HOW TO: Fat and strong, to skinny and weak

Hanley

My second log on boards, the first one is in the health and fitness forum and has every single workout since May 2007 logged in it, and can be found here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055097149

It documents everything from a journey from 86kg, to 110kg with a 41 inch waist, and back to <90kg with a 32 inch waist again, national and international powerlifting competition and junior Irish, European and World records, to failures at the same. Bomb outs from competitions and vomitting with pain from tendonitis. A subluxated shoulder under a > bodyweight snatch, my first 10km run, the 2012 Connemara Challenge, a load of Crossfit events and an absolute ton of general messing, along with 18 months of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

This log is going to be about my journey towards the 2012 Gaelforce West, learning to swim with the intention of some sprint distance and longer triathlons next year (2013), and maybe even an Ironman in 2014.

Please don't be shy about contributing, I really don't have a bog what I'm doing with this endurance lark, so if at any point I'm being a complete moron, point and laugh!!

Hanley

So the basic plan at the moment - Gaelforce is 8 weeks away. I can knock off a 10km in around 60 minutes without pushing too much. I'm going to mostly train by HR (circa 150bpm range) and just try to get as much mileage into my legs as possible.

As such - I was out for a 9 minutes trail run on Thursday, 18m 25s today and will go for a longer run tomorrow.

I want to get 4x runs in a week, 3 of them in the 10 minute range at an easy pace, and 1 in the 40-50 minute range. From there I'll add 10% to each weekly up until the big day. I don't think I'll be paying much heed to distance for now, just time and HR. I don't care what time I come in at for Gaelforce, just to get into it and complete it safely.

I need to get a bike too...

And learning to swim is fairly high on my priority list over the Autumn/Winter (any suggestions on the best way to approach this would be awesome - somewhere around Drumcondra would be great).

Hanley

I'm going to record all my training here too - my strength stuff, mobility work, soft tissue work, BJJ and endurance activities. You can expect to see quite a clusterf*ck of different training styles and systems - some of which I know an awful lot about and may be of assistance to some (strength stuff in particular), many of which I'm only learning about (pretty much anything requiring me to move my body over large distances).

Hanley

Here's my Connemara Challenge result from this year:



And here's me beforehand:



Now, let the logging commence.

Hanley

Friday - Strength

Foam Rolling

Mobility:
dislocates x10
squat to stand x10
band pull aparts x15
x-band walk x10 e/w

Box Jump:
up to the big box plus 6x 25s and a 15kg plate x1

Power Cleans:
50kg 2x3
70kg x3
90kg x3
95kg x3
98kg x3
101kg x3
105kg 2x3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpPQh5oaVoI

Chins w/ Fat Gripzz:
5x3

Box jumps were awesome. No idea where that came from. If I was to guess height it'd be 42+ inches. It was almost at the base of my sternum anyway.

Power cleans were miserable. Leaving the bar way out in front the entire time. It's been a problem for ages but only really copped it now. Deffo need to sweep the bar back more off the floor and delay my extension.

Chins were chins. Felt all around my scaps working like crazy on them, which was awesome.

Totally weekly time running, to come.

shotgunmcos

Hey Hanley,

I used to dip in and out of your former log, welcome to the dark side for a challenge

First up, the very best of luck Chief, this should be interesting give your dedication to your log to date.

I guess you are expecting this next bit but a lot of the power and strength will have to go. Dragging a 90kg carcass with plenty of lean weight on any endurance challenge is going to hurt. Not the kind of biting pain you could probably drink like milk, but prolonged suffering

There is a place for strength training in endurance sport for sure (if you have the time). 105kg power cleans and cycling/running for hours don't mix. It will likely signifcantly limit your progress in the water too..

RacoonQueen

Excellent. Look forward to this one Hanley.

Was hoping to get back into a bit of strength stuff before starting this triathlon lark myself, had been doing a good bit again myself. Will be interesting to see how the good conditioning will go with the endurance.

