Aln's new training journal

Members Area My Training Journal
1

As I said in the last post of my old journal, after all these months injured I finally decided to close a chapter and seek a new way.

I’m splitting from my training group for now and going to be training myself. It has become obvious I would have been wasting my time had I continued with my same routine as I’ve been losing 2 or 3 track sessions a week, and losing that much volume in long to short means that each time it’s harder and harder to continue and achieve goals within a macrocycle. I have to go my own way, have a flexible schedule and work full time in getting myself healthy.

I haven’t been able to do a speed session in 5 months due to different ailments. I’m sick of it, and it was stupid to continue pushing it as I was doing, if I was unable to do speed work again this whole preseason I’ll be in for zero improvement this season. I HAVE to get healthy and doing speed well before even thinking of a long term program like the one I was doing.

After much reading I’m finally getting bought by Charlie’s principles and see this as an opportunity to drop the extreme volumes of my long to short program and give short to long a try for a macrocycle. As you guys repeatedly say, how can one be a sprinter without developing speed first. Is long to short really that useful for a beginning athlete (current training age exactly one year)? I feel in the group I was in I was being guided by a training regime that was most helping the developed athletes and slowing down endlessly the progress of an athlete in my situation. Hopefully someone that reads this echoes this sentiment, I guess this is why many of us are here, in the search of bettering ourselves. I have no one to tell this here where I live, so I guess this was the best place to express it.

Needless to say, I’ll be having fun, fun, fun designing and doing my own workouts and hopefully emerge with a complete understanding of why, when and where I do everything I do in my training. It will make me a better athlete and certainly a more confident athlete, as I’m someone who loves the hands on approach and not the “do everything coach tells you like an ignorant robot” approach, which is the approach in this country and which I’ve grown wary of. Another major improvement is time allotment, since I’ll be splitting from my old training group I’ll rejoin my grass roots club, which has its track 5 minutes from my home. So I’ll be saving an hour a day in transport, and another hour or two which we’d spend talking or messing around. Everything falls into place so nicely, I can’t wait to start.

I’ve laid out the basics of my upcoming macrocycle and am completing it with real track work now, I’ll post it by tonight or tomorrow at the latest (going to start Monday) for some feedback (from anyone that read this far! :smiley: ), many things will probably be wrong and I won’t be able get CFTS for a few weeks, I can’t wait to read it and see if I’ve got the concepts right (finally decided to buy it, but thanks to Paypals beaurocracy I have to wait till my next credit card statement to enter some stupid code before I can complete any purchases :mad: ).

2

OK, here it is! I’m not 100% done but the basics and most of the specifics are laid out. I’ll sit back down tomorrow, review it and edit the final details in. Hopefully I haven’t made any major mistakes in my planning.

My plan :

Macrocycle 1
GPP: 4 weeks Nov 17 to Dec 13
SPP: 7 weeks Dec 15 to Jan 31
Precomp phase: 4 weeks Feb 2 to Feb 27
Competitive phase : 7 weeks Feb 28 to Apr 18

Since the GPP has already ended I won’t put details about that.

SPP
General details :
Tempo will increase from 1700 to 2300m. per day by end of SPP
Speed will start at 1000 and increase to 1400 per week by end of SPP
Week : Weights work : Track work
Week 1 : Accumulate : 1000 (Dec 15
Week 2 : Max strength : 1100 to
Week 3 : Max strength : 1200 Jan 3)
Week 4 : Unloading : 1400 (Jan 5 to Jan 10)
Week 5 : Max strength : 1400 (Jan 12
Week 6 : Max strength : 1400 to
Week 7 : Max strength : 1400 Jan 31)

General speed work/CNS intensive day outline:
Day 1 : split runs (200 and 100) x 2 week 1 then move to x 3 week 3, x4 week 4, then move on to SE2 3x300 or 300, 250, 200, 150
Day 2 : flying 20’s, ins and outs last 3 weeks
Day 3 : 4x30 (varying starts), 4x60 (varying starts), 30’s will be increased in volume to x8 and replaced with weighted sled for the last 4 weeks
I still need to adjust the volumes here to meet the laid out framework.

