After this I went back on to upper body machines. One thing I am keen to get out of my PEP is to be able to control my body for example, to do more chin-ups and press ups. So with this I went on to the chin up bar. I managed to do two sets of the first set, I did 15 and then the next set I did 10, after this my biceps felt very tight . Next I went down to the mat and did press-ups, first I manage to do 32 seconds time with a rest, I then did 20 and the last time I did 10. I kept on working on my press till I was exhausted.
After all this I felt very tired so I went for a drink (I had been drinking throughout the session, because I know that if I am de-hydrated it would affect my performance) I went on to the cycling machine for a cool down to get out all the lactic acid, I think it worked because I felt not as stiff. I went on the cycling machine for 10 minutes after this the session was over. I carried on drinking lots of water. This is my first session over I think it went well.
13th of January
My first session of the day was at school in the sports hall I decided to do a circuits because I wanted to focus on improving my cardio-vascular system and also my muscular endurance, I want to do this because of my specific training which is centered around rugby. The way I set up the circuit was by doing 9 stations. This consisted of: Bench press, Burpes, V-sits, Star jumps, Press ups, Crunches, Squat thrusts, Sit ups, Stride jumps. Between each station I had a rest of 15 seconds.
I was careful not to do too much on one-muscle group because this would affect my performance so when setting out I split the muscle groups into stages. My resting heart is 67. I worked on each station for 45 seconds, my first set after my heart rate had risen to 156 I was working in aerobic threshold and this was at the top of my threshold. I did another set but this time I did each set for 30 seconds, again I checked my heart rate it was at 120, I was still working hard but my I had fatigue in my muscles where they where failing on me. I think because my muscles weren’t working as well my heart rate dropped but I still found it hard battling with lactic acid. My rest was the same 15 seconds.
My last set I found very difficult I did 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off my pulse was at 125. I find circuits good for me and I enjoyed doing it.
The next session of the day was at night and it was a rugby training this is specifies training we worked for a hour and a half. First I did a warm up to get my muscle warm and to get the blood running through the muscle so I don’t pull anything. It consisted of a light jog progressing into a faster run, I did this so I was actually sweating, this tells me that my body is working to cool down so I know I’m warm enough, then I did some stretching out of the muscles, after this the coach took over and we did some ball handling and some running about so that the team didn’t get cold. After this we moved on to game related stations we did this for approximately half an hour. Then we moved on to touch this was intense and I had to work hard. After this we went home I ate some carbohydrates to re-pay the energy I had used, from past experience if I didn’t eat after training I would feel ill, the one thing I didn’t do was a cool down this means I still had the poisonous acid in my muscles I paid for this the next day....
14th of January
I had a rest day because after training specificity with rugby I didn’t cool down because of this I was aching and I was mentally drained form the past days.
15th of January
Picture of Rushden gym.
I went down my local gym in Rushden with a friend and my aim for this session was to work on my upper body strength, first I had a warm up on one of the cycling machine I stay on that for twenty minutes, this got me sweating and it showed on the screen my heart rate which was at 133 which is at the peak of my threshold for anaerobic training, it also told me that I had burned off 250 calories.
Following this I had a drink so that I did not become de-hydrated, after this I went on to machines, which was working my upper body, this is called muscle endurance. I don’t go on free weights, because at the moment I don’t feel comfortable, also information which I have read suggest that it is better to wait till I‘m fully developed or else I am at risk of injuring myself because the an underdeveloped body can not take that sort of weight. The machines that I used for my upper body were: Lumbar Machine, High Abdominal, Peck Deck, Peck Back, Lat Machine, Torsion Machine. I worked on these machines for about 30 minutes and then the same story occurred the lactic acid built up and I started to find it hard and I became weak. This was because I was working aerobically, in this session I was working at two different thresholds, so instead of carrying on like I did the last time when I had a gym session. I listened to my body and went back on to cardio-vascular. I went on the Treadmill for 15 minutes; this is called continuous training, and its good for my specific training because Rugby works at all different intensities. I am thinking of doing a session on Fartlek, because this is ideal at working at different intensities.
