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.

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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.

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

What a great leg workout today at the gym / fitness center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud.

Started of with 6 sets of leg extensions to pre - exhaust my quads up to 70 kgs then went on to 6 sets of front squats finishing of at 120 kgs for 6 reps.

Then it was 4 sets of leg curls followed by 4 sets of Romanian dead lifts to hit my leg biceps.

You always know that the workout went well when its sore to go up and down stairs...lol

Training in the gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud

The gym located at our Brittany holiday cottage has enough  equipment and weights for any level to have a good workout while enjoying a holiday in either La Forge or La Veille Maison.

Our Brittany holiday cottage / gite near Baud with private pool and gym

Had a lovely day today at our Brittany holiday cottage / gite near Baud with private pool and gym as friends popped over for a chat and coffee.

With strong winds and rain over the last 24 hours it was lovely having the wood burning stove up and running to create a warm welcome for our friends.

La Forge has a wonderful wood burning stove also to make the cottage nice and cozy in the winter months and at just £249 per week at the moment or £60 per night its a great deal to enjoy a week or a shorter stay in France.

The Brittany  holiday cottage dressed for Christmas

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

Today I was back in the  gym / fitness center located at our Brittany holiday cottage near Baud for a dead lifting session.

Started of with just 60 kg for 10 reps to warm up and increased by 20 kg for each set until my 5th set at 140 kg I did 6 reps and finished with a final set of 4 reps on 150 kg. Today I struggled with my grip, although tempted to use straps I think for my forearm development I'll not use them and if I am limited to the weight I'm lifting because of my grip strength it will prevent me going to heavy and risk injury to my back.

That;s the problem when getting older you need to always think about preventing injuries - the key for me to compete again is to remain injury free for consistent training.

The gym is available for guest staying in either of our cottages / gites, La Forge and La Veille Maison

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

From our family at the  Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool and gym near Baud we wish everyone a happy new year.

We are looking forward to the year ahead - we have already broken 2014 record of having 8 weeks booked before Christmas for the following year by having 10 weeks booked before Christmas for the 2016 season.

We are opening the swimming pool at the start of March to be ready for the 12th and then the pool will be offered on a private basis for guest staying in La Forge from 12th March through to the May half term and again in September till the first or second week of October depending on demand.

As an early booking offer book a week in our cottage for just £399 per week from the 12th March until 21st May reduced from £549 or book 2 weeks for £750.

La Veille Maison will be available from 21st May until the start of September.