Desperate to get back on track with my fitness and diet, this week was probably my toughest in the eight-week training programme on the 360 Synergy Elite course with Smart Fitness.
WEEK SIX
Jon wasn’t lying when he said the intensity would increase as the weeks progressed.
Diet
Feeling guilty about my end of week binge in week five, I started the week with three-and-a-half days of juicing, which made the strenuous sessions even harder. Unfortunately a couple of days of partying towards the end of the week saw me replace food with drink – not the type of juicing Jon recommends (‘grape’ juice doesn’t count).
Jon warns me that I need to get the juicing and healthy eating balance right, and I completely agree.
Workout
Mon: Warm up: Drills – high knee runs between cones, lateral runs then sprints between cones. Repeated four times.
After the warm up we partnered up and did mirror training – lateral runs, copying the movements of our partner. Repeated for two minutes at a high intensity.
Following mirror training outside in the humidity, we returned inside for Smart Toner drills – squat jumps with chest pulls (one minute), one arm thrusts (one minute, 30 seconds on each arm), hammer swings (one minute, 30 seconds on each side).
With no break in between, we headed straight to the treadmill for tabata training – 20 seconds sprint and 10 seconds rest. Four rounds at a speed of 19kph (the boys went up to 23kph – I didn’t even know the treadmill could go that fast).
Back to mirror training.
Then back to the Smart Toner drills.
Finished with a lake sprint – 780m.
Weds: Monday’s session, as extreme as it was, felt like a walk in the park compared to this session. One of the hardest training days I’ve ever had.
Warm up: stretching and light lifts with the ViPR.
Jump squats, thrusting the heavy ViPRs over head, and ski jumps. Four one-minute rounds alternating with 8kg and 12kg ViPRs.
Back to back one-minutes rounds of the following: farmers lifts carrying 20kg ViPRs, low squat jumps, low lunge and twists with 20kg ViPR, squat jumps, farmers lift but lunging with your knee touching the floor (this made it feel impossible to stand up again), squat jumps starting with your knees on the floor, 20kg ViPR in a chest lift hold and running.
I would like to take this moment to apologise to Jon and the Elite group for my foul language throughout that session.
Fri: Unfortunately I had a weekend away so was unable to attend the Friday session.
Extra: Boxing, tabata sprints (45 seconds on 10 seconds rest for 12 minutes at 15kph)
360 Synergy programme costs Dhs3,000 and includes a two-month membership at Smart Fitness gym, including classes. For more information visit Smart Fitness, Cluster M, HDS Business Centre, JLT, (04) 4385055
If you’ve missed my previous blogs, visit here week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4 and week 5
