McQue's Training

Did some circuit training today after work. 

Warmed up with skipping as per usual. Then went into a circuit

• Lateral Mini Hurdle Jumps
• Medball slams
• 1 armed kettle bell swings
• Squat walk 10 kg
• Ladder drill

One minute on each , 1 minute rest at the end repeated 5 times

Then went on to

• Chin Ups 8 x 4

Core 

• V-ups 10kg 10 x 4
• Hanging Leg raises 5 x 4
• Cable Wood Choppers 8 x 4
• Trunk Curls/ Mini Crunch until almost failure
• Plank 1 min, 45 seconds , 30 seconds , 15 seconds

Finished off with some more skipping and flexibility 

I really liked the circuit i was doing however think i might change the weighted squat walk  for something else. I was thinking and then talking to a personal trainer and both saying really it puts alot of stress on your joints rather than on the muscles. Bunny hops , box jumps or anything using both legs together will probably be better as i do struggle sometimes with sore knees. 

Great workout today! After alot of hours this work iv just dabbled and played with workouts. Iv been shattered! Today was the first day off for a while so couldnt wait to get in the gym! More importantly it felt really good mentally! It just clicked! 

Warm Up

• Skipping 10 mins

Work Capacity 

• 5 push ups
• 10 med ball slams
• 10 Burpees
• 20 star jumps

repeat this circuit every 2nd minute for 20 minutes (or 10 rounds) No rest between exercises , you rest once all exercises are completed until the next 2nd minute (ie minutes, 2,4,6,8 ) 

Versa Climber 

• 3 x 3 minute rounds! (this is a killer! i love this machine) 

Kettle Bell circuit

• Swings 
• Clean and press
• Figure of 8 pass through legs
• Snatches 

1 minute on each rest one minute repeated 3 times

Core Circuit

• V-ups 8kg 15 x 4 
• Russian Twists 20 x 4
• Side Bends 28kg 8 each side x 4
• Bosun Ball Trunk Curls holding 8kg until almost failure

Shadow Boxing

Pull Ups 5x4

Physio Exercises and flexibility 

think that was all but im sure im forgetting something! 

Right today was the first session back after christmas. Iv been doing bits and pieces and had some really good training sessions but havn’t bothered to do the write ups! Today was great. The aim this week is to do 5 days , today ,3 and 5 will be conditioning and interval focused. With 2 and 4 being Cardio focused just to get back into things. 

After this week im going to go back to 3 days conditioning and 2 days Max strength training. Iv dont this alot over the months and years and it gives me the most success. Iv also learnt that only after 3-4 weeks i start to fade and need to change things up! So when this happens instead of trying to keep it going i will come up with a new goal. For example after 4 -5 weeks (February sort of time) i will maybe focus on max strength and just keep ticking over with some light cardio.

But this isnt strict either. Goals change and so does what you want. I want to get back into boxing , my job is going very  well and moving on up but that means more responsibilities and less free time, plus learning to drive and a million other things! Just gotta find that balance this year and not let training get in the way of other things that are important! (yes i i know for most its the other way round but im rather sad like that!) 

Anyway now your asleep here’s the actual workout today….

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Right i was back on it yesterday! Its been a good couple of weeks of sloppy workouts and not great with my food intake! In the grand scheme of things im still in shape! Iv been working crazy hours and was religiously trying to keep to the training schedule. I think it just wore me out! Im feeling ready and motivated again and iv got a bit more free time coming up and reasonable hours at work!

Im sure it will get to the point where im working alot again or life gets in the way but i think the trick is going to be to drop down the training schedule and just keep ticking over. I also havent made a 4 week plan ect , i know in my head now what i need to do and im just going to play it by ear!

Anyway enough crap lets go!

Warm Up

• Skipping 10 mins

Work Capacity Circuit

For 20 minutes , on every second minute complete

• 5 Push Ups
• 10 Medball Slams
• 15 Burpees
• 20 Star Jumps

No break between exercises, you rest once all reps completed until the next 2nd minute for example you start the routine at 2 mins it takes you until 3.15 mins to complete you get to rest 45 seconds until the 4th minute! By the end of the 20 mins your talking 50 push ups 100 med ball slams 150 burpees 20 star jumps. This is pure hell but i cant recommend this circuit enough builds serious fitness and work capacity even if you you drop the burpees to 10 per round its a serious challenge!

