Tag Archives: sprint

Todays Training- Sunday & Monday

Posted on by
Reply

Sunday Training

Hello All,

I’ve decided that for now at least this will be the last update of my daily training diary. It’s been going for around 2 weeks and hopefully given you an idea of what i do and how i train. It was never intended to go on forever and I’d hate to get to the stage where I am boring you. I’ll do it again as and when i change my training drastically. As always if you have any questions please feel free to ask or drop in some comments.

Sunday: Yes Sunday….I don’t normally train on Sundays but the kids were out, I had 50 minutes to kill so i thought why not. I feel that my Chest is lagging behind a bit compared to some other parts so this was a good chance to give it an extra session. So here we go.

Incline Barbell bench press. This is not an exercise i do too often but thought I’d give it a go and hit it hard. I tried to hit 10 sets although struggled a bit on the last 2. I did 2 warm up sets of 12 reps@40kg, 2 sets of 10 reps@50kg, 2 sets of 6 reps at 60kg, 2 sets of 6@50kg and then 2 sets to failure @40kg which only got to 10 and then 7 reps.

Then onto a flat bench and some dumbbells. I picked up 2 sets, a 22kg set and a 14kg set. I then supersetted dumbbell press (alternate 1 arm then the other) with the 22kg’s which also strengthens the core, with dumbbell fly’s with the 14kg’s, 4 sets in total.

Finally over to the cable machine and 4 sets of standing cable crossover. This was not too heavy (25kg on each side) but with real concentration on squeezing the Pec’s as much as possible.

That was me pretty much done but i just wanted to finish with some cardio/HiiT. Out into the Gym car park which was pretty empty and did some sprints. The distance was about 50m. Sprinted the distance at about 90% capacity and to a slow walk back to the start. Repeated 8 times, then got in the car and went home, Sunday training finished.

Monday: Today i wanted to hit back, abs and possibly some biceps if i had time. Last week i did heavy deadlifts and have come to the conclusion that i need to be more careful with them as my lower back and left hip hurts and i still have some sciatica down my left leg and into my calf…..so no Deadlifts for me today.

I started wide grip pull ups. I’m not good at these but they are gradually improving. I cranked out 5 sets of 7 reps, although the last 2 sets were more like 6 and a bit.

Then over to a bench and some heavy bent over single arm rows with 35kg. I concentrated on really pulling with my back and rowing the weight up and back to my hip rather than pulling with bicep. 4 sets of 8 reps on each side.

Then over to the Lat pulldown machine. 3 sets of wide grip pulldowns with palms forward super setted with close grip pulldowns with palms facing backwards towards my face. Again the concentration was on pulling down with the Lats and squeezing the scapular together.

Finally to the cable machine for some high level face pulls with a rope, again concentrating on squeezing the rear Delts and Traps. That was back done.

Next on to Abs. I like to work Abs in a circuit to really fry them and also because it saves time.

Hanging leg raises 8 reps, straight into V sit type sit ups where you touch hands to toes, but using a 6kg medicine ball for 12 reps, and then finally a 45 second plank. No rest between exercises and 4 sets.

I had 10 minutes left so just grabbed an EZ curl bar and banged out 6 sets of 10 reps with 30kg.

Job done, time to head home. My back is killing me today so may have a day off from training tomorrow.

Take Care,

John

The Fastest Way to Lose Fat- Sprinting!!

Posted on by
2

Sprinting 1  Sprinting 2

 

 

So you are getting yourself fit, going to the gym and starting to eat more healthily but just don’t seem able to burn off those last couple of inches of fat. Well here is a surefire way to do it. It’s not easy and can be hard work but it is quick, both in terms of time taken and results.

Firstly let me ask you a question. How many fat and/or skinny sprinters have you seen? In fact would you agree with me that most sprinters or explosive short distance runners , both male and female, tend to have bodies we would all die for. They are muscular, lean and generally just RIPPED!

That isn’t a coincidence, its entirely down to the type of training and exercise they do. Sprinting overloads many of the muscles in the body and sends your metabolism and production of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) into overdrive. All of these factors combine to burn calories and help you shed fat at a ferocious rate.

That all sounds great, but “What do i need to do?” you ask. It really couldn’t be any simpler. Pull on your trainers, tie up your laces and Sprint! Seriously, you can do it anywhere. The road outside your house, your local park, the car park at your Gym, school playground etc.

Here is what i would recommend. Measure out a distance of only 40-60 metres. Sprint at about 90% of your capacity for that distance then turn around and walk back to the start. Depending on your level of fitness repeat it 5-12 times. That’s it, job done. It may take 10 minutes at most. Do it two or three times a week and watch as the fat melts away. In fact take a look at this video Here by Jeff Cavaliere that explains things perfectly. I make no secret of the fact that I pretty much stole the concept of this blog post from him, but the secret of health and fitness is applying the knowledge that you gain from a variety of sources.

The great thing about this is that it applies to all ages, abilities and fitness levels. It isn’t a race. It is about pushing yourself hard and overloading your body. A quick word of warning. Don’t go straight into this unless you have done a few weeks of fitness work first and especially with a little focus on your legs and hamstrings. If you just go out and sprint flat out having done nothing for 2 years you may tear a muscle and you definitely won’t burn fat sitting on the sofa waiting for your injury to heal. In fact I would suggest that the first 3 or 4 times you do this just run at about 60% capacity, a fast trot. It will still work, still burn some fat but will also allow your body to acclimatise.

I know that a lot of people don’t like running but just 10 minutes 2 or 3 times a week will make the world of difference to your cardiovascular fitness, heart, lungs and best of all will melt away the spare inches that you want to lose and reveal those hard worked for muscles.

Take Care,

John