Fraser Young

[Fraser Young]

Comp – Week 3

29 June

Warm Up 2
A Skip, B Skip, A Run, B Run – 2 x 20m
Dribble ACK – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor w run out – 2 x 20m
2 x 40m Build Ups
Hurdle Mobility 1 – 3 sets
Tempo – 111,312,312,111 in 16.6, 33.5, 55.8 secs
*DB Snatch – 30 x 15kg
*DB Burpee – 10 x 10kg per hand
Waterloo – 2 x 10 in 2:39, 2:26
Bataan – 10 in 3:53
Abs – 5 mins

I felt very mobile doing the hurdle drills, not sure where that came from. There’s been a step change in my ability to do the tempo runs in the last 4-6 weeks and I’m now cruising 16.5 secs instead of 17.0 secs. Faster in the circuits too, feel full of energy and ready to smash the week. I think part of this is down to the weather finally relenting and being able to get decent sleep.

30 June

SL Achilles ISO Straight Leg – 2 x 5kg x 30 secs
SL Achilles ISO Bent Leg – 2 x 5kg x 30 secs
Warm Up 1
MB Throws – 4 x 3
MB Throws – 2 x 3
Blocks – 2 x 20m, 2 x 30m in 3.18, 4.35 secs
40E20F, 40E30F in 2.24 secs, 3.36 secs
Back Squat – 3 x 2 x 110kg
Bench Press – 3 x 2 x 90kg
*DB Lunges – 30m x 12.5kg per hand
DB Rows – 2 x 6 x 42.5kg
Pull Ups – 2 x 6 x 15kg
*Plate Carry – 120m x 25kg

Damp track, 19 degrees, no wind. Lovely conditions despite the damp track and I felt quite energetic and raring to go today. I felt I executed the block starts well, and maybe lacked a little zip at top speed but overall very pleased.

1 July

Warm Up 2
Posture Hold 2 x 10 secs
Wall March, Wall Switch – 2 x 6 per leg
A March, A Switch, Carioca – 2 x 20m
Lateral Skips – 2 x 10m
Alt Scissor w high leg, SL scissor – 2 x 30m
2 x 40m build ups
Tempo – 111,212,212,111 in 17.0, 36.0 secs
Hurdle Mobility 1 – 3 sets
Pull Ups, Dips, Handstands – 2 sets
*DB Farmers Walk – 120m w 2 x 25kg
Abs – 5 mins
*DB Deadlift – 30 x 32.5kg
*Plate Clean & Press – 30 x 15kg

Very flat today, I did an intense 6 minute exercise bike fitness test beforehand and that seemed to sap my strength (and my enthusiasm). I just went through the motions here, doing the bare minimum required in tempo and rounding out a series of 12 challenges I’ve been testing myself on ahead of a winter fitness competition.

2 July

SL Achilles ISO Straight Leg – 30 secs x 5kg, 7.5kg
SL Achilles ISO Bent Leg – 30 secs x 5kg, 7.5kg
Warm Up 1
MB Throws – 4 x 3
Blocks (on bend) – 20m, 2 x 30m in 3.22, 4.40 secs Freelap
3 x 200m, 2 x 200m in 28.2, 28.1, 27.6, 26.6, 29.0 secs
Swiss Ball kicks – 2 x 20 secs

Dry track, 23 degrees, swirling wind. I’m trying to build up my Achilles but doing this extra volume temporarily weakens it, so I felt unable to push very hard off my left foot today. I was a little off the pace in the first set of 200’s, then I went hard off the bend of the 4th rep and sensed I was going too fast, which also meant I was completely spent for the last rep.

Really nice to not have to go straight into lower body weights after this, even though I’ve made it lower speed volume than previous summers my legs are still carrying some light fatigue into each session.

The next race is in 4 weeks time so I have plenty of sessions to get faster.

3 July

SL Achilles ISO Straight Leg – 2 x 30 secs x 8.5kg
SL Achilles ISO Bent Leg – 2 x 30 secs x 8.5kg

I’ve noticed a slight difference already so I really want to keep on top of these exercises so I don’t have to hobble around so much during the day.

