However, I also know that they are just another tool which should be part of one big toolbox!

I wanted to get the lowdown on why kettlebells are so effective, who uses them and how to get started with kettlebell sport.

Enter Tommy Matthews of Optimal Life Fitness who set me on my personal kettlebell path.

Listen up then check out the first week of a kettlebell sport program (you needed to be on the subsrciber list to get the full thing – get on now for future programs!)

Kettlebell Sport Training Week 1

Week 1 Tempos
2 Arm Jerks: 7rpm
1 Arm Jerks: 10rpm
Snatches: 14rpm

Day 1
3 x 5 minute 2 arm jerk sets

2 x 2/2 minute 1 arm jerk sets with heavier kettlebell

1 x 2/2 minute snatch set

4 x Jump Squats with Bar
30 Reps

Day 2
1 x 6 minute 2 arm Jerk Set

1 x 2/2 minute 1 arm jerk sets with heavier kettlebell

3 x 2/2 minute snatch sets

1 arm swings sport style
3 sets of 1/1 minute with heavier bell

Day 3
3 x 5 minute 2 arm jerk sets

2 x 2/2 minute 1 arm jerk sets with heavier kettlebell

1 x 2/2 minute snatch set

4 x Jump Squats with Bar
30 Reps

Day 4
1 x 6 minute 2 arm Jerk Set

1 x 2/2 minute 1 arm jerk sets with heavier kettlebell

3 x 2/2 minute snatch sets

1 arm swings sport style
3 sets of 1/1 minute with heavier bell

Day 5
3 x 5 minute 2 arm jerk sets

2 x 2/2 minute 1 arm jerk sets with heavier kettlebell

1 x 2/2 minute snatch set

4 x Jump Squats with Bar
30 Reps

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For too long I have fallen into the trap of believing I had to find one best way of ‘doing fitness’.

I’ve done running.

I’ve done running and weights.

I’ve done Cross Fit WOD’S.

Each time I found reasons why that training was great and why it wasn’t and ultimately got bored.

My aim in life now is to complete all the fitness experiences I want to which will mean using different modalities at different times depending on the task in hand.

To my mind this is the only way to live and to get the most out of life!

I can’t say I’ve ever been a fan of bodybuilding because my conditioning levels are too precious to me, but as part of the WTW quest I am willing to listen and learn from anyone and everyone who knows what they are talking about.

This includes Jimmy Smith, a bodybuilding expert from Conneticut.

Here’s what he had to say on adding muscle without losing strength or getting too big to move, Greg Glassman of CrossFit getting it plain wrong on bodybuilding and how he makes sessions for size ‘tough’.

Check it out and post your thoughts below…. LISTEN TO JIMMY SMITH INTERVIEW HERE

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These will always be typical of what you find in Intense Conditioning

800m incline run on treadmill (Incline 3.0-5.0)
Complete as fast as possible
Straight to bar for max reps pull ups

Back on treadmill when no more pull ups can be done

Repeat with 700m, 600, 500, 400, 300, 200 and 100

Enjoy!

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I’m working on improving various gymnastic style exercises (please note those are not my abs above, but they are very nice)

Sometimes practice isn’t as good as it should be…..

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The reason for this is that they are tough. Used correctly and they will leave you walking like John Wayne for a few days.

This is why I love them. They hurt, they bring fast results and they don’t need much time to finish you off.

But why are they so great and how should they be used for maximum effect?

Why Hill Intervals Should Be A Part Of Any Program

1) The angle of the hill forces a biiiig push off from your glutes to propel you up the hill (assuming your glutes are firing properly). Combined with the stress on your quads, this will turn you into a powerful, more efficient runner whether it is for running itself or for other sports.

The hill angle also takes your ankles through a greater range of dorsiflexion, improving the function of both your ankles and your calf muscles.

2) Time-efficiency. 20 minutes intense conditioning work on a hill will bring better results than a 60 minute plod if you are looking to develop anaerobic endurance and power, and to shed body fat!

