Return of the King

BossArky

Monday January 21st:

Some bits and pieces at home.

One Arm Row(dumbell)
14kg per arm - 3 sets of 8 reps

Upright Row (dumbell)
6kg x20

BossArky

Tingle wrote: »

I would mix up the interval training and maybe only do it once a week as a starter. You still need to get your long runs in too and the body needs to recover from the previous interval session of only two days previous especially since its on a treadmill. The same theory of weighlifters doing split program or not could be applied, when running it helps to work different energy systems on alternate days, a hard-easy-hard-easy approach or even aerobic-anerobic etc etc.

But you're hitting 50mins 10k pace already on a treadmill in an interval session in the dead of winter so I'd say it will be PB-ville come summer.

My right ankle was a bit tender from the last 10k, so I have been avoiding long runs in my recent sessions to ensure full recovery.
I am going to take another week or two of building up before running 10k again.

Thanks for the advice. I'm finally getting my cardio (run & swim) programs sorted out which is also more fun that I imagined! It also feels good to know that there are at least 4 months between now and the first races to get in decent shape through the correct appoarch to training, something I didn't do previously with my cardio.

BossArky

Tuesday January 22nd:

Swim 1km

100m warm up (50m crawl, 50m breast stroke)
750m long swim ... all front crawl, not sure how long this took. Pool side clock was broken.
100m cool down (50m crawl, 50m breast stroke)
50m sprint (crawl)

BossArky

Tuesday January 22nd (second session)

Pull Ups (narrow, palms away)
5 sets of 5 reps

Dips
5 sets of 5 reps
---
Military Press (standing, barbell)
30kg - 3 sets of 10 reps
---
Bent Over Row (barbell)
30kg - 3 sets of 10 reps
---
Bench Press (dumbell, slight incline)
22.5kg per arm - 3 sets of 8 reps

One Arm Row (dumbell, slight incline)
22.5kg per arm - 3 sets of 8 reps
---
Squat
30kg - 3 sets of 8 reps

Lateral Raise (dumbell)
10kg per arm - 3 sets of 5 reps
---
High Row (machine)
30kg x20
40kg x10
50kg x5
---
Bicep Curl
14kg per arm, x8 x6 x4

BossArky

Wednesday January 23rd:

Run 6km (31:49 mins, 480 cals)

Started at 11kmph, increased speed by 0.1kmph every 800 metres up to 3.2km, then continued to increase by 0.1kmph again for each further 700 metres until I got up to 6km.

Ideally I will do the same as above next time, but add on 4 increments at 600 metres to bring me up to 8.4km. Then the next time I'll do it all over again up to 8.4km and add on 4 increments at 500 metres to get to 10.4kmph.

So what is the method behind this madness? Well, starting at 11kmph is pretty easy and isn't tiring aerobically. Even all those tiny increments still have me feeling fine. What I need to work on is just getting used to running longer distances than 5km.

Pull Ups
6 sets of 5 reps ... 2 sets narrow grip/palms in, 2 sets medium grip/palms in, 2 sets wide grip/palms forward

Hanging Leg Raises (knees bent)
6 sets of 5 reps
---
Bent Over Row (barbell)
40kg - 3 sets of 8 reps

Lying Leg Raises
3 sets of 8 reps
---
Bicep Curl - Arnie's 21's (dumbells)
10kg per arm, x21 ... I was reading an article today about Arnie on t-nation and tried these for the laugh. Not a good idea after those pull ups and rows :eek:

Reverse Fly (dumbell)
10kg per arm, 3 sets of 5 reps
---

If anyone can suggest a good book on running technique then let me know. Today my copy of "Total Immersion" arrived. I have learned more about swimming in the first 40 pages than in the last 26 years.

TerrorFirmer

Arnie's 21s? What's that? Can't find it through googling...:p

BossArky

Here is the article I was reading today.

