Adarq.org

Man I have been bad at updating. Won't bother trying to document every session over the last few weeks, but training has been good. The schedule has stayed pretty similar to the last block. Highlights:

Squat: max of 5@130kgs for two sets, pretty easy, will be moving up

Bench: max of 5@95kgs for two sets, feeling good

Speed endurance: we've been running the 2x100m, 3x150m, 2x100m session the last three weeks, haven't missed one and the average times are trending down. The key is getting the last two 100m ~11.5-11.6 for me,that indicates an increase in speed endurance and lactic tolerance.

Had my first run this past weekend in the 200m. It was an absolute shocker! All I had in my head before the race was 'relax, relax', which is the main thing I've focused on during winter. Unfortunately, I relaxed so much that I forgot to run fast! Left way too much on the bend and then in the straight I was way off the pace. The time is irrelevant at this stage, just completely messed it up. But the first race always sucks. Now into another testing week:

TUES: Timed sprints and jumps

Broad jump: previous: 2.90m; today: 2.91m (+1cm)

Standing triple: previous: 8.24m(L) , 8.55m(R); today: 8.44m(L) (+20cm) , 8.25m(R) (-30cm)

2x60m fly, 20m lead-in: best - 6.66sec (-0.04sec), (3.33sec 30m fly) ---> ran faster even though the 20m-50m fly section was slower

2x60m standing (no blocks): 7.35sec (-0.15sec) (4.05sec for 30m), 7.51sec (4.16sec for 30m)--> slight headwind developed between runs

Jumps: These were tricky just because we literally haven't done them since the last test. It took me until the last jump on myleft leg to get a good triple jump in. The broad jump just lacks technique, the power is definitely there.

Sprints: This was pretty good. Definitely faster than last time. The 4.05sec FAT 30m would put me at 11.0 FAT 100m time according to the Frank Dick chart. So it's obvious I really lack fitness still 

WED: Bench and jumps

Five consecutive DL bounds - previous best: 14.78m; today: 15.10m (+32cm) 

Five SL bounds - previous best: 12.85m (L), 12.95m (R); today: 13.75m (+90cm), 13.04m (+9cm) 

Bench - Previous: 112.5kgs; today: 115kgs (+2.5kgs) 

My bench was weak. Didn't feel very strong during the warmups but I eked out a 2.5kg increase.

I finally got a good set of DL bounds in and broke the 15m mark. Should have done it ages ago. My SL bounding was also nice. I can't believe how much I've improved at this compared to a few years ago when SL bounding just felt so difficult.

THURS: 180m test

180m sprint - previous: 21.6sec; today: 21.4sec (-~0.2sec), 17.8 again at the 150m but ran the last 30m quicker --> slowly getting better speed endurance.

SAT: Comp (100m)

BW: 80.0kgs

leaving on a 2.5-week trip next tuesday: tajikistan for a week and a half and then afghanistan for a week. bringing the old jump rope and will basically do a lot of low-intensity plyos and bodybuilding stuff.

Boo. I know career>>>jumping and all that, but still. Boo.

Thanks for the support guys. Yeah the training has been worth it I think. It's been very tough and somehow I'm relatively healthy, but the results have been pretty good.

I am more interested to see what will happen to RVJ.
IIRC, SVJ was around 34'' again in the past, it was the RVJ that was not much higher, like around 37''.
That plyometric deficit thing or whatever it's called, that is where i expect to see huge gains from all them sprints.
Also, 37-38 was wrist at rim, so any kind of gains on RVJ would mean... DUNK!
Let's see...

Hopefully  . My best SVJ was 35'' in 2012 (two years ago! Where does the time go...) so I'm not far off. I reckon I could get that if I was fresh. Haven't properly tested my RVJ in awhile. It's something I definitely need to do more often. Been hard with training over winter but now summer is coming around and the volume isn't as heavy I reckon I should be able to start trying a few. Fingers crossed.

Scooby, if your foot is still sore, maybe continuing to do depth jumps onto concrete isn't the best idea??

You're probably right that the extra loading on the calf has aggravated the plantar fascia. Unfortunately, NONE of those things I mentioned will really move the needle if you keep training on it at the same intensity. You need to rest for about a week at least if it's bad. Once it's inflamed and aggravated it takes a while for it to settle down even without training on it, but if you're training on it still then it can just get worse. You've got to really clamp down on the inflammatory processes before real healing can occur.

