Well it just gets stranger every time I go to the gym. Today at Virgin gym in the city, there was a scrum of blokes in the change room waiting to use the two hairdryers. I’d never really noticed them hanging there before but watched, mesmerised, as the blokes jockeyed in front of the mirror. It’s an interesting thought. Why do you need hairdryers in a men’s change room? Ponder on that. Anyway, these blokes would spend half an hour drying their hair, then rubbing all sorts of goo through it.

It was quite a procedure watching the hair dryer preening in front of the mirror. Then, to my astonishment, one bloke grabs a dryer and, with it going full blast, sticks it up under the towel around his waist. And started drying something! What was he drying? I had a vision of scorched gonads! Why would someone do that? This may be an ongoing problem. I noticed the following sign under the mirror. Maybe they have had scorched gonads in the men’s change room before and they want it to stop. Maybe Richard Branson is worried about law suits from crazy, deaf men with singed privates. I’ll ask Marg Carney or Jan Davies about this strange procedure. They are women of the world, so they will understand.

It does make me wonder what is happening to Australian males, particularly inner city, professional types. I have never dried my hair with a hair dryer. Ever. Probably never will. A trip to the barber for me these days is a “search and destroy” mission. I worry about our future. If the Japs ever decide to invade Australia again and come pouring down the Kokoda track, I hope none of these inner-city gentlemen will be tasked with defending us. They will stand on Imita Ridge and throw jars of lavender-scented Pomade at the advancing hordes, yelling, “Cop that ya bastards.” Maybe it will work if they yell loud enough, but fair dinkum, not a good look.

Apart for the change room trauma, had a good Wednesday session with Belinda. Today we didn’t do any strength work on the leg press and other machines. She is leaving that up to me now. Our exercises consisted of:

1) One legged squats on the Freeform plate. Both legs

2) Lunges on the Freeform plate . New. Both legs

3) Jumps into the air from a squatting position which I did last week

4) Small jumps off a gym bench about 6 inches high. New

5) Bosu ball Squats

6) Bosu ball skipping side to side

7) Bosu ball one leg and balancing

Very pleased with the session especially as I can now jump off a ledge, albeit a small one, land on both feet and not suffer any ill effects. The exercises are getting more difficult but they are not hurting as much, in fact they are not hurting at all.

It’s a red letter day today as my personal training sessions will go from once a week to once a fortnight. I guess this is a sign of the increasing maturity of the rehab program although we both agree I probably still have about nine months to go. I’m virtually halfway throughan 18 month program but the visible signs of improvement from here will be very gradual. I still had to go to the gym twice a week.