Last Tuesday 14/09/2010

I power cleaned 75.2kg, a new PR. This was with very good form. I have been concentrating on breathing in my belly and getting really tight. The midsection is the link between legs and hands, so it needs to be a rock.

I also squatted 85kg for 20reps, up 5kg from the week before. Soon I will squat 90kg for 20. I must hit this 80kg power clean before the end of September.

Update on my strength cycle

I've been doing snatch grip deadlifts for 4 sets of 6-8 with at least 5mins rest between sets. Followed up by a little assistance exercise. The following day is for filling in the gaps so I do whatever - squats, core, chins, presses etc.

Yesterdays (15/07/2010) went like this:
warmup
snatch grip deadlift:
40kg x 5 x2
70kg x 5 x2
120kg x 6 x4 i am making sure to do these with strict form, lots of leg drive, which is contrary to what I normally do (all back). These are hard done strict.

hip thrust - with thanks to Bret http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/dispelling_the_glute_myth
60kg x 10
60kg x 20
90kg x 12

stretch

today I will do goblet squats and chins together and follow it up with a superset of one leg deads and clean and press. thats a nice workout. followed by 4 pints of milk or so.

weekend will be biking and running. i must eat lots and then hit it hard on monday... 125kg for 7 or 8?

Exams and stuff

Haven't been logging training much if at all lately. I am in the full swing of exams. Not that it has stopped me.

Recently I've been doing a lot of tumbling, really simple stuff. Got this book the tumblers manual and it presents a comprehensive list of progressions. It's amazing what progress is possible if one starts at the basics and builds up slowly. In a very short space of time I aquired the balance to properly handstand for a decent length of time instead of wobbling all over the place. Something I've been trying to achieve for... hmm.. about 15 years.

So the last week I've tumbled everyday, and done the program minimum with the 32kg bell. Something which is long overdue.
Started the week with 2 shaky getups per side, ended the week with 3 smooth getups per side. Swings were horrible, I just did them and didn't think too much about it.
Mountain biked several times. Did some hill sprints.
Did some car pushing... "special strength" woohoo.
Training in the gym have been doing clean and press ladders with pullups. I've leaned out considerably lately, and haven't lost any strength, just gained mobility and endurance. Probably speed too.

Today at the gym I set a new clean and press PB @ 60kg. 65kg didn't budge. Todays session:

warmup complex (after foam rolling and stretching)
5 cycles with empty bar
power snatch x8
overhead squat x8
goodmorning x8
back squat x8
row x8

front squat
60kg x 4
70kg x 3
80kg x 3
80kg x 4
80kg x 4

clean and press
40kg x 1
50kg x 1
60kg x 1
65kg miss

clean and press 50kg superset with matching number of pullups:
1,2,3,4
1,2,3
1,2,3

Really happy to have pressed 60kg, pressing has always been difficult for my thanks to my longish arms and spending the bulk of my life in a very thin frame. a big plate each side is just cool.

It has been a while

since I last logged my activity:

Friday 11th - biking. Box hill and Mickelham. FInished with a single car push ~30 meters
Saturday 12th - tumbling.
Today - tumbling to warm up. 12mins of swings as nauseum with 32kg, pump stretch to recover, 5mins of getups with 32kg. car push down drive to finish.

Running.

It is often assumed that anyone can run, yet at least 80% of people I see run with horrendous form, including myself. I view running as a skill, something to be played with and learned. It's gotta be practiced, perfected and enjoyed. Silent running is good running, effortless running is good running. I'm not there yet, are you?

Training over summer.

SOme similarities with this and my previous post. I've devised a plan which I'll be trying over summer. It's general and vague in implementation, but I hope to achieve a little muscle and a lot of power and stamina. This way of training will also keep me really mobile.. which I think is one of the big downsides of focusing on pure weight training. Yes I stole the first couple of points from Dan John!

1. Pick stuff off the ground.
2. Put stuff overhead.
3. Push things for time or distance.
4. Run hills.
5. Practice basic movements.

