Yesterday morning it was raining/drizzling.
Tempo day:
5 min warm up, quick stretch
10*300m tempo, with 2min recoveries.
I’m not really sure about the distance, since it was a grass field (not soccer field or anything, just random and I’ve estimated the diagonals to be around 100m, so ummm…do the math yourself, I’m an architecture major an all, but I don’t want to figure it out right now… :rolleyes: ). Aaaaanyways, they were all done at a minute, except for the first one which was at 1’10’’. I don’t know why in tempo I always do the first one way slower…maybe I’m trying to catch good rhythm by “warming up”. Who knows…
5min cool down.
I seriously need to hit the weight room…Today I have classes all day so I’m making it my off day, tomorrow will be resistance sprints and weights (finallyyy) and I’m not taking a day off on Sunday unless I really need to.
And that’s that.
The next time you do your tempo on a surface where distance is known/measured (and at more of less the same intensity), count your strides per interval during the whole session -if possible- and take an average for some of the distances you most frequently use elsewhere; you won’t be far away this way…
Today was going to be my off day, but I got out of morning class very very early and had two hours to myself, so where did I end up going? THat’s right : the gym.
(it was pouring out)
30min treadmill at 7.5miles/hour
general strengthening on machines (2 sets of 15 reps of leg extensions, leg curls, hip abductor/adductor, lateral pull down, tricep curls, then a bunch of abs) and a good stretch.
Just a side note: yesterday evening I also did a fast 10-15 min run around the campus with a teammate. That was very spontaneous and unthoughtful, I shouldn’t be running like that on asphalt.
Then I stretched really really well.
Today was a good workout
2 laps jog on grass
1 lap; 50m high knees/50m slow jog
dynamic stretching
drills: 4butt kicks, 2B’s
2*60-90m build ups (all this is on grass)
Then sprinting while pulling a sled (thanks to my friend Ben who built this sled himself and brought it to school with him ) I think it weighs 30lbs. I don’t remember how many of each we did…
220m, 130m, 240m is my estimation. At the end I did 240m sprints without the sled weight and they felt greattt.
So yeah, sleds work.
Stretching.
Tomorrow will be easy tempo and weights. We have a new strength training coach and he’s not going to do ANY olympic lifts with us. I really don’t mind, but I’d like to read what the forum thinks about that.
He promised us there are other ways to get strong and explosive, and I actually believe him…my 400m teammate in Greece (who’s the 2005 champion) hasn’t done one olympic lift in his life.
Thoughts?
P.S. Lovely day today
I wish this wasn’t New England all year around…
There are many ways to get strong and explosive. Let us know what he has in mind. I used to say that there were other ways to get explosive and strong besides Olympic lifting because I wasn’t qualified to teach it. There are many variations of the lifts though that wouldn’t technically be Olympic Lifts. MedBall can be used as well. Plyometrics can work too. However, after having proper coaching in the Olympic Lifts, I can now say that very few things compare to them, and there are very few feelings like snaping up a heavy power clean. Furthermore, the other components mentioned (MedBall and Plyos) should still be part of a proper program.
And further yet…I would rather see you do what the coach wants for you at least for the next 6 months or so and see what his program has to offer. Life is much easier when someone else is worrying about your program.
I’ll keep you posted on what we do in the weight room. My first time will be tomorrow, and Fridays are “fun days”. Generally, one day will be heavy upper body and low lower body, the second day will be the opposite, and third day (Fridays) will be “fun”. I’m looking forward to tomorrow!!
I’ll start with a question: is 30lb sled weight too much? My coach in Greece thought so, she says it might cause back problems. She recommends 15lbs.
A calf cramp woke me up this morning…ouch. The calf felt tight all last night and it finally “buckled” this morning…I saw it coming.
I didn’t run today, except bike for 12 minutes and then do lifting with the new strenth coach.
I love the new strength coach! He’s intense, efficient and wants the job done correctly, and in no longer than 45 minutes.
