2-27-18 (Tuesday) HY: Pickle-Ball + TCF + Ab EMS.
Today is not my normal Pickle-Ball day, but again, because of schedule changes, I'm being flexible with my exercise schedule. A Pickle-Ball for this week just happened to land on today. As I got out onto the court, I was feeling really stiff. Especially my legs. No doubt it is because of yesterday's workout that basically fried my legs.
I sort of cut the warm-up short because I wasn't sure if John would last to the end, and I wanted to get the game started. I should have warmed up longer. As the first game started, I just couldn't get anything going. I was spraying balls just outside the lines, into the net, right into the hitting zone of John, and he took full advantage. We had a few good rallies, but on the whole, I played like I was in a hole. I lost that game 3-15. This was probably the worst loss to John ever.
Game 2. I started out strong... sort of. By jumping out to a 2-0 lead, then we stayed pretty close all the way to 11-11. I pretty much held the lead the whole game, but then I hit a wall at 11 points. Then I just collapsed. And I ended up losing 11-15. This is the first time in recent memory that I lost two games in a row. I was not feeling very confident. I felt as though I were playing very tentatively.
I changed tactics in the third game, and I started to attack the net more. In the first two games, John was playing very aggressively while I was mainly a playing defensive style. So, I started being more aggressive, and it paid off. I was also feeling more warmed up and my footwork and movement were easier. I also started to find my range in the court and I was virtually painting the lines. I took the third game 15-4.
In the fourth game, it was extremely tight all the way to 10-10. We were stuck on 5-3 for a long time, close to 10 minutes just trading serves back and forth. We inched up little by little, then we got stuck on 10-10. We were trading serves fro another 5-6 minutes. I was thinking that the one to break the tie would take the game. Yes, you guessed it, I broke the tie and ran of 5 points to take the game. Up until today, I was terrible at closing games out. I would get to 14 points, then I couldn't close out game point. Today, I was able to close it out straight. That one thing made be very happy. I was thinking we were done, but this time, John suggested one more game. Sort of a tie-breaker.
I smashed that game wide open right from the beginning. I jumped out to a 9-0 lead and didn't look back. Another epic game with some incredible shots, saves, and strategy. But I ended up winning the game 15-3.
But I must say that John was playing extremely well today. I would hit shots that I thought I got passed him, but somehow he got it back with a flick of the wrist. That must have happened half a dozen times. I actually got the ball passed him, but he was able to get it back. Great shots all around. It was a fun and tiring match.
After the match, I was able to get a Flow series done. Then later that night, I got my EMS in as well.
In the end, I burned 1080 kcals. On the drive home and at home, I was feeling very sore and tired. It usually doesn't happen, but I was really tired. Walking was chore tonight as well. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
2-26-18 (Monday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Fat Burn Challenge + I've Got Abs + TCF.
2-26-18 (Monday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Fat Burn Challenge + I've Got Abs + TCF.
Since I finished the resistance program of ChaLEAN Extreme on Friday, I was sort of at a loss for what to do next. I will be traveling for most of March without access to a place to workout so any exercise I do will have to be small body weight moves. The plan is to start Body Beast in April, but until then, I'll be doing a lot of bodyweight stuff from these independent trainers I see on the internet. There is a lot of good stuff out there. But while I have access to my computer and my video programs (for the next week) I'll do some of those routines as one-offs. Today, was Fat Burn Challenge. I didn't even remember what type of routine it was because I've done it only once or twice, and that was a while ago.
Once I got into it, I realized that it was just a short cardio routine, no weights, but using a Thigh Toner. Incidentally, I just got a new Thigh Toner Band. The bands that came with my Tai Cheng program seemed to be stretching out a bit and were a little light. So I decided to get what I thought was the next step up in tension. The band was used for only one circuit in this routine, but I was sort of regretting getting the "Heavy" band. My glutes and outer thighs were ON FIRE!!! And the move where I am just raising one leg alternating, I could barely get my legs up. But I am getting ahead of myself. The routine starts off with a Jumping Jack variation circuit. It was very "Insanity" or "Y25" ISH. My calves and arches were absolutely dying. I couldn't make it all the way through, I had to tap out rather quickly to shake out my legs and feet. And that was just the beginning. After the initial painful start, I was able to keep up, until the Thigh Toner work. Then again, BURN!!! This routine was largely a leg workout, and my legs were thoroughly worked out. Here it is:
I also wanted to get abs in so I when to "I've Got Abs". Mainly because of the Push-Ups throughout the routine, and I wanted to get some body weight upper body work done. The weighted moves are killer moves. Weighted Crunches, and Weighted Oblique V-Ups. I was using a 7.5 kg dumbbell and that was about my limit on the V-Ups. I can usually do more on the Oblique V-Ups, but I was already quite spent from the earlier routine. I got the burn I wanted from this routine, and some pump from the weighted work. Then I finished out with good Flow series.
In the end, I burned 725 kcals. That is a good burn for a short routine.
Since I finished the resistance program of ChaLEAN Extreme on Friday, I was sort of at a loss for what to do next. I will be traveling for most of March without access to a place to workout so any exercise I do will have to be small body weight moves. The plan is to start Body Beast in April, but until then, I'll be doing a lot of bodyweight stuff from these independent trainers I see on the internet. There is a lot of good stuff out there. But while I have access to my computer and my video programs (for the next week) I'll do some of those routines as one-offs. Today, was Fat Burn Challenge. I didn't even remember what type of routine it was because I've done it only once or twice, and that was a while ago.
Once I got into it, I realized that it was just a short cardio routine, no weights, but using a Thigh Toner. Incidentally, I just got a new Thigh Toner Band. The bands that came with my Tai Cheng program seemed to be stretching out a bit and were a little light. So I decided to get what I thought was the next step up in tension. The band was used for only one circuit in this routine, but I was sort of regretting getting the "Heavy" band. My glutes and outer thighs were ON FIRE!!! And the move where I am just raising one leg alternating, I could barely get my legs up. But I am getting ahead of myself. The routine starts off with a Jumping Jack variation circuit. It was very "Insanity" or "Y25" ISH. My calves and arches were absolutely dying. I couldn't make it all the way through, I had to tap out rather quickly to shake out my legs and feet. And that was just the beginning. After the initial painful start, I was able to keep up, until the Thigh Toner work. Then again, BURN!!! This routine was largely a leg workout, and my legs were thoroughly worked out. Here it is:
I also wanted to get abs in so I when to "I've Got Abs". Mainly because of the Push-Ups throughout the routine, and I wanted to get some body weight upper body work done. The weighted moves are killer moves. Weighted Crunches, and Weighted Oblique V-Ups. I was using a 7.5 kg dumbbell and that was about my limit on the V-Ups. I can usually do more on the Oblique V-Ups, but I was already quite spent from the earlier routine. I got the burn I wanted from this routine, and some pump from the weighted work. Then I finished out with good Flow series.
In the end, I burned 725 kcals. That is a good burn for a short routine.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
2-25-18 (Sunday) HY: Tennis + Ab EMS.
2-25-18 (Sunday) HY: Tennis + Ab EMS.
Rainy Sunday.
Since the weather was not good, we had to get courts at the indoor facility. Unfortunately, we could only secure one court, but luckily, we were able to get it for four hours. The big thing about having only one court is that if many members come, we can't do a lot of continuous drilling. Lines form and waiting for your turn takes time. So I was a little worried about how much I could actually play today. Luckily, for some unknown reason, only 8 members showed up. So it was actually a lot more drilling than normal. It took a little while, but my stroke started to fire on all cylinders. The biggest issue was with deep balls with heavy backspin. I know they are going to shoot back, but I just couldn't catch up with them. I am getting better with balls that are high and with heavy topspin. I still need a lot of drilling to get my timing sharper. My serve had some real bite to it today. I hit only a couple of aces, but I hit about 50% unreturnable serves. Not just slice serves, but also flat serves. Angles were varied as well. But there was a moment, that I suddenly lost my toss and wasn't able to toss the ball into position like a was just moments before. But after a few rounds, I got it back. I would really like to know why something like that happens. It can't be just a lapse in concentration. Anyway, it was a great practice and drill session today. What is probably the best thing about today is that all the attending members were advanced so I was able to hit out every turn. No letting up and no taking it easy for the beginners. I'm not saying that I don't want the beginners to come, but sometimes it's nice to just smack the ball all the time. Playing with beginners is good for teaching control and for working on form. It was a long and fun day. Oh, and instead of the regular reservation from 10 am to 1 pm, the club managed to get reservations from 1 pm to 5 pm.
Later that night, I got my EMS done before bed.
In the end, I burned 1360kcals. It was a good burn for a rainy day.
Rainy Sunday.
Since the weather was not good, we had to get courts at the indoor facility. Unfortunately, we could only secure one court, but luckily, we were able to get it for four hours. The big thing about having only one court is that if many members come, we can't do a lot of continuous drilling. Lines form and waiting for your turn takes time. So I was a little worried about how much I could actually play today. Luckily, for some unknown reason, only 8 members showed up. So it was actually a lot more drilling than normal. It took a little while, but my stroke started to fire on all cylinders. The biggest issue was with deep balls with heavy backspin. I know they are going to shoot back, but I just couldn't catch up with them. I am getting better with balls that are high and with heavy topspin. I still need a lot of drilling to get my timing sharper. My serve had some real bite to it today. I hit only a couple of aces, but I hit about 50% unreturnable serves. Not just slice serves, but also flat serves. Angles were varied as well. But there was a moment, that I suddenly lost my toss and wasn't able to toss the ball into position like a was just moments before. But after a few rounds, I got it back. I would really like to know why something like that happens. It can't be just a lapse in concentration. Anyway, it was a great practice and drill session today. What is probably the best thing about today is that all the attending members were advanced so I was able to hit out every turn. No letting up and no taking it easy for the beginners. I'm not saying that I don't want the beginners to come, but sometimes it's nice to just smack the ball all the time. Playing with beginners is good for teaching control and for working on form. It was a long and fun day. Oh, and instead of the regular reservation from 10 am to 1 pm, the club managed to get reservations from 1 pm to 5 pm.
