Fraser Young

[Fraser Young]

COMP Prep – Week 3

22 May

A Walk, Skip – 2 x 10m
Dribble Calf, Calf Smashers – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor, Dribble Knee – 2 x 30m
Build Up – 60m
High Knee Sprint – 2 x 40m in 4.68 secs Freelap
120,100,80,80m (95%) in 15.1, 12.20, 10.22, 10.28 secs Freelap
2 x 60m in ~7.60 secs Freelap
Core, 2 x 10 exercises 42 secs on / 15 secs off

Dry track, 14 degrees, +2 m/s wind. I reduced my calories yesterday and felt light and fast today. High knee runs were around 1.17 secs per 10m, then the 95% series was great with a fast 100m because people were watching me which always makes me try harder. Really satisfied with the final 60’s, once again I had fatigue in my quads before I’d done the 80’s but I feel like it’s beneficial.

23 May

Hang Power Clean – 2 x 3 x 62.5kg, 2 x 67.5kg, 2 x 72.5kg, 1 x 77.5kg
A1 Half Squat from pins – 3 x 150kg, 3 x 155kg, 3 x 3 x 160kg
A2 Squat Jumps – 5 x 2
B1 BB Hip Thrust – 3 x 6 x 105kg
B2 KB Swings – 3 x 6 x 20kg
Weighted High Knee – 3 x 8 x 5kg
C1 Single Leg Calf Raise – 3 x 6 x 55kg
C2 Pogo Jumps – 3 x 6
Nordic Eccentrics – 4 x 4
Core, 10 exercises 42 secs on / 15 secs off

Another good session, tried to push the squat weight higher and found it very demanding on the legs.

24 May

AM
Exercise Bike – 40 mins (130W down to 115W)

PM
A Walk, Skip – 2 x 10m
Dribble Calf, Calf Smashers – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor, High Knees – 2 x 30m
Build Ups – 2 x 60m (90%)
2 x 3 x 150m in 20.2,20.1,20.2,20.3,19.9,19.9 secs

Shuffled things around so I can do a long walk with my daughters tomorrow. Legs are carrying some fatigue from the weights so this was harder than usual, plus a 4 m/s headwind to contend with. Pleased with the sequence, with no wind it would be more like a 19.8 average. Already looking ahead to my week 4 taper and races on the 3rd!

25 May

11km walk

Slow pace so with breaks this took 4.5 hours

26 May

AM
Res Band Face Pulls – 3 x 12
A1 DB OHP – 3 x 5 x 22.5kg
A2 Weighted Chin Ups – 3 x 4 x 20kg
B1 Incline DB Press – 3 x 6 x 27.5kg
B2 TRX Inverted Row 3 x 8
Farmers Walk – 2 x 20m x 100kg

PM
A1 Step Ups – 2 x 3 x 70kg, 2 x 3 x 75kg
A2 Step Up Jumps – 4 x 2 per leg
Hex Bar DL – 4 x 3 x 140kg
BB Hip Thrusts – 3 x 5 x 110kg
Pogo Jumps – 4 x 10
Copenhagen Plank w Dip – 3 x 12
B1 Banded Single Leg HS ISO – 3 x 3 x 7 secs
B2 Single Leg HS Jumps – 3 x 15
Core, 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs off

Good session, I bumped the step ups and handled it well. I really should test my 1RM on every exercise to ensure I’m not underestimating my strength. The hex bar DL went up nicely, my motivation waned towards the end and I technically should have done 2 rounds of core.

27 May

Full Race Warm Up
Blocks – 30,40,40,50m
2 x 150m (90%) in 21.0, 20.7 secs HT
2 x 120m (95%, 100%) in 15.90, 16.00 secs HT

Wet track, 13 degrees, -4 m/s wind. Miserable conditions, the wind was gusting to -8 m/s and with 6-10 minutes between reps it was causing me to get cold. I rushed everything here, including the warm up, and in hindsight I should have dressed more appropriately. I was overstriding at the end of the second 150m which caused a very minor strain in my left hamstring, but not so much that I was worried about completing the session. I feel like the weights session yesterday had a big impact on my times too, overall it was very much a session to forget. It took me 10 minutes in a hot shower afterwards to regain the sensation in my legs.

