Thursday, 1st May 2014.
TRAINING
PM
Double session;
Part A: Max Effort Lower
-Agile 8 etc.
- Front squats. Ramped to 5 working sets of 5 with 60 kg.
- BSS. 3 sets of 10 reps holding a 20 kg dB.
- Hamstring curls; 3 sets of 10 with 45 kg
Part B: Team Football Training
Team training was actually decent with about 20 players turning up. Some of the drills we did were still pointless, but at least I had a decent run around tonight and worked up some sweat.
NUTRITION
11:00: 5 eggs(-2 yolks) scrambled eggs with an avocado and tomato, and a green smoothie.
12:30pm: Quest protein bar and 2 ounces of raw cashews.
3:30pm: Grilled salmon and pickles, 2 scoops Metabolic Drive and 4 gluten free crepes.
6:30pm: Half a finibar (intra-workout)
8:00pm: Lamb, potato, carrot and pea irish stew on 1 cup of brown rice, and an apple.
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Friday, 2nd May 2014.
TRAINING
PM
Pull-up/Push-up Super-set
Just a quick workout today, as today is more of a rest day.
In 10 supersets I managed a total of 56 pull-ups and 100 push-ups, with 1 minute rest between each superset. Finished off with 3 sets of 20 band pull-aparts.
NUTRITION
I definitely overate today. I suspect it has got something to do with the recent colder weather and increase in activity. On the positive I would rather over-eat today, which I will suspect will help me keep my eating in control over the next 2 days as I travel to the city for this weeks game. Its when I am travelling I find it hardest to control my eating.
11:00am: Quest protein bar and 8 brazil nuts.
12:30pm: 6 boiled eggs(- 2 yolks), vegetable & beef soup, and an apple.
4:00pm: Green smoothie, tin of tuna, salmon sushi, 3 sticks of celery with PB, and an apple.
6:30pm: Massive serving of lamb, potato, carrot and pea stew on 1 cup of white rice.
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Saturday, 3rd May 2014.
TRAINING
Pre-game Preparation
- Agile 8 etc.
- Spent 30 minutes with the ball practicing some moves and turns, juggling and some ball to wall passing. Finished off with 10 tempo runs of 60 meters at about 70%.
- Glute stretching and ankle rehab.
Tomorrows game is against one of the in-form teams of the season. It will be interesting to see what the line-up will be. By now the squads are usually published on our private Facebook page, but the new coaching staff have chosen not to use Facebook, leaving many of us players in the dark wondering what will happen come tomorrow.
NUTRITION
8:00am: BCAAs and coffee (pre-workout)
9:30am: Half a cup of oats with chia seeds and cinnamon, and 2 scoop Metabolic Drive shake (post-workout).
12:00pm: Green smoothie (including pear, coconut water, celery, kale, spinach, cucumber and beetroot)
1:30pm: 5 egg (minus 2 yolks) scrambled eggs, half an avocado, a tomato, and 3 chicken âshashlicksâ.
4:00pm: Quest protein bar, an apple and an ounce of macadamias.
6:30 pm: 2 massive bowls of mumâs minestrone soup, and 4 cevap(croatian sausages) sammiches.
notes: Once again I overate at dinner time. Im going to have to start watching myself with this, as this is one of the things that can occur with those that IF. Although its not everyday that I am back in the city visiting my family and have access to mums cooking!
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Sunday, 4th May 2014.
GAME-DAY
We won 2-4.
We went into todays game as underdogs and our formation reflected that as we started the game in a defensive 4-5-1 formation. They scored in the first 5 minutes as our defensive failed to clear the ball in a few simple situations. They scored again about 15 minutes to go 2-0 up at half time. We scored a quick 2 goals in the first 15 minutes of the first half, and then again with 20 minutes to go to take the lead 2-3. We then scored again with 5 minutes ago due to goal-keeper error, which was the opposition goal-keeper passing the ball straight to me for me to poke the ball in.
