Summary of Training: Week 1

Hey guys,

My first week of structured training has been both challenging and fun. I don’t honestly feel that committing to working out is a challenge for me, but the diet part of it is a challenge. What you eat, how much you eat and when you eat is different when you are preparing for a fitness competition vs. when you are training for a marathon. Seeing as I’m doing both, my goal is to maintain and shape my muscle as well as run. To maintain muscle mass, I have to make sure that the energy that I use on my runs comes from healthy food and not muscle. It’s also important to take in enough protein.

All in all, I think that I had a successful week of training, especially given the fact that I learned quite a few new exercises.

Monday:
Medicine Ball Pushups 15×4
Ball DB 1 Arm Chest Press 20×4 (on each arm)
Cable Overhead Pull 20×4 
Alternating up/down Plank 15×4 
Ball Chest Fly 20×4
Triceps Kickbacks 20×4
Medicine Ball Burpees 15×4
Cable Shuffle Chest Press 15×4

After I finished the above exercises, I did 12 min on the treadmill at average pace of 6:33 min per mile.

 Tuesday: I rested.

Wednesday:
Bulgarian Lunge with DB 15×4 (on each leg) 
Bar Sumo Squat 20×4
Smith Machine Close Squat 20×4 
Pop Squats 50×4
Medicine Ball Alternating Hop Throwdown 20×4 
Bar Curtsees 20×4 (on each leg) 
DB Calf Raise 25×4 (on each leg)
Bar Glute Bridge 20×4

After I completed the above workout, I did 15 minutes on the treadmill at an average pace of 6:29 min per mile

Thursday:
Push Ups 15×4
Seated Shoulder Press 15×4
Alternating Plank Band Shoulder Press 16×4
TRX Tuck/Pike 12×4
Kettlebell Upright Row 15×4
Cable Rope High Pull 20×4
Side Plank Side Raise 12×4 (on each side)
T Pulls on Bosu 15×4

Friday:
DB Alternating Plank 15×4
TRX Side Plank 4×40 (sec on each side)
Bench Jack Knife 15×4
Mt Climbers 50×4
Turkish Sit-up 12×4 (on each side)
Spell my full name while holding the plank position on the ball 4 times
Cable Oblique Twist 15×4 (on each side)
Straight Arm PLank “X” 20×4

I ran 8.5 km prior to completing the workout on Friday.

Saturday:
Low Cable Squat Row 15×4
Bosu 21’s 21×4
Lat Pull Down Close 15×4
Alternating Plank Row 16×4
Assisted Pull-up 15×4
Jump Chin Ups 10×4
High Cable Arm Pulldown 15×4 (on each arm)

 Sunday: Ran 14km at a very comfortable pace. I think that Sundays will be days when I will try to fit in slightly longer runs than usual. I also practiced walking and posing for the competition with my trainer Tamara Hambly on Sunday. Tamara Hambly was the one who designed my contest prep weight workout. I designed myself my marathon training plan, keeping in mind that my longest run will be 2 weeks after the fitness competition and 4 weeks before the marathon.

Please note: this workout is moderate to advanced. If you are not familiar with the exercises, please do not attempt them without the help of a trainer. Also, if you are training for distance, increase your mileage by no more than 10-12% per week to start with.