28 May

Concept 2 Exercise Bike – 25 mins (125W down to 115W)

It was meant to be 30 mins but I accidentally started my timer during the 5 minute warm up and forgot. Nice to start reducing the volume ahead of next Tuesday’s race.

Hard not to be swayed by the recency bias of a poor speed session on the 27th but otherwise there were reasons to be optimistic. I often underestimate how long it takes and how much of a drop in volume is needed to be fully fresh, so I’m going pretty minimal this week.

[Fraser Young]

COMP Prep – Week 2

15 May

A Walk, Skip – 2 x 10m
Dribble Calf, Calf Smashers – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor, Dribble Knee – 2 x 30m
Build Up – 60m
High Knee Sprint – 2 x 40m
120,100,80,80m (95%) in ~15.2, 12.73, 10.20, ??.?? secs Freelap
2 x 60m in ~7.65 secs Freelap
Core, 2 x 10 exercises 42 secs on / 15 secs off

Dry track, 13 degrees, +6 m/s wind. The wind made this an awkward session as it changes the sensation of how fast you’re running. I probably undercooked it in the 120m, the starter didn’t work but the final 60m was 7.25 secs. Similar times to last week in the 60’s, I had fatigued quads in the last few runs so wasn’t surprised. I’ve had a dodgy stomach the last few days so once that’s sorted I expect to perform a little better.

16 May

Hang Power Clean – 2 x 3 x 62.5kg, 2 x 67.5kg, 2 x 72.5kg, 1 x 77.5kg
A1 Half Squat from pins – 2 x 3 x 140kg, 3 x 3 x 150kg
A2 Squat Jumps – 5 x 2
B1 BB Hip Thrust – 3 x 6 x 105kg
B2 KB Swings – 3 x 6 x 20kg
Weighted High Knee – 3 x 8 x 5kg
C1 Single Leg Calf Raise – 3 x 6 x 55kg
C2 Pogo Jumps – 3 x 6
Nordic Eccentrics – 4 x 4
Core, 2 x 10 exercises 42 secs on / 15 secs off

Felt great today, late afternoon gym session. I bumped the weight to 140kg in the half squat and decided to add another 10kg. The guy who wrote the program squats 150kg to parallel and 250kg from pins and if I add the same ratio to my full squat (120kg) I’d be at 180kg, so maybe I’m underselling myself. The 20 minutes of core at the end is a chore but I’m dragging myself through it.

17 May

Exercise Bike – 45 mins (130W down to 115W)

18 May

A Walk, Skip – 2 x 10m
Dribble Calf, Calf Smashers – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor, High Knees – 2 x 30m
Build Up – 60m
2 x 3 x 150m in 20.0,19.8,19.8,19.7,19.6,19.7
—
A1 Step Ups – 4 x 3 x 70kg
A2 Step Up Jumps – 4 x 2 per leg
Hex Bar DL – 4 x 3 x 140kg
BB Hip Thrusts – 3 x 5 x 110kg
Pogo Jumps – 4 x 10
Copenhagen Plank w Dip – 3 x 12
B1 Banded Single Leg HS ISO – 3 x 3 x 7 secs
B2 Single Leg HS Jumps – 3 x 15
Core, 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs off

Really consistent 150’s again, going through 100m in 13 flat. My balance is poor during step ups, not sure if the box is a little too high (~45cm). Struggled a bit with the hex bar, I’m not using the raised handles so it’s a standard 12 inch off the ground and I’m not 100% happy with my lower back position. Overall a good session. I’ve entered 100m and 200m on 3rd June, doing longer reps in training has given me the confidence to try a 200m and while I estimated my time at 25.00 I would like to get closer to 24.8 or below.

