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Missyle's Derby Improvement Log 2012


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I'm going to take part in the 12 Days of VBBF things, so here's my log. I'm going to start using it now, as I have started an improvement plan already that coincided with my derby break. But this is program is pretty good timing. Here's some background info on me.

 

My main activity is roller derby. Right now, just about everything else I do is aimed at helping me improve at roller derby. I've been doing derby for a while--March 2012 will be my 5-year anniversary of skating. When I started I could barely skate! My league has improved rapidly. When I started it was quite new and lots of other people could barely skate. We are now full members of WFTDA. Last year we went to WFTDA East Regional Playoffs for the first time and did quite well.

 

The league has four intra-league/home teams that play each other regularly. I'm captain of my home team. And we have two travel teams that play other leagues. One is our A team, and that's the one that plays in sanctioned bouts and went to Playoffs. It's made up of the top 20 skaters in the league, though a game can have only 14 skaters on its roster, so within the 20 there's competition to be in the top 14 in order get on game rosters. Then there is our B team, which is our "reserves" team. That team plays other leagues in Europe, as our league is quite a bit stronger than other leagues in Europe at the moment. So games are closer when other leagues' A teams play our B team.

 

I've provided all this boring background to explain my goals. I am currently on the A team. I generally get put on game rosters, so I'm ranked somewhere in the 13-16 range. But in tough games (and they are almost all tough these days) even people who are on the roster but aren't among the strongest players don't get played much. I guess this is pretty standard in sports. Basically, I tend to get on rosters but am not a starter, so can spend most or all of the game on the bench.

 

I want this to change. First, I need to ensure that I remain in the top 14 so I get on game rosters. It's really competitive, so this is far from guaranteed. I have to work hard just to hold onto that spot. But what I really want is to improve enough that I get on game rosters and actually get played. We have important games in April, maybe in June, and then Regionals will be in Sept. I want to play in these.

 

There's no mystery about what I need to do. I need to be fitter, stronger, more agile, and smarter on the track. This means I need to go to practice as much as possible. I also need to do exercise outside of practices. We have 3-4 practices per week. My attendance is generally around 60-65%, which means on average I get to 8 practices a month. I'm going to aim to get my attendance to 80% per month.

 

The other exercise I do is to ride my bike to work and sometimes to practice. It's a short ride to work, so it's not too taxing to cycle and I will usually be doing other exercise as well on the same day. I aim to do this 4 times a week (I work at home one day a week). I aim to lift weights twice a week. And I want to start doing plyo once a week.

 

So that makes my ideal exercise schedule look like this:

Monday: cycle (8mi), lift weights

Tuesday: cycle (13mi), derby practice (2 hrs)

Wednesday: cycle (8mi), plyo

Thursday: derby practice (1.5 hrs)

Friday: cycle (8-13mi), lift weights (around once per month, derby practice instead of weights, 2 hrs)

Saturday: rest or lift weights if I didn't lift on Friday due to practice or going out

Sunday: derby practice (3 hrs), sometimes cycle to practice (20mi)

 

Right now I do bits of this. I do cycle and lift weights, but not as often as in that schedule.

 

As far as eating, I just want to eat more home-cooked whole foods, fruit and veg, and less junk.

 

I forgot to mention that I am 39, so my body is not quite as resilient as it used to be. But I'd say I'm in pretty good shape. I wouldn't mind losing some fat--I hover on the border of normal/overweight. I have quite a bit of muscle--I'm lucky enough to seem to build and hold onto it quite easily--but I also have a good amount of fat over that muscle. But losing weight is not my main goal, and I want to keep muscle so don't want to lose weight rapidly. Oh yeah, and I'm a woman.

Edited by FormicaLinoleum
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Here's some of the info from the 12 Days of VBBF thing. Not sure what to do about mentors as my goal/plan is pretty specific. I mostly am after motivation to stick to it.

 

New Year’s Resolution Goal: To stick to my exercise plan for derby improvement (see post above) and clean up my eating.

 

Start Date: I've kind of started, but can't do the full exercise plan until 8 Jan as we are on derby break right now and practices don't resume until then. For now I am doing cycling, weights, and some Insanity workouts. (I also will be away at my mom's for 6 days at the holidays, which will mean I can't do those either.)

 

Desired Achievement Date: Mid-April, by the time of game roster selection for important games.

 

Past workout History: Been doing derby for over 4.5 years. I lifted weights quite regularly 2005-2007 and have lifted irregularly since then. I ride my bike to work.

 

Biggest Obstacles: I have trouble being consistent. A large part of that is time, which I never seem to have. I could have more if I were better organized, so part of sticking to my plan will be getting things together in other areas of my life, like being more efficient at work so I can go home earlier, and planning meals better.

 

Favorite Foods: Too hard to narrow it down.

 

Favorite Exercises: I love skating, obviously! And I enjoy lifting weights. I like the basics--squats, deadlift, bench, power cleans.

 

Current training frequency: Can vary. Generally at least a few days a week, up to six days in a good week.

 

Any injuries or info your mentor should have: Nother serious but I have slightly bad knees. It's not too much trouble. They are just achey sometimes, and when they are really bad, they hurt a lot when I fall on them (which sounds obvious but it happens in derby!). Right now they aren't too bad.