Re: swimming. 3d tri train out of Belvedere pool and would probably be a good option for you, especially if you have Ironman ambitions.

Do the guys on H&F know you're over here?

Hanley

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Hey Hanley,

I used to dip in and out of your former log, welcome to the dark side for a challenge

First up, the very best of luck Chief, this should be interesting give your dedication to your log to date.

cheers mate!! I read a bit about your journey in that MASSIVE beginning triathlon thread from a while back - you seem to have done really well for yourself so far, kudos

I guess you are expecting this next bit but a lot of the power and strength will have to go. Dragging a 90kg carcass with plenty of lean weight on any endurance challenge is going to hurt. Not the kind of biting pain you could probably drink like milk, but prolonged suffering

See this is funny, you say the power and strength will have to go, but I haven't trained it for more than 3 out of the last 16 months, nor have I eaten to maintain it!! I've trained 8x in the past 3 weeks with weights, before that my last time doing any lifting was a couple of weeks in November when I was nursing an injury.

Everything's been 3-5x sessions of BJJ for 1.5-2 hours a week. I haven't even eaten to maintain my size, just enough to recover. I was fortunate enough to establish a really high base, one that's been maintained with the absolute bare minimum of training

If I go on a real hunt for an ironman, I can see my weight needing to dip towards 80kg, but I don't think I could physically go any lower than that. Even getting below 88kg now requires a HUGE amount of dieting and training, and tends to lead to greatly diminished performance. Maybe once my endurance training goes up and kcals stay relatively high I'll start to come down tho?

There is a place for strength training in endurance sport for sure (if you have the time). 105kg power cleans and cycling/running for hours don't mix. It will likely signifcantly limit your progress in the water too..

Yeah, if you look at my strength work, it tends to only take 40 minutes 2-3x per week, and it's something I really, really enjoy so am ok with it holding me back a bit (for now anyway).

I can literally not power clean for 6 months and still do 115-120kg on any given day. Again, it's all down to a base that I spent over half a decade building.

I'd be interested to hear how it would effect me in the water tho?

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Excellent. Look forward to this one Hanley.

Was hoping to get back into a bit of strength stuff before starting this triathlon lark myself, had been doing a good bit again myself. Will be interesting to see how the good conditioning will go with the endurance.

Yah like if you look at my numbers, I'm around 80% of my best, or lower. So it's entirely conceivable that the strength will continue to climb for a while, even with endurance.

Re: swimming. 3d tri train out of Belvedere pool and would probably be a good option for you, especially if you have Ironman ambitions.

Do the guys on H&F know you're over here?

It's funny, I was talking to a guy at a party yesterday about the Belvedere pool and training there!! Are 3d welcoming of newbies or would I need to get in shape first?

Hanley

Also just want to say thanks for the support to the guys above and to the people who've mailed me. It's very encouraging!!

To everyone else, even tho the strength numbers may look high to you, for me - they're terrible.

At my peak in December 2010 I was squatting 240kg, power cleaning 120-130kg and deadlifting 260-270kg. With pretty much no dedicated strength training over the past 16 months they've stay around the level you see now - 've only started lifting in the last 3 weeks.

I know that traditional strength training (aka pumping the guns like a bodybuilder) has no real place in endurance training, and it's not something I do anyway. The foam rolling and mobility part of the workout takes 15-20 minutes, and I only really do 3 big lifts per session after that, none to a particularly high intensity, just enough to reestablish some base numbers without a big recovery debt, so trust me when I say I'm working well within myself there and it's not having a big effect on me.

The weight thing is weird - I don't carry massive levels of bodyfat (12ish% depending on how you measure) and I've a very thick bone structure so can find it had to lose weight (my muscle does not want to go away - boo hoo!!).

One thing I've learned from long term logging that opinions and views are very susceptible to change and growth, so it'll be interesting to look back on this after the race report for my first sprint tri and see what's changed!!

