Cheers guys.
Mar 18
A1 Pullups 4 x 9
A2 OHP 4 x 9 x 50kg
B1 Pendlay Rows 4 x 10 x 60kg
B2 DB Curl & Press 4 x 8 x 15kg
C1 Incline Hammer Row 4 x 12 x 20kg
C2 Lat Raise 4 x 15 x 5kg
Abs 2.5 mins pre 2.5 mins post
Worked a lot harder this week, been dropping the abs down to recover and also need to foam roller my quads as they’re starting to hurt every day.
Mar 19
Front Squat 4 x 8 x 80kg
Deadlift 4 x 8 x 112.5kg
A1 SL Hip Raise 4 x 12
A2 Fwd Lunge 4 x 7 x 60kg
Abs 2.5 mins pre, 2.5 mins post
Trundled through that session, have had time off work since the New Year and this was my first full week back. I’ve been doing PT two mornings and 4 evenings a week and putting a 10-6pm shift between that has left me run down already. I took out calf raises and KB swings as i’ll be fitting in a track session tomorrow morning then resting up for rugby on Saturday. Bring on the weekend.
Mar 20
Track Work
2 x 4 x 100m (40m jog between) time per 400m 1:05, 1:07
4 x 2 x 200m (80m jog between) time per 400m 1:06, 1:08
2 x 400m (lie face down weeping between reps) 1:12, 1:06
Pleased with the series except for the pathetic first attempt at the 400m where I held back far too much and actually suffered more for the extra 6 seconds of effort.
Abs
A1 Weighted Twists 4 x 40 x 10kg
A2 Hanging Leg Raise 4 x 15
B1 Crunch w Pause 4 x 30
B2 Reverse Crunch 4 x 30
Prone Knee Tuck on Swiss Ball 4 x 10
Same as last week, pretty tough.
Mar 22
Rugby Match (Lost 38-3)
There was quite a strong wind down the pitch and we had it in our favour in the first half, going in at 3-5 down. I was furious with myself because I knocked it forward twice and my handling is normally spot on. We were just inside their 22 and our 13 offloaded it just after contact and I only had the winger to bulldoze and I would’ve scored but it slipped through my hands and knocked it on with my thigh. Second one was a high ball, I took it sideways and jumped quite high for it with two guys ready to smash me when I landed, and it went sideways and a touch forward.
Other than that I think our fullback was massively to blame (hope he doesn’t read this!). He came into the defensive line and they chipped it over for the first try, he did the same in the second half with the wind against us and had no communication with either winger. I think every single carry he had ended up with him losing it forward or having it ripped from him. It was frustrating because I was normally the one waiting for the offload behind him.
Our 3 points came from a penalty I won, I came infield and tried to break between their two centres and one of them high tackled me and the other either landed on my calf or I pulled it, either way this morning I can’t walk on it. Didn’t really register it as a high tackle, he was probably 6’4 and i’m 5’9 so i’m used to getting a shoulder in the upper chest. I did put all 15 stone of him right on his arse which I was really chuffed about, he stayed down for a few mins so I thought the penalty was against me for maybe leading with the shoulder.
In general their forwards were a huge mismatch and every scrum our guys were almost jogging backwards, so the ball stayed central for most of the game. I did have a few runs and a nice chip and chase I caught, but two or three times i’d offload it and whoever I passed it to knocked it on. Special mention to their number 8, possibly George North in disguise, he handed off our 2nd row like he was a small child and broke 7 tackles for his 2nd try, Monster.
So barring a magical recovery i’m out with a calf injury for the remaining two games of the season, will do upper body this week and maybe squats.
Mar 24
Bench Press 80kg x 12, 8, 6, 5 - switched to max. reps each time and dropped the 5th set
Incline Chest Press 55kg x 10, 8, 8, 6 - also max. reps
A1 Chin Ups 4 x 9
A2 Incline Curls 4 x 9 x 10kg
B1 California Press 4 x 9 x 40kg
B2 DB Extensions 4 x 9 x 12.5kg
Abs 2.5 mins pre, 2.5 mins post
It felt stupid to save myself in the first few sets of pressing exercises, so I did as many reps as I could each time. I’m adapting well to this 60 seconds rest and it’s having a positive effect on my physique. Had a few 8 hour work shifts last week with no lunch break so I probably came in at 1500kcals/day and lifted weights so i’ve lost a few lbs which has annoyed me. Such a slow process to gain muscle and so quick to lose it!
Mar 28
A1 Pullups 4 x 9
A2 OHP 4 x 10 x 50kg - extra rep was burning my shoulders
B1 Pendlay Rows 4 x 10 x 60kg
B2 DB Curl & Press 4 x 9 x 15kg - again extra rep was tough
C1 Incline Hammer Row 4 x 12 x 20kg
C2 Lat Raise 4 x 15 x 5kg
Abs 2.5 mins pre 2.5 mins post
Good to lift again, feels like forever between sessions when I can’t run or squat. I wrote down an extra rep for a few exercises to force myself out my comfort zone. Coped ok, quite light headed after supersets and spent longer than usual recovering before the next pair.
