Another week

Well, no training since Saturday, feeling under the weather, below par. Not entirely sure what the problem is, I'm not tired or overtrained or fatigued, just feel unwell. So had a couple of days rest and will get back on it tomorrow, Tuesday. Should be ok for Sunday's Swashbuckler duathlon, although not entered it yet. Good night's sleep will fix that hopefully and I'll sign up tomorrow, ready for action come Sunday. 

Last 5 days

Training for Swashbuckler continues, making steady progress. 

Sunday - 1 hour bike into 25 minute run
Monday - 35 minute run and 1hr Forest Fit
Tuesday - 1 hour 20 bike 
Wednesday - Turbo, 35 minutes. Hard! 
Thursday - 3.7k run, 20 min turbo, 3k run

Strength workout tomorrow. Friday
Saturday - Forest Fit and easy ride/rollers
Sunday - 1 hour run or 2 hour bike

Training latest

Friday - turbo for an hour.

Saturday - a tough Forest Fit session, lots of hill running and lifting big heavy logs. 

Sunday - 20 mile bike and a 6k run off it, ran 20' 10" for first 5k, steady. 

Monday - 30 minutes steady paced run at 6' 30"/mile pace. Forest Fit evening session.

Home made protein shake

Had a go at making my own shake, which I've been tinkering with over the last few weeks. 

2 eggs, 1 pint full fat milk, 2 big tablespoons peanut butter, 1 teaspoon of Nesquik choc powder. 
Mix it up good and proper. Very tasty.

I also make my own energy bars/flapjack
Butter, sugar, honey, raisins, mixed seed, peanut butter, oats. melt butter, sugar and honey and then add all the other stuff, mix it up, then on a baking tray in the oven for 10 minutes.Yummy! 

Heavy set

Simple heavy set today, nothing else. 

Deadlift - warm up with 80kg, 10 reps, then 3, 2, 1. 120, 130, 140kg. New PB. 60-90secs rest between lifts

Bench Press - warm up with 8 x 60kg, then 3, 2, 1. 70, 75. 82.5kg. New PB. 60-90secs rest between lifts

Squat - warm up with 8 x 80kg, then 3, 2, 1. 110, 120, 125kg. 60-90secs rest between lifts

Very different from my normal workouts, but a great test for me to see how far I've come over the last 6 weeks. Getting much stronger, and leaner!! Happy Days! 



Total weight added for 3 lifts - 140, 82.5, 125 = 347.5kg
Test again in 4 weeks. 

Brick

Session today - combination of turbo and run. Short and sharp(ish!).

5 minutes easy pedalling
2k run - 8 minutes
10 minutes turbo
2k run - 8 minutes
10 minutes turbo
2k run - 9 minutes

Legs tiring a bit towards the end, my first bike/run session since June/July. In fact my legs felt rubbish throughout! But good to mix it up and shock my body into getting prepared for Swashbuckler duathlon on 28th October. 

Training

So, very relaxed weekend, only one session of Forest Fit and then a 2 x 4 min Tabata session involving power cleans and inverted rows on rings, 8 sets of 20 secs on, 10 secs off, done twice with 3 mins rest inbetween. Great HIIT set. 

So strength definitely improving. 
Now at 5 x 5 deadlift 120kg, which for me is a big increase. 
Bench at 5 x 5 60kg.
Squat 5 x 5 90kg.

I have been working the deadlift more, and more power and hang cleans. So when I'm fresher I will add more squats with weight into my sessions. Working on technique for the olympic lifts, and still hitting the olympic rings, working on building up to a muscle up! 

Swashbuckler duathlon at the end of the month, so now I have 2 weeks of biking and running, short quality sessions, get some speed up and get my aerobic system firing. Should be interesting to see how I do as I have completely changed my approach and I've not done any 'endurance training' for weeks. Feel fresh and strong, and definitely loads leaner as I have cut right back on carbs, so will see what happens.

Strength Workout

Heavy workout this morning, well, heavy for me. 

