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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 offDry 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 offGood 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 offStrong 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 offGood 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 ballDry 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).
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 offDry 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 offDid 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 offI 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 offI 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 offIncreased 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 ballDry 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.
SPP – Week 2
17 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 4.75
Sled – 4 x 50m x 5kg (flying 40m in 5.10 secs)
Sprints – 2 x 4 x 60m (90-95%) in ~7.95 secs Freelap
Core, 2 x 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs offDry track, 14 degrees, -4 m/s wind. Difficult session, my right Achilles was bothering me almost immediately. Mainly a dull ache and it needed a bit of a longer warm up before I was happy sprinting on it. The times were all a bit slow but close enough that I felt the session was worthwhile. If I can navigate the weights session tomorrow then I’m away over Easter break and won’t have access to a track so will allow me to rest it.
18 April
Hang Power Clean – 2 x 3 x 60kg, 2 x 2 x 65kg, 1 x 70kg
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 – 3 x 6 x 15kg
B2 Pogo Jumps – 3 x 8
Nordic Eccentrics – 4 x 4
Core, 2 x 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs offI was a little reserved in the pogo jumps given my Achilles but otherwise a solid session.
19 April
Rest
I’m away for the weekend and had no opportunity for cardio.
20 April
A1 Step Ups – 5 x 3 x 65kg
A2 Step Up Jumps – 5 x 2 per leg
Hex Bar DL – 5 x 4 x 125kg
BB Reverse Lunges – 3 x 4 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 offI was in a public gym and wasn’t able to get to a track for the fast tempo runs. Good session, obviously fresher having not done the track session.
21 April
Res Band Face Pulls – 3 x 12
MB Side Throw – 3 x 5 x 4kg
A1 Seated DB Press – 4 x 6 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 offRelatively easy workout, which I don’t mind given how demanding the rest of my week is. Farmers walk is the most challenging and I already notice the difference in my grip.
22 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 ~3.20 secs Freelap
Blocks – 4 x 10m in ~1.95 secs Freelap
Accels – 2 x (20,30,30,30,20m) 95% effort in ~3.25-3.30, 4.45 secs Freelap
Speed Jumps – 4 x 30m
Squat Jumps – 3 x 6 x BW
MB Throws – 4 x OHB, 4 x BLF with 4kg ballDry track, 14 degrees, – 4 m/s wind. Felt great, times were poor though. I did have a weekend of overindulging and missing track on Sunday but legs felt quite fresh. One positive is that my Achilles felt better and didn’t bother me much during the session.
23 April
Concept 2 Exercise Bike – 40 mins (150W down to 100W)
I tried holding a higher starting power and within a few minutes I burned out and ended up needing to go to really low power to finish in zone 2.
A disrupted week of training and minor Achilles problems which has reminded me to stay on top of my prehab. Still confident that I’m on the right track with this program and maybe another 7-10 days before I’m back to my best.
SPP – Week 1
10 April
Broad Jump, 4 – best of 260m
Standing 5 bound, 2 per leg – best of 12.50m
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 ~7.9 secs Freelap
Core, 2 x 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs offDry track, 12 degrees, +4 m/s wind. Nice session, I felt good in the broad jump but not so much in the bounds, having tweaked my shoulder the other day. Almost half a second quicker in the sled runs now that I’ve dropped from 10kg to 5kg, still keen to know exactly how much resistance a “light” sled should provide. I preferred the repeat 60’s, very similar to what my coach used to try and achieve, but his approach was flat out to 25m then maintain, whereas this is 90-95% throughout. I was really consistent, most runs were within a tenth of a second of each other.
Subtle tweak to the core work, same exercises but more intense. Despite seeming insignificant, 42/18 instead of 40/20 means 5% more work and 10% less rest.
11 April
Hang Power Clean – 2 x 3 x 60kg, 2 x 2 x 65kg, 1 x 70kg
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 8 x 20kg
B1 Single Leg Calf Raise – 3 x 6 x 15kg
B2 Pogo Jumps – 3 x 8
Nordic Eccentrics – 4 x 4
Core, 2 x 10 exercises 42 secs on / 18 secs offGood session, nice to go up in weight and down in reps as we move into SPP. I had to do this at 8am so I wasn’t my strongest, squats were a struggle but the hip thrust was smooth. Also have a nagging shoulder/neck strain that meant the squat jumps and the pogo jumps felt hindered.
12 April
Exercise Bike – 40 mins (125W down to 110W)
I had no enthusiasm today so I did the least possible.
13 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 17.2, 17.3, 17.1, 16.3, 16.1, 16.5, 15.9, 16.3, 16.0
—
A1 Step Ups – 5 x 3 x 65kg
A2 Step Up Jumps – 5 x 2 per leg
Hex Bar DL – 5 x 4 x 125kg
BB Reverse Lunges – 3 x 4 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 offGreat session, though I struggled a bit with pacing for the 120’s. It was into a headwind and my target times were roughly 17.3, 16.5 and 15.7, so as you can see the second set was a bit fast and the final set a bit slow. I also wasn’t sure about the rest and probably sold myself short so I’ll add 30 secs next week.