Later that night, I got my EMS done before bed.
In the end, I burned 1360kcals. It was a good burn for a rainy day.
Friday, February 23, 2018
2-23-18 (Friday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 3 + Anabolic Stretch + TCF + Ab EMS.
2-23-18 (Friday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 3 + Anabolic Stretch + TCF + Ab EMS.
I had a meeting in the afternoon that was scheduled to last into the late afternoon so I wouldn't have had time to workout after work, so I had to do a morning workout. Which was fine because it would give me a chance to sleep early tonight.
I was looking forward to this workout because I'm finishing ChaLEAN Extreme with this routine. I was going to go back and do one more round of Burn Circuit but here is the thing, I am going to take a month off from weightlifting to help my right forearm heal. Since I did the OCR Dead Hang Challenge in December, the pain in my right forearm has gotten worse. I thought it was tennis elbow, but it didn't really hurt that much when playing tennis. It would flare up most when I did Pull-Ups or any bar work for longer than 30-seconds at a time. So, since I'm taking a business trip to the USA in March, I'll be taking a break from my tennis club through March, and so I will only do Bodyweight workouts and Pickle-Ball during March. I will work my way back from April. That is the plan. I may stay off the bar for a little longer than just one month. I'll re-evaluate my condition at the end of March to see if I can get back to moderate weights. Wish me luck.
Today's workout was a good one. There was a lot of Shoulder and Chest work. The Fly moves and the Press moves were all done to just before failure. Mainly because I was able to go up in weight on most of the moves and I felt the strength increase over last time. Moves 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 all went up by 1.25kgs. I know it doesn't seem like much, but even that small amount makes a huge difference. The one move that didn't go up in weight is a move that no one on Chalene's team even Chalene uses a weight. Move 5. Push-Up Side Planks. I use a weight because it is a move I did in Insanity, and with Tony. I was starting to gas out so I stayed with the same weight for that one move. Everyone knows the move, Weight in the hand that goes up. But one thing also that is a little different is that for the Breakdown, I did two reps on each side of the same move. That is why the Breakdown number is 4 instead of 3. I didn't want to do just a regular Push-Up for the Breakdown. The other two moves were Traveling Push-Ups and Army Crawl. But for the Army Crawl, I changed it a bit to do more Push-Ups into Spider Push-Ups. Still hit my Oblique muscles, but added Chest, Back, and some Arms. There was one move that I was unable to hit 12 reps on, that is move 6. Dead Lift Frontal Press. That slow bend with the weights in hand really zapped my strength. And on the last rep (10th) I almost didn't make the Press up to the top. I paused a moment in the middle. Then, I had to bear down and hold my breath to push the dumbbells up the last 5 inches. When I held my breath, I knew it was over. I couldn't even think about going for two more reps. Now, let's talk about the Pull-Ups. I did the alternating weighted/unweighted sets again, and I was happy with my progress. I did my two toughest Pull-Up variations, first Wide Front, then Close Grip. I added 12 kgs to the weighted sets. The first weighted set, I could only get 6 reps, but on the unweighted set, I got 14 reps. That is the most Wide Front I've done in a long time. Close Front weighted, I got 8 reps done. That is one more than last time, but I stayed at the same number for unweighted, only 14 reps. Because of the overall added weight on most of the moves, I think I gassed out more today. I believe that if I had stayed with the previous weight, I would have had more energy and strength to do at least two more reps and get to 16 reps, but that is all neither here nor there. But I felt good overall.
My forearms were feeling really pumped more than my Shoulders so I focused on forearms in my anabolic stretch. I took a lot of time to try and stretch them out, also to relieve the pain that was there. I did a little stretch on my shoulders as well. For some reason, I totally forgot my chest. I was a bit upset afterward about that. But my forearms felt a lot better when I was done. Then I finished with a good Flow series. Later in the evening, I got in my EMS.
In the end, I was surprised that I burned over 800 kcals. That was a good burn for a morning workout. But since it was cold, I turned on my heater so I got a good sweat on and wasn't feeling cold at all. It was a good ending to the month and to ChaLEAN Extreme. I look forward to rehabbing my forearm.
Happy Weekend!
I had a meeting in the afternoon that was scheduled to last into the late afternoon so I wouldn't have had time to workout after work, so I had to do a morning workout. Which was fine because it would give me a chance to sleep early tonight.
I was looking forward to this workout because I'm finishing ChaLEAN Extreme with this routine. I was going to go back and do one more round of Burn Circuit but here is the thing, I am going to take a month off from weightlifting to help my right forearm heal. Since I did the OCR Dead Hang Challenge in December, the pain in my right forearm has gotten worse. I thought it was tennis elbow, but it didn't really hurt that much when playing tennis. It would flare up most when I did Pull-Ups or any bar work for longer than 30-seconds at a time. So, since I'm taking a business trip to the USA in March, I'll be taking a break from my tennis club through March, and so I will only do Bodyweight workouts and Pickle-Ball during March. I will work my way back from April. That is the plan. I may stay off the bar for a little longer than just one month. I'll re-evaluate my condition at the end of March to see if I can get back to moderate weights. Wish me luck.
Today's workout was a good one. There was a lot of Shoulder and Chest work. The Fly moves and the Press moves were all done to just before failure. Mainly because I was able to go up in weight on most of the moves and I felt the strength increase over last time. Moves 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 all went up by 1.25kgs. I know it doesn't seem like much, but even that small amount makes a huge difference. The one move that didn't go up in weight is a move that no one on Chalene's team even Chalene uses a weight. Move 5. Push-Up Side Planks. I use a weight because it is a move I did in Insanity, and with Tony. I was starting to gas out so I stayed with the same weight for that one move. Everyone knows the move, Weight in the hand that goes up. But one thing also that is a little different is that for the Breakdown, I did two reps on each side of the same move. That is why the Breakdown number is 4 instead of 3. I didn't want to do just a regular Push-Up for the Breakdown. The other two moves were Traveling Push-Ups and Army Crawl. But for the Army Crawl, I changed it a bit to do more Push-Ups into Spider Push-Ups. Still hit my Oblique muscles, but added Chest, Back, and some Arms. There was one move that I was unable to hit 12 reps on, that is move 6. Dead Lift Frontal Press. That slow bend with the weights in hand really zapped my strength. And on the last rep (10th) I almost didn't make the Press up to the top. I paused a moment in the middle. Then, I had to bear down and hold my breath to push the dumbbells up the last 5 inches. When I held my breath, I knew it was over. I couldn't even think about going for two more reps. Now, let's talk about the Pull-Ups. I did the alternating weighted/unweighted sets again, and I was happy with my progress. I did my two toughest Pull-Up variations, first Wide Front, then Close Grip. I added 12 kgs to the weighted sets. The first weighted set, I could only get 6 reps, but on the unweighted set, I got 14 reps. That is the most Wide Front I've done in a long time. Close Front weighted, I got 8 reps done. That is one more than last time, but I stayed at the same number for unweighted, only 14 reps. Because of the overall added weight on most of the moves, I think I gassed out more today. I believe that if I had stayed with the previous weight, I would have had more energy and strength to do at least two more reps and get to 16 reps, but that is all neither here nor there. But I felt good overall.
My forearms were feeling really pumped more than my Shoulders so I focused on forearms in my anabolic stretch. I took a lot of time to try and stretch them out, also to relieve the pain that was there. I did a little stretch on my shoulders as well. For some reason, I totally forgot my chest. I was a bit upset afterward about that. But my forearms felt a lot better when I was done. Then I finished with a good Flow series. Later in the evening, I got in my EMS.
In the end, I was surprised that I burned over 800 kcals. That was a good burn for a morning workout. But since it was cold, I turned on my heater so I got a good sweat on and wasn't feeling cold at all. It was a good ending to the month and to ChaLEAN Extreme. I look forward to rehabbing my forearm.
Happy Weekend!
2-22-18 (Thursday) HY: Pickle-Ball + Ab EMS.
2-22-18 (Thursday) HY: Pickle-Ball + Ab EMS.
It was a good day for Pickle-Ball. The gym was still colder than outside, but not fridged cold like the past few weeks. We were both able to get a good sweat on despite the cold. Again, no classes and we both got all the work we needed to do done, so it's a play day for us. We both were a little more rested than last week so I think we had a little more energy and endurance.
The warm-up was good, but I wasn't stroking the ball well. I was hitting a lot of balls into the net and I was missing the lines a little more than I like. I was a little nervous that this might be a harbinger of things to come. I almost got warm enough to take off my outer jacket, but I was still afraid that if I did, I would get too cold because of my sweat, so I left it on the whole time.
The first game was either very competitive to start or we were still working out the rust from our games because we were stuck on 0-0 for like 5-6 serve changes. Finally, John broke through and got the first point. He went on a 10 point run from there. Being down by 10 points is a little disheartening. Things just weren't clicking for me. It was just a continuation of the warm-up where things just weren't going in or over. I was pretty erratic as well. I would hit an awesome shot to get the serve back, but then the next shot would be a junker into the net or a shank way outside the court. I finally got my first few points but it was too little too late and I lost that first game, 7-15.
Game 2 was almost a reverse carbon copy of the first game. I was up 9 points before John got his first points. Again, some great shots and some junkers. We both were still very inconsistent. I finally took the game 15-7.
Game 3 was a lot closer. Until 12-12, we never were less than 2 points behind or in front of the other. There were a ton of service changes and we were stuck on 10-10 for a really long time. I was thinking that the person who broke out of the tie was going to win the game. I was the one to break the time, and after a few hard fought points, I finally took the game 15-11.