Hanley

Also, balls, looks like 3d only train in the evenings. Evenings are out for me because I tend to do a lot of coaching/personal training etc during that time.

I'd kind of need a club that swims early mornings. I don't mind joining a swim only club or hooking up for group coached swim sessions either if that could be of benefit. All input gladly welcomed

Hanley

Weekly Running Mileage (well, time) - 55 minutes

Thursday - 9 minutes of mixed trail and grass around St Clare's

Saturday - 19 minute of mixed trail and grass around St Clare's

Sunday - 27 minutes around Killiney Hill, average HR of 155bpm

Was out on Killiney Hill with The Pig yesterday evening after 2 days of BBQ. Very nice terrain and super interesting to run on.

The plan is to get out for 2x 10 minute runs, a 15 minute run and a 30 minute run this week. Nothing mega hard or strenuous, just getting miles in my legs.

Over the course of 7 weeks I'm aiming to add 10% to that weekly, which will end up with me doing 2x 20 minute runs, a 30 minute run and a 60 minute run. Hopefully someone with some knowledge or exp can chime in and let me know if this is a good plan of action or not?

The Beast went off to P&K Cycles today for a tune up after 5 years in exile. I figured with Aung San Suu Kyi around this week, it would score irony points if nothing else.

There's new cables all around going on him, slick tires, and whatever the hell else Keith thinks is needed. It's the perfect bash around and will do the job of getting me around Gaelforce and Dublin Dare. Was looking at a new MTB for those but have decided to save the cash and put it towards a road bike and wetsuit for my impending triathlon journey instead. The Beast will live on as a communter/utility bike then.

The before:

Hanley

Oh and I don't know if it matters, or if anyone cares, but the majority of my running is being done in a pair of zero drop Merrell Trail Gloves.

Hanley

<<Never had it so good...>>

Nogi BJJ - 2 hours
-lots of x-guard entry stuff and sweeps from there, need to remember to keep his achilles on my trap, my outside foot behind his knee and front leg across the hip
-spread him out, point the knees to the mat to sweep
-or get nearside wrist control and show him to his shoulder and bodysurf to side control
-rolled like 5x rounds and was catching stuff nicely - got some good head and arm chokes, a few north/souths and even x-guard sweeps, was seeing them everywhere tonight.

Hit St Clare's for an 11 minute run afterwards at a comfortable pace. Was going to push a bit but training was tough tonight so just got the mile(s??!) in.

The Beast will be good to go tomorrow

Hanley

<<who got the...>>

Bike - 70 minutes (average HR = 140bpm)
-Drumcondra to Sutton Cross and back again. It's about 24km on the route I took

Woke up this morning with my knee in an absolute STATE. Slept with one leg outta bed last night and my MCL is very, very upset with me today. Had to skip out of lifting and BJJ as a result.

Collected The Beast off Keith in P&K Cycles this afternoon and cycled it home - the wheels turn, the brakes work and the gears change again, awesome!! Then it was out on the above route to re-christen it.



...as an aside, I may have picked out my road bike too. And now I want it even more with the ease at which dudes were passing me by today on my cycle. Looked like they were barely even turning the pedals. Jelly. Hopefully this 8 weeks of cycling The Beast ahead of Gaelforce will stand to me when I get on somthing better.

duffyshuffle

BarryP has some great run advice, worth reading and seems to suit what you're starting at and how you're approaching it

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=1612485;search_string=runtraining;#1612485

Hanley

duffyshuffle wrote: »

BarryP has some great run advice, worth reading and seems to suit what you're starting at and how you're approaching it

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=1612485;search_string=runtraining;#1612485

Holy moly that's a lot of reading. Thanks for posting it up.