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Monday 19 December

 

Exercise

Morning: cycled to work (4mi)

Evening: cycled home (4mi)

Lifted weights:

Cleans (working on full cleans rather than power cleans after not doing them for a while so starting with low weights): 59lbs x5, 64lbs x5, 69lbs x5

Overhead press: 64lbs, 3 sets of 5

Deadlift: 153lbs x5

Plank

Speed skater stance (hold a low stance for 90sec)

 

Food

Breakfast (after cycling to work): Smoothie (spinach, apple, pear, banana, protein powder)

Lunch: Selection of salads from Planet Organic food bar

Snack: Cup of tea, Clif Bar

Dinner: large salad of lettuce, cucumber, red onion then takeaway (ma po tofu)

 

Dinner wasn't ideal. But I made my lunch for tomorrow so I don't need to go out and I'll cook dinner tomorrow night.

 

At the moment I don't track my food so don't know calories or macros. I might start tracking at some point.

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Tuesday 20 December

 

Exercise

(ended up working at home, so no cycling)

Evening: Insanity Plyo Interval Workout

 

Food

Breakfast: Smoothie (spinach, apple, pear, banana, protein powder)

Snack: Vietnamese coffee (made at home), small bowl of Mini Wheetabix Choc Chip

Lunch: Bulgar wheat with broccoli, courgette, and carrot (homemade)

Snack: Hot chocolate

Post exercise: Shake with watered-down Alpro choc soya and protein powder

Dinner: Salad (just lots of lettuce and cuke)

 

Wasn't up for much dinner after Insanity and shake tonight. I cooked quinoa, beetroot, and black beans and had a couple bites, but that's mostly for tomorrow. Tomorrow I am going to the ballet after work, so I won't get any exercise in.

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Didn't do any exercise yesterday due to the ballet.

 

Thursday 22 Dec

 

Exercise

Lifted weights:

Front squats (with power clean to get weights into position): 99lbs, 3 sets of 5

Bench press: 84lbs, 3 sets of 5

Barbell rows: 94lbs, 3 sets: 4, 5, 4

Stiff legged deadlift: 94lbs, 1 set of 12

Plank

Speed skater stance

 

Food

Too lazy to list it all out. It wasn't too bad, though. Ate only homemade dishes.

 

Tomorrow I'm off up north to spend the holidays with my family for 6 days so won't get to lift weights and probably won't do much other exercise.

Edited by FormicaLinoleum
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Nice to see you here again!

 

You're always one of my favorites! And you're one of the longest-running forum members we have.

 

Thanks for checking back in!

 

Things have changed a lot! Lots of new names and faces, a few of the originals like Vegan Essentials and Richard and I still hang out regularly too

 

All the best!

 

Hope you're enjoying 12 Days. Working hard on it!

 

-Robert

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I unfortunately hurt my back on Friday when deadlifting. I did lots of dancing on New Year's Eve and that hasn't helped matters. It's not horribly painful, but I think it would be wise to hold off lifting weights until it's feeling a bit better. I was supposed to lift weights today, but I'll try Insanity instead.

 

One more week until we're back to derby practice. This week is supposed to contain cycling, lifting weights, and insanity. There will be some disruption to my schedule as my dad has been over for the holidays and is passing back through London on his way home to NY. So I have dinner with him on Tuesday, which means no cycling to work and no exercise in the evening. Then I'm going to the airport on Wed morning, which means no cycling to work.

 

Food has been horrendous. Yesterday I spent most of the day with friends eating all sorts of stuff--sandwiches, cake, scones, lemon bars. I'm back to work tomorrow and things will get back to normal then. Today we are having a lazy morning then household chores in the afternoon.

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My back isn't feeling too bad, so I'm hoping I'll be able to lift weights toward the end of this week.

 

Tonight I am having dinner with my dad before he heads home and I doubt I'll get home early enough to do any exercise, but will be able to do some tomorrow evening.

 

I guess this is really the start of my plan, now that holidays are over. As of this morning I am 71kg (about 156lbs) after having been pretty steady at around 69kg for a while. It's not a massive gain, but it's enough to make weight loss a bit more of a goal for me. I'm not changing any of my plans, but I just need to really stick to eating better and avoiding eating out as much as possible. I'd like to get down to 66kg, a loss of 5kg, but I would still be pretty happy if I could get back to 68/69.

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Here's some derby:

 

This is a game we played in Aug 2011 against the 2010 world champs, Rocky Mountain. As you can see, we lost by a lot, but we were pretty happy with the score given how good they are. I'm in the first jam of this clip. I'm #410 in black.

Edited by FormicaLinoleum
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Wednesday 4 January 2012

 

Exercise

Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit

 

Food

Breakfast: Smoothie (apple, pear, banana, spinach, protein powder (PlantFusion))

Snack: small latte, 1.5 ginger biscuits

Lunch: variety of salads (barley, carrot/coriander, chickpea, broccoli) from Planet Organic food bar, purple corn kale 'chips'

Snack: small Sojade yogurt

Snack: big handful almonds

Dinner: another smoothie, tofu scramble and black beans in wrap

 

Notes

I'm going to start trying to log my food as I eat so that I have a more accurate record. I'm also going to try to log my food properly every day. Perhaps I'll be less likely to eat crap if I realise I have to log it!

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Thursday 5 January 2012

 

Exercise

Ooops--none! Was supposed to lift weights, but we've put it off to tomorrow.

 

Food

Breakfast: Usual smoothie

Snack: Small bowl Wheetabix minis with soya milk, cup coffee with soya milk

Lunch: Big salad (romaine, cuke, red onion), cold soba/udon noodles with tahini/soy dipping sauce

Dinner: Tofu scramble & black bean wraps

Snack: A few almonds

 

Bla bla

Our coaches (who are skaters in the league) are arranging some sessions in other sports for fun cross-training. So it looks like we'll get to do some American Football type drills for footwork and movement, and some martial arts. Another skater will be leading some plyo sessions. I'm pretty excited about this!

Edited by FormicaLinoleum
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