6 x 3-5 reps, 60 secs rest
Deadlift
Bench
Front Squat

Superset
5 x 5 reps, 60 secs rest
tricep extension
bicep curl

Rest

Taken this week very easy, no workouts on Thursday or Friday and only a Forest Fit session Wednesday with a short workout in the afternoon. Feeling a little tired and body needs time to recover. Start duathlon specific training next week for 4 weeks, aiming to do the Swashbuckler duathlon on 28th October. Finished 6th last year and was First Male VET, over 40. Be nice to go and do the same this year, just have to see how the body responds from all the strength work I've been doing. 

Monday motivator

So today, nothing massive, but a good strength workout. 

4 mins of Burpees as
20 secs on, 10 secs off. 

5 x 6, 60 secs rest
Power Cleans - 60kg
5 x 8
Deadlift - 70kg

3 x 10, 25kg db
Single Arm Row
Super slow Press Ups

5 mins of various plank, abs and core holds. 

Evening, a good session of Forest Fit, plenty of quality exercises.

Saturday Ride

Out today for an easy 50. No strength work, rest the body. 
The sun is shining and the forecast is rubbish for tomorrow, so ride while I can. I'm getting soft in my older age! Not going out any more in all weathers, far too sensible! 

Friday

Easy 30 miles on the bike, couple of hills, nothing too taxing, but air temperature down a few degrees, first time for weeks and weeks I had a long sleeve top on, and much needed! 
Legs feeling ok, bit tired from deadlifting a fair bit lately but warmed up after 20 miles and felt pretty good. More of the same over the weekend.

300 Thursday

Another variant on the 300 theme, more cardio this week.

Warm up for 10 mins with various light exercises.

50 Burpees
50 Deadlift with 60kg bar
50 bunny hops (both sides of deck as 1 rep, 100 hops)
50 Bag Lifts( 25kg)
50 Press Ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 20kg bell

Time 18' 15"

Cool down jog for 5 mins.
Stretch


Hard going this morning. Press ups were a real struggle. Bag lift is tough, great for grip strength though.

Last night's turbo session

10 min warm up, increasing gears
5 x 30sec hard, 30 sec easy
5 x 2 min hard, 1 min easy
5 x 30 sec hard, 30 sec easy
5 min cool down.

Power output up, strength work having really positive impact on cycling. :)

Workouts for the week

Monday

Warm up with light jog and dynamic stretches, kettlebell swings.

Back focus. Biceps.

5 x 6 reps, 60 secs rest.

Deadlift, 100kg

Single Arm Row, 25kg db, superslow

Then 3(SS) x 

10 Rows Ups, Olympic Rings

10 SAR,  20kg KB

10 Bicep curls, barbell, 15kg

with 60 seconds rest between each superset.

Wednesday

All over routine with upper body focus.

Warm up, 5 minutes of skipping. 

Then 

2 x 10 deadlift with 40kg

2 x 20 kb swings with 20kg bell. 60 secs rest

3 x 6-8 with 90 secs rest

hang clean - 60kg

10 minutes of pressups on Olympic rings, feet on box, low rings, as

10 reps on a minute, should be to fail.

managed 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 9, 7, 6, 5, 5

3 x 10 row ups, 60 secs rest.

As you can see I try to balance out each workout. Back focus Monday, Chest focus Wednesday.

Also Monday, I did a 30 mile bike ride at tempo and then Forest Fit session in the evening.

Wednesday, Forest Fit session in the morning, did workout about an hour after that. Press ups on rings to complete failure, unable to push up from the floor in a regular press up position! Job done!! 

Leg Workout

Lower body workout

5 minute warm up

5 x 6-8 reps, 60 secs rest
Squats, 100kg bar
Step Ups, 2 x 20kg jerry cans
Lunges, 60kg bar
Kettlebell swings(30 swings), 20kg bell

cool down and stretch.

Obviously Kettlebell works upper body as well, but I do this mainly to work glutes, hamstrings and core, finding it balances me out with lunges and squats. 
Focus of the session was to work towards going heavy on the squats but being absolutely secure in my form and technique. 

Monday routine

So back in the gym this Monday for a strength session. Short set today. 
After 10 minutes of various warm up moves and some boxing on the bag:

5 x 6-8 reps. 90 seconds rest between sets. 

