UTKayaker's General Fitness Training

I want to start off by saying that my training will be different than probably everyone else on this board, as I am NOT training for track or a specific sport. This training will be done in order to improve general fitness and to specifically lose some weight. Moreover, it won’t follow extremely complex periodization and will follow the KISS method (Keep It Simple Stupid!).

The reason I am on this site is because I used to be interested in track/sprinting and think the CFTS model (alternating high/low intensity days) WILL help me lose some weight. Any comments on my training are welcomed, but please understand I am training for overall well being rather than track specific training.

I am 21 years old (in 2 weeks actually) and have extensive training with the CFTS model and track/basketball training from the past. However, most of that was from high school and I have been virtually sedentary since coming to college. With that said, I have forgotten nearly all the training theories and everything I knew in the past. I spent some time reading old posts today to try to freshen my memory.

The sedentary lifestyle I have lived in college (except walking to class, ha) combined with drinking beer 3 nights a week has caused me to gain weight. I am now about 5’11 and weigh around 200 pounds. I don’t appear to be extremely fat to the average person (just stout I guess is the word), but I would like to get down to around 175lbs. I believe training CFTS style will allow me to get to this goal in a couple of months.

I have all the time in the world to train how I would like over the next 5 weeks. Then I am studying abroad in Australia for a month, so obviously training then will not be ideal. The ultimate goal is to train CFTS GPP style for some time, then progress into training for a half marathon. I am trying to go from coach potato to active by any means (and the half marathon is a nice goal, as I have never ran anywhere near that long in my life).

My biggest problem that can detract me from my goals is that I am a college student. AKA I am poor, like to party, and don’t have access to extremely healthy food. As I am turning 21 soon, I am not going to allow training to prevent me from going to bars and partying with my friends. I believe that becoming an active person again will allow me to reach my goals. As I am on a budget, I will try my best to eat as healthy as I can. This will be limited to tuna sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, trail mix, fruit cups, etc.

I will try to update this journal as I complete each workout. However, it will be hard to continue the updating as I am in Australia. While I am abroad, I want to enjoy my experience and this will prevent me from being online all the time. With that said, I should be able to update every few days or so. My training plan will be posted in just a bit!

Workout Regimen Notes:
-6 days per week, alternating intensity
-Abs 6 days per week (high volume on tempo days).
-Steady fasted state cardio: Duration 25-30 minutes
-Tempo: Runs up to 300m at 65-75% max output (start at 800m and build to around 2000m)
-Interval Work: 400m steady runs; 2 or 3:1 recoveries; max 10 runs
-Possible jump rope (substitute for tempo): 8*120 reps with 30s rest in between

Extended Warmup (Tempo Days)
-6 minute jog
-Body Circles (head, arms, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles)
-2x10 bodyweight squats
-2x10 dynamic groin stretch
-15 Second static stretching (arms, shoulders, hamstrings, quads)
-2x10m high knees
-2x10m butt kicks
-2x10m form kicks
-2x10m walking lunges
-15 kick throughs each leg

General Plan

Monday: Steady fast stated cardio from 25-30 minutes (jogging, stationary bike, elliptical, etc)

Tuesday (Low Intensity): Extended warmup, Tempo, Abs, Stretching

Wednesday (High Intensity): Hill work/Sprints, bodyweight depletion work (pushups/squats/pullups/dips), Abs, Stretching

Thursday (Low Intensity): Extended warmup, Tempo, Abs, Stretching

Friday (High Intensity): Hill work/sprints, bodyweight depletion work (pushups/squats/pullups/dips), Abs, Stretching

Saturday (Low Intensity): Extended warmup. Tempo, Abs, Stretching

Sunday: OFF

Tempo
-SLOWLY progress, as I have not had much training recently
-Start out at 800m and slowly progress to around 1800-2000m
-Tempo example:
Set #1 (at 70% output): 110+110x2+110
Set #2 (at 70% output): 110+110x2+110

-The “+” sign means slowly walk 50 yards, or walk across football field. In between each set walk 110 yards, or the length of a football field. 110x2 means run the length of a field, turn around and come back the other direction

ABS
-Various ab exercises
-High reps on tempo days, low reps on high intensity days
-In sets of 120 (4 exercises x30 reps)
-360 on HI days, 600 on LI days