We were at the end of our regular time, but we were feeling good, so we decided to play one more. Up until now, the person that scored first has gone on to win the game, and this time, John scored first and rushed out to a 0-3 lead. But that was the biggest lead either one of us would have until we reached 9-9. Another really epic battle. We were again stuck on that score for a while until I finally broke the time and rushed out to 14-9. I lost the service once and gave up a couple of points, I got it back and then closed out the game, winning 15-11.
It was a ton of fun, and I had got a great workout, especially on my legs.
When I got home, I got in my EMS in the evening.
In the end, I burned just under 1200 kcals. Two days in a row almost hitting 1200 kcals. I wonder how much I'll burn come summer. Either way, today was awesome fun!
It was a good day for Pickle-Ball. The gym was still colder than outside, but not fridged cold like the past few weeks. We were both able to get a good sweat on despite the cold. Again, no classes and we both got all the work we needed to do done, so it's a play day for us. We both were a little more rested than last week so I think we had a little more energy and endurance.
The warm-up was good, but I wasn't stroking the ball well. I was hitting a lot of balls into the net and I was missing the lines a little more than I like. I was a little nervous that this might be a harbinger of things to come. I almost got warm enough to take off my outer jacket, but I was still afraid that if I did, I would get too cold because of my sweat, so I left it on the whole time.
The first game was either very competitive to start or we were still working out the rust from our games because we were stuck on 0-0 for like 5-6 serve changes. Finally, John broke through and got the first point. He went on a 10 point run from there. Being down by 10 points is a little disheartening. Things just weren't clicking for me. It was just a continuation of the warm-up where things just weren't going in or over. I was pretty erratic as well. I would hit an awesome shot to get the serve back, but then the next shot would be a junker into the net or a shank way outside the court. I finally got my first few points but it was too little too late and I lost that first game, 7-15.
Game 2 was almost a reverse carbon copy of the first game. I was up 9 points before John got his first points. Again, some great shots and some junkers. We both were still very inconsistent. I finally took the game 15-7.
Game 3 was a lot closer. Until 12-12, we never were less than 2 points behind or in front of the other. There were a ton of service changes and we were stuck on 10-10 for a really long time. I was thinking that the person who broke out of the tie was going to win the game. I was the one to break the time, and after a few hard fought points, I finally took the game 15-11.
We were at the end of our regular time, but we were feeling good, so we decided to play one more. Up until now, the person that scored first has gone on to win the game, and this time, John scored first and rushed out to a 0-3 lead. But that was the biggest lead either one of us would have until we reached 9-9. Another really epic battle. We were again stuck on that score for a while until I finally broke the time and rushed out to 14-9. I lost the service once and gave up a couple of points, I got it back and then closed out the game, winning 15-11.
It was a ton of fun, and I had got a great workout, especially on my legs.
When I got home, I got in my EMS in the evening.
In the end, I burned just under 1200 kcals. Two days in a row almost hitting 1200 kcals. I wonder how much I'll burn come summer. Either way, today was awesome fun!
Thursday, February 22, 2018
2-21-18 (Wednesday) HY: Tennis + Ab EMS.
2-21-18 (Wednesday) HY: Tennis + Ab EMS.
Tonight was my evening tennis session as usual, but due to circumstances that surround the issue of court reservations, we were only able to reserve one court for our time. I was considering not going because if many people came, there would be limited on-court practice time. But then I thought that maybe others would be thinking that and not go, so I gambled and decided to go hoping for only a few members. For the first hour, there were only 6-8 members, and it was great, I got a lot of practice in. However, as we entered the second hour, people started to come and eventually, there were 14 people all playing on one court. But the rotations were fast and the wait time wasn't as long as I expected. The menu worked out just right. In the beginning, we did Stroke/Volley practice, and I was able to do a lot. I was feeling good right from the beginning. I was striking the ball well, and seeing the ball well. But that initial heat cooled off a bit and I started to overhit. We did two rounds of Stroke/Volley because that was the best use of one court. The stroke people could have a little longer turns with fewer balls. When more people came, we switched to Serve/Return. We only had four balls which made the rotation faster. My serve was at about 65-70%. I tried to power a few balls, but it wasn't as fast as I had hoped. I may need to rethink my game due to age and loss of power. The last drill was Point Sims, but instead of being fed the ball, as usual, we actually got to serve to start the point. I did really well and won points off the advanced players. Service winners and clean winners.
When I got home, I got in my EMS before bed.
In the end, I burned just under 1200 kcals. It was a good evening, and I think I would have regretted not going, so I'm glad I went.
Tonight was my evening tennis session as usual, but due to circumstances that surround the issue of court reservations, we were only able to reserve one court for our time. I was considering not going because if many people came, there would be limited on-court practice time. But then I thought that maybe others would be thinking that and not go, so I gambled and decided to go hoping for only a few members. For the first hour, there were only 6-8 members, and it was great, I got a lot of practice in. However, as we entered the second hour, people started to come and eventually, there were 14 people all playing on one court. But the rotations were fast and the wait time wasn't as long as I expected. The menu worked out just right. In the beginning, we did Stroke/Volley practice, and I was able to do a lot. I was feeling good right from the beginning. I was striking the ball well, and seeing the ball well. But that initial heat cooled off a bit and I started to overhit. We did two rounds of Stroke/Volley because that was the best use of one court. The stroke people could have a little longer turns with fewer balls. When more people came, we switched to Serve/Return. We only had four balls which made the rotation faster. My serve was at about 65-70%. I tried to power a few balls, but it wasn't as fast as I had hoped. I may need to rethink my game due to age and loss of power. The last drill was Point Sims, but instead of being fed the ball, as usual, we actually got to serve to start the point. I did really well and won points off the advanced players. Service winners and clean winners.
When I got home, I got in my EMS before bed.
In the end, I burned just under 1200 kcals. It was a good evening, and I think I would have regretted not going, so I'm glad I went.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
2-20-18 (Tuesday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 2 + Anabolic Stretch + TCF + Ab EMS.
2-20-18 (Tuesday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 2 + Anabolic Stretch + TCF + Ab EMS.
I was able to start my workout a little early today so I could really lean into it (pun intended). The target muscles today were Shoulders: Anterior, Mid, and Dorsal, and the Upper Back. All four sets of Pull-Ups had the added 12 kgs. The variations were Wide Front (6 reps), 5-Grip (5x3), Close Front (8 reps), and Parallel Grip (10 reps). The rep count on the first two sets were the same as last time, but the last two sets, I was able to add two reps to both variations. All with the extra load. I was very happy about that. Especially on the last set, the Parallel Grip. I finally got to double-digit reps. I was struggling in the Single-Digit range and wanted to get into double-digits for a while. Got It! During the regular routine, I kept the weight the same on most moves. I tried to up the weight on move 3. Single Hamstring Curls, with Lateral Raise to 8.75kgs. I was able to get through the reps, but my form, especially on the last rep was sketchy. Range of motion was also an issue. So, on the next Shoulder move, I went back to the regular weight of 7.5kgs. At that weight, I was able to keep good form and still feel the burn. I was able to up the weight on the last move, 9. Squat with Double-Arm Anterior Delt Lift. Last time, 6.25kgs was just too heavy, so I quickly switched out for 5kgs. But this time, I was able to handle 6.25kgs, and keep good form, a good pace, and range of motion. I didn't do an additional ab routine because my abs were burned out by moves in this routine, like move 6. Plank with Single Arm Row. I could feel my core getting the burn, along with every other part of my body. I felt stronger today, so I was happy to up the weights where I could.
I was able to start my workout a little early today so I could really lean into it (pun intended). The target muscles today were Shoulders: Anterior, Mid, and Dorsal, and the Upper Back. All four sets of Pull-Ups had the added 12 kgs. The variations were Wide Front (6 reps), 5-Grip (5x3), Close Front (8 reps), and Parallel Grip (10 reps). The rep count on the first two sets were the same as last time, but the last two sets, I was able to add two reps to both variations. All with the extra load. I was very happy about that. Especially on the last set, the Parallel Grip. I finally got to double-digit reps. I was struggling in the Single-Digit range and wanted to get into double-digits for a while. Got It! During the regular routine, I kept the weight the same on most moves. I tried to up the weight on move 3. Single Hamstring Curls, with Lateral Raise to 8.75kgs. I was able to get through the reps, but my form, especially on the last rep was sketchy. Range of motion was also an issue. So, on the next Shoulder move, I went back to the regular weight of 7.5kgs. At that weight, I was able to keep good form and still feel the burn. I was able to up the weight on the last move, 9. Squat with Double-Arm Anterior Delt Lift. Last time, 6.25kgs was just too heavy, so I quickly switched out for 5kgs. But this time, I was able to handle 6.25kgs, and keep good form, a good pace, and range of motion. I didn't do an additional ab routine because my abs were burned out by moves in this routine, like move 6. Plank with Single Arm Row. I could feel my core getting the burn, along with every other part of my body. I felt stronger today, so I was happy to up the weights where I could.
I did a full course of Anabolic Stretching on the target muscles. I think I'm getting a hand of it. All five sets of 30 seconds with 20 second breaks. I could feel the stretch a little better this time around. I finished off with a Flow series, and then got my EMS in later in the evening.
In the end, I burned a modest 700+ kcals. I was hoping for more, but it was a little chilly in my room. But the target muscles were burning up good today.
2-19-18 (Monday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Get Lean Intervals + Extreme Core Circuit + TCF.
2-19-18 (Monday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Get Lean Intervals + Extreme Core Circuit + TCF.
It has been a while, but I got in a morning workout today. I moved one of my night classes to Monday, so it had to be a morning workout. I started out the day with a shake, so I fueled up nice. I didn't want to do a full resistance routine, but I didn't want to do a full cardio routine either. So, I went back to the combo routines that I love so much. This time, Get Lean Intervals.