Main Circuit

1 minute on each exercise 1 minute rest at the end repeated 4 times

• Box Step Ups holdng 1kg dumbbells
• Kettle Bells 16kg Swings
• Weighted Squat walk 12kg
• Vipr Clean And press from Floor 20kg
• Rest 1 minute

And the rest

• Skipping 20 seconds max effort/20 sec off for 3 mins 20
• Chin ups 8x4
• Balance Push Ups Feet on fit ball 8x4

Core Work Out

Done as circuit repeated 4 times

• The Flag x5
• 10 Kg V-ups x10
• 10kg Twists x 15
• Chinnies x20

And that was my workout for the day! Very enjoyable which shows the mentality has changed for the better as this time last week that isnt how i was feeling!! 

So its back to it , good workouts and clean living! ….. well its my birthday on Saturday so a couple of beers might be in order after the gym!!

Right after a week off i knew it was going to be hard to get back to it! Im going back to less is more. I really went a bit extreme so for now im just going to plan training week by week! Keep myself ticking over and fit. 

Like i said it was hard enough as it is. My head really wasnt in it either today. Im really glad i pushed through it but god it was hard mentally to motivate myself! Training is what i do and love so much but sometimes when im at my lowest mentally because of other things “whats the point” just keeps popping into my head! 

Im glad i did it and considering it was pretty decent and got through everything i wanted too!

• Skipping 10 mins
• Work Capacity Challenge (straight after the 10 mins skipping, every second minute for 20 minutes you complete 5 push ups (chin ups better) 10 medball  slams, 15 burpees and 20 star jumps, There is no breaks between these exercises! Then when youve done what ever time you have left you get to rest until the next 2nd minute for example 12th minute , 14th minute ect ect until youve completed 10 rounds or 20 minutes worth of work! The totals are 50 push ups or chins, 100 medball slams 150 burpees and 200 star jumps! Its a killer!
• Chin Ups 10 x 4 (40)
• Push Ups 40, 30, 20, 10 (100)

Core Work Out completed as circuit

• The Flag x 5
• V-UPs 8kg x 10
• Twists 8kg x15
• Chinnies x 20

repeat as circuit 4 times

FINISHER! Todays finisher was farmers walk , grab two 28kg dumbells and i walk up and down a pathway with them, do 4 length , 3 lengths 2 and 1 and my shoulders and wrists burn like hell!

Crap day… good work out!

Today after work i planned to do a fair bit of training it was pretty much 2 sessions in one. It was a bit ambitious and i felt shit after work today! I dont think its over training but it really felt like that. However sitting here now i think it was more lack of sleep, hydration and miss timing lunch and having a heavy lunch at that! 

Any way all things considered it wasnt bad!

• Skipping 10 mins
• Row 10 mins 
• Row intervals 10 mins (30 sec on/ 30 sec off) 
• Versa Climber 3x 3min rounds (only 30 seconds rest in between today)
• Treadmill Sprints 3x 1 min rounds (failed wanted to do 6x 1 min rounds but legs just wernt there today!)
• Push Ups 20 x 4
• Chin Ups 10 x 3

Core/ Ab work

• V-ups 10 x 4
• Leg Raises 15 x 4
• Back Extensions 10kg 10 x 4
• Side Bends 20kg 10 x 4 (each side)
• Bicycle Crunch 15 x 4
• Plank Hold 1 minute

And that was it, it wasn’t so much it was a bad training session just sometimes your just working and slugging through it and sometimes you blast through it. Its hard to explain but that feeling makes all the difference!! 

Anyway another full day of rest tomorrow before the final week! Going to really think about my food and water intake and see if that makes a difference!

Today was a brilliant session. I had my plan but for various reasons had to adapt it. It was far harder than what i had planned and more interesting! All In all pleased with the session. 

Something to note however was in the core section doing turkish get ups i really felt very unflexible. I have some great flexibility workouts but have been neglecting them due to time restrictions! Which is stupid and i need to find time for them! So tomorrow is a rest day but after iv finished my shift it will be a a case of getting in the gym and just doing foam roller and stretching exercises! Then ill go for a swim! 

Anyway this was the workout!

• Skipping 10 mins
• Row 10 mins (2492, resistance level 5)
• Punch bag 15 mins (working on technique and drills)
• Sprint and Carry Bag 3mins work, 1 min rest, 2mins work, 30 seconds rest, 1min work . (using the heavy bag, sprint to one end of the room and back then carry bag to one end of room and back!)
• Heavy bag shouldering 3 mins x 1 (exactly what it sounds lift the bag to shoulder put back down repeat constantly for 3mins)
• Sprints x 20 ( roughly 50m jog quickly back to the start)
• Chin Ups 12 x 4
• Decline Push Ups 25 x 2 , 20 x 1 , 15 x 1 (feet raised wanted 25 x 4 but couldn’t manage it!)