1. Deadlift 100kg.
2. Bench Press 60kg.

Then:
5 x 60 seconds of bag lifts(25-30kg large army surplus duffle bag(made by me)) - grab bag between legs and from squat start, lift to one shoulder then lower to floor and lift to the other shoulder. 
Count the reps for a minute, then rest for minute in between. Knackering! 
19, 18, 18, 17, 16
5 minute cool down and stretch. 

Nice workout, big compound moves, great for muscle growth and fat burning. 

Forest Fit later this evening, leading the session with Charlie, off to find more logs. Will then bike tomorrow and might even venture into the swimming pool which I have not done for an age. 

300 workout

So here it is, my own '300' Workout. Basically 300 reps in a workout.
Essentially you can pick any 6 exercises and do 50 reps of each. Here's my take on it, good mix of strength cardio training. 

50 Burpees
50 Chest as ( 2x(10 Bench Press, 5 Press ups), 10 Bench) - 40kg barbell
50 Squats - 40kg barbell on back
50 Sit Ups
50 Single Arm Row - 20kg dumbell, 25 reps each side
50 Kettlebell swings - 20kg bell

Time yourself for the circuit. First attempt was a steady 14' 27". I will try this again next week and try and beat the time. 

Training

So, I have been soul searching a bit about my triathlon, racing, training and sport in general. Very uplifted by the Olympic, but lost a bit of motivation for triathlon. Racing is becoming very expensive, and the rewards for competing for top age group finishes continue to be vouchers for a bike shop that I don't use. And I'm not in the market to race for yet another T-shirt and bag of energy gels and powder drinks and discount vouchers for yet more fitness stores. 

Like a lot of experienced and competitive age group racers, the incentive to continue racing I am sure is dwindling a little, as the cost of entering events far outweighs the return for finishing. There is obvious personal satisfaction in finishing a race and there is no denying the rewards for that self belief in having performed well. But to pay over £50 for a pool based triathlon, only 400m swim and a short bike and short run, just seems over the top. Which is why I have not raced a great deal this season. And I do miss it, because one very rarely gets the chance to combine all three sports in one session, and the exhilaration of pushing yourself to the finish knowing you have given it everything. But it's all got so very serious, even in the relatively short time I have been involved in the sport. Bike bling and tri-suit porn seem to the be the order of the day, and if you don't turn up to the race with a massive box of all the kit in the shop then there's something wrong! Calf guards and recovery shakes abound, and if I have to ride past a disc wheel again when I'm out on a leisurely Sunday ride, then something needs to be said! 

That aside, I have myself been changing the way I train. I am building upper body strength which will transfer to the pool when I feel like getting back into my swimming. I am doing short intense workouts to work at strength and cardio combined and it is having a very positive effect. I have been back into riding and done some more TTs over the last 3-4 weeks, and my riding is returning to form. I lack the motivation a little to do very long rides, but riding for tempo at 2 hours over the Purbecks is again having a good effect when combining it with a solid turbo session and an easy rollers session. As for running I have not stepped out in anger for 3 weeks now! Unheard of. I love running, but not enough it seems! I will return to that soon, but I'm finding the short workouts are much more enjoyable for the time being. Here's an example of the type of session I have been doing. 

Warm up with 5 minutes of:
Burpees, Squats, Press ups, Lunges, Step Ups, Plank, Sit ups, Boxing. 

Main Set, endurance:
3 x 40 secs with 20 secs rest.
Deadlift, 60kg
Bench Press, 40kg
Bent Over Row, 40kg
Front Squat, 60kg
Military Press, 30kg
Back Squat, 60kg

5 minutes cool down.

Other Session Example:
Complex
After short 5 min warm 
5 sets, 5 reps, 60 secs rest between sets. moderate weight, 60-70% of 1RM
Deadlift
Bent Over Row
High Pulls
Front Squat
Shoulder Press
Back Squat
I also do this above routine as a circuit, moving quickly from deadlift to row to pulls etc, which then counts as one rep. 