The last time I did a routine like this was last week when I did the one that used the Swiss Ball. No ball today, just dumbbells. I started off trying to use 5kgs, but that was way to ambitious and I switched to 4kgs from the next weighted move. The big feature of this particular routine is its use of the Thigh Toner. My glutes and outer thighs were SCREAMING at the end. I was able to stick with Chalene through the first half of the routine, but from the middle move, the Triceps Extension, I was burning all over, and I needed a few extra seconds to recover from the burn, especially from the weighted moves and the band moves. Then the Mountain Climbers fried me out. Breather! Then right after that, the Thigh Toner came back out with Jacks. BURN!!! Shoulders came next. I was thinking about going back up to 5kgs, but good thing I didn't. I wasn't able to get all the way through without a little break on both shoulders. But the most Killer Move was the Side Leg Lifts with the Thigh Toner. Legs and Glutes were on FIRE!!! The last few moves were a bit easier. I was able to back to 5kgs with the Rows, and then the next move, Ski and Blocks, was fun. The final weighted move, Squats, I went up to 10kgs, and I think I could have gone a little heavier, too. But I was happy to end strong. But this was a great routine and I sweat a ton. I got a great burn as well.
I wanted to do some abs, so again, I stuck with Chalene and did Extreme Core Circuit. I got out the 2kg hand weights and crushed it. I got all the way to the end, but on the second to last move, the Wheel, the one that is like hugging a tree, I couldn't keep my arms out as usual because my shoulders were so on FIRE, so I kept them close to my body. I ended the workout with a nice Flow series.
In the end, I burned just over 650kcals. But what was better was the energy I felt. Going to work was a breeze!
It has been a while, but I got in a morning workout today. I moved one of my night classes to Monday, so it had to be a morning workout. I started out the day with a shake, so I fueled up nice. I didn't want to do a full resistance routine, but I didn't want to do a full cardio routine either. So, I went back to the combo routines that I love so much. This time, Get Lean Intervals.
The last time I did a routine like this was last week when I did the one that used the Swiss Ball. No ball today, just dumbbells. I started off trying to use 5kgs, but that was way to ambitious and I switched to 4kgs from the next weighted move. The big feature of this particular routine is its use of the Thigh Toner. My glutes and outer thighs were SCREAMING at the end. I was able to stick with Chalene through the first half of the routine, but from the middle move, the Triceps Extension, I was burning all over, and I needed a few extra seconds to recover from the burn, especially from the weighted moves and the band moves. Then the Mountain Climbers fried me out. Breather! Then right after that, the Thigh Toner came back out with Jacks. BURN!!! Shoulders came next. I was thinking about going back up to 5kgs, but good thing I didn't. I wasn't able to get all the way through without a little break on both shoulders. But the most Killer Move was the Side Leg Lifts with the Thigh Toner. Legs and Glutes were on FIRE!!! The last few moves were a bit easier. I was able to back to 5kgs with the Rows, and then the next move, Ski and Blocks, was fun. The final weighted move, Squats, I went up to 10kgs, and I think I could have gone a little heavier, too. But I was happy to end strong. But this was a great routine and I sweat a ton. I got a great burn as well.
I wanted to do some abs, so again, I stuck with Chalene and did Extreme Core Circuit. I got out the 2kg hand weights and crushed it. I got all the way to the end, but on the second to last move, the Wheel, the one that is like hugging a tree, I couldn't keep my arms out as usual because my shoulders were so on FIRE, so I kept them close to my body. I ended the workout with a nice Flow series.
In the end, I burned just over 650kcals. But what was better was the energy I felt. Going to work was a breeze!
Sunday, February 18, 2018
2-18-18 (Sunday) HY: Tennis + Ab EMS.
2-18-18 (Sunday) HY: Tennis + Ab EMS.
It was a BEAUTIFUL day! Light clouds in the sky and cool temperatures. A welcome change from the fridged cold of the past few weeks. I didn't need to wear tons of layers, just shorts over spandex and a light windbreaker over a Nike Combat trainer. Nice to not be so puffy with tons of layers. And because of the great weather, I thought there would be a lot of members present, but actually, most of the members that came were the more experienced players, so there were a lot of chances to really hit out. And there weren't as many as I thought would come, so I felt a bit lucky. During the warm-up, I was having some pain in my right forearm, and I realized that my brace was too tight, so after loosening it up a bit, all was well.
Stroke practice was good. I was feeling good and striking the ball well. But the odd thing is that when I am in a hard-hitting rally, I can keep it going, but if I get a "gimmie" ball, or a "sitter" when I have a lot of time to set up, I totally shank it if I try to hit with any power. Those easy balls are supposed to be kill shots not just dink returns. I have to get over that problem and become more consistent all around to raise my game to the next level. My volleying was good, but still too many frame and off sweet spot shots. I need to focus and concentrate more on the ball. For now, it has to be conscious before it can become automatic. My serve was also pretty good. I was getting the ball in without too much trouble. During the match later in the session, I didn't serve a double fault, and I won the match with my partner 4-1 (we play first to win 4 games due to time limitations of the number of people wanting to play matches). Overall, I was about 70% satisfied with my play today. But it was a good practice session.
In the end, I burned almost 1900 kcals. Also, I may need to start bringing the big water bottle. I felt the need to conserve water as the bottle got lighter near the end. After getting home and showering and relaxing a bit, I got my EMS in and worked my abs. Awesome way to start my week.
It was a BEAUTIFUL day! Light clouds in the sky and cool temperatures. A welcome change from the fridged cold of the past few weeks. I didn't need to wear tons of layers, just shorts over spandex and a light windbreaker over a Nike Combat trainer. Nice to not be so puffy with tons of layers. And because of the great weather, I thought there would be a lot of members present, but actually, most of the members that came were the more experienced players, so there were a lot of chances to really hit out. And there weren't as many as I thought would come, so I felt a bit lucky. During the warm-up, I was having some pain in my right forearm, and I realized that my brace was too tight, so after loosening it up a bit, all was well.
Stroke practice was good. I was feeling good and striking the ball well. But the odd thing is that when I am in a hard-hitting rally, I can keep it going, but if I get a "gimmie" ball, or a "sitter" when I have a lot of time to set up, I totally shank it if I try to hit with any power. Those easy balls are supposed to be kill shots not just dink returns. I have to get over that problem and become more consistent all around to raise my game to the next level. My volleying was good, but still too many frame and off sweet spot shots. I need to focus and concentrate more on the ball. For now, it has to be conscious before it can become automatic. My serve was also pretty good. I was getting the ball in without too much trouble. During the match later in the session, I didn't serve a double fault, and I won the match with my partner 4-1 (we play first to win 4 games due to time limitations of the number of people wanting to play matches). Overall, I was about 70% satisfied with my play today. But it was a good practice session.
In the end, I burned almost 1900 kcals. Also, I may need to start bringing the big water bottle. I felt the need to conserve water as the bottle got lighter near the end. After getting home and showering and relaxing a bit, I got my EMS in and worked my abs. Awesome way to start my week.
2-16-18 (Friday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 1 + Anabolic Stretch + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 250 + TCF + Ab EMS.
2-16-18 (Friday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 1 + Anabolic Stretch + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 250 + TCF + Ab EMS.
I had a lot of time today as I semi-started my Spring vacation. I'm able to take half days off for the next week and a half. So I got home early, was able to relax some and then get to my workout.
I was wondering if I should go back to the Burn Phase, but then I figured I just make one more pass over the Lean Phase before going back to finish out ChaLEAN Extreme. I am upping the intensity with the extra Pull-Up sets by moving up the add-on weight to 12 kgs. Since today the focus is on Biceps and Triceps, I am doing Chin-Ups (10 reps), V-Pull-Ups (10 reps), 5-Grip (5x3), and Parallel Grip (8 reps). The reps were the same as when I used the 10 kgs. except for the Chin-Ups which were actually +2 reps over last time. For the regular routine, I pretty much kept the same weight on all the moves except for two moves: 7. Reverse Lunge - Double-Arm Biceps Curl (10 kgs.) and move 9. Sumo Squat Calf Raise with Biceps Curl (10 kgs.). Both moves were up from 8.75 kgs. I did a double Breakdown. Each move is a Compound move, and sometimes the Breakdown is only half of the Compound move, and other times it is a completely different move. So, When it is just half, I do the full Compound move, and when it is completely different, I do the original move as one Breakdown PLUS the Chalene directed Breakdown. The same move Breakdown is designated by a "-" and the different Breakdown is designated by a "/". I lifted to my limit today. My biceps were feeling good after the middle two biceps moves at 8.75 kgs. so on the last two biceps moves, I felt good about going up to 10 kgs. The rise in weight brought on the BURN a bit faster. I wear a right forearm brace to stabilize the muscle there, but by the last couple moves, and especially the Parallel Grip Pull-Ups, I was popping the velcro on the brace. I got a serious pump and burn today.
I moved right into the Anabolic Stretch to get the most benefit from it. I did the maximum five sets for Biceps and Triceps. The tension really hit a high by the 3rd set for biceps and 4th set for triceps. I'm still looking results, but I guess I should more than just look, I probably should get the measuring tape out and keep a record.
I was running a bit short on time, so I went old school and did Ab Ripper 200 + 50. Tony does 10 moves for 20 reps each, but I did 25 reps each for a little more intensity and burn, and I got both. The move that brings on the burn the quickest is the Elevated Toe Touches. It kills me every time!
I ended the regular workout as usual, with a Flow series. I was a good Flow and brought my breathing under control.
In the end, I burned over 800 kcals. I was very happy with my performance today. So I was satisfied with my week. Later in the evening, I got in my Ab EMS for a double ab workout. Got to love the doubles!
Happy Weekend!
I had a lot of time today as I semi-started my Spring vacation. I'm able to take half days off for the next week and a half. So I got home early, was able to relax some and then get to my workout.