After this I went on to the mat and repeated what I did at Manor School, which was to do three sets of press ups and in those sets do as many as possible and then have a break I felt good after this. I went on to upper bodywork for the last time, in this session I worked at a lower intensity but it was still working my body. Following this I did a light cool down on the Rower.
Picture of Rushden gym.
16th of January
I had a rest for the game for the next day I am feeling confident that the training I did through out the week will “pay off”… hopefully.
17th of January
I know it is essential that you warm up thoroughly prior to the match, the game be against Ampthill. My diet leading up to the match was a high carbohydrate and low fat diet. I also know that any meal should be taken three to four hours before kick off. The reason why I am having high carbohydrates is to store up muscle glycogen for the hard match ahead as well. I made sure I was hydrated. My warm up consisted of a gentle jog, and stretching out with a bit of ball handling, then I moved in to a team warm up. With all this in mind I am ready to play against Ampthill… the match went well we won and I played for the whole match. I feel much drained and I need some more carbohydrates to re-place the energy just lost. I feel that the training I did do “paid off” this is very encouraging and it makes a player want to do more training prior to the match. The score was 12/8 to us. Also after the match I had a cool down to break down all the lactic acid that had been building up while I was working aerobically. Overall the match went well and I felt an improvement.
Second week of my Diary.
18th of January
Today’s session is at Manor School in the gym, because I worked hard yesterday with my match I did feel tired but over the coming month I want to train my body so it won't get tried out so easily. I still did a bit of cardio-vascular work out using the bike and also using the same method (20 minutes work out with a cold drink at the end) I enjoy doing continuous training. Next I went onto the Rower, which again I enjoyed, today I was being challenging against another person, which is good. I like competition I like working against someone else, that’s why I go down the gym with a friend, so that we can push each other. After the Rower I did some bench presses because I was feeling tired I started of gently then built it up I think this is less risk of pulling anything. I did some upper body work for about twenty minutes, then went back on to the Rower and had another "friendly" race.
19th of January
This session was spent in the sports hall at my school, in there I did circuit training I found this hard, and I did the same circuit which I did last time, because I want to enhance on that the last time I did it, my first full circuit I was on 156 beats per minute (bpm). This time I was on 150 bpm, and I was still doing the same repetitions, as before. I was pleased with this. The second set was hard again and my heart rate was around the same as before and that was 120, the last set was very hard and I was working at 135 bpm. This session I was pleased and I felt my recovery time was better because it took me four minutes to get back to resting heart rate and it took me three minutes and 30 seconds (or there about) this time I can see my self progressing which is good because it makes it all worth while.
20th of January
I had a rest from specify training because training was canceled because of whether. So I stayed at home and went on the Reebok Stepper for half an hour. This was good because it was working me at aerobically, I didn’t really enjoy it because it was boring next time I will put the T.V on or some music I did have weights on my arms so I was doing a quantity of resistance training too. After this I had a shower (I always have a shower after any exercise, because when you are working your body over heats, the brain tells the skin to vasodilator so that the cells of your blood vessels expand and gets closer to the surface of your skin, so the water can evaporate away (radiate out). The water from your sweat glances evaporates in turn you call down. If your body cant cope with the over heat you will get Heat Stroke. After sweating lots smell and bacteria will form because this is the ideal condition hot and moist, sweat is water-containing salts, ammonia and other waste. So this is why I have a shower to get clean, there are about three million sweat glands in my skin. Basic Hygiene, deodorants and antiperspirants help to avoid sweaty smells.
This is athlete's foot it’s very contagious!!!
21st of January
Today’s my rest day, I just need time to recover from the active days I've had.
