In this post I will outline our training programme and touch on the justification of it without going into too much detail. I will describe our 5-week plan and discuss this briefly. In the next post I will discuss Helens plan in detail then my own. Noting our achievements and progress.

I will now discuss some of the programming considerations.

Helen

Things to note:

• Shoulder pain – instability, lack of functional strength and motor control
• Hip complex dysfunction – SIJ instability, functional strength and motor control
• Climbing, pulling and swinging strength and motor control.

Goals:

• To complete the race injury and pain free
• To do the 2 day tramp pain free
• Increase strength and fitness
• To be able to enjoy the trip without pain and discomfort

Carl

Things to note:

• Ankle – stability, avoid compensatory movement patterns
• Right knee, functional stability (History of ACL reconstruction)

Goals:

• To complete the race injury and pain free
• To do the 2 day tramp pain free
• Increase strength and fitness
• To be able to enjoy the trip without pain and discomfort

 

Movement patterns

Every movement our body performs can be broken down into 7 movement patterns – often referred to as primal patterns. Here is a way of gauging what is most important in preparation for a sport, event or even for someone’s lifestyle.

For our event:

1-5 importance (1 = little importance, 5 = highest importance)

Squat                        4

Bend                         5

Lunge                       5

Push                         3

Pull                           5

Twist                        5

Gait                          5

Programming requirements

These are the energy systems and abilities required relative to the individual and goal or event. In this case the Spartan race.

Strength                    4

Power                        4

Aerobic                      5

Balance                      4

Speed                         4

Agility                        5

Hypertrophy             2

Anaerobic                 4

As you can see, it is a well-rounded event and requires a lot in terms of movement patterns and performance. As time is limited we will be addressing weaknesses in our performance and will be training all of these – with emphasis on the most important patterns and requirements. Usually I would map out a long term periodized training plan instead I have a 5 week outline (mesocycle).

Below is the training plan we have been following religiously and getting some great improvements from! With our intense training schedule the appointments at Willis Street Physiotherapy have been invaluable and an essential tool in feeding our recovery mechanism (will talk about this at a later date).

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1High intensity	Fast fit – metabolicOne on one PT with Carl	Climb Fergs Kayaksrope 1x and wall	Fast fitMovement optimization & body awareness	Willis Street physio body maintenanceFast fit pmMetabolic	Fast fit – Strength based	Fast fit – metabolic and games based	Spartan simulation
2Low intensity	Fast fitOne on one PT with Carl	ClimbFergs KayaksRope 2x and wall	Fast fitMovement optimization & body awareness	Willis Street physio body maintenanceFast fit pmMetabolic	Fast fit – Strength based	Fast fit – metabolic and games based	Active recovery
3Med intensity	Fast fitOne on one PT with Carl	Climb Fergs KayaksRope 2x and wall	Fast fitMovement optimization & body awareness	Willis Street physio body maintenanceFast fit pmMetabolic	Fast fit – Strength based	Fast fit – metabolic and games based	Play session on Monkey bars etc
4High intensity	Fast fitOne on one PT with Carl	Terrain run 45minsClimb Fergs kayaksRope 3 and wall	Fast fitMovement optimization & body awareness	Willis Street physio body maintenanceFast fit pmMetabolic	Fast fit – Strength based	Fast fit – metabolic and games basedMonkey bars training	Spartan simulation repeat
5Low intensity/tapering	Fast fitOne on one PT with CarlMassage at zone Massage Therapy	Climb Fergs Kayaks – 3x rope consecutive (or failure)and wall	Leave for Sydney	Active recovery	Active recovery	Race	Celebrate!

Oh and we have a personal challenge of doing 50 burpees without rest daily at the end of our last session. Would you like to join in on this challenge?

Next up is the personalized plan in more detail for Helen and I 🙂