3) The intense use of your quadriceps and glutes will results in a large release of HGH which aids in lean muscle growth.

4) A massive oxygen debt will be created due to the lactic acid build up. Your metabolic rate will therefore be elevated for a long time afterwards resulting in lower body fat levels (assuming you have control of your nutrition!)

5) Hills are superior to steps in my opinion because most steps are quite close together meaning you train yourself to take small steps rather than opening out your hips over a greater ROM. Of course if you find some ‘deep’ steps (from front to back) that takes care of this!

6) If you are moving into a period of training when you don’t want to be detracting from running / sport specific conditioning time, hill intervals are great because they will enable you to maintain or even build sport specific strength levels. Performing heavy weights in a seperate session may leave you flat when it comes to sport specific training which isn’t much use!

7) Hill running will do wonders for your lactate threshold or less scientific terms ‘the burn’!

Words Of Warning

1) If you have poor ankle mobility and or tight calves, running up steep hills may cause issues with your knees and hips. If your shins are unable to travel forward over your toes due to poor mobility in the ankle, your knee is likely to be forced to roll inwards causing the hip muscle to lock up. I used to suffer with this and always felt my lower back afterwards. This is a problem running on the flat but compounded by the angle of a hill.

2) Hill running places less emphasis on the hamstrings than flat running so ensure you take steps to counter this. Add in single leg deadlifts and some intervals on the flat to your weekly program.

3) Hill intervals of short bursts with rest inbetween are awesome for many reasons. However, if you are looking to build endurance you are best advised to do longer hills runs with recovery pace in between so you get used to maintaining your running pace as you would have to in a race.

How To Do Hill Intervals

As mentioned above, certain hill intervals are not the best option for everyone. Here are some examples of manipulating rest and work time for your goals….

Explosive sports

If you are looking to improve your explosive power over short distances, you should look to keep the length of your hill interval to around 50m. Perform 10-15 repetitions with the rest being the time to walk back to the bottom.

As you get closer to a competition you may like to increase the distance and jog back down. This may reduce the speed but it will improve your conditioning levels and develop mental strength enabling you to keep going without rest.

This is also a great way to use intervals if you are just in it for fat loss!

If you are involved in MMA for instance, you might do a 100m sprint taking 20-30 seconds and jog back down until 5 minutes is up. Rest 1 minute then start again.

Runners

If you are a 1500-5000m runner who needs high levels of anaerobic endurancem 10-15 x 200-400m at 3-5k pace with 45-60 seconds rest will do the job. The longer your race, the higher up the distance and slower the pace you should use. As you get closer to race day, reduce the rest intervals to around 30 seconds or use active recovery between runs.

If you are looking to improve 10k pace, you are best advised to use a pace which enables you to keep running between – your recovery time should be about the same as the time it takes you to run up the hill. This means the pace is technically the same on the way down as on the way up but obviously it is much harder to keep this pace on the way up the hill!

Run a distance that takes about 45 seconds at about 5-10% over your 10k pace. Repeat 12-16 times.

Hill intervals feature in Intense Conditioning because they are so effective!

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This manifesto sets out the policies by which the Worlds Toughest Workouts (WTW) working party intends to reverse the rot which has set not only in the general public in Britain but also amongst those who wrongly believe ‘going to the gym’ three times per week is an achievement.

We intend to show fatties and ‘exercise enthusiasts’ alike that ‘build muscle, burn fat’ is not the be-all and end-all of life but should be a very fast and natural side effect of training for more meaningful physical goals.

It is our intention that all people in Britain shall understand that physical and spiritual enlightenment is something we must all strive for by regularly battering ourselves with Intense Conditioning training and taking time to just chill out and relax before we well and truly ruin both ourselves and our planet.

Communities

• Restrict access to all fast food joints to those with body fat above 15%. Anyone found lying about their body fat levels will be given a power bag of weight equivalent to 50% of their bodyweight which they shall carry around until body fat is reduced to 15% or less

• Build on the Labour Government’s extended schools programme ensuring that all schoolchildren perform five intense physical training sessions per week. This is not an option.

