The Bird Cage 3. Redemption.

Training Training Logs
481

Saturday, 14th September 2013.

GAMEDAY

We drew 0-0.

Credit to the opposition who came to play. The game was even with both teams having a handful of opportunities. Tonight our forwards were not firing as they usually would at a home game. Our midfielders were lacking creativity and the 3 forwards were not creating space/getting involved.

I played as one of the 2 centre backs. Im happy with my performance and with the zero goals conceded. A couple of my passes in the first half were off target, although the lack of movement from our midfielders did not help the cause. Todays pre-match meal of 2 cups of rice with tuna and cucumber seemed to provide me with enough energy for the game. I might make that my pre-game ritual. Thats was consumed about 6 hours be fore the game. I also had 4 gluten free crepes and a coffee about 2 hours before kick off.

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482

Monday, 16th September 2013.

TRAINING

PM

  • Agile 8, foam rolling etc.
  • Walking dB lunges. 4 sets of 12 steps holding 30 kg dBs. (5 pull-ups b/w sets)
  • Barbell hip thrusts. 3 sets of 12 reps with 40 kg. (8 dips b/w sets)
  • Single leg deadlifts. 3 sets of 10 using 7kg kettlebell.
  • 2 sets of 20 face pulls.
  • Finished off with some stretching, planking and handstands against the wall.

notes:
Decent session. Was hoping for 5 working sets on the lunges but my grip was fried. I might consider brining my straps for the last 2 sets next week. Hip thrusts were lightweight, but I am been conservative with these. Next wek i will increase the weight by 5-10kg. Heaps of “bro’s” in the gym getting in my way. Yes, they have a right to use the gym as well, but I find my sessions much more intense when I have little distractions/people in my way.

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483

Wednesday, 18th September 2013.

TRAINING

PM

Solo Skill Session & Conditioning

  • Agile 8, foam rolling etc.
  • 15 minutes of ball work. Lots of juggling, passing to the wall, practicing receiving and turning etc.
  • 3 sets of cone dribbles.
  • 3 sets of doggies with the ball.
  • 10 reps of 5 push-ups followed by a 15 meter hill sprint.
  • 5 reps of 350 meter runs with about 1’30 to 2’00 rest b/w each run.
  • Warmed down with 5 minutes of juggling.

notes:
Happy with this session. I want to work up to 8-10 reps with the 350 meter runs, although I have to make sure Im not dropping much speed as I progress.

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484

Hey buddy,

I did handstand push-ups since you asked about where I put my hands and realised that my guess of 6 inches was definitely off, my hands are probably more like 12 inches from the wall like yours.

Have you had any success with pistol squats? I didn’t notice any in your log, but could well have missed them.

[quote]theBird wrote:
Heaps of “bro’s” in the gym getting in my way. Yes, they have a right to use the gym as well, but I find my sessions much more intense when I have little distractions/people in my way.

[/quote]

This is why I love working out at home. At first I just did it to save money, but one of the main benefits is definitely avoiding other people haha.

485

[quote]furo wrote:
Hey buddy,

I did handstand push-ups since you asked about where I put my hands and realised that my guess of 6 inches was definitely off, my hands are probably more like 12 inches from the wall like yours.

Have you had any success with pistol squats? I didn’t notice any in your log, but could well have missed them.

[quote]theBird wrote:
Heaps of “bro’s” in the gym getting in my way. Yes, they have a right to use the gym as well, but I find my sessions much more intense when I have little distractions/people in my way.

[/quote]

This is why I love working out at home. At first I just did it to save money, but one of the main benefits is definitely avoiding other people haha.[/quote]
I do it because I create a hardcore training environment, and (gradually) getting high quality equipment. :slight_smile:

486

Furo; I haven’t tried the pistol squats yet. Might program them into my pre-season training.

DSSG; I’m thinking of starting up my own home gym. I suppose it’s just the initial purchase of a decent rack and weights that are the most expensive.

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487

Saturday, 21st September 2013.

PRE-GAME SESSION

Tomorrows game is an important one, as if we win we finish 3rd, which will mean promotion. Usually only the top 2 teams get promoted, but due to a new “super league” been created next year there has been some changes made to the lower leagues. The opposition team also has the chance to get promoted if they win, so they will be motivated.

Today I spent 20 minutes juggling the ball, practised some moves and finished off with a 2 km run and some mobility run throughs.

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488

Sunday, 22nd September 2013.

GAME-DAY

We won 2-6.

The score line flatters us as 3 goals were scored in the last 10 minutes. The opposition scored first after the right winger made a run past our left back. We then managed 3 goals in a row before half time. They scored via a soft penalty early in the second half, before our last 10 minute 3 goal carnage.

I played as one of the 2 centre backs. I was happy with my performance and I even got involved in one of the goals at the end by making a run, playing a one-two, and dribbling past a defender to chip it over the keeper to the striker for an easy tap in. I could improve on my defensive headers, with a few of them not going in the right direction.

This win puts us in good position to claim 3rd spot, which may lead to promotion next year. Next week is our final game for the season.

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489

Tuesday, 24th September 2013.

TRAINING

PM

  • Agile 8 etc.
  • Walking dB lunges. 5 sets of 12 steps with 30 kg dB’s. (5 reps of pull-ups b/w sets)
  • Barbell hip thrusts. 12 x 40 kg, 12 x 45 kg, 12 x 50 kg. (8 reps of dips b/w sets)
  • Single leg deadlifts. 10 x 8 kg, 6 x 12 kg, 6 x 12 kg. (15 reps of face-pulls b/w sets)
  • S/S ab roll outs, with 10 second handstand holds.

notes:
Decent session. Walking lunges were tough, maybe more so on my grip and core rather than my legs. Happy with the barbell thrusts, really trying to squeeze the glutes. Got some major headaches with the ab roll outs, although that cleared up pretty quick.

