komy's road to wj

Saturday 21/08

feeling strong today!

8min light jog
stretching for 20min
3x50m strides
form drills x20m (fast)
2x20m fast

i got kicked out, we all had a warning for someone false starting, and for some reason i reacted faster than the gun and got disqualified!!!
LETS JUST SAY I BEEN PREPARING FOR THIS ALLLLL SUMMMEERRR
man only now i can understand JD’s attitide last year, he was at his last world champs, i was at my last national junior champs, i even saw marc burns gettin kicked out this morninig in his heats and i was thinkin to myself, this sucks after all the hard training he has put in, i suffered the same, that was in the heat, i didnt even get the chance to do anything. i got a ticket back home that night, knew my leg wouldnt make the 200 the other day plus i was too fucked up to do anything, oh well, guess will have to look at another meet and see how im gettin on.

Sunday 22/08 Pool Session

jogging in neck deep water for 5min
form drills x2x30m
a lot of drills to wark my hamstrings and quads
arm swings x30 each arm
front crawl x20m x2
hydrotherapy (hamys and lower back mainly)

was a good relaxing overall, i just found out tonight that my senior regionals is this WEDNESDAY, shit if i knew i wouldnt have done this today, but its okay it helped my strained hamstring recover more, will have to put in a strong sprint session tomorow, and a light warm up on tues and get ready for the wednesday, im soooo hungry i cant stop now, my blood is boiling hot and is so fast flowing i have no control over it now, i need to run fast and its this wednesday, come on now lets do this

oh well im back for now, after taking it easy for a bit i tried another sprints session and my leg couldnt hold, so i called it a quit for this season, tooo bad actually what a dissapointing end after all the hard work. so i chilled for another two weeks, doing a lot of conditioning in the pool and a lot of running on the beach which served me well. im planning next years season now. i know my weaknesses and thats what im gona focus on. ive learned a lot from charlie and others on this board, been gathering information from different sources all season and now im ready to hook up a plan for next year.

GPP: this will extend for a total of 8months. i realised i lack a lot of base and as charlie says ’ look for the 5sec u can drop in the 200 out of fitness and later on worry about the 0.3sec in the first 30m’. unfortunately this is what ive been doing, worrying about the 0.3 and lacking some very basic fitness. this i will split into early gpp and late gpp, where in the early gpp i will concentrate on:

  1. strength endurance
  2. dropping fat percentage levels (hopefully <10%)
  3. anaerobic fitness
  4. lower recovery times in tempo sessions ie enhanced recovery
  5. stronger abs and overall core stability

later on in the late gpp i will start hitting the acceleration and starting power. early gpp should last for a total of 4months. ive joined a rugby team the other day and im sure that through training with these ppl only my anerobic fitness can improve, i know i cant do it myself

Lifting: will be very basic, working mainly on joints and tendons

pull-ups*
dips
leg extensions*
leg curls*
dead lifts*
squats
bench

marked workouts are my target ones that i really need to focuss on. esp my hamstring muscle group and lower back, bench and squat i can always pick up on those later on.

well, this will be a new start for next year, hope it gets me prepared

Saturday 4/09 (General Conditioning)

15min on bike (that killed me) + stretches

warmed up on multi hip machine (10reps on hams quads adds and abds)

Single leg extension: 3x10 @10kg

Single leg curl: 3x8 @10kg (found it bit heavy), shows still not back 100%

Adductors: 3x20 @20kg

Deadlifts: (with slight bend): 3x6 @60kg

Pull-ups: 3x10reps (using to bars and getting my head in between, most specific for running motion)

contrast shower 2min hot 2min cold total 30min

was a good start to get that body going. god that bike was really gettin to me and need to get myself used to that bit more, my quads were screaming.
other than that i consider that i good start, this weight training session will be fixed until i start feelin im gettin the hang of it. tempo tomorow, hope goes well

Sunday 5/10 tempo session

15min on bike for warmup + stretches
form drills x1 on grass(slow)