4 July

SL Achilles ISO Straight Leg – 2 x 30 secs x 8.5kg
SL Achilles ISO Bent Leg – 2 x 30 secs x 8.5kg
Warm Up 1
Everest – 3 x 3
Accels (bend) – 30,40,50m in 4.40, 5.58, 6.56 secs Freelap
2 x 60m, 120m in 7.58, 7.50 & ?? (4.25/5.33 to 30/40m)
Back Squat – 2 x 2 x 110kg
Bench Press – 2 x 2 x 90kg
DB Rows – 2 x 6 x 42.5kg
Pull Ups – 2 x 6 x 15kg
Nordic Eccentrics – 2 x 3 (incline)
Standing Calf Raises – 3 x 8 x 60kg (3130 Tempo)
Seated Calf Raises – 8 x 40kg, 8 x 50kg (3130 Tempo)

Dry track, 23 degrees, +4 m/s wind. The wind was against me in the first two runs then turned around and was very positive by the end. I properly caught the 50m run which was a 4.29 sec 30m, then followed it up with two more sub-4.30 sec 30m times.

The gym was great, I watched a VALD Academy video about hamstring prehab and the value of Nordics disappears after 4 weeks so they really need to be year round. This is the day I do heavier work on the Achilles too, though I was reserved in my first session.

5 July

Rest

[Fraser Young]

Comp – Week 2

22 June

Warm Up 2
A Skip, B Skip, A Run, B Run – 2 x 20m
Dribble ACK – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor w run out – 2 x 20m
*Burpee Broad Jump – 30m
2 x 40m Build Ups
Hurdle Mobility 1 – 3 sets
Tempo – 111,312,312,111 in 16.5, 34.0, 55.1 secs
*DB Push Press – 30 x 12.5kg
Waterloo – 2 x 10 in 2:53, 2:38
Bataan – 10 in 4:08
*Goblet Squat – 30 x 17.5kg
Abs – 6 mins

Woke up early and got this done at 7am to avoid the heatwave. It wasn’t that warm which was nice, it felt reasonably good going round in tempo. I’m potentially doing a Deadly Dozen fitness challenge in Nov/Dec and I wanted to get a sense of some of the events, marked with a *. Overall it’s 12 x 200m with an exercise between each, and I was surprised how gassed I was doing 40 seconds of the burpee broad jumps.

23 June

Warm Up 1
MB Throws – 4 x 3
MB Throws – 2 x 3
Blocks – 2 x 20m, 2 x 30m in 3.20, 4.38 secs
40E20F, 40E30F in 2.25 secs, 3.30 secs
Back Squat – 3 x 3 x 115kg
Bench Press – 3 x 3 x 87.5kg
DB Rows – 2 x 6 x 42.5kg
Pull Ups – 2 x 6 x 15kg

Damp track, 24 degrees, -2 m/s wind. Very hot day so this was done at 9am, which usually means slower times. My flying times were around 1.11 secs per 10m into a headwind, so quite promising and likely a reflection of reduced weight training in the last 10 days.

24 June

Warm Up 2
Posture Hold 2 x 10 secs
Wall March, Wall Switch – 2 x 6 per leg
A March, A Switch, Carioca – 2 x 20m
Lateral Skips – 2 x 10m
Alt Scissor w high leg, SL scissor – 2 x 30m
*Bear Crawl – 60m
2 x 40m build ups
Tempo – 111,212,212,111 in 16.2, 34.0 secs
Hurdle Mobility 1 – 3 sets
*Overhead Plate Carry – 90m x 15kg

Mid-heatwave, 9am session. It was already 28 degrees warming up and finished at 31, which was rather uncomfortable. I was in a nice rhythm with the tempo runs so despite probably going a bit fast, I didn’t deliberately slow myself down. By the time it came to gymnastics in the gym it was too warm to exercise.

25 June

Warm Up 1
MB Throws – 4 x 3
Blocks (on bend) – 20m, 2 x 30m in 3.20, 4.40 secs Freelap
3 x 200m, 2 x 200m in 27.7, 27.6, 27.7, 27.5, 27.8 secs
Step Ups – 2 x 6 x 52.5kg
RLESS – 2 x 6 x 77.5kg
Hyperextension Rows – 2 x 8 x 25kg plate
RDL – 2 x 6 x 95kg
Swiss Ball kicks – 2 x 20 secs

Dry track, 29 degrees, +2 m/s wind. Relieved it wasn’t as brutal as yesterday, I sought shade where possible and drank a lot of very cold water before the session. I also used a fan in the gym. Blocks were good, I realise that I’m not quite 100% when usually starting on the bend, as it would only be for a 200m, but nevertheless I felt strong and the times reflected that. If I were to PB with a start on the bend I’m not sure I could count that though.

The 200’s were great, I was going through 100m in 13.4-13.8 secs and glancing at my split to adjust my second half accordingly. Managed the weights okay too as I took a large fan into the garage, RDL could go up again but I don’t think there’s many sessions left of it.

26 June

Rest

At a Longevity show in London today and did a 4 minute cold plunge so hopefully a little recovery boost for tomorrow.

