Fitness Training Behind the Sceens

I thought it would be fun to show you what I do to prepare, how I decide what equipment and sessions, where and when the training is done.

As you know I like to use the triathlon style of training, so a typical week will have those three elements plus, resistance training in and out of the gym, stretching and also hiking.

weekly record of training, keep it simple pen and paper.

My bike element is one that is given the most focus and this year I have gone through the process of training as a Mountain Bike Instructor, this involved not only bike skills and fitness but also navigation with map and compass, learning to read the features of the land, So when there is no signpost I still know where I am.

Planning the route on the Mountain Bike Instructor course

I break the week up to include a bit of everything, using the basic three week build of either intensity or duration, then dropping the load on week 4. this way whatever my focus is, a race or just fitness then I can see at a glance if I am heading into over training. Right now I can see that my duration is down to a total of 50km per week. And that is because the weather is nearly 40º so the focus is on intensity and more gym work. This Spanish summer training would also be and UK winter training plan.

Just some of the extra reading, training books, maps.

Lets look at some of the gear that I use, Here is my home gym and as you can see I am working through a session and making combinations, Like all gym work there should be a balance, if I do a back exercise then I  should do a chest. If I focus on legs and gluts one morning then the next will be the upper body. I'm always trying new things, never staying with the same routine. Yes it is important to repeat movements to train those muscles but when your body has learnt them it's time to move onto another.

5lts of water = 5kg

adding a dice to spice up sets and reps. Plus it's good to get ideas from your peers.

Lets look at other activities, swimming is a big mind game, it's all about the feel, technique is everything so if you are not focused then you won't improve. Part of being comfortable in the water is the goggles that you have. Yesterday I was sent a message asking what brand to buy. And that got me thinking about all this, how and why. Goggles need to stop the water getting in your eyes. So you need to do the suction test, A bit like buying shoes. If they don't fit right then it doesn't matter how expensive they are. They need to stay on your face without the strap.

suction not sucky

Hiking is a nice way to slow things down, be more social and it also helps me improve my navigation skills and works other muscles, for example the abductors as we step up and over rocks and obstacles. But it also requires preparation, looking at maps, deciding the steepness up and down, the weather conditions the time it will take, food and water are just some elements that need to be organised to make the hike safe and enjoyable.

Bags, hats, maps, helmets, shorts, waterproof

So as you can see there is a non-stop list of elements that go into planing a ride, hike, swim, or gym training session. If you have any questions or comments please write below and I'll add more details.

Thanks for reading

Cas