Core

 The Core workout went a bit wrong really, i had to stop the turkish get ups as i felt my hip wasnt right.  Like i said flexibility needs working on a again! But i got a bit in and just made it up there after

• Plank Hold 1 minute (completed 3 times)
• Turkish Get Ups 10kg ( completed 5 reps per side twice)
• Chinnies 20 x 3 

Played around after that and did some side bends 20 kg just did a couple sets of 12 each side. And also tried a new exercise called saxon side bends basically holding 2 dumbbells above your head and leaning laterally to one side then the other. Liked it need to work on it more!

Got a strength session in today after work! Met my cousin too and did the session together! Once again he did really well and impressed! 

Kept it short and pretty simple. Weight wasn’t mega heavy but at this stage just want to keep the right technique and get the 5x5 reps. By the way i am now including the 20kg Olympic bar in my recordings so if i put 40kg on my squat bar then im squatting 60kg. Just lets me know what im truly lifting. Im still doing a few warm up sets but i need to research into doing this properly as i know it then benefits your main sets when done properly

Strength

• Squat 5x5 60kg
• Dumbbell Bench 5x5 (26kg in each hand , one failed set of 30kg)
• Calf raises 60kg 8x5 (smith machine)
• Barbell Row 5x5 60kg
• Overhead Press 5x5 30kg

Ab work/core

• Sit ups 50
• Leg raises 50
• trunk curls 50
• twist 6kg 50
• scissor kicks 50
• Back Extensions 10kg 12 x 4 sets

Finished with Plank Hold 2 mins!

It was a good quality session and i enjoyed it! Its been a productive week training wise though im starting to feel it now! AND GOT TO STOP EATING CRAP

Adios im off to a beer fest tonight haha!

Well you know its serious when your doing it twice a day ;-)

Conditioning

• Skipping 10mins
• Rowing 1000m x 3 (1 min rest between all below 4 mins)
• Versa Climber 3 x 3min (1 min rest in between)
• Treadmill Sprints 6 x 1 min sprints (1 minute rest in between)

Now i did have planned bodyweight exercises ect but to be honest i had to keep in mind boxing so they will be done but probably on another day when im doing sprints or something!

Core Workout

as a circuit

• Ab wheel x 10
• V - ups  x 10 
• Side bends 20kg x 10
• Bicycle Crunches x 15

repeat 4 times 

Finished with plank hold for 1 minute

BOXING

 Boxing was great tonight really enjoyed it. 15 minutes conditioning(running, sprints, punch out drills , burpees, bodyweight stuff) and then 45 mins boxing drills. Great workout and loved it just need to try and get there more often! 

All in all a great day training wise! Shame about all the shit food iv just ate! But in the calories in vs calories out department i think ill be ok ;-D. Next week going to eat better again. 

Today was my day off… well sort of! I had to attend a course about swimming pools! It was incredibly interesting…

Anyway  got a workout in afterwards! It was a bit of a hashed together from days that i missed on the weekend and a sprint workout. It didnt turn out too bad and i feel iv had a good simple effective session.

• Skipping 10mins
• Rowing 10 mins ( achieved 2498m )
• Chin Ups 12 x 4 
• Plyometric Bosun Ball Push Ups (alternating hands) 20 x 3
• Wind Sprints x 20 (sprint jog back , sports hall roughly 50m sprints)
• Agility Sprints x 10 *

* For the agility sprints i basically put out 5 cones , 4 in a square and one roughly 10 meters straight on from the top left corner cone. Starting about 10 meters back from the bottom left cone you sprint as fast as possible, touch the bottom of that cone and “explode” and touch the bottom of each cone going bottom left - bottom right - top right - top left - straight sprint to last cone jog back and repeat. Its quite simple just complicated to explain. I reckon this would work just as effectively in any pattern and i think i will mix it up every so often.

I finished up with a core work out

Core Circuit (little to no rest between exercises)

• Plank Hold 1 minute
• Turkish Get Ups 8kg Kettle Bell 5 per side
• Rotational Medball Slams 15 each side
• Bicycle Crunch 15

repeated 4 times

Today i was off work which was nice but the draw back of that is i wanted to rest up this morning and made myself sluggish. I was basically lazy and didnt hit the gym until gone 3.30! But the workout itself wasnt too shabby! And im feeling it now! 

On another side note i spent the morning researching strength training and with some helpful advice iv got iv decided to change up my routine, im knocking the explosive strength day on the head and focusing on max strength x2 a week. This is because in the strength department im weak. And after alot of research despite what i thought my explosive training isnt benefiting as i need a good strength base to start with! 

Its lucky i like learning from my mistakes! 

