Muscle up

Phase 2 of my Half Ironman preparation is now complete. The biggest improvement i gained from this last 5 weeks was the strength gains from my gym workouts. I wasn't doing anything special, i don't look "massive", i just feel strong and ready to cope with some more volume in my training.



Over the years I've discussed training programs with many endurance athletes and I'm amazed at how little importance they place on correct strength and conditioning in a gym environment. Yet they wonder why they get so many injuries and fail to absorb their training volume. I feel that without the correct base (appropriate mix of aerobic endurance, technical skills and strength training) an athlete can be limiting their gains further down the track. I also feel that not doing strength work is ignoring a vital aspect of ones general health and well being. One of the ways the medical/wellness world classifies the rate of aging is muscle mass. The less muscle mass you maintain the faster you age!



Consider this:

• Aerobic exercise (huffy puffy exercise that lasts 10mins or longer) breaks down fat for energy via a process called beta oxidation bit it also breaks down protein (muscle) in the process. Therefore aerobic exercise is classified as " Catabolic". Why do marathon runners always look real skinny? Catabolic breakdown of human tissue!

• Weight training or strength training done in short and intense bursts on the other hand can be performed without the presence of oxygen. This is done via metabolizing muscle glycogen into pyruvate through glycolysis rather then breaking down human tissue and therefore makes it "Anabolic". This is why people who lift weights or in list in strength training have more muscle when compared to marathon runners etc.

So considering that most people would rather slow their rate of aging i would have to say maintaining moderate amounts of muscle mass is pretty darn important both on a health and well being aspect and a sports performance aspect.

I don't tell my athletes to hit the gym 5 times per week and get massive mind you, i just advocate 1-3 sessions geared to their postural needs and general strength. This is enough to generate the gains they require for their health maintenance and improved sporting performance.

Benefits from weight training:

• Improved coordination
• Better flexibility
• Improved posture
• Injury prevention
• Greater body awareness
• Improvements in blood pressure
• Greater sporting performance
• Makes you look great!!!

The type of exercises i have been doing to form my personal program have been simple however, I'm focused on doing them correctly and also in ways to emulate movements in my sport and in general life.

I have been generally doing 4x 8-15 reps depending on the exercise and desired result I'm after. I'm so excited at how well this has gone for me that I'm absolutely busting to start my next phase of training tomorrow morning. I am now moving into some more specific training that should give me enough endurance to complete the Canberra Half Ironman without too much drama.

Only 7 weeks to go!

Happy training

Rosko

Canberra Half here i come!

Ok, so my timeline for this blog is a little behind due to the nature of what i call "progressive motivation". PM is generally how your motivation can evolve over a series of events and usually sparks up when you're feeling good and/or getting some results from your efforts. It can happen when you puchase a new bike or record a new best time running your favourite training loop. Whatever it is, it starts a train reaction of events that continually ups your motivation...


My training actually kicked off 8 weeks ago over a few black rats (bundy rums) at my mate Joe's bucks party when another good mate Ross H threw the idea out there to complete the Canberra Half Ironman Triathlon on December 16. Now considering all i had done this year was concern myself with other peoples health and fitness objectives, knock out a few night rides at Stromlo and do the odd set of pushies with my clients i was batting way out of my crease in this conversation. Yet i was quietly excited (also a little drunk) to give the lads a call come Monday and cement the commitment.


So given that my first objective was the Canberra Half and that it was only 17 weeks away i started training! I wrote out a training plan with a few test races along the way and got the ball rolling. I wanted to just get going so I've not programmed in any fancy workouts with heart rates to train to or specific power wattage's to follow. All I've done is set some "guidelines" that are pretty flexible based on how i cope with it all. I guess it all revolves around "feeling good" and if it's working i will just keep rolling with it. This is what i thought to be a fun way to approach this event and so far it's working.

