I'm Training for D10's Decathlon!

​I had no idea this competition existed until I stumbled upon it while searching for more information on the Decathlon in the Rio Olympics. I have always loved watching track and field and specifically the Decathlon. I got very excited after seeing the list of events, many of which are disciplines I strive to improve and excel in.
 
Go to my profile page to see the list of events, my goals, and to donate to help children’s cancer research through Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. I have to reach a minimum donation amount to compete, so help children’s cancer research and help me get to the competition!

I started with 8 weeks to get ready for this, here we go! I wrote a lot here, so you probably just want to read the red to learn interesting facts on training or my key points.

Some of these things I have not trained for in years, so I'm ramping up to full speed hopefully by week 4. ​
 
Week 1 and a half:
Focus: Test, recondition for sprints, lift for muscular endurance and power.
Day 1:
Run:
Dynamic stretches
800m warmup
Test 400m: Got dizzy, nauseous, and just about died! 75 seconds :( . I want to improve on this more than anything!
4x300m w/ 5min rest
800m cool down
Lift:
Test pullups. 18 reps. Not bad after my first track workout in 3 years.
Test Bench Press 13 reps of 175lbs :( . I must have been tired because I KNOW I can get well into the 20s for this weight.
Pullups 3 x 10-15 reps
Bench 3 x 10-15 reps
DB chest press 3 x 12-15reps
Horizontal pullups 3 x 12-10reps
 
Day 2: Sore from head to the tips of my toes!
Lift:
Dynamic Stretches. These are great for recovering from soreness.
Overhead barbell press 3 x 10-12reps
DB curls 3 x 15
DB Tricep extensions 3 x 15
Posture exercises: cobra series
 
Day 3
Run: Legs are still sore!
Dynamic stretches
800m warmup
Running drills. I suggest every does running drills like high knees, butt kicks, skips, and strides. You will be surprised how much they help your running. When we were kids we did this all the time, but as adults we have forgotten these simple schoolyard activities.  
4 x 800m w/ 2-3min rest
800m cool down
 
Lift: Light legs
Dynamic Stretches
Step ups
Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts
Lunges
Leg curls
 
Day 4:
Lift: Upper body. Light push/Heavy pull. High rep bench focus w/ 175lbs. Did 22 reps w/ competition weight of 175lbs. Not bad, can do better.
 
Day 5:
Run: Easy 2 miles. Focus on form, relaxation, rhythm.
 
Day 6:
Lift Legs moderate-heavy: Deadlifts, RDLs, heavy step ups, single leg balance work.
 
Day 7:
Run:
Dynamic stretches
800m warmup
6 x 150m
800m cooldown
 
Day 8:
Upper body. Heavy push/Light pull. Focus on high reps pullups.
Hypertrophy sets for chest, shoulders, tri’s: Bench 4 x 10-12, DB presses 3 x 10-12, overhead press 3 x 10-12, tricep press down 10-12.
Start with pullups and high rep back sets: Did 22 Pullups if I remember correctly. Pullups 4 x 10-20, horizontal pullups 4 x 10-15, standing single arm cable rows 3 x15, standing pulldowns 3x15, curls 3 x15.
 
Week 2:
Same focus as week 1
Day 1
Lift: Light legs
Row machine: Drills, 4 x 500m
 
Day 2: Finally feel like I’m getting somewhere.
Dynamic stretches
800m warmup
2 x 200m, 6 x 150m. Did 35sec for 200m at 80% effort. Ok, becoming less pathetic, heh.
800m cool down
Lift
Heavy pull / light push. Focus on fast pulls with light weight and 6-8 reps on with heavier pulls.
 
Day 3:
Run:
Easy 2 miles
20 mins of 100m strides. Strides are great for learning proper running technique and are often done on grass. I suggest everyone does them to re-learn or improve upon their running.
 
Day 4
Big/ explosive lifts for legs:
Dynamic stretch
Sumo deadlift warmup off 45s for a platform: I am now finding sumo deadlifts perfect for a glute warmup. Much better than hip bridges. Time to test this theory on clients.
Deadlifts 3 x 10-15
Cleans 3 x 5
Squats 3 x 12-15
Just getting back into the squats and deads as my back can finally handle it. Also, being strong in squats, cleans, and deadlifts directly relates to speed.    
 
Day 5:
Run:
4 x 300m
Lift: Light pull / heavy push. Focus on high rep pullups. 6-8 reps on presses.
 
Labor Day weekend: Rest for 3 days! Cause I’m shot. These workouts quite neurologically demanding. Sprints, lower reps, and explosive lifts all require a high amount of neural drive. They are often overlooked and great for increasing your athleticism. Be careful not to over-train with these workouts.
 
Week 3:
Same focus, but with more speed drills and intensity.
Tues:
Run:
Dynamic stretches
800m warm-up
8 x 150m. Now I’m starting to feel good
Lift: Light push/ Heavy pull.
Bench 4 x 8-15, DB press 3 x 15-18, overhead press 3 x 12-15, dips 3x 15-35. Explosive pullups 4 x 5-6, lat pulls 4 x 6-10, T-bar rows 4 x 5-10, BB curls 3 x 8.
 
Wed: Wow, legs and feet are sore from hard sprinting yesterday! More rest = harder run = more soreness.
Run:
2 miles easy.
Lift: Light legs, abs.
Cable chops at various heights 6 x 12-20, hanging raises 3 x 15, single leg RDLs 3 x 15.
RDLs 3 x 12-15, standing leg curls 3 x 8-12, calf raises 3 x 20, step ups 3 x 12.
 
Thurs: Rest.
 
Fri:
Run:
Dynamic stretches
1200m warm-up. Sometimes you really need a longer warm-up. Some people need a mile or more. Do AT LEAST a 400m warm-up before your actual work.
5 x 800m w 4-5min rest, times: 3:28-3:59. Getting there…
1200m cool down
 
Sat:
Lift: Big lift/explosive legs. Ran out or time for rest of workout :( . 
Dynamic stretches
Sumo deadlift warmup off 45s. 3 x 12
Cleans 4 x 3-5
 
Sun:
Dynamic stretches
Row:
5min warmup
5 x 500m. Went all out on last row of 500m for 1:59. Not very good, looks like I need some major work on this.   
 
If you made it this far, thanks for reading my “exciting” workout journal. My plan for the next weeks is to have videos and pictures to go with. Gotta make sure my form is set first, heh. 

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Breakthrough Personal Training, Palo Alto, CA. personal trainer training journal, trainer workouts, how personal trainers train themselves, D10's decathlon training.