T-Nation wrote:

Arnie's This oldie-but-a-goodie is also called "21s." If we're talking Arnold, we're talking biceps, so let's use curls as an example again. Perform a series of half reps in the lower range of motion, basically lifting the weight until the arms are parallel to the floor. Do seven reps. Without stopping, do another seven reps using only the upper range of motion. Again without resting, perform the final seven reps using the full range of motion. Disregard the blood running from your ears. Arnold, of course, did ten reps in each range of motion — big show off!

BossArky

Thursday January 24th:

Swim 1km

• 100m warm up, alternating bs and fc each 25m
• 5 sets of 150m, all fc, with a minute or two between each set
• 150m cool down, alternating bs and fc each 25m

I may have mis-counted one of those sets of 150m and only done 100m... so the distance was either 950m or 1km.

I had planned to do 750m straight fc today, but after 6 lengths (150m) one of the life guards booted me out of the swim lane as their was a kids lesson on, so I took a break and repeated this length in sets.

Kind of tired, but I did try putting a number of the Total Immersion techniques into practice. Front quadrant swimming seems to pay off in terms of a bit of extra speed. It does feel slightly awkward though having to delay your stroke with one hand until both are almost straight out ahead.

I timed one of the 150m sets at 3:45mins-ish.. which when factored up would bring me to 18:45mins for the 750m. Obviously I need to add in a few more seconds for fatigue, but at least the times are heading in the right direction towards my target of 15mins.

I'm getting into this swimming lark :cool:

BossArky

Friday January 25th:

Squat
20kg x8
50kg x8
70kg x6 x6 ... first time getting almost back up to bodyweight for a while. Form now much better. Still not perfect though. Must video these again sometime soon
50kg x8
20kg x8

Shrugs
15kg plate per arm - 6 sets of 8 reps
---
Deadlift
80kg x5
90kg x4
100kg x3
90kg x4
80kg x5

Bent Over Row (barbell)
50kg - 3 sets of 8 reps

Side Bend
5kg plate per arm, alternating - 3 sets of 8 reps
---
Pull Ups
one arm (left) - fail ... just spun around a full 360 degree circle!
one arm (right) - fail ... as above
one arm (left, holding wrist) - fail
one arm (right, holding wrist) - fail
---
Lat Pull Down
50kg x5
55kg x5
60kg x5
65kg x5
70kg x5
75kg x5 ... more than bodyweight (~71.5kg) so I was dangling for a while at beginning and end before hooking knees under pads
---
Pull Ups (again - going to nail them this time :cool:)
bodyweight + 5kg - 3 sets of 5 reps... dumbell between ankles
bodyweight + 10kg - Fail :mad: Couldn't get off the ground. Bar over a foot over my arms and the dumbell killed my jump. Must have looked comical
bodyweight x5
---
Low Row (machine)
30kg x5
35kg x5
40kg x5
45kg x5
50kg x5
55kg x5
60kg x5
65kg x5
70kg x5
---
High Row (machine)
30kg x8
35kg x8
40kg x8
45kg x8
50kg x8
---

Good session. Glad to have figured out how to add weight on the pull ups.

BossArky

Saturday January 26th:

Swim 1km (40 lengths) as follows...

• 100m warm up (50m fc, 50m bs)
• 750m fc ... around 20 ish mins
• 150m cool down (100m bs, 50 fc)

Counted my strokes for each of the last 4 lengths of the 750m. I took 31, 32, 30 and 32 respectively. Apparently I should be aiming for 26 to be more efficient.

In the cool down, once rested I managed the following stroke counts in the two final lengths: 26 and 28.

That means as I tire my stroke gets sloppy and I splash around more. Today was a crap swim. Too tired.

