That Sound? Rubber Hitting Road.

[Kinetikat]

Well, had my first training session with Stephen Aitken yesterday evening. AND am still alive to tell the tale!

[o1d_dude]

The Aitkens are known round the world for their ability to throw the hammers.

Great teacher for you!

[Kinetikat]

So I understand from Alan H! He didn't turn me loose on hammers this week - he's going to try to get me a light Light Hammer for next week. Also, he needed to put some work on shot and WFD technique into me first!
Agh, my entire right side from butt to neck hurts like hell. The gym really doesn't quite prepare you for this stuff!
But, on the positive side, Steve was far too gentlemanly to fall about laughing at my pathetic technique and puny throwing, and immediately changed my shot technique from standing shot into spin. I've never spun before - ever! - so that took a little getting used to.
Steve then unleashed the 28lb WFD on me, the first time I'd ever thrown one. Holy cow! We spent about an hour working on that, with Steve demonstrating these powerful balletic double spins and launching the thing towards the horizon, then me hanging on to it for dear life while I tried to spin, hoicking the weight up at the last moment and throwing a truly pathetic distance! LOL Even when I'd kind of got the feel of the spin, I kept half-stopping in the middle and doing what he called 'the little dance' (I think I was nervous of tripping over the trig (aka high concrete kerbstone) if I spun too far, so was unconsciously trying to tailor my steps to avoid it), thus losing the power and momentum of the throw. Also forgetting to keep my left arm up, and most of all, kind of 'falling backwards' out of the throw when I released the weight. Apparently this was because I was still yanking the weight with my arm rather than letting it go where it wanted to.
Mmm, full of Jedi Mind Tricks, are the Highland Games!
Thankfully I FINALLY started to get it, just before we lost the light completely. Steve didn't commit hara-kiri or sneak off in his car without leaving a forwarding address, and seems to think I'll do fine. So am stoked for more of the same next week, and really looking forward to having a go with the hammer. There should be a few other guys there too - David Dowson, for one, who apparently will coach my shot put into the middle of the next solar system before May. Or thereabouts.

[Alan H]

You go, girl!!!

Yes, Mister Dowson is a rather good stone putter. LOL

You might suggest to Mr. Aitken that you work a bit on a single-spin throw, and when that gets solid, move on to two spins. Not that I am going to gainsay anything that Steven Aitkin tells you, that's for darned sure!!

Here's a video of some of your lads...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzXl9xDT4kc

Craig Sinclair is in there. If you see him, tell him "Hi" from Alan Hebert in the USA and call him "ladle" as a nickname. It's an in-joke.

[Kinetikat]

You might suggest to Mr. Aitken that you work a bit on a single-spin throw

Yes, after a bit of a false start trying to produce a double spin, we settled on a single spin to start with - the one I eventually started to 'get' right at the end of the session!

When I meet Craig, I'll tell him hi from you (and call him 'ladle'). I'll let you know what happens!

My only problem since Monday has been that I've been so bl@@dy sore and stiff, I haven't been able to do much of anything in the gym. Hopefully this will resolve as I go on.

[Kinetikat]

Just back from the gym. Wish I was one of those enviable types who can exercise without turning bright pink and shiny-sweaty! Oh well.
Photos next time.
Promise!

[BCAC]

Stick at it, Sue. Love to hear of your trials and tribulations. I'm sure it will get easier as you go on.

[Alan H]

Just back from the gym. Wish I was one of those enviable types who can exercise without turning bright pink and shiny-sweaty! Oh well.
Photos next time.
Promise!

From reading your blog, it seems that you're doing leg presses, and doing a lot of work with various machines.

Now, you have a trainer, and unless you start suspecting that he's mentally deficient somehow, or chauvenistic and thinks that you can't do anything more rigorous than scratch your nose, you should follow his routine. That said, I would suggest moving OFF of the machines reasonably soon and starting to work with free weights.

Free weights are generally harder to deal with because the machines add stability. If you're sitting in a chair and pushing a lever with your legs, attached to a cable, attached to weights that ride up and down on rails, that's VERY different from loading weights on your shoulder, sitting down on a box, and standing up again. I absolutely can understand the idea of your trainer wanting to get you to build some basic strength before moving on to the free weights, though.

if I had to pick an array of things to do, really simple, to get strong for the Highland Games, this is what it would be...

Legs and hips

A squat. Probably backsquat, but frontsquat is good, too.
A deadlift. Probably regular old bent-leg deadlift. Don't DL on the same day that you squat.


Upper body

incline bench press
push-ups
overhead press

core

sit-ups
russian twists, maybe with a 5 pound medicine ball or a 5-pound plate
landmines...but do them with your CORE, not by waggling your shoulders around.

quick motions

hang cleans
hang snatches
one-arm dumbell snatches
pylometrics....jumping up on a box -
agility exercises like what rugby players do


Obviously don't do all of these in every workout

Do 1 legs exercise, 1 upper body exercise, 1 core and 1 quick motion in each workout and mix them up.
You can find videos of all of these things on YouTube. This is all a gross oversimplification, BTW, but it will work.

Just my two quid on the subject.

[Kinetikat]

Ah, but your two quid is always worth at least a fiver, Alan! LOL

Thanks very much for that. Especially the advice about what not to do on the same day, very useful!

Cheers,

Sue

[Kinetikat]

Man, I feel like a total wuss.

bench-pressing 15kg
landmines using a 20kg bar (no weights, just the bar!)
deadlift, upright row, hang snatch, overhead press, all with 15kg (I think)
back squat with 10kg
one-arm dumbbell snatch with 8kg

Ugh, it's just back to comparing myself (pointlessly, I know) with all the guys around me.
Fact is, those weights are plenty at the moment!
Will probably be able to add a bit of weight next week, which may or may not boost morale - I'll let you know. LOL

Off to Middlesbrough again tonight (I hope). Woop woop.