2015 - June Gym Challenge - Training

Hi

My name is Sean Blyth, creator of the World Gym Challenge. I thought it would be nice just to show you the type of training I do for a MGC (Monthly Gym Challenge)

I would consider myself a Intermediate WGC Gym Athlete , so It may come as a surprise to many that the figures I publish in this article are aimed at the performance stats I endure during the month of June. To many they will seem very average, but to me I can honestly say that I am giving everything I can to these sessions.

This is the Challenge ....

• Intermediate 3 x sub 10 minute rounds.
• Advanced 3 x sub 10 minute rounds.

29th June - Challenge Day

Yes ! Completed my goal today with 3 x sub 10.

• Treadmills (10% incline) were all completed at 8 kph.
• The Rows started off at around a 2:05 split and ended up being around around a 2:15
• The Bench 30 x 30 kg completed in one (no recovery)
• The Thrusters 20 x 20 kg completed in one (no recovery)

Summary

If you compete in Gym X Training you will know that maximum effort is a very hard element of training to deal with. You will find your demons for sure - its here where this sport takes hold. Do you quit ? Do you go on? It's not for everybody, but I can assure you this - you will motivated , focused and achieve outstanding results. All of which is based on what you are prepared to put into it.

History of Training ...

28th June - RECOVERY

27th June - Bodyweight Fitness Challenge.

Todays training was 3 minutes and 42 seconds in duration. It was a High Intensity Challenge - four stations as fast as possible . And that was it. The intensity of this challenge is such that the benefit of such a short workout is that if you are short on time, the actual time spent in the gym can be your limiting reason as to why you may give up training - as long as you have built up a good solid aerobic base in training - then High Intensity is a option you can consider.

26th June - Bodyweight Fitness Challenge

The Reebok Deck or risers and a Reebok and probably the most versatile piece of equipment in any gym. Just so many exercises can be created with varying duration and intensity that its impossible really to ignore this piece of kit.

I created this challenge in two categories Advanced and Intermediate and it involves nothing more than a bench or Reebok Deck. I took this challenge to a local 02 store for their Sports Day theme event, look at the video here ...

But first of all I had to try it in the gym and see if it worked. I can honestly say the duration and intensity for me as a Intermediate was spot on. I wanted to get a feel for this so I brought three sessions of active recovery of 5 minutes on the bike.

25th June - RECOVERY

24th June - June Gym Challenge 2

Adding in the AST (Alternate Squat Thrusts) and Push Ups means that the challenge is now only reliable on the Barbell (20 kg) being free for weights.

The aim was to complete the thrusters in one and also to complete all three stages of the treadmill without stopping at 8 kph - managed the thrusters, not the treadmill !

If you set yourself small goals - then your training becomes more focused. And even if you fail those goals , the benefit in training at this intensity will give you added conditioning with your weekly workout.

23rd June - White Sheep Gym Challenge 26 seconds quicker !

WGC works on the principle of benchmarking results so you are always encouraged to go faster then your previous best. And all you need to do that is a stopwatch on your watch. It's very effective, as you can see.

I would expect this result to be about minus 1 minute in an event due to race conditions and set up.

22nd June

The start of training again with the White Sheep Event I created in my personal file. This challenge was as close to the Intermediate in Black Sheep as I could get (ish) in the layout of my gym. It involved double AST due to knee injury and avoiding the bench jumps, it also had the 200 m 10% incline sprint instead of 10 x 20 m shuttle runs. I had given myself two days comparison days - one to try it and get a feel for it .. the next to go as hard as I could.

Here is the result from day one

21st June - Black Sheep Admin Day (No Training) The Black Sheep and Gym X Training Championships involved extensive travel to Manchester (from Kent) and was literally an all day commitment, along with certain administration activity meant there was no time to train over this weekend.

20th June - Black Sheep X Training Event (No Training)

19th June - Rest Day

18th June - Full Body Strength Endurance - Squat / Pull / Push / Pull / Push Routine

There is a huge benefit for strength endurance training for Gym X Training, taking the body as a singular structure and getting it to move in and out of its comfort zone, while maintaining good form and trying as much as possible to control heart rate as the body begins to flood itself with lactic.

The Exercise included 100 movements using a 30 kg Barbell in the following sequence:

• Back Squat - 20 reps
• Romanian Deadlift - 20 reps
• Standing Shoulder Press - 20 reps
• Upright Row - 20 reps
• Bench Press - 20 reps

The target time for an Intermediate is sub 20 mins - of which today I failed miserably !! But that's good to realise where your weaknesses are so you can focus your strength endurance to those areas.

17th June - RECOVERY

16th June - Half Way Focus.

Today I needed to see if I was progressing and getting near the 3 x sub 10. Pleased to say I am! In fact I would have probably achieved it today if it had not been for an element of bad luck in the gym (the treadmill had to reset and I had to find the 20 kg bar after someone had moved it) But 7 seconds out is OK by me.

15th June Bike and Sprint Inclines

Today was all about steady state cardio with spike incline running. The aim as to complete 4 km in around 10 minutes. This meant keeping the rpms low (75 - 80) and then hitting the treadmill to see how far you could push yourself on the inclines.