19 May

Res Band Face Pulls – 3 x 12
A1 DB OHP – 3 x 5 x 22.5kg
A2 Weighted Chin Ups – 3 x 4 x 20kg
B1 Incline DB Press – 3 x 6 x 27.5kg
B2 TRX Inverted Row 3 x 8
Farmers Walk – 2 x 20m x 95kg
Core, 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs off

I dropped the volume slightly given we’re into Comp Prep and it’s now about maintenance.

20 May

Full Race Warm Up
Blocks – 30,30,40,50,50m in 4.22, 5.33, 6.45 secs Freelap
2 x 150m (90%) in 19.4, 19.6 secs HT
2 x 120m (95%, 100%) in 14.70, 14.65 secs Freelap

Dry track, 18 degrees, +1 m/s wind. Great conditions and I felt smooth today. I used the acceleration cue of running downhill and the top speed cue of running on hot coals to good effect, registering a 1.11 second flying 10m. Deja vu in the 120’s, possibly going too hard in the first run and not having enough left for the flat out run.

This has left me more optimistic about running on the 3rd June because that was back to back 100m splits of 12.30 secs, which is 12.50 secs with reaction time, and given I lifted weights 48 hours ago it could be considered the slowest I might be expected to run.

21 May

Concept 2 Exercise Bike – 40 mins (130W down to 115W)

Very hot gym, cut out 5 minutes early as I was pouring with sweat.

Good week of training, I really like doing the same workouts for consecutive weeks as it allows me to easily measure progress.

[Fraser Young]

COMP Prep – Week 1

8 May

Broad Jump – best of 263cm
Standing 5 Bound – best of 12.20m
A Walk, Skip – 2 x 10m
Dribble Calf, Calf Smashers – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor, Dribble Knee – 2 x 30m
Build Up – 60m
High Knee Sprint – 2 x 40m in 4.65 secs Freelap
120,100,80,80m (95%) in 14.88, 12.58, 10.05, 10.24 secs Freelap
2 x 60m in ~7.62 secs Freelap
Core, 2 x 10 exercises 42 secs on / 15 secs off

Dry track, 13 degrees, +4 m/s wind. The wind helped a lot in the jumps, I was expecting to go further. Really disappointed in my 5 bound, which seems to track with my top speed (or lack of). My 95% runs were 1.15 to 1.17 secs per 10m at top speed with a 7.8* first 60 metres, fading slightly on the longer runs to 1.20 secs per 10m. I was so excited to run flat out over 60 metres and was underwhelmed by my 30m time (4.25 secs) and fastest flying 10m (1.11 secs) given such a healthy tailwind.

I was weight training 4 days ago so I appreciate that I’m not fully fresh, but I’m planning to sit down and look over my training times from previous summers to see where I am relative to that. Still trusting the process, just a bit impatient to see faster times.

9 May

Hang Power Clean – 2 x 3 x 60kg, 2 x 65kg, 2 x 70kg, 1 x 77.5kg
A1 Half Squat from pins – 5 x 3 x 125kg
A2 Squat Jumps – 5 x 2
BB Hip Thrust – 3 x 6 x 100kg
KB Swings – 3 x 6 x 20kg
Weighted High Knee – 3 x 8 x 5kg
B1 Single Leg Calf Raise – 3 x 6 x 50kg
B2 Pogo Jumps – 3 x 8
Nordic Eccentrics – 4 x 4
Core, 2 x 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs off

Great workout, plenty of strong points and room to progress. It was sloppy but I caught the 77.5kg hang power clean, happier to try and repeat that with better form. Squatting from the pins was much more explosive, I can probably add 20% to that. Hip thrusts went up easily too. I’ve been ramping up calories and about 3,150 kcal/day is helping me slowly gain weight (I’m only 68kg having been 70kg before Norovirus hit me last winter).

10 May

Exercise Bike – 45 mins (130W down to 115W)

Not too bad today, once I hit June I’m going to drop one of these sessions in favour of tempo runs.