27 June

Warm Up 1
Everest – 3 x 3
Accels – 30,40,50m in 4.35, 5.50, 6.62 secs Freelap
2 x 60m, 120m in 7.74, 7.69 & 14.72 (4.38/5.50 to 30/40m) and 120m split 4.39/7.79/11.21
Back Squat – 3 x 3 x 110kg
Bench Press – 3 x 3 x 90kg
DB Rows – 2 x 6 x 42.5kg
Pull Ups – 2 x 6 x 15kg

Damp track, 29 degrees, +2 m/s wind. There were thunderstorms earlier so there was a damp track and it didn’t feel that hot during the workout. Nice tailwind and I felt strong throughout the reps. I have been finding the squats a little too hard and the bench press a little easy, so I took 5kg off the squat and added 2.5kg to the bench press and that felt much better.

28 June

Rest

A very disrupted week, not only the heatwave but needing to pick up my daughters at 1pm every day as the school buildings were overheating. I feel positive about next week and hopefully everything returns to normal.

[Fraser Young]

Comp – Week 1

15 June

AM Session

Warm Up 2
A Skip, B Skip, A Run, B Run – 2 x 20m
Dribble ACK – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor w run out – 2 x 20m
2 x 40m Build Ups
Hurdle Mobility 1 – 3 sets
Tempo – 111,312,312,111 in 16.5, 34.3, 54.6 secs

PM Session

Pull up Test – 16 reps
Waterloo – 2 x 10 in 3:05, 2:56
Bataan – 10 in 4:07
Abs – 6 mins

I did not feel good this morning, very achey as if I’d been active the previous day. My breathing felt restricted from tightness in my back and I had a sore Achilles. It improved slightly as the session went on but I was looking to just get the session out the way.

I didn’t want to do circuits in the morning as I had a pull up test ,very pleased with 16 reps given how my back feels. My right glute was really tightening up in the last minute of Bataan, I might do some additional trigger point release on it this evening.

16 June

Vert Test – 56cm
Warm Up 1
MB Throws – 4 x 3
MB Throws – 2 x 3
Blocks – 20m, 30m, 40m in 3.20, 4.35, 5.45 secs
4 x 60m in 7.70-7.80 secs (30m in 4.38, flying 10m 1.11 secs)
Back Squat – 3 x 3 x 115kg
Bench Press – 3 x 3 x 87.5kg
DB Rows – 2 x 6 x 42.5kg
Pull Ups – 2 x 6 x 15kg

Dry track, 22 degrees, no wind. Great conditions and I felt relatively fresh today. I did some 30 second single leg calf isometrics with 20-30kg which seemed to help my Achilles warm up. It was really nice to give my body a break in the gym by only doing 95%.

17 June

Warm Up 2
Posture Hold 2 x 10 secs
Wall March, Wall Switch – 2 x 6 per leg
A March, A Switch, Carioca – 2 x 20m
Lateral Skips – 2 x 10m
Alt Scissor w high leg, SL scissor – 2 x 30m
2 x 40m build ups
Hurdle Mobility 1 – 3 sets
Tempo – 111,212,212,111 in 16.8, 35.5 secs
Gymnastics – 2 x pull ups, rope climb, dips, L-sit, handstand
Abs – 5 mins

My left calf started seizing up towards the end of tempo and it’s felt extra tight when I’ve done any massage work on it in the last few weeks.

18 June

Warm Up 1
MB Throws – 4 x 3
Accels – 3 x 20m in 3.25 secs
2 x 2 x 150m in 19.7, 19.4, 20.0, 19.6 secs
Step Ups – SKIPPED
RLESS – SKIPPED
DB Hyperextension Rows – SKIPPED
RDL – SKIPPED
Swiss Ball kicks – SKIPPED

Dry track, 24 degrees, no wind. I could tell I was flat in the 20m runs, not entirely sure what purpose they serve if they’re coming 2 days after an acceleration day. I put together a nice series of 150’s, passing through 100m in 12.9-13.2 secs and 90% effort feeling very natural.

I have a few aches and pains and it seemed the right time to pass on weights and let my body heal up a bit more. Usually I’m quite obsessive about doing exactly what’s written down for the day but I’m starting to embrace the idea that higher volume doesn’t always equate to better times.