BossArky

Saturday January 27th:

Run 5km (25:20mins, 440 cals) ... started at 11kmph, increased speed by 0.5kmph every 500 metres until 4km where I slowed back down to 10kmph. Sprinted the last 400m or so, up to 17kmph ish
---
Lunges
15kg plate per arm - 3 sets of 8 reps ... think that is a pb

Shrugs
15kg plate per arm - 3 sets of 8 reps
---
Bench Press
20kg x30
75kg x1
85kg x:mad: ... fail
80kg x1 ... joint personal best. I think this one was stronger than the previous times attempt at 80kg, so I'll call this one the pb :cool: I'm also slightly lighter bodyweight-wise than the previous time (~71.75kg ish)
75kg x1
70kg x1
65kg x1
60kg x8
---
Pull Ups (narrow grip, palms in ... except for last set --> med grip, palms in)
bodyweight +5kg, x5 reps
bodyweight +12.5kg - 3 sets of 5 reps ... tough toward the end
bodyweight +5kg - 1 set of 5 reps
bodyweight, x5 reps

Leg Raises (knees bent)
x5
---
Lat Pull Down
50kg x5
60kg x5
70kg x5
80kg x0 ... too heavy to move off the rack at current bodyweight
60kg x5
40kg x5
---
High Row (machine)
30kg x8
35kg x8
40kg x8
45kg x8
50kg x8
---
No breakfast, just black coffee before gym. Much easier to run on an empty stomach. Weighing in at 71.75kg now.

BossArky

Monday January 28th:

Run 5km (22:33 mins, 390 cals) ... PERSONAL BEST - knocked lumps off my previous 5km personal best. Must be a good minute or minute and a half quicker than ever before. I need to keep my times in an excel file for quick reference. Will do that later. Very happy with that run.
---
Bike 3km (5:20 mins, 35 cals) ... cool down from run
---
One Arm Row (dumbell)
30kg per arm, - 3 sets of 5 reps
---
Overhead Squat (barbell)
10kg - 3 sets of 8 reps
---
Twisting Crunch (feet on bench)
3 sets of 8 reps
---

What a run. Started at 11kmph and increased the speed by 0.1kmph every 100 metres until the end of 5km. Last 200 metres were very tough. Ended up increasing by 0.2kmph for the last 100 metres to get up to 16kmph.

thirtyfoot

BossArky wrote: »

Run 5km (22:33 mins, 390 cals) ... PERSONAL BEST .

45 10k pace, this can be classified as a breakthrough session:cool:

BossArky

Monday February 4th:

Swim 1km (40 lengths) as follows...

• 100m warm up (all fc)
• 750m fc ... around 19 ish mins
• 150m cool down (all bs)

Mental week last week. A 22 hr day at work which began on Wednesday morning, followed by a 26hr one which began on Thursday afternoon put a stop to my training for a few days. Also was back in Ireland this weekend. Just about recovered today to get a swim in. Need to eat more though as a bit weak.

BossArky

Monday Feb 4th (2nd session)

Squat
20kg x8
50kg x8
70kg x8
50kg x8
20kg x8

Shrugs
20kg plate per arm, 5 sets of 10 reps
---
Bent Over Row (barbell)
50kg - 3 sets of 8 reps, index fingers on rings

Reverse Fly
7.5kg per arm, 3 sets of 8 reps
---
Overhead Squat (barbell)
15kg - 3 sets of 8 reps

Military Press (barbell, in front of neck)
15kg - 3 sets of 8 reps

Military Press (barbell, behind neck)
15kg- 3 sets of 8 reps
---
One Arm Row (dumbell)
25kg per arm, alternating, 3 sets of 5 reps
---

My thumb and index finger are still numb from the overhead squats. Feels as if I have been lying on them for hours and the blood has stopped circulating. I would have expected the sensation to have dissappeared within 5 minutes of finishing the overhead squats. Hmmmm.

I have dropped a kg or so in the past week from lack of sleep and proper eating. Will check in the morning exactly what the weight loss is.

