Fraser Young

[Fraser Young]

Phase 2 – Week 1

16 November

Broad Jump, 4 – best of 250cm
90/90 Hip Lift – 5 reps
Dynamic Warm Up 2
Shin Angle Flow – 8 reps
Mirror Reaction – 3 x 15 secs
A Walk, March, Skip, Switch, Triple – 2 x 10m each
Skips for Distance – 2 x 20m
Waist Harness March – 2 x 10m x 45kg
Waist Harness Accel Bound – 2 x 10m x 30kg
Waist Harness March/Bound/Run – 2 x 12m x 30kg
Posture Hold – 2 x 10 secs
Banded Load and Lift – 2 x 5
Banded Load & Lift w Switch – 2 x 5
Banded Load & Lift w Triple Switch – 2 x 5
4 Step Accel – 4 reps
Heavy Sled Sprint – 4 x 5m x 45kg
Arm Swipes – 5 reps
Non-CM Contrast Jumps – 3 x 3
Banded Straight Leg Pull Through – 3 x 8
Oscillating RLESS – 3 x 25 secs x 5kg

That was tougher! Almost 2 hours long and a huge amount of focus on the first 5 metres. I really liked the banded load & lift as well as the chance to do accels, even if it’s only 5 metres. I tested my broad jump having completed phase 1 and was surprised it was a little down. I’ve learned how to load the hip and I was using that for the jumps but no improvement on recent attempts. This is only a 2 week phase and then it will all change again.

17 November

Med Ball Chest Pass – 3 x 8
Med Ball Slams – 3 x 8
A1 Bench Press – 4 x 4 x 90kg
A2 Clap Push ups – 4 x 5
Pendlay Rows – 3 x 8 x 80kg
B1 Pull ups – 3 x 6 x 10kg
B2 DB OHP – 3 x 6 x 22.5kg

Fairly difficult as I moved up weight or reps in a few exercises, once a week is really maintenance and quite hard to make strength gains.

18 November

90/90 Hip Lift – 5 reps
A1 Cat Camel Breathing – 2 x 4
A2 Wall Side T-Spine Opener – 2 x 4
B1 Walking Chop Level 2 – 3 x 5
B2 Side Plank – 3 x 40 secs
C1 Squat to Stand – 3 x 4
C2 Cross Touch Extension – 3 x 6

This was a breeze, just over 20 minutes. I even doubled the suggested hold for side planks as I don’t want to get complacent in exercises where I can clearly do more.

19 November

90/90 Hip Lift – 5 reps
Dynamic Warm Up 2
Barefoot Freestyle – 4 mins
Hip Flip Series – 2 x 20m
A Walk, Skip, Switch, Triple – 2 x 10m each
ACK, Bleed, SL Bound to High Knee Dribble – 2 x 20m each
3 Position ISO Holds – 3 reps
Wickets – 6 x 20m in 2.40 secs
40 yd Technical Build Up – 3 x 40m, last 10m in 1.11 secs
Box Drop Progressions – 3 x 4
Hip Extension Pulses – 3 x 15 secs
SL Box Step Down – 3 x 8 x 8kg
Nordic Eccentrics – 3 x 4
Kickstand Soleus Raise – 3 x 20 x 8kg

Wet track, 2 degrees, +3 m/s wind. So nice to be back on an athletics track. I thought I’d be colder but thermal long lycra and tracksuit bottoms kept me warm enough. Really pleased with the wicket drills considering the spacing was probably wrong. I was too conservative and ended up being very choppy in my first 4 strides. Slow build up in the technical 40’s, I went out to 40 metres because it’s only 1-2 strides further and gives me a flying 10m time. Soleus raise gave me an absolute burn in my lower leg and foot, unreal. This took almost 2.5 hours as I had to drive to the track and back.

Thursday’s session is in doubt as it’s forecast to snow, if the ground isn’t frozen I may have better luck on grass in rugby boots.