• Actively enforce competition in schools, clubs and playgrounds nationwide. Those parents who believe competition upsets their child or makes them feel like a failure will be flogged until they throw out the households Wii Fit. They will also be shown why the lack of competition and intense exercise in schools is largely the reason why most of our athletes fail miserably against the Aussies and Americans.

• Fit all local parks with a sandpit for throwing kettlebells around, pull up bars for people of all heights, sprint tracks, and wheelbarrows with heavy stones to push around.

• Close all playgrounds to children after 7pm to enable brutal bodyweight circuits to take place. Fat mothers who sit around watching them and not joining in shall be required to attend the first 20 minutes of these sessions or until they are no longer able to stand up

• Require anyone wearing a hoody in a threatening manner, spraying graffiti, dropping litter, smoking cigarettes, pushing 5 children in an all-in-one push chair whilst wearing a pink Adidas tracksuit, using park benches to sell alcohol to under 18’s, listening to music on their phone in a way that enables anyone outside of their own ears to hear, or using words such as ‘safe, bruv, innit, Lacoste, you wot?, blade or weed’ in inappropriate ways to complete 1 year compulsory service in the armed forces.

• Require all gymnasiums to learn and teach kettlebell training to an exceptional standard to all members. Steppers, cross-trainers, recumbent bikes, aerobics, canteens, fat gym instructors and lycra for anyone with body fat over 15% shall be banned. All shall be equipped with aforementioned kettlebells, power bags, tyres, sledgehammers, dumbbells, power racks, ropes and clubbells.

• Apprehend anyone seen ‘yogging’ alongside the river and require them to attend 6 weeks of Pavement Pounders Anonymous until they no longer feel an addiction to plodding but get an adrenaline surge at the thought of sweat-drenched interval training.

• Require all users of elevators and escalators to produce identification to prove they are over 70 years old or have an age-related injury.

• Install a team of ‘Fatty-catchers’ in every city, town, village and McDonald’s. These people shall be impounded and made to complete 4 hours of manual labour each day whilst living on green vegetables, lean protein and healthy fats. Once they are able to see their own feet without leaning forward they shall be released.

• Ban internal phone calls or emails in businesses to encourage the flabby loafers to make the effort to climb the stairs and have a face-to-face meeting with the other person.

• Encourage men to be men by preventing the slippery slope towards a nation of metrosexual second-division soccer players characterised by spiky, gelled blond hair, rosary beads, more bangles than an African queen and belts that say Jesus rocks. Anyone man leaning on a bar with an alcopop falsely inflating his chest and ‘peacocking’ by showing off his bling shall be required to drop and give us 50 on the spot.

Housing

• Ensure that affordable housing is developed across Britain providing grassy outdoor exercise areas within 2km of every house.

• All houses shall have a minimum ceiling height limit to enable kettlebell snatches

• Work with developers to increase the supply of eco-housing which has sufficient land to grow your own produce.

• Make better use of empty military housing and surplus brown field land to build indoor bootcamp-style ass-kicking areas where pain and sufferance are rewarded with free organic food after the session

• Ensure that the right balance is struck between providing the houses that local people need and maintaining Britain’s countryside so that there are plenty of areas for hill sprints, mud wrestling and tractor pulling. 5% of all bails of hay must be left in the fields for a period of 3 months after harvest for the purpose of lifting, throwing, dragging and jumping over.

• No housing blocks shall install lifts but install a fireman’s pole and rope climb for those on the higher floors. The fatter you are, the higher up the building you shall be required to live in order to make rope climbs harder.

Empowering individuals and families

• Recognise the valuable contribution made by fitness trainers who don’t sell themselves short by failing to set killer goals for people or being soft on people failing due to laziness or lack of commitment. Trainers who fire clients who refuse to eat clean, healthy food 90% of the time shall benefit from reduced income tax at a rate of 10%. These funds shall be reinvested in outdoor fitness areas.