BossArky

Tuesday Feb 5th:

Chin Ups (wide grip, palms away)
x8 x6 x4 x2 x4 x6

Hanging Leg Raises (knees bent)
x8 x6 x4 x2 x4 x6

Overhead Squat (barbell)
15kg - 5 sets of 8 reps
---
Deadlift (standard)
70kg x8 (index on inner rings)
70kg x8 (index on outer rings to see if I could feel it more in traps --> Yes)

Lateral Raise (dumbell)
10kg - 2 sets of 5 reps

Tricep Extension (dumbell)
10kg - 2 sets of 5 reps
---

The OHS feels fine now, only problem is the numbness I'm getting in my thumb, index finger and palms. It just feels odd... as if the blood has stopped for a few hours after the workout. I could managed the OHS well tonight, no standard squats first as previously to tire me out. May up the weight next time and try with an oly bar to see if the numbness is to do with the grip width I'm currently using on the mini barbell.

BossArky

Thursday Feb 7th:

Run 5km (22:29, ~390 cals ) ...personal best
---
Back Stretches on mat
---
Foam Roller stuff for back ... nice and relaxing
---
Pushups
Feet on ball - 1 set of 20 reps
---
Pec Fly Stretch (dumbell)
12.5kg held at lowest point / greatest stretch - 4 sets (a stretch before each facepull set)

Face Pull
5kg - 4 sets of 12 reps
---
Bench Press (dumbell, slight incline)
25kg per arm - 4 sets of 6 reps

Face Pull
10kg - 4 sets of 8 reps
---
Reverse Fly (dumbell, seated)
5kg - 4 sets of 8 reps

Pushups
Feet on bench - 4 sets of 10 reps
---
Face Pull
15kg - 4 sets of 8 reps

Chin Ups (wide grip)
3 sets of 5 reps

Hanging Leg Raises (knees bent)
3 sets of 5 reps
---

Face Pulls feel good. I am trying to do some of these to make sure my shoulders stay in good nick. I'm worried that I may have trapped a nerve slightly whilst doing the overhead squats in the past week. My thumb and index fingers are still slightly numb.

Another decent run and pb.

BossArky

Saturday Feb 9th:

Squat
20kg x8
40kg x8
60kg x8
70kg x8 ... squat feels fine at approx bodyweight now & form seems ok
60kg x8
40kg x8
40kg x8
40kg x8
30kg x8
---
Deadlift (stiff leg)
60kg - 5 sets of 5 reps
---
Face Pull
5kg x8
10kg x8
15kg x8
15kg x8
10kg - 4 sets of 8 reps ... did these as supersets to chin ups below
15kg - 4 sets of 8 reps ... did these as supersets to cable pec fly below
---
Reverse Fly (cable) ... trying these for first time as opposed to dumbells
6.25kg per arm, alternating - 1 set of 8 reps
8.75kg per arm, alternating - 2 set of 8 reps
---
Pec Fly (cable) ... trying these for first time as opposed to dumbells
6.25kg per arm, alternating - 1 set of 8 reps
8.75kg per arm, alternating - 2 set of 8 reps
---
Chin Ups (wide grip, palms away)
bodyweight x5
bodyweight + 10kg dumbell between ankles x5
bodyweight x5
bodyweight + 10kg dumbell between ankles x5
bodyweight

Hanging Leg Raises (knees bent)
3 sets of 5 reps
---
Foam Roller Stuff
---
Back Stretches on Mat
---
Bench Press
60kg x5
65kg x4
70kg x3
75kg x2
80kg x0 ... fail. Spotter took it too early as I was about to come up. Apparently I looked like I was going to explode. Annoyed cos it felt ok and now I have wasted energy.
80kg x0 ... fail. Spotter didn't touch it this time, but what energy I had was gone on the last attempt. At least that is what I am telling myself.
---
Press Ups with feet on ball
4 sets of 12 reps
---
External Rotation (standing, dumbells)
5kg per arm, 5 sets of 10 reps
---
High Row (machine)
30kg x8
40kg x8
50kg x8
---

Think that was it. Took over 2 hours. The order was slightly different than above but I cannot remember exactly. Enjoying the newness of using dormant muscles such as when doing face pulls and external rotations.

My squat is coming along at last thankfully.

Numbness still in my thumbs and index finger, not too bad now. It is slightly worse in the right hand. I will give it a few more days and if it dosen't dissappear I will think about a chirptractor or doctor. I was reading up on how to untrap nerves yesterday.