10x100m on grass rest: walk back (arounds 1.45min)

was a very relaxing session, my recovery was not as good at the end than when i started but i really focussed on running relaxed esp with the shoulders. didnt time any of the runs, i just wanted to run well and make sure that my recovery was constant throughout though i reckon runs were arounds 14. rugby tomorow, a lot of sprints and fights. look forward to that

Monday 6/10 Rugby Practise

warmup + drills

20m + 20m sideways + 20m rest 30sec then go back

20m + 20m backward sprint + 20m rest 30sec then go back

20m + 20m + 20m rest 30sec then go back

  • every 20m there is changes in direction and runs are all in full speed

gentle passes that progressdd to fater ones

agility drills (running away from ball and stuff)

touch rugby game for 30min

its was a very good session, was really catching my breath at then end of this so im sure i need more of this. figured its the only way i can target my anaerobic fitness as i find it really boring doing it alone on the track, id much rather chase a ball. well will do another one of this on wedensday, tomorow will probably hit the pool and do some tempo there, need to take it easy at the start and not push things. got 8whole months of gpp so will take it easy for now.

Tuesday 7/10 Pool Session

20m front crawl + 20m breast stroke + 20m front crawl x2sets
jog in neck deep water for 3min
form drills x2x10m in shallow end
hydrotherapy

easy relaxing session, was sore from the other day so decided to take it noce and easy today. another tough session tomorow, hope im ready enough

Wednesday 8/10 Rugby Practise

warm-up + drills

cct training (20sec). 3stations 1. squat jumps 2. push-ups 3. sit-ups x3sets 2min

agility drills: (8cones) 2sets rest 3min. runs at max speed
(distance between cones is roughly 15m)

  1. sprint to 2nd cone
  2. backward sprint to first
  3. sprint to 3rd cone
  4. backward sprint to 2nd
  5. sprint to 4th cone
  6. backward sprint to 3rd cone
  7. sprint to 5th cone
  8. backward sprint to 4th cone
  9. sprint to 5th cone
    10.horizontal sprint to 6th cone
    11.sprint to 7th cone
    12.horizontal sprint to 8th
    13.sprint back

technical rugby work. passes + drills etc

touch rugy game for 45min

very tough session but glad got my way through it all the way. lots of sprints and lots of fun!

Thursday 9/10 Pool Session

i could not beleive how sore i am today. its like ive never played any sports in my life! very sore groin. quads (right above the knees), hammys, back (esp lower). very interesting actually i was never sore from any sprints session like this EVER! its all the short bursts of sprinting and then slowing down immediatlet plus all the sideways and horiziontal running that went for ages. amazing though. as i was so tired i couldnt even do any lifting today so i just decided to do some swimming and hydrotherapy

40m front crawl + 40m breast stroke + 40m fornt crawl 2sets
hydrotherapy

i was even sore to perform any drills in the pool.
will rest tomorow
good training overall

Saturday 11/10

morning: Lifting (conditioning)

15min on bike (okay but still sore)

multi-hip machine( 10reps working on quads, hams, adducts and abducts)

Pull-ups: 3x10reps

single leg extension: 3x10reps @10kg

single leg curls: 3x10reps @10kg

adductors: 3x20reps @20kg

evening: Sprints (see how my leg is doing)

form drills x40m (fast)
4x10m practise starts
6x10m sprints with flats 1.62, 1.58, 1.53, 1.52 Pb, 1.53, 1.60
1x20m 2.85

to be honest i havent felt fast in quite a bit maybe cause ive taken a bit of a break from track but i know i was fast cause i just ran a new pb in the 10m with normal flats. and the 20m was definitely not bad at all. only now i know my leg is okay, though im not still not that sure about tolerating high volume of sprint work. im letting the rugby training do most of the conditioning for my legs and im really workin on them in the gym as well. tempo tomorow to get myself ready for the rugby on monday. its gettin tough by the session. lookin forward to it though

Sunday 12/10 Rest

Monday 13/10 Rugby Practise

warm-up and drills

various sprints 20m/40m/60m

sprint up and down x3
horizontal sprints x3
backward sprints x3

agility runs through 5 cones over 30m with ball x3

passes and sprints up and down pitch

game of touch rugby for 45min

very good session. feel i started gettin better with this, its definitely helping my conditioning and overall fitness, just wat i need plus the fact im meeting some new people makes it even better. will do some lifts tomorow and hopefully some tempo work as well before wedensdays practise.

good i like it.