22nd of January
This session I spent down the local gym I was eager, and ready to have a good work out I did the usual spent twenty minutes on the bike, then moved on to upper body work with the same equipment which was mentioned above did that for about 35 minutes felt good, but did feel lactic acid but not so quickly this time. Went back on to cardio-vascular work, on the Rower, for about 15 minutes then went up stairs to the chin up bar and did 15 then had a rest, and did as many as I could till I was exhausted. Then went back down stairs to the machines and did enough 20 minutes then had a cool down which consisted of the bike and I had that set on valley with a low level. After the session I felt good about my self.... boredom hasn’t set in yet.
23rd of January
I had a rest for the match the next day and ate some carbohydrates to store for the match, this is called Carbo-loading. Its important to have a rest before the match because, I want to be able to show a good performance...
24th of January
Match day. I think its important to go through a routine building up to the match so I can pre-pare in my own way, this is what all the coaches tell me, so I will do the same warm up as I did last match. We do a personal warm up because we can tell which parts of our body need more stretching out and warming up more than other areas. Again with the last match I drink plenty of water to keep my body hydrated... I played for the whole match and I felt better than the other time, but the opposition was not as hard, but I still think I worked hard, and again I could feel the difference in training my body before hand. I still felt drained and I ate soon after. Through out the match I did feel a big hit which is not usual its a contact sport slight bruising and lump was felt, there was discomfort in lower leg, but the match was nearly over. If it was at the start I would of ask to come off, because I know that working on a damaged area can affect my performance and take longer to recover. I will be aware of this through the next coming days, so when I got home I used the RICE method, which is.
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Rest. Movement keeps the blood leaking. Stay still.
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Ice. Place an icepack around the injured part for 30 minutes or so. Cold makes the blood vessels constrict (vasoconstriction) and this reduces bleeding.
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Compression. Bandage the injured part firmly but not tight, using a crept bandage. This reduces bleeding.
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Elevate the injured limb. This reduces blood flow to the limb because the blood has to flow against gravity.
I did this, and the next day it felt much better.
I have already made it to East midlands in rugby and the coaches give you a big booklet on how to train and what the players should be eating and tips on stuff, its packed with information on training and the best ways for the individual player. I know that my diet is important so this is what my coaches had to say about eating right.
Third week of my Diary
25th of January
Today in my session I worked on continuous training that consisted of a run around the school fields, working at different intensities to each points of the field. This was good and I enjoyed it, because I was getting bored of circuit. I did it with another person who bought up the challenge and it makes me work harder. I did this for about twenty minutes none stop, because I was working at different speeds my thresholds were changing, because of this I felt tried, and lactic acid built up. There is a way to over come lactic acid, which is not the natural way, which is working hard and letting your body cope with it.
There are supplements, which I am aware of. There are also drugs. A drug is any chemical substance people take that affects the way your body works. There are lots of different drugs I will talk about two briefly. Anabolic steroids are hormones that help to build and repair muscle and bone. They occur naturally in the body. The male sex hormone testosterone is one example. They are also made artificially and used to treat people with wasting diseases. Some athletes and body builders take artificial steroids to increase the size and strength of their muscles and help them recover from training. The next one is Blood Doping Oxygen is carried in red blood cells, the more red blood cells, the more oxygen can reach the muscles. This helps them work harder and for longer. It happens by the athlete withdrawing blood a few weeks before an important event. The red cells are separated and frozen. Just before the event they thaw it out and inject it back into the athlete. I take supplements which are different because they are all natural and are not illegal its just a protein drink, there are lots of different once but I just take a basic protein shake after a session down the gym, the reason why I take it after a gym session is because when doing weights your muscle fibers tear I take a lot of protein to re-build the muscle and your body adds a little more so that when doing the same weight I can manage better, this means I am progressing and getting fit in my environment, I also know that it is advisable to take plenty of water with it so that the liver doesn’t get damaged.