• Ensure the most vulnerable members of our community are supported and protected, enabling them to maintain independence and dignity. Those who fought in the trenches shall pay no taxes and shall be paid to talk to those who think hardship occurs when the latest Big Brother series ends, the ready-meal section of Asda no longer has 25% off and when the elevator in Primark is broken requiring them to drag their fat ass up the stairs.

• Promote closer working between heath and social care services to ensure that all frontline services give the best possible health and social care to all those who need it. The following people do not fall into the category of ‘needing it’…

o People who complain about their diabetes but continue to eat processed shite, scoff desserts and think not supersizing their cola is going on a diet.
o People who want gastric banding because they find it ‘just too hard’ to eat healthily because of their ‘busy, stressful client entertainment job’
o People who do aerobics five times per week but still look like they just robbed a Michelin factory and have now given up because ‘nothing works’
o People who were given a diagnosis of a dysfunctional thyroid by the Doctor who bought their qualification at www.youarefrigginclueless.com (Gillian McKeith that applies to you)

o People who have lung cancer having smoked 20 per day for 20 years

o People who have heart complaints but just can’t find time for exercise meaning they really need that operation. Stop clogging the NHS up you feeble, weak-minded potato.

• Require those seeking obesity related treatment to first undergo a rigorous 6 week daily training and nutrition plan before even being considered. Any more than a 5% deviation from the rules shall result in being put to the back of the queue until the program has been successfully completed.

• Ensure that all disabled children in Britain have the support and opportunity they need to fulfil their potential and are not told by their lazy, able-bodied friends that it’s okay to accept their difficulties. These people often have the spirit to be something much greater than they are allowed by their carers.

• Fine the parents of obese children £5000 if their child fails to complete at least 5 hours of intense exercise and eat non-processed food 90% of the time for a period of 12 weeks from the time of being caught. A charge of child abuse shall be brought against those parents who enable their defenceless children to get into such a state that they cannot run down the road.

Economic growth

• Work to further develop fitness / adventure tourism across the British isles.

• Work with businesses to develop a health and wellbeing orientated economy that will protect Britain from fluctuations in economic prosperity due to fat bankers who see no excitement or achievement in life beyond adding up things, inflating things, valuing things in monetary terms and entertaining each other with such falsity that it makes the trained individual who has happened upon a national sporting event (due to genuine interest in physical exertion and sacrifice for the cause) to vomit.

• Ensure that people in Britain have access to world class health and fitness education and training, guaranteeing that everyone has the opportunity to develop their fitness and mindset to enable a peaceful, productive and highly efficient workforce.

• Ban over-time. It shall not be required because the workforce will be so energized by regular physical ass-kickings that all work will get done in the set working hours of 7-3 leaving afternoons for group practice of strength and conditioning, QiGong, food preparation, further education and chilling the hell out in the interests of being lean and athletic and enjoying life rather than rushing around all the time.

• All businesses in the health and fitness field (excluding aerobics teachers, Weight Watchers, Lighter Life, Slimming World and all pill-mongerers) shall be subject to 0% corporation tax. All businesses engaged in profiteering from selling fast food, cigarettes, aerobics DVD’s, vibrating muscle toning machines and any other product which either induces obesity or falsely leads people to believe it has a magic solution shall be made to pay a social accounting tax on profits of 40% to help support the National Health Service which is over-burdened as a result.

• Corporate boxes at major sporting venues shall be removed with 10% of tickets given away free to those who have achieved the best results in their physical training and testing.

Public transport and seated areas

• The total weight of body plus baggage shall be used to determine excess baggage limits on all flights within and leaving Britain. A scale shall be used based on waist:hip circumference ratio to determine actual luggage allowed.

• No person spilling over on to the adjacent seat shall be allowed on public transport, planes or cinema seats.

• Any person waddling into the cinema shall not be allowed to purchase from the sweetie section but may buy from the fibrous vegetable stall which will be a requirement in the license of the cinema. They shall also be refused a seat and instead be ushered to the treadmill area at the back of the cinema.

