[Dogstar]

16-MAR-2010

Technical Sprint Session at Birmingham Uni.

Good news is everyone turned up on time today so actually got to do the session as planned. My lower back still abit tight from yesterdays session.

Being coached on sprinting technique so worked today on dorsal/plantar flexion of foot in running stride and placing feet under hips when striking the ground. Also on keeping hips high. Session was

Warmup focussing on technique
10 x 25m sprints @ 80% focussing on technique (slowdown if technique goes)
8 x 25m sprints @100%
Cooldown focussing on technique

All sprints were done from a flying start. I'm still running a bit flat footed and occasionally lift my feet up under my hips rather than reaching forward but overall not too bad for the first of these sessions in a while.

[Dogstar]

17-MAR-2010

Three rounds of

4 x Thrusters @ 47.5kg
10 x Inverted rows
10 x Pressups (either on rings or hands on med balls)
10 x Seated row @ 45kg

Then did

3 x 15 sec standing on one leg with other leg raised in front under tension with a band. This is to mimic the technical sprint work we did yesterday.

[Dogstar]

18-MAR-2010

Interval run on the treadmill. 25 minutes at 6mph 1:30 min at 2 degree incline then 1:30 min at 7 degree incline. Not done any running like this for a while so not the easiest session.

[Gubernatrix]

Interesting work recently

[Dogstar]

Gubes. Has been a bit more varied recently which is great. The work we do tends to go in cycles depending on where we are in the season and the likely state of the pitches - so at the moment as we approach the end of the season we are refocussing on speed work and complementary strength work as the pitches firm up.

There is also a physcological element to the training as we are now being put under more pressure during sessions to not make errors - basically errors mean harder sessions. Thinking behind this is basically to reflect the fact that we are at the end of the season when mistakes in games could cost us promotion (first team is currently second in their league). Most of the guys that I train with are in the first team so this makes sense for them and is an absolute bitch for me playing in a social team but I guess I'm the one deciding to show up for training.

19-MAR-2010

Rest day.

[Dogstar]

20-MAR-2010

Game or rather a game and a bit. Played 20 minutes for the third team then got called up to the second team and played 80 minutes for them. Fitness was good but the speed of the game at second team level is a lot faster than I've become used to. Decision making could have been better and also communication with the other guys on our team. Oh and we lost 30-0.

21-MAR-2010

Rest day. Absolutely knackered but went for a walk in a local country park which was good. Went to sleep for a couple of hours when we got back.

22-MAR-2010

Session as per cycle plan.

Lower Body - Week 3

All supersets

Front squats - 10 @80kg, 8 @90kg, 6 @100kg
Box jumps
Hamstring Curls - 10 @ 10kg, 8 @11.25kg, 6 @12.5kg (with blue band)
Straddle jumps - 3 x 6
Walking lunges - 3 x 10m with 15kg plate
Sandy jumps - 3 x 8
Seated calf raises - 24 @45kg
Straight leg calf rasies - 24 @ 100kg

To finish off

35 Burpee Tuck Jumps

[Dogstar]

23-MAR-2010 to 25-MAR-2010

Felt rubbish on the Monday evening so have taken a few days off. It's been good not to have to get up at 5.30 to get to the sessions. Anyway feel a lot better now. Tried some wrist pushups whilst watching TV last night and found that I can't do them!

I've also found out one of the reasons why I got to play second team last week - Mike Holmes did the sectionals.

26-MAR-2010

Going to referee an under 16 game of rugby league tonight. Should be fun but a bit worried as haven't done any refereeing since before Christmas. Game was cancelled so ended up as a Rest Day.

[Dogstar]

27-MAR-2010

Game. Played for the vets team. We won 29-0. I played 40 minutes. Did OK but I got the half where we played into the wind up the considerable slope.

28-MAR-2010

Rest day

29-MAR-2010

Don't like BST.

300 circuit again.

25 Chins
50 Deadlifts @ 67.5kg
50 Box Jumps
50 Pressups
50 Floorwipes @ 67.5kg
50 DB Clean and Press @ 17.5 kg
25 Chins

Time: 25:59

Last time we did this was 8 February with 62.5kg for the deadlifts and floorwipes and I did 22:35 so not too unhappy given the higher weights this time (everyone was 3-4 minutes slower than the last time we did this). It's also the first time in a few weeks that I've done any chinups.

[Dogstar]

30-MAR-2010

Technical Sprint Session on Birmingham Uni Track

15 min warmup. This is the main technical part of the session with concentration on various movements.

Then

8 x 30m sprints (100% - concentrating on no negative steps at start, i.e exploding of front foot))
5 rounds of shuttle runs: 1x10m, 1x15m, 1 x30m (concentrating on getting low and exploding from the turn)
2 rounds of shuttle runs: 2x10m, 2x15m 2x30m

Finish with 400m chasedown. People start with 10 second gap - slowest first. 5 pushups for everyone that goes passed you. Didn't have to do any pushups

[Dogstar]

31-MAR-2010

Four rounds of

4 x Thrusters @ 52.5kg
10 x Pullups
10 x Plyo Pressups onto medicine ball
10 x DB Clean and press @ 12.5kg

Fairly relaxed this morning. Coach just let us get on and do the work rather than putting loads of pressure on us. Struggling a bit with the press part of the thrusters - overhead lifting is something I'm not very good at.