BossArky

Sunday Feb 10th:

Cycle 48km

Nice day to be outdoors. Went along the river, took a detour to find White Hart Lane (it's a kip) and then back to the river.

BossArky

Monday February 11th:

Swim 1km (40 lengths) as follows...

• 750m front crawl ... around 21 ish mins
• 250m cool down (100m bs, then 150m alternating bs and fc each 25m using bs as recovery and fc as sprint)

The receptionist warned me that the pool was "cold" at 24 degrees today. It was colder than usual alright, but felt pleasant as if swimming in a lake outdoors.

After 100-200m I started to get dizzy. Not sure if this was related to the colder water. By the time I got out of the pool and was walking home I was staggering to the right every 10 metres or so, like a drunk! Feel ok now. I'm having an odd last week or so with regards numbness and dizzyness.

BossArky

Monday Feb 11th (session 2):

Bench Press
50kg x5
70kg x5
50kg x5
20kg x10
40kg x10
50kg x10 ... on the last three sets I was messing about trying to keep elbows as close to sides as possible, with the aim of heading the pecs more. Felt a bit different
---
Squat
30kg - 2 sets of 8 reps
40kg - 2 sets of 8 reps
50kg - 2 sets of 8 reps

Shrugs
20kg plate per arm, - 3 sets of 8 reps
---
Deadlift (standard)
60kg - 6 sets of 8 reps ... sets 1, 3 and 5 with standard grip .... sets 2, 4 and 6 with wide grip index on rings
---

Tonight I was going half throttle. A session for the sake of one. I wanted to do legs and back ... and did just that.

BossArky

Tuesday Feb 12th:

Tricep Extension
6kg per arm, - 3 sets of 8 reps

Bicep Curl
6kg per arm, - 3 sets of 8 reps
---

Home workout, what a grand title.

Some good news --> The numbness in my right hand from the OHS trapped nerve is easing up. Hopefully it will be fully gone tomorrow.

BossArky

Wednesday Feb 13th:

Cycle 50.7 km (2hr 30mins, average speed 20.3kmph)

Trying to find a decent cycle path for speed. I think the one I tried today is as good as it gets. Lots of stopping and starting to lift bike over stuff and walk through non cycle bits. I spend 21 to 26km just cycling around really slowly through a nature reserve looking at ducks and swans, so the average speed overall looks worse than it should have been.

Taking out all those stops and starts I'd say I was averaging about 25kmph on the first half into the wind, and about 30kmph on the way home. Came over a bump and slap bang into about 12 swans. Wasn't sure whether to laugh or shout as they started hissing at my ankles from inches away. It was like falling into a pit of cobras!

Hopefully from now on I can get a few more long cycles in per week, at least one, maybe two. I want to be averaging around 37kmph on my long distance cycles before the first triathlon in May. Only problem is that the paths I take around here aren't conductive to cycling fast on totally bald slicks.

BossArky

Wednesday Feb 13th (2nd session):

Deadlift
60kg x8
70kg x8
80kg x8
90kg x8
100kg x4
90kg x4
80kg x4
70kg x4
60kg x4
50kg x4
---
Shoulder Dislocates ... with one of those mini studio barbells that weights around 5kg
---
Lunges
20kg per arm, - 3 sets of 8 ... 1st set with plates which were touching the ground when at the bottom, so switched to dumbells for 2nd and 3rd sets

Bicep Curl (dumbells)
12.5kg per arm, - 3 sets of 8 reps
---
Leg Raises (lying on bench)
3 sets of 10 reps

Military Press (standing, dumbell)
20kg per arm, - 3 sets of 5 reps
---
Pull Ups (close, neutral grip)
3 sets of 5 reps

Hanging Leg Raises (knees bent)
3 sets of 5 reps
---
One Arm Row (dumbell)
20kg per arm, 1 set of 8 reps ... time was running out and I wanted to do some foam roller stuff so cut these short
---
Foam Roller Stuff ... lay with the roller pushing my spine towards my chest for a few minutes, to stretch my pecs... however the shoulder dislocates seem to have stolen the rollers glory today. I then rolled the top of my back around a bit. Must figure out how to roll the hamstrings
---

Good workout(s) today.