• Public busses shall operate a measuring system similar to that used to check heights on fairground rides to ensure a person is not too fat to get through the door. Doors will not be made wider to accommodate such people.

• Cycle networks shall take priority over all motor vehicle access ways. Cyclists shall be given priority at all junctions and shall not be reprimanded for sticking one finger up at the pie-eating fat white van man even if they are in the wrong.

• Every house shall be connected to the aforementioned parks by bus.

• No child shall be allowed on the bus if they are overweight, nor their irresponsible parents. Thou shalt walk.

• All children cycling or running to school shall be rewarded by being allowed to leave one hour earlier. This extra time shall be used to practice kettlebell swings and snatches and to learn that not being able to do at least 10 pull ups and 20 push ups for the rest of your life is a disgrace.

Crime and policing

• Work in partnership with the police, fire service and ambulance service to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour by forcing all miscreants to spend 6 months in an intense training unit in which they will learn the value of hard work sacrifice and shutting the f**k up when they are told to by their elders who did 8 hour training sessions out in the fields and in the mines.

• Support and extend community and neighbourhood policing to give law enforcement officers the power to arrest anyone taking up more than their fair share of the pavement or aisle in supermarkets.

• Encourage supermarkets to make trolleys smaller with a special fruit and veg section at the front of the trolley. If this is full when at the checkout, a 20% discount shall be offered.

Summary of policies

The Worlds Toughest Workouts working party aims to rid Britain of the bullshit, lazy attitudes which have infected our country leading to an obesity epidemic and the misguided belief that gyms, aerobics and diet companies are the way forward to solve the problem.

It also looks to extend its influence to rid the internet of those so-called experts who constantly push fat loss as the ultimate goal in life.

We question your spirit, your integrity, your morals and your bollocks when the only thing you can think to write about and encourage people to do is to choose between tacos and tortillas in order to lose another 1lb of fat this month. We suggest you get a grip and challenge both yourself and those who follow you to chase bigger dreams, more challenging goals and to focus on achieving experiences you can be proud of in your final days.

Those who make the effort to engage in training that borders on Grievous Bodily Harm, healthy eating practices as a habit and seeking spiritual enlightenment in life beyond what’s on television, BodyPump and their next pay cheque, shall be rewarded.

They will subject to lower taxes, receive free air miles to go see other like-minded people the world over and be given free organic vegetables and grass-fed beef every Sunday.

All teenagers shall be given, by the government, a set of kettlebells, a portable pull up bar, a jump rope, a power bag and a pair of trainers on their 16th birthday.

They shall also be given a free copy of http://www.intenseconditioningworkouts.com to ensure they get lean, strong and athletic in record time.

Please note for all those who may not have guessed just yet, this is a something of a piss-take!

However, the ideals which underpin the policies are not, and I truly believe the world would be a better place if they were taught to people from a young age and reinforced before the active, vibrant, energized, dream-fuelled actions of our youth are dampened when we are told getting a job and a mortgage is all life is about.

This manifesto is a work in progress in preparation for the General Elections of 2010 in the UK. If you would like to contribute and help me perfect the manifesto, please email me at jon@stormforcefitness.com

Jon Le Tocq

Twitter – www.twitter.com/jonletocq

Blog – www.worldstoughestworkouts.com

Kick-ass 12 week strength and conditioning program – www.intenseconditioningworkouts.com

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I hooked up with Lee Merrien a British cross-country athlete who is also a sub 4-minute miler.

Lee’s got body fat of around 5% but shock horror he eats lots of potatoes which have been outlawed by a lot of fat loss experts and coaches.

This is a sample week of Lee’s training….

Mon

AM 45-60mins run
PM 20mins jogging, drills & 8 x 80m hill sprints plus core/glut exercises

Tue

AM 40mins easy.
PM track interval session(15-20′ jog, dynamic warm up & drills then main session. Cool down 15′ easy

Wed

AM 60-90 mins
PM weights, consisting of foam roller, corrective flexibility, dynamic warm up then strength exercises, usually reps of 10

Thur

AM 40′ easy
PM 50-60′ as threshold run or progressive run over latter part of run.