Weights :
The base 3RM’s I’ll work off/assume are the following (no need to test because I won’t be doing a real 3RM this macrocycle for safety – don’t want to reinjure myself):
For deep squat I’ll be assuming a 3RM of 120kg, although I know after a couple of weeks I’ll be ready for 150-160 (my previous max), I’ll go seeing as I go along, if I feel strong and confident enough I’ll lift the 3RM value.
For front squat 3RM 105kg
Hang clean 3RM 60kg
So at these percentages I’ll do deep squat/f. squat/h. clean :
Week 1: 80% 95/85/47.5
Week 2: 85% 100/90/50
Week 3: 90% 107.5/95/52.5
Week 4: 90% (drop volume by 25%) 107.5/95/52.5
Week 5: 95% 115/100/55
Week 6: 100% 120/105/60
Week 7: 105% 125/110/65
Reps framework:
Week 1 : 5x5
Week 2 : 6x3
Week 2 : 4,3,2,2,2
Week 4 : 3x3

Precomp
Tempo stays at 2300 per day
Speed increases to 1700 on maintenance period
Week 1 : Unloading : 1600 (Feb 2 to Feb 7)
Week 2 : Maintenance : 1700 (Feb 9
Week 3 : Maintenance : 1700 to
Week 4 : Maintenance : 1700 Feb 27)

General speed work/CNS intensive day outline:
Day 1 : SE1 4x150 or 200, 180, 150, 120
Day 2 : Max speed/accel 4x30 blocks, 3x30 flying, 2x60m. or 3x60m.
Day 3 : SE2 3x200

Weights : Maintenance

Comp phase
General speed work/CNS intensive day outline:
Week 1 : Maintenance/race : 1600 (Feb 28
Week 2 : Maintenance/race : 1500 to
Week 3 : Maintenance/race : 1400
Week 4 : Maintenance/race : 1300
Week 5 : Maintenance/race : 1200
Week 6 : Maintenance/race : 1100
Week 7 : Maintenance/race : 900 April 18)
Only 900 meters in week 7 because I’ll have 3 major meets in 7 days and those will account as all my speed work (300m. per meet from a 100 and 200).

Peaks for macrocycle 1 : International tourneys April 10-11 (Mar del Plata, 1st stage South American GP), 14 (Rosario 2nd stage S. A. GP) and 18 (Montevideo 3rd stage S. A. GP).

Macrocycle 2
Recovery/reaccumulation phase : 2 weeks 19 April to 1 May
Precomp phase : 2 weeks 3 May to 14 May
Competitive phase : 3 weeks 15 May to 6 June

Peaks : Sub 23 Nationals May 15-16, Nationals June 5-6

Further then this I can’t plan, it will depend on the times I get in the Sub 23 Nationals and Nationals if I go to the inaugural South American Sub 23 champs at the end of June, if this doesn’t happen I’ll be going on a GPP again and aiming to peak last week October, first week November, with the comp phase starting in mid September and ending in that meet first week of November.

Still need to fill in reps for weights and recoveries for each track session, determine plyos – which and what volume. The rest of my weights routine I’ll fill in at discretion each day and then maybe after a few weeks I’ll standardize it. Didn’t write any standard tempo session in yet, I’ll test and see what I feel most comfortable with these next few weeks. What is giving me a serious doubt is whether I’ll be in maintenance for too long before my competition, should I add another 3 week max strength cycle in the precomp period instead of going into maintenance there (my whole volume progression would change to the below)?

This would be the plan with another max strength cycle in weights, instead of maintenance in the precomp phase :
Precomp
Tempo stays at 2300 per day
Speed increases to 1500
Week 1 : Unloading : 1500 (Feb 2 to Feb 7)
Week 2 : Max strength : 1500 (Feb 9
Week 3 : Max strength : 1500 to
Week 4 : Max strength : 1500 Feb 27)

Comp phase
Week 1 : Maintenance/race : 1600 (Feb 28
Week 2 : Maintenance/race : 1500 to
Week 3 : Maintenance/race : 1400
Week 4 : Maintenance/race : 1300
Week 5 : Maintenance/race : 1200
Week 6 : Maintenance/race : 1100
Week 7 : Maintenance/race : 900 April 18)

Input/thoughts anyone?