As you can see, my workouts consist of a lot of compound exercises, but those really are the best ones to work the whole of your body and to develop a strong core and condition the body for swimming biking and running, and most other sports for that matter. I also do use kettlebells a lot, again brilliant for both strength and cardio combined. 
It's challenging my body differently and keeping me lean, and easier to do 20-30 minutes solid gym work than pound the pavements for 90 minutes! For anyone wanting to get fit or get lean, short intense workouts are the way forward. My bodyfat has dropped from 11% to 9% over the last 4 weeks, purely down the the fact that I have changed my training and am doing shorter sessions with higher intensity. Strength work promotes muscle growth by firing up your testosterone levels, which then gets your metabolism working and then providing you don't stock up on sugary foods, this will burn off your biggest source of energy, which in the human body is your fat stores! 
More info to follow, and I am planning a blog to chart my progress over the next few months. I shall be posting up lots of workouts and nutritional information, and more besides so keep reading to find out more! 

Latest News

Well, how long has it been?! Ages!
Swanage triathlon back in May was my first outing of the year. Training bike and very little in the way of miles, either swimming, biking or running. Weather has been lousy for biking, I have had little time to fit in any running and I have been in a pool about a dozen times in the last 10 months. I have to say I was not at all motivated. But that aside I managed to haul myself round in a reasonable time and finished up 3rd on the day. I was hoping that would spur me on, but no, the weather continued to be rubbish and work commitments have hampered any quality and consistency in the training department. I have stayed fit and healthy but not at all race fit, far from it, as this weekend in Antwerp showed, Ironman 70.3. I had an enjoyable race, and went as hard as I could, but lack of any mileage really showed in that I just didn't have the speed. Endurance, no problem, I kept going strong to the end, but just sooooooo slow. Results here.
http://sport.be.msn.com/antwerpironman/2012/eng/uitslag/

I have done no time trialling this season and I have missed the regular Wednesday evening club 10s, 14s and 25s, which would have kept me riding at race efforts and my legs moving. I have been stuck indoors on the turbo and when I have been out I have had no more than 2 hour rides, once a fortnight. Not enough.
Running has been confined to short hard efforts with little else other than gentle jogs a with work. In other words, for me to go and challenge for top honours in my age group I need to put the work in. Antwerp has done one thing, it's made me decide to get my ass into gear and start putting some work in! I'm strong, but I need some speeeeeeed!

Getting back to fitness

Slowly does it, but I was at Forest Fit yesterday and managed to shuffle round and do a little running, a few basic exercises and get the body moving again. Feel very out of shape, but I'm sure that if I be sensible and build slowly over the next 2 weeks I will be able to return to full training sooner rather than later.

First outing on the bike today for an hour of easy riding in the sunshine,. And it will be very very easy, no hard pedalling in big gears, nice easy and light spin, just to see how I'm moving. 10 days now since the op and all seems to be healing very well. Looking forward to getting moving again and giving the heart and lungs something to do!

April nearly

Well, April approaches and where am I in this lovely weather? Indoors recovering from a hernia op last week. 7 days in and I'm healing well, but it's slow and I feel a bit ropey as a result of the anaesthetic. I don't react very well to them. So it's slow going but all should be ok for me to slowly get back to some semblance of light exercise by the coming weekend. Will then ease myself back into it so that by the end of April I can really start pushing on for Antwerp 70.3 on 22nd July

http://ironman.com/events/ironman70.3/antwerp70.3#axzz1qPxH2h56

That should give me plenty of time to get in good shape. A few training races before then should see me right, and I'm hoping to be fully fit and go well, as I would like to qualify for World Champs in Vegas later in the year. If I can get a10 weeks of consistency from end of April through to 22nd July then I know I can go well. All the endurance I have in the tank should see me right.

Will be such a good feeling to get back on track with a goal and something to aim for and to keep me motivated to put the long hours in, although this time round, I'll be shortening the sessions and upping the intensity, looking for more speed.

More blog posts to come which will help keep me pushing forwards through a slow period of recovery.

Coke

Would you drink it?

http://uk.health.lifestyle.yahoo.net/Coca-Cola-and-Pepsi-change-recipe-to-avoid-cancer-warning-label.htm

Back!

Where has February gone? Well, dunno, but it's gone and no post!

Been a funny old time of late. MY GP confirmed my suspicions of the last few weeks. I do have an inguinal hernia( groin). Only small but needs an op to fix. Tat's now sorted for near the end of March, and then hopefully a couple of weeks' recovery and I'll be able to 'resume' training. Not that I have been doing a right lot of late.