This week is another test week. I'll keep updating this post with results:

MON: Timed sprints and jumps

Broad jump: previous: 2.90m; today: 2.90m (no change)

Standing triple: previous: 8.24m(L) , 8.55m(R); today: 8.05m(L) (-19cm) , 8.21m(R) (-34cm)

3x60m fly, 20m lead-in: nt, nt, 6.70sec (3.30sec 30m fly)

2x60m standing (no blocks): 7.50sec (4.13sec for 30m), 7.51sec (4.14sec for 30m)

Jumps: Not bad, I was definitely a bit tired from the 15 power pulls and jumps the day before.

Sprints: This was a bit of a waste of a test. The timing gates weren't working properly for the first two reps. My first one felt really fast. But it didn't get timed. It eventually started working so we ran an extra 60m+20m, which for me was probably a mistake as I was cooked. So my standing 60s weren't very good either. We do this again and the coach knows what went wrong with the gates so hopefully next time will be better.

TUES: Bench and bf%

Previous: 105kgs; today: 112.5kgs (+7.5kgs) 

Nothing too unexpected here, been benching so much I'd be worried if it hadn't gone up at least 5kgs.

Also had the coach do an 8-point skin fold test on us. For eight sites (tricep, bicep, suprailiac (hip), axilla (near pec), subscapular (back near shoulder blade), abdomen, thigh, calf) I got a total measurement of 34.2mm (average of ~4.25mm), which works out to be somewhere between 6-8% bf depending on what equation you use.

WED: 180m sprint

180m - 21.6sec, 17.8sec at 150m --> ran the last 30m in 3.8sec

This was pretty good. My approximate 200m time from this would be low 24 seconds, which would be a big PR.

THURS: 800m time trial

800m - previous: 2m31s; today: 2m33s (-2s)

Dammit, just haven't been running enough lately. I went out too hard with a 68-69sec first lap. Still, this has been a big improvement over winter to drop ~10s off my 800m time.

Well it's not a magic cure mate. Rest is still the major factor in healing injury. Plantar injuries suck because unless you can lie in bed for a week, you're walking on it every day at work or whatever. If you're still jumping on it less than a week afterwards then it'll delay the healing process. Any stretching of the arch/fascia will continue to aggravate the inflammation/degeneration at the heel. So you gotta treat that first and get it under control.

Another tip I forgot to mention is if you have rehbands or voodoo bands (or save yourself $30 and cut a $3 inner tube lengthways) you can do the voodoo wrapping technique as shown here:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drTxhTcvLgU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drTxhTcvLgU</a>

This helps clear out swelling/inflammation and promote blood flow in combination with ice and/or NSAIDs. My advice is try everything!

Could be a few things (Baker's cyst, popliteus or meniscus injury) but from what you described most likely a low hamstring pull or tear. Either way, it's active rest for a week or two and then gradual return to sprinting activity. A girl in my squad just pulled her hammy a few weeks ago, but she only missed one session. Because she could still walk and move OK and the pain wasn't too bad (basically a grade one pull/tear), she was on the bike doing HIIT within the first week of injury with upper body stuff, then returned to parallel squatting the next week with slow 400m jogs the next week (two weeks after injury). Last two weeks she's been working up to 70sec 400m repetitions and is doing well. My coach believes in treating these relatively minor injuries aggressively and not missing training, just adjusting. If you start to sit out weeks without doing anything the motivation to come back can just die. So my advice is to follow something like I described IF you can handle it without worsening the symptoms. If you go to a good physio and they diagnose a grade one ham tear then you can go for it. If it's worse or is something else you probably need to be more conservative (upper body only/RICE for the first week or so).

Sounds like good old fashioned plantar fasciitis there scoob. If it's not too sore or swollen, get onto a rolling pin and roll your whole foot hard. Then get on the ground and just start massaging it hard for a good 5 minutes with your hands. For this bit, you want to do it in both a dorsiflexed and plantar flexed position. Work out all the little pops and bubbles (scar tissue), then you can ice. Also, I found having a splint on for a few hours while you rest or while you sleep really helps it heal faster. Get a pair of knee-high socks and put them on like this:



This is the best cure, take it from someone who's had it on both feet. Avoid sprinting but you can probably lift fine provided you can walk on it without limping.