All Around Athlete

There are a lot of different athletic events that I want to do, each with their own intensive training programs. I plan to first and foremost be in shape to do my job as a firefighter, then also compete in rugby sevens, stair climbs in full gear, sprint triathlons, rock climbing, adventure races and pretty much anything else that tickles my fancy. What is the best way for me combine all of these plans into one cohesive program that will allow me to perform at my desired level?

The stamina and muscular endurance requirement for a high level rugby sevens game is high enough where if I'm in shape for that, I should be in shape for pretty much any of the other events. So far I've been using the USA Rugby Sevens training program as the basic template, with a few tweaks. It already has swimming, running and biking in it, so that works well with the tri training.

http://www.usarugby.org/media/EDocs/AA_Preseason_07.pdf

Here's how I've tweaked it so far

Monday
AM – convict conditioning
PM – Anaerobic running if I'm at home, Viking Warrior Conditioning (VWC) Viking Push Press 15:15 protocol if I'm at work

Tuesday
AM – Speed at home or VWC Snatch 36:36 protocol at work
PM – Club training or stair climb at work

Wednesday
AM – off or recovery swim/stretch

Thursday
AM – biking session using 30secs on and off intervals
PM – Club training or stair climb at work

Friday
AM – light run and stretch or rest
PM – Convict Conditioning

Saturday
Tournament, club training, weighted stair climb

Sunday – Active recovery or rest

Saturday and Sunday are interchangeable depending on volleyball tournaments or other events.

Convict Conditioning is doing a great job of working my grip and lats, which should transfer well over to rock climbing. Still, there's no real good substitute for actual climbing. One of the things that's been great about CC is my joints feel great throughout the movements. Once I reach the progression standard for the jackknife pull up I'll add climbing into the routine.

Swimming presents another interesting challenge. My goal is to be a proficient swimmer for open water sprint triathlons. Since I'm still learning the basics and getting comfortable in the water, this will mean spending a lot of time in the water. This could have a detrimental effect on some of my other activities. The instructors in the Z-Health workshop brought up the point that spending a lot of time in the water could adversely effect my balance for land based sports. I'll have to follow up every swim session with some of the balance drills.