https://youtu.be/RTLvdXimT4w
Ross' Cardio Camp 2020
Intro & Day 1
Sat 4th April 2020
Today I was meant to be flying out to Italy for a training camp with Ironman Champion Joe Skipper. As this can’t happen anymore I have decided to do a 9 day training camp at home in Norwich, and I would love for you to join me for some of the challenges…
Day 1
Run - Timed 5k run or Threshold Run
Cycle - 1hr 30 (easy ride)
So the main challenge here is the Run session. This will give you a bench mark for the start of the training camp, which we can retest next weekend.
I did the Threshold Test. If you have a Garmin you can try it too…
If your Garmin has this option you can use the Threshold guided test to get an estimate of your Lactate Threshold - the intensity level at which your bloomstream starts to accumulate lactic acid. My Threshold was 158bpm and I can now use this to adjust my Heart Rate Zones for my future runs.
Get in touch:
If you completed Day 1 drop me a line and let me know how you got on:
email: ross@getdynamic.co.uk
socials: @thedynamicman
Day 2
Sun 5th Apr
Cycle - FTP Test (or FTHR test)
Run - 10K (easy run)
So the main test today is on the bike…
Functional Threshold Power (FTP)
For those with a power meter this is a 20 min flat out test. You can then use 95% of your average power to get your FTP. You can use this to calculate your Power Zones.
Function Threshold Heart Rate (FTHR)
If you don’t have a power meter you can still do the 20 min flat out effort. Your average heart rate is then taken to give you your Functional Threshold HR. You can use these to calculate your Heart Rate Zones.
My effort
I did my effort today on Zwift. My legs were heavy to start and it is clear that doing 2 days of testing in a row is never a fair test. However, I am doing these challenges this week to keep me motivated and I will re-test exactly the same next weekend.
My result today was a average power of 253 (FTP 241). This was less that the last time I did it with James from RideHarder but it just shows you that it's always easier when you have someone shouting at you! (plus all the drinks during the virtual Games night last night probably didn’t help!).
I also monitored my HR to get my Heart Rate Threshold too and it was 165bpm. Only a sunny 10k run later to complete Day 2.
Get in touch
Let me know how you get on:
email: ross@getdynamic.co.uk
socials: @thedynamicman
Day 3
Mon 6th Apr
Strength - Dumbbell workout 🏋️♀️
Cycle - 20 mile Time Trial
Dumbbell workout
Today I start with some strength training. For any runners and cyclists strength work is SO important. It helps improve running & cycling power and reduces the risk of injury.
My strength session today only requires 1 set of dumbbells:
Lunges 3 x 10 each side
Chest Flies 3 x 10
Bent Over Row 3 x 10
Russian Twist 3 x 10 each side
Clean & Press 3 x 10
Cycle (20 miles TT)
The cycling session is perfect for only leaving the house for around an hour
Norwich - Coltishall - Wroxham - Norwich
Day 4
Tues 7th Apr
Strength - Run specific strength workout 🏋️♀️
Run - 10 x 400m (around the Cinder Track)
Cinder track at Henderson Green
Strength workout for runners
Check this out over on the Dynamic Fitness YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/5iG2JZeAhZc
Run (10 x 400m)
This is a super HARD session around the track
You do 400m flat out then rest for 2 mins
During the 2 mins you do 10 reps on the outdoor gym equipment - I did Leg Raises and Tricep Dips
Target today is to beat my 400m PB!
If you are keen to give this one a go, use your running tracker (I use Garmin & Strava) and find a 400m route. Then give it a go as many times as you can to find your PB….
Day 5
Wed 8th April
Strength - All body Bodyweight workout 🏋️♀️
Cycle - 1hour ride (including 10 mile TT)
Beautiful cycling in Norfolk
Strength
Today starts with a bodyweight workout.
1. Squats 100
2. Press Ups 100
3. Step Ups or Star Jumps 100
4. Sit Ups 100
5. Burpees 100
I broke them up into sets of 20 💪🏼
Cycle Ride
Today I’m going to go for the classic 10 mile Time Trial. This gives me a chance for a shorter bit of hard work today. The plan is to hit 20mph average!
Let me know if you give it a go!
Day 6
Thurs 9th April
Cycle - Group Zwift ride
Run - 10k easy run (new route)
Cycle
The main challenge for me today is to have a go at my first Zwift ride.
I just missed the start of the 9:30am ride with Joe Skipper but I joined the 9:45am ride - The Roubaix classic. This ride involved loads of short bursts of power much higher than my FTP.