20 November

90/90 Hip Lift – 5 reps
A1 Cat Camel Breathing – 2 x 4
A2 Wall Side T-Spine Opener – 2 x 4
B1 Walking Chop Level 2 – 3 x 5
B2 Side Plank – 3 x 40 secs
C1 Squat to Stand – 3 x 4
C2 Cross Touch Extension – 3 x 6

21 November

90/90 Hip Lift – 5 reps
Dynamic Warm Up 2
Band SL Raise – 10 reps
Front/Back Fascia Line Flow (RDL Swings) – 10 x 1.25kg
Hip Bridge Reach Across – 10 reps
Spiral Elasticity – 10 x 1.25kg
Lateral Line – 10 reps
Barefoot Freestyle – 4 mins
AI Walks – 2 x 10 reps
Nervous System Blaster – 3 x 15 secs
1-2 Push Out Accel/Repeat – 3 x 2 reps
Tennis Ball Shoulder Drop COD – 2 x 4 reps
Hip Flip Tennis Ball COD – 2 x 4 reps
Angled Bounds – 4 x 1 set
Band Rapid Lateral Level 1 – 3 x 8
A1 Poliquin Step Up – 3 x 12
A2 Nordic Eccentrics – 3 x 5

I enjoyed that, not often I do anything agility or change of direction focused. As long as I don’t get injured it feels like it will somehow benefit my straight line speed and make me more well-rounded.

22 November

Exercise Bike – 35 mins (level 6, 105-110 Watts)

90/90 Hip Lift – 5 reps
A1 Cat Camel Breathing – 2 x 4
A2 Wall Side T-Spine Opener – 2 x 4
B1 Walking Chop Level 2 – 3 x 5
B2 Side Plank – 3 x 40 secs
C1 Squat to Stand – 3 x 4
C2 Cross Touch Extension – 3 x 6

I was noticeably struggling this morning and had to dial back the wattage on the bike to keep my heart rate in range. Core was easy and felt like a bit of a chore as it was freezing in my garage.

There was an obvious step up in intensity this week but at the same time a clear focus on foundational work for what’s ahead. I quite like the slow build, I’ve been working solidly for a while now and this is almost like one big deload.

[Fraser Young]

Phase 1 – Week 2

10 November

90/90 Hip Lift – 5 reps
Dynamic Warm Up 2
Shin Angle Flow – 2 x 5
Hip Internal Rotation – 3 x 20
3D Band First Step – 3 x 6
Decel Progressions – 3 x 10
Lateral Accel/Decel Progressions – 3 x 10
A Drills (Walk, March, Skip, Switch, Triple) – 2 x 10m each
Shoulder Harness March – 2 x 10m x 40kg sled
Shoulder Harness Accel Bound – 2 x 10m x 25kg sled
Posture Hold – 2 x 10 secs
Load and Lift – 2 x 5
Switches – 2 x 5
Extensive Jumps (Knee dominant) 3 x 18
Extensive Jumps (Ankle dominant) 3 x 60 secs
A1 Glute Isometric – 4 x 10 secs
A2 RLESS ISO – 4 x 10kg x 30 secs
B1 Copenhagen Plank – 2 x 20 secs
B2 Post Chain Plank – 2 x 25 secs

A shame that it’s only 2 weeks because it takes me that long to get used to the exercises. I really liked this session, I was feeling the burn in all the right places. RLESS ISO was a real burn, I thought I had 8kg last time but it was only 5kg, and it was 20 secs vs. 30 secs, so fair to say I suffered for my choices. I was probably too conservative on the harness march, 40kg plus 5kg for the sled is only ~65% of body-weight and I believe this should be “heavy”, which is classified as 80%, meaning 55kg. I will try 50kg in the next session.

11 November

90/90 Hip Lift – 5 reps
A1 Bird Dogs – 3 x 10
A2 Foot Stability Lateral Line Stretch – 3 x 5
B1 Walking Chops Level 1 – 3 x 8
B2 Sprinter Hip Stretch – 3 x 5
C1 1 Leg Hip Loaded RDL – 3 x 7
C2 OH Deep Squat Progressions – 3 x 5
Band Knee to Knee Rotation – 3 x 8

A slight increase in reps, demanding but manageable. I feel strong.

