Professional Training by a Training Professional

We are now deep into pre season and the ladies have started with a bang.

I unfortunately missed their first pre season friendly on Sunday 25th July as I was competing in Tough Guy but according to all who attended it was a really good way to start. First game was against Billericay Town LFC and we played our first team squad for the first half and then gave quite a few of the reserve players a run out in the second half. The final score was Colchester United Ladies FC 9, Billericay Town Ladies FC 2. Pretty convincing win!!

The following Wednesday saw us take on Braintree Town Ladies FC at Shrub End in the second pre season friendly. Again we put in a strong performance considering it was only our second game so far. Final score was Colchester 6, Braintree 2.

On Sunday 1st August we took a squad of 15 to Harlow to compete in the Essex FA Charter Standard Tournament. We entered the competition as undoubtedly favourites but it was still no walk in the park. There was a lot of motivated sides taking part and all wanting a chance to beat us.

We made the semi finals after winning 5-0 against Assundun Vikings and Hutton Ladies but slipped against Billericay Reserves and could only manage 0-0 before finishing the group games with a 2-0 win over Chelmsford City Ladies. Once in the semi’s the fitness sessions really paid off as we won 1-0 against Barking before beating the Billericay 1st string team 1-0 in the final. Colchester also picked up the award for fair play awarded by the referees.

This Sunday sees us take on Millwall with the 1st team playing at Shrub End and the reserves playing at Millwall.

Last Sunday (25th July) saw 50 of us go up from Colchester to compete in Tough Guy in Wolverhampton for DNA Boot Camps. We all travelled up on the Saturday which gave us the oportunity to have a walk around part of the course to see what we had let ourselves in for. Then it was back to the hotel for a big meal and early night.

My wife Leanne and son Charlie both came up with us to offer support and much needed words of wisdom, ‘What on earth are you doing, you must be nuts’ was one of the comments after seeing the course. On the Sunday we all got up to the course early and soaked up the atmosphere before we started.

Once in our correct starting places the race began. We started off slidding down a big slope before starting the run section of the course. Around 600 yards into the run we were in and out of a number of large wet, muddy trenches so we were nicely wet and muddy before running the 6 miles cross country. If that wasn’t enough, towards the end of the run we had to complete 11 slarlom runs up and down the steepest hills I think I have ever seen. This was a real test for the legs. Then it was back through the woods, over bails, under cargo nets, through more mud and water as well as a pond before we hit the main assult course.

The first proper obsticle was 2 40ft cargo nets which were seperated by fully charge electric strips hanging from rails which we had to run through. The trick here was to jump through so you weren’t grounded when you touched the electric strips. It was then on to a combat craw under barbed wire. No crawling on your knees otherwise you ripped your back to pieces. Then up and over a 2metre, 3metre and 4metre wall before scaling our second cargo net and shimmying across on ropes above the stinging nettles below.

Once we had come down this obsicle it was in to another trench of water to make sure we were nicely wet to stop us burning when we

DNA Boot Camp Tough Guy's

ran through the burning bails of hay. Then more water and more buring bails before we had a tire tunnel. Once through this we had another nice small run, through their swamped area this time before we hit what I think was the worst obsticle, the tunnels. This saw us in pitch black weaving our way to what we thought were just pieces of wood handing from the ceiling of the tunnel until I started hearing screams. I then realised that this was because we had more charged electric strips hanging from the ceiling. They gave a wack!! Once through the first section it was then selecting a smaller tunnel to get back out again.

Once out we scaled another hill up to another obsticle which saw us climbing up and then trying to shimmy down on ropes, which ended up with most people dropping into the large pond below. We then pulled ourselves out of the pond and ran back down the hill, through more mud pits before entering the little rivered area which saw us in to the top of our chests walking through the water and having to go under different restrictions that were put in our way. We came out of here and scaled another 2 obsticles before hitting the plank. This saw us climb up and obsticle, walk out on a plank of wood and jump into the water below. It was higher than you thought. Then back out of this water section and back in to another water section before exiting and completing the obsticle course for a second time before finishing on some slightly, and I mean very slightly, nicer obsticles before finally crossing the finish line.

Tough Guy is an amazing event and a massive achievement by everyone who managed to finish and would recommend it to everyone. I am certainly going to do next years summer one and am contimplating the winter one but with 700 people going down with hyperthermia last year I am having second thoughts.

The next event we are training for now is Men’s Health Survial of the Fittest which takes place in Nottingham on October 9th. No rest for the wicked, and I can’t wait!!

Last week saw the start of pre season with the Colchester United Ladies Football Team. It all kicked off with our first gym session as a squad. This is now going to be a regular thing on a Monday night. We all met at Fitness First at 7.30pm on Monday 12th and congregated in the spinning studio where

Colchester United Ladies Football Club

we held a brief meeting. Once that had concluded the squad was split in two with one half taking part in a spin class and the other completing an anaerobic circuit in the gym. After 30mins the groups swapped over before finishing in the main studio for a group stretch. This session went really well and everyone work exceptionally hard. I think these sessions are going to be hugely beneficial to the squad as the session progresses.

The ladies also had training on Wednesday night and Thursday night at Shrub End. I wasn’t involved Wednesday night as Brett and myself were completing week 9 of our Peak Performance Camp with Colchester Rugby Club Youth Squad(see past events) but Thursday I did get involved with the squad and put them through 30mins of SAQ (speed, agility, quickness) training before they went  on to their skills based training.

Sunday’s is usually game day but our pre season friendlies don’t start till next week so the team took full advantage of an extra training session. After finishing with my clients in the gym I went down to Shrub End for the 12 – 2pm training session with the ladies and put them through a conditioning drill known as ‘tonne’ before the skill training with the other coaching staff. The ladies look really up for this season and I can’t wait for the games to get under way.

As well as footy training I have also had a busy week with clients in the gym as well as fitting in my own training. With Tough Guy only 1 week away training has been intense but brilliant and I am really enjoying it.

As Tough Guy gets closer the training has got more intense. Last Monday I was at Essex University with a couple of other Personal Trainers who are taking part in the event and we were joined by some of the girls from the Colchester United Football Academy.

We started the session with a 4km run, which was finished with a very tough up hill section. We then went straight on to the Assult Course on the University site and completed two circuits. The heat made this all the more harder but everyone performed exceptionally well.

As well as completing my weight sessions each day I also managed another 2 runs before the end of the week. Everything so far is well on track for the 25th July but its only going to get much harder as the event grows closer.

Thursday saw me taking part in Fitness First’s 5-a-side football tournament at Shrub End. I was part of the Colchester United Ladies Coaches Team. We didn’t perform as well as we should done but luckily for us the ladies had put a team in too and they performed much better. The event was in aid of The British Heart Foundation and was enjoyed by all with plenty of money raised for charity.

It was a busy week last week both in and out of work and this week doesn’t get any easier. Colchester United Ladies pre season starts next Monday 12th so this week will see me finishing the prep work for that as well as training all my usual clients at Fitness First. Keep an eye on the Colchester United Ladies section on this site to keep an eye on how they are getting on or click on the link at the bottom of the page to go through to their official site.