I was wondering if I should go back to the Burn Phase, but then I figured I just make one more pass over the Lean Phase before going back to finish out ChaLEAN Extreme. I am upping the intensity with the extra Pull-Up sets by moving up the add-on weight to 12 kgs. Since today the focus is on Biceps and Triceps, I am doing Chin-Ups (10 reps), V-Pull-Ups (10 reps), 5-Grip (5x3), and Parallel Grip (8 reps). The reps were the same as when I used the 10 kgs. except for the Chin-Ups which were actually +2 reps over last time. For the regular routine, I pretty much kept the same weight on all the moves except for two moves: 7. Reverse Lunge - Double-Arm Biceps Curl (10 kgs.) and move 9. Sumo Squat Calf Raise with Biceps Curl (10 kgs.). Both moves were up from 8.75 kgs. I did a double Breakdown. Each move is a Compound move, and sometimes the Breakdown is only half of the Compound move, and other times it is a completely different move. So, When it is just half, I do the full Compound move, and when it is completely different, I do the original move as one Breakdown PLUS the Chalene directed Breakdown. The same move Breakdown is designated by a "-" and the different Breakdown is designated by a "/". I lifted to my limit today. My biceps were feeling good after the middle two biceps moves at 8.75 kgs. so on the last two biceps moves, I felt good about going up to 10 kgs. The rise in weight brought on the BURN a bit faster. I wear a right forearm brace to stabilize the muscle there, but by the last couple moves, and especially the Parallel Grip Pull-Ups, I was popping the velcro on the brace. I got a serious pump and burn today.
I moved right into the Anabolic Stretch to get the most benefit from it. I did the maximum five sets for Biceps and Triceps. The tension really hit a high by the 3rd set for biceps and 4th set for triceps. I'm still looking results, but I guess I should more than just look, I probably should get the measuring tape out and keep a record.
I was running a bit short on time, so I went old school and did Ab Ripper 200 + 50. Tony does 10 moves for 20 reps each, but I did 25 reps each for a little more intensity and burn, and I got both. The move that brings on the burn the quickest is the Elevated Toe Touches. It kills me every time!
I ended the regular workout as usual, with a Flow series. I was a good Flow and brought my breathing under control.
In the end, I burned over 800 kcals. I was very happy with my performance today. So I was satisfied with my week. Later in the evening, I got in my Ab EMS for a double ab workout. Got to love the doubles!
Happy Weekend!
Friday, February 16, 2018
2-15-18 (Thursday) HY: Pickle-Ball + Ab EMS.
2-15-18 (Thursday) HY: Pickle-Ball + Ab EMS.
Happy Pickle-Ball Day!
School is out so we moved Pickle-Ball Day to Thursday. I was a bit sore from tennis just 12 hours earlier, and my back was still a bit tender, but I did not want to miss playing. During the warm-up, I was mis-hitting the ball a lot. I was really worried that those errors were a harbinger of what the session would be like. Fortunately, they weren't. Actually, it was like I got all that junk out of my system during the warm-up so I could play a clean match because that is what happened. Not only for me but for John as well.
The first game was extremely competitive. There were a lot of long rallies where it seemed like we both were trying to sculpt a point but could never get just the right opportunity, or the other never made a mistake that could be exploited. There were rallies that were like rallies we had never had before, like both of us at net volleying for our lives. That was a lot of fun. There were a lot of lead changes, and very few long point runs. We ended up being tied at 12 until I got the last three points to take the first game. One thing that I did do was follow the strategy I had seen the night before. I was watching Gregor Dimitrov play a tennis match on TV with my son. And Dimitrov perfectly executed the wide serve and the cross-court return of the return for a winner. I did that successfully several times during the first game eventually taking the first game 15-12.
The second game was much like the first. Very competitive, a lot of strategies, a lot of long rallies, but the one difference is that I got the lead near the beginning and I held it to the end. There were times when John got close, just one point behind, but the comeback ended there and I would inch forward just out of reach. I think John was a little tired though because he took a little spill near the middle of the game. First time in recent or distant memory that he has ever fallen. He was fine, but I think he was tired. I ended up taking the second game 15-11. These two games took a lot longer than any of our previous matches first two games. These two game lasted almost 50 minutes. We are usually done with three games, and sometimes four games by that mark. But two games was unprecedented. We were saying that it was a testament to our improved skills. I would tend to agree.
The third game saw a marked drop in our intensity. There were a lot of net serves, a lot of just weak shots. Rallies were considerably shorter on the whole. But again, I came out on top taking the game 15-5. As I said, I thought John was tired. This game and his response to it was, for me, proof of it. After the game, he put the paddle down and said that's it for me. Usually, if we had time, and sometimes even if we didn't have time, he would be willing to go one more. Today, we had all the time in the world, but he bowed out. I didn't push it. But those three games took longer than our usual 4 games. I hope he is not feeling despondent about getting swept again for the third time in four matches. Letting up is something I don't want to do. But I could alter my tactics and take more risks, go for the lines more, try some different things. I feel I might be getting into a style rut. So to push myself to improve, I need the pressure. We'll see next week.
In the end, I burned 907kcals. The gym was cold, but because of my back, no, there wasn't any pain, just like last night during tennis, but I think I was minimizing my movement. I felt like I was being very efficient with my movement and footwork after the match. Later in the evening after my night class, I got my EMS done.
Happy Pickle-Ball Day!
School is out so we moved Pickle-Ball Day to Thursday. I was a bit sore from tennis just 12 hours earlier, and my back was still a bit tender, but I did not want to miss playing. During the warm-up, I was mis-hitting the ball a lot. I was really worried that those errors were a harbinger of what the session would be like. Fortunately, they weren't. Actually, it was like I got all that junk out of my system during the warm-up so I could play a clean match because that is what happened. Not only for me but for John as well.
The first game was extremely competitive. There were a lot of long rallies where it seemed like we both were trying to sculpt a point but could never get just the right opportunity, or the other never made a mistake that could be exploited. There were rallies that were like rallies we had never had before, like both of us at net volleying for our lives. That was a lot of fun. There were a lot of lead changes, and very few long point runs. We ended up being tied at 12 until I got the last three points to take the first game. One thing that I did do was follow the strategy I had seen the night before. I was watching Gregor Dimitrov play a tennis match on TV with my son. And Dimitrov perfectly executed the wide serve and the cross-court return of the return for a winner. I did that successfully several times during the first game eventually taking the first game 15-12.
The second game was much like the first. Very competitive, a lot of strategies, a lot of long rallies, but the one difference is that I got the lead near the beginning and I held it to the end. There were times when John got close, just one point behind, but the comeback ended there and I would inch forward just out of reach. I think John was a little tired though because he took a little spill near the middle of the game. First time in recent or distant memory that he has ever fallen. He was fine, but I think he was tired. I ended up taking the second game 15-11. These two games took a lot longer than any of our previous matches first two games. These two game lasted almost 50 minutes. We are usually done with three games, and sometimes four games by that mark. But two games was unprecedented. We were saying that it was a testament to our improved skills. I would tend to agree.
The third game saw a marked drop in our intensity. There were a lot of net serves, a lot of just weak shots. Rallies were considerably shorter on the whole. But again, I came out on top taking the game 15-5. As I said, I thought John was tired. This game and his response to it was, for me, proof of it. After the game, he put the paddle down and said that's it for me. Usually, if we had time, and sometimes even if we didn't have time, he would be willing to go one more. Today, we had all the time in the world, but he bowed out. I didn't push it. But those three games took longer than our usual 4 games. I hope he is not feeling despondent about getting swept again for the third time in four matches. Letting up is something I don't want to do. But I could alter my tactics and take more risks, go for the lines more, try some different things. I feel I might be getting into a style rut. So to push myself to improve, I need the pressure. We'll see next week.
In the end, I burned 907kcals. The gym was cold, but because of my back, no, there wasn't any pain, just like last night during tennis, but I think I was minimizing my movement. I felt like I was being very efficient with my movement and footwork after the match. Later in the evening after my night class, I got my EMS done.
2-14-18 (Wednesday) Tennis.
2-14-18 (Wednesday) Tennis.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Happy Tennis Day!
But it didn't start out as such. Yesterday, I woke up with a pain in my left Lat. This morning, I woke up with a pain in my lower back. It was one of those pains that isn't sharp or chronic, but rather dependent on the angle of my upper body. If I leaned in the wrong way, I felt that my back could suddenly just give and that would be it. So I was ultra-careful to keep good posture when I needed to bend over, for example when I spit while brushing my teeth. I was also very careful when I was going up and down stairs. But that is how my day started, in pain.
I was really waffling as to whether or not I should go to play tennis this evening because of my back. But I decided that I would play as long as I could and stop if I couldn't go on. Good news, playing tennis totally made be forget about any type of pain or discomfort, so I was able to play full out. The big thing about today's tennis is that my son came with me. And as expected, he was a hit. Clearly on a different level as most of the other club members, and all the good members wanted to hit with him. As far as weather, it was a perfect night session. It was actually almost too not cold. I mean, I was expecting very cold temperatures, but it was warm almost. I wore too much and got hot really quickly. But I didn't want to remove the outer jacket or I would have been too cold. Anyway, tonight's menu was regular, but short because of the number of people. It took a while for everyone to get a turn at Volleying. Then with only about 30 minutes left, we went right to Game Sims. I didn't feel as "on" as I did on Sunday, but I was still hitting the ball relatively well. Better than that bad time the other week. But I was very proud of my son and happy that he had a good time. I was also happy to play along side him during the Stroke/Volley drills. It is fun to be a father and son team. Although I feel sorry for him that I am holding him back. It is every parent's dream for their children to exceed their own accomplishments, and my son has certainly done that in tennis. But I would really love to see a match between my son and me at my prime. That would be fun.
When we got home, I was too tired to do anything. I didn't even go upstairs to work on my computer. I just relaxed with the family until bed time. These are the times I cherish.
In the end, I burned 1345 kcals. It was a good night of tennis. I was especially happy that I had zero pain or even flashes of discomfort during tennis. So I'm still a bit confused as to what is actually causing the pain. But I'm glad is didn't reappear tonight.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Happy Tennis Day!
