Way to go, you’ve made it to week five of the six-week training program to conquer the Grouse Grind. Your workout has three components: stretching, strengthening, and cardiovascular exercise. Continue to follow this exercise program at a level that is comfortable for you.
Stretching (10-15 minutes)
After you complete your 5-10 minute cardiovascular warm-up perform the seven stretches that have been outlined during the past four weeks and add the following stretch for a total of eight. Remember to apply a gradual stretch to the specific body part and hold with a steady force for a period of 15 to 60 seconds. Stretching techniques should be performed with careful attention to form in order to stay within the window of safety and effectiveness. An added advantage of stretching is a reduction in muscular soreness after exercise. So, since you are pushing yourself a little harder this week, try stretching before and after the strengthening component of your workout so you are not as sore the next day.
1. Rotation Low Back Stretch
-Lie flat on your back.
-Place your left leg over your right leg keeping your shoulders flat on the floor with your arms out to the side. A gentle stretch should be felt in the lower back.
-Hold this stretch for 15 to 60 seconds and repeat with your right leg placed over your left leg.
Strength Training (25 minutes)
This week you will take alternating lunges out of your routine and replace with a new strengthening exercise called walking lunges which will further increase the intensity of your program. Walking lunges are one of the best sport specific exercises when training for the Grind as you use similar muscles when you are climbing. Further, you will also add a final upper body exercise to complete your balanced routine. A balanced routine ensures that you do not over-train certain muscle groups and helps to prevent injuries. There are a total of ten strengthening exercises, each important for developing your strength for the Grind.
2. Walking Lunges
-Stand facing a room approximately 20-50 feet long.
-Step forward with your right leg and slowly lower your body until your rear knee is about 2 inches above the floor. Remember to keep your right knee directly over your right foot while keeping your back straight and shoulders upright.
-Step forward with your left leg and repeat the above. Continue lunging down the room alternating legs. Perform 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions per leg with a comfortable weight in each hand.
-You should feel the effort in your glute and thigh muscles, not in your knees, ankles or back
-This is a favorite exercise of many of our NHL hockey players who want to improve on their power and explosive ability.
3. Chest Press
-Lie flat on a bench with your knees bent at right angles and feet flat on the floor.
-Place your hands, on a barbell, slightly wider than shoulder width apart and slowly lower the barbell to the middle of your chest and return to the starting position.
-You should feel the effort in your chest and triceps.
-Perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions with a comfortable weight. You may take a 20-40 second break between each set depending on your comfort level.
Cardiovascular Exercise (40 minutes)
To continue to improve your cardiovascular fitness, increase the cardiovascular component of your workout from 35 to 40 minutes. To further intensify the cardiovascular component do six high intensity intervals instead of four. Perform one interval approximately every six minutes. For further information on cardiovascular training and intervals refer to Week One and Week Three.
Your workout this week should take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete and should be performed three times this week with a day of rest in between each workout. Stay focused, keep up the good work and you will succeed in your pursuit up the Grouse Grind.
Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.