Running is ok, but any speed work is a no-no, not wanting to strain my hip flexors. So it has had to be gentle jogs and even then I haven;t done that many. I have not been near a swimming pool all year, well, one session on a Wednesday back in January. I do want to get back into swimming and I need to as I must start getting in some preparation for racing this year. Antwerp 70.3 is booked in July, and I want to go there and put in a performance. My cycling on the other hand remains very strong.

On the season's first TT last week I felt pretty rubbish and yet managed to put in a decent time in light of the fact I have hardly done anything other than some strength work and a few turbo efforts. http://blog.sportsmassagebournemouth.co.uk/2012/02/pat-dunn-cc-weymouth-opened-his-account.html

2nd place on the day, not bad. Work in progress and time was 2 seconds slower than the same ride last year, so all in all not a bad morning's work. Legs did not like me the following day, but generally recovery was not bad.

I've been out for 30 miles today, up and down lots of hills and now will look to ride more regular, get some pool time, and run easy when I can to build some base for the harder training to come.

Where has January gone?

Well, 31 days into the New Year already. Just started to get cold. Nice and fresh at Forest Fit last night.

I managed a morning run for 40 minutes. 50 minutes turbo at steady pace. And an hour of Forest Fit, directing operations. Was a great fun session and a good turnout on a very cold evening.

This morning, I did a short strength workout. 20 minutes of deadlifting 60kg, single arm rows with 20kg kettlebell and curls with a 20kg bar. In total, about 60 reps of deadlifts, 60 one arm rows and 30 curls. Enough to get me working hard and prepare for some bigger strength workouts over the next few weeks. Also 10 pull ups on rings thrown in there, 2 at a time. Not my strong point, but it's all work in progress. Turbo bike later and will run out and back to Forest Fit tomorrow.

More biking in the week, as I get back to fitness after a week of cold and rubbish!

Catches up on you

Well, eventually my body succumbed to all the colds and viral infections floating round and a big turbo session frazzled me on Tuesday, leaving my immune system a bit battered and the bugs took refuge in the confines of my nasal and throat cavities!

Food and drink and rest the order of the day, walking to get some fresh air and a gentle jog later and I'll be feeling much better after two rough days.

Training begins in earnest next week, and time to get organised and look at booking some races before they all get sold out!

Swim technique

Possibly the world's smoothest freestyle stroke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3HhNlysFDs&feature=youtu.be

Monday

Back out on the bike today for 41 miles of good riding on a windy and cold day.

Felt pretty good, a lot of climbing in there, and legs moving pretty well. Nothing outrageous, a nice easy 18mph average, which is alright for a steady ride at this time of year, and I should be able to get another die in tomorrow, albeit a short one. Also back to running tomorrow, and will get out very early morning to run 40 minutes. A week to get my legs moving before I start any concerted run sessions of any note.

Forest Fit at the rugby club tonight. Last week's session was great, we set up a circuit-type session and I had loads of exercises printed up and got small groups working their way round each 'station' with 'fun' stuff in-between, then finished off the session with some sandbag carrying relays, always good fun. More of the same tonight, and thankfully the rain is holding off, let's hope the wind drops a bit. Will take it easy myself as my shoulders are a bit tight.

Now then, something to eat before I get back to work!

Saturday is Forest Fit day

Quiet week training-wise, lacking a little motivation in the January weird weather. One minute ice, next minute heat!

Managed 50 miles on the bike over Purbeck's finest hills and wind! Legs held up pretty well, and was good to be out for that time.

Today is Forest Fit, I will not be doing much in the way of upper body stuff, as my neck and shoulder has taken a turn for the worse again. I swam on Wednesday, and I am just not ready for the pool yet. Another two weeks and I can confidently get back in there.

I shall run over to Forest Fit, a nice easy 4 mile run to get warmed up, and I shall get out on the bike again later. Long run tomorrow and back into some running as I have done very little running over the last two weeks.

Strength workouts to return next week, only if shoulder better.