Calf is still restricting my RoM but I think i’ll try low impact session tomorrow, so no lunges.
Mar 30
Bench Press 80kg x 12, 8, 4, 5
Incline Chest Press 55kg x 10, 8, 7, 7
A1 Chin Ups 4 x 9
A2 Incline Curls 4 x 9 x 10kg
B1 California Press 4 x 9 x 40kg
B2 DB Extensions 4 x 9 x 12.5kg
Abs 2.5 mins pre, 2.5 mins post
Pretty routine, it’s always a challenge and my bench wasn’t as good as last week.
I started a new job and have pretty full-on training so i’m probably going to do a big upper body day on Saturday and a lower body day on Sunday, i’m staying with a friend in London to save time on my commute so no access to weights until the weekend.
Apr 6
Too long without lifting!!
Been up in London and itching to lift all week.
Back Squats 4 x 8 x 105kg - have been at 60 sec recovery now moved it to 2 mins so I can lift more
RDL 2 x 8 x 72.5kg, 2 x 8 x 77.5kg - normally a superset
Swiss Ball HS Curls 4 x 10
KB Swings 4 x 25 x 20kg
Abs 2.5 mins pre, post
I haven’t trained legs since March 17th as I had a calf pull in a rugby match. It was bruised this week all around where the swelling was restricted by my sock, it’s fine to walk and maybe jog on but no more than that. I could feel my hamstrings and groin were tight and felt close giving way so I took reverse lunges out and did RDL as straight sets.
Nothing was that challenging but it’s my first session back and I will look to build from here.
Apr 7
Bench Press 4 x 8 x 80kg - 2 mins recovery
Pendlay Rows 5 x 5 x 70kg - don’t like chest/back split so put in back exercise
A1 Chin Ups 4 x 9 - stopped becoming challenging, should push to 10 or 11
A2 Incline Curls 4 x 9 x 10kg
B1 California Press 4 x 9 x 40kg
B2 DB Extensions 4 x 9 x 12.5kg
Abs 2.5 mins pre, 2.5 mins post
Good session overall, the extra rest made the weight seem quite light so i’ll be looking to push that up next week.
Apr 9
Front Squats 4 x 8 x 70kg
Deadlift 4 x 4 x 120kg
Lunge Jumps 4 x 8
Abs 3 mins
A pretty nothing session, front squat was too easy and I could’ve done more on the deadlift, but i’m malnourished and only had 45 mins to get it done so it’s better than nothing.
Apr 11
DB Curl & Press 4 x 9 x 15kg - massive mistake doing these first
Incline Chest Press 2 x 8 x 55kg, 2 x 8 x 60kg
A1 Pullups 4 x 9
A2 OHP 3 x 9 x 50kg - had nothing for the 4th set due to curl and press earlier
Incline Hammer Row 4 x 12 x 20kg
Abs 3 mins pre 3 mins post
Finished work at lunchtime and went for a few drinks, think I still hadn’t sobered up by the time I lifted and I was probably dehydrated too. I bundled through it then scrapped a few exercises as I really wasn’t feeling it today.
Got much plans for the off-season?
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Good question mate. I’ve just started a new job that has a heavy weekend commitment so i’m unlikely to be able to play rugby next season. I want to have some competitive sport to train for so i’ll have to think. For now it’s the summer months so i’ll probably get two track sessions a week done and try to get my speed back.
Apr 13
Back Squats 6,7,6,6 x 110kg
RDL 2 x 8 x 80kg, 2 x 8 x 90kg
Reverse Lunges 2 x 10 x 60kg
Swiss Ball HS Curls 3 x 15
Abs 3 mins pre, post
RDL was too light last week and still quite easy at 90kg. Want to get back squats up in the 130-140kg range, 110kg used to be a warmup for me. Added reverse lunge back in but felt four sets was excessive so I did two extended sets.
Apr 14
Bench Press 4 x 7 x 85kg
Pendlay Rows 5 x 5 x 70kg
A1 Chin Ups 4 x 11 - much tougher!
A2 Incline Curls 4 x 9 x 10kg - need to be heavier
B1 California Press 4 x 10 x 40kg
B2 DB Extensions 4 x 9 x 12.5kg
Abs 3 mins pre, post
Good session, made the bicep superset harder but could still curl more. Probably able to do more on the tricep superset too.
Apr 16
Track Work
200m (4,6,6,8 mins rest) 28.3, 27.2, 27.1, 26.1, 28.1
Surprised with that as I was expecting to struggle to get five runs under 30 seconds. I did a tempo 100m at a hugely relaxed pace to warm up expecting to be about 17 secs and that was 14.6 so I have kept some speed during my injury recovery. Now that I don’t need as much aerobic fitness for rugby I can do more anaerobic sessions and increase the speed of each run. I want to stay away from anything over 200m as that dilutes my max. speed so i think i’ll do a 100-200m session like this and then a shorter acceleration session if I can fit it in.