Tuesday 14/10 General Fitness

2.5k jog (aerobic condtioning)
form drills x2x30m (fast)
4x10m practise runs
2x50m build-ups

med-ball circuit:
throw ball then chase it up. x10reps each workout. rest 20situps

underhand forward throw
overhead backward throw
chest pass
overhead forward throw

cool down for 10min.

i was planning to do 10x100m tempo runs today but the grass pitch was not available and i thought it wasnt the best idea to do it on the track so instead i did a medball cct which i found surprisingly tough the fact i had to run up to the ball then slow down. but it went okay. i covered an avergae distance of 40m with each workout so that makes a total of 160m.

Wednesday 15/10 Rugby Practise

warmup-up and drills

diagonal sprints + horizontal jog.
length of diagonal 30m length of horizontal 20m.
diagonal sprints x5times. total of 3sets rest 3min

5cones sprint shuttle. sprint to second then sprint back to first all way to 5th. x1set.

rugby passing drills + agility runs over 30m.

game of touch rugby for 45min.

fitness training today was tough. it really is getting harder by the session which is good. will start playing contact by next week which means even more work power resistance training etc good stuff basically. my recoveries are getting better with this and so is my overall fitness. will take it easy for one more week before i start doing the hill work, lifts, plyos and all other gpp stuff. this is all offseason and has worked great so far. hope all keeps up.
will do a light pool session tomorow and hydrotherapy.

all u guys out there competing keep pushing it, put no limits to urself cause such thing dont exist! all comes with hard work
gluck to yall

thats good to hear. just takin it easy for now and will gradually build up the intensity. planning for low 10.4s and low 21s next year. with hard work and dedication anything is possible. keep it up…

Monday 20/10 Rugby Practise

warm-up and drills

cct training. 4stations press-ups, sit-ups, isometric press-up, star jumps.
30sec at each, x2sets no rest in between.

agility drills (with ball): (8cones) 2sets rest 3min. runs at max speed
(distance between cones is roughly 15m)

  1. sprint to 2nd cone
  2. backward sprint to first
  3. sprint to 3rd cone
  4. backward sprint to 2nd
  5. sprint to 4th cone
  6. backward sprint to 3rd cone
  7. sprint to 5th cone
  8. backward sprint to 4th cone
  9. sprint to 5th cone
    10.horizontal sprint to 6th cone
    11.sprint to 7th cone
    12.horizontal sprint to 8th
    13.sprint back

Contact drills: run against partner that tries to resist you for 10m. then we swap turns. total of 10mins (this really killed).

Tackle drills: run against partner and tackle them from behind knees, then swap turns. total of 10mins

Contact game for 10min.

okay now we really are starting to do rugby. its getting more intense by the session. im glad my fitness is gradually progressing with this. the contact drill i found very interesting. the thing is u gotta be in posn where ur low to allow for max push and that posn is exactly the drive phase posn, coincidence but very good. it was more like resistance training. so today i did circuits and resistance training, plus sprints in all directions, and finally a 30min game where i was constantly producing short bursts of sprint work with minimal recovery. very good stuff

Tuesday 21/10 rest (too sore to do anything)

Wednesday 22/10 Rugby Practise

warm-up and drills

agility runs over 5cones whilst passing ball round my body. 8sets rest 2min

horizontal passes across whole pitch. distance of pitch 100m. 9sets rest 1min

contact drills. running into partner with coushin. followed by sprints and passes. 12sets. rest jog back

Contact game for 15min

was a crazy session. too much running in very little time with very little recoveries. this is actually the kinda stuff im lookin for. doing shorter sprints so as my speed doesnt suffer plus targeting my heart rate through the longer runs and short recoveries. my overall fitness and conditioning is improving.

