training log Jul 19th

Part of my running route in Central London, so thankful there are beautiful parks here

Adaptations from cardio workouts are kicking in, and strength has increased a little bit as well. The balance of endurance and strength seems to be aligned properly for now.

Monday - main lifts and hiit

Deadlifts 3 x 8

Squats 3 x 8

DB chest press 3 x 8

I was able to do one squat set with slightly more weight than last week.

Someone was curling in the only squat rack available. You don’t think these things happen to you… until it does.

HIIT workout at home

It was a hot and humid day, and I did a 45 minutes full body dumbbell HIIT workout, which left me drenched. I'm trying to make these exercises aligned with my Iron Man training, which means incorporating a little more leg work than usual.

Here is the link if you're interested.

Tuesday - Back day and VO2 intervals

Seated rows - 1 top set with 2 back offs

Single arm dumbbell rows - 3 x 12

Face pulls - 3 x 15

Straight arm pull downs 3 x 15

All the weights were back to normal, due to this being the 3rd week back from holidays. I even went heavier on the rows than last week.

Vo2 intervals cycling workout

• 4 intervals of 4 minutes at 115% of FTP

• 4 minutes rest in between.

Last week I struggled to stay at 110% of my FTP so this was a great surprise.

I'm loving the way these intervals are feeling. The 4 x 4s improve:

• Cardiac output: how much blood your heart can pump with each pump

• Oxygen utilization in the muscles by increasing enzyme activity

• Increased mitochondrial density in fast twitch muscle fibres

Needless to say, these will be a cornerstone of my hybrid training.

Wednesday - Leg day and long run

Front squats: 3 x 12

Good mornings: 12, 12, 8

Leg press: 12, 15, 15

Lying hamstring curls: 3 x 15

Weights went up on all lifts except the good mornings.

Long run - two loops of hyde park

I ran for 15km, in 1h30min, which is a 6km/hour pace.

My goal for this Wednesday session is more about time on my feet than pacing. From experience, I know that long distance events put the body through the ringer. These Wednesday sessions are all about spending long periods of time running.

Last week, my feet were really sore after this session. This week it's a little better. Mentally, I want to be comfortable with long distances again.

Thursday - upper body, mobility and threshold on the bike

Smith machine incline bench press 3 x 8

Seal rows 4 x 10

Rear delt rows 3 x 15

Lat pul downs 6, 12, 12

I feel like a delicate flower the day after my long runs. I did a 20 min mobility routine for my upper and lower body.

The strength training went very well, no pain in my shoulder during or after the incline press, which is a very good sign.

Some incline bench work

Cardio - threshold intervals on the bike

3 x 10 minutes at 100% of FTP.

Last week was at 95% of FTP. Next week will be two intervals of 15 minutes at 95%.

Friday - Single leg exercises and zone 2

Split squats 3 x 12

Hip thrusts 3 x 15

Walking lunges 3 x 10

Single leg hamstring curls

The weight went up on all the lifts except the lunges.

Zone 2 cardio for 45 minutes on the treadmill. Legs felt good two days after the long, very encouraging.

Takeaways

The highlight for me was the long run. Last week I ran for an hour and a half and was sore for 5 days after. It was an uncomfortable experience.

This week was much better. Yes I ran for less time, but the experience throughout was much better. I didn't feel sore for days afterward. I was highly functional the day after.

Goals for next week:

• Keep the same weight for the strength workouts

• Keep the same route for the long run, at the same pace

• Increase the VO2 intervals and thresholds workout