3

I’m changing my weights scheme. For my main lifts I’ll go 3x3 and 2x3 on the unloading week. Maybe varying once in a while to something like 5x2 if it gets boring and then 3x2 unloading. I like this much better now and now understand how it can be effective. I have to look into how to integrate jumps and plyo tonight and my program will be good to go. Today I’ll do my first session, the 300m. split runs and do my main legs lifts.

4

First workout of the new program. I’m back in my old club, I missed the place, but I’m missing the people from my training group too.

Light jog
Stretch

Deep squat
4x50kg warmup progression down to deep
6x50kg warmup from half down to deep and last two fast
3x90kg
3x95kg
3x100kg

Front squat
4x50kg warmup set, fast
3x80kg
3x85kg
3x90kg

Hanging leg raise 3x6

Crunch
3x8 5kg

Stretch

The workout was GREAT. I chose the right weights to start off, I see the workout had more effect then when having all those high reps series in a pyramid, and was more effective. I only felt fatigue getting to the last set of front squat, while when doing what I was doing before by the last sets I’d be fried unless the weights in the first sets were pretty low. Since I had to go the central facility I couldn’t do my track work today. I’ll have to do my CNS intensive track days Tues/Thurs/Sat this week and drop a tempo session.

I inspected well the indoor track we have in our club (only one in South America I believe), though it’s not a racing track (no incline on the curves, actually no real curves). It doesn’t really have bends, it has pretty sharp almost 90 degree corners then 20m. straights and corner, but since the track is about 3-4 meters wide the bend is doable coming from the outside lane passing on the inside of the bend and then going to the outside again. The track has 160m. total in the inside lane, 66-68m. straights from wall to wall I’d estimate and 26-28m. bends from wall to wall, so work up to 40m. can be done without a problem, even 50 as a stretch (slamming into the wall), and tempo can be done with no problem. The floor material isn’t that hard and has excellent grip, I look forward to trying some accel work here. Tomorrow I’ll go for the first time in an year to the cinder track in this club, it’s among the best here in Argentina, so track conditions are not a concern or limiting factor. Can’t wait to do my first split runs tomorrow.

I’m going to see if I set some time apart and start doing the microstretching routine tomorrow, maybe that will get rid of my mid section cramps and knots once and for all.

5

Tough day at the track in my first session in over a week. Either I’m still very loaded from the previous volume or I was fried from yesterdays weights as I felt really slow. Not heavy, I felt good and tall running but it seemed like my legs couldn’t move at speed. My acceleration was also very very poor. Once I begin working acceleration and speed I’m sure I’ll begin to feel better. The split 300’s today were not very good, but I won’t make any conclusions from this. I need to transition into the new program. If I’m still this slow after 3-4 weeks then I’ll begin to get concerned. This is definitely the program I need, I need to get fast and straighten out my acceleration problems once and for all. The volume as just right today, any more would have been too much, any less would have been too easy. Still I should get to do 300’s below 36 with full rest. What can I say, not much to do but wait and see. I also can’t seem to get past my core strength woes, a lot of stiffness today all around my mid section.

Light jog
Light stretch
200 26.7
90secs
100 13.1
7
200 28.8
90secs
100 14.2
Light jog

