Fraser Young

[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.

[Fraser Young]

SPP – Week 8

25 May

Warm Up 2
1 Mile Walk (12:04)
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 16.7, 34.2, 54.8 secs
Hurdle Mobility 1 – 3 sets
Waterloo – 2 x 10 in 3:12, 3:01
Bataan – 2 x 10 in 4:27, 4:34

Hot! It was already 25 degrees at 8am and I was sweating as much in this workout as I do in a typical sauna session. I felt very fluid in the tempo runs and the times came comfortably.

26 May

Warm Up 1
Queens College Step Test
MB Throws – 4 x 5
MB Throws – 2 x 3
3 x 20m, 30m in 3.25 secs, 4.38 secs
5 x 60m (95%) in 8.0-8.2 secs
Back Squat – 8 x 90kg, 5 x 100kg, 3 x 105kg, 5 x 100kg
Bench Press – 8 x 67.5kg, 5 x 77.5kg, 3 x 82.5kg, 5 x 80kg

Dry track, 28 degrees, -2 m/s wind. Much nicer with the breeze and I didn’t really feel the heat. What I did feel was the time of day, starting at 8.30am and not feeling that sharp in any of my runs. My wearables are saying I’m in training overload, and I think several days of hot weather have been increasing the demand on my body.

27 May

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
Cooper Test – 3002m in 12 mins
Hurdle Mobility 1 – 2 sets
Gymnastics (Pull ups, Handstands, Dips, Rope Climb, L-Sit) – 2 sets
Abs – 5 mins

I have wanted a 3km Cooper Test for at least 2 years and was thrilled to manage it today. I had set out the split times (24 secs per 100m) then immediately messed up by running a 27 second opening 100m, which it took me several laps to claw back. About 9.5 minutes in my breathing was gone and I had to slow down to recover, thinking my moment had passed, but I picked up the pace with 80m to go and crossed the line in 11:59.5, so spot on.

Given the pace is slower than my tempo I feel like I can probably train as normal tomorrow.

28 May

Warm Up 1
MB Throws – 4 x 3
Build Ups – 2 x 60m (to 90%)
2 x 2 x 120m (90%) in 16.3,16.0, 16.1, 15.8 secs
Step Ups – 2 x 7 x 50kg
RLESS – 2 x 6 x 75kg
DB Hyperextension Rows – 2 x 8 x 12.5kg
RDL – 2 x 6 x 90kg
Swiss Ball kicks – 2 x 20 secs

Good session, nice and relaxed. It was 26 degrees but with a nice wind, and I feel like I’m well tuned to what 90% effort is. The RLESS was tough, I chose to cut one of the sets as it’s a deload week but maybe I should have also taken a reduction in weight too.

29 May

Rest

30 May

Warm Up 1
Everest – 3 x 3
3 x EFM 150m in 18.54 (70m, flying 30m in 9.00, 3.38-3.46 secs) Freelap
Back Squat – 8 x 90kg, 5 x 100kg, 3 x 105kg, 5 x 100kg
Bench Press – 8 x 67.5kg, 5 x 77.5kg, 3 x 82.5kg, 5 x 80kg

Dry track, 27 degrees, no wind. I was really frustrated that my Freelap cones failed to catch my most important split three times in a row and it only just dawned on me why. I had cones at 50m, 70m, 100m and 150m and because the 50m is still on the bend and the Freelap cone is on the outside of the lane, the receiver chip was likely too far away given how much I hug the inside of the bend and lean into it. I wish I’d figured that out at the track.

Without knowing my 50-70m split I can only say that it was likely faster than the 1.13/1.14/1.15 sec flying 10m runs I did from 70-100m on reps 1 to 3 respectively. I really like that whip off the bend and I was fading a little by 100m and then holding form to the line, which was roughly 1.20-1.22 secs.

I had a very mild strain of my left hamstring yesterday when messing around with my daughter, but despite feeling it a bit today there was no hesitation to run top speed. Last year I had a hamstring overload around the time I was fitting in all my annual tests (12 minute run, 1 mile walk etc.) so I’m more conscious of my volume this summer as a result.