When I started my deadlifting there was a little guy beside me dumbell pressing with a friend for about 15 mins. For the last 30 mins, once I'd finished deadlifting, he did about 500 different bicep curl variations: ez curl, cable curl, bench supported curl, barbell curl, normal dumbell curls. My hair was nearly curly by closing time.

BossArky

Friday Feb 15th:

Run 5km (22:08) ... personal best
---
Foam Roller Stuff
---
Back Stretches on Mat
---
Clean & Jerk
12kg x10
22kg x10
32kg x10
42kg x10
32kg x5
22kg x20
22kg x15
22kg x10
---
External Rotation (standing, dumbells)
4kg per arm, 3 sets of 10 reps
---
Shoulder Dislocates x10
---
Chin Ups (close, neutral grip)
x5

Hanging Leg Raises
x5
---

Good run and started clean & jerks. Traps killing me from deadlifts the other day.

BossArky

Saturday Feb 16th:

Swim 900 metres as follows...

• 150m front crawl, non stop
• 150m front crawl with paddles, taking a break between each 50
• 150m front crawl, non stop
• 150m front crawl with paddles, taking a break between each 50
• 150m front crawl, non stop
• 150m cool down, front crawl & some breast stroke

Paddles give a lot more speed, and once I did normal lengths without them I could really concentrate on my arms alot more. Apparently one of the life guards was asking the other, "what are those things?". This doesn't give me much faith in that lifeguards experience :rolleyes:

BossArky

Sunday Feb 17th

Morning:

Pitch & Pitch 15 holes, skipped last 3 as too congested.

Evening:

Squat
20kg x8
40kg x8
60kg x8

80kg x4 ... pbs here, with good form
80kg x3
80kg x2

70kg x5
70kg x3
60kg x8
---
Clean & Jerk
40kg - 3 sets of 8 reps ... could go heavier
---
One Arm Row (dumbell)
32.5kg per arm - 3 sets of 5 reps
---
Calf Raise (one leg at a time, from decline)
3 sets of 8 reps

Leg Raises on bench
3 sets of 8 reps
---
Face Pulls
7.5kg x8
10kg x8
12.5kg x8
---
High Row (machine)
50kg - 3 sets of 8 reps
---

Good day.

BossArky

Monday Feb 18th:

Run 5km (23:08 mins, 390 cals) ... intervals alternating between 12kmph for 800m, then 15kmph for 400m until 5km clocked up
---
Pull Ups (wide, open grip)
bodyweight plus 10kg between ankles - 3 sets of 5 reps
bodyweight - 3 sets of 5 reps

Hanging Leg Raises (knees bent)
6 sets of 5 reps
---
Bench Press (incline)
70kg x5 x4
65kg x5 x4
60kg x5
---
Bent Over Row (barbell)
45kg - 3 sets of 8 reps
---
Face Pulls (cable)
10kg - 3 sets of 8 reps
---
High Row (machine)
50kg - 3 sets of 8 reps
---

BossArky

Wednesday Feb 20th:

Swim 450m (3 sets of 150m front crawl).

Pool was packed as kids are off on mid term break. Was hoping to do 1km today but no point as lane was chopped in half lengthways meaning I had to swim under a barrier each length. Finished early.

BossArky

Wednesday Feb 20th (session 2):

Bike 5.5km (15:15mins, ~100 cals) ... whilst watching the end of Man Utd vs Lyon and waiting for the squat rack
---
Squat
20kg x8
40kg x8
60kg x8 ... had to take a step back in the middle to stop toppling over. Video to follow

70kg x8 ... video to follow
80kg x4 ... video to follow

60kg x8
60kg x8
---

Weighing in at about 73kg at the moment. Must check in the morning for an exact reading.