Cardio&Strength - W2D1

 Ares: 00:15:50 
 Split Lunge Max: *101 

It's been almost a week since I've been back from my trip and I'm just starting to get back to normal (for good). I had very important soccer matches on Monday (quarter finals) and Tuesday (semi finals). Against all odds, we won on Monday - I scored the qualification goal :-) yaaaay! - but we lost on Tuesday at the very F***ING last minute... They scored the second goal (the final result was 2 to 1), we got to the center of the field, the ball started to roll and the referee ended the match. We were absolutely devastated because we wanted so much to be on that final, and to come so close just to loose like that... 

Anyways, the idea for me to write this journal is to let people know my experience with Freeletics, how I combine it with soccer and my life in general, but also as a way of committing myself "publicly" to completing the program. This way I feel morally obligated with you to keep on going, so I also feel I owe you total honesty. 

It's been almost two weeks since my last HIWOD, and I was seriously -like never before- considering quitting today. I've been struggling with starting week #2 since I got back, mainly because the workouts got harder and more complicated to do. I got used to training very late (past 11 PM) alone and relaxed in my bedroom when people in the house were asleep or doing their things -so I didn't get interrupted-. Then I stretched, got to the shower and slept with a big smile. I think that's one of the main things that made me love Freeletics; I could do it wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. But this week, my training program starts with Ares, a workout that includes pull ups and 40 meter sprints. Pull ups the hardest exercise for me to do + they require a pull up bar. For the sprints, well, it's obvious I can't do that in my bedroom at 11 PM. It took me a while finding the mental strength to overcome these technical difficulties -I know, it shouldn't be a big deal, but they were for me- but finally I got to it and did the workout today in my parent's yard. We live in a large piece of land and we have a swing, so I used that as a pull up bar and I sort of calculated 20 meters for sprinting. I know it's not the same sprinting 40 meters at straight than 2 x 40 meters but hey, at least I did it!.

As expected, no star on Ares because I have never been able to do a single pull up starting from a hanging position. It's on my MUST ACHIEVE list of life. The day I can complete a full pull up series (I don't know... 10 - 15 in a row?) starting from a hanging position I will be really really pleased and I'll consider myself truly fit. Today I even had a super hard time at the last repetitions with the modified version (jumping, chin over the bar and dropping in a "controlled" motion). My hands are super sore now and the controlled part was... not so controlled as I'd like it to be...

Luckily, besides Ares, I also had to do a new MAX; the Split Lunge Max, so that lifted my spirits. Before I started I set 100 repetitions as a decent cut off point for me for time and I got there barely with my 101 reps (not dalmatians). I was sweating a lot by the end and I could feel the back of my legs working like crazy!!! The two weeks off weren't free; I felt slower and more tired both during soccer and the workout. It takes much effort to get in shape, but you can loose that state in no time and with no effort at all!!! We'll see how I keep going this week... Hopefully I get back up fast!