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WEEK 1
2 September
MB Chest Pass – 3 x 8 x 5kg
MB Slams – 3 x 8 x 5kg
Clap Push ups – 3 x 6
Bench Press – 4 x 6 x 85kg
Pendlay Row – 3 x 6 x 80kg
A1 Pull ups – 4 x 7 x 5kg
A2 DB OHP – 3 x 8 x 17.5kg
B1 Hanging Leg Raise – 3 x 6
B2 Russian Twist – 3 x 30 x 5kg
B3 Ab Wheel – 3 x 45 secs
Mobility (5 exercises)Good session, bumped the pull ups and the OHP. I think the OHP can go up again. I swapped the hanging leg raises to the first in the superset and that worked much better for me. I have a lot of leg DOMS from yesterday and a really tender adductor. One day down, 41 to go.
3 September
Drills – A walk (MB), A March, A Skip (MB), A Switch 2 x 15m
Dribble Ankle, Calf, Knee, SL scissor w runout 2 x 20m
2 x 40m Technical Runs
Tempo – 3 x 4 x 100m in 16.3, 16.1, 15.7 secs
Mobility (4 exercises)Easy session, my legs felt heavy so I had to work to dip under 16 seconds. Took some “before” measurements this afternoon:
Neck – 37cm / 14.5”
Chest – 96cm / 37 ¾”
Bicep – 35.5cm / 14”
Waist – 81cm – 32”
Thigh – 55.5cm – 21 ¾”
Calf – 35.5cm / 14”4 September
Yoga – 45 mins
Mobility (3 exercises)Yoga was quite intense, we did this side angle lunge with hands bound behind us for a very long time and my thighs were absolutely burning. Didn’t have time for mobility so did it first thing the following morning
5 September
Back Squat – 2 x 3 x 5 x 110kg
A1 Single Leg Standing Calf Raise ISO – 2 x 35 secs
A2 Single Leg Bent Knee Calf Raise ISO – 2 x 35 secs
Mobility (5 exercises)The weight here was not too challenging, for RPE I’d say 6.8/10. I followed parts of this last winter and I split the workout across two days, doing 3 x 6 x 115kg on each. This is ~7-8% lighter in terms of 1RM, which is the low end of the prescribed difficulty in the program. I’m happy with this approach given I want to move fast and not be grinding anything out.
The % 1RM is a narrower range in the next session so it’ll be 5 x 115kg and 10 x 102.5kg.
6 September
Drills – A walk (MB), A March, A Skip (MB), A Switch 2 x 15m
Dribble Ankle, Calf, Knee, SL scissor w runout 2 x 20m
2 x 40m Technical Runs
Tempo – 4 x 400m in 77.5 secs
A1 Dips – 3 x 15
A2 Res. Band Face Pulls – 3 x 12
B1 DB Curls – 3 x 9 x 15kg
B2 Res. Band Rotator Cuff – 2 x 2 x 15
Scap Push ups – 3 x 10
Mobility (5 exercises)I was on track for 78.0 but I pushed it in the final rep and was closer to 76 secs. Upper body was good, it feels like it’s improving my posture. Did my mobility right after the workout which was nice, I’m away for a stag do this weekend but may fit the next leg session on Sunday afternoon.
7 September
REST
Away in Wales for a stag do.
8 September
Pogo Jumps – 2 x 20 secs
Back Squat – 2 x (10 x 102.5kg, 5 x 115kg, 2 x 122.5kg)
Mobility (5 exercises)I spent 12 of the last 48 hours in a car and my lower back was sore and hips were tight. Just pleased to get through this one, most lifts went up nicely.
Good first week, a little worried about my lower back as any weakness really hampers a session.
WEEK 0
26 August
Drills – A walk (MB), A March, A Skip (MB), A Switch 2 x 15m
Dribble Ankle, Calf, Knee, SL scissor w runout 2 x 20m
2 x 40m Technical Runs
Tempo – 3 x 4 x 100m in 15.9 secsPleased with my fitness, I didn’t know what pace to do these in so went with whatever came naturally.
27 August
Standing 5 bound, 2 per leg – best of 12.60m
5 x 40m in 5.38 secs Freelap
Back Squat – 2 x 2 x 5 x 105kg
A1 Single Leg Standing Calf Raise ISO – 2 x 35 secs
A2 Single Leg Bent Knee Calf Raise ISO – 2 x 35 secs
Mobility (4 exercises)Dry track, 22 degrees, -2 m/s wind. I found driving with the front knee helped me in the bounds. The 40’s were into a wind that was between -2 and -4 m/s, still a touch slower than last week. Good squats, comfortable at 105kg.