Im in a similar position as yourself, where I am considering dropping team sport due to work and time restraints. I am considering on maybe trying jiu jitsu to satisfy my competitive needs.
One thing I dont want to “lose” is my ability on the track, and I think spending 2-3 sessions a week on the running track is a good idea.
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I’m still alive! No internet at my new place. Just moved to South London and working in West London about 65 hrs a week + 20 hrs travel so finding it hard to squeeze anything in. I’ve done one upper and one lower in the last few weeks, I work as a football analyst so it’s crazy busy leading up to the end of the season in all the major European leagues, will calm down in the next 7-10 days and summer should be quiet except for the world cup and a few odd leagues.
I’ve located an athletics track about 2 miles from me but have yet to suss it out to see if I can just turn up and train any time I want. Want to try 3 full body and 2 track sessions a week, which is very optimistic some weeks but some of the time I can set my own hours so I can get something done.
Attempting my first full week starting on the 19th May, it’ll be odds and ends before then.
May 8
Power Clean 3 x 10 x 60kg
Bench Press 3 x 10 x 75kg
Back Squat 3 x 10 x 95kg
DB OHP 3 x 10 x 20kg
DB Hammer Rows 3 x 10 x 20kg
DB Incline Curls 3 x 10 x 12.5kg
DB Supine Tricep Ext 3 x 10 x 12.5kg
Abs 2 x 3 mins
The first three exercises had an emphasis on speed (well obviously cleans), I don’t want to grind any reps out when i’m doing sets of 10. I had 2.5-3 mins rest for those and then 90 secs between the upper body later on. I can stick 2.5kg on all four of those, particularly shoulder press which was far too light. Haven’t done a full body session in a while, will be a nice time saver to only need a 90 minute window 3x a week for weights.
Wow! I didn’t realise you work as a football analyst. Thats awesome. What are your tips for the world cup?
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Ah we haven’t started doing our analysis until all the teams are announced but I think teams that are used to the heat & humidity of Brazil will do well and Belgium have a dozen really quality players in various teams in the English Premiership that everyone expects to be ones to watch. I was going to ask, what club do you play for? I work with a guy who plays for Brisbane City in the NPL.
May 12
Power Clean 3 x 5 x 80kg
Bench Press 2 x 5 x 90kg, 1 x 5 x 92.5kg
Back Squat 3 x 5 x 110kg
DB OHP 3 x 10 x 22.5kg
DB Hammer Rows 3 x 10 x 22.5kg
DB Incline Curls 3 x 10 x 15kg
DB Supine Tricep Ext 3 x 10 x 15kg
Abs 2 x 3 mins
Pleasantly surprised by how easy that felt, power cleans were the hardest but I still found it ok.
May 14
Power Clean 5, 4 x 80kg, 3 x 82.5kg, 2 x 87.5kg, 1 x 90kg - used straps for 80kg+ and made it so easy
Bench Press 5 x 92.5kg, 4 x 95kg, 3 x 97.5kg, 2 x 100kg, 1 x 102.5kg
Back Squat 5, 4 x 110kg, 3 x 112.5kg, 2,1 x 115kg
DB OHP 3 x 10 x 22.5kg
DB Hammer Rows 3 x 10 x 22.5kg
DB Incline Curls 3 x 10 x 15kg
DB Supine Tricep Ext 3 x 10 x 15kg
Abs 2 x 3 mins
Did some of my assistance work between sets of squats as the whole workout is 27 sets and with 1.5-3.5 mins rest it takes a while. Happiest with power cleans, once I introduced the lifting straps I was throwing the weights about and could’ve stuck 5kg on everything. Bench pushed me the hardest but I completed the whole workout without getting beyond 3rd gear. I’ve established some numbers now so next Wednesday i’ll look to beat them.
May 18
Power Clean 3 x 5 x 80kg
Bench Press 3 x 5 x 92.5kg
Back Squat 3 x 5 x 110kg
Condensed workout as short of time. Also forgot it was meant to be 3 x 10 and did 3 x 5.
May 21
Power Clean 3 x 10 x 60kg
Bench Press 1 x 10 x 75kg, 2 x 10 x 77.5kg - meant to increase but didn’t remember until 2nd set
Back Squat 3 x 10 x 95kg
DB OHP 3 x 10 x 22.5kg
DB Hammer Rows 3 x 10 x 22.5kg
DB Incline Curls 3 x 10 x 15kg
DB Supine Tricep Ext 3 x 10 x 15kg
Abs 2 x 3 mins
Pretty decent session, squats aren’t a struggle but I feel tired after 4 reps so it’s an unpleasant set to do. I’m not finding the abs that hard any more so not sure whether to advance the exercises or increase the time. Might ask my old training partner what he is doing.