100 hops with the jump rope
quick stretch, some abs
military press: 45x12, 50x12, 55x12
lat pull down: 25x12, 30x12, 35x12
sl db squat (2x15each): 10x15, 15x15
sa db bench (1x15each): 15x25 right arm(too easy), 15x30 left arm. This is how this exercise go: you start with the heaviest weight that you can handle for 3-4 reps, and you keep going lighter and lighter until you complete 15 reps for each arm. I guess I started too light and was able to do all 15 reps with the first trial weight.
partner mr(manual resistance) ham curl 1x15 (ouch… )
Today felt GREAT…
20min easy run (that felt effortless)
dynamic stretching
drills:
330m high knees
230m B skips
plyos:
2altitude skips (about 40meters)
4alternate leg bounds (about 50 meters)
4skip step (first was 10 hops each leg for a warm up, then I set up a certain dinstance and tried to make as less hops as possible to get there - the first one was 14 hops, the second was 13 hops and the third was 12 )
160m fast stride (I felt like I was flying)
P.S. I don’t want the weather to start getting bad, and I dont’ want any snow on the ground… Doing plyos and warm ups on grass is just greatttt and I think things will be more complicated once I’m restricted indoors… :mad:
I don’t know why it took me so long to write about this week…I’m a busy camper! :o
Sunday: off (30min roller blading)
Monday: tempo: 10*1:20runs on grass (I really don’t know the distance that was…I still have to do the stide thing that Nicoluski suggested, I keep forgetting… :rolleyes: )
Oh: 2.5min rests between rests
Tuesday: 2 laps WU, quick stretch, drill, 7*80m sprints at about 90%. Stretch well. 30min rest, abs
Weights (arm day):
bench press: 15 WU(45lbs), 312 (up to 75lbs) last set was 11 reps + 1 push up
standing rows: 2*12 (don’t remember weight…)
max clap push ups + 2 regular push ups: 110, 15 (I really can do more than 10, but after reaching muscle failure at bench press it was kinda hard… )
med ball smashes to the floor ( good stuff), 2*max reps for 30seconds (12reps, 16reps)
DB floor slides, 2*max (12 reps, w/ 5lb weigths )
BB shrugs: 2*12 (do’nt remember weight…)
Leg circuit (OUCH): 2*(30’’ body weight squats, 30’’ jump squats, 30’’ lunges, 30’’ split squat jumps)…that was torture…couldn’t complete the whole thing without breaking and/or cramping. (no rests in between)
Today (Wednesday):
1.7mile run, light stretch, then 20min treadmil at 7.5 mi/hr, with one 1min interval at 9mi/hr and one 2min interval at 9mi/hr at the end, with 2min rest in between at 6.5mi/hr…I just made up stuff!!
Good stretch and some abs.
Today I had planeed to do no running - just lift because I’m super sore and I couldn’t have access to the track,
so did 20min easy treadmill, stretch
Weights (today was light…just getting used to the exercises and learning proper technique)
Deep back squats:5 reps WU, 65lbs(eeeeasy), 212 reps (95, 110lbs) (eeeeasyyy…)
RDL: i think 95lbs for 212
arm circuit: 2max row ups, max push ups
manual leg curls , 110
manual hip abductor/adductor, 110
I think that was it…I might have forgotten something
OH: calf raises , 110
Good stretch, some abs, 15min elliptical, more abs
Tomorrow weights (whole body) and speed (I’ll have to do weights in the morning and speed in teh evening, is that too bad?
Evening workout:
10min WU, drills
480m, 2100m, walk back recoveries.
They felt pretty good, although my form is not there yet. I love working out in the evening with nice weather!!
I wanted to do these with greater recoveries, like a real speed workout, but I felt like I was rushed because I went with a teammate who was only doing some strides and stretching.
