Coach W15 // HELL WEEK

I've been very lazy at writing my workout posts because I've been training like crazy and between that and my job I haven't had much spare time. It is not that I haven't trained, quite the contrary! The thing is I've fallen so far behind on my updates that I decided I'll write just a single HELL WEEK post, summing up days 2 to 7 (I managed to write an individual post about Day 1). I want to start with a visual summary of what my Hell Week was (remember "my code": S stands for standard workout and X for strength workout):

Day 1	Helios (S) Metis (S)	01:07:42 ★ (PB, 1st time) 00:08:02 ★ (PB!)
Day 2	Venus(S) 100 Burpees 100 squats	00:24:13 00:16:47★ 00:04:52★
Day 3	1/5 Iris (X) Dione (S) 50 Froggers	00:24:14★ (PB, 1st time) 00:52:36 00:04:56★ (PB!)
Day 4	2/5 Hera (X) Aphrodite (S)	00:09:38 (PB, 1st time) 00:37:18 ★
Day 5	Dione (S) 25 Burpees 25 Squats 25 Burpees 25 Squats	00:39:42 00:02:01 ★ (PB) 00:00:33 ★ (PB) 00:01:56 ★ (PB!!!) 00:00:28 ★ (PB!!!)
Day 6	Apollon (S) Hera (X)	00:31:36 ★ (PB) 00:24:13    (PB, 1st time)
Day 7	2x Metis (X) 100 Burpees 100 Situps 100 Squats 100 Leg Levers	00:26:11    (PB) 00:11:54 ★ (PB) 00:03:31 ★ (PB!!!) 00:03:48 ★ (PB!!!) 00:04:37 ★ (PB, 1st time)

When I look at this table I can't help to feel proud and have a big smile on my face. I've faced, I think, three Hell Weeks in the past. None of them were as heavy as this one, and I didn't finish any of them 100%. I always had some excuse not to train all days, or not to do all the exercises I was told to do on a single training day. I have a hard time believing I did all this training in seven days... It looks like at least two or three "regular" weeks of training! I started this week knowing I was going to have to train late at night because of my work, and that I had already planned a soccer match on Tuesday (Day 2), a friendly match at work on Thursday (Day 4) -which turned out to be 1h30 long- and another match with my team on Saturday (Day 6). Things didn't look easy at all.

When I saw the week schedule I told my GF I didn't think I was going to be able to pull it off, considering work and soccer... Her new CrossFitter-cheering-motivated self proceeded to tell me (actually, yell at me haha) I was capable of doing it and then she put this image as my phone screensaver. All week long, every time I looked at my phone I was remembered "I CAN and I WILL". I repeated it like a mantra. Even when it was 10 PM and I was just getting home from work, and all I wanted to do was to go to sleep, I thought "I CAN and I WILL. I've gotten this far, I can't fail on Hell Week now" and proceeded to go out and train my heart out.

I did not only finished HELL WEEK, performing every single workout as it was programmed, from Monday to Sunday, 7 days in a row. I did it hitting personal best (PBs) times and reps on pretty much every workout from Friday to Sunday. And I did several workouts I had never done before. I trained even after I got home from soccer, already tired. I trained late at night, even if I was not feeling good. I CAN and I WILL. After this, I believe I can do anything.

I can only begin to describe the sense of pride and satisfaction I get from completing this week. I really had not much faith in myself, and this week changed that. It is more than a crazy hard physical challenge. It has really had an impact in my way of thinking and seeing myself. My body is ready, it is my mind that has to go along with it a bit more (a LOT more). I know now, for instance, that I am more than capable of training on soccer days, and still perform well...

#ClapClap to all of us, Free Athletes :D

Coach W15 // HELL WEEK D1 - Helios (S) + Metis (S)

 Helios (S), *01:07:42 (PB) 

 Metis (S), *00:08:02 (PB!) 

This week, you will gain a major Freeletics experience: Hell Week. Every now and then we choose to go through hell to come out even stronger. Freeletics Hell Weeks are all about reaching true exhaustion, reaching our performance limits several times within a short period of time and with little rest and exceeding our own expectations. Hell Weeks made many of our athletes much stronger – both physically and mentally. Hell Week means a lot of training. Seven days, seven times Freeletics. All out: Seven days in a row, high volume and high intensity. As always, try to break your PBs. This week, however, it is even more important to successfully complete every single session. You know the game. Make sure to stay hydrated and to maintain good form, especially as you get weaker. And remember: This is Freeletics. Quitting is not an option. Once more give it your all!

Technically I didn't choose to get Hell Week, but I don't really have a choice and I'm think I'm more up for the challenge than I actually think I am!!! When I finished last week, I thought "I'll tell the coach this week was a bit easy and I'll ask for three training days, I can squeeze three workouts + two soccer matches". Instead of that, the Coach says I get Hell Week. I thought "well, it will probably be like last time, with 4 training days.." but no, it's seven days of training ! I have a relatively tough week at work and soccer matches on Tuesday and Saturday so I'm not really sure how I'll survive, playing and training the same day AND having trained all other days... but we'll see!

The first Workout of Day 1 is Helios, a workout I have never done before. If I had the choice, I wouldn't start with an unknown workout, and I think that's precisely why the Coach did it; to put me to the test mentally. I hate the unknown, and I have to start being more comfortable in uncomfortable scenarios. 

#CoachKnows

Helios is a one "A-B-C-D-C-B-A" series workout of Burpees (A), Lunges (B), Climbers (C) and Sit Ups (D); (and then again Climbers, Lunges and Burpees). The number of reps varies from 100 to 150. I think its very hard on the mind to have to do 100 or 150 times the same thing, repeating the same movements over and over. Workouts with several series of 20 - 50 or even 75 reps are "easier" on the mind. Even if in the end you did the same total number of reps, It's not the same to do them all at once or in several series. It took me absolutely forever to finish, but I did finish, which is a small victory in itself. I started thinking about the week of training ahead of me and I think that pushed me to take it slower than I ought to, "saving energy" for the impending future.

Of course, it wouldn't be Hell Week if I didn't have to do another workout after over 1 h of Helios. Luckily it was good old Metis: I knew it would take me less than 15 minutes to finish it, and then it would all be over. I took a 3 - 5 minute break and I jumped right into it. The tought of finishing Day One fast gave me unexpected energies, and I went all crazy on the first round of 10 Burpees and Climbers. I knew right away I was on track to beat my PB, and that gave me even more energy! I had to slow down during the series of 25 reps, and for a moment I feared I had lost my impulse, but then I pushed and pushed and managed to improve my time by 48 seconds!!! It was really a huge surprise. I didn't think I could go so fast after training for 1 hour. I'm sure being all warmed up and having done all those Burpees before hand played in my favour. Day One of Hell Week ended up the best way possible; with two PBs on my bag (ok... the first one doesn't actually count since it was the first time doing the workout, but still =)