I played as the lone striker up-front. As the lone striker it means a lot of running and chasing hopeful balls. My endless chasing was finally rewarded to score our 3rd goal, and as mentioned above the opposition goalie gifted me my second goal with 5 minutes to go. I was happy with my performance and happy to score 2 goals, as I am not a natural goal scorer. It will be interesting to see if the coaches decide to put me up front more often. My lower back feels toasty, but with some stretching and foam rolling tomorrow I should be all good.
NUTRITION
8:30am: Quest protein bar
11:30am: Sashimi, miso and 1 cup of rice, and 1 beetroot, carrot and celery juice.
12:30pm: Banana and gatorade (pre-game).
5:00pm: Cabbage rolls(beef and pork mince and rice wrapped in cabbage), on mashed potato, 2 beers and some homemade fried biscuits.
7:00pm: I will probably end the night with 2-3 PB and J sammiches.
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Oh man, youâre menu looks pretty delicious lately. I find that over eating almost always leads to my best workouts, even if my waist line doesnât do so well. How about you?
Congratulations on the game.
Looks like there is hope after all?
Stay strong
[quote]young n wrote:
Congratulations on the game.
Looks like there is hope after all?
[/quote]
Thanks buddy. There might be hope. If we can keep the core group together. Although there is massive room for improvement.
[quote]pabergin wrote:
Oh man, youâre menu looks pretty delicious lately. I find that over eating almost always leads to my best workouts, even if my waist line doesnât do so well. How about you? [/quote]
I notice that for sure. My diet always goes sideways when I visit family in the city. Now Im back home and and I need to get bad to my usual habits.
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I love Quest bars. I eat them as a treat. Every day. Maybe 2.
2 goals!
[quote]strangemeadow wrote:
I love Quest bars. I eat them as a treat. Every day. Maybe 2.
2 goals!
[/quote]
I love the coconut and cashew. Whats your favourite?
I have one a day. Usually at 11 to break my fast and get me through until my proper 1st meal at about 12.
And as we are talking supplements, I am looking into plazma &/or MAG-10 to use for game days and hard conditioning sessions. Anyone got any suggestions on protocols?
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Monday, 5th May 2014.
TRAINING
My lower back is worse than I first thought, although I have high hopes that I should be good to play next weeks game. I think I just pushed myself a little too much, which usually happens int he first few games of the season. With some soft tissue work and some stretching I think I should be ok to continue with my usual training this week.
PM
From now on I am going to try and do ârepetition upperâ about 24-36 hours after game-day, freeing up some training time for later in the week.
Repetition Upper
-
Bodyweight dips; 12,10, 10, 10
-
Weighted pull-ups with 10 kg; 5 sets of 5, and then 5 reps with bodyweight only
-
Lateral raises: 3 sets of 12 x 7 kg.
-
Supersetted 3 sets of dB shrugs with incline hammer curls; 10 x 30 kg the shrugs, 10 x 15 kg for the curls.
-
Finished off with some face-pulls and stretching. My back feels instantly better after some hip stretching.
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theBird,
I eat a Finibar before going to the gym and use Plasma during my workout, every day. Then a double shake, MetabolicDrive right after.
I LOVE the chocolate brownie Quest bar.
I used to use MAG10 after w/outs, but it has a lot of sodium, so I stopped using it, as my blood pressure can be at the lower end of almost having âhighâ blood pressure. The doc said if I cut my salt and did 20 mins of cardio a day Iâd be fine, so I do it and all is good.
Maybe your hip flexors are pulling you so far forward that you back is tight? Stretching those is a great idea, as well as learning to do and engage your transverse abs. Which almost no one does. Learning to âfindâ mine, stregnthen them and engage them while lifting has made a substantial difference.
[quote]strangemeadow wrote:
theBird,
I eat a Finibar before going to the gym and use Plasma during my workout, every day. Then a double shake, MetabolicDrive right after.
I LOVE the chocolate brownie Quest bar.
I used to use MAG10 after w/outs, but it has a lot of sodium, so I stopped using it, as my blood pressure can be at the lower end of almost having âhighâ blood pressure. The doc said if I cut my salt and did 20 mins of cardio a day Iâd be fine, so I do it and all is good.