28 August
Yoga – 45 mins
Mobility (3 exercises)Yoga was more intense than usual, lots of chair holds
29 August
Mobility (4 exercises)
30 August
Rest
I was at a friend’s wedding on the 29th and travelled home on the 30th. Only had 4-5 hours sleep and ended up falling asleep at 8pm before I usually do my mobility.
31 August
Drills – A walk (MB), A March, A Skip (MB), A Switch 2 x 15m
Dribble Ankle, Calf, Knee, SL scissor w runout 2 x 20m
2 x 40m Technical Runs
Tempo – 4 x 400m in 78.7 secs
GS Circuit – 2 x 12 exercises x 10 reps in 3:25, 3:19
A1 Res. Band Face Pulls – 3 x 12
A2 Dips – 3 x 12
B1 DB Curls – 3 x 9 x 15kg
B2 Res. Band Rotator Cuff – 2 x 2 x 15
Scap Push ups – 3 x 10
Mobility (5 exercises)The 400’s were okay. I’m not sure what was going on in the dips but my left upper arm felt really uncomfortable so I stopped at 12. It eased off in the following sets, not sure if I needed more warming up.
1 September
2 x 4 x 6 bounds – best of 15.25m
5 x 40m in 5.30-5.32 secs Freelap
Back Squat – 3 x 5 x 105kg, 3 x 5 x 107.5kg
Mobility (5 exercises)Dry track, 25 degrees, +3 m/s wind. I need a more thorough warm up before bounds, I had a very slight strain in my right adductor which eased off in later reps. Happy with the distance, all in and around 15.20m with a bit of a tailwind. The 40’s were strong, I didn’t overthink them, the main cue was pushing the ground away in strides 1-3 and then getting into a higher stepping action from around 30-35m.
Finished with squats, I looked ahead in the schedule and next week will have 110kg, so instead of 105kg today I bumped the second series to 107.5kg and it felt manageable.
I’m excited but apprehensive. It’s essential that I stay on top of prehab for my right foot, left Achilles and now my right adductor if I’m to get through this program and see the rewards of my work.
WEEK -1
19 August
MB Chest Pass – 3 x 8 x 5kg
MB Slams – 3 x 8 x 5kg
Clap Push ups – 3 x 6
Front Plank – 3 mins 36 seconds
Bench Press – 4 x 90kg, 6,6,5 x 85kg
Pendlay Row – 3 x 6 x 80kg
A1 Pull ups – 4 x 6 x 5kg
A2 DB OHP – 3 x 8 x 15kg
B1 Russian Twist – 3 x 30 x 5kg
B2 Hanging Leg Raise – 3 x 5
Mobility (5 exercises)I really liked that. Started off with explosive exercises then the heavier stuff. I was retesting for a front plank program which is why I had one long hold, next week it’ll just be reps of the front plank. Made sure to up my calories to support the volume.
20 August
Standing 5 bound, 2 per leg – best of 12.25m
5 x 40m in 5.35 secs Freelap
Back Squat – 3 x 5 x 95kg
A1 Single Leg Standing Calf Raise ISO – 2 x 30 secs
A2 Single Leg Bent Knee Calf Raise ISO – 2 x 30 secs
Mobility (4 exercises)Dry track, 20 degrees, no wind. A little disappointed in my 5 bounds, the other three attempts landed below 12 metres and I had no consistency. 40m runs were okay, my final run was 5.27 but looking at the 10m splits it may have been because I was late releasing the button, as I had an incredible first 10m then similar 10-40m speed. Squats were very easy but that was the plan, calf raise isometrics are for Achilles prehab ahead of the depth jumps and I find them very challenging for the full 30 seconds.
21 August
Yoga – 45 mins
Mobility (4 exercises)Wow, I was not expecting the DOMS I have from 3 sets of relatively easy squats, so glad I didn’t push it. Yoga helped, I was worried I’d pull something putting my shoes on in the morning.