Weights
Bench press
3x3 60kg 2mins rest

Lat pulldowns
3x5 50kg 2mins rest

Arm curls with barbell
3x3 30kg 1min rest

Shoulder press with barbell
3x5 20kg 1min rest

Pullups (triceps grip)
3x6 no weight

6

I just printed out my whole old training journal and reviewed everything I did last year. It just strikes me how much I endured and that I’m still even in this sport, I think that’s a signal of how much I love sprinting. Already in May I was slipping with the injuries, and from September till now my training journal resembles more of a nightmare then an athlete’s training journal. I wonder what people that read it think. On the positive side I did get to do some very interesting work before I got stopped in September. Stuff like :
July 5
3x4 200m. with 3 and 8 mins at 28.2 average time
July 10
3x3 120m. with 2:15 and 6mins at 15.4 average, last set 15.0 average
July 19
8x400m. with 2mins at 1:10 average
July 24
2x2 300m. with 8 and 12 mins at 41.4 average
August 1
Hills on medium incline
4x220m. with 6mins in 33.7 average
8mins
4x140m. with 4mins in 18.3 average
8mins
6x80m. with 2mins in 10.5 average, last rep 9.6
August 13
2x300 10mins 39.8avg.
12mins
2x250 8mins 32.9avg.
12mins
2x200 6mins 25.4avg.
Last speed work I’ve done (5 months ago!)
September 5
2x4 60m. with 2 and 6mins avg 7.0 at 90% or so!
After that it’s all a nightmare. Nevertheless I did get to do some quality work, I suppose my first objective is to get back to that level. Seeing all that work is encouraging, if I did it before I’ll get back there and even better with appropriate training. I am confident I’ll be rewarded for all the hard work I’ve done in planning a more flexible and appropriate program for me. But most of all, from all that happened last year I think the major conclusion I reach, in particular after reading replies from chris30, schnelkrajt, pete and others in my old training journal wondering why I would never stop training, is to be smart. With my previous training group and training program I was pressured to never rest and that was not smart. #1 priority now will be to get healthy and that will only happen by smartly managing my work, dropping a session when necessary. I believe I’ve taken a major step in the right direction, now let’s see what happens. I’m a firm believer that an athlete that knows what he’s doing is a better athlete, stupid athletes don’t make it unless by extreme luck. Barely over an hour left in this year, an year to forget for me in terms of training, but an year that has made me better and from which I have learned and gained invaluable experience which I hope I will be able to effectively apply now. Best of luck to all that read my journal in this coming year and may all our goals become true through hard and smart training.

7

aln,
I’m excited to watch your progress on this new regime. Best of luck to you!

8

Thanks! I think training smart I can finally get through all the problems I’ve had. I’m doing everything I can. I’m very optimistic about my new routine, in fact today I did my first decent accel work in 5 months! By being able to make sure I recuperate well from session to session I’ll slowly get over the problems, it’s working so far :slight_smile:

9

What can I say, the year couldn’t have started better. Albeit I only did 4 x 30m. accels I felt great. Very sharp and fast, and surprisingly powerful and technically sound. I think this is the first time I’ve enjoyed a track session in over 3 months when I did that 16.6 150. I was so happy to be pain free from the start, it was incredible. The first three I felt great, then the fourth one felt a little sloppy, maybe it was more technical then fatigue but I decided to call it a day anyway, this being my first accel/speed work in ages. I had originally planned to do one or two 50’s but concluded it wasn’t worth the risk. I ended fine and what matters is that next week I’m able to go back and do at least the same work. This was my first session in the indoor track in my club, the track is wonderful, perfect consistency, not too hard not too soft. It’s sort of an asphaltic carpet not an actual synthetic tartan track. Afterwards I went to the gym and felt absolutely wonderful, very, very strong. In particular after reading David W’s article on the implications of squatting technique I realized I had been getting sloppy with form in all my lifts as of late, today I concentrated on using proper form and breathing and felt that much stronger. Hopefully I’m finally turning the corner. At least I was happy for one day, I hadn’t thoroughly enjoyed a training session in very long. :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Light Jog
Stretch
Warmup skipping and accels
4x30m. using falling start
Light Jog

Warmup sets
Hang clean
3x3 50kg

Warmup sets
Deep squat
3x3 95kg

Warmup sets
Front squat
3x3 90kg

Leg raises
3x6

Back extension
2x6 no weight

Side bends
2x4 2.5 kg

Crunches
1x8 unweighted
3x8 5kg

Stretch

I added hang cleans and phased some more core work in with little volume (side bends and back extensions). Hopefully I have no more missteps with injuries and can get my core strong once and for all. All the core lifts were awesome, felt like I was lifting nothing with 50kg hang cleans, the squats felt great too. I’m on schedule to move… LMAO … actually I just checked my schedule I was off schedule, I was supposed to do 3x3 front squat at 85 not 90 and 90 next week. Well since I did 90 and felt great I’ll increase from there. Next week I go to 52.5 hang clean, 100kg deep squat and 95kg front squat. I’m tempted to raise hang clean to 55 but I’ll stay conservative and make sure I do quality over raising too much and compromising technique.

