I am caught in that delicate stage before an athletic competition where you want to step up your training yet it is imperative NOT to over train. I have witnessed a few indicative signs of this. In the last five weeks i have had four minor injuries, though minor lil tweaks here and there are still signs of over training. Basically, three weeks before a big tournament was the wrong time to try new workouts. Also, it seems that shit piles up at once… in my case, training, streess, school, work, homework… etc. So i settled for some active recovery/light workouts on thursday and friday, and took the weekend off to catch up on some much needed sleep.
The plan for the final two weeks of preparation is to go balls to the wall this week, moderate conditioning next weekend. Then the week before the tournament i will settle for some very light recovery workouts, take 3 or 4 days to rest and maybe go for a light run, one day to travel, and the tournament is two weeks from today.
A college wrestling match consists of three periods. The first being 3 minutes, the second and third periods being 2 minutes in duration. The total match (if it does not end in tech fall, pin, or injury) lasts seven minutes. This is humbling to most when you think of the 20 weeks you spent training, for one double elimination tournament. Double elimination means you’re garaunteed two matches. Think of it this way, you spend hundreds of hours training, countless hours of dedication to your diet, unrivaled efforts to plan your training program and diet strategies, you spend hundreds and hundreds of hours of preparation for two seven minute matches. You spend 20 WEEKS in preparation for 7 MINUTES of competition. Make the most of your training because if you’ve come this far, you better get the most out of that 7 minutes as humanly possible. Nah, forget humanly possible, you’ve committed more completely, sacriiced more to, and dedciated more time and concistancey to this than most commit to a life long goal of loosing weight or improving fitness… you did the work, now its time to make your own luck and decide your own fate.
Weeks 1-5: The Begining - back to basics: cardio, push ups, sit ups, pull ups, swimming
Week 6: Power - mix of high intensity, speed endurance
Week 7: Rest - up to 7 days
Weeks 8 & 9: The Package - Strength endurance, high sets, high reps, strict diet, lots of cardio
Week 10: Power II - High intensity, lows sets/reps, high weight, strict diet & cardio
Weeks 11 & 12: Strength Endurance - Same as weeks 8 & 9, strict diet & cardio
Weeks 13 - 16: Strength Endurance II - massacre the body, sprint, jump rope, occasional LIT cardio
Week 16.5: Rest II - 2-3 days active recovery
Weeks 17 - 19.4: The Grind - balls to the wall power endurance & cardio, tighten diet
Weeks 19.5 - 19.9: The Suck - body been through hell, needs rest, make the brain and will power suffer, self induced psychological warfare
Week 20: Final Touch - what will you really do in the closing week to make you any stronger or mentally tougher than you haven’t already done (or should have been doing)? NOTHING. Recovery workouts and maintenance workouts, whatever it takes to make weight THEN AND ONLY THEN –> rest, rest, rest.
Week 20.1: Show Time - Make heads roll and take what is yours, not what you’ve won, or stolen, what you’ve earned
Week 21: Down Time - enjoy the rest of your life…. for a while (don’t get TOO lazy)
I started at 182 lbs thinking I was in great shape. The idea then was that I would trim down and wrestle at 174 lbs. However, I was shown the power of proper dieting and how great of shape I was capable of as within 5 weeks or so I was down to 173 lbs. The interesting thing was that it wasn’t by any means killing me to maintain that weight. I then made the decision that with 7 weeks until the tournament I would drop down to 165 lbs. We all know that the last few pounds are the hardest… however i am down to 168 lbs and about 5-7% body fat; well within the means of mild dehydration to make weight.
BUT!!! i plan to truely test my physical and mental limits. I will seek to naturally loose as much weight as possible w/o compromising my physique so that a few weeks before the tournament i actually weigh less than required and can do two things A) not worry about struggling to make weight and B) actually try to bulk up before the tournament as opposed to killing myself in the closing days.
** NOTE ** Not all of the stats below were taken at the same time. Most of them took place after weeks of "test specific" training. (EX: one would not train for 100m and 4mi races at the same time). However, if anyone could beat ALL of these records at any given time please teach me, I would love to learn how.
Bench Press: 365 @ 185lbs
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1 mile: 6:17
2 mile: 15:00
3 mile: 24:54
4 mile: 33:14
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Weighing 182 lbs there are 12 wks until my wrestling tourney, at which i need to weigh 174 (or less). I have always trained hard, but only in the past few months have i decided to train "smarter." It is well known that wrestlers "cut" weight. However, this process is terrible for your body. We all know the proper way to loose weight yet refuse it. I decided that this year i will try and cut as little weight as possible and naturally weigh 174 lbs. What to do?….
Given my current weight, caloric intake and fitness level I recalculated a diet plan along with my workouts. To weigh 182 lbs and maintain a high fitness level I consume apx 2900-3000 cal/day. Doing some research i found that people of average age and health need apx 14 - 16 cal/lb of bodyweight. 14 = low fitness leve; 16 = high. So to weigh 174 lbs i would need to cut my 2900-3000 cal/day to 2784 (174×16) cal/day. Studies have shown that progressive weight loss is considered 1-2 lbs per week and/or a 15% cut in caloric intake. I am w/in both statistics. The plan is to weigh myself weekly to determine if the losses are significant enough… if not, than as i stated i am well under the 15% weekly cut in calories. So as needed i will decrease my caloric intake while maintaining the same level of fitness.
The result should be a leaner and meaner me. If my fitness level stays the same or increases, while decreasing energy(calories) consumed, my muscle mass should increase and fat percent should decrease. Satisfied w/ my current fitness level? Somewhat yes, but mostly no. Yes, in the sense that i have been in worse shape and am currently in pretty good physical condition. No bcuz our mothers always told us that all that matters is that we do our best, BUT how can you know what your best is if your not constantly pushing yourself to be (literally) all that you can be?
I completed 5 weeks of navy seal boot camp. However, i had to stop early because i will not hav daily access to the pool at school. I can’t say for sure if i would have made it the entire 19 wks, but i am certain i could a hav made a convincing effort. Considering i made it over 1/4 of the total program, and 1/3 of the way until it doesn’t get any more difficult. I can say in convincing fashion that i can see why the navy seals r the most elite fighting force on the planet.
There is no doubt that my skepticism was completely shut down. I hadn’t touched a dumbbell, barbell, or machine in 5 weeks yet i was completing training with relative ease that 5 weeks ago would hav sent me off w/ a b**** slap and a whimper. 1 mile used to b it and 2 miles was certain death, now 2 miles is an easy day. 50 - 100 push-ups were close to max, now 150 is an average day. I was and am an "average" swimmer, but the difference is that 15 min is a warm up rather than a nightmare. so…..
How Far?
I have a wrestling tourney in roughly 15 wks, and a few weeks ago i found an article listing the navy seal workout. and i thought, who is in more practical physical condition than they navy seals? they don’t care wat a judge thinks of their physique, they care if their body can function to its optimum capacity in practical situations. so i’m now on the third week of the program. i can already notice a difference in my conditioning and anaerobic ability. however, there is no doubt that the program will break ur every physical and mental limit… but it will also rebuild it stronger than it ever was before.
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