Core-Blimey

Both knees a bit sore today – I think it’s more muscular than joint pain, though. So that’s OK. Ankle is seemingly fine now – I’m running up stairs, and everything now, and back in my Merrell Trail Gloves all the time.

I’ve moved the red cleats around by about 5 %, which should give me a bit more room, and keep my knees more straight. But didn’t fancy a ride tonight, so back to some weights.

Having done loads of chest and back exercises, I think I should do more core stability exercises, and work in some legs soon.

Core exercises:
Side plank snatch lifts
Side plank lateral rises
Roll outs
Hip rises
Side lunges
Woodchops

The hip rises are tough – I can barely do them without the weight, never mind *with*.

I did some calf raises, then a load of stretching out. No ankle pain just now, hopefully OK tomorrow!

Weight off my mind.

Lazy Sunday, but still managed to fit in a short weights session. Still focusing on upper body, to save my ankle from excess stress.

Bent over upright rowing 10 x 3
Bench press 10 x 3
Shrugs 10 x 3
Dumb bell press ups 10 x 3
Bent over flyes 10 x 3
Punches 10 x 3
Curls 10 x 3 on the wobble board

Ankle is getting better, with strapping, resting, some stretching.

Dumb and Dumber

More dumb-bell exercises. Same as yesterday, in fact. Once the ankle is sorted I should be able to go back to Super-sets….

Bent over row 3 x 10
Dumb bell press up 3 x 10
Shrug 3 x 10
Bench press 3 x 10
Bent over fly 3 x 10
Punch 3 x 10

Weight a minute

Ankle a wee bit sore still from last night’s running drills, so I did some weights again.

Bent over row 3 x 10
Dumb bell press up 3 x 10
Shrug 3 x 10
Bench press 3 x 10
Bent over fly 3 x 10
Punch 3 x 10

The press ups are still hard for my ape-like arms, and the punches are similarly tough, but I’ve put the weights up by 2Kg each hand since I started.

Weights again

I have the final Monikie Duathlon on Wednesday, so I’m going to try to keep fresh legs to give the race a really good effort. I should be able to push the run far more this time, and the bike is getting easier too. I think I’ll go on the Cycle-World ride tomorrow, then a complete rest day, then the race. So tonight, after a walk in Templeton woods with the boys, I washed the bikes, and did weights session D again.

Lunge to press – Ankle better, but not 100%, so I put down some foam mats, and it was OK.
Dumb bell bench press – 3 x 10
Reverse-grip bent-over row – 3 x 10
Sumo squat – 3 x 10. Doubled the weight this time, much better.
Shoulder press – 3 x 10
Biceps curl – 3 x 10
Overhead triceps extension – 2 x 10 each side
Dumb bell crunch – 3 x 10

So, hopefully a ride tomorrow, a rest day, and a race. Let’s see how it actually pans out….

Weights E

Another day, another weights session. Ankle still a wee bit delicate, so the lunges are still a bit gentle, otherwise all good.

Romanian deadlift to row – 3 x 10
Diamond press-up – I can NOT do these. Very difficult with orang-utan arms like mine
Upright row – 3 x 10
Lunge – 3 x 10, very carefully
Push press – 3 x 10, again a bit careful with the ankle
Hammer curl – 4 x 10
Two arm kickback – 3 x 10. Odd exercise, but it should help the triceps build up for those ridiculous Diamond Press ups.

Good work.

Weights D

Trying to keep off the ankle, although it certainly feels better this week than last week.

Weights D tonight.

Lunge to press – a bit of a strain on the ankle, so only 1 x 8 for each leg.
Dumb bell bench press – 3 x 10
Reverse-grip bent-over row – 3 x 10
Sumo squat – 3 x 10
Shoulder press – 3 x 10
Biceps curl – 3 x 10
Overhead triceps extension – 2 x 10 each side
Dumb bell crunch – 3 x 10

Ankle too sore for the lunges, but the upper body stuff puts no stress on it, so all good.

Weights F

Saturday morning, and time for some weights before going into town.

Hammer clean and press 3 x 10
Press up to renegade row 2 x 10 (This is bloody difficult, btw)
Reverse lunge 2 x 10 (Cautious with the ankle here)
Arnold press 3 x 10
Romanian deadlift 3 x 10 (Again, careful with the ankle)
Zottmann curl 3 x 10
Overhead triceps extension 2 x 10
Dumb bell side bend 4 x 10
Arnold press 3 x 10 (I like them…)

Later today we took the kids to Tentsmuir Forrest and rode the trail from the car park down to the North beach. They managed 3 and a bit miles before starting to get tired, so we turned back. They did so well, and both of them think that cycling is the best thing in the world ever now.

Ankle news – I got EJF to do physio on the ankle today, and we got new strapping for it. It’s certainly less sore than Thursday. I’m hopeful of cycling this week, perhaps start running the week after? Just gentle stuff? I just want it to get better.

EJF took the Kuota to LBS yesterday, and she bought a Ridley Yana whilst she was there. We picked them both up this morning. The Kuota just needed a tweak as the cables had stretched a bit. It’s running like a dream again. The Ridley is lovely – Alu, but very light, Tiagra groupset, and a very nice frame. I managed to pick up a simple computer for the front wheel, so I’ll be able to tell what Im doing, even when the Garmin fails me. I went for the Limited Edition KoM varient, obviously….

A cycle on the turbo tomorrow, and maybe a swim, if I can fit it in after EJF’s on call shift…

Weights and measures

Another bit of physio, more strapping, and back home to do some upper body weights again.

Romanian deadlift to row 3 x 10
Diamond press up 2 x 10
Upright row 3 x 10
Lunge 2 x 10
Push press 3 x 10
Hammer curl 3 x 10
2 arm kick back 3 x 10
Zottman curls 3 x 10

More tomorrow!

Rest Day

After the Duathlon yesterday, my worsening ankle injury, and the DOMS, I thought today would be best set aside as a rest day.

I asked one of the physios to see me today – they did frictioning on the ankle, and strapped it up with zinc oxide tape. The fricioning hurt like merry hell, but it certainly worked. The area goes numb, and then, with the strapping, it starts to heal. The strapping stops re-injury. Ali the physio reckons that I’m hyper-flexible, with weak everters of the ankles. I have some eversion exercises to work on now.

Once I got home, I had the urge to do *something* so I did a wee weights session:

Lung to press 2 X 10
Bench press 3 x 10
Reverse grip bent over row 3 x 10
Sumo Squat 3 x 10
Shoulder press 3 x 10
Biceps curl 2 x 10
Overhead triceps curl 2 x 10
Arnold press 3 x 10

Hopefully the ice/rest/NSAID/frictioning/strapping/gentle exercise will sort me out….