12 November

90/90 Hip Lift – 5 reps
Dynamic Warm Up 2
Band Straight Leg Raise – 10 reps
Front/Back Fascia Line Flow – 10 x 1.25kg per hand
Hip Bridge Reach Across – 10 reps
Spiral Elasticity – 10 x 1.25kg per hand
Lateral Line – 10 reps
Barefoot Fascia Spring – 3 mins
Split Groove Set – 2 x 15 secs
Hip Flip Series – 2 x 20m
Dribble Ankle, Calf, Knee, Dribble Bleed – 2 x 15m each
Straight Leg Bound to High Knee Dribble – 2 x 15m
3 Position ISO Holds – 3 reps
Double Lateral Extensive Hops – 2 x 30 secs
Hip Bridge Progressions – 3 x 8
A1 Hamstring Walkouts – 3 x 4
A2 Poliquin Step Up – 3 x 8 x 8kg

I wasn’t that motivated going into this but it went well. Eager to do something a little more demanding in phase 2.

13 November

90/90 Hip Lift – 5 reps
Anti Ankle Collapse Step Overs – 3 x 8
Anti Rotation ABC’s – 3 sets
Stir the Pot – 3 x 30 secs
Around the World Cross Drives – 3 x 5 x 5kg
Prone Pull Through – 3 x 5 x 5kg
Spiral Elasticity – 3 x 8 x 1.25kg

Yoga – 45 mins

A mixture of core and balance work, rushed to get it done at 6am before work.

14 November

90/90 Hip Lift – 5 reps
Dynamic Warm Up 2
Shin Angle Flow – 2 x 5
Hip Internal Rotation Series – 3 x 20
3D Band First Step – 3 x 6
Decel Progressions – 3 x 10
Lateral Accel/Decel Progressions – 3 x 10
A Walk, March, Skip, Switch, Triple – 2 x 10m each
Shoulder Harness March – 10m x 50kg, 10m x 45kg sled
Shoulder Harness Accel Bound – 2 x 10m x 30kg sled
Posture Hold – 2 x 10 secs
Load and Lift – 2 x 5
Switches – 2 x 5
Extensive Jumps (Knee Dominant) – 3 x 18
Extensive Jumps 4 Way (Ankle Dominant) – 3 x 60 secs
A1 Glute Isometric – 3 x 10 secs
A2 RLESS ISO – 3 x 5kg x 30 secs
B1 Copenhagen Plank – 2 x 20 secs
B2 Post Chain Plank – 2 x 25 secs

Good session, 50kg on the sled was a step too far and I could hear my harness ripping slightly. Everything else was solid.

15 November

Exercise Bike – 35 mins (level 6, 110-115 Watts)

90/90 Hip Lift – 5 reps
A1 Bird Dogs – 3 x 10
A2 Foot Stability Lateral Line Stretch – 3 x 5
B1 Walking Chops Level 1 – 3 x 8
B2 Sprinter Hip Stretch – 3 x 5
C1 1 Leg Hip Loaded RDL – 3 x 7
C2 OH Deep Squat Progressions – 3 x 5
Band Knee to Knee Rotation – 3 x 8

This session wasn’t too demanding, ready for phase 2!

I feel like I’ve been operating at 50% effort for the last 2 weeks, with very few exercises being genuinely difficult. I’m excited about ramping up the intensity for Phase 2, which is called “Freak Athlete”.

[Fraser Young]

WEEK 6 + 3

28 October

Exercise Bike – 35 mins (level 6, 115-120 Watts)
— 5 hour gap —
MB Chest Pass – 2 x 8 x 5kg
MB Slams – 2 x 8 x 5kg
A1 Bench Press – 3 x 6 x 87.5kg
A2 Clap Push ups – 3 x 6
Pendlay Row – 2 x 7 x 80kg
B1 Pull ups – 3 x 6 x 10kg
B2 DB OHP – 2 x 9 x 20kg
C1 Hanging Leg Raise – 2 x 6
C2 Russian Twist – 2 x 30 x 5kg
C3 Ab Wheel – 2 x 50 secs
Mobility (4 exercises)

I took a set off each exercise as I’m winding down now.

29 October

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 in 17.5 secs
Mobility (4 exercises)

Another very relaxed tempo session, volume coming right down to 1km and stretching between runs.