If you haven’t tried Zwift I would recommend giving it a go - it keeps things interactive and keeps you super motivated!
Cycling on a static bike is also a great way to train without leaving your house, and for me it means I can use my outside time to run today too
Run
This is a new route suggested by my neighbour (we’ve been chatting over the fence). This one takes in the different parks of Norwich - Waterloo & Wensum and will be an easy run to keep the legs moving after the hard cycling in the morning
Day 7
Good Fri 10th April
Cycle - 20 miles (new route)
Homeworkout- Feel Good Friday!
Feel good Friday workout - 5pm every Friday
Today is the easiest day on my plan
The focus today is having fun and recovering the legs ready for the testing sessions over the weekend….
Cycle (20 miles)
This is a new route today. With new routes I can always take it nice and easy and use it as a chance to explore our beautiful county. With the routes I know well, they are the ones I go for it!!
I have 2 solid 20 mile routes so this will be another one to add to the list :)
Feel Good Friday workout
This is a 30 min workout at home. A good mix of Cardio and Strength work and it’s free for you to join me. Just click the link here on Zoom: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/627945618
Day 8
Sat 10th April (penultimate day!)
Run - Threshold Test (or 5k run)
Cycle - 20 miles (turbo)
Happy Easter! 🥚
Run
This weekend is all about re-testing against last weekend. I said I would keep the test conditions the same so I made sure to have plenty of cocktails last night at our virtual games night (this time mojitos! 🍹 )
The test for me today is a threshold test but you can also do a 5k timed run. I’m doing my run at Eaton Park and I would recommended picking your favourite Parkrun course for this test.
I’ll also be super happy to clock up some more miles for the littlelifts Virtual Marathon - taking me up to over 50km this month so far 🏃🏻♂️
Cycle
This is a 20 mile easy spin :)
Day 9
Sun 11th April (last day!)
Cycle - FTP Test
Run - 10k steady
Where the pain happens!
Cycle - FTP test
I can’t believe it been over a week since I was last waking up to do the FTP test…
It’s been an awesome week of training and this is my last real challenge. Last nights cocktail of choice was Aperol Spritz 🍹 (it was hard to resist in that sunshine yesterday! ☀️ )
So it was hard to get up for this one but I wanted to finish what I started. Wish me luck!
Run - 10k steady
This is now one of my favourite routes
Unthank Road - Cringleford - Yare Valley - UEA - Eaton Park - Unthank Road
It’s all about enjoying this last session - feeling fit and feeling lucky to be able to do it 🏃🏻♂️ ☀️
Summary
Firstly I want to say how much I’ve enjoyed this 9 day training plan. I devised the programme the evening before day 1 and I have stuck to it to the last mile.
I posted on the blog each day before the sessions so here is a brief summary of how it all went...
Cycling
FTP test Day 2 - 241 watts
FTP test Day 9 - 243 watts
Throughout all the rides I used my Boardman Air bike and I spent as much time in the aero position as I could. There were a mixture of easy rides, turbo sessions and time trials on the roads.
I found some awesome new routes, including the 10 mile TT route in Ketteringham which I would recommend, plus the beautiful intwood road out to Mulbarton. It was also great to ride the Norwich Ring Road when there is no traffic!
The time trials I did were tough but nothing compares to the intensity on the turbo trainer! This shows that I increased my FTP a couple of watts but I’m keen to do these tests again when I am fresh.
Running
Threshold Test Day 1 - 4:11/km
Threshold Test Day 8 - 4:02/km
The above tests show you what pace you can hold at your Lactate Threshold and it certainly shows an improvement due to the extra volume this week.
If you want to improve your running it is important to train at different speeds and the track session I really pushed the pace. The longer tempo runs helped me to explore some new local routes from my house. I have also created a few new segments on Strava - check out the Dover Street Dash and the Portland Street Pump!
Finally the runs were all part of me clocking up mileage for the littlelifts Virtual Marathon.
Strength sessions
I created a little home gym and I have done some great sessions throughout the week.
Strength work is SO important to improve your running & cycling power and it also helps stay injury free. I do some free group workouts if you want to join in:
Mon 11am (over 50s)
Wed 5pm
Fri 5pm
Flexibility
With extra volume often comes extra muscular fatigue and tightness. I did a couple of session of stretching & rolling in the evenings to keep the muscles loose. The paddling pool also helped too!
I am feeling GREAT after this training programme and I would recommend anyone writing up a plan for a week and challenging yourself with some new things. Keep active and stay safe.