11 May

A Walk, Skip – 2 x 10m
Dribble Calf, Calf Smashers – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor, High Knees – 2 x 30m
Build Up – 60m
2 x 3 x 150m in 19.8,19.4,20.0,20.1,19.3,20.0
—
A1 Step Ups – 4 x 3 x 70kg
A2 Step Up Jumps – 4 x 2 per leg
Hex Bar DL – 4 x 3 x 140kg
BB Hip Thrusts – 3 x 5 x 110kg
Pogo Jumps – 4 x 10
Copenhagen Plank w Dip – 3 x 12
B1 Banded Single Leg HS ISO – 3 x 3 x 7 secs
B2 Single Leg HS Jumps – 3 x 15
Core, 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs off

Good session, went through 100 metres in ~13.1 secs which is 90% pace and an intensity I enjoy running at. The hex bar DL were tough but I don’t want to go back down in weight, hip thrusts were still quite easy despite adding 10kg.

12 May

Res Band Face Pulls – 2 x 12
A1 DB OHP – 3 x 5 x 22.5kg
A2 Weighted Chin Ups – 4 x 4 x 20kg
B1 Incline DB Press – 2 x 6 x 27.5kg
B2 TRX Inverted Row 3 x 8
Farmers Walk – 3 x 20m x 95kg
Core, 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs off

Nice session, not too time consuming and relatively intense.

13 May

Full Race Warm Up
Blocks – 30,30,40,40,50m in 4.26, 5.42, 6.50
2 x 150m (90%) in ~18.8
2 x 120m (95%, 100%) in 14.8, 14.6 (20m fly in 2.26)

Dry track, 20 degrees, +1 m/s wind. Really nice session, loved the variety and the chance to run top speed for a longer distance at the end. I was hoping for a bigger difference between 95% and 100% effort, I can’t blame fatigue as I felt good. This is only the first of four weeks doing this session so I’ve set myself a nice baseline on which to improve.

14 May

Concept 2 Exercise Bike – 45 mins (130W down to 110W)
Very manageable.

A great week of training, I’ve been itching to go flat out more often and there’s a wealth of opportunity to do that here. I checked my old training times and if I can repeat 4.25 to 30m (no RT) and flying runs of 1.09-1.11 then I’d be in a position to run low 12’s following a taper. I’m there with my acceleration but only managing around 1.13 secs for flying runs, though I’m aware that top speed is most affected by weight training. Let’s see what weeks 2-4 hold.

[Fraser Young]

SPP – Week 4

1 May

A Walk, Skip – 2 x 10m
Dribble Calf, Calf Smashers – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor, Dribble Knee – 2 x 30m
Build Up – 60m
High Knee Sprint – 2 x 40m in 4.62
Sled – 3 x 50m x 5kg (flying 40m in 5.05 secs)
Sprints – 3,2 x 60m (90-95%) in ~7.85 secs Freelap
Core, 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs off

Dry track, 26 degrees, no wind. Really enjoyed that, felt fresh and capable in all the reps. A bit hot for me with no breeze but not often it’s this warm in the UK.

Didn’t really notice the reduced volume, hopefully it will be a cumulative improvement over the next training week as I’m still dead on my feet by early evening.

2 May

Hang Power Clean – 3 x 60kg, 2 x 70kg, 1 x 75kg
A1 Half Squats – 3 x 3 x 120kg
A2 Squat Jumps – 3 x 2
BB Hip Thrust – 2 x 6 x 100kg
KB Swings – 2 x 6 x 20kg
Weighted High Knee – 2 x 8 x 5kg
B1 Single Leg Calf Raise – 6 x 40kg, 6 x 50kg
B2 Pogo Jumps – 2 x 8
Nordic Eccentrics – 3 x 4
Core, 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs off

Good session, bumped hang power clean single to 75kg, still limited by grip/wrists. Cut ⅓ volume and felt relatively fresh as I finished.

3 May

Rest

Gave myself the day off zone 2. Did a 7km walk instead.

