doing chest and moved on to tricep push downs, starting with a 30 rep set on 20 kgs, increasing each set by 5 kgs to finish on the last set at 45kg for 6 reps.

The good old days

All in all just a 30 minute workout.

It's great when you have a gym onsite at our Brittany holiday cottage because your able to do the quick workouts - when you have to travel to a gym you feel compelled to train for longer to justify the 40 minute round trip in the car as was the case when I trained in Pontivey.

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated pool and gym near Baud

At the weekend at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated pool and gym near Baud the temperature rose enough for me to paint the undercoat on the play house. Its just a shame that I can not paint the top coat yet as the temperature needs to be at least 15 degrees.

James enjoyed the playhouse today as it was such a lovely day be it still quite cold hitting only 8 degrees today.

Enjoying the play house at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Its lovely seeing the children's play area coming together now for all the children to enjoy while enjoying a holiday in either La Forge or La Veille Maison.

I'm sure there is something for everyone at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud to enjoy be it the heated pool, the gym, the children's play area and so much more.

Weight training at the gym / fitness center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Today was a rest day for weight training at the gym / fitness center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud.

Just as important as hitting the weights is having a rest day to allow your body to heal the muscle cells that were damaged during the intense workouts - during the rest days is actually when your body grows.

I now only train each individual muscle group once every 5 -7 day depending on how my body feels - when I was in my teens I used to do 3 hour full body workouts 3 times per week and did not realize at the time I was over training and finding it very hard to make gains.

At the age of 19 I was an extremely lean 11 stone but then I started working and my training changed to doing split workouts - increased my protein consumption, eating 8 times per day ( 8 x 30 grams = 240 grams of protein per day)  and after 4 years came in at a lean 15 stone.

To gain 4 stone in lean muscle over 4 years as a natural ( steroid free) was quite an achievement and just goes to show that development comes from 3 elements: training, nutrition and rest.



Back in the gym tomorrow  at our Brittany holiday cottage for back and biceps.

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud

Today at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud we confirmed our first booking from Canada.

We love taking bookings for La Forge and La Veille maison from around the world and in the last 12 months we took bookings from Denmark, America and now Canada.

Its great interacting with our international guest and getting there feedback of how they enjoyed all the tourist attractions located around our Brittany holiday cottage and hearing about countries and life around the world.

The Carnac stones

Auray at night

Trinity sur le mur

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud is located in the wonderful hamlet of Kerbourbon.

From 12th March through to the 21st May the heated swimming pool is offered on a private basis for those guest staying in La Forge.

We are currently offering the weeks at a discounted price of just £375 per week reduced from £549 and still have availability in the cottage.

Weight training at the gym / fitness club at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Today I had another weight training session at the gym / fitness club at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud - with an awesome leg workout.

Started of with 3 sets of leg extensions to warm up my quads and knees then performed 7 sets of front squats finishing on 3 reps for 110kg - the problem with front squats is not the weight for the legs but the ability to hold the bar on your neck , it's either to high on your neck and your finding it hard to breath or if its to low then it starts rolling down your chest.

Why do front squats? Because they put more stress on your quads and can create more of an outer sweep in your thighs.

It was then 7 sets of leg extensions followed by 5 sets of leg curls.

Below I am doing regular squats in the gym at our Brittany holiday cottage:

The gym is available for all our guest staying in La Forge and La Veille Maison.

Weight training at the gym / health club located at our Brittany holiday cottage

Back weight training at the gym / health club located at our Brittany holiday cottage today training back and biceps.

For back I did the following:

6 sets of ultra wide grip pull downs to the rear (60 inch bar)
4 sets front pull downs
4 sets narrow grip pull downs to front
4 sets of dead lifts

Using the 60 inch pull down bar to create a wide back

For biceps:

4 sets of ez barbell curls using the extreme fat gripz.

As my biceps are already pr- exhausted from doing the back exercises, no need for any more sets.

The gym is available all year round for our guest to enjoy staying in either La Forge or La Veille maison.