Fri

45′ very easy or rest

Sat

AM track or grass based interval workout
PM 40 min easy run

Sun

AM long run approx 1hr 45

*** Subsrcibers to the blog (see top right) received a 3 week 10k program straight from Lee! Get on board!***

Here’s what else he had to say….

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Don’t get me wrong I love the old 5×5, 6×3 and all the other variations for building strength and power.

However, I’ve always got bored with training solely for strength and so tried mixing these in with my conditioning work.

What happened was, I ended up getting so sore following heavy strength sessions that I pretty much limped through the conditioning sessions, giving it 70% if I was lucky!

I then set about trying to find a way to work on strength and power without affecting my conditioning training. I was getting greedy and couldn’t settle for the traditional opinion that you have to work on different elements of physical performance one at a time.

And so Intense Conditioning was born and will be released on June 1st 2009.

As well as delivering 12 weeks of hardcore conditioning tests, I’ve combine plyometric work with isometric and low rep strength training to develop unstoppable conditioning and obvious increases in functional strength and power (never mind the shedding of body fat!)

Isometrics are very underrated and many people don’t even know what I’m talking about so hopefully this extract straight out of Intense Conditioning will help clear a few things up!

Read on then get ready for Intense Conditioning…

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When talking about muscle contractions there are essentially three categories of contraction.

The concentric contraction of the muscle describes the phase in which the muscle shortens under tension. For instance if you perform a bench press, your chest and tricep muscles (amongst others) shorten as they contract to move the bar upwards.

The eccentric contraction of the muscle describes the phase in which the muscle lengthens under tension. For instance, when you perform a squat, as you descend with the bar on your back, your hamstrings are lengthened whilst still under tension.

This leaves the third category – isometric contractions.

An isometric contraction of a muscle is when tension is produced in the muscle without any shortening or lengthening as described above.

An example of this would be if you stood in front of a wall then tried to push it over.

You would feel tension in most of the muscles in your upper body, yet no movement would actually be occurring.

You may well be wondering what the point of this training is!

First, it is an excellent way to stimulate neuromuscular adaptation* without the need for really heavy weights which can be impractical, inaccessible and require lengthy periods of coaching to be safe and effective – none of which are practical for a program delivered via the internet for people who want to be able to train anywhere!

(*Neuromuscular adaptation is improvement of the signals which run from your brain to the muscle you are asking to work. This causes more muscle fibres to be called into use thus increasing the amount of weight you are able to move and the speed at which you can do it.)

Second, performing concentric and eccentric contractions with heavy weights over a sustained period of time usually leads to an increase in muscle size.

Whilst this is highly desirable for some, for others it is actually a bad thing. Some ladies simply do not want increased muscle size, and some athletes are required to remain in a particular weight bracket for their competitions.

Also a tennis player, for example, has no need to increase muscle bulk and so must find ways to increase strength, power and ultimately speed around the court without adding extra weight which may have the opposite effect.

The third key reason for ensuring a percentage of any strength and conditioning program is taken up by isometric training, is that it enables the individual to work on those points in a movement in which they are weak.

For instance, when you press a dumbbell or kettlebell overhead, you will find that you are most likely to fail on the last rep at about the half way point of the movement.

Within a traditional repetition, you will pass through the weak point in under 0.1 seconds giving you little time to train your body to be strong at that point.

This can lead to very slow gains.

Using isometric training enables you to work at exactly the point you normally struggle at, thus focussing on the very spot which is the weak link.

Finally, the fourth key reason for using isometric training in this program is that heavy weight training can often lead to considerable muscle soreness. This will lead to sub-standard conditioning sessions in this program which won’t be tolerated!

This is not to say that isometrics are in any way better than typical methods of lifting, but in this particular program it makes perfect sense!