Breaking down these points, in my mind, with my equipment and my needs:
1. Anything which is to be put overhead must first be picked up. A bit of kettlebell work, a bit of barbell work.
Deadlifts - done heavy, to stimulate the CNS, and done with good form.
2. Kettlebells and barbells.
3. This is where a lot of work is to be put in. Pushing something really heavy, like a car, with strong form and good leg drive is an incredible exercise.
4. I love running. I love running fast, and hills are evil. Hill sprints are also mandatory. Running down the hills (FAST!) is a co-ordination and agility exercise in itself.
5. Goblet squats. Get-ups. Swings. Stretches etc. Basic things like chin ups and handstand work, tumbling etc. Mobility.

Boom.

Scribbling down a training plan for track running before i forget

An unconventional training plan for 400m up to 1600m with manipulation of variables.

Toolbox:
Hill sprints/runs (a run being anything over ~20 seconds).
Kettlebell swings and get-ups.
Deadlifts and plyometrics. General strength for upper body (ie pushups, chin ups).
Core work.

more to come

My first XC MTB race

26 miles - the Super Series South Downs 'Ups and Downs'.

Got lost about 3 miles in with a handful of other riders, ended up taking a detour which cost around 40mins! This is all thanks to general public taking down the signs which point us in the right direction! So thanks go their way.

About 4 miles from the end I destroyed my back tyre on a fast downhill stretch, looked like a stress puncture, due to excessive enthusiasm. Consequently, as I had no inner tube for repairs, I hoisted the bike onto my back and started jogging. Covered about a mile (with an unparalleled feeling of failure, but a grim determination) before a kind samaratin passed me. I gave him a fiver for a spare inner tube and 5mins later was back on track.

Some of the climbs throughout that race were absolutely brutal, like I've never experienced before. I found it important to go into another world during some of those ascents, the pain was too unbearable for this reality. However I made a pact with myself to persevere, and as a result never got overtaken.

I felt that my downhill speed had a huge impact, not only does the small adrenaline hit help a lot with the immediate ascent but I push my time that little bit further.

The strength training had a huge impact. Although the balance is utterly necessary, I felt that without the strength in my legs I would have failed on many of the climbs, it just allowed me to push when otherwise I would not have, or when others may not be able to. It's like a secret reserve fuel supply.

It may have been in my mind, but it felt like I was breathing so much heavier than those around me. I told myself to keep breathing deep the entire race and never hold my breath, it helped big time. Despite the exhaustion at the top of each ascent, a quick time on the flat or downhill was all I needed to recover most of that energy back. Interval training anyone?

Being technical makes a huge difference, from powering up really steep descents, changing gears mid climb and to flowing down a twisty singletrack and bunny-hopping over the gorge to avoid bike damage or death. Having that technicality seems an absolutely essential aspect of XC racing. I love the multi-dimensional aspect of that.

So my take-away lessons from this race are:

• Wear better shoes. My lace got caught in the chain on one of the downhills which was fun.
• Bring 2 spare inner tubes, and a pump!
• Keep breathing, in nose (and mouth a bit), out mouth.
• Keep peddling. Get the devil out of my mind. Singing to myself, or mumbling some random nonsense seems to do the trick.
  
• Standing up in the bike really helps the legs stretch out and recover.
• Pedalling downhill also helps the legs to recover, I assume by flushing blood to them while not undergoing any resistance.
• Downhill: look ahead, pick the line, attack it without holding back. Have trust in the bike.
• Biking is as much glutes and hips as it is quads!!!
  

Some thoughts on training, why we should listen to our body etc.

I'm not really all that big a fan of the word 'functional' when talking about training. Too often it's meaning is confused and misled. On the one hand we have a large mass of people believing the pinnacle of functional training is stability balls, bands and medicine balls. A whole other cleek of trainers believe functional training is the advocation of bodyweight exercises only, or weighted overhead squats and lunges.