22 August
Drills – A walk (MB), A March, A Skip (MB), A Switch 2 x 15m
Dribble Ankle, Calf, Knee, SL scissor w runout 2 x 20m
2 x 40m Technical Runs
Tempo – 4 x 400m in 79.0 secs
A1 Res. Band Face Pulls – 3 x 12
A2 Dips – 3 x 15
B1 DB Curls – 3 x 8 x 15kg
B2 Res. Band Rotator Cuff – 2 x 2 x 15
Scap Push ups – 3 x 10
Mobility (5 exercises)More leg DOMS, not easing up at all. Very tentative in the warm up and drills, thankfully the 400m pace is only ~20 secs per 100m otherwise I’d have struggled more. The upper body session was accessory and prehab movements, I liked it.
23 August
Mobility (5 exercises)
Much needed rest for the body.
24 August
5 x 40m
Back Squat – 3 x 5 x 100kg
Mobility (6 exercises)Wet track, 16 degrees, headwind. I forgot my phone so I couldn’t time my 40m runs. It took a while to get into my running which is likely due to not having any med ball throws or jumps before my sprints as these usually help with muscle activation. Squats went up easily, I thought about a 4th set but given the DOMS I got the first time round I’m not taking any chances.
25 August
MB Chest Pass – 3 x 8 x 5kg
MB Slams – 3 x 8 x 5kg
Clap Push ups – 3 x 6
Bench Press – 4 x 6 x 85kg
Pendlay Row – 3 x 6 x 80kg
A1 Pull ups – 4 x 6 x 5kg
A2 DB OHP – 3 x 6 x 17.5kg
B1 Ab Wheel – 3 x 45 secs
B2 Russian Twist – 3 x 30 x 5kg
B3 Hanging Leg Raise – 3 x 6
Mobility (5 exercises)Spot on with bench press, the last rep was very slow. Pull ups were a touch easy, OHP can be bumped a rep or even two reps. Abs were a mess, I don’t think 6 leg raises is too much but it should be first in the superset not last. Only a lingering amount of soreness from squats, potentially more tomorrow, will see.
COMP 8
10 August
Abs (Planks, 2 sets of 4 exercises)
Mobility AGood session, my planks progress a little each session which is the sort of approach I should be taking with my normal core workouts. Nice restorative day today.
11 August
MB Throws – 4 x 3 x 4kg
5 Bounds – 2 per leg, best of 12.30m
3 x 40m in 4.22/5.35 secs Freelap
2 x 120m (95%) in ~15.60 secs24 degrees, dry track, cross wind. Good session, my 40’s were close to my best and I made a point to err on the side of being too relaxed in the 120’s so that I’m fresh for Wednesday. My diet has felt overly restrictive lately and I’m down to 68kg so I may push the calories for the rest of the day as I always feel more powerful when well fed.
12 August
Drills – A walk (MB), A March, A Skip (MB), A Switch 2 x 15m
Dribble Ankle, Calf, Knee, SL scissor w runout 2 x 20m
2 x 40m Technical Runs
Tempo – 10 x 100m with stretching
Abs (Planks, 2 sets of 4 exercises)
Mobility CI was really cruising these but still hitting 16.5 for 100m, it felt low effort so I didn’t try to go any slower. I’m quietly optimistic about Wednesday and also ready for the season to end.
13 August
Mobility D
14 August – Race Day
Sutcliffe Park Open Meeting
100m – 12.20 (-0.2 m/s)
The final race of the season! Happy to get a season’s best, a shame I couldn’t get a tailwind or a larger improvement. I felt great in the warm up, registering a 4.15 second 30m with Freelap and then a 2.18 flying 20m. That would predict a 12.16 second 100m and I’ve previously been running about a tenth faster than my predictions.
Race execution wasn’t great, I was overly focused on my top speed running cue to the point of not really having a cue for the start. I was half a stride behind those around me coming out the blocks and never made up the ground. Top speed was good, usually I fade and this time I kept with the pack. With a stronger start I think I could have been low 12.1’s but nothing more.
My time only moves to 12.19 with wind correction which means my four races this season have been 12.26, 12.24, 12.23 and 12.19. I’ve not felt the same freshness in any race this season that I experienced last year so I don’t know if my taper is off or there’s still more fatigue for me to recover from.
It’s my last race but not the end of my season, I’ll be doing some 40’s for the next 2 ½ weeks and then a 6 week weights & plyo’s program that is an alternative to the usual start of my winter season. I did a very high volume program this year and it didn’t pay off, so next season I’ll be going the opposite direction and seeing how my body responds to lower volume with the same intensity. I trust my Freelap timing system enough that I don’t feel the need to compete in any more open meetings, though I may do my County Championships in March 2025.