But it didn't start out as such. Yesterday, I woke up with a pain in my left Lat. This morning, I woke up with a pain in my lower back. It was one of those pains that isn't sharp or chronic, but rather dependent on the angle of my upper body. If I leaned in the wrong way, I felt that my back could suddenly just give and that would be it. So I was ultra-careful to keep good posture when I needed to bend over, for example when I spit while brushing my teeth. I was also very careful when I was going up and down stairs. But that is how my day started, in pain.
I was really waffling as to whether or not I should go to play tennis this evening because of my back. But I decided that I would play as long as I could and stop if I couldn't go on. Good news, playing tennis totally made be forget about any type of pain or discomfort, so I was able to play full out. The big thing about today's tennis is that my son came with me. And as expected, he was a hit. Clearly on a different level as most of the other club members, and all the good members wanted to hit with him. As far as weather, it was a perfect night session. It was actually almost too not cold. I mean, I was expecting very cold temperatures, but it was warm almost. I wore too much and got hot really quickly. But I didn't want to remove the outer jacket or I would have been too cold. Anyway, tonight's menu was regular, but short because of the number of people. It took a while for everyone to get a turn at Volleying. Then with only about 30 minutes left, we went right to Game Sims. I didn't feel as "on" as I did on Sunday, but I was still hitting the ball relatively well. Better than that bad time the other week. But I was very proud of my son and happy that he had a good time. I was also happy to play along side him during the Stroke/Volley drills. It is fun to be a father and son team. Although I feel sorry for him that I am holding him back. It is every parent's dream for their children to exceed their own accomplishments, and my son has certainly done that in tennis. But I would really love to see a match between my son and me at my prime. That would be fun.
When we got home, I was too tired to do anything. I didn't even go upstairs to work on my computer. I just relaxed with the family until bed time. These are the times I cherish.
In the end, I burned 1345 kcals. It was a good night of tennis. I was especially happy that I had zero pain or even flashes of discomfort during tennis. So I'm still a bit confused as to what is actually causing the pain. But I'm glad is didn't reappear tonight.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
2-13-18 (Tuesday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Intervals + Extreme Abs + TCF + Ab EMS.
2-13-18 (Tuesday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Intervals + Extreme Abs + TCF + Ab EMS.
Thanks to my schedule change, I was able to get home a little early today, and I was feeling a little tired, but good, so instead of relaxing and having a little snack as I normally would, I went directly to my workout preparation and then to my workout. Today would normally be Pickle-Ball day, but that moved to Thursday, so That means Wednesday and Thursday will be sports days, and that leaves today as a Wild Card Day. Since I did resistance yesterday, I didn't want to do weights today. Also, because the next two days will be sports days, I really didn't want to do an all-out cardio day either. So, what to do? I finally decided on a mixed routine of cardio and light weights. And since I haven't done it too many times, I chose Extreme Intervals. There was one thing that also influenced my decision to not do another resistance day, and that was what happened when I woke up. When I woke up this morning, I had a wrenching tightness and pain in my left lat. The pain made it hard to take a full breath in. Bending to the left also was painful. Thinking back on yesterday, the only thing that I can think of that might cause this was the very first move of yesterday's workout in the regular routine, the Cross-Body Chops. I vaguely remember a little pull in my lat, in the first few reps but it didn't hurt at the moment at all. It didn't hurt at all for the rest of the day yesterday either. So, today was rather a struggle. I was also a bit sore in my upper chest. But that was nothing in comparison to my lat. Anyway, I made it to my workout and then I started off.
The workout was fun. I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times, I love the routines that combine weights and cardio. This is one of them. I was plugging through the routine, which is about 40 minutes long, and at the point where 23 minutes or so was left, as I was getting up from the floor after doing the Dumbbell Chest Press, I suddenly felt a cold sweat, and I began to feel my strength sort of gush out of me. I could feel my muscles just sort of releasing all their strength. I've had this happen a couple times before, but this is the first time it happened in the middle of a home workout. I was crashing. I happened to have a Protein Bar on hand and so I stopped the DVD and ate it. I just sat on my Swiss Ball for a few moments and slowly I felt my strength coming back. As soon as I felt up to it, I got back to the workout. Cardio was up next, so I did it a little modified. And that was not because of what happened, it was because I didn't have enough room to do the full range of motion in the move. But I slowly felt better all the way until the end. I never felt fully energized, but enough to get through the routines. As I look back, my legs were toast right from the beginning. The first series involved variations of Squats, and my legs started feeling it right away. I guess I missed the signs. But I'll need to be more careful to gas up before any workout. Crashing is no fun. But that notwithstanding, the cardio sections got my heart pumping and the weighted sections got my muscles burning. It was a good routine.
Then, abs. I wanted to get in some regular abs, so I stuck with Chalene and did another Extreme. It was good, and I got the burn several times during that short 15-minute routine. I finished off with a good Flow series and then EMS later in the evening.
In the end, I burned over 550 kcals. I think it could have been more had I not gassed out in the middle. Lesson learned.
Thanks to my schedule change, I was able to get home a little early today, and I was feeling a little tired, but good, so instead of relaxing and having a little snack as I normally would, I went directly to my workout preparation and then to my workout. Today would normally be Pickle-Ball day, but that moved to Thursday, so That means Wednesday and Thursday will be sports days, and that leaves today as a Wild Card Day. Since I did resistance yesterday, I didn't want to do weights today. Also, because the next two days will be sports days, I really didn't want to do an all-out cardio day either. So, what to do? I finally decided on a mixed routine of cardio and light weights. And since I haven't done it too many times, I chose Extreme Intervals. There was one thing that also influenced my decision to not do another resistance day, and that was what happened when I woke up. When I woke up this morning, I had a wrenching tightness and pain in my left lat. The pain made it hard to take a full breath in. Bending to the left also was painful. Thinking back on yesterday, the only thing that I can think of that might cause this was the very first move of yesterday's workout in the regular routine, the Cross-Body Chops. I vaguely remember a little pull in my lat, in the first few reps but it didn't hurt at the moment at all. It didn't hurt at all for the rest of the day yesterday either. So, today was rather a struggle. I was also a bit sore in my upper chest. But that was nothing in comparison to my lat. Anyway, I made it to my workout and then I started off.
The workout was fun. I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times, I love the routines that combine weights and cardio. This is one of them. I was plugging through the routine, which is about 40 minutes long, and at the point where 23 minutes or so was left, as I was getting up from the floor after doing the Dumbbell Chest Press, I suddenly felt a cold sweat, and I began to feel my strength sort of gush out of me. I could feel my muscles just sort of releasing all their strength. I've had this happen a couple times before, but this is the first time it happened in the middle of a home workout. I was crashing. I happened to have a Protein Bar on hand and so I stopped the DVD and ate it. I just sat on my Swiss Ball for a few moments and slowly I felt my strength coming back. As soon as I felt up to it, I got back to the workout. Cardio was up next, so I did it a little modified. And that was not because of what happened, it was because I didn't have enough room to do the full range of motion in the move. But I slowly felt better all the way until the end. I never felt fully energized, but enough to get through the routines. As I look back, my legs were toast right from the beginning. The first series involved variations of Squats, and my legs started feeling it right away. I guess I missed the signs. But I'll need to be more careful to gas up before any workout. Crashing is no fun. But that notwithstanding, the cardio sections got my heart pumping and the weighted sections got my muscles burning. It was a good routine.
Then, abs. I wanted to get in some regular abs, so I stuck with Chalene and did another Extreme. It was good, and I got the burn several times during that short 15-minute routine. I finished off with a good Flow series and then EMS later in the evening.
In the end, I burned over 550 kcals. I think it could have been more had I not gassed out in the middle. Lesson learned.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
2-12-18 (Monday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 3 + Anabolic Stretch + TCF + Ab EMS.
2-12-18 (Monday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 3 + Anabolic Stretch + TCF + Ab EMS.
It is a National Holiday today so I'm off from work. Also, my son came home from Tokyo yesterday so the whole family is together once again. It was a relaxing day. I did some house work in the morning, went out shopping with my wife, and then had a little family Pizza Party in the evening. Fun day! In the early afternoon, I fit in the final routine of my first Lean Phase.
I decided to mix things up a bit with the Pull-Ups. As you can tell, there are no extra Pull-Up Variations written down on the worksheet for Lean Circuit 3. I don't quite remember why that is, but I didn't NOT want to do Pull-Ups today, so I added the four sets in. But here is the difference, up until now, I have done all weighted Pull-Ups since I got the Weight Belt. I wanted to see if there was any progress or development there, so I alternated weighted and non-weighted of two variations, the most difficult variations for me. These variations are the ones that I feel I'm the weakest at. They are Wide Front, and Close Front. For the two weighted sets, I added the usual, 10kgs. The Wide Front, I was only able to, again, get 6 reps. But on the non-weighted reps, I got in 12. Then on the Close Front weighted, I got 7 reps, but on the non-weighted, I got 14 reps in. But I guess the 14th rep was a bit off, because I barely got my chin to the bar, but definitely not over it. So I am able to basically double my performance without the weights. I'd say it is working.
As for the regular routine, there were only two moves that I upped the weights on, Move 1's Breakdown, the Squats. I went up from 22kgs to 25kgs. That is the limit of my dumbbells. But I could have handled more. And, Move 4. Kneeling Overhead Press and Center Crunch. I went up to 14.5kgs from 12kgs. All the moves were pretty much done to failure, because I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to any more reps past the Breakdown set. But there is one move that I had a particularly hard time with, Move 6. Dead Lift Frontal Press. I was only able to manage 10 reps, but I made up for it my doing 3 reps, then the Breakdown's 3 reps. So I did a little extra on that move. One other move that I changed up a little bit was the Breakdown on Move 7. Traveling Push-Ups. Instead of doing Military, I did Diamond Push-Ups because that variation is more difficult on my Triceps than Military, especially if I go down and touch my hands to my chest. I guess I should also explain one style of notation on my worksheet. If I write a 12-3, that means 12 reps, then the three Breakdown reps done with exactly the same move. But if there is a slash (/), that indicates that my Breakdown was different from the regular set. Like on Move 1. Squat with Cross-Body Chop. The regular move was the Cross-Body Chop, but the Breakdown was just Squats, so the "/" means that I did the different move for that Breakdown. I love working the Chest, which was one of the target muscle groups today, along with Shoulders. I felt it was a really good workout. I could feel the pump, and I definitely felt the burn.
