What does my training week look like?
My focus when training:
Stuff that feels good
Stuff I enjoy
Stuff I need
It might seem controversial but I don’t plan a strict routine for myself. My brain moves a thousand miles a minute sometimes, and this will be a big part of why I have so many fingers in so many pies! Strongman, meels and shields, Bulgarian bags…workshops, competition and research around all of them. Not to mention studying for my Anatomy Trains qualification and practicing massage/bodywork.
Let’s put it this way, I like to keep myself busy. I will plan sessions for my clients quite specifically but for me I’ll have a general plan but then leave aspects of my sessions to how I’m feeling that day. In general, this is how my week of training looks:
MONDAY - mobility and meels/clubs
TUESDAY - Bulgarian bags (legs)
WEDNESDAY - shields and bench press
THU - mobility, sometimes meels/clubs too
FRI - Bag club (Bulgarian bags)
The weight and intensity varies. On Mondays I’ll work towards our heaviest meels for meel swings, but then the following week I’ll do more freestyle flow movements with lighter sets. On Tuesdays, my shield session is in my mind so if I train it will tend to be with Bulgarian bags and/or machines but mostly centred around the lower body. This allows me to be at least a bit recovered for shields on Wednesday. It’s worth pointing out that for all these sessions the reps/volume etc is down to how I’m doing. If my brain is all over the place I’ll set a timer, if I’m doing heavy work I’ll just take as much rest as I need.
I’m 40 now and I can’t train 6/7 times a week any more, especially given my work schedule. As such I don’t put huge expectations on myself. Each year I normally have a couple of things that I’m aiming towards but I’m pretty free and easy on how I get there. I might fancy swinging some heavy clubs one day but my body or brain could have other ideas.
I think there’s a lot to be said for this. You can have all the hopes in the world of hitting certain numbers etc but you might just not be there on the day for whatever reason…lack of water, food, life stress etc.
This is part of the reason I love shields and meels…you can work on technique, complex combinations and working with lighter clubs rather than heavy, gear it towards how you’re feeling. There are so many variables other than just volume or weight. Then a session never feels wasted, you might iron out techniques, manage to do some epic juggling, without it really feeling like training. That’s such a positive approach compared to expecting to get a new 1RM and getting nowhere near, and how that can make your day feel absolutely ruined.
So keep a goal in mind, but don’t get too bogged down by specific numbers. Most importantly, enjoy training. If you hate it, do something else.
If you’d like to learn something different and interesting, mix up your routine then get in touch HERE