30 October

Broad Jump, 4 – best of 262cm
Pogo Jumps – 2 x 20 secs
Standing 5 Bound, 2 per leg – 12.55m, 12.65m, 12.70m, 12.85m
Accels – 2 x 10m in 1.86, 1.85 secs
Accels – 2 x 30m in 4.21, 4.15 secs (Freelap, not including reaction time)
Accels – 4 x 40m in 5.31, 5.23, 5.29, 5.28 secs
Mobility (4 exercises)

Dry track, 13 degrees, +1 m/s wind. I had a great sleep and was really looking forward to this session. Would have liked to extend my bests in the jumps and bounds but not to be. Accels were strong, the wind was helping slightly so I can’t claim that to be a new best but it’s reassuring to back up my times from Sunday.

I’m away for the rest of the week before starting a new program on Sunday.

[Fraser Young]

WEEK 6 + 2

21 October

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, 15.7, 15.4 secs
Mobility (5 exercises)

This is usually a morning session but I did it over lunch time which may explain the faster times.

22 October
Exercise Bike – 35 mins (level 6, 105-115 Watts)
— 5 hour gap —
MB Chest Pass – 3 x 8 x 5kg
MB Slams – 3 x 8 x 5kg
A1 Bench Press – 4 x 6 x 87.5kg
A2 Clap Push ups – 3 x 6
Pendlay Row – 3 x 7 x 80kg
B1 Pull ups – 4 x 6 x 10kg
B2 DB OHP – 3 x 9 x 20kg
C1 Hanging Leg Raise – 3 x 6
C2 Russian Twist – 3 x 30 x 5kg
C3 Ab Wheel – 3 x 50 secs
Mobility (5 exercises)

Picked up where I left off in terms of upper body, probably Pendlay rows, pull ups and DB OHP that could go up a rep. I do my Zone 2 cardio first thing in the morning and I really like it. My bum falls asleep around the 30 minute mark but with Netflix available I can pass the time easily.

23 October

Yoga – 45 mins
Mobility (4 exercises)

24 October

Broad Jump, 4 – best of 255cm
Standing 5 Bound, 2 per leg – 12.25m, 12.35m, 12.45m, 12.50m
Accels – 2 x 10m in 1.98, 1.82 secs
Accels – 2 x 20m in 3.15, 3.19 secs (Freelap, not including reaction time)
Accels – 2 x 30m (tailwind) in ?.??, 4.11 secs
Accels – 4 x 40m in 5.25 (tailwind), 5.40, 5.42, 5.40 secs
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)

Damp track, 14 degrees, -3 m/s wind. I was thankful to not have cold or rain to deal with but still a damp track and a headwind to contend with. I got really annoyed in the broad jumps, a personal best is right there if I had a dry track. The wind hampered me in the 5 bound, I did try one attempt with the wind behind me and I managed 12.90m which shows the difference it was making. I did the same in the accelerations, doing 2 x 30m and 1 x 40m with a +3 m/s wind. I forgot to press “start” on my app so didn’t get a time for the first 30m, which wound me up as I absolutely nailed it.

I went through 30m in 4.24/4.25 for all of the 40m runs into the wind, which is 0.03 off my best. Overall I was pleased, I don’t think I’m going to see incredible times but I think I can set personal bests in all three (broad jump, 5 bound, 30m run) if conditions are right.

25 October

Mobility (5 exercises)

I had to go to the office and couldn’t fit in the exercise bike work.

26 October

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 in 17.9 secs with stretching between reps
Mobility (6 exercises)

A very relaxed session, deliberately slow as I wind down for my last few sprint sessions. I can’t see me peaking tomorrow, in which case I’ll immediately dial back the volume to give me a chance to perform well on Thursday.

27 October

Pogo Jumps – 2 x 20 secs
Broad Jumps, 5 – best of 262cm (PB)
Standing 5 Bound, 2 per leg – 12.75m (PB), 12.60m, 13.00m (PB), 12.90m
2 x 10m in 1.95, 1.92 secs
2 x 30m in 4.20, 4.18 (=PB) secs
2 x 40m in 5.27, 5.23 (PB) secs

Dry track, 15 degrees, no wind. Perfect conditions, my quads had a little bit of soreness from Thursday but otherwise I felt good. I was frustrated by the broad jumps until I caught a good one and extended my PB by a whole 1 cm. My third standing 5 bound was when it really sunk in that it was going to be a good day for times. I am relieved more than anything that I’m seeing results from this program after hyping it up so much in my head. My top 30m times over summer were 4.18-4.22 and 40m 5.30-5.35. I was clocking 5.32 to 40 metres in my 30m runs (I set all the cones up for the longest distance) despite shutting off once I hit 30m. If I call it 5.25 secs then I’ve taken 6 or 7 hundredths off my best 40m time which I’m thrilled with.

