23rd August 2024

Stronger day by day

I know it hasn’t been a week yet, but I feel the need to write about my progress. Despite my workouts being simple, because I’ve been mostly consistent and showing up, I’m feeling stronger each day. The physical changes are not obvious but my body is beginning to move a bit easier than it did before. I still can’t do a full push-up yet, but maintaining good form on the kneeling push-ups is becoming less difficult. I’ve been able to increase my reps from 3 sets of 16 to 3 sets of 17. Though it is only 1 more per set and 3 more push-ups in total, I am slowly but surely getting stronger. My push-up depth is also a lot better. Kneeling push-ups are beginning to feel like how incline push-ups felt a few months back. Since when did I come so far?

The training cycle really affects my mood. I’ve been feeling a lot more mentally stable these days even though I’m so much busier than I was now that school has started. I’m experiencing less of the almost manic highs and the depressive lows. This is much appreciated. While I love open water and going deep almost everyday, it fills me in some ways but drains me in others. Now, it’s time to slow down and recuperate. I’m starting from the basics so that I can have an even stronger foundation upon which I lay everything else.

Despite all my progress, there are still things that I want to work on. Firstly, I’m not the most consistent with my empty lung stretches. Full lung stretching isn’t too much of a problem now since I am leading the stretches during biweekly trainings. I really need to find the time to do some empty lung stretching though. Secondly, there’s the mouthfill exercises. I haven’t managed to practice them at all for 2 weeks now. And finally, there’s mental preparation. It’s hard to juggle all of this with school work and club activities. The fact is, it’ll only get busier from here. I’ll have to manage my time better.

Base Training Week 2:

• SUN — lower body

• MON — upper body

• TUE — lower body

• WED — rest

• THU — upper body rest

• FRI — lower body upper body

• SAT — cardio

I’m still learning to balance consistency and listening to my body. I took an extra rest day yesterday because of how exhausted I was, probably because it was the first day of my period. I was feeling rather crampy in the morning and I just didn’t have time in the evening after the meeting and coming home late. Tomorrow I’ll be going skating with my mom. Haven’t done it in such a long time and I really miss it.

Base Training Week 3 Plan:

• SUN — rest

  • visualisation (10min)

• MON

  • Morning:

    • empty lung stretching (10min)

    • mouthfill practice (10min)

  • Afternoon:

    • lower body (1h)

      1. 3 x 20 squats (5kg)

      2. 3 x 15 Bulgarian split squats (4kg)

      3. 3 x 20 deadlifts (8kg)

• TUE

  • Morning:

    • upper body (1h)

      1. 3 x 17 kneeling push-ups

      2. 3 x 1min plank

      3. back mobility/strengthening

  • Afternoon:

    • coaching/cardio swims

• WED — rest

  • empty lung stretching (10min)

  • mouthfill practice (10min)

• THU

  • Morning:

    • lower body (1h)

      1. 3 x 20 squats (resistance band)

      2. 3 x 15 lung + back kick (resistance band)

  • Afternoon:

    • cardio swims

• FRI

  • Morning:

    • upper body (1h)

      1. 3 x 17 kneeling push-ups

      2. 3 x 10 resistance band negative push-ups

      3. back mobility/strengthening

  • Afternoon:

    • visualisation (10min)

• SAT — rest

  • empty lung stretching (10min)

  • mouthfill practice (10min)

It’s going to be a busy week up ahead. I’m going to give it one more push before transitioning into CO2 training the next two weeks.