July 29 Vikings Training, Arms, Legs and lower core
July 30 Rest
July 31 Arms, Legs (core)
Aug 1 Wheelers Game, lower Core
On July 29 I went to Gawler for Vikings Training. Upon my return home I did a workout lasting 40 minutes. It consisted of 2 cycles of my six 'arms' sets, using 6 kg weights (plus the bars) for curls, butterfly raises and overhead lifts (10 reps for these), 4kg for forwards and sideways raises, and the coffee table for my 'chair' lifts (10 reps). Between each of these strength exercises I performed various of my leg/lower core drills. Namely two Sumo Squats, 2 sets of ten squats, 2 x single leg balances (3 reps per leg), 2 x hamstring plank (40s each leg), 2 sets of nine lunges (used to fit ten into the stretch of floor I use). So it was a pretty dense session. Had meat and bread afterwards.
I had a rest day on 30 July. I hadn't originally planned to do so but was absolutely knackered after work and decided not to push myself any further that day. Perhaps just as well, because the next day I felt rested and more healthy. Just as the recovery time during a workout is perhaps the key time of the whole session, so in some ways a rest day in a longer term program. Life gets busy for me the next couple of weeks, so I'll probably have a few more.
On July 31 I pretty much repeated my exercise routine from the 29th, with the added pleasure of performing nine reps in the second set I did of any particular strength exercise (except for those exercises which I do ten reps for anyway), and carrying weights when I performed my squats and lunges. I'd originally planned to also go for a run, which would have given me over an hour of exercise, but time and practicality intervened so I was limited to the stay at home exercises. I seemed to cruise through the forty minutes so I might need to step it up with something else on future occasions.
August began with a forty minute core workout, picking up on most of the exercises in my usual routine which I have not done for a few days. I upped the intensity of the session by limiting recovery to 15 seconds between sets most of the time (up to 30 seconds if the next set of exercises would work the same or similar muscle groupings). Thus I did 2 high lunges per leg, 2 sets of 3 seated twists, 2 side planks per side of 45s, 3 sets of 10 leg lifts, 10 McGill Curls per side, 10 thigh rock backs, 3 10s bridges, and 2 45s Swedish ball plank leg lifts per side. I have thus extended my plank times by 15 seconds (both on floor and ball) and doubled the number of leg lifts over the past month. I guess that's success.
In the evening I played with the Wheelers at Gawler. In this post I will limit commentary about the game to the health and fitness aspects only, and even then only as much as they affect my off season program (and the fact that we won 6-3). Of most significance is the fact that I appear to have strained a muscle in the upper rear leg, just beneath the big glutes. I am icing it as I write this about six hours later, having also put an ice pack on a couple hours after the injury and a liberal dosing of arnica shortly afterwards. I had been asked to play as a reserve in Div I game tomorrow but I think I'll have to give it a miss. As with any other running activiy, and exercises that drive the hamstring muscle group. If I'm lucky, I'll be back on track by Monday. If not then, Wednesday training might be the next best restart time. If not then, next Saturday's Wheeler's game.
Until the injury, I had thought the challenge was to work in sprints and runs as well as workouts, work and family commitments over the next few days. Sigh. I'm sure there's some other things I can do in the meantime however.
All part of the meta-drill.
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