Maybe your hip flexors are pulling you so far forward that you back is tight? Stretching those is a great idea, as well as learning to do and engage your transverse abs. Which almost no one does. Learning to âfindâ mine, stregnthen them and engage them while lifting has made a substantial difference. [/quote]
Thanks for the info. I had dome some stretching and the relief is almost immediate. Stretching my hamstrings also seems to help. I just need to make time and keep motivated to do my stretching and mobility work. How would I go about finding my transverse abs?
Thanks for the info regarding the supplementation. Do you think Plazma would be useful for a soccer player? What benefits do you find it has?
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Wednesday, 7th May 2014.
TRAINING
PM
Max Effort Upper
-
Barbell bench press; worked up to 5 x 5 with 90 kg.
-
dB military press; 4 sets of 12 x 15 kg, 1 minute rest b/w each set.
-
supersetted 4 sets; seated rows 12 x 45 kg, with rear delt raises 12 x 7kg
-
db curls(for the girls); 3 sets of 12 x 12.5 kg.
-
ab circuit; 3 rounds of 20 swiss ball sit-ups, 10 legs raises and 20 bird dogs.
notes: Was a struggle to get to the gym due to feeling lazy and poor motivation but I am feeling 100% better after. My lower back also is feeling 80% better. I think its just going to be a case of careful management when it comes to my lower back health.
NUTRITION
One word: atrocious. I must of been due for a re-feed as from about 2pm to about 4pm I went on a eating rampage and ate everything that was in sight. Including whole bags of nuts, tuna, pizza, fruit, cereal etc. I think its important not to get to get too disappointed about my lack of nutrition discipline but to learn from it. I think I need to be eating more. I might buy a blender to take to work and have an extra protein shake in my diet.
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[quote]theBird wrote:
[quote]strangemeadow wrote:
theBird,
I eat a Finibar before going to the gym and use Plasma during my workout, every day. Then a double shake, MetabolicDrive right after.
I LOVE the chocolate brownie Quest bar.
I used to use MAG10 after w/outs, but it has a lot of sodium, so I stopped using it, as my blood pressure can be at the lower end of almost having âhighâ blood pressure. The doc said if I cut my salt and did 20 mins of cardio a day Iâd be fine, so I do it and all is good.
Maybe your hip flexors are pulling you so far forward that you back is tight? Stretching those is a great idea, as well as learning to do and engage your transverse abs. Which almost no one does. Learning to âfindâ mine, stregnthen them and engage them while lifting has made a substantial difference. [/quote]
Thanks for the info. I had dome some stretching and the relief is almost immediate. Stretching my hamstrings also seems to help. I just need to make time and keep motivated to do my stretching and mobility work. How would I go about finding my transverse abs?
Thanks for the info regarding the supplementation. Do you think Plazma would be useful for a soccer player? What benefits do you find it has?
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For you, I think Surge is better, more carbs in it. Plasma is protein and carbs.
Try this for the transverse abs:
lay on your back on a mat
bring you feet half way in, so your knees are pointed up and feet are flat on mat
smash your lower back into the mat, as hard as possible, try having someone try to pull a towel out from underneath the âsmallâ of your back, or like if they put their hand there you are trying to crush it with the small of your back.
I arch up first, then push all the way down to find it. Squeeze!
Then, while doing this, hold a 5# (2.5kg?) DB in each hand, over your chest.
Lower the dbâs back over your head, reaching back as far as possible, until the touch the mat. Slowly bring them back up, but to over your belly button. Do all of this while pushing your lower back into the mat as hard as possible. You will eventually feel/find your transverse. Itâs like a strip that runs left to right underneath your belly button.
Now that Iâve found and strengthened mine, squats, benching, DL, rowingâŠeverything is better because of that stabilization.
And its a really good move for your shoulder mobility, lats and pecs. I use 8# dbâs, itâs pretty hard, i do 2 sets of 25.
Give it a try!
^ deadbug variation-ish.
Listen to Mr. Strange hes seen the light (core strength that is)
Thanks for posting that Mr. Strange.
Stay strong
Thanks Mr Strange and young n. I will give that a go tonight before training.
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Thursday, 8th May 2014.
TRAINING
AM
Solo Skill & Conditioning
- Agile 8 etc.