4 May

A Walk, Skip – 2 x 10m
Dribble Calf, Calf Smashers – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor, High Knees – 2 x 30m
Build Up – 60m
3 x 2 x 120m in 17.1, 16.7, 15.7, 16.3, 16.0, 15.7
—
A1 Step Ups – 3 x 3 x 70kg
A2 Step Up Jumps – 3 x 2 per leg
Hex Bar DL – 3 x 4 x 135kg
BB Reverse Lunges – 2 x 4 x 75kg
Pogo Jumps – 3 x 10
Copenhagen Plank w Dip – 2 x 12
B1 Banded Single Leg HS ISO – 2 x 3 x 7 secs
B2 Single Leg HS Jumps – 2 x 15
Core, 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs off

Strong tailwind today, my times were better but still finding it hard to know what pace to go. I set a cone at 60m and my intermediate splits were 8.1-8.7 which helps me gauge how hard to go in the last 60m. Weights were heavier but fewer sets, legs are starting to feel fresh.

5 May

Res Band Face Pulls – 2 x 12
MB Side Throw – 2 x 5 x 4kg
A1 Seated DB Press – 3 x 8 x 20kg
A2 Weighted Chin Ups – 3 x 5 x 15kg
B1 Incline DB Press – 2 x 8 x 25kg
B2 DB Bent Over Row 2 x 8 x 30kg
Farmers Walk – 2 x 20m x 95kg
Core, 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs off

Good session, feeling better every day!

6 May

A Walk, Skip – 2 x 10m
Dribble Calf, Calf Smashers – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor, High Knees – 2 x 30m
Build Up – 2 x 60m
Falling Runs – 2 x 20m
Accels – 2 x 20m in ~3.12 secs Freelap
Blocks – 3 x 10m
Accels – 20,30,30,20m & 20,30,20m in ~3.17, 4.42 secs Freelap
Speed Jumps – 2 x 30m
Squat Jumps – 2 x 6 x BW
MB Throws – 3 x OHB, 3 x BLF with 4kg ball

Dry track, 11 degrees, +6 m/s wind. I thought I might go a touch quicker given the week of reduced volume and strong tailwind. Happy nonetheless, I really needed this break and my sleep is improving too. Will do yoga tomorrow instead of zone 2 to complete my easy week.

7 May

Yoga – 45 mins

Haven’t done yoga in a few months and it really showed, I’ve definitely regressed in my flexibility.

Great deload week, exactly what my body (and mind) needed and I’m ready to push on for COMP Prep and my first race (3rd June).

[Fraser Young]

SPP – Week 3

24 April

A Walk, Skip – 2 x 10m
Dribble Calf, Calf Smashers – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor, Dribble Knee – 2 x 30m
Build Up – 60m
High Knee Sprint – 2 x 2 x 40m in 4.65
Sled – 4 x 50m x 5kg (flying 40m in 5.05 secs)
Sprints – 2 x 4 x 60m (90-95%) in ~7.90 secs Freelap
Core, 2 x 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs off

Dry track, 14 degrees, +4 m/s wind. I did an Extra Achilles warm up and was pleased with the times despite the assisted wind. I was particularly pleased with the execution of the repeat 60’s as the times were really consistent and spot on at ~92-95% effort.

25 April

Hang Power Clean – 2 x 3 x 60kg, 2 x 65kg, 2 x 67.5kg 1 x 72.5kg
A1 Half Squats – 5 x 3 x 120kg
A2 Squat Jumps – 5 x 2
BB Hip Thrust – 3 x 6 x 100kg
KB Swings – 3 x 6 x 20kg
Weighted High Knee – 3 x 8 x 5kg
B1 Single Leg Calf Raise – 6 x 30kg, 2 x 6 x 40kg
B2 Pogo Jumps – 3 x 8
Nordic Eccentrics – 4 x 4
Core, 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs off

Did this session in the office gym and got caught out on time so I had to skip half of the core. I bumped the weights for power cleans, needing to start making progress there with my grip being the weak point. Also loaded up on the calf raise, slow eccentrics should strengthen my Achilles and protect against injury. Full height pogo jumps but I was aware of my Achilles, still not 100% but it’s going in the right direction.