31 May

Rest

[Fraser Young]

SPP – Week 7

18 May

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 – 111,313,313,121 in 16.9, 36.2, 54.2 secs
Hurdle Mobility 1 – 3 sets
Tank (10 reps) – 6:24
Bataan (2 x 20 reps) – 8:46, 8:50
Abs – 6 mins

I did some Kelly Starrett mobilisations last night and the adductor one left me feeling very tender. I’d warmed it up enough for tempo and ended up feeling strong, running all four 300’s within half a second of each other. Having tweaked my hamstring during Bataan’s hamstring lean exercise I substituted them for hamstring walkouts. It ended up being 40 minutes of conditioning if you include the rest periods which felt excessive.

19 May

Warm Up 1
CMJ – 3 x 3
MB Throws – 2 x 3
Blocks – 3 x 20m ,30m in 3.42, 4.47 secs Freelap
4 x 60m in ~8.0 secs (30/40m in 4.52, 5.67 secs)
Back Squat – 8 x 90kg, 5 x 100kg, 3 x 105kg, 3 x 1 x 117.5kg, 5 x 100kg
Bench Press – 8 x 65kg, 5 x 75kg, 3 x 80kg, 3 x 1 x 87.5kg, 10 x 75kg

Wet track, 13 degrees, -4 m/s wind. Conditions were not pleasant, I had a waterproof jacket and trousers on for the first few block starts until I realised how slow I was running (3.52 secs). Losing the trousers dropped me to 3.42 secs and I didn’t get a split for the 30m but it was with no jacket and was likely more like 3.32 secs.

I honestly felt really good so was a bit miffed at the times, with flying runs of only ~1.16 secs having looked so promising over the weekend. The back squat was a real grind so maybe my power isn’t there, I’ll keep the weight as it is and hope that I’m stronger the next time it’s scheduled. In contrast the bench press felt amazing, I definitely had 100kg+ in me and just to get a sense of my 1RM I repped out 75kg to 10, which equates to a 100kg 1RM and means I can move up next time.

20 May

Warm Up 2
Bleep Test – level 11 shuttle 6
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 – 111,312,212,111 in 16.9, 34.6, 56.3 secs
Hurdle Mobility 1 – 2 sets
Tank (15 reps) – 8:39
Nekka (2 x 20 reps) – 2:05, 2:01
Abs – 5 mins

Great session, I breezed past my previous effort in the bleep test but faded quickly once the intensity hit a certain point. I also learned from last time that it’s only a few minutes of hard running so I picked up the rest of the workout as planned. My left calf was feeling quite tight after the bleep test but not enough to impair my tempo runs.

21 May

Warm Up 1
MB Throws – 4 x 5
2 x 60m build ups (to 90%)
2 x 3 x 120m (90%) in 16.0, 16.3, 16.3 & 16.4, 16.5, 15.8 secs
Step Ups – 3 x 7 x 50kg
RLESS – 3 x 6 x 75kg
DB Hyperextension Rows – 3 x 5 x 15kg
RDL – 3 x 6 x 90kg
Swiss Ball kicks – 3 x 20 secs

Very pleased with the consistent times, I have a good sense of what 90% feels like and without the headwind those were probably all around my target time of 16.0 secs.

There is a speed element to step ups but I can probably bump those 2.5kg, the hyperextensions were far too difficult and I’ll need to either do 27.5kg on a barbell, or go back to 12.5kg dumbbells. RDL is another one I can progress by 5kg, maybe losing a rep.

22 May

Rest

23 May

Warm Up 1
Rudiment – 2 x 20m
Blocks – 10,20,30,40m in 1.83, 3.18, 4.35, 5.50 secs
2 x (2 x 90m) in ??, 11.33 & ??, 11.20 secs (30/50/70m in 4.25, 6.51, 8.73 secs)
Back Squat – 8 x 90kg, 5 x 100kg, 3 x 105kg, 3 x 1 x 117.5kg, 5 x 100kg
Bench Press – 8 x 67.5kg, 5 x 77.5kg, 3 x 82.5kg, 3 x 1 x 95kg, 5 x 80kg

Dry track, 25 degrees, no wind. The one day you want wind… It was a high of 30 today and I did this at 10am, ending 11.30am. I took a few block starts to find my groove, the 40m was a good time. Pleased with my 90’s, the Freelap failed on the last split for both first reps which was frustrating, I did some 2.20-2.26 second 20m splits which was pleasing.

24 May

Rest

First week with the new structure of Mon-Thurs & Saturdays, ready to move into the competition phase soon.

[Author]

Posts