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490

Hey man I also train for athletics! I Play competitive lacrosse, but also play in some indoor soccer leagues and follow the game religiously.

Feel free to stop by the log.

491

[quote]AnabolicBob wrote:
Hey man I also train for athletics! I Play competitive lacrosse, but also play in some indoor soccer leagues and follow the game religiously.

Feel free to stop by the log.[/quote]
Welcome to the cage. We go hard.

I certainly will stop by your log, buddy.

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492

Good to see some progress, Bird. :slight_smile:

493

[quote]DSSG wrote:
Good to see some progress, Bird. :)[/quote]
Thanks buddy. I actually feel stronger and fitter now, than I have all year.

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494

Wednesday, 25th September 2013.

TRAINING

PM

Solo Skill & Conditioning Session

  • Agile 8, foam roll etc.
  • 20 minutes of general ball work including juggling and practicing passing and receiving with the wall.
  • 3 sets of 5 reps of cone dribbling.
  • 3 sets of doggies with the ball.
  • 8 reps of 5 push-ups followed by 12 meter hill sprint.
  • 5 x 350 meter runs with about 1’30 rest b/w each run.
  • Warm down with juggling.

notes:
Good session. Legs feeling a little fatigued thanks to yesterdays leg session, and I wasnt feeling too explosive on the hill sprints. Happy with the 350m runs. Im also happy with my ball skills at the moment. The ball seems to be sticking to my feet. Today I am feeling stronger and fitter than I have felt all season.

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495

Thursday, 26th September 2013.

TRAINING

AM

  • Agile 8 etc.
  • Barbell bench press. Ramped up to 5 working sets of 5 x 90 kg. And then 15 x 60 kg.
  • Weighted pull-ups. 5 sets of 3 x 20 kg.
  • dB rows. 3 sets of 10 x 27.5 kg.
  • TGUs. 3 x 12.5 kg, 2 x 15 kg, 1 x 17.5 kg.

notes:
Feeling a little lethargic this morning, probably due to yesterdays epic conditioning session. I dropped the weight in the attempt to improve bar speed with the bench.

PM

Team Soccer Training

Last team training session for the year. Pretty low key and relaxed session.

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496

Friday, 27th September 2013.

PRE-GAME

PM

After some agile 8 and foam rolling I went for a 12 minute light jog, did some mobility run throughs and 4 supersets of 5 pull-ups with 3 explosive clapping push-ups. Wanted to do so light ball work, but the lights were off at the ground.

Tomorrow nights game is the last game of the season. Currently we sit in 4th position. The team in 3rd position is playing the top of the ladder who need to win to hold there position, so we are expecting them to lose or draw. If we win and they lose, then we take the 3rd position which will mean promotion. If we win and they draw, then we need to have won by 5 goals so that out goal difference is better and puts us above them.

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497

Saturday, 28th September 2013.

GAME-DAY

We won our final game 9-0.

The game was never in doubt. We were up 6-0 by half time. I played my favourite position as a central midfielder. All that was left was to wait for for Sundays results and hope that the 2nd place team would beat the 4th place team meaning that we get to keep 3rd place and hence get promoted for next season.

On Sunday we all gathered at the coach’s house for a bbq and a few alcoholic drinks. Traditionally we drank ourselves silly and fed ourselves on burgers and potato chips. There will be a few sorry sore heads in the next few days. As 5pm came around we all gathered around various internet sources to check on the results of the other games.

Our worst fears were confirmed as we learnt of the upset of the 4th team beating the more fancied 2nd place team, hence replacing us in 3rd position. All of my concerns regarding games lost during the season that we should have easily won now seemed significant and worthy of my rants. It was disappointing, but at the end of the day we did not do enough to earn promotion.

I will be back later for the final post of “The Bird Cage 3”. Stay tuned.

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498

Still lurking…hehehe…

499

[quote]strangemeadow wrote:
Still lurking…hehehe…[/quote]
Hey Mr strange,
Im about to end this years version of the cage, but dont fear… for the first time in bird-history I will be starting an offseason log. I wont be updating it as frequently, but I am making it so I can keep in touch with you guys and you can all have a in-depth look at my off season adventures.

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500

Please play the following youtube clip as you read my final post:

THE END

As beautiful as the sun shines, it always sets.

Welcome to the final post of “The Bird Cage 3”. The season is over, the weather is getting warmer and its time for birdy to put up his legs and have a little bit of rest. It has been a interesting season and I would like to thank all those who have made the journey with me.

Special thanks to; niksamaras, Jaice, browndisaster, jtownlax, adrenalinx, DSSG, Mrstrangemeadow, stefan128, pazzerfaust, florelius, spk, alexus, MightyMouse17, rds63799, AndyThompson, krumdiddiy, ty_ty13, furo, AnabolicBob, and of course ladyBird.

As usual in my last post, I would like to mention EF5217. RIP buddy. If you still have not visited his log please do: http://tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/blog_sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding_log/chemo_radiation_and_a_stem_cell_transplant?id=4660565&pageNo=0

Im still not sure what the future holds for theBird next year. My plan is to take 3 to 4 weeks off all intense training. As mentioned previously I will start a off-season log in the near future just to keep in touch. I wont be updating as often as I usually do.

Im off to sit by the pool and sip on my mojito…

Until next time ducklings.

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