Running in trainers is functional, running barefoot is even more functional (more on that later). Rarely do I see running as an advertised product, probably because there is little to sell, if there is something to sell which is running related, you can count on it being anti-functional.

If you have a car, it needs maintainance. Improving a car by putting a bigger engine it might make it go faster... for a while. That is until some other component explodes because you haven't considered the result of your improvements.
Our body is no different, it needs maintainance. However we require less maintainance and repairs if we treat ourselves with respect. If a nut or bolt is loose, improving the component is not going to address the weak point in the structure.

If you are not correcting problems that arise in your training, you are not training efficiently. You are stacking more problems on top of dysfunction. I recently discovered that I am substituting hip extension for back extension, which might explain why I always get so tight after a few sets of deadlifts. My glutes aren't firing when they should be doing so. This is a problem area I am addressing by including a correction in every single warmup I do. Talking of warmups, here is mine now in chronological order:

1. Foam roll and stretch.
2. The 'Cook' hip lift (basically a one leg bridge with the other knee pulled to chest to prevent back extension, tiny range of motion, massive benefit). Followed by psoas stretch and repeated 2 or 3 times.
3. Goblet squat.
4. Hips high get-up.
5. Pump stretch.

This warmup is good for me, and is oriented around the hips, and general mobility.

Unfortunately I think there is a lot of misguidance in the fitness industry. Money fuels everything. We have exercise machines, gadgets and even shoes that advertise that you can get toned up without any effort.
Talking of shoes, I hate running shoes, wearing a pair just doesn't feel right anymore. Since going minimalist I officially no longer have any bother with shin splints, yet I run further and longer. Although it flared up in the rugby season when I was running around in cleats. Oh and my calves are looking more 'toned'.
I find it amusing how if someone is discovered to have a problem with their running the solution is not to fix that form but to provide a pair of shoes which will 'correct' the issue. Is this fixing the problem or just covering something up? The problem may not be muscular, but neuromuscular. The problem might not be tightness, but stability.
If somebody can't squat properly and to depth does that justify raising their heel with blocks of wood or sending them over to the leg press machine? No it means they should practice until they can do it properly. It's the same with all skills, and running is no different.

Explore all possible areas, try all things. Dare to be different.

I have dominated Kenneth.

Thanks to him, typing this little entry is proving to be quite hard work. For the uninformed (how many read this blog anyway?!) Kenneth is my 32kg 'bell. He currently resides in the garage, which has been swept and cleaned by the author. Kenneth was taken out for some exercise this evening, a little bit of "brutal minimalist fitness" to be precise. "Brutal minimalist fitness" really is just that, words cannot begin to explain the barbarity of this workout (when done without breaks that is). If it is completed within 12mins, you're pretty good. Under 10mins and you're pretty awesome. To do it under 10mins pretty much requires no breaks.

It basically goes:
50 swings
10 hindu squats

40 swings
20 hindu squats

all the way to

10 swings
50 hindu squats

The original plan was to hit 40 swings and do a shortened version (such is my self belief), as it happens when I got to fourty ther thought 'fuck it' cropped up and so I went for the full whammy.
Myself and Kenneth worked our way through this torturous process. I, myself, adopted a zombified, glazed look either at a small stone on the ground or occasionally towards the heavens to see if the angles had arrived. Kenneth maintained his cheeky grin, bastard. The pain one experiences in the forearms as torn up hands attempt to hold on to the 'bell is unreal. I'll leave you to find out the rest of the story.

Nine minutes and thirty-three seconds later, I take a shaky step towards my stop watch, almost falling over as I bend down to punch the timer. A quick glance at my heart rate watch reveals a high-190. I slowly stagger (even more zombified) over to the grass and collapse... Kenneth... bastard.