[Dogstar]

1-APR-2010

Another relatively easy morning.

10 min row at just over 2:00/500mtr = 2487m.

then

100 Burpees (in sets of 10 with plenty of rest between sets)

[Dogstar]

2-APR-2010

Not playing tomorrow so went to an allday yoga class. Five hours of yoga so am absolutely knackered but feeling remarkably good.

[Dogstar]

3 to 5 APR-2010

Went down to Sussex to see my family and some friends. Great weekend away but ate much too muc and drank more than usual (top tipple Harveys Old Ale). Went to the Royal pavillion in Brighton, which I'd never been too despite growing up 10 miles down the road. Finished off with an Easter Egg hunt in some beautiful woods; found two eggs which are still wrapped up.

6-APR-2010

Back to the track at Birmingham Uni. Todays session was a speed endurance session and went something like this:

Warmup
10 x 200 metres (at about 90% each time), with 200mtr jog/walk recovery.
Penalty set of 1-2-3-4-5-6 Burpees with 20m shuttle run.
Cooldown

Did OK with the running until the ninth and tenth runs when my knee decided to complain about the running track. I used to run 200m when I was younger so this suited me.

[Dogstar]

7-APR-2010

Five rounds of:

6 x Thrusters @ 55kg
10 x Chinups
10 x Plyo Pressups onto medicine ball
10 x DB Clean & press @ 15kg

Finished with two penalty sets of 10 x burpee tuck jumps.

Horrible horrible session. First three rounds were OK but really struggled with the thrusters in rounds four and five. The penalty sets were awful I think my feet were coming about two inches off the ground for the tuck jumps.

[Dogstar]

8-APR-2010

Relatively relaxed this morning. Did a 'hypoxia' session. This basically involves doing a forty minute session on the exercise bikes at a reasonably easy level. You do a minute normally and then a minute with your mouth full of water. The idea is to be out of breath at the end of the minute with the water in your mouth. The theory behind this is that the oxygen debt encourages the production of haemoglobin - not sure about this myself but hey ho.

Finished with 3 x 1 minute plank.

[Dogstar]

9-APR-2010

Rest day

10-APR-2010

Last game of the season. Vets team against third team. Vets team, which I was playing for won (not sure of score). Great afternoon - this is more of a social event than a serious game although a few of the guys decided to have a bit of a punchup fifteen minutes into the game.

11-APR-2010

Rest day. Took the under 10/11's for training in the morning. Went for a walk in the afternoon.

12-APR-2010

Leg Session - Week 6

Week 6 is the last week of the training cycle before deload week next week. Expect agony this week. Session was

Front squat - 10@100kg, 8@110kg, 6@130kg
Box jumps - 3 sets of 2x5 jumps
Hamstring curls - 10@20kg, 8@21.25kg, 6@22.5kg
Straddle jumps - 3 x 6

then 3 sets of the following all with 15kg dumbells

8 x sandy jumps
walking lunges
8 x sandy jumps

Seated calf raises - 24@60kg
Straight leg calf raises - 24@170kg

Finished with penalty sets of

10 x squat thrust, burpee, tuck jumps
10 x squat thrusts
10 x burpees
10 x squat thrusts
10 x burpee tuck jumps

Legs totally wrecked. The sandy jumps and lunges just about finished my quads off so doing the burpees at the end was a real struggle.

Evening. Did lots of foam rolling and stretching of my legs followed by contrast bath.

[Dogstar]

13-APR-2010

Track session.

Warm-up

10 x 30m sprints at 100% - walk back recovery
10 x 30m sprints at 80% - jog back recovery

Penalty sets
2 x 10 Squat jumps

Cooldown

[Dogstar]

14-APR-2010

Rest day. Had job interview first thing in the morning so missed training.

15-APR-2010

This mornings session.

Starting every two minutes do the following number of burpees: 20, 20, 25, 25, 30, 35, 35, 40

Failed to complete in the time allowed on the first set of 35 but grinded out the rest of the reps.

Then penalty sets:

40 x Pressups
10 x Burpee Tuck Jumps
40 x Pressups
20 x Burpee Pressups

As someone I train with said a few weeks ago - BURPINHELL.

[Chi]

Dogstar, on 15 April 2010 - 09:19 AM, said:

Starting every two minutes do the following number of burpees: 20, 20, 25, 25, 30, 35, 35, 40

Failed to complete in the time allowed on the first set of 35 but grinded out the rest of the reps.

OH.MY.GOD.

[Dogstar]

Chi, on 15 April 2010 - 10:39 AM, said:

OH.MY.GOD.

I couldn't have put it better myself.

16-APR-2010

Rest day - thankfully. Legs are in bits after yesterday. Oh and I've got a game tomorrow. Hopefully be recovered.