Ross
Michael's Running Plans
Hi Guys
Here are some running plans to help keep your focused during your one daily exercise session:
5km walking: https://bit.ly/2QOGzvu
First 5km: https://bit.ly/2QREQWi
5KM Personal Best or First 10km: https://bit.ly/3al9Ntv
And for those really trying to push the limits of the quarantine exercise limit (not recommending that at all):
Half Marathon: https://bit.ly/2UFc0cA
Ultra Mararthon: https://bit.ly/2Urt86W
All these plans are designed to stack, so if you finish one, you should be able to simply move to the next one down the list, with some adjustment from the walk to run program.
Gold days are push/goal days, these are the session to push that little bit harder on.
Green weeks are recovery weeks, they usually have a reduced total running load and the runner should focus pacing down, ready for the next push for a few weeks.
Personally I'm going to be doing the 5km PB plan, it's a good mix of hard effort and not being out too long during lockdown, then transition up the half marathon as the lockdown (hopefully) begins to lift up.
Good luck!
Mike
Weekly Lockdown Challenge (Week 2) - The Sally Squat challenge
WEEK 2 - SALLY SQUAT CHALLENGE
As we go into April we are bringing back last April's Sally Squat Challenge!
Follow the challenge on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1gT76VqI-0
Please let us know if you can complete the whole song before Sunday 6pm
Weekly Lockdown Challenge (Week 1) #pressonwithdynamicfitness
“Some days you just have to create your own sunshine”
Our PT Steph has set the challenge for the 1st week
Hello, Dynamic Fam!
Here we are back with the blog amid a crazy time here in our world: Covid-19. It’s probably all you’ve been reading about, so I wanted to start this post by acknowledging it and our social distancing (hello, virus, please stay a minimum of 3 feet away from me!), and then taking a bit deep breath with you… 1… 2… 3… and changing the subject (for our sanity and mental health!).
Today, a quick note about visualisation. It’s a powerful tool to allow us to progress without actually putting physical effort in. There’s loads of evidence about this (here’s one: https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/Fulltext/2012/10000/Maximizing_Strength_Training_Performance_Using.10.aspx), and we can definitely utilise visualising as a tool to progress with training in tiny spaces.
We’ve got a goal we’re visualising here at DYNAMIC, and we were hoping you could help us with it as a community. We are going to see how many PRESS-UPS we can do as a team over the next week. Use the hashtag #pressonwithdynamic and check in with your trainer with your numbers and we will add them to our count.
First, set your goal (hint- it’s Press-Ups!), set your intensity (hands and toes? knees and toes? depth?), and set your count (mine 10 reps of full press ups 10 sets per day!), visualise yourself checking in tonight with your trainer tonight with that goal accomplished, and then DO IT!
We’re here if you need us! Looking forward to hearing all about your press up goals and wins!
(Please email your total by Sun 29th @ 6pm: ross@getdynamic.co.uk)
Love, Team Dynamic
GLEN’S UPPER BODY YOUTUBE 5 MINUTES: First exercise is press-ups: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OImuKs26qU
Healthy pancakes...
Spinach Pancakes with Smoked Salmon & Grapefruit Vinaigrette
These dark green beauties will have you talking like Pop-Eye the Sailor Man in no time. Chock full of spinach and filled with protein, you’ll wish every day was pancake day!
Ingredients:
150g baby spinach
10g fresh basil
480ml almond milk
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
130g plain flour
1 tbsp oil (for frying)
Filling:
cream cheese
smoked salmon
fresh basil
romaine lettuce
grapefruit vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Method:
In a high powered food processor or blender (I use a Nutribullet Rx), add spinach, basil, almond milk, eggs, salt, and pepper. Blend until fully smooth and vibrant green.
Add the flour to the mix and blend again until the flour is fully incorporated. The mixture will be quite thin.
Allow to sit and rest for a minimum of 20 minutes before you cook.
Over high heat, drizzle oil into a non-stick pan or pancake pan. Pour in about 4 tbsp of mix (this may be more or less depending on the size of your pan), gently swirl to fully coat the bottom of the pan.
The pancake will begin to dry out and bubble along the edges to the center. Using a rubber spatula, carefully lift around edges, moving towards the centre of the pancake. Once loosened, you will be able to flip the pancake to cook the other side.
Holding the handle of the pan with one hand, with a confident flick of the wrist flip over your pancake (don’t worry if the first one doesn’t land right- mine ended up looking a bit more like scrambled eggs than a pancake- still tastes great!).
Allow pancake to cook for about 30 seconds. Stuff your pancake with cream cheese, smoked salmon, fresh basil, & lettuce. Drizzle with grapefruit vinaigrette and garnish with peeled grapefruit segments.