Here’s a video of my race, I’m in lane 6, number 112.
15 August
Abs (Planks, 2 sets of 4 exercises)
Mobility FMore aches and pains post-race. I had to cycle across town and do my final plank session, otherwise I stayed relatively inactive for fear of pulling something.
Reflecting on the final race, it was a bit anti-climactic. I was resigned to not going sub-12 seconds and I’m so dialled in on my race predictions that it’s hard to surprise myself when I see the times.
I’m going to record the next few weeks leading up to the next program in a separate log so that’s it for this one.
COMP 7
3 August
Everest – 3 x 3 jumps
Accels – 30, 40, 50m in 4.25, 5.38, 6.56 Freelap
3 x 80m in 9.85 secs Freelap
Bench Press – 2 x 2 x 92.5kg
Mobility ADry track, 22 degrees, -2 m/s wind. I was pleased with my top speed given the headwind, I still have some lingering fatigue which may be from all the weights I’ve done this summer. I’m already thinking ahead to next season where I’d like to have more focused periods of weight training then back off and mainly do sprints.
4 August
Drills – A walk (MB), A March, A Skip (MB), A Switch 2 x 15m
Dribble Ankle, Calf, Knee, SL scissor w runout 2 x 20m
2 x 40m Technical Runs
Tempo – 10 x 100m with stretching
Abs (Planks, 2 sets of 4 exercises)
Mobility BCruised these again in ~17.0-17.5 secs per 100m. I cut back on the volume of the first four drills, next season I want to try a minimum effective dose and it felt like an easy 4 x 2 x 5 metres to cut without much impact. Knowing I only have 15 metres means I give the drills more attention.
This time last week I did this session then ended up getting a stomach bug so I’m washing my hands very frequently out of paranoia. Ready for Tuesday.
5 August
Mobility C
6 August – Race Day
Tonbridge Open Meeting
100m – 12.22 (+0.1 m/s wind)
I started warming up 10 minutes early because it’s very crowded with ~50 people signed up for the 100m. I did two 30m runs as the first one I was distracted by the people near my lane who might accidentally step into it. Times were 4.25 and 4.22, it felt like the tailwind was 2 to 3 m/s. Flying 20m run was 2.15 secs. Correcting for wind I’d be happy to say that was 4.24 and 2.19 secs, which my 100m predictor says is 12.29.
As for the race, I was really happy with my start, though I was racing boys who weren’t using blocks so I’d expect to get a metre lead. Transition was good, probably too much focus on what other lanes were doing and no real plan for top speed running cues. I’d have liked to relax through the arms more and have better tunnel vision.
Once you adjust for the wind it’s 12.23, so it’s actually only 0.01 faster than 3 weeks ago. I still have some tapering to do, though it has been two weeks since I lifted weights.
Race video below, I’m in lane 3.
7 August
Yoga – 45 mins
Mobility EYoga in the office. Good focus on unlocking the hips.
8 August
Drills – A walk (MB), A March, A Skip (MB), A Switch 2 x 15m
Dribble Ankle, Calf, Knee, SL scissor w runout 2 x 20m
2 x 40m Technical Runs
Tempo – 3,2,3 x 200m in 35.2 secs avg
Waterloo – 10 reps in 3:00
Bataan – 10 reps in 3:45
Abs (Planks, 2 sets of 4 exercises)
Mobility BA good session. Plenty of aches and pains today, a little left Achilles tenderness and my left glute has DOMS. My body is ready for a rest.
9 August
Broad Jump, 4 – best of 250cm
Pogo Jumps – 3 x 8
30,40,50m in 4.30, 5.43, 6.44 secs Freelap
70,80,90m in 8.65, 9.86, 11.01 Freelap
Bench Press – 2 x 2 x 92.5kg
Mobility DDry track, 22 degrees, cross wind. Very rusty in my first few runs, then realised I’d missed parts of the warm up. Still felt a bit flat today but it’s less than 72 hours since my race and the only place I could fit this session in my schedule.
Will do some submax runs on Sunday and then my final race on Wednesday. I’m after a season’s best on Wednesday, I’d like a decent tailwind so I can get something better than 12.22.
