We just got a dog here in the family, which is great! It takes some time though so the preparations for everything has to be pushed down to second place. We adopted the dog from a rescue centre, and she’s around 6-7 months old and hasn’t lived in a house or with a family at all. This is a great opportunity to venture out and discover new trails here in Hong Kong, that I might be able to run at a later stage.
So I managed to squeeze in 1 trail run, 1 road run and 3 strength training sessions this week.
The week in numbers
Total distance: 24.7 km (15.61 miles)
Total elevation gain: 585 m (1919 feet)
Breakdown of the week
Monday – Road running
The weather is finally getting a little better here in Hong Kong now, and this day, in particular, was excellent! The sky was blue and the sun was out so there were no excuses for not going on a run here.
The new Sai Kung stretch I’m doing is 13.1 km and I feel that I have confidence now to run below 5:00 / km in average pace. On this day I managed to go as low as 4:37 / km which is good. I want to stick to this pace for some time now, before (and if) I will try to go faster. This pace feels good in the body, which is the feeling that I want to have.
Tuesday – Strength training
I wrote a post on how to make your workouts more intense and for the last strength training sessions, I have used the drop-set technique that is described there.
Flat dumbbell bench-press x 10
Reduce weight
Flat dumbbell bench-press x 10
Reduce weight
Flat dumbbell bench-press x 10
Rest 60 seconds
Inclined dumbbell bench-press x 10
Reduce weights
Inclined dumbbell bench-press x 10
Reduce weights
Inclined dumbbell bench-press x 10
Rest 60 seconds
Military press x 10
Reduce weights
Military press x 10
Reduce weights
Military press x 10
Rest 60 seconds
Side lateral raises 3 x 10
Front dumbbell raises 3 x 10
Reverse flyes 3 x 10
Arnold presses 3 x 10
Rest 60 seconds between each superset
Rope push-downs x 10
Reduce weight
Rope push-downs x 10
Reduce weight
Rope push-downs x 10
Rest 60 seconds
Overhead dumbbell extensions 3 x 10
Ab exercise 3 x 20
Rest 60 seconds between each superset
Stretch 15 minutes
This workout is intense! But it gives you the nice burn that I have come to love.
Wednesday – Trail running
I am able to get on to the Maclehose trail just a short way away from my house, which is great so I have a route that is a rough climb on to one of the peaks and then some nice trail running and then finish everything off with some good old-fashioned road running. This was the first time I did this route in a while, but it felt so good! I set a personal best, which is always nice, but more importantly, I felt that I had a good force driving me forward in the steepest parts of the route.
The total distance is not more than 11.6 km, but the initial rise and quite narrow trails make this run a good 1 hour and 19 minutes, and it really gives you all the different types of running. I love it.
Thursday – Strength training
Time for some pull-exercises!
Deadlifts x 10
Reduce weights
Deadlifts x 10
Reduce weights
Deadlifts x 10
Rest 60 seconds
Barbell rows x 10
Reduce weights
Barbell rows x 10
Reduce weights
Barbell Rows x 10
Rest 60 seconds
Lats pull-downs x 10
Reduce weight
Lats pull-down x 10
Reduce weight
Lats pull-down x 10
Rest 60 seconds
Seated cable row x 10
Reduce weight
Seated cable row x 10
Reduce weight
Seated cable row x 10
Rest 60 seconds
Bicep curls x 10
Reduce weight
Bicep curls x 10
Reduce weight
Bicep curls x 10
Rest 60 seconds
Hammer curls x 10
Ab exercise x 20
Rest 60 seconds between each superset
Stretch 15 minutes
I really like the intensity that this drop-set technique adds to the workouts!
Friday – Strength training
Time for some leg exercises!
Barbell squats x 10
Reduce weight
Barbell squats x 10
Reduce weight
Barbell squats x 10
Rest 60 seconds
Forward dumbbell lunge x 20 (10 on each leg)
Forward dumbbell lunge x 20 (10 on each leg)
Rest 60 seconds
Reverse dumbbell lunge x 20 (10 on each leg)
Reverse dumbbell lunge x 20 (10 on each leg)
Rest 60 seconds
Leg extensions x 10
Reduce weight
Leg extensions x 10
Reduce weight
Leg extension x 10
Rest 60 seconds
Stiff legged deadlifts x 10
Reduce weight
Stiff legged deadlifts x 10
Reduce weight
Stiff legged deadlifts x 10
Rest 60 seconds
Standing calf raises 5 x 20
Ab exercise 5 x 20
Rest 60 seconds between each superset
Stretch 15 minutes
Saturday & Sunday – Resting
This is where we got the dog! So I didn’t manage to get in any training (except trying to train the new dog), but even if I would my legs were ridiculously sore from the treatment they had to endure on Friday so rest was perhaps the best option after all.
Now the focus will be on training the dog and making her comfortable at our house as well as trying to make the best out of the training that I do.
As always, follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for the latest recipes and posts.
Take care and be safe!