Grapefruit Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp grapefruit juice (about half of a medium grapefruit)
grated rind of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp lemon (about the juice of 1 lemon)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (any oil you enjoy or half will work)
2 Tbsp honey
1 1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
Method:
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients until fully emulsified.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge and use as required
Loved that and still craving pancakes? Try this! Same green recipe as above, but substitute fresh coriander for the basil, fill your pancake with your favourite TexMex flavours: I love sautéing up onions, peppers, & black beans, mashing up avocado for a little guacamole, making some plum tomato & red onion salsa, and drizzling a bit of cheeky sour cream or shredded cheese across the top. Gorgeous!
Dynamic Xmas Party 2019! 🎄
Superman holiday ☀️💪🏼
Intro
I thought I’d do a little blog during my triathlon camp with local IRONMAN legend Joe Skipper http://joeskipper.co.uk/
This is a 4 day training experience of swimming, cycling & running in beautiful San Remo in Italy 🇮🇹. The camp is run by Atutta https://www.atutta.cc/training-camps
I’m mega excited about the challenge especially cycling up the famous ‘Madone’ climb 🚲 🏔 and improving the technique of my running 🏃🏻♂️ and swimming 🏊♂️
One of our Dynamic Clients, last year’s Lord Mayor of Norwich, called it a ‘Superman holiday’. I quite liked the sound of that.
Stand by for Day 1 ….
Day 1
(Swim 2k - Bike 87k - Run 7k)
Great settle in dinner last night at the hotel - Gnocchi followed by Salmon (Carbs & Protein) and I woke today feeling fresh and ready to pump it 💪🏼
Slight issue with my bike however….
I watched as the airport staff in Nice threw all the bags off the plane, including my bike! This bent the rear mech hanger beyond repair so Tom (our group leader) got me a hire bike - I was pleased it was an Italian Colagno 🇮🇹 👍
Swim
One of the things I wanted to get from the trip was to improve my swim technique
The session was a great way to ease me in to the training - we did a solid warm up of 10 x 100m (with a different set every 100m) then got some video footage done which we’ll look at tonight.
It was the first 2k since my broken collar bone and it felt good! 🦴 💪🏼
Bike
Wow! What a climb 🏔 The Italian Riveria is stunning but being from Norfolk I was not used to these mountains! It was around 1.5hrs of pure climbing but riding next to Joe for parts on the way up was cool - even though my HR was always at least 30bpm higher than his!
We eventually got to a beautiful village called Bajardo the view was incredible
What comes up must come down! And I got ready for the longest decent in my life - even more than the Rocky Mountains in IRONMAN Canada 🇨🇦
We had a ‘little’ incident when Joe spotted a black cat on a bend and came off! Luckily no harm done but a warning shot to us all about keeping it steady. We have now called this famous spot ‘black corner’ 🐈
An amazing ride back with a lovely coffee stop. I was pushing it as hard as ever back past San Remo and it felt good! 🚴
Run
This sounded like a simple session - 30 mins (15 mins out and 15 mins back faster than you run out)
We ran along the coast road and it was stunning ☀️
I set off at close to my 5k pace but this was too fast so I had to ease back a touch so I could finish as strong on the way back!
By this point my legs was burning from the cycling and I gave it everything I could to maintain the exact pace on the way back.
An awesome day of training (probably my hardest EVER) but this place is great. Atutta is awesome and I’m looking forward to the rest of the trip with these super strong lads
Day 2
Swim 2k - Bike 67k - Swim (Tech) - Run 8k
Another fantastic meal last night - this time it was pesto pasta for the carbs (pesto is local to this area of Italy) and Octopus for protein (you may want to look away now 🐙 …. )
Swim
The day started again at the local pool.
Last night we had a 1-2-1 swim analysis from our swim yesterday. Andrea, an ex-Italian swimming champion, took some great footage and identified one main area for me to work on - my reach. “You need to do less breaking when your arms go into the water”. It made sense, so myself and Dan had a great session working to improve this.
Meanwhile, Joe and Mark were pumping it hard in the other lane! 🏊♂️ 💪🏼
Bike
This was spectacular! It was a agreed that we would do a ‘short’ ride to save the legs for the big one tomorrow so we rode through the valley and then a short 6k climb to the most beautiful town called Triora…
The descent back down was mega (for me) - I’ve never been down climbs like this, so fast and long, it was awesome ⛰ 🚴 💨
When we got back into town we had a nice focaccia in the sunshine ☀️ - it was 26 degrees out here today on the 26th October!