Our child friendly Brittany holiday cottage with heated swimming pool near Baud

The work is almost finished at our child friendly Brittany holiday cottage with heated swimming pool near Baud creating the extended play area for the children to enjoy.

Fun for the children to enjoy at our Brittany holiday cottage

The children s play area at our Brittany holiday cottage

With the new rubber matting down its made for a safe area for the children to enjoy and hopefully soon the grass will start growing through the matting to soften the look.

 

Our aim is to make for a perfect family holiday destination to enjoy for guest staying in either La Forge or La Veille Maison.

Weight training at the gym / fitness center at our Brittany holiday cottages near Baud

Yesterday I was back weight training at the gym / fitness center at our Brittany holiday cottages near Baud for a leg session.

Started of with 6 sets of leg extensions up to 70 kgs trying to get 20 reps on each set.

Then it was 6 sets of front squats and I performed the warm up sets with a 10 second pause at the bottom before driving up and finished with the final 2 sets on 100 kg - then it was 5 sets of leg curls to finish.

Training legs at the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage

The gym at our holiday cottage is available for guest staying in either La Forge or La Veille Maison

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated pool and gym near Baud

During the summer months at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated pool and gym near Baud guest can enjoy medieval festivals being held around the Morbihan region of southern Brittany

The festivals are always held in some stunning historic settings with a great atmosphere for all to enjoy and they make for a great family day out when staying at our holiday cottage.

Most years your find festivals being held in Vannes, Josselin and Hennebont all within 25 minutes of La Forge and La Veille maison.

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud

Today at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud we remember Elsa our Rhodesian ridgeback who passed away in January 2014.

There are a few lovely pictures of her within this short movie - the normal life expectancy of a ridgeback is around 10 -11 years Elsa was my friend, my companion and my daughters guardian for 12 years and 4 months before she passed away.

She will never be forgotten.

We planted a flowering cherry tree within the garden of our holiday cottage to remember our loyal friend.

Weight training and body building at the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud.

Today I was back weight training and body building at the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud for a chest and tricep workout.

Yesterday I tried to do my back and biceps but felt sore still from the whiplash after this weeks car accident - so just to it easy as I will today.

The gym is available to all our guest to enjoy staying in either La Forge or La Veille Maison

Our Brittany holiday cottage with heated swimming pool and gym near Baud

Just 10 minutes from our Brittany holiday cottage  with heated swimming pool and gym near Baud we have recently discovered a wonderful restaurant the Au Coin du Feu steak house.

Its a beautiful looking restaurant with its own gardens for children to play in and a wonderful terrace in which to eat alfresco. 

They offer some mouth watering steaks cooked over an open wood fire and some of the best chips I have ever tasted. My normal order being the 300 gram entrecote steak and its the first time ever I have been asked if I want my blue steak served hot or cold which for me really shows the level of attention given by the chef. 

They offer a lunch menu from € 11.50 and a childrens menu for € 8.50 (For those under 12 years.) We started recommending the restaurant to our guest over the last 2 seasons and all have said what a wonderful meal they had and what a great place.

You find when staying at either La Forge or La veille maison there is a grand choice of fine restaurants to enjoy all within easy reach. 

Weight training at our gym / fitness center at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Back weight training at our gym / fitness center at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud today with a quick leg workout.

Its been 3 weeks since my last leg workout as I injured my back performing stiff leg dead lifts during my last leg workout - so today I took it very easy.

I just performed 6 sets of leg extensions to warm up my quads followed by just 4 sets of front squats.

Next leg workout will be on Friday where I'll go back to a full workout.

The gym at our Brittany holiday cottage enables all levels to have a good workout and is available for guest staying in either La Forge or La Veille Maison.

Body building and weight training at the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Another session of body building and weight training at the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud this afternoon.

It was back and triceps today - looking forward to adding a new exercise to my routine shortly after buying a dip station this week.

This provides a great hit on the lower pecs or triceps depending if you lean forward for chest or stay upright to hit your triceps.

