Fitness for Glasto 2021

[Padgey]

11 minutes ago, Quark said:

Tabata...🤢

My gym (if I ever go back!) has one of the skill mill resistance treadmills.  Tabata session on that, with the 20s work as a full resistance leg drive, is proper grim

I've done it on a normal treadmill, usually set it at just over 11 mph, that definitely gets the heart rate up.  Not even seen a skill mill but would love to give one a go.

[Quark]

You can see her drop into the leg drive at about 59s in.  Whack that on full resistance for 20s and drive, then up and walk for your 10s rest. Brutal.

[gmb1992]

43 minutes ago, Padgey said:

First session back in the gym today, so glad to see certain pieces of equipment such as the rowing machine and squat rack, even enjoyed a tabata session on the battle ropes.

Ahhh I miss battle ropes! 

[Quark]

Just now, gmb1992 said:

Ahhh I miss battle ropes! 

One of those bits of kit I've never really used that much, how good are they?

[Homer]

17 hours ago, Quark said:

You can see her drop into the leg drive at about 59s in.  Whack that on full resistance for 20s and drive, then up and walk for your 10s rest. Brutal.

No idea what this means - but def won't be trying it (sounds horrible!).

After 9 exercise in 6 days, gave myself the last two days off. Bit groggy but going to pop down and do a cardio session now.

First football friendly went well on Sat. We won (a rarity!) and I was able to do my share of the running despite it being 25 degrees. We have another match on Sat (apparently it's going to be 33-odd!). Felt a bit of a pull in my stomach though (not sure where I picked that up, prob just old age).

Edited August 4, 2020 by Homer

[zeppelin]

Gym was a bit busier this morning as I imagine more people are comfortable coming back. Still easy enough to get on equipment (once I discovered there were more benches around the corner). 

Sticking to alternating gym/swim as it gets me out of the flat first thing. 

[Homer]

21 minutes ago, zeppelin said:

Gym was a bit busier this morning as I imagine more people are comfortable coming back. Still easy enough to get on equipment (once I discovered there were more benches around the corner). 

Sticking to alternating gym/swim as it gets me out of the flat first thing. 

Defo - my gym website has a tracker. Last week it was 20-odd out of the 84 allowed at this sort of time, today it was over 40.

After saying my stomach has got a pull, managed to forget to take my phone and, as can't bear cardio without music, ended up doing an hour of core machines/exercises. Feels alright now to be fair.

Edited August 4, 2020 by Homer

[Crazyfool01]

2 hours ago, zeppelin said:

Gym was a bit busier this morning as I imagine more people are comfortable coming back. Still easy enough to get on equipment (once I discovered there were more benches around the corner). 

Sticking to alternating gym/swim as it gets me out of the flat first thing. 

Meant to ask ... do you know if you can double up the swim sessions ? If available . ... and how is it split up in the lanes ? Can you choose a slow or fast lane for example ? And are you allowed to overtake ? Sounds like a line of traffic and I never thought I’d ever be asking about swimming ? And changing rooms ? Are they just for swimmers ? Thanks 

[zeppelin]

48 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

Meant to ask ... do you know if you can double up the swim sessions ? If available . ... and how is it split up in the lanes ? Can you choose a slow or fast lane for example ? And are you allowed to overtake ? Sounds like a line of traffic and I never thought I’d ever be asking about swimming ? And changing rooms ? Are they just for swimmers ? Thanks 

Do you know if you can double up the swim sessions?

I'm not sure, but there's nothing to stop you on the app. The only potential issue is that there's 30mins left between sessions (I assume for people to get ready/out). In my experience so far I've had no issues arriving 10mins early and getting into an empty pool. In all honesty I'd phone/email your club - mine hasn't been busy particularly so I can imagine them facilitating longer sessions if you asked.

How is it split up in the lanes?

Pre-Covid my pool (only 20m) was split into half, then one half had two lanes (fast and slow) and the other was for whatever people wanted. Now it is only split into two with one designated fast and the other slow and in theory it's only meant to be lane swimming. Bear in mind that if there's an aqua class on we lose one half so then there's no distinction between fast and slow. My preference would be to split the pool into four lanes as people would be easier able to go by speed.

Are you allowed to overtake?

Not seen any firm rules and people have been.

Sounds like a line of traffic

The worst I've had is 6 people in one half pool (class on the other) but even that worked itself out. Not been nearly as busy the other times I've been though. Again, you could ask your club how booked particular slots are if you're worried.

Changing rooms? Are they just for swimmers?

Yup, gym users are asked to turn up in their gear and leave afterwards. Only swimmers allowed to use the lockers/showers. I guess gym users might use the toilet but that's it.

Edited August 4, 2020 by zeppelin
Discovered Ctrl+Enter posts by accident and too early.

[Crazyfool01]

thanks @zeppelin that’s very usefull ... I’ve got to go in before the 14th anyway as that’s when it will sign me up again I think but it gives me some idea what to expect ... much appreciated 

[zeppelin]

3 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

thanks @zeppelin that’s very usefull ... I’ve got to go in before the 14th anyway as that’s when it will sign me up again I think but it gives me some idea what to expect ... much appreciated 

No problem. I've really enjoyed going back, and 30 minutes fortunately works for me before work (7ish). Hopefully you're able to get back into it in a way that works for you 🙂

[Quark]

6 hours ago, Homer said:

No idea what this means - but def won't be trying it (sounds horrible!).

The leg drive part or the 20s/10s split?