Tomorrow will be explosive stuff: a lot of plyos and a lot of drills, maybe I’ll stick a couple of sprints at the end. Sunday tempo. Monday will be my off day, because I have classes AAALL day… (literally…from 8:30am till 9:50pm… :eek: )
No problem at all .
Tomorrow’s plyos will be all on grass. I’m gonna use a grassy hill too.
Monday should be interesting…I haven’t had a Monday of classes yet, because we started school on a Tuesday and then the following Monday was Labor Day…
5min warm up
dynamic stretching
drills: 2high knees, 2butt kicks
5 min break
10min run to get to my hill
9hills (4 telephone poles) at 80-85%, 2.5-3min rests in between
1hill (2 telephone poles) at 90%
10min walk back
abs
That made me tired
Tomorrow i’ll squeeze in tempo in the only small gap I have all day from my classes that go from 8:30am till 9:50pm… :eek: :eek: :eek:
Then I was 2 MINUTES late for my lifting session and got yelled at!!! :mad: Who??? Meee!!!
(Arm day, with leg strength endurance at the end)
bench press: 15 WU(50lbs), 312 (up to 80lbs) last set was 9 reps + 3 push ups)
standing rows: 2*12 (don’t remember weight…)
max clap push ups + 2 regular push ups: 112, 17 (better than last week )
med ball smashes to the floor, 2*14 smashes (I LOVE THESEEEE!!)
DB floor slides, 2*max (16 reps, w/ 5lb weigths )
BB shrugs: 2*12 (85lbs)
Leg circuit (OUCH): 2*(30’’ body weight squats, 30’’ jump squats, 30’’ lunges, 30’’ split squat jumps)…(torture…but kinda better than last week…I didn’t hit the floor that time…next week will be total of 6 minutes, God help us all :rolleyes: )
I’m having an argument with my friend who’s a 100-200m runner and he’s telling me that I need to do short short sprints, even for the 400, like 15meters, and THEN move up to 60m and such…but my argument is that I’m doing the 400, and 15m sprints will not be all that beneficial…thoughts?
My coach in Greece wants me doing one long run per week at this time of the year, since our indoor season starts in mid January and it’s still very early. My friend with whom I’m arguing ( ) has a different opinion.
What does the forum think? I only want to do ONE 4mile run per week…the rest of my endurance is all tempo… (I promise :o ).
Thursday:
Weights (legs):
Deep squat, 312 (up to 135, which was way too easy…)
RDL, 212 ( i think up to 95 or something…my grip sucks…i need to invert one hand when doing it, i never knew about that technique)
Arm circuits: 2(max push ups +max inverted rows
Manual resistance leg curls, 112 each
Manual resinstance hip abductors, 110 each
Calf raises, 120each
Calf raise+lunge, 112 each w/ 10lb DB’s
These were at about 90%, I was trying to wrok on my drive phase, which is not good at all…I pop up too fast and I’ve been told that my whole sprint is done at the same pace/same form…this needs to change.
I need acceleration development.
Then weights:
Military press (machine), 312
Lat pull downs , 312 (up to 70lbs)
Single leg squats , 112 each w/ 15 DB’s
Single arm bench press, 115 each w/ 35lb DB’s
Tomorrow: tempo
Sunday: speed
P.S. I need to fix up a set program for my week…im kinda all over the place…
Was Thursday’s session too heavy for the Friday’s one? Were you fresh enough for such track session?
If you want to work on your “drive phase” I would start with some hill work and shorter distances; the rest will come, I suppose, while strength levels increase, as well. I know you are more concerned with 400 m, but this might be the right time to do it, at least briefly and then move on. Friday’s session was a Speed Endurance one, which might require longer recoveries, especially as the season goes on.
(thanks to my friend Ben who built this sled himself and brought it to school with him 
) I think it weighs 30lbs. I don’t remember how many of each we did…
)
Doing plyos and warm ups on grass is just greatttt and I think things will be more complicated once I’m restricted indoors… :mad:
)