Anyway back to conditioning!

today

Warm Up

• Skipping 10 mins

GPP Mini Circuit 30 second drills

• 30 sec Burpees With a press up
• 30 Sec rotational medball slams
• 30 Sec star jumps
• 30 Seconds Skipping (max effort)

Interval Work

• Rowing Machine 3 x 1000m , each was around the 4 minute mark 1 minute rest in between
• Versa Climber 3 x 3minute rounds , beat the computer on champion , lost (just) on eliminator setting and lost again dropping it back down to champion! …… I hate loosing! 

Upper Body

• Chin Ups 10 x 3, 1 x 8, 38
• Decline Push Ups 15 x 4

Core (this was a tad random today)

• V-Ups 8kg x 10
• Twists 8kg x 15
• High Rep Chinnies or leg raises x 20
• Plank 30 seconds

Completed as circuit 3 times

• Side Bends 28kg 6 each side x 3 sets

FINISHER! 

Kettle Bell Clean And Press one arm at a time swapping when needed for 3 MINS!

Plank Hold 1 minute

…. Collapse in a heap

Yesterday me and my mate headed to the gym. It was a good little workout before a 10 hour shift ! 

• Skipping 15mins
• Pad work 15-20 mins

Circuit

• Vipr Burpees 10kg
• Box Jumps
• Sledge Hammer Med ball slams 5kg
• Sit Ups 10kg weight
• Kettle Bell Clean and jerk 12.5kg

only had time to get in 3 round of 1 minute on each with a minute rest

• Plank 1 minute

When i got out of work this afternoon i was (still am) knackered! But got my workout in and considering how tired i was im pretty pleased!

Warm Up 

• Skipping 10 Mins

GPP Workout 10 mins

30 seconds each exercise

• Burpees
• Star Jumps
• Skipping (max effort)
• Bodyweight Squats

repeat 5 times (10 Mins)

Main Circuit

• 1 Minute Sledge Hammer Med Ball Slams (medball slams using a sledge hammer movement)
• 1 Minute Kettle Bell Clean and Press 12.5kg (1 arm 30 seconds then swap)
• 1 Minute Squat Walk 12kg Vipr on back
• 1 Minute Box Jumps 
• 1 Minute Rest

repeated 4 times (20 Mins)

Chin Ups 12 x 3, 10 x 1 (46)

Bench Press 20 Kg 40,30,20,10 

Core Circuit

• The Flag x 5
• V-Ups 8kg x 10
• Side Bends 28kg x 6 each side
• Chinnies x 20

Repeat 3 times

Finish with 1 plank hold for 1 minute

Yesterday i wanted to get in a quality day of conditioning work before having a day or 2 off (depending how i feel). Well i achieved that i worked very hard even if i do say so myself.

• Skipping 10 mins
• GPP Work Out 10 mins (30 seconds burpees,30 seconds dumbbell punches, 30 seconds squats, 30 seconds star jumps, non stop for 10 mins) 

Circuit Training

Each exercise 1 minute repeated circuit 5 times

• Med Ball Slams 4kg
• Kettle Bell 8kg Clean and press
• Bosun Ball Push Ups (alternating hands)
• High Box Jumps
• Vipr Lateral Runs
• Rest 1 minute

Core Circuit

• The Flag x 5
• V-Ups 8kg x 10
• Twists 8kg x 15
• Chinnies x 20

repeated 3 times

• Versa Climber for 10 mins - Just went as hard as possible for 10 mins beat the setting i had it on by alot and got well over 1000m. Might start recording the amount of meters i get in 10 mins regularly. 
• Skipping 5 mins - To finish off todays conditioning i just went as hard as possible for 5 minutes 

Finished with Chin Ups 10 x 4 

Plank Hold for 1 minute

Today after work i hit the weights for a bit of max strength. I increased my weights on a couple of things so am happy!

• 1 Arm Dumbbell Snatch 5 x 5 (sets 1-3 24kg sets 4-5 28kg)
• 2 Dumbbell Bench Press 5 x 5 ( sets 1-3 2x24kg 4-5 2x 26kg)
• Dead Lift 5 x 5 (Sets 1-3 60kg , sets 4-5 65kg)
• Squats 5x5 (set 1 30kg, set 2 35kg, sets 3 40kg, sets 4 and 5 45kg)
• Weighted Chin Ups 5x4 (15kg)
• 1 Leg Calf Raises (20kg)
• Farmers Walk For Distance* (2x 28kg)

*farmers walk set distance unknown but will use same distance each time. Completed 4 lengths, 3 lengths,2 and 1 with roughly 1 minute rest in-between. 

Ab Work

60 reps each of 

• Sit Ups with 6kg med ball
• Leg Raises 
• Trunk Curls
• twists 6kg med ball
• Scissor Kicks