The progression to my motivation started with the idea of completing my first Half Ironman, purchasing a new dual suspension mountain bike and then reading the lead up to the Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon which has now been run and won by Australia's Chris Mccormack! Yeah! To top that off a mate of mine from way back Luke Mckenzie came 19th after a year that stated with injury. All these events have contributed to my "Progressive Motivation" and now i'm ready to rock.

The reason I'm so big on this Progressive Motivation cycle is because it's something i try and instill in my clients when we do some goal setting. I believe the biggest reward you get from achieving a goal is not so much crossing that line or actually quantifying your goal. I believe it's who you have to become or what you have to overcome in order to achieve your goal that holds the true glory!


Training has been broken down into 3 phases. Each phase is very simple and achievable around business commitments, planning a wedding and keeping up with social activities.


Phase 1 was the just get moving phase that focused mostly on gym work (3 sessions per week) to straighten out a few kinks with 1 swim, 1 ride and 1 run per week thrown into the mix. This phase also included the Canberra times 10km fun run mid September to test the fitness early. I surprised myself running in at 40:23 weighing 85kg (15kg over what i used to race at) and having had a little still in the tank. Recovery from this run was slow and painful which i guess is what you get without any base fitness for that type of event. All things considered i was happy with my first little step. Total training hrs per week averaged out at 7hrs per week.


Phase 2 was a small step up from phase one that mainly focused on staying consistent. It is the current phase I'm in right now with less then a week remaining till i hit phase 3. This phase focused on 2 swims, 2 rides and 2 runs per week however i dropped gym workouts down to just 2 per week to cope with the aerobic training volume increasing. I also competed in the Scott 24hr MTB race in Team Retrolight.com.au as part of a 4 man team. We all rode consistently and finished 20th out of 120 starting teams in our category. Recovery from this event was also slow but I'm told (by some respectable endurance elders) that i didn't sink enough beers after the event which hampered my recovery. Total training hrs per week are averaging out at 9hrs


And finally phase 3 will be another step up in aerobic endurance volume. Nothing fancy intensity wise, no training tricks and nothing new. Just focusing on consistency and upping it to 3 sessions in all disciplines while dropping my gym workouts to only one per week. I'm currently planning on doing my first Tri in 3yrs this month at the TACT Spring Fling which is a 400m swim, 18km Ride and a 4km run. It's not a long one but it will bust me up none the less. I will work through this phase until 2 weeks out from the Canberra Half with hopefully a 3-4 day ridding camp in the hills with my buddy Josh and then kick back for the 2 week taper!! Total training hrs per week will be between 14 and 17hrs per week...



On the Calendar:

• 4th November CORC MTB xc race


• 10th November Majura Vineyard classic xc 15km run
  
• 18th November Sri Chinmoy Triple Tri (1.5km swim, 20km run)


• 25th November TACT Spring Fling 400m swim,18km ride, 4km run
• 30th November - 3 December Jindabyne training camp
  
• 16 December Canberra Half Ironman Triathlon 1.9km swim, 90km ride, 21.1km run
  
  

It's fair to say I'll be racing my way into shape..

Healthy regards

Rosko

Virgin Blog Post

Let the games begin! After years of torment for my lack of internet happenings i've finally got myself a blog. I can now say i'm fully up to date because i also have a facepage and mybook.

For the last 2 years i've been running a successful health & fitness consulting business, building a Juice PLUS+ Franchise and generally going under the radar with my own sporting adventures... Until now. Now is the time to not only start stepping up my own program but it's also time to give my clients, friends and family some insight into how i do it. Considering i have been asked 5 times this last week to set one up is a moderate sign a few punters may browse my dribble from time to time.

The focus of this blog is to blog (odly enough) the road to my first IRONMAN Triathlon in the summer of 2009 or sooner. I will be posting training, nutrition and race information to hopfully inspire others get a little more out of their training and health regimes.

So where has this sudden motivation come from you may be asking?

Well, it's not sudden at all, it's something that i've been planning since i ran down the finishing shoot at the 1992 Foster IRONMAN with my Dad - Paul Blake. It was such a great time, so much colour and excitement that i want to now have a go myself.

Stay tuned...

Rosko