Thursday 23/10 Aerobic Conditioning

LDR (long distance running). distnace 5k. time 25min

static and dynamic stretches for 40min

form drills x2x30m (medium intensity)

200 situps plus 20 pushups

very easy session today although the LDR was really getting to me at the end. need to do atleast atleast one session per week of this. just wanted to losen up all the tight muscles from yesterday. wats really strange is that my upper body is much sore than when im lifting. quads and groin are bit sore as well. noticed a big bruise on my right arm today as well. i dont mind actually im gettin a lot in return. okay now i took 2easy weeks off to do therapy after nationals and three weeks offseason where all i dad was do rugby twice a week plus other lighter stuff on the other days. okay now that uni has started i can get organized and start proper training. GPP as of next week. it starts…

Okay before i start this a lot of thanks to Mr Charlie Francis and a lot of other members for helping me learn so many things i didnt know or didnt apply properly in my training. i think its going to be my first time in two years to make it right from first time. there will be no messing around. its going to be a very serious winter, a lot of training and will start smaller meets in late february. here is a general guidline of the most important theories that i have learnt:

  1. need to learn to run fast, in order to be able to perform in competitions

either 75% or below i) active recovery ii) improve and maintain fitness
95% or above develop acceleration, top speed and Speed End

  1. lift after sprints in order to maximize recovery

  2. lifts and sprints stress CNS therefore need to rest 48hrs (not overtrain)

  3. low intensity = high volume, high intensity = low volume

  4. focus on olympic lifts (power) plus bench, squats and RDLs as primary lifts

  5. aerobic fitness is important and should not be ignored. allows for bigger training volume and enhances overall recovery. ATP stores regenerate quicker. Mainly in offseaon

  6. tempo could be stretched up to 600m in GPP (aerobic and anaerobic qualities)

  7. bike, mount step and rope jumping are excellent warm-up tools (target HR)

  8. can lift up to 6days a week during GPP. other variations could be included like plyos, resistance training (rubber, vest, hareness), sand/water, medballs, cct training.

  9. drop body fat to less than 10%. diet should play a key role in this. drink plenty of fluids all day. supplemets like vitamins, minerals and amino acids help in performance.

  10. there are no liomits for what to expect

  11. next year targets: 100m 10.40 200m 21.15 400m sub 49

i shall do 3months ( arounds 12weeks ) of general preperation where i will work on enhancing my overall fitness and endurance, strength qualities and all that stuff. after that will start targeting acceleration. im actually planning on doing a 8month or so GPP until im confident enough that im up for it.

here is a general guideline of my routine for the next 12 weeks or so:

Sat: Hills and Lifts

Sun: tempo, medball (light), lifts and plyos

Mon: Rugby Practise and lifts

Tues: Aerobic Conditioning and lifts

Wed: Rugby Practise and lifts

Thurs: tempo, medball (heavy), and plyos

Fri: rest

Lifting:

Sat: bench, squat, RDLs

Sun: cleans, snatch, push press

Mon: incline press, lunge, gmornings

Tues: clean, snatch, push press

Wed: bench, squat, RDLs

hope all goes well.

Saturday 25/10 resistance training

warm-up 2.5k jog (11min) + static and dynamic stretches

resistance training: (performed in sand)

3x30m (high knees, lunges, frog jumps) rep: walk back. set: 2min

med ball cct: (medium 3kg ball). 10reps. 3sets. rest:2min

chest passes
underhand forward throw
overhead backward throw
explosive sit-ups

Lifting: (Endurance). rest: 30sec. ALL @40kgs

bench press: 5x10reps

parallel squat: 4x10reps

RDLs: 3x10reps

i was surprised to see that the lunges were the toughest drill out of all. it really was getting to me at the last rep and the frog jumps were getting me out of breath. med ball cct was cool. i had no problem with the reps or the recoveries. i was shocked though to see how my lifts were so messed up. its pretty embarassing to say i found the weights very heavy. 40kg of bench and squat and i was really pushing it. havent lifted in arounds 2months but i didnt know it was gona be that bad. should gradually build up to that. im pretty much sure it not gona take more than a month b4 im back in shape but its the 30sec break that was really killing plus with squats the fact i have done all the drills in the sand b4. very good session though. enjoyed it a lot. good start.