The aim was to complete 400 m @ 10 % Incline at:

• 8 kph - achieved
• 9 kph - achieved
• 10 kph - failed (due to incline failure)
• 10 kph - failed ( from around 250 m) but ended on a 12 .2 kph final 100 m

The 3rd incline run again had Pulse Fitness Treadmills failing and returning to level ground for no reason (this was not the same treadmill as before) so although I achieved the target time from around 200 m the incline was not there, but returned to incline from about 300 m. The final incline run had me max out at around 250 m followed by a short walk then a final 100 m sprint at around 12.2 kph.

The steady state cardio mixed with incline sprints is a brilliant way to fluctuate between varying heart rates and active recovery. There was a short walk between treadmill and bike, which account for anything beyond 10 minutes on the bike.

15th June

14th June - RECOVERY

13th June - 3 x 10 minute Circuits

Again with the 3 x 10 minute circuit challenge, but this time using using dumbbells and Step Ups which feature heavily in Gym X Training events. The dumbbells also add a nice variation to the barbell and will let your stabilising muscles be more active during the press stage of the thruster.

What was unique about the third stage is the collapse of the mind set and focus once the the routine in the 3rd stage faltered. At about 21 Step Ups into the 100 I rested, this is a mix of maxing out at heart rate or just not being driven enough to carry on (no doubt a training partner would help at this stage) What can then be described as a collapse of some magnitude followed, with constant pauses on the step ups, which meant I knew I would be outside of the 10 minute set target.

This can happen during any race when psychologically you have been set off balance and its a good starter to be able to bounce back from, when in training you can overcome these hurdles - so when I try this circuit again - my focus is even more driven to be able to complete all three rounds in sub 10 minutes, which today on this occasion I failed.

12th June - RECOVERY

11th June - Sub 10 minute Rounds / Injury Management

I noticed today that my left soleus calf muscle was feeling a little tight. Testing it on the treadmill I decided to rest the muscle as much as possible and skip treadmill work today. I still wanted to push the 20 x 20 kg Barbell Thrusters in one , so that was my aim.

So the session was row dominant maintaining a steady 2:10 /500 row pace. A trick I do to keep focus on the row is count back from 65 pulls when I reach 250 m, which balances out roughly to 750 m.

The trick is at this level (Intermediate) is to be able to perform the thrusters in one. This is not so much due to strength but heart rate control and you near max out by the time you reach 20. This I imagine would be the same for the Advanced guys when they complete 30 reps at their required reps, based on the row they had just completed.

I completed the sub 10 minute rounds and the Thrusters / Bench Press in one. So my aims and focus on this session was completed.

10th June - Low Aerobic Conditioning (LAC)

Today's session is all about maintaining a steady heart rate at around 70 - 85% mhr. Also as I have a meniscus tear I have to be very careful about impact, so using the X Trainer at a fixed rate for around an hour is perfect, as normally I would recommend a run. When training Tracy Davies (UGA female Champion) these sessions would be called Ferrari in First, which sums up the whole experience. It's a steady continuous low aerobic challenge which builds up a solid aerobic base.

9th June - RECOVERY

8th June - Still trying to break 10 minute circuits. On this occasion I did, but fell victim to Pulse Treadmills once again losing incline for no reason. So although I managed three x sub 10, if the treadmill had held its incline , I don't think I would have managed it.

• 1st 400 m /10% incline / 8 kph
• 2nd 400 m / 10% incline/ 200 m 8 kph ... short recovery / finish on 10 kph sprint
• 3rd 400 m / 10 % incline /200 m .. 8 kph ... then short sprint on lower incline (Treadmill fault)

7th June - Circuit Class

A one hour circuit class of moderate intensity. A nice finisher to a week training

6th June

The Complex Push Pull Squat Routine © followed by Bike Sprints.

This challenge prepares you physically and mentally to endure very high lactic and fatigue. The recovery periods are structured to give you just enough time to go through the next stage and still be prepared to finish the circuit.

• 3 min As many reps as possible (AMRAP)
• 90 seconds recovery
• Complex - Push - Pull - Squat - Circuit
• Bike Sprints - 1.5 km - 3 km - 5 km
• 90 sec / 3 min recovery

The Complex is a sequence of weight lifts one after the other.

• Deadlift
• Reverse Curl
• Overhead Press
• Back Squat
• Overhead Press
• To ground
• You can substitute a Clean as the 1st movement, avoiding the Deadlift/Reverse Curl

5th June - RECOVERY

4th June

Today's session was looking at heart rate recovery and hitting the Barbell Thrusters before the run, of which I can tell you is extremely fatiguing. The run was the most challenging part today as I fatigued very quickly often slowing at around the 200 m mark.

• Bike 2 km - Roughly 4:40 splits around the 70 - 80 rpm @ 30 % maximum level
• Thrusters 15 x 30 kg - first set 8 / 2nd set 7
• Treadmill 10% incline - a lot of walking - totally fatigued - 3:45 average
• Bench Press 30 x 30 kg - Completed in one.

3rd June - Row and Treadmill Training ... A 46 min class of rowing and treadmill running.

2nd June

World Gym Challenge.com LTD©