- Warmed up with some ball to wall passing, practiced some moves, 4 sets of 5 reps of cone dribbles, 3 sets of cone doggies with the ball, 5 x 350m sprints, 5 x 5 push-ups followed by 10 m hill sprints. Finished off with some stretching.
notes: A little slow on my runs and my touch was a bit off. That was too be expected due to my poor diet, training and recovery since Sundays game. Hopefully this session has blown away some of the cobwebs. Lower back is getting better by the minute.
PM
Active Recovery
This afternoons training session was meant to be a team training session although due to a number of factors including rain and a lack of players training was cancelled at the last minute. Before training I had done 5 sets of pull-ups(7, 7, 7, 5, 5) supersetted with 12 push-ups. At âtrainingâ I ran about 2 km by myself and finished off with some mobility run throughs. It was good to get the blood flowing in the legs a bit and hopefully this helps me recover from this mornings tough conditioning session.
NUTRITION
6:00am: BCAAs and coffee (pre-training)
8:30am: oats with cinnamon and chia seeds and 2 scoop Metabolic Drive shake.(post-training)
11:00am: Quest protein bar.
1:00pm: Salmon and olives.
2:00pm: Chicken rice paper rolls.
3:30pm: Protein shake (from the health food shop).
5:00pm: 2 sticks of celery with peanut butter.
6:30pm: A finibar (probably didnât need this as team training was cancelled at the last minute).
8:00pm: 2 cups of ground beef with 1 cup of brown rice and a beer.
notes: Nutrition was a little better today. I think I need to go back to counting macros. I donât like not knowing what I am eating. By counting I feel more in-control.
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Friday, 9th May 2014.
TRAINING
PM
Lower Max Effort
- Agile 8 etc.
- Front Squats; worked up to 5 x 5 with 60kg.
- BSS; 3 sets of 10 reps with a 20 kg dB.
- Hamstring curls; 3 sets of 10 x 45 kg.
- Finished off with some TGUs and some deadbugs.
notes: Good session, although I didnât want to push things too hard as I have a game on Sunday. Felt strong on all lifts but I think its time to change this routine around a bit as I have doing the same for the past 5 weeks or so. At the end of the session my girlfriend taught me some dead bug variations and I now understand what Mr Strange and young n are talking about. I really want to work on this, as I feel it will help with my lower back issues.
NUTRITION
11:00am: Quest bar.
1:30pm: 6 boiled eggs (minus 3 yolks), and a green smoothie (spinach, kale, celery, lime, half a kiwi fruit and half a apple).
3:00pm: About 2 cups of ground beef cooked with cabbage and minced vegetables.
5:00pm: A small tuna sushi roll, a 2 scoop Metabolic Drive shake and an apple (pre-workout).
7:30pm: Heaps of grilled chicken breast, 1 cup of white rice, red cabbage salad, pickles and some pickled ginger. And an orange.
notes: Food was good today. I still havenât bothered with counting my macros but Im pretty sure I got my 200 grams plus of protein and Im guestimating about 2,700 calories.
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Saturday, 10th May 2014.
TRAINING
AM
Pre-game Preparation
- Agile 8 etc.
- Spent 40 minutes with the ball practicing various skills, including moves, dribbles and ball control. Finished off with 8 repeat tempo runs at 70% and some stretching/mobility work. Lower back not 100%, but I should be good to play.
Tomorrows game is an away game and hence we go into the game with limited players and as underdogs. We donât have any much information on our opponents as they were in a different division to us last year.
NUTRITION
6:30am: BCAAs and coffee (pre-training).
8:30am: Half a cup of oats with cinnamon & chia seeds, and a 2 scoop Metabolic Drive shake (post-training).
12:30pm: Grilled chicken breast, cabbage salad and half a avocado.
4:00pm: Quest protein bar and an ounce of macadamias.
6:45pm: Going out to dinner with my folks and brother to celebrate my old mans bâday and for mothers day tomorrow. As we are going to an Italian restaurant I will probably have some pasta or maybe even a pizza. Before bed I will consume a concentrated shot of beetroot juice.
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