Each year we try to add equipment to the gym located at our holiday cottage so that repeating guest an see the improvements made each year and for new guest to obtain a complete workout.

Next on the agenda is a seated row machine for the lower back muscles.

The gym is available for all our guest staying in either La Forge or La Veille Maison.

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud

Today at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud our first guest of the year arrived for a 2 week stay on a house hunting trip - the guest wished to stay in February to see for himself what the climate was like for this time of year.

It was a lovely bright sunny day for his arrival but with a cold wind.

The guest took advantage of our current late booking offer in booking at just £225 per week reduced from £299 and the 20% Brittany ferry discount on his crossing.

We warmed the holiday cottage up prior to his arrival and provided a complimentary bag of logs for the fire.

This afternoon I spent another few hours in the sunshine working on the play center for the children to enjoy during there holidays and young James tested the slide. Unlike before when he used it just on some outside steps it was now set at the correct height and he was flung of the slide at the bottom and he thoroughly enjoyed it - we just made sure we were at either end for safety reasons.

James testing out the new slide 

Our holiday cottage offers so much for all the family to enjoy a fantastic holiday in southern Brittany.

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud

We still have weeks available at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud from 12th March through to 21st May.

During this period the swimming pool is offered on a private basis for guest staying in La Forge and being heated its enjoyable for early season fun.

We are running a special offer during this period - book a week for just £399 reduced from £549 or book 2 weeks for £750.

The weather normally in March, April and May historically has been bright,sunny and warm enough to sun bath.

Enjoying the private heated swimming pool at our Brittany holiday cottage at Easter

La Veille Maison is available to rent from the 21st May until the start of September.

The swimming pool is available again on a private basis from the start of September until we close the pool in October for guest enjoying a holiday in La Forge.

Our child friendly holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud

Yesterday at  our child friendly holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud I was back in the garden working on the new play area for children to enjoy during there holidays in either La Forge or La Veille Maison.

Day two of the build

Having a young family ourselves we know how important it is to keep the children happy while on holiday - if the children are happy you are happy and relaxed.

Our Brittany holiday cottages offer a wonderful family holiday destination.

Our child friendly Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud

Today at our child friendly Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud work commenced on the planned play house.

Naomi and James popped out to see the start of my work.

Setting out the size of the platform and where it will be placed.

I initially built the template of the platform to see it in position and mark out where the vertical post will be located. I then dug the 6 holes where the post will be located and then filled with concrete to form the bases for the feet to stand.

The whole area will be covered with a 23 mm rubber mat that allows the grass to grow through to hide the matting and hopefully make for a very safe play area for the children to enjoy while on holiday at either La Forge or La veille Maison.

The protective rubber matting to create a safe play area.

The plan is to have a 3 meter slide, a rock climbing wall and one other climbing system as yet undecided for the new play house in addition to the existing play items located in the garden.

We hope that we offer every thing a family would need for a perfect holiday in France at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Weight training and bodybuilding in the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage in southern Brittany

Today I had another weight training / bodybuilding  session in the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage in southern Brittany.

It was chest and triceps today but still tool it easy as my back improves over the last few weeks since the injury rose its ugly head.

I started of by doing 7 sets of incline bench press using the extreme gripz starting of with a couple of sets using 60 kg and finishing of at 90 kgs for 6 reps.

Then I did 4 sets of incline dumbbell presses with a pause at the bottom of each rep - it was then on to triceps with 6 sets of cable push downs.

Hoping to get back in to competition shape at the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage

The gym at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud is available for all our guest to use.

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and gym near Baud

Today at our Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and gym near Baud we enjoyed a lovely hour playing in the garden with our son as the sun was out and temperatures rose to 15 degrees.

I guess the last week was our winter with temperatures dropping down to minus 4 and we are now back to the warm days that we saw throughout December.