19 June

Rest

20 June

Warm Up 1
Everest – 3 x 3
Accels – 3 x 30m in 4.40 secs Freelap
3 x 120m (95%) in 15.1 secs (30m/60m/90m in 4.48/8.05/11.40 secs)
Back Squat – 3 x 3 x 115kg
Bench Press – 3 x 3 x 87.5kg

Dry track, 22 degrees, no wind. I could tell I had a bit more freshness in my legs from skipping weights on Thursday. It didn’t show in the accelerations but certainly came through in the 120’s, where I cruised to 15.1 in all three reps. Ideally it would be 15.3 secs but it felt very natural and relaxed, even if that might be more like 97%. Squats were a bit of a grind, I’d like them to go up more smoothly given it’s only 95% of my 3RM.

21 June

Rest

I don’t know what’s been up with me this week but sleep has been very fragmented and I don’t feel myself.

[Fraser Young]

Pre-Comp – Week 2

8 June

Abs – 6 mins
Waterloo – 20 in 5:14
Warm Up 2
A Skip, B Skip, A Run, B Run – 2 x 20m
Dribble ACK – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor w run out – 2 x 20m
2 x 40m Build Ups
Hurdle Mobility 1 – 3 sets
Tempo – 111,312,312,111 in 16.6, 35.3, 53.9 secs
Bataan – 20 in 8:17

Mixed up the order as I had to wait 20 minutes at home first. I enjoyed the novelty of getting some of the circuits done first, felt a bit sluggish in tempo but the times were solid.

9 June

Warm Up 1
MB Throws – 4 x 3
MB Throws – 2 x 3
Blocks – 20m, 30m, 40m in 3.22, 4.38, 5.50 secs
4 x 60m in 7.80-7.90 secs (30m in 4.38, flying 10m 1.12 secs)
Back Squat – 3 x 3 x 120kg
Bench Press – 3 x 3 x 92.5kg
DB Rows – 2 x 6 x 42.5kg
Pull Ups – 2 x 6 x 12.5kg

Wet track, 16 degrees, no wind (-2 m/s after first 60m run). That was a good session, times were where I expected them to be but after the first 60m I did lose a tenth for the remaining reps, partly due to the wind picking up. Handled 120kg on the back squat okay, only a few more sessions before that starts tapering off. I think I could handle 15kg on pull ups.

10 June

1 mile walk (10:19)
Warm Up 2
Posture Hold 2 x 10 secs
Wall March, Wall Switch – 2 x 6 per leg
A March, A Switch, Carioca – 2 x 20m
Lateral Skips – 2 x 10m
Alt Scissor w high leg, SL scissor – 2 x 30m
2 x 40m build ups
Tempo – 111,212,212,111 in 16.6, 36.1 secs
Hurdle Mobility 1 – 2 sets
Gymnastics – 2 x dips, pull ups, handstand
Abs – 5 mins

I skipped the rope climb and bar walks as I was short on time (and I dislike them). I wanted to change up the drills as it gets very same-y doing them twice a week. I tried the race walk technique for the mile walk and wow was that demanding, my heart rate was up around 160 bpm just from walking. I would probably get disqualified from a competition as I probably had some air time but it still felt like a walk.

11 June

Warm Up 1
MB Throws – 4 x 5
2 x 60m (to 90%)
2 x 2 x 120m in 16.6, 16.1, 16.0, 16.2 secs
Step Ups – 2 x 6 x 52.5kg
RLESS – 3 x 6 x 77.5kg
DB Hyperextension Rows – 3 x 8 x 12.5kg
RDL – 3 x 6 x 95kg
Swiss Ball kicks – 2 x 20 secs

Damp track, slight headwind. I feel a bit run-down so I was probably giving a little more than 90% to hit my target times. The gym was good, I don’t think the 7th rep of step ups was adding anything so I dropped that, added one to RDL, and bumped the RLESS by 2.5kg.

12 June

Exercise Bike – 45 mins

This was a light bit of recovery as I was otherwise unable to get out much today

13 June

Warm Up 1
Everest – 3 x 3
Accels – 2 x 20m, 2 x 30m in 3.18 secs, 4.36 secs Freelap
2 x 120m (95%) in ??, secs (30m/60m in 4.37/7.75 secs)
Back Squat – 3 x 3 x 122.5kg
Bench Press – 3 x 3 x 92.5kg
DB Rows – 2 x 6 x 42.5kg
Pull Ups – 2 x 6 x 15kg

Dry track, 19 degrees, +4 m/s wind. I felt very coordinated during the accelerations and despite a favourable wind I think they were solid times. I didn’t turn my Freelap on for the first 120m run which was frustrating as it was really strong. 122.5kg on the back squat was right at the edge of my capability.

14 June

Rest

I felt shattered today so did very little, even having a 45 minute nap after lunch

I think the volume is at a much better level this year, but I’m still feeling the cumulative effects of training and looking forward to the competition period.