10

Did my first tempo session today. 10x100m. with walkback recovery (75-85secs). I ended like I started, no fatigue or lactic acid, so I guess I did them right. Didn’t feel too aerobically challenged though. Increasing to 1200m. next session to see what happens. Times ranged from 17.0-17.8. I keep feeling my core unstable when I run, I notice it’s causing me to rotate my upper torso on each step.

Then did weights :

Bench press
3x3 60kg

Lat pulldowns
3x5 50kg

Standing biceps curls with barbell
3x5 30kg

Dips
3x8 no weight

Standing shoulder press with barbell
3x5 20kg

Felt great, in particular in bench press. I’m going ahead and increasing all loads by 10% next week instead of 5% as I think I started too conservative. Anyway, curls and shoulder press can’t be increased by less then that as the smallest weights available are 1.25kg, so I’ll always be increasing minimum 2.5kg for any given exercise. But bench press at 60kg I was screwing around, 67.5 should catch me up to the buffering table (ie I probably did 75% instead of 80% this week).

11

Today was another beautiful session, split runs day.

Kinesio in the morning

In the late afternoon/night
200 26.5
90secs
100 12.9
7
200 26.3
90secs
100 12.5

39.4 first 300 and 38.8 the second, not that bad, last week’s session was a disaster (39.8 and 43.0)… damn adaptation week. The breakthrough came in the second set, I suddenly let completely loose. I hadn’t felt so loose and absolutely relaxed in ages. I was absolutely striding, felt like a jog. No lactic acid accumulation and I feel well recovered after all the recoveries, so evidently I can do this much better. I’ll have to evaluate what to do next week. Don’t know what to base my evaluation on though. Since this is already my SPP and not a GPP/accumulation phase I think I should focus on quality. Try to do both reps 38.0-38.5 next session instead of adding a 200-100 rep which would mean I’d probably do 39.0-39.5 average time again. Quality or quantity. That is the question. I think the main thing is whether I’m going to try to build up for 3x300 or 2x300 as my SE2 work, since I’m going to be focusing on 100 and 200 I assume it won’t be that big a deal, I’ll have to see how the total distances of speed I’m doing progress and my health to see if I add a whole 300 more of volume.

Then went to the gym :
Hang clean
1x3 50kg
2x3 52kg

Deep squat
3x3 100kg

Front squat
2x3 95kg

Hanging leg raise 3x6

Back extensions 2x6

Side bends 2x5 5kg

Crunch
1x8 no weight
3x8 5kg

Hang from bar 1 minute

Odd day at the gym, I was tentative the whole session. I originally almost took the day off the gym, as I had only slept 3 hours yesterday and I was feeling low on gas or just weird. Like a slight fatigue lingering. After the great track session I almost called it a day, then decided to go an see. I think it let me see where my pure strength level is as I had no flare. Very little explosion in the hang cleans and in the squats zero bounce in the bottom. I was just doing everything out of raw strength. Ended up cutting a front squat set though as I felt form was deteriorating and I had done more then I had thought I would do today. Another day’s work put in. I’m very happy with the work done today. Everything is looking very good. I’m so fried. I’m going to sleep like a log now. Nite’.