I stopped at two reps because a large part of me believes I can produce even faster times in 3-4 days time with a further taper. Previous tapers for important competitions have taught me that I can sometimes surprise myself with how long I need to reduce the volume in order to see peak performance.

[Fraser Young]

WEEK 6 + 1

14 October

Exercise Bike – 30 mins (level 6, 105-115 Watts)
Mobility (5 exercises)

Plan A was to do tempo but the driving rain put me off so I thought I’d try my new Polar Strap with Zone 2 cardio. I found my heart rate to be surprisingly stable around 115 bpm throughout and my Wattage remained constant. I did not warm up, the saddle was uncomfortable and I was quite bored, so in future I’ll plan this better.

15 October

Digging – 4 hours
Mobility (4 exercises)

A bit of manual labour instead of my upper body session.

16 October

Yoga – 45 mins
Mobility (4 exercises)

17 October

Broad Jump, 4 – best of 257cm
Standing 5 Bound, 2 per leg – 12.25m, 12.45m, 12.55m, 12.35m
Accels – 3 x 10m in 1.92, 1.97, 1.86 secs
Accels – 5 x 20m in 3.12, 3.18, 3.15, 3.20, 3.17 (Freelap, not including reaction time)
A1 Single Leg Standing Calf Raise ISO – 3 x 35 secs
A2 Single Leg Bent Knee Calf Raise ISO – 3 x 35 secs
Mobility (5 exercises)

Wet track, 15 degrees, no wind. It was a little frustrating to deal with a wet track, I feel like the grip in trainers means my jumps and bounds could have been further, with PBs of 261cm and 12.65m I felt both were under threat on a dry day.

I have no real reference for 10m runs but I was running 3.12-3.15 in winter training last year and 3.10-3.12 in the indoor competition period, with a best of ~3.08 secs. I felt good but not great and I’m confident there is more in my legs, just how much more remains to be seen.

This session has left me relatively optimistic going into the next 10 days, I would like to see 275cm+ for broad jump and a 30m time of 4.17-4.20.

18 October

Exercise Bike – 35 mins (level 6, 105-115 Watts)
Mobility (5 exercises)

More zone 2 training. Earlier in the week I did 30 minutes of cycling but needed some time to get into zone 2. This time I gave myself 35 minutes, which ended up being almost 32 minutes within zone 2 itself. I was able to put on Netflix and not think about the exercise which made time go so much faster.

19 October

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 80.3 secs
A1 Dips – 3 x 16
A2 Res. Band Face Pulls – 3 x 14
B1 DB Curls – 3 x 8 x 17.5kg
B2 Res. Band Rotator Cuff – 2 x 2 x 15
Scap Push ups – 3 x 10
Mobility (6 exercises)

Heavy rain but warm enough that it was refreshing. I felt great in the warm up but it didn’t translate to the 400’s and I struggled.

20 October

Broad Jumps, 5 – best of 248cm
Pogo Jumps – 3 x 20 secs
Standing 5 Bound, 2 per leg – 12.25m, 11.95m, 12.10m, 12.15m (-4 m/s wind)
Accels – 2 x 10m in 1.99, 2.04 secs
Accels – 3 x 20m in 3.21, 3.26, 3.36 secs
Accels – 3 x 30m in 4.50, 4.48, 4.50 (Freelap, not including reaction time)
Mobility (5 exercises)

Wet track, 13 degrees, -4 m/s wind. I felt pretty flat in the broad jumps but springy for the bounds and accels. The problem was the conditions, light rain but strong headwinds, gusting up to -8 m/s which completely throws off the times and distances. I was soaked through and getting to the point where I might pull a muscle in my wet lycra so I stopped the session early. I was running ~4.35 secs to 30m on Thursday despite shutting down at 20m, which gives you an idea how big a role the conditions can play.

Very pleased to run some 30’s and not injure myself, let’s hope for better conditions next Thursday.

[Author]

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