Weights were great, everything was a bit heavier and more of a challenge. This session was 3 hours from start to finish so it was quite a tiring day and I was snacking in the gym to keep myself going.
14 April
Res Band Face Pulls – 3 x 12
MB Side Throw – 3 x 5 x 4kg
A1 Seated DB Press – 4 x 6 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 offNice new session, MB throws were a bit awkward so might change that to a hip toss. Nice to do Farmers Walk, always keen to try a new exercise.
15 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 ~1.90 secs Freelap
Accels – 2 x (20,30,20,30,20m) 95% effort in ~3.22, 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 ballDamp track, 12 degrees, – 4 m/s wind. Possibly fatigued as my accels were 0.1 secs longer to 20 metres by the end of the session. Headwind definitely didn’t help but otherwise I felt good. My right Achilles felt tired in the last two reps of the speed jumps and during the squat jumps.
16 April
Concept 2 Exercise Bike – 40 mins (140W down to 110W)
Tedious.
Nice to get into SPP but my body is a little beat up from unrelated activities like carrying a heavy bag on one shoulder earlier this week. I feel like I can adapt, up the calories, improve the recovery protocols, and start seeing improvements in weeks 3 and 4.
GPP – Week 4
3 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 4.70
Sled – 4 x 50m x 10kg (flying 40m in 5.50 secs)
Sprints – 4 x 80m (90%) in ~10.45 Freelap
Hang Power Clean – 3 x 3 x 60kg, 1 x 65kg, 1 x 70kg, 1 x 75kg, 0 x 80kg
A1 Half Squats – 3 x 3 x 105kg, 10 x 105kg
A2 Squat Jumps – 4 x 2
BB Hip Thrust – 3 x 8 x 90kg, 10 x 95kg
KB Swings – 3 x 8 x 20kg
B1 Single Leg Calf Raise – 3 x 6 x 15kg
B2 Pogo Jumps – 3 x 8
Nordic Eccentrics – 3 x 4Dry track, 14 degrees, cross-wind. A bumper session with no time to train tomorrow. I warmed up a little more before the high knee sprints which helped, last week my hip flexors felt a little strained. In the gym I tried to figure out my 1RM for some of the exercises, power clean was pretty much spot on with my guess (75kg), similar to hip thrust (~126kg) but half squats were an underestimate (125kg vs 140kg).
Tired and hungry now, I will do the 20 mins of core at some point tomorrow.
4 April
Core – 10, 5 exercises 40 secs on / 20 secs off
I tried to do the whole 20 minutes in the morning but forgot the need for certain equipment so cut it short.
5 April
Treadmill Walk – 40 mins, 10 degree incline, 4 to 3.1 kph(?)
I’m not sure whether the treadmill was kph or mph. A nice alternative for Zone 2, being able to set the incline and speed then not think about it until my heart rate climbs too high. I’ve had a busy few days and haven’t been able to keep with my usual routine.
6 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 2 x 150m in 21.8, 21.7, 20.7, 20.8, 19.1, 19.9
—
A1 Step Ups – 3 x 3 x 60kg
A2 Step Up Jumps – 3 x 2 per leg
Hex Bar DL – 3 x 4 x 115kg
BB Reverse Lunges – 2 x 6 x 60kg
Pogo Jumps – 3 x 10Woke up feeling a bit queasy so I only ate a banana and did the first half of the session at 9am. The second to last run I got riled up because someone walked in my lane and had headphones on so didn’t hear me shout “track”.
I took a few hours off, ate some proper meals, and tried weights at 3pm. By that point I was knackered and not in the mood, I had already decided to do a slight deload but I skipped the accessory lifts and did one less set on the main ones.
I feel pleased that I could complete something today, when I was lying awake at 2am with a stomach ache I thought it would ruin my day but I played it safe and still got stuff done.
Week 4 is an optional deload so I will likely modify the acceleration session so I can attack SPP with more energy.
7 April
Face Pulls – 2 x 12
Trap Bar Shrugs – 2 x 10 x 70kg
A1 Push Press – 3 x 3 x 60kg
A2 Pull ups – 3 x 5 x 10kg
B1 Incline DB Bench Press – 2 x 8 x 25kg
B2 BB Row – 2 x 8 x 62.5kg
Core, 10 exercises 40 secs on / 20 secs offI cut a set from each of these to fully embrace my deload week. I asked Chat GPT to generate this workout for me so I’ll do the same for the next four week cycle.
8 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 ~3.10 secs Freelap
Accels – 2 x (20,30,20,30,20m) 95% effort in ~3.15, 4.30 secs Freelap
Squat Jumps – 3 x 6 x BW
MB Throws – 4 x OHB, 4 x BLF with 4kg ballDry track, 14 degrees, +4 m/s wind. My stomach is still a bit off and the tailwind helped mask my sluggishness. The only omission for the deload week was the speed jumps, which I wasn’t really getting the hang of. Poor sleep in recent days so I’m pleased to get through this one.
9 April
Concept 2 Exercise Bike – 40 mins (140W down to 110W)
Overall a very disrupted week, both with extra commitments in my schedule and a few days with a dodgy stomach. I’m still not 100% but hopefully SPP can be a fresh start and I can push on to faster times.