The forecast is much the same for tomorrow and we witnessed a wonderful sky this evening to mark the end of the day.

wonderful winter sunset over our Brittany holiday cottage

  La Forge is available to rent all year and during the low season you can enjoy a week for just £299.

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud

Today at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud I was back in the gym for a back and biceps workout - the last time for this workout was 6 days ago.

Not training legs or doing dead lifts for an additional week to rest my back makes me feel as though I've not trained much because of the extra rest days this week because I've only been doing 2 of the 4 different workouts.

For a bit of fun here is a short clip we made in the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud.

.
The gym is open all year for guest to enjoy that stay in either holiday cottage La Forge or La veille Maison

Body building and keeping fit at the gym / health center at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Today was a rest day from my body building routine at the gym / health center at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud - tomorrow I will smash my legs after a 2 week rest.

Some people question if body building promotes health and fitness but if you take one example of my fitness levels I hold the record for the number of lengths achieved on a single breath within the swimming pool. The record is 7 lengths but managed to capture 6 1/2 on camera - to date the best a guest has achieved staying at our holiday cottage was a young lad of 19 who managed 6 lengths, so at 48 not a bad record for me to hold all through a level of fitness produced by body building.

The gym is available for all our guest to use staying in either La Forge or La Veille Maison.

Weight training in the gym / fitness center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

I was back weight training in the gym / fitness center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud today for a chest and tricep workout.

As I have been out of the gym for 2 weeks with the back injury just took it easy again today as Itages did with the back and bicep workout - no point in going over board to find the injury back again, its better to take it easy and build a full recovery.

What I have noticed after 35 years of weight training is that its just as important to get back in the gym as soon as possible as it is to rest the injury - your body actually benefits from light work as a means to getting better.

The gym at the holiday cottage is available for all our guest to use during there holiday in either La Forge or La Veille maison holiday cottages,

Our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated pool and children s play area near Baud

At our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated pool and children s play area near Baud we ordered some protective rubber matting this week to protect children playing  on the climbing frame which is being installed in March.

The matting is 23 mm thick and has been rated for a fall of 3 meters so with our maximum height being 1.5 meters it should provide a lot of protection.

We were considering using bark but the cost would have been the same and you could have problems of animals using it as a toilet, children throwing all around the garden and it rotting away over time.

This rubber matting is supposed to allow the grass to grow through, for lawn mowers to cut the grass over it and for it to blend in to the garden so overall it seemed the best solution. Only time will tell if it does blend away.

The rubber mat that will be installed at our Brittany holiday cottage to provide protection within the children s play area.

For a great family holiday La Forge and La Veille Maison offer every thing you could wish for in southern Brittany.

Our Brittany holiday cottage / gite near Baud with private heated swimming pool

From 12th March through to the end of May at our Brittany holiday cottage / gite near Baud guest can enjoy a private heated swimming pool and again in September till the second week of October.

During this period guest staying in La Forge have the pool to themselves and we are currently offering a special offer- book a week for just £399 reduced from £549.

Cleaning the private swimming pool at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

The gite / holiday cottage is available to rent all year, while La Veille Maison is available from the end of May until the start of September.

Weight training and body building at the gym / fitness center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

After 12 days away from the gym / fitness center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud, I feel my back is at 90% now and ready to train again.

Its back and biceps today and in the past pull downs have always helped my back at it stretches it all out, just need to stay controlled and no dead lifts for an additional week.

During this no training period I've tried to stay motivated by reading articles on the sport and watching some of my favorite interviews or training sessions with some legends of the past.

One in particular the Tom Platz interview in the 80s for me changed the way body builders were portrayed and was a very positive influence for my training.

The gym at our Brittany holiday cottage is available throughout the year for those wishing to enjoy a holiday in France and remain fit and strong at La Forge and La Veille Maison.

Early booking bargains at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud

We have some early booking bargains at our Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool near Baud to announce today.

With the swimming pool open and heated at the start of March and offered on a private basis from 12th March through to 21st May enjoy a week for just £399 reduced down from £549.

