A week of training with Emily Steel

Body Power ProTeam member, Emily Steel, takes you through what a week of training looks like for her as a star athlete and weightlifter.

A week in my life is very chaotic, very busy, and very random. Training takes up a big chunk of my week, especially now with it being very busy with lots of things to train for. My training week has 4 double session days, 1 active recovery day, and 1 rest day. I keep on top of fuelling myself and getting plenty of rest to ensure training sessions are as smooth as they can be. Training consists of weightlifting and CrossFit like it always has been, but also with some running added in at the moment.

Currently in this week of training I have begun a weightlifting technique block with more technique-specific skills tailored to me incorporated within. Running and CrossFit sessions are involved in my training week to maintain baseline levels of fitness. My main priority at the moment is building on my lifting technique to therefore make my heavier lifts feel easier. With weightlifting competitions in the pipeline, this is really important. In this blog I’ve broken down each training day with specific goal outcomes for each session.

Monday

Session 1	Session 2
4x2 Block power snatch @ 65-72%   4x2 Block snatch @ 70-78%   4x4 Push press @ 65-70%   4x3 Block snatch pull @ 85%   3x12 SL GHD Back extensions	Run intervals   8x1.2km @ 4:15-4:20/km pace 2:00 Rest between

Monday’s session involves some block snatch work at suitable working weights. This is to help improve my second pull of the lift and to help improve my vertical extension in my lifting. There are some accessories within to help build on strength in the correct places to support my lifting. The equipment I use in this session is linked below. I use the Body Power TITAN Vulcan Barbell and Body Power TITAN Competition Bumper Plates in my lifting sessions.

My run intervals are my second session of the day at a pace where I’m maintaining threshold. This is to allow me to maintain my fitness levels and working at a high heartrate.

Tuesday

Session 1	Session 2
3x3+1 Block power clean and jerk @ 70-75% 3x2+1 Block power clean and jerk @ 75-80%   3x6 Wide grip strict press @ light   4x4 Front squat @ 75%   4x4 Bent over row @ heavy   3x10 Inverted row	CrossFit Class   Skill Toes to bar technique and strength build   Workout 25min EMOM: 12 Calorie bike 10 Toes to bar 25 Wall balls 200m Run Rest

My weightlifting session involves more block technique work as again, my weakness in my cleans are my second pull and extension. Therefore, we have block work at a working weight to drill in these corrections. Again, accessories are within to build on the specific strength needed to support weightlifting. We have front squats in which are crucial to building leg strength, which is vital for lifting, especially standing up from heavy cleans which are what front squats are helpful with.

The CrossFit class was a nice sweaty workout designed to just flush out and move. There was enough rest within the minutes to maintain a nice steady pace. Toes to bar work was in there to help maintain some basic gymnastics strength whilst focusing mainly on weightlifting. The wall balls used in the session are linked below:

Wednesday

Active Recovery 45-60 Minutes Bike erg at Zone 2 Heart Rate

Wednesday is my active recovery day designed to rest the body slightly but also keep it moving to flush out any lactic acid, any soreness, or tightness, without stressing the body too much. It’s also done at a zone 2 heartrate for an extended time period to maintain a baseline level of fitness. My active recovery varies each week. It rotates around a long run, swim, bike, or even a long walk! This week I used the Concept 2 Bike Erg for my active recovery:

Thursday

Session 1	Session 2
4x3 High box jumps   4x2(1+1) Pull and snatch @ 60-60% max   3x3 Snatch @ 70% 3x2 Snatch @ 75%   4x4 Flat foot snatch pull @ 80%   3x12 KB Upright row   3x8 BTN press	60-minute easy run

This session is another focusing on improving my second pull and extension in the snatch but using different drills to Monday. High box jumps are put in as a primer at the beginning of my weightlifting session to reinforce explosiveness and power output needed to maximise lifts. Using a pull and snatch complex allows me to focus on that second pull in the snatch but this time within the full lift to allow me to transfer the technique work over. Building on my positioning in the full lift with the right technique cues will help me build on my lifting numbers overall.

Upper body accessories are in at the end of the session to build strength in the smaller supporting muscles. With a 60-minute easy run at conversational pace at the end of the day to flush out and build on fitness levels. This is usually done outside to get some fresh air but if there’s rubbish weather I’ll hop on a treadmill. The equipment I use in both sessions is listed below:

Friday

Session 1	Session 2
5x2 Jerks @ 70-75%   4x3 No foot block snatch @ 70%   5x5 Back squat @ 70%   3x10 OH Tricep extensions	CrossFit Open 25.1   Workout 15 Minute AMRAP: 3 Burpee over dumbbell 3 DB Hang clean and jerk 30ft Walking lunge (+3 reps to burpees and clean and jerk each round)

This weightlifting session was a bit of a shorter one which just refreshed technique in the mind to stay on top of it. Split jerks are my strongest lift in weightlifting but its good to keep on top of technique at lighter weights to allow consistency. Back squats are in there to continue to build on the leg strength but allow heavier weights compared to front squats.

The CrossFit session I did today – CrossFit open workout 25.1 – was an AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 15mins. The total score reps I got for this workout was 244. I’m not prioritising CrossFit this year as weightlifting is the main priority but it’s nice to get involved with the CrossFit open and participate alongside everyone else in the gym.

Equipment used:

Saturday

Session 1	Session 2
4x2 Power snatch @ 70%   4x2(1+1) Clean and jerk @ 70%   4x3 Clean pull @ 80%   3x10 Hip thrust   3x8 Front foot elevated DB split squat	CrossFit Class   Strength 5x3 Front squats @ 80% Superset with – 5x2 High box jumps   Workout For time: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Squat Cleans @ 50kg 20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2 Box Jumps

Final session of the week with some full lifts at working weights and some lower body glute focused strength bits at heavy weights. The CrossFit class was one with higher intensity. Some plyometric contrast training at the start of the class to build on power output and an intense workout with some barbell cycling to finish.

This CrossFit session allows me to maintain my fitness and help me train barbell cycling under fatigue. The strength section of the class is very well transferable to my weightlifting training also being able to do this in the class alongside others.

I use the Body Power Hip Thrust Bench for my hip thrusts and it’s one of my favourite pieces of equipment. It allows me to get in the correct positioning to maximise the exercise and really target the right muscles:

Sunday

Rest Day

REST DAY! When I was younger, I used to hate rest days as I always wanted to train. Now that I’m slightly older and training sessions have more volume and are a lot more intense (and I get sore more often), I look forward to rest days so much.

I use rest day to really let my body recover, to refuel and reset to prepare myself for the next training week to come.

Rest and recovery are so important for a full-time athlete to prevent injury and allow the body to work at its fullest potential to be able to get the most out of training sessions.