26 April

Exercise Bike – 40 mins (130W down to 115W)
Core, 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs off

I held a lower starting wattage and it meant I didn’t decline as much across the 40 minutes. I had a good sleep (for once) so this felt easy.

27 April

A Walk, Skip – 2 x 10m
Dribble Calf, Calf Smashers – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor, High Knees – 2 x 30m
Build Up – 60m
3 x 3 x 120m in 15.7, 16.9, 16.1, 16.2, 16.4, 16.0, 15.8, 16.0, 15.2
—
A1 Step Ups – 5 x 3 x 65kg
A2 Step Up Jumps – 5 x 2 per leg
Hex Bar DL – 4 x 4 x 125kg, 9 x 125kg
BB Reverse Lunges – 2 x 4 x 70kg, 1 x 8 x 70kg
Pogo Jumps – 4 x 10
Copenhagen Plank w Dip – 3 x 12
B1 Banded Single Leg HS ISO – 3 x 3 x 7 secs
B2 Single Leg HS Jumps – 3 x 15
Core, 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs off

I had a 2 m/s tailwind that helped a bit but my times were really inconsistent. There was someone in my lane on the 1st rep which always riles me up but beyond that I think I was too scared of running an 18.* so kept too hard a pace (first target reps are 17.2). I went more like 95% at the end to see what would happen and indeed it was 15.2 (my hypothetical 95% pace would be 15.28).

In the gym I felt incredible, to the point where my weights probably weren’t heavy enough. I focused on maximum intent but on the last set of Hex Bar DL and Reverse lunges I went closer to failure to see what my max reps would be. I’ll use those to feed into week 4 and then Pre-Comp if the same exercises feature again. Achilles continues to improve, the only danger now is getting complacent with my mobility routine.

28 April

Res Band Face Pulls – 3 x 12
MB Side Throw – 3 x 5 x 4kg
A1 Seated DB Press – 4 x 8 x 20kg
A2 Weighted Chin Ups – 4 x 5 x 15kg
B1 Incline DB Press – 3 x 8 x 25kg
B2 DB Bent Over Row 3 x 8 x 30kg
Farmers Walk – 3 x 20m x 90kg
Core, 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs off

Increased the reps on the overhead press, otherwise it was challenging enough. Could go up 5kg in the Farmers Walk next week.

29 April

A Walk, Skip – 2 x 10m
Dribble Calf, Calf Smashers – 2 x 20m
SL Scissor, High Knees – 2 x 30m
Build Up – 2 x 60m
Falling Runs – 3 x 20m
Accels – 3 x 20m in ~3.15 secs Freelap
Blocks – 4 x 10m in ~1.95 secs Freelap
Accels – 2 x (20,30,30,30,20m) 95% effort in ~3.20-3.25, 4.35-4.40 secs Freelap
Speed Jumps – 4 x 30m
Squat Jumps – 3 x 6 x BW
MB Throws – 4 x OHB, 4 x BLF with 4kg ball

Dry track, 22 degrees, – 2 m/s wind. Really nice day, times were a little faster than last week. Blocks felt quite flat, not sure if it was my settings. Having to run 95% and not know if I’m really running 92% or 98% is challenging, and timing the runs is only vaguely helpful. I will fully embrace my deload next week as I’m really feeling the volume in this cycle.

30 April

Concept 2 Exercise Bike – 40 mins (130W down to 115W)

Very pleased with this week of training given the potential for it to be disrupted by the Achilles problems. I will do ~60-70% of the volume and maintain the intensity for week 4 which should put me in a good position going into the Comp Prep phase.

First race is scheduled for 3rd June, which is the final Tuesday session of the training block. I will likely scrap weights completely the Sunday before it to allow me to perform well.

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