"The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary"
26th of January
Today I went for a light run around my local town, the run lasted for 25 minutes and it was planned that when the twenty-five minutes were over I would end up back at my house. I took my pulse at the start of the session and it was at normal resting heart rate that is 67. At the end of the run it had gone up too 123bpm which is in my zone of aerobic threshold. I felt good and it was a change from the other training methods. When I was having a shower I changed the temperature of the water from hot to cold, because cold water dilates the muscles so that lactic acid can break down better, so in the morning I will not be tense also it repairs the muscle tissues. I have been doing a lot of Cardio-vascular work outs which I don't mind because I enjoy it.
27th of January
I played indoor football at school in the sports hall, which I enjoy, a lot. I would much rather train and get fitter in the way of challenging myself to an opponent. This is why I enjoy this sort of exercising. We played for about an hour and a half, and the games where 10 minutes long the games are high impact and everybody enjoy it because of that every one works hard, after this I had a shower and do everything I usually do when finishing an exercise. It was very hot in the sports hall this made me sweat a lot, sweat is losing weight this would be good if my personal exercise plan was to lose weight.
28th of January
Today’s session was down my local gym I wanted to work really hard on upper body I started with the usual warm up and I finished on a cool down. I worked for 25 minutes on the machines then switch over to cardio-vascular work out. The session was a good one and I enjoyed going down there.
27th of January
Rested for the coming match on the Sunday.
29th of January
The match was canceled because of bad weather conditions, up set with that because worked hard through the week and I wanted to see how far I had progressed, think it will be hard to keep on training as hard as I have been doing if at the end of it I can't see what I have done, I did do a spot of step ups but found it hard to motivate myself :-( not happy about that, first time I have been annoyed.
Fourth week of my Diary.
30th of January
I played indoor football that I enjoyed because I was working in a team and I didn't really have to inspire myself to get up and work when I could of been sitting in my bed. Football was good we worked again for about an hour and half (because that’s how long a double lesson is) felt tired but good and I did the same had a shower and everything. I have gone off the idea of circuit training I found that it is boring, because I wasn't really moving around keeping my mind on running I don’t want my mind on keeping on "how many repetitions I did." I found circuits are not for me.
31st of January
Today my session was in school and I was just focusing on step-ups. I did this for about 40-50 minutes found it very tiring but very rewarding at the same time. A problem I did have was to stop my self getting bored the way I stop this was to get a tennis ball and hit it against the ball, this could link in with my specificity training with the idea of working on ball handling but the main reason was to stop my self getting bored and it work also I did to it to music which did not work for me.
1st of February
Today I had a training session with the Kettering Rugby Football Club, which was very hard and I was working at different intensities we where working on stamina which is important for forward player because they work for long periods and only get their rest at set pieces, the intensities are always hard I trained for them for two hours which include the warm down. The session was good and I enjoyed it.
2nd of February
Today is my rest day for body and mind.
3rd of February
I went down the local gym worked hard and it was good I did the same as I have done before but when doing the weights I always try and push my self to my max and further. I felt it was a good work out band if I look back I can see my self-progressing with the weights, which is in encouraging.
4th of February
Resting for the match, which I do for every weekend.
5th of February
Match day. I went through the same routine. The match was against Kibworth we won it was a very hard match they played hard. I feel good and I felt fitter than I have done for along time this is very encouraging.
6th of February
Today I played indoor football again it was hard but good fun played for hour and a half.
7th of February
First session of the day was in the gym at the school and I was doing circuit training, I was not working that hard because I new that I had another session with the East-Midlands Rugby, and I didn’t want to tire my self out for that.
The session with East-Midlands was hard we played two on ones, this was match situation and we was working out in groups the best way to bet one player with two players this was interesting. It builds up confidence and there is never any put downs from the coach for this more of the “lads” get involved, which make it a better training session. I really enjoyed this session.
For the last half an hour we moved on to a short game, which was taxing, because I’m working at a high level but I feel it’s better than the Kettering training.
8th of February