If you fancy a longer holiday we can offer additional nights at £75 per night to extend your stay or book 2 weeks for just £750

La Forge Brittany holiday cottage offers a wonderful holiday destination in the Morbihan region of southern Brittany.

Our other Brittany holiday cottage La Veille Maison will be available from 20th May until September.

Weight training and body building at the gym / health center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Naomi has been weight training and body building at the gym / health center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud since the start of 2013 and her progress has been fantastic.

The gym at our holiday cottage provides enough variety of exercises to complete whole body workouts for all levels, from those starting out to competitive body builders.

Naomi enjoying the gym at the Brittany holiday cottage

Training is made easy with the gym being located at the holiday cottages near Baud

Guest enjoying a holiday in either La Forge or La Veille Maison can enjoy the free weights gym.

Body building and keeping fit at the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Naomi has been body building and keeping fit at the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud since she moved to France from the UK in 2012.

She did use a gym in the UK but her training has increased in intensity since arriving in France moving away from just cardio to doing a full body workout with weights.

Naomi trains a 3 day split and performs all the exercises I do just with lighter weights but sticking to the same rep range. The way we train is if you can do more than 6 reps you need to increase the weight but if you can not get 3 reps its to heavy.

After being a mum to young James we took some pictures today and you can really see that all the hard work has paid of using the gym located at our holiday cottage.

The results of using the free weights gym at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Naomi's goal is to have another child soon and then train for a couple of year training as heavy as possible keeping to the rep rules before dieting down to compete as a Miss Athletic competitor.

The gym / fitness center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

I've now been away from the gym / fitness center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud for 4 days due to my back injury.

The last session was a great workout on Sunday training legs and I felt really sore in my legs but fine in the back - then on Monday my son sat on my leg as we watched a movie for 30 minutes on my lap top and once he got off my back had seized up.

I hope to be back in the gym tomorrow for a back and bicep workout - the lat pull downs may actually help my back by stretching it all out.

I think I'll give dead lifts a miss for a week or two!

The gym at our holiday cottage is available to use for all guest staying in La Forge and La Veille Maison.

If your in Essex and your looking for a good gym to train in then Stans gym in Upminster is my old gym where I started training and your still find Stan training there and welcoming all his gym uses after 35 years.

Weight training at the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

Today I took a rest from the weight training at the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud as I had a rather punishing leg workout yesterday.

Around noon today my back just went - in hindsight I think it was the Romanian dead lifts, a new exercise for me to work on my hamstrings.

I have always steered clear of dead lifts because of my fear of what it will do to my lower back but this year I implemented them in to my workout and have really enjoyed doing them - I think I have always respected the exercise and really concentrated on good form.

Yesterday I think I became to relaxed with the weights, for starters I took the weight of from the squat rack rather than the floor and walked backwards with the weight to start the exercise, with 120 kg. I also put all my concentration on feeling my hamstrings rather than my back and I think this is how I've ended up with an injury.

So today its pain killers, wearing a back support,Tiger Balm and trying to find a comfortable position.

Tomorrow I hope ill be back in the gym after a good nights sleep.

Before moving to France from the age of 30 through to 40 I used to have real problems with my back, so much so that once or twice per year I needed a walking stick for a few days and receive physio - I was also prescribed some very strong pain killers.

The problems continued in France until I went to see a French physio who during the appointment asked how long do I wear my neoprene back support each day at which point I asked whats one of those? I was prescribed a belt after the appointment and just wearing the belt for the first 30 - 60 minutes after waking up in the morning I found my back was a lot better.

I used to have to take a pain killer tablet before a workout just to get through the workout but today I do not use the strong prescribed pain killers and have not done so for the last 7 years!

Now the only problem I have with my back is shopping with my partner, she just moves to slow around the shops for my liking and if i'm stationary and standing it plays havoc - as long as I'm moving not a problem and then the only other time I have a problem is being to care free in the gym as was the case yesterday.

The gym at our Brittany holiday cottage is open to all our guest enjoying a holiday here.