[gmb1992]

On 8/3/2020 at 2:37 PM, gmb1992 said:

Ahhh I miss battle ropes! 

They kill my arms and shoulders (in a good way) and I just feel really badass using them!

They're also really good for mobility in the shoulders. 

 

[Padgey]

2 hours ago, gmb1992 said:

They kill my arms and shoulders (in a good way) and I just feel really badass using them!

They're also really good for mobility in the shoulders. 

 

Agree becips, forearms and shoulders, definitely shoulders, get a good workout.  I also find it gets my back and if you hold a squat position you can work the legs as well.

[Homer]

On 8/4/2020 at 1:56 PM, Quark said:

The leg drive part or the 20s/10s split?

All of it.

Did some weights this morning and have football training tonight. Will crack on with more cardio on Thurs and Fri.

[Quark]

16 minutes ago, Homer said:

All of it.

Did some weights this morning and have football training tonight. Will crack on with more cardio on Thurs and Fri.

Righty *rubs hands*

Tabata is a really unpleasant form of interval training from Japan.  You only (!) work in 4 minute bursts, but that's more than enough.  Basically it's all out effort for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, repeat for 8 sets. Then collapse.  It's well suited to stuff like sprints, rowing machines, airbikes and stuff like that.

Doesn't sound bad as it's short bursts, but if you go 100% all out effort as you're supposed to it is absolutely revolting. Really effective though.

The skill mill (vid that I posted) is basically a curved resistance treadmill, with variable resistance. At low settings it's used for sprints, but the higher you go the harder it gets to move the track. When you get to a high enough resistance you have to bend low and drop your shoulders into the frame to be able to move the track.  Think the position you'd get into if you were trying to push a car from the back. 

Leg drive is a term from rugby (presumably elsewhere but that's where my usage comes from) when you're in that low position and pumping the legs to move forwards. On the machine it basically replicates the effort and position of being in a scrum or a maul.

So combining those two, you do 20 seconds of full resistance in that low position and moving your feet as quickly as you can to drive the track forward, then 10 seconds walking at a low resistance. Then repeat. I used to do it as a finisher at the end of a leg session. Fallen off the machine at the end more than once

Edited August 5, 2020 by Quark

[Quark]

Made the mistake at the weekend of giving my bike a full clean and service.  All gone fine for the most part, but stripped out the bearings on the back wheel to clean and re-grease and now I can't quite get the setup right again!  Picked up some decent grease at lunch today as I think it's the crap cheap grease I was using that's the issue, so hopefully get it fixed tonight.

If not I'll be back down the bike shop with a wheel and a prayer, need to get it fixed as I'm meant to be riding on the weekend!

[Crazyfool01]

7 minutes ago, Quark said:

Made the mistake at the weekend of giving my bike a full clean and service.  All gone fine for the most part, but stripped out the bearings on the back wheel to clean and re-grease and now I can't quite get the setup right again!  Picked up some decent grease at lunch today as I think it's the crap cheap grease I was using that's the issue, so hopefully get it fixed tonight.

If not I'll be back down the bike shop with a wheel and a prayer, need to get it fixed as I'm meant to be riding on the weekend!

no good for the weekend but that government bike scheme is due at some point soon isn't it ?

[zeppelin]

12 minutes ago, Quark said:

Made the mistake at the weekend of giving my bike a full clean and service.  All gone fine for the most part, but stripped out the bearings on the back wheel to clean and re-grease and now I can't quite get the setup right again!  Picked up some decent grease at lunch today as I think it's the crap cheap grease I was using that's the issue, so hopefully get it fixed tonight.

If not I'll be back down the bike shop with a wheel and a prayer, need to get it fixed as I'm meant to be riding on the weekend!

 

[Padgey]

Talking of finishers, I've just used one on those Concept 2 Skierg thingys.  30 seconds on 30 seconds off, although doing 10 press ups in the 30 seconds off, for 8 rounds.  First few rounds were ok until i got the hang of the Skierg and went for it, definitely takes it out of you.

[Quark]

6 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

no good for the weekend but that government bike scheme is due at some point soon isn't it ?

It is, but not something I'm going to need to call on tbh.  The strip down and cleaning is all fine, just a knack of getting the bearings and cones back together so they run smoothly.  Just a bit of trial and error to get it right, but it's one of those things that once you're used to it it's easy to do every time.

[gmb1992]

Another one bites the dust... my September half marathon has just been cancelled 😔 

I'll probably take part in the virtual race because I like an event to keep me motivated and I bloody love a medal! 

My next event after that is usually Farnborough winter half in January but it is saying it's sold out!!! (It never usually sells out!) 

[zeppelin]

2 minutes ago, gmb1992 said:

My next event after that is usually Farnborough winter half in January but it is saying it's sold out!!! (It never usually sells out!)

Bloody touts will go for anything these days! 

[Kalopsia]

Tempted to sign up for the Bath Half Marathon next year, anyone ran this before?

[Quark]

17 hours ago, Kalopsia said:

Tempted to sign up for the Bath Half Marathon next year, anyone ran this before?

Nope, sorry bud. Do it though, always good to have something to train for!

Got the bike sorted this morning.  Had a crack at it last night after work, and turns out that my cheap tools were just bending so there was no chance of sorting it myself in time Saturday. Cue a sheepish trip to the bike shop to ask a grown up to fix my overreach - 10 minutes and a tenner later and job's a good 'un

Not put me off though, just need to invest in a couple of tool upgrades and then it's a case of trial and error.  Just need to make sure that next time I do it I don't have such a short time limit to get it right!