Well, this year has gone from starting to focus and tailor my training back around mountain and ultra-running, with the aim of a solo challenge in the mountains (shush, that’s on the back burner but hopefully not forgotten…) to being in lockdown and having to change my focus. My focus on a goal, and consequently on my training.
Never one to stick with the same-old and in a pursuit for pushing my physical abilities; framed by the impact Covid has had on getting out, getting training and logistics; the plan for the World’s strongest half-marathon was hatched. Thus, the goal changed and so, in turn did the training. But how on earth do you train for pulling an 18-ton narrowboat all day long?!
The two certains of training for this were firstly, less running and secondly, more throwing weights around! Even before Boris closed the gyms and we went into full Lockdown, Robo at Full Life Fitness in Dursley had generously offered to loan me an Olympic bar and some bumper plates – these would form the basis of my simple but effective (I hoped) training during the likely impending lockdown.
My typical, “off season” or non-goal-specific training combines strength and weight training a couple of times a week with more frequent trail runs and ruck runs and the occasional metabolic-conditioning (METCON) session – shorter, high intensity workouts combining strength and aerobic work. Something akin to the oft-mentioned General Physical Preparedness (GPP) exercise style – training a broad mix of strength, stamina, speed, flexibility etc. Typically, this period of training is less structured and far more intuitive, that might not work for everyone, but it fits my lifestyle and the variation keeps me interested.
Now the change of focus and goal has been established however, I’ve had to focus my training away from the GPP “off-season” style to a more specific, Specific Physical Preparedness (SPP) and structured format to meet this new goal. Not the trail and mountain focused SPP cycle I was planning.
18 tons is heavy. No sh*% Sherlock. And neither I, nor Ross Edgely or Eddie Hall are going to be lifting that! It’s a boat, it floats, but it still weighs a heck of a lot, and at nearly 70 feet long things like balance and tracking (steering) will all impact the perceived weight during the pull. Not to mention as the canal narrows and constricts in places, over bridges, through tunnels etc. the resistance of the boat in the water hugely increases, again making the boat feel much heavier. Strength (your body’s ability to generate force) is quite clearly a critical factor in the success of this challenge. Factor in that this is neigh-on a half marathon distance pull, which will likely take upwards of 10 hours, and endurance, muscular, respiratory and of the mind will all play additional crucial factors – in short this will combine strength, endurance and mental fortitude in a way unlike any of my previous challenges. With both a good endurance and strength base from years of training and my typical GPP training style, the move to more specific training for this goal has seen me flip the bias of training from those typical specific cycles of previous challenges – reducing the volume of aerobic capacity work (running, rucking and cycling typically) but still getting out for regular rucks with a weighted pack or on hilly bike rides, and increasing and honing my strength training – which has been a combination of compound strength lifts such as barbell squats, military/ shoulder press, pull ups and deadlifts, with exercises that are typically more associated with hypertrophy (bodybuilding) as accessory exercises to work on the supporting or stabilizing muscles – heel / calf raises, barbell curls, dips and hanging knee raises. A typical weekly session looks something like this; S&C session no1 – twice a week Bench Press Shoulder Press Weighted Pull Ups Dips Hanging Knee Raises S&C session no2 – twice a week Deadlift Squat Heel Raises Roman Deadlift Aerobic Capacity – twice a week 1 – 2 hours hilly bike ride 1 – 2 hours weighted ruck – fast walk or jog with rucksack Added into this I aim to have one complete rest day every week and also include regular stretching and massage gun treatment, twice a week, to aid my recovery – I’m not getting any younger! While the above has formed the basis of my training structure, I have split the time between starting this training in May to the challenge date in late October into three distinct training blocks or cycles, each with a different focus and goal. As follows; May / June – block 1 based on the above structure. Goal; benchmark my strength, get my body used to structured strength training and build strength. July / August / September – block 2 based on the above structure. Goal; build muscular endurance, by increasing my rep and set ranges in the key compound moves. Increasing volume. Here too I will add supersets and eccentric bias. October – block 3 based on the above structure. Goal; maintain capacity and taper. These three blocks enable me to build my strength and capacity in a way that will hopefully generate the right type of physical adaptation to meet the goal, that of pulling an 18 ton canal boat all day. The eagle eyed among you may have noticed one, perhaps crucial, training element missing from the above. That of actually pulling a boat (or similar such heavy obstacle) as part of this training. In fairness, its being done, but I have omitted it from the structured training primarily for logistical reasons – my structure includes or consists of the training I know I can get done, I have to get done, no question. Getting up and pulling the boat regularly isn’t something I can control, but I have scheduled what I hope will be monthly trips up to get used to pulling the boat. Far more appropriate and suitable than trying to find a car park big enough locally to pull the car on a regular basis.
So in short, the bias of training has flipped to compound strength moves. The training has been split into blocks or cycles with the biggest focusing on muscular endurance and volume over pure strength, and a greater priority has been placed on recovery. If you’d like to follow my training progress and journey, find me on Strava and give me a follow.
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