Train train train... just balls to the wall

The last week has been pretty intense but the training has gone well. The training plan which I have a aquired was written especially for Motocross as a pre-season plan.

The plan consists of quite a bit of running and then interval sessions on a stationary bike. Instead of getting a stationery bike I went and bought a turbo trainer so I could use my road bike. Its a Tacx Satori and its nice and solid, it also comes with a carry bag incase you want to take it to the races to use it to warm up.



The goal of this phase of the training plan is to get the body used to pain through lactate tolerance and removal sessions... and man is it painful. I think the interval training is the hardest training I've ever done to the point it actually makes me sick to the stomach. The thing is, I'm certain that this part of the training will make the biggest difference to my riding performance, so its gotta be done.

Other than that I've just been running every other day. Running is something I've never particularly enjoyed but lately I have been enjoying it. Haha maybe its because the interval training is so horrible, running feels like heaven.

South Africa

This is a week overdue but things have been hectic since I got back.

South Africa was a fantastic trip. I took Hannah with me which was awesome. I could write a few pages on the trip but I'll keep it sweet and short.

Our first week was spent in Jeffrey's Bay which is home to one of the most famous surf spots in the world. I managed to get some epic surfing in and as the sun was setting on the 31st of December I asked Hannah to marry me. She said yes, BAM!



It was great seeing all my family again and spending time with them. I also got to see some old friends. Ryan van Zyl and Daniel were truly on form and we ended up having some rad times together.



The training regime definitely took a massive hit although I did manage to get quite a lot of surfing in which I'm sure helped or at least maintained my fitness levels. I also didn't get to ride as much as I wanted to but I'm sure I'll be doing a lot of that in the months to come.

So its on with the next part of my training program which incorporates cardio and interval training. This is what separates the men from the boys, so they say but more on that later.

Christmas fun

Well its been a great week and christmas has been awesome. I've had loads of great food and received some great presents. Funny enough I didn't receive anything to do with motocross. I'm not sure if thats a good or bad thing.

I haven't been to the gym in over a week but I have been out on the bike twice and had two awesome sessions. The last session was with OC and we had a great time. We put in a few fast motos and then just messed around for the second half of the day. We found this little course that went through the woods and trees. It was great for bike handling skills. You had to have really good balance, brake and clutch control. It also gave your body a good work out. After a few laps you wouldn't be out of breath but you could definitely feel your arms starting to ache.
I also got in a little session on the mini bike down at bolehills BMX track. Couldn't really ride the main track as the surface was really soft due to the rain and I didn't want to rip it up, but I did manage to sneak in a run on the first straight.



Tomorrow I'm off to South Africa for 3 weeks with Hannah but not before I squeeze in a session at the gym early tomorrow morning. While I'm out there I should hopefully get some riding in and get to do some jet skiing which is always a good workout on the arms. Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in an update while I'm there. Until then, Adiós!

Unproductive weekend

The weekend was an unproductive one. There was so much I wanted to do and ended up doing none of it.

I didn't get to ride, I didn't get to train and I didn't get to fly.

That said, there's more to life then riding, training and flying, so the weekend wasn't crap. I went to my company's Christmas party accompanied by the incredible Hannah Oliver who was wearing a dress that left my jaw on the floor.

Sunday I sang in the church's christmas carol choir, bam!

Wobbly legs in the name of the GOAT

Well today I had another awesome session with DC. We both stepped it up again. My legs do feel very wobbly walking up and down the steps at work. It feels good though because it means I have trained hard.
When training I always think of the Ricky Carmichael video clip. He talks about doing extra sets and extra reps "Just to do it", so he can meet his goal. I do the same, just when I feel like stopping I go one more for Ricky, haha.

Progression!

So this morning I was doing my usual Thursday morning leg session with buddy D and I felt like things really went up a level.

I went bigger on squats, leg presses and dead lifts. Its really encouraging when you're able to step things up a notch, its definitely a sure sign of progression.

I'm away this weekend so unfortunately no riding will be taking place but I will use the time to recover and come back stronger next week!

I'll do a 6 lapper this time

The last two Sundays have been spent at Worksop. A nice little turn track has formed on one of the fields and it drains really well which means that even if it has been raining the whole week we can still go down and ride. Last week it was the AT vs DC show down which proved to be a fantastic day. You can read all about it on DC's Blog. Yesterday it was just myself and my little brother. It was a little more wet then the week before but I felt really fast this week. I've been doing 6 lap sprints to focus purely on speed and technique. Unfortunately the session got cut short due to my brother getting a puncture but we were still grateful for the short ride we did have. In the afternoon I decided to hit gym and get a head start on the weeks training regime.



I am proud to say that so far I have kept up with the training program. I'm still concentrating on strength training and conditioning. I think once I come back from South Africa in January then I will start with cardio work although I am doing a little bit of rowing at the moment.