Training Plan for Week 4

Here is what I plan on dong over the next week.This is week 4 of the journey and the first full week in the new month.

Review of Week 3

The average RPE for week 3 was 8. This shows how the intensity is increasing in the training. Saturdays training is there to prepare my training group for testing that is happening the following week. This weeks training was focused on speed and the specific exercises. Again early on in the week my right plantar fascia was playing up but thankfully it eased off and had completely disappeared by Thursday.

Training for Week 3

After completion of the 2nd week of training, here is what I plan on doing for week 3.

Review of Week 2

The average RPE for this week was 7.5. Throughout the week I was running with a tight planter fascia, this is an injury that I suffer from quite regularly as I managed to tear my right one at the end of 2009 and then tore my left one in Europe last year. Although this is painful during the session with maintenance it is not an issue and does not stop me from training. again training this week is focusing on speed/muscle endurance to help create and hold fitness.  Saturdays session is a speed and power session, with Sunday being a strength session.

Training for Week 2

After completing last weeks training here is what i plan on doing for week 2.

Review of Week One

The average RPE for week one is 7.6. This weeks training was the first week so it is expected to be a bit liter week and here should be a gradual build up. all of this training for the week is working speed/muscle endurance but also still have 1 speed/power session.

Weight Training Program

Here is my proposed weight training program for throughout the whole 12 week journey.

Tuesday is going to my heavy lifting day as this makes sense as its a dedicated day to weights. Here is what it looks like.

Thursdays weights session is going to be a lighter weight day as i will have track training prior to making my way to the gym.

Finally Saturday's weights is going to be focused around Olympic weights and power. This suits training nicely as the track session I will do prior to this will have the same focus on power.

Training Plan for August

Here is the training program for the whole month of August and the first month of training.

The Start

My secondary goal is to get my skinfolds down to under 60mm of subcutaneous fat. In doing this it will mean I will not have to carry around as much weight for the race. At this stage I have 71mm of subcutaneous fat. Although this is not a large amount I am hoping to lose it is still a fair amount. The goal in completion this is to reduce my carbohydrate intake while increasing my protein. This will also mean cutting down on the drinking I have been doing and not eating out as much.

Here is a copy from the original InBody Screening test

Start of week one

It has come time to begin this training, this week i will be attempting to do the training that is listed below. Here's hoping that it will all go well.

Principles of Training Used

When putting my training program together, the principles of training that i used were Body Composition   Speed, Power, Cardio Fitness, Muscular Fitness- Strength, Muscular Fitness - Endurance, Flexibility  Agility,  Balance, Reaction and Coordination.

Body Composition - This is the relative Percentage or amount of body fat, muscle , bone and any other tissue that makes up the body. This is important to me and this challenge as having to carry around excess fat for 400m hurdles is causing me to use more energy getting around the track then say someone who has less. Therefore part of this goal is to also reduce my skinfolds to under 60mm of subcutaneous fat. By dropping weight and increasing muscular power I should be able to be much more efficient around the 400m hurdles.

Speed -  is the ability to perform a movement over a short amount of time. this is especially important as the 400m Hurdles is still regarded as a sprint and the faster your top end speed is the faster you will be able to go over the longer distance. this is due to the fact that if you start at saying running a 12 second 100m then when your running a 400m you would be running about 13-14 second 100m, but if you can increase your speed to say 11 seconds over 100m then your 400m speed is going to increase to 12-13 second 100m while still using the same amount of effort you were using before.

Power - is the ability of the muscles to produce a force rapidly. This is a crucial part of any sprint event as we rely on a higher power to weight ratio. in specific to the 400m hurdles power is crucial to every hurdle as you need to be quick and proficient over each one and also in as you need the power to help get you up to speed as quick as possible.

Cardio Fitness - is the ability to transfer nutrients and oxygen from the heart ,blood and lungs to the muscles, and the ability of the muscles to use this as fuel. Although this is not important in the sprints themselves, as the whole race is performed anaerobically without oxygen, it is a huge factor when training for the event. Due to the demands of training for the longer sprint/hurdles a high cardio fitness is essential in being able to recover in the short rest periods. Therefore is something that is continually need to be maintained.

Muscular Fitness Strength - this is the ability of the muscles to lift a heavy weight.This is important to all sprinters as it helps to create power. Although it is important it is more of a supporting role than anything else.

Muscular Fitness Endurance - this is the ability of the muscles to exert themselves repeatedly over a long time without fatigue. This plays a crucial role in running as we are using our legs repetitively over the course of the race, is especially important in the sprints as this is done at a much faster pace meaning the legs fatigue much quicker. So is a major factor towards the end of the races.

Flexibility -  is the range of motion available at a joint. This plays into all sprint events as you need the flexibility to help extend your body and stay relaxed. its even more crucial in the hurdles as you need the flexibility in the hamstrings, glutes, abductors and adductors, to be able to efficiently lift your leg over the hurdles and not lose rhythm.

Agility- is the ability to change direction of movement rapidly and accurately. This is important as when running a 400m on a track you have to run two bends, and cant afford to be any slower on these than on the straights. This also includes the having to hurdle on a bend and also just being able to hurdle on the straight with out losing time.

Balance - is the ability to maintain equilibrium while stationary or moving. This is important as you have to keep your balance while running as well as keeping your balance coming off each hurdle.

Reaction - is the ability to rapidly respond to a stimulus or signal. This is important in my race as i need to react to the starters gun. In the longer sprints it ain't as important but if 100m it is very. Also just having to react on my stride when hurdling.

Coordination - this is the ability to use your sense of sound and sight with your body parts to complete a a motor skill or movement. This is important as you need to be coordinated to run fast as well as hurdling. If there was a lack of coordination you would not be able to hurdle while running and you will find you will begin losing a lot of time over each hurdle, with the worse case scenario being that you hit one and trip.

Beginning of the Journey

Hey everyone

The purpose of this page is so I can take you along my journey of trying to become a carded athlete again. To do this I am going to have to run a sub 52sec 400m hurdles before I turn 20 on the 29th of October 2012. This is not going to be an easy goal as it requires me to run a PB(personal best) of 2.24secs to achieve under the 52sec mark. Along the way I am sure to have barriers regarding injuries as sadly this is just the nature of the sport. Anyway I hope you enjoy this blog and hope to keep you updated as much as possible.

Stephen