Hanley

<<Honey wants to know...>>

**warning, HTFU-less post coming

Saturday 23rd June 2012 - 90 minute bike ride
-out to howth from DC and back again, lazy and slow, extremely hungover and with a big break in howth
-the wind was a terror on the road back

Sunday 24rd June 2012 - 20 minute bike ride, 10 minute run
-I believe people who know what they're talking about call these "brick sessions"
-Was shocked how heavy my legs were coming off the bike at CC, so trying to prepare ahead of GFW
-easy bike ride with a relatively hard run off it, averaged 168bpm on the run

Monday 25th June 2012 - 18 minute run
-easy 5 minutes of bouncy yogging to warm up, stretched my calves
-then off on a hard 2km, did it in 7m 50s which is an incredible time for me - VERY happy with it
-easy 5 minute stumble aaround after some time lying down gasping for air


.....and now for the problem. An MCL injury. What a frickin distaster. Woke up last Tuesday morning almost unable to bend my leg. I thought at the time I slept with it sticking out of bed, but it still persists a week later. There was a pop during BJJ the night before (Monday) but at the time it was so minor and irrelevant I completely disregarded it but it would appear it was something more sinister. If I was to guess, I'd say very mild grade 1 MCL tear (I'm 3 for 3 on injury self assessment this year).

I'm not particularly worried about it. It feels pretty much back to normal now, still a bit hesitant on lateral movement and rotational torque so may not get to roll this week. Bit achy after the fast run, along with the same side tibialis anterior. Guessing there's a link there.

Feel pretty good all over really, tissue quality on my legs feels good in general when hitting it wit the grid roller. Will go at my calves with the stick tonight and feel wit the hockey ball. Back to the gym this week for fat grip chinzz, lots of unilateral lower body and core stability training, and maybe some curlzz.

Fairly fat 91kg at the moment (as in probably 13-15%). Time to start dieting hard. Heard someone say that each kg is worth 30sec over 5km, so the push for mid 80s is before GFW is on.

Hanley

<<I want it that way...>>

Morning Strength

Foam rolling:
bloody tonnes (and some stick to the calves too)

Mobility - 3 rounds of:
dislocates x10
squat to stand x10
band pull aparts x15
x-band walk x15 e/w

Single Leg Deadlift:
bodyweight 3x12 e/s

Bowler Squats:
bodyweight 3x10 e/s

Lunging med ball throw w/ twist:
5kg med ball 3x20 e/s

Stir the pot:
3x20 e/w - 1:1 work to rest ratio

Chinzz w/ fat gripzz:
bodyweight 3x5
fat gripzz off - 2x8

MCL didn't feel great on the squat to stand - very noticable shift to me left leg to compensate. No stiffness or soreness in it today tho, which is a big improvement on yesterday.

Achilles still quite DOMS'd after yesterdays fast run, but that's ok and to be expected. Short run tonight and a long ass cycle tomorow on the cards!

wowzer

Hi hanley quick question about the fat gripz, Do you chin off a fat bar are do you use actual fat gripz product? Been thinking of buying or trying to make something similar. Are they worth the expense?

Hanley

wowzer wrote: »

Hi hanley quick question about the fat gripz, Do you chin off a fat bar are do you use actual fat gripz product? Been thinking of buying or trying to make something similar. Are they worth the expense?

They're the actual Fat Gripz product. Complete and utter rip off for what they are (molded rubber), but they're a life time investment really so I guess they're worth it!

wowzer

Cheers man, best of luck with the training towards gaelforce and next years tri season.

Hanley

<<Caterpillar into...>>

Evening Run - 10 minutes
-5m 24s/km pace

I'm LOVING the Strava app. I was very tempted to skip today and just do it tomorow before my long cycle but decided I'd bargain with myself to bring my iPhone and see what Strava says. Maybe I should get a power meter for The Beast

5m 24s/km is obviously very slow, but my "slow runs" were taking around 30-45s/km longer only a few weeks ago at the same RPE level. Feels nice that my fitness is picking up and I've stats to prove it

Got a 90 minute bike ride scheduled for tomorrow - my long one for the week. Figuring around 31km is about the right distance for it as 24km took around 70m last week. Will cycle to the phoenix park and hit 2 laps - that brings me right in around the 30km mark.