12

6 January
Jog
Stretch
3x4 100m. with 45secs and 3 mins, active recovery with situps in the 3 mins between sets. Times were all over the place, from 16.1 to 19.1, there was a strong headwind one way messing my pace up. I felt good and the last two sets I began to push it and did most of them under 17. Average time was probably low 17’s. I’ll keep increasing intensity and see how I feel. 17 average is still 5-10% too low, ideally I should be doing them in 15-16 (65-75%).
Light jog

Weights
Bench press 3x3 67kg
Lat pulldowns 3x5 55kg
Standing biceps curl with barbell 3x5 32kg
Dips 3x8 no weight
Standing shoulder press with barbell 3x5 25kg

7 January
Jog
Stretch
4x30m.

Weights
Hang cleans 3x3 52.5kg
Deep squat 3x3 100kg
Front squat 3x3 90kg
Jump squats 3x5 40kg
Hanging leg raise 3x6
Back extension 2x6 no weight
Side bends 2x4 5kg
Crunch 2x8 no weight 2x8 5kg

Didn’t feel great in the acc. dev. session today, so I cut it at 4x30 again this week. I was sloppy technically and didn’t have that much spark. Maybe it’s just that I’m beginning to accumulate volume again so I’m getting a bit slower. I’m seeing what day I take off, maybe I’ll take tomorrow off as I’m only going to do 2 tempo sessions this week, then move on to 3 a week next week.

13

Took the day off track, want to be fresh tomorrow for my first flying 20’s and first speed further then 30m. in months.

Weights
Bench press 3x3 67kg
Lat pulldowns 3x5 55kg
Standing biceps curls with barbell 3x5 32kg
Dips 3x8 no weight
Standing shoulder press with barbell 3x5 25kg
Pullups triceps grip 1x8
Pullups biceps grip 1x4

Doing speed tomorrow and tempo Saturday, thus doing the 3 speed session and 2 tempo this week, next week I’ll see if I increase to 3 speed 3 tempo.

14

Jog
Stretch
2x20m. flying with 20m. accel zone
2x50m.

Didn’t feel great, but not bad either. Timed a 50 at 5.9, but it was dark and I couldn’t see the markings on the side of the dirt track so not sure if I took the times well. So considering I didn’t feel great I’m in good shape if I did 5.9 or anywhere close. I won’t be timing anymore speed for a while now. Have some cramps bothering otherwise I would have been great. Next week I’ll see if I extend the accel zone to 30m. and the 50’s into 60’s. The important thing is I did the three speed sessions this week.

Weights
Hang clean 3x3 52kg
Deep squat 3x3 100kg
Front squat 3x3 90kg

A little sloppy technically in the hang cleans but then concentrated well and did the squats with good form and uniform velocity throughout the movement. Left the core work for tomorrow because of lack of time.

Next week I increase another 5% to 55kg hang clean, 105kg deep squat and 95kg front squat.

15

Tempo
2x4 150m. with 50m. walk (approx. 45 secs) rest and 3 mins between sets.

Average time was mid 24’s, I started around 26 and then did most under 25 and ended in the high 23’s and 24’s the last reps. I felt this work was much more effective then the 100’s. Either the rest I was taking was too long in the 100’s or if that’s possible, they just simply aren’t effective for me, which might be logical considering that I now see I have a very good aerobic power base from my previous training. Instead longer runs that work aerobic capacity might be more beneficial and have more room for improvement for me. I’ll keep on experimenting with distances and rests next week, but I finally found at least one session I know works. Next week I’m increasing the distances too, 200m. to 1400m. per tempo session and the session to 3, making it my first full week of training under my new program.

I couldn’t do upper body weights Saturday because for some weird reason the gym was close :confused: :mad: .

Tomorrow I’ll do the 2x200-100 split runs again and then see how I change that work the next week, but I want to be sure I’m in shape before doing changes and compromising the quality of the work. On speed days 2 and 3 I hope to increase the volume of speed work, if possible 50 or 100m. in the accel dev. day (add 1 or 2x50m. after the 4x30m.) and 40-100m. in the speed-max v. day (add another flying 20’s and maybe another 50 or 60). That would be 600m. on the SE2 day, up to 220m. the accel dev. day and up to 310m. on the speed-max v. day, for a total, which would bring me close to the speed volume schedule in my plan.

16

Hey ALN, i can see that your goals for 2004 are 10.84sec for the 100m and 21.74sec for teh 200meters.

At this stage in your training how far do you think are away for this form.