Nothing interesting

Juggling around a template in my head for next terms strength training.
I've come up with the following:
[sets across,warm-up not included]

Workout A
Front Squat 5x3 followed immediately by jumping/explosive exercise
Chin ups (weighted) 5x5
Core work (hanging leg raises/ab-wheel/medicine ball)

Workout B
Power Clean 5x3
Romanian Deadlift 5x5
Core work (same as A)

Points to note:

• Workouts done Mon-Wed-Fri, alternated.
• Linear progress for as long as possible. So that means weight added each workout. If goes stale then one day a week will be made a 'moderate' day.

Goals:

• 15+ chins.
• 1.5*bodyweight front squat.
• Bodyweight clean for triple.
  

Pull-ups and core work. Can't go wrong with these 2 and can't do enough either.

Training goals

Front squat 1.5x bodyweight - with good form.
Double my number of pullups - so I can do at least 15.
Strengthen my heart and my core.
Work towards a

Some stuff I've been jotting and jumbling lately.

• Rugby (and all sport) is more about mind than body. Relaxation and thinking is key. Manic aggression should occur on the spur of the moment.
• The core works by acting as a rock which the limbs move around. Mobility needs stability and stability is the core to remaining rigid in an unbalanced state. Isometric contraction is key. Think ab-wheel, hanging leg raises for time, lateral medicine ball drills.
• The leg biceps are grossly undertrained. Bodyweight glute-ham raises (from a kneeling position with a partner) are a goal to achieve. Go as far down as possible then come back up, then do a negative to the floor and push with arms to return to starting position. Thats 1 rep. Do sets of 5.
• The front squat is hard, and harder is better.
• Working out to feel like a million bucks: weights or cardio or both, work at about 75%, lots of gas left in the tank. 10mins at the end stretching out the hips and other tight areas.

How are your abs doing since christmas?

Think you know to effectively train the abs sir?

Well, you DON'T!

At least not...

Until you try the NEW EVERLAST ab wheel! Smooth single-double wheel motion (yes thats a single wheel made up of two wheels!) with an ergonomic grip and aesthitic apearance. You'll be sculpted better than the sphynx!

Seriously though. The little evil wheel is amazing. Buy one from Argos for a fiver.

I need to write this down!

At the beginning of the wonderful Christmas break I set out on a mini-mission in order to learn and experiment.
This mission was simple: don't go to the gym. I thought that if I abstained for a period of time,
then perhaps I would learn something new and be creative. That I have, and a few things need to be written down so I can stop juggling them about in my head:

• Blogging everything I do is pointless.
• The back bridge is the best bodyweight exercise in existance, (thrust the hip high, use the back muscles not the limbs).
• The spine is NOT in compression when we lean backwards.
• Tight hip flexors are fixed by doing the pump stretch followed by the lunge, several times.
• Ross Enamait (the first proper trainer I stumbled across on the internet and author of the first book I bought on the subject) is right in so many ways.
• Steve Ilg is also right in so many ways, his book Total Body Transformation is cheesy as hell and very weird, but hands down the wisest book I own.
• The above two people both believe there must be balance. Balance not meaning all attributes being equal, but merely meaning that when one disciplin is slacking (a weakness), it needs to be addressed.
• Increasing flexibility and range of movement is best achieved by getting really uncomfortable... and staying that way.
• Russian is a difficult language to learn.
• Trying something completely new always works.

New 5/3/1 shakeup

The great debate in my head has been back squats vs front squats for the 5/3/1. I am choosing front squats basically because I am shit at them and one needs to always choose to work on ones weaknesses. Back squats can be used for higher rep assistance work. Straps will be used for top sets of deadlifts.
Since I think big chests are gay and the bench press is ovverated I'll be doing the more useful overhead push press instead.

Training maxs:
Front Squat = 85kg
Push Press = 62.5kg
Deadlift = 170kg
Military press = 57.5kg

• Warmup for each day will be complexes emphasising mobility and flexibility, so things like overhead squats, snatches etc.
• Power cleans, hang cleans, snatches etc to be performed before the front squats and deadlifts. 3-5 sets of 3 reps, keep it snappy.
• Stretching must take place afterwards, emphasis on working the hips.
• Ab work to be taken seriously.