Good tired

Nice tired feeling this evening after 44 miles of biking and 5 miles of running. 3 hours of total training on a very bright and sunny but cold and windy day. That's more like it. Bike legs are starting to return and hopefully with this type of regular riding I can get a great base in for the seasons of time trialling and triathlon which begin in March and April respectively. Now to find some races and to look through the TT handbook and book something official.

Oatcakes and a bowl of muesli and a leg massage followed by sleep!!! Nice way to finish off a good Sunday.

Sunday

Hello guys and gals.

Sunday morning and up with the boys, drinking coffee and planning the week ahead.

Last week was a lighter training week, after the first 10 days of the new year, as legs feeling it a bit. However, this morning I feel refreshed and ready to push on with a two hour bike and 40 minute tempo run.

I did Forest Fit with Charlie yesterday, and what a beautiful morning in the Forest, bit frosty, but lovely and fresh and a great group to train with, we had a lot of fun. I rode over there, off-road nice and steady and my legs were feeling very good. The bike miles are starting to make a difference. Worked reasonably hard in the session and had the rest of the day off. Saturday is fast becoming my main rest/easy day, which makes a nice change from spending hours out on the bike as I was a couple of years back. Sunday morning is swimming and football with the boys and then Sunday from 12pm is training time.

The week ahead consists of PT and Forest Fit and lots of biking again, and I am delighted to say I shall be back in the pool. The chiropractor visit seems to have done the trick and my neck and shoulder are now moving much better, pain free and after another few massage sessions I should be almost normal again!

Training latest

A full week on the bike, goal 1 is well undwer way. 10th of January already and I have managed to get on my bike everyday bar one, I really needed a rest day on Saturday after Forest Fit, and playing five-a-side football on Friday night, my first 'competitive' game for 10 years! Ooooh, I ached a bit on Saturday after that. I was fit enough to run round the pitch all evening but muscle groups working in different ways. Very enjoyable to get out and try something a little different. Not sure how often I will be doing that, particularly if I have a race coming up.

Most of my outdoor riding has consisted of between 90 minutes and 2 hours. Steady riding, taking in a few Purbeck hills. Average pace between 18 and 20 mph. Nothing crazy, trying to build some consistency. Turbo efforts of around 60 minutes, again, just working through the gears, building pace, and not yet anything structured. January and February will continue in the same vain, I might throw in the odd 3 hour ride but to be honest, this time of year 2 hours is the max I like to be out, circulation in my feet is not great.

As for swimming, not yet back in the pool, chest, neck and shoulder still tight, although I did visit the chiropractor and she freed up my right first rib, so I have a lot more movement and stability through that area, but still not right, and a few more physio sessions will hopefully sort that out.

Will get back in the pool next week, and start light swimming.

Running is ticking over, nothing too structured, other than an interval session once a week, trying to get the heartrate working, and not everything at aerobic level. Light run today of about 40 minutes, then will turbo in the evening, Forest Fit and bike tomorrow. Bike and run Thursday. Friday bike. Saturday Forest Fit and off. Sunday bike and run. And then see how we feel before planning the following week.

Happy New Year

Hello everyone and welcome to 2012.

I've been a bit quiet on here of late. Busy sorting out my gym and personal training work. All going well, nice and steady. Forest Fit also continues to thrive!

I have started the New Year determined to get back into my own training with a bit more vigour. 2011 was a a bit of a rest year for me. I have realised that I need to ride my bike everyday, that's what gets me riding faster. So there's goal number one. Even if I can only fit in 30 minutes on the rollers, I am not going to miss a day.

Goal number 2, more structured run sessions, train shorter and smarter. Apart from one long run of minimum 90 minutes a week.

Goal number 3, 3 swim sessions a week. Again, shorter sessions until I need to work on swim endurance for longer racing.

Goal number 4, get my neck and shoulder right. My first rib is protruding and needs some manipulation to put it back. Chiropractor for me tomorrow and am having some physio on the muscle tissues surrounding the area. Once sorted I can then work at

Goal number 5, develop upper body strength, arms especially. I have realised that for improved performance racing I need to be strong everywhere, not just in the legs.

So there we are, 5 goals for this year. I have some races in mind, and have booked Antwerp 70.3 in July as a target race for starters. More news and regular updates to follow. Very excited about 2012, Olympic year, and it's going to be a good one!