17

I honestly have no idea, I’m feeling good in the accel and speed work so I assume I’m somewhere close to 11 manual at best right now, but hey I’m still only in my SPP and in the middle of a max strength phase so that really doesn’t matter so much. When I go into pre-comp in mid February and go into maintenance weights we’ll have a better idea of where I am. By the way the goal for the first half is sub 11 and sub 22 electronic, 10.84 and 21.74 is for the end of the year … anything can happen in all that time. What matters is I feel I’m on the right track and happy with the course I’m taking and the work I’m doing. I’m also unsure about how to gauge my progress since this is my first training period with this new program, so I have no idea at what times I should be looking for or how I should feel at each stage. I guess I’ll know as I move along with the new program. I see you have been slacking off the last few weeks, hopefully you are back to train seriously now and can accomplish your goals.

18

A nice session.

Jog
Stretch

200 26.0
90secs
100 13.1
7
200 26.6
90secs
100 12.6

Weights
Hang clean 3x3 55kg
Deep squat 3x3 105kg
Front squat 3x3 95kg
Situps 1x12,2x20
Oblique crunches 1x20(10 each side)
Back extension 2x8
Side bends 2x5(each side) 2.5kg.

Felt very relaxed and smooth in the track work and felt great technically. Feels like I’m advancing effortlessly at these paces, but in particular the feeling that I’m advancing so much without tension is what I like and bodes positively. In the gym I keep focusing on straightening my OL and squat mechanics, in particular in the front squat I’m now seeing how much difference in technique affect the lift. Getting the breathing right to keep your core stable and erect makes such a huge difference, when you’re erect and feel … well can’t exactly explain it, it’s as if the weight is being handled and distributed through the whole hip instead of the erector spinae … it makes a huge difference, it feels like the quadriceps gain that much more power an din particular as if the movement started from all the way up the quadriceps instead of half way down the quadriceps. Well, I know this isn’t a great explanation, but I’m finding things out and I think I’m improving technique and execution (needless to say efficiency) considerably. The last set, after I began executing this well felt, without exageration over 10% lighter then the first set in which I was leaning forward and wasn’t very stable.

19

Jog
Stretch
2x5x100 and 1x4x100 (1400m.). 30 secs and 3 mins rest active recovery (situps).

30 secs is definitely the rest I have to use, with 45 secs these 100’s aren’t effective at all.

Weights
Bench press 3x3 70kg
Lat pulldowns 2x5 60kg (stayed talking with our track team rep too long to do the last set because I cooled down)
Arm curls 1x5 35kg 2x5 32kg (going to keep it at 32 or 32.5, another 10% increase will be too much, I would have been doing 100%)
Dips 3x8
Standing shoulder press 3x5 30kg

20

Jog
Stretch
4x30m.
2x50m.

Felt great and very fast in the 30’s. Then a group (50 of these morons) from an aerobics class got onto the track to “warm up” (traduce that to disorganized jog with main purpose of the fags doing that sh-- socializing with the hot chicks in there). They were there 10 goddamn minutes where I was steaming mad and was about to accelerate through them and knock them down like dominos in the way. :smiley: After that I had cooled down too much and the 50’s lacked quality.

Weights
Hang clean 3x3 55kg
Deep squat 3x3 105kg
Front squat 3x3 95kg
Abs 2x20
Back extensions 2x8

Felt strong in weights, next week is my unloading week, can’t wait to see how I feel the week after when increasing weights to 57.5/112.5/100, but in particular I want to see how my body responds to the unloading, if I feel faster, stronger, etc the week after. After much experimenting with core strengthing routines I’ve concluded what works best for me is doing abs like you guys do in the CFTS system, lots of unweighted reps every day to not waste CNS energy, instead of weighted reps 3 times a week. The only weighted core exercise I’ll do will be side bends. It was surprising I felt strong, because I felt fried after the speed session. Hopefully that is a good signal, if I’m fried that would indicated the intensity at which I’m going is very high. Also since I was fried the buffering scheme is working great, I’m supposed to be at 90% right now, so that extra 10% let me do the gym workout with no problems.