Swim (technique)
Next up we got to use the endless pool. I was excited about this as I’m thinking of investing in one back home - it’s amazing for Stroke analysis and they double up as a jacuzzi! 🥂
The feel of the pool is great and you use an app to set the speed. We did 5 mins at 1:50/100m pace and will look at the analysis tomorrow night..
Run
Today’s run was all about looking at technique. We did a 20 min warm up and Dan added in some great drills to get the heart rate up ❤️
Then Tom set up some filming alongside the marina next to some palm trees 🌴 This is a ‘nee bad’ place to train!
I did 3 laps - 10k pace, then a bit faster, then my 5k PB pace. I’m looking forward to seeing the footage and getting some tips for my clients and the Redwell Run Club when I get back 🏃🏻♂️
We finished with running home with the sun setting over the water 🌅
Day 3
Cycle 120k - Open water Swim 1k - Run 2k
Last night’s dinner pic was ‘Joe’s salad’ - he added some super ripe figs and lush green avocado 🥑 to a Chicken Caesar. I feel his cookbook coming soon - with the best raw food cakes and finest coffee ☕️ 😃
Bike
This was the part I was a bit worried about. I haven’t cycled 75 miles in a very long time and this ride included the famous ‘Col de Madone’ climb 🏔
We rode into France 🇫🇷 and reached the foot of the climb after 40k. Then out came the tunes to attack this beast of a mountain. I can honestly say I haven’t experienced hills like these but with this group of athletes anything was possible and I wasn’t going to stop pumping it 💪🏼
The climb was awesome and contributed to a total of 1500m of vertical climbing during the ride. On the way home we casually cruised past Monaco 🇲🇨 (next time when I’m not wearing Lycra I’ll pop into the casino and win a million 💵 )
Swim
It’s hard for me to be this close to the sea and not go in! So, I decided to don the wetsuit and do a little swim to help plan a place to do our bigger open water swim in the morning. The bay is beautiful here and the water is super calm. The locals probably thought I was crazy 😜
Run
This was really just a nice recovery jog and an excuse to run around this beautiful town on Santo Stefano and take in the sunset. It’s stunning out here 🇮🇹 ☀️
Day 4
Open water Swim 2k - Bike 41k - Run 8k
Last night was swordfish (protein) and pizza (carbs). The Italians definitely live up to their reputation of incredible pizza - it was amazing! 🍕
Swim
This spot in the Ligurian sea is perfect for Open water swimming - the sea defences make the water shallow and calm, and there are plenty of nice fish to look at too 🐠
Joe made up a great set including some fast 50m efforts and a flat out 100m to finish - me and Dan did it in 1:33, which I’m happy with.
I did drop my phone in the sea, but it lodged in between a rock and luckily I found it! 🍀 So the blog continues 😃…
Bike
After I thought all the cycling was done Tom decided it would be good to do a short ride including some of the famous climbs of the Milan to San Remo race - the Cipressa & the Poggio! 🏔 🏔
He was right, they are awesome short climbs and I still had enough in the legs to give them a final blast! 🚴
Run
What I thought was going to be a gentle jog to finish turned into a 7.3k hard run!
I was able to keep the pace up to 5k (which is what I’m used too) then I had to ease it back a bit to hold on and finish the final challenge of the trip!
I then finished with a cool down jog around beautiful Santo Stefano to recover.
Summary
The last thing we did was sit down with Joe & Tom over lunch and look at our Running Technique. We also sampled some of the new menu - the new octopus and cod bagels were super tasty!
For my running it looks like I can do a bit to improve my foot position on landing, and also re-structure my run sessions a bit to get faster.
I’ll be looking forward to sharing all the knowledge I’ve learned with my clients and hitting my new Parkrun PB!
I am also hoping to offer a Dynamic Fitness trip for clients looking to improve their swim, cycling and running. It really is a beautiful part of Italy 🇮🇹 and a fantastic set up for people of all levels - stand by for more details…
Now it’s time for one a well-earned beer before heading home. It’s been an incredible trip - thanks to Joe, Mark, Dan, Tom, Andrea and all the amazing staff at Atutta! 🏊♂️ 🚴 🏃🏻♂️
Beginners Cycle Ride 2019 (Photos)
Such a lovely group of people, and fantastic weather, for this beautiful cycle ride around Norwich
Summer Social 2019 (Photos)
What a great time we had this year at Redwell Brewing.
The Sports Day games were great fun too - thanks to everyone for getting involved!