[Fraser Young]

Pre-Comp – Week 1

1 June

Warm Up 2
A Skip, B Skip, A Run, B Run – 2 x 20m
Dribble ACK – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor w run out – 2 x 20m
2 x 40m Build Ups
Tempo – 111,312,312,111 in 16.8, 34.5, 54.4 secs
Hurdle Mobility 1 – 3 sets
Waterloo – 20 in 5:34
Bataan – 20 in 8:40
Abs – 6 mins

I had to squeeze this session in before 9am, including a 6 minute walk test and a 6 minute exercise bike test. I felt a little sore from the previous week, even though yesterday was a rest day (and last week was technically a deload). Already into pre-comp and the weights will back off now so I’m not concerned.

2 June

Warm Up 1
MB Throws – 4 x 3
MB Throws – 2 x 3
Blocks – 2 x 20m, 2 x 30m, 40m in 3.20, 4.38, 5.62 secs
2 x 60m in 7.75 secs (30m in 4.38, flying 10m 1.12 secs)
Back Squat – 4 x 3 x 115kg
Bench Press – 4 x 3 x 92.5kg
DB Rows – 2 x 6 x 42.5kg
Pull Ups – 2 x 6 x 12.5kg

Damp track, 19 degrees, cross wind. I had multiple blood tests this morning with a lot of sitting around so I didn’t feel best prepared. I’m also wondering if the Cooper test is still in my legs as I’ve felt a bit flat the last few days. The blocks were slow, I tried a new cue for the 40m and it resulted in a very slow time (focus on high knee drive during acceleration) so I won’t be repeating that.

It was a relief to clock some 1.11-1.13 second flying 10m runs for the flat out 60’s and the times were good considering how I felt.

3 June

Lab VO2 Max Test

This was much less scary than I built it up to be in my head. I was comfortable for most of the 15 minutes I spent running and only really struggled on the last one or two inclines. It was a treadmill test, 3 minutes walk, 3 minutes running at 6 mph then +1% incline every minute until I couldn’t go any longer. I think I made it to 11% before I had to bail, and ended up with a VO2 max of 62.6 ml/kg/min.

Given the short duration it is probably of a similar overall demand to what would have been the tempo session, so I will do hard tempo tomorrow as planned but keep an eye on how I feel during the warm up.

4 June

Warm Up 1
MB Throws – 4 x 5
Accels – 3 x 20m
5 x 150m in 20.0, 20.5, 20.1, 20.5, 20.5 secs
Step Ups – 3 x 7 x 52.5kg
RLESS – 3 x 6 x 75kg
DB Hyperextension Rows – 3 x 8 x 12.5kg
RDL – 3 x 5 x 95kg
Swiss Ball kicks – 2 x 20 secs

Damp track, 16 degrees, – 6 m/s wind. Pleased with that session despite an unfavourable wind. The accelerations were into driving rain so I didn’t bother timing them. The 150m runs had a target time of 19.8 secs which is more like 20.3 with that wind, and I was generally going through 100m in 13.6-13.7 secs.

Weights were strong, I noticed the difference on step ups and I need to think whether there’s any reason to go up in weight for something that’s meant to be explosive, but it does work a slightly different part of the speed-strength continuum for me. The RDL was smooth and I can either add a rep or add weight next time.

5 June

Rest

6 June

Warm Up 1
Everest – 3 x 3
Accels – 3 x 20m in 3.23-3.26 secs Freelap
3 x 120m (95%) in 15.5, 15.6, 16.0 secs (30/60/90m in 4.50/8.10/11.70 secs)
Back Squat – 4 x 3 x 117.5kg
Bench Press – 4 x 3 x 92.5kg
DB Rows – 2 x 6 x 42.5kg
Pull Ups – 2 x 6 x 12.5kg

Damp track, 15 degrees, -4 m/s wind. I didn’t feel that sharp today and the times were an accurate reflection of that. I didn’t have any zip in the accelerations and was fighting the wind in the 120’s. The final run had a ridiculous gust which probably added an extra 2 tenths to my time. The target 95% effort should be closer to 15.30 but the headwind is worth 0.1-0.2 secs.

I was happier with the back squat, last time it felt unnatural at 115kg but I knew I’d get more into the groove so preempted it with a slight increase in weight. It was actually the bench press that I nearly failed at, so I might do 120kg and 92.5kg next time out.

7 June

Rest

These weeks are just ticking over right now, I’d hope to see my times come down in the next 3-4 weeks. If they do then I’ll run on Tues 7th July at a local open meeting, otherwise I’m planning to double up 100/200m on 29th July and again on 4th August to conclude my season.

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