It is a National Holiday today so I'm off from work. Also, my son came home from Tokyo yesterday so the whole family is together once again. It was a relaxing day. I did some house work in the morning, went out shopping with my wife, and then had a little family Pizza Party in the evening. Fun day! In the early afternoon, I fit in the final routine of my first Lean Phase.
I decided to mix things up a bit with the Pull-Ups. As you can tell, there are no extra Pull-Up Variations written down on the worksheet for Lean Circuit 3. I don't quite remember why that is, but I didn't NOT want to do Pull-Ups today, so I added the four sets in. But here is the difference, up until now, I have done all weighted Pull-Ups since I got the Weight Belt. I wanted to see if there was any progress or development there, so I alternated weighted and non-weighted of two variations, the most difficult variations for me. These variations are the ones that I feel I'm the weakest at. They are Wide Front, and Close Front. For the two weighted sets, I added the usual, 10kgs. The Wide Front, I was only able to, again, get 6 reps. But on the non-weighted reps, I got in 12. Then on the Close Front weighted, I got 7 reps, but on the non-weighted, I got 14 reps in. But I guess the 14th rep was a bit off, because I barely got my chin to the bar, but definitely not over it. So I am able to basically double my performance without the weights. I'd say it is working.
As for the regular routine, there were only two moves that I upped the weights on, Move 1's Breakdown, the Squats. I went up from 22kgs to 25kgs. That is the limit of my dumbbells. But I could have handled more. And, Move 4. Kneeling Overhead Press and Center Crunch. I went up to 14.5kgs from 12kgs. All the moves were pretty much done to failure, because I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to any more reps past the Breakdown set. But there is one move that I had a particularly hard time with, Move 6. Dead Lift Frontal Press. I was only able to manage 10 reps, but I made up for it my doing 3 reps, then the Breakdown's 3 reps. So I did a little extra on that move. One other move that I changed up a little bit was the Breakdown on Move 7. Traveling Push-Ups. Instead of doing Military, I did Diamond Push-Ups because that variation is more difficult on my Triceps than Military, especially if I go down and touch my hands to my chest. I guess I should also explain one style of notation on my worksheet. If I write a 12-3, that means 12 reps, then the three Breakdown reps done with exactly the same move. But if there is a slash (/), that indicates that my Breakdown was different from the regular set. Like on Move 1. Squat with Cross-Body Chop. The regular move was the Cross-Body Chop, but the Breakdown was just Squats, so the "/" means that I did the different move for that Breakdown. I love working the Chest, which was one of the target muscle groups today, along with Shoulders. I felt it was a really good workout. I could feel the pump, and I definitely felt the burn.
With the great pump and burn, I really wanted to do the Anabolic Stretch. So I did two muscle groups, Shoulders and Chest. I am still learning how to activate for the best results. But I could definitely feel the stretch and burn all around today. I finished off with a good Flow Series, then did my EMS in the evening.
In the end, I burned over 800kcals. Another good day. Resistance is King! I'm going to do one more round of the Lean Phase. Looking forward to the challenge.
Monday, February 12, 2018
2-11-18 (Sunday) HY: Tennis + Ab EMS.
2-11-18 (Sunday) HY: Tennis + Ab EMS.
Regular tennis day!
And good news, just the morning session today. The past two weeks, due to iffy weather, we have had a double session (morning/afternoon), the morning at the regular courts and the afternoon session at the indoor facility. I was good weather, meaning no rain, but it was close to freezing temperatures. It even started to snow at one point, but only for a few minutes, then the sun peeked out from behind the clouds and then there was no more snow.
There were only 11 people who came, so on two courts we were moving a lot and we got a lot of practice in. Very little waiting time between drills, so it was almost constant moving. The tough thing was that the cold was making us want to slow down, but the adrenaline levels were pushing us to move. For a normal 3+ hour session, I normally burn about 1500 kcals, but today, I burned significantly more than the average. Last week, I wrote about how off I was feeling and how I felt like I was hitting off my back foot. And that something was just off about the whole session. But today, I was turned on and I was firing on all cylinders. I was striking the ball well and especially my backhand, which was just JUNKY on Wednesday, was sharp and hard today. My serve was also firing well. When we were doing the Serve/Return drills on two courts, there were four positions. On three of the four positions I was on, hitting my spots, and getting a good kick. But one spot, I just couldn't control. I have no idea what the deal was. What's more, it was the deuce court which is usually my bread-and-butter side. I guess it was just one of those things. I also played in a match, and I won my first service game in almost two weeks. I won it at love because my serve was unreturnable. But I lost the second service game. I got to Game Point, but then I double faulted, and that was the match. I had a chance to put it away, and I folded under the pressure. How disappointing. Then, after that, we moved to Point Sims, and the group that was playing, four guys and one girl rotating after 5-7 points, was just pure fun. We were all about the same level, except for the girl who is a beginner, but we were all trying our hardest and that was a huge part of the fun. We played some really great points and the fun and enjoyment we all had was palpable. Today was probably the most fun I've had in this club since I joined, despite the freezing cold.
When I got home, I felt a lot more tired than usual. I think the pushing myself in the cold put more stress on my muscles that I thought, and the relaxation just sort of made me more tired, or should I say, exhausted. So much so that I really didn't want to do anything else. I wasn't going to do anything else, but I ended up doing my EMS.
In the end, I burned 1987 kcals. That is about 400 more calories that I normally would burn. But it was a great day. Awesome way to start my week!
Regular tennis day!
And good news, just the morning session today. The past two weeks, due to iffy weather, we have had a double session (morning/afternoon), the morning at the regular courts and the afternoon session at the indoor facility. I was good weather, meaning no rain, but it was close to freezing temperatures. It even started to snow at one point, but only for a few minutes, then the sun peeked out from behind the clouds and then there was no more snow.
There were only 11 people who came, so on two courts we were moving a lot and we got a lot of practice in. Very little waiting time between drills, so it was almost constant moving. The tough thing was that the cold was making us want to slow down, but the adrenaline levels were pushing us to move. For a normal 3+ hour session, I normally burn about 1500 kcals, but today, I burned significantly more than the average. Last week, I wrote about how off I was feeling and how I felt like I was hitting off my back foot. And that something was just off about the whole session. But today, I was turned on and I was firing on all cylinders. I was striking the ball well and especially my backhand, which was just JUNKY on Wednesday, was sharp and hard today. My serve was also firing well. When we were doing the Serve/Return drills on two courts, there were four positions. On three of the four positions I was on, hitting my spots, and getting a good kick. But one spot, I just couldn't control. I have no idea what the deal was. What's more, it was the deuce court which is usually my bread-and-butter side. I guess it was just one of those things. I also played in a match, and I won my first service game in almost two weeks. I won it at love because my serve was unreturnable. But I lost the second service game. I got to Game Point, but then I double faulted, and that was the match. I had a chance to put it away, and I folded under the pressure. How disappointing. Then, after that, we moved to Point Sims, and the group that was playing, four guys and one girl rotating after 5-7 points, was just pure fun. We were all about the same level, except for the girl who is a beginner, but we were all trying our hardest and that was a huge part of the fun. We played some really great points and the fun and enjoyment we all had was palpable. Today was probably the most fun I've had in this club since I joined, despite the freezing cold.
When I got home, I felt a lot more tired than usual. I think the pushing myself in the cold put more stress on my muscles that I thought, and the relaxation just sort of made me more tired, or should I say, exhausted. So much so that I really didn't want to do anything else. I wasn't going to do anything else, but I ended up doing my EMS.
In the end, I burned 1987 kcals. That is about 400 more calories that I normally would burn. But it was a great day. Awesome way to start my week!
Saturday, February 10, 2018
2-09-18 (Friday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 2 + Anabolic Stretch + TCF + Ab EMS.
2-09-18 (Friday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 2 + Anabolic Stretch + TCF + Ab EMS.
I actually didn't think I would have the time to workout today because of what was going on at school. Entrance Exam checking and data input checking. Usually I wouldn't be able to leave school before 5 pm, but everything finished much earlier than usual, even though we were short handed for the initial checking. Kudos to the office staff for getting their data entry done in good time.
When I got home, I had enough time to do a full routine, but it would be sketchy for me if I wanted to do full workout. I wanted to do an abs routine, but I wasn't sure if I could fit it in. But I got started and, long story short, it turns out that I didn't need an abs routine because some of the moves also had a huge core component that just racked my core and abs. But let's start from the Pull-Ups as usual. All four sets had the additional 10 kgs, but I seemed to be a bit off today, and I wasn't feeling as strong, so my rep count was down some. I started off with Wide Front, but I could only do 6 reps. I tried to go for a seventh, but I couldn't even go up from the bottom. I was actually a bit shocked that I couldn't do it. The second set, 5-Grip, I couldn't do a double rep set, so I did three single rep sets. I needed that little shake out between reps. Even then, I was barely able to get above the bar on the third round. Close Front only got 6 reps, plus a half rep. The final set was Parallel Grip. I really wanted to get 10 reps, but nope, only got 8 reps. Failed on the 8th, just got my chin to the bar, not above it. As for the regular routine, I was able to maintain the weight on the first move, 1. Sumo Squat Anterior Delt Lift, because it was a single weight move. But even that, I struggled with the last couple reps, but still kept good form. For the second move, I was able to go up a bit from the last time, by 1.25 kgs. to 14.5kgs. For a couple of these moves, I did a double Breakdown. That means, the Breakdown was not a compound move that was done in the original move, so I did a Breakdown with the original move, and then I did the program Breakdown with Chalene. I did that on move 2 and 5. On move 3. Single Hamstring Curls with Lateral Raise, I tried the same weight as last time, but couldn't barely get it up on the first rep, so I went down to 7.5 kgs. Still a struggle, but I could at least move the weight. I was pretty disappointed because I thought my shoulders were getting stronger. So, for this move and then the last shoulder move, I went way down in weight. For the last move 9. Squat with Double-Arm Anterior Delt Lift, I went down by 1.25kgs to 5kgs. Again, I could barely get 6.25kgs up, but was okay with 5kgs. I was able to maintain good form and pace with the 5kgs. But I was disappointed that I had to go down. Basically, on all the moves today, I was feeling really gassed out by the 8-9th rep and just had to take micro-breaks (slight pauses at the bottom to relieve the burn) to get to 12. I had a good pump and burn on the target muscles. For moves 4-8, I was able to stay with the previous weight, but the burn was really messing with my mind. As for the ab/core moves, every move that was a single raise or row forced me to flex my core to stay upright. Then, move 6. Plank with Single-Arm Row, about cramped my core/abs. That move is so tough on the core I could barely finish before doubling over with the burn. I never really realized it before, but Core Stabilization is huge for the abs.