There are other advantages to isometric training*:

·                                            Only simple apparatus is required

·                                            You can fix the joint angle for maximum effect

·                                            Smaller energy and time expenditure

·                                            Greater potential for teaching and coaching as you are holding the same position for longer

There can however be drawbacks to isometric training*:

·                                            It can tire the nervous system if used excessively

·                                            If you have high blood pressure it is not recommended due to due to the holding of breath required during exerting maximum tension

·                                            It will only enhance muscle performance close to the specific angle used in the isometric contraction. (This can however be overcome by performing repetitions at multiple angles).

·                                            May reduce the functional range of dynamic movement and reduce the elasticity of soft tissue.

*Lists adapted from Siff.M (2003), Supertraining

It should however be noted that the potential drawbacks can be minimised through correct breathing and relaxation techniques as well as sufficient rest breaks.

These are explained fully in the Intense Conditioning program which enables you to ramp up your conditioning levels and increase strength and power at the same time. Keep an eye out!

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However, when you are competing in an event which involves a hilly 6 mile cross country run followed by 2 laps of an brutal assault course, you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.

July 26th sees me taking part in the summer Tough Guy event in Wolverhapton, United Kingdom aiming to finish in the top 75 out of the thousands who take part. A big ask as I finished 138th last year but I’m up for it and preparation is going well!

However, Saturday was an effort. You know those days where everything seems to be going against you and there are strong calls coming from inside you to sack off training. Yes we all go through them. Anyone who doesn’t just doesn’t train hard enough the rest of the time to warrant wetting their pants at the thought of what lies ahead.

Having dropped a 25lb dumbbell on my finger which burst on impact, went purple and doubled in size whilst giving me that horrible nauseating feeling, I wasn’t in the best frame of mind!

In the end I did the run which was 8.25 miles including some steep hills in the middle of about 50m in length 3 minutes quicker than last time.

Here’s how the internal dialogue went to get me through from the moment of busting the finger……

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Shit this really hurts. Think the nails going to come off. Go home and get some ice on it.

No…you know you need to test yourself on this run and get the hill training in. Tough Guy is won and lost on the ’slalom’ and you know those hills are where you can make up a lot of places.

Yeah but I won’t be able to concentrate and the pain’s making me feel ill. Go home and get some ice on it.

Look you pussy, you write on Worlds Toughest Workouts and you’re bottling out of a session where you don’t even need your finger. Just get changed and go. If you did this in battle, you’d have to carry on. Give yourself so option.

Alright let’s do it. Let’s f**king do it. Oh crap the earpiece on my iPod’s knackered. This really isn’t my day and cardio stuff bores me without some banging tunes. Sack it off.

Don’t be such a gym rat! You won’t have your iPod at Tough Guy – it’ll be a good test. Tape your finger up and go.

(5 minutes later)

God my legs feel heavy from front squats a couple of days ago – maybe just get to Lenton Boulevard and head back – you can still make it tough over 5k. Yeah do more of a speed session.

No you gotta do this. Look for solutions. Look for strength. That’s what makes you different. You’ll be fine once the legs loosen up just get to the start of Lenton Boulevard in 6 minutes and you’re on target. Come on open the stride a bit.

Mmmm the guns look good in the shop window….

Focus. Breathe. Deep breaths. Stay aerobic as long as possible.

Okay made it. 6 minutes. That’s a big win. You’re ahead of last time even if you’re tired.

Just overtook a fatty on a scooter – that’s either great or really, really sad. Who gives a f**k you’re doing well. Let’s push through the crossroads. Trust your stride. Breathe.

We’re at 14 minutes, get to the hills under 20. You’ve got it in you. Play chicken at the traffic lights. It’s not your time to go, you won’t get run over. Save 30 seconds. Beat the lights…..

Did you send that email to Jimmy Smith about the interview..? OI FOCUS. TRAIN NOW WORK LATER. YOU KNOW THE RULES. STAY IN THE ZONE.

Good work we’re on it. Should hit the hills at 19.20 ish. Woah legs suddenly feel heavy. It’s pyschological you’re thinking about the hill. Just get there. Come on, push on, trust your stride.

