Fraser Young

[Fraser Young]

Comp – Week 4

6 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 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 16.4, 34.4, 53.2 secs
Hurdle Mobility 1 – 3 sets
Waterloo – 2 x 10 in 2:52, 2:43
Bataan – 10 in 4:15
Abs – 5 mins

A good session, yet another heatwave so this was done at 8.30am and wrapped up by 10am. Again I noticed great mobility in the hurdle drills and also a freshness to my legs having taken it easy yesterday.

7 July

SL Achilles ISO Straight Leg – 2 x 10kg x 30 secs
SL Achilles ISO Bent Leg – 2 x 10kg 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, 4.32 secs
4 x 60m (95%) in 7.95 secs (20/30/40m in 3.30/4.48/5.62 secs)
Back Squat – 2 x 2 x 110kg
Bench Press – 2 x 2 x 90kg
Standing Calf Raises – 2 x 10 x 70kg
Seated Calf Raises – 2 x 10 x 50kg

Dry track, 28 degrees, +4 m/s wind. Having dealt with 30+ degrees I’m no longer phased by 28, though it was a little uncomfortable when the wind stopped. I felt this extra bit of power and spring on my 2nd and 3rd steps out the blocks which was very satisfying. Three of my four 60m runs were almost identical times then I ran 8.05 secs on the last rep. It was very much within myself and nice to take it easy.

More calf raises in the gym, the seated ones do nothing for me, I’m loading lots of plates on the tops of my knees and I may look at getting a machine if it’s going to be a key exercise for me.

8 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 16.7, 35.9 secs
Hurdle Mobility 1 – 3 sets
Pull Ups, Dips, Handstands, L-Sit, Rope Climb – 2 sets
Abs – 4 mins

Almost 30 degrees but didn’t struggle that much due to a nice breeze (and being topless).

9 July

SL Achilles ISO Straight Leg – 2 x 30 secs x 10kg
SL Achilles ISO Bent Leg – 2 x 30 secs x 10kg
Warm Up 1
MB Throws – 4 x 3
Blocks (on bend) – 20m, 2 x 30m in 3.18, 4.38 secs Freelap
3 x 200m, 2 x 200m in 27.8, 27.6, 28.0, 28.2, 28.6 secs
Swiss Ball kicks – 3 x 20 secs

Around 30 degrees by the time I got to the 200’s and I could tell I wasn’t getting my breath back as quickly as usual. I feel strong during accelerations, like I’ve got better at activating the muscles I use and I feel my legs working harder. My main goal with the 200’s was to not smash the 4th rep, and I ended up slowly fading across all reps.

10 July

Rest

11 July

SL Achilles ISO Straight Leg – 2 x 30 secs x 10kg
SL Achilles ISO Bent Leg – 2 x 30 secs x 10kg
Warm Up 1
Everest – 3 x 3
Accels – 20,30,40m in 3.28, 4.45, 5.57 secs Freelap
100m, 120m in 12.16, 14.52 secs (7.67 to 60m, 20m fly in 2.21 secs)
Back Squat – 2 x 2 x 110kg
Bench Press – 2 x 2 x 90kg
Nordic Eccentrics – 2 x 3 (incline)
Standing Calf Raises – 2 x 10 x 70kg (3130 Tempo)
SL Seated Calf Raises – 2 x 10 x 30kg (3130 Tempo)

Dry track, 28 degrees, +6 m/s wind. The wind kept me cool which was nice. My left Achilles was really tender during Everest (jumping series) and probably needed a steadier ramp up instead of going right into max effort tuck jumps. I felt it impeded my force production in all my runs, and the big tailwind disguised a very mediocre session. Single leg seated calf raise was much nicer in the gym, I could feel the movement more.

12 July

10km jog/brisk walk

First bike ride with the girls and I wasn’t sure how much they’d struggle so I went on foot. I ended up having to break into a jog for the first 4km before we came to an agreement that they’d stop regularly for me to catch up. I really didn’t like the whole experience and it’s a lesson learned. I had a bag with food and drinks in it too so I was really not set up to jog any kind of distance, especially on a rest day. It took enough out of me that I needed a nap in the afternoon and I will possibly reduce my Monday tempo session if my body is still tired.

[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.

[Author]

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