Adarq.org

Date: 10/04/2022
Soreness: none much just fatigued legs
BW: 68kg - maintaining at around 68kg, which I am happy with meaning I can get the love handles off and been a while since I was under 70kg

Condition: really nice, windy and at some times cold but most of the time it was nice and warm but little windy blowing different directions from time to time.

Warm up
   machine bike for warming up legs
   dynamic stretch
   mobility and activation stretches

(On Track)
   Sprint drills (from walking to running)
   Sprint start bounds (really need to work on these, feel awkward and not really feeling right.
   Sprint starts standing and 3 point to work on technique warm up

Workout
   3 point start 15 to 20m of just keeping heel low, quick first step, etc
   
   Recorded myself running 2 x powerful start, 2 x quick start (drive back was quick and following steps were quick) 2 x first step quick only and then switch to a powerful start while maintaining the speed I am currently at. (going to analyse, which one is better for me, I feel the last one is the correct way and should see it as the better start but was new to that start so may not be efficient straight away but some practice will work, sled runs hopefully after fasting.
   
   step runs to imitate sprint start, fast first quick step and then just quick powerful strikes and just slow powerful drives

   ab work (leg raise shown by FP - but switched it to a stride cycle double leg, instead of dropping legs down, I throw legs down straight, then reverse movement bring knee towards my chest and then straight legs diagonally (start position of the leg raise on bench) then throw down and cycle.

   one arm dumbbell carry walks for oblique work for each side. 30kg

Cool down
   stretch

Comment
Alright session, sprint start bounds dont feel right when trying to imitate low heel recovery and lean, just falls apart sometimes or hard to keep feet dorsiflexed just before strike as it is quickly changing from the drag for plantar and then dorsiflexed just before strike, practice practice and more practice. But am just understanding now the need for a quick first step before sprinting, kind of like get you quickly out of the blocks as powerful as you can before you sprinting and this may help me as I am better standing start then crouch.

Hey I think you got the wrong impression i'm not advocating for decline situps. If you read the last of T0dddays posts he says that he does them minimally and tries to get the bulk of his hip flexor volume with leg raises. If you read my post when I said that I "only did this stuff", thats leg raises off the bench and deadbugs NOT decline situps. Sorry for the confusion

My last post was just ranting on how dangerous the actual exercise is, I would never progressively overload it. Not actually aimed at you or toddaayy. I just do not understand how he could do that with 40lb behind his head without curving spine.

But second point you can actually bulk up your hip flexor? With the leg raise of the bench or just normal leg raise. Is it isometric one? Tell me more. Would this mean having more muscle motor units to recruit. I would assume an explosive version could help recruit or activate the type 2 muscle fibres. Fast twitch. Sorry it felt like a personal attack at you, more so towards the exercise trying to break my spine lol.
I think it was that statement about good sprinters should be able to do decent weight making me feel like I must be a poor sprinter if I can't do them.

Some more stuff about hip flexors i dug up from the log. If yours get hurt easily i would take it easy and maybe do light, slow ecc might help with rehab.

T0ddday quote

Quote

For decline situps I am talking about the following exercise.  Grab a 45lb barbell.  Hold it behind your back like a backsquat*.  Get in a 45 degree decline bench and keep your abs and back tight and lower controlled till you touch your upper back only to the bench and rise back up to sitting.  Flex hip flexors to bring body up.  Yes it is an ab and hip flexor exercise.  They are a team!  Most people cannot do even one rep.  Almost all good sprinters can bang out 5-10 of these the first time they learn it

LBSS reply

Quote

my n=1 is that heavy weighted decline situps fuck up my back if i do them too frequently or too intensely. much prefer toes-to-bar; ab wheel rollouts also good.

T0ddday reply

Quote

As far as sit-ups terrible for the back - I don't totally agree.  Sure loading with your back on a decline crunch puts a ton of compressive force on your spine, but then again you can keep your spine straight and bend from your hips - especially of the negative.   Sure, you need a strong back, you need strong hip flexors.  This is why I don't favor them as a volume exercise.  Get your volume in with decline leg raises with a dumbbell.   If an athlete is to do 100 reps of abdominals I'll have them do about 10-20 reps of heavy decline sit-ups or negative holds, then around 50 reps of some leg lift variation, then about 30 reps of some type of static hold or anti extension work...

I remember doing these and it did hurt my back as well when lowering and if your core is weak it can arch your lower back and loaded can hurt. Like leg raises where you try and keep your lower back in contact. Lower you go more strength needed to keep lower back down. Decline situps is past the lowest point and with weights would need to be careful. So will slowly try this.

Pool workout for sprinting power and technique

Location: pristina

Warm up
   Few laps swimming of the pool

Workout
   Knee drives at angle first at neck deep than went to waist deep. x 3 x 15 - 20

   Explosive squat jumps at neck depth pool 3 x 8

   Moderate speed high knee alternate 2 x 30 seconds

   Bounding in water neck deep, little difficult at first then there is the slipping when driving leg down and pushing down and back but only couple times x several times till I was satisfied x 10 - 20 laps possibly didn't count

Leg kicks lying back on edge and legs kicking in front

Cool down
   Shower

Comment
No track and hotel room too small, gym is small and no barbells or heavy weights.

Still no track access so make do with my hotel room, has a clear 5 to 7 meters of space to practice sprint starts, technique and drills. Discover new drills to help with starts possibly.

Sprint start walks with toe drags for each step low effort
Sprint start skips with toe drags for each step low effort
Sprint start runs (first attempt) with toe drags for each step low effort

Sprint starts relaxed 50% effort to 2 to 3 steps

Practice practice and practice

Also some broad jumps
Snatch jumps - was wondering what's the point of power snatch complex technique for quick power development rather than an explosive deadlift jump lifting bar to overhead or clean without complicated hip contact.

Yesterday was back in the gym, today sore and fatigued muscles (gluteus, hamstring, quads)

Warm up
   General activation and mobility stretches

Workout
   Elevated front leg Bulgarian split squats Smith machine
      - 1 x 3 each leg @empty
      - 3 x 5 each leg @40kg weights added to bar

   Single leg 45 degree back extension
      - 1 x 5 @bw each leg
      - 1 x 5 @14kg dumbbell each leg
      - 3 x 5 @30kg dumbbell each leg

   Seated overhead press Smith machine
      - 1 x 5 @empty bar
      - 2 x 5 @20kg weight added

   Side planks for love handles that don't seem to want to go away. 30 seconds each side

Cool down
   Stretch

The blood test report was normal, uric acid was normal around of 219.

But there has been an improvement in the CRP value of 20.1 mg/L.

Antibiotics taking effect and abscess has shrunk, 2 more days and we'll see. Walking much better and less painful.