Imagine that guy who did you last year without about 800m to go is just behind you. Show no weakness in battle. You’re hurting but he doesn’t know that. Scare him, make him work. Open the stride to hill attack it. Stay on the edge.

Okay hill time. Took 13 minutes last time to do 8 up and down. Oh crap the quads are hurting. Get 2 done then you’ll be in the rhythm. Come on head down. Push.

No rest at the bottom of the hill. This is where you’ll make your race at Tough Guy. Go hard now and it’ll be easy on the day. You’ll destroy people on the hills. Want it. Believe in yourself. Stay on the edge.

That’s 4. This hurts. Come on mate.

You stopped for 5 seconds at the top you twat. Make it up. MAKE IT UP. Faster on the downhill. MAKE IT UP.

7 down in 10 minutes – f**king YES PLEASE! Finish it now, you could beat your time despite the bad day! You love this sh*t, you love the challenge do it. Finish the hills in 11. GO ON.

Nailed it. Now don’t go at recovery pace, push on for home now, take time off, come on TAKE TIME OFF – EAT IT UP. Trust your stride.

Push to Derby Road – give yourself room to play with on the long hill. Shit…..lost track of whether this is on target or not. Aaaaah this has hit motivation. Come on find it again, it feels good so you must be on target. Trust your stride.

Right, Derby Road hill. Head down again, get it done then we push the final mile or two.

Oh crap this is hurting more than last time. Your strides shortening. Find your strength, don’t lose time, YOU’RE LOSING IT…. FIND IT, PUSH IT, WANT IT. 8 weeks until race day, no room for quitting. DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE.

Done it. Don’t rest. Turn and push hard back down the hill.

But 20 seconds rest at the traffic lights then I’ll go hard.

No it won’t help just move….NO….MOVE AND DRIVE FOR HOME.

Nice, nice – good stride. Don’t mind the old granny………….just fly past get this done.

Oh yes back on to Lenton Boulevard with 10 minutes to spare to hit the record. This took 6 minutes on the way out. You’ve got this, you could do 55. That’s awesome for you. Come on, find the stride now.

Here it is final straight down Castle Boulevard. The pain’s good. It’ll pass. Finishing outside the top 75 at Tough Guy won’t. You’ve got to want this. THIS IS WHERE WINNERS ARE MADE.

Remember ‘Any given Sunday’. Focus on the next 6 inches. “And that gentlemen is the f**king difference between winning and losing”.

Crap you can’t breathe………….ease down a bit you’ll still beat 59 minutes.

No…kill it now, KILL IT. Make it a race, imagine you’re behind, you have to find more speed.

You’re flying now, come on, put your foot down OPEN UP OPEN UP…..800m to go.

RELEASE NOW. RELEASE…………..

(Silence……………)

*********************************************

My brain shut off at this point and I just went for it, nearly getting run over in the process, but I wanted a good record to prove to myself that I should NEVER find crap reasons not to train.

I did just that and took 3 minutes off my previous time. It hurt but it made me stronger.

When we feel at our lowest is usually just before we have our greatest successes. Whether it’s because we are FORCED to give it our all and find something special or because it’s the universe testing us one more time before it allows us to earn success, is for you to decide.

Either way I don’t care.

The mission was accomplished.

However, it was just one session. Having drive and attitude once every so often will get you nowhere.

Having the fight in you day in, day out is something you must cultivate and strengthen if you really want to achieve more.

That session is forgotten. I’m ready for the next, and the next and the next…………

Next time you doubt yourself, check you internal dialogue.

See how you talk to yourself. See which voices you listen to. See how important your goals REALLY are.

Above all, just get on with it. You’ll find strength.

PS Check out the Tough Guy even to see what I face ——-> Tough Guy

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What happened? I created my first effort for the 10 minute YouTube workout challenge to be run in June.

You can do better?

I wanna see it (and try it!)

Stay tuned for more on the challenge!

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