Here is how the worksheet played out:
I was really looking forward to the Anabolic Stretch. I was able to stretch out all three parts of my shoulder, Anterior, Medial, and Dorsal. I did the static hold for 30 seconds with a 20 second rest for 5 sets each. Then, for the back, I did three sets of the Dead Hang with a wide grip. I could really feel the activation. This is only the second time doing a full Anabolic stretch after a resistance workout, so I'll keep on doing it and will report any changes if noticed. I finished off with a Flow series, and then, later in the evening, I did the EMS.
In the end, I burned 804 kcals. Even though the target muscles were Shoulders and Upper Back, it really felt more like a full body workout. On top of that, my triceps were still feeling sore from Tuesday's resistance workout. I was a little disappointed that my biceps weren't as sore as my triceps, but it is usually that way. I'll really have to push my biceps to get the burn I got in the Push Circuit. Anyway, this ends my workout week. I'll start up again with Tennis on Sunday. Have a good weekend, everyone!
I actually didn't think I would have the time to workout today because of what was going on at school. Entrance Exam checking and data input checking. Usually I wouldn't be able to leave school before 5 pm, but everything finished much earlier than usual, even though we were short handed for the initial checking. Kudos to the office staff for getting their data entry done in good time.
When I got home, I had enough time to do a full routine, but it would be sketchy for me if I wanted to do full workout. I wanted to do an abs routine, but I wasn't sure if I could fit it in. But I got started and, long story short, it turns out that I didn't need an abs routine because some of the moves also had a huge core component that just racked my core and abs. But let's start from the Pull-Ups as usual. All four sets had the additional 10 kgs, but I seemed to be a bit off today, and I wasn't feeling as strong, so my rep count was down some. I started off with Wide Front, but I could only do 6 reps. I tried to go for a seventh, but I couldn't even go up from the bottom. I was actually a bit shocked that I couldn't do it. The second set, 5-Grip, I couldn't do a double rep set, so I did three single rep sets. I needed that little shake out between reps. Even then, I was barely able to get above the bar on the third round. Close Front only got 6 reps, plus a half rep. The final set was Parallel Grip. I really wanted to get 10 reps, but nope, only got 8 reps. Failed on the 8th, just got my chin to the bar, not above it. As for the regular routine, I was able to maintain the weight on the first move, 1. Sumo Squat Anterior Delt Lift, because it was a single weight move. But even that, I struggled with the last couple reps, but still kept good form. For the second move, I was able to go up a bit from the last time, by 1.25 kgs. to 14.5kgs. For a couple of these moves, I did a double Breakdown. That means, the Breakdown was not a compound move that was done in the original move, so I did a Breakdown with the original move, and then I did the program Breakdown with Chalene. I did that on move 2 and 5. On move 3. Single Hamstring Curls with Lateral Raise, I tried the same weight as last time, but couldn't barely get it up on the first rep, so I went down to 7.5 kgs. Still a struggle, but I could at least move the weight. I was pretty disappointed because I thought my shoulders were getting stronger. So, for this move and then the last shoulder move, I went way down in weight. For the last move 9. Squat with Double-Arm Anterior Delt Lift, I went down by 1.25kgs to 5kgs. Again, I could barely get 6.25kgs up, but was okay with 5kgs. I was able to maintain good form and pace with the 5kgs. But I was disappointed that I had to go down. Basically, on all the moves today, I was feeling really gassed out by the 8-9th rep and just had to take micro-breaks (slight pauses at the bottom to relieve the burn) to get to 12. I had a good pump and burn on the target muscles. For moves 4-8, I was able to stay with the previous weight, but the burn was really messing with my mind. As for the ab/core moves, every move that was a single raise or row forced me to flex my core to stay upright. Then, move 6. Plank with Single-Arm Row, about cramped my core/abs. That move is so tough on the core I could barely finish before doubling over with the burn. I never really realized it before, but Core Stabilization is huge for the abs.
Here is how the worksheet played out:
I was really looking forward to the Anabolic Stretch. I was able to stretch out all three parts of my shoulder, Anterior, Medial, and Dorsal. I did the static hold for 30 seconds with a 20 second rest for 5 sets each. Then, for the back, I did three sets of the Dead Hang with a wide grip. I could really feel the activation. This is only the second time doing a full Anabolic stretch after a resistance workout, so I'll keep on doing it and will report any changes if noticed. I finished off with a Flow series, and then, later in the evening, I did the EMS.
In the end, I burned 804 kcals. Even though the target muscles were Shoulders and Upper Back, it really felt more like a full body workout. On top of that, my triceps were still feeling sore from Tuesday's resistance workout. I was a little disappointed that my biceps weren't as sore as my triceps, but it is usually that way. I'll really have to push my biceps to get the burn I got in the Push Circuit. Anyway, this ends my workout week. I'll start up again with Tennis on Sunday. Have a good weekend, everyone!
2-08-18 (Thursday) HY: T25 - Alpha: Total Body Circuit + TCF + Ab EMS.
2-08-18 (Thursday) HY: T25 - Alpha: Total Body Circuit + TCF + Ab EMS.
As you can seem today was a very odd day. We had entrance exams at my school today and I didn't get home until a lot later than usual. Plus, I had my night class so I have a very limited amount of time. I figured that under the time crunch pressure I was under, trying to do a yoga or stretch routine would be kind of a waste, so I decided to do a quick strength cardio routine. Total Body Circuit was it. I really wanted to do a Straight 25 so I went at it hard.
I started off strong, but then the usual issues started to creep up. Of course the arches and ankles. but luckily, I caught a second wind came and I pushed through. But the biggest problem was not that, but rather, the tiredness of my legs. After a double session yesterday, my legs started to fatigue a lot earlier than usual. Also, on the jumping moves, I just couldn't get the air or the rotation I needed, so my pace was a bit slower than the DVD's. But I think I learned a lesson: Don't do T25 or even Insanity after a double session of anything. It is WAY more brutal than it needs to be. Other than that, I was okay. The Push-Ups were fine, until that last round before the Burnout. The Spider Push-Ups were killing me, and I barely made it to the end, but when the BURNOUT started with the Shoulder Tap Push-Ups, I had to tap out. I stop at the same place every time. But something I realized this time that might help me next time. That first move, Shoulder Tap Push-Ups is only for a bout 15 seconds, not a full 30 seconds like the other moves are. If I can remember that for next time, I may be able to will myself to push through those seconds. I sweat a lot more than I normally would as well. I finished off my short workout with my regular Flow series.
In the end, I burned 443 kcals. About as much as I expected. Got everything in under an hour. My legs were aching during my class. Maybe I should have gone with X3 Yoga. LOL!
As you can seem today was a very odd day. We had entrance exams at my school today and I didn't get home until a lot later than usual. Plus, I had my night class so I have a very limited amount of time. I figured that under the time crunch pressure I was under, trying to do a yoga or stretch routine would be kind of a waste, so I decided to do a quick strength cardio routine. Total Body Circuit was it. I really wanted to do a Straight 25 so I went at it hard.
I started off strong, but then the usual issues started to creep up. Of course the arches and ankles. but luckily, I caught a second wind came and I pushed through. But the biggest problem was not that, but rather, the tiredness of my legs. After a double session yesterday, my legs started to fatigue a lot earlier than usual. Also, on the jumping moves, I just couldn't get the air or the rotation I needed, so my pace was a bit slower than the DVD's. But I think I learned a lesson: Don't do T25 or even Insanity after a double session of anything. It is WAY more brutal than it needs to be. Other than that, I was okay. The Push-Ups were fine, until that last round before the Burnout. The Spider Push-Ups were killing me, and I barely made it to the end, but when the BURNOUT started with the Shoulder Tap Push-Ups, I had to tap out. I stop at the same place every time. But something I realized this time that might help me next time. That first move, Shoulder Tap Push-Ups is only for a bout 15 seconds, not a full 30 seconds like the other moves are. If I can remember that for next time, I may be able to will myself to push through those seconds. I sweat a lot more than I normally would as well. I finished off my short workout with my regular Flow series.
In the end, I burned 443 kcals. About as much as I expected. Got everything in under an hour. My legs were aching during my class. Maybe I should have gone with X3 Yoga. LOL!
Friday, February 9, 2018
2-07-18 (Wednesday) HY: Pickle-Ball + Tennis.
2-07-18 (Wednesday) HY: Pickle-Ball + Tennis.
Another double day!
Since I took the day off yesterday, John and I didn't play Pickle-Ball. And because of school events, Thursday and Friday were out of the question. So, if we were to play this week, it had to be today. And it was a very free day at that. Nothing to do in the morning and only one meeting in the afternoon. So, we played in the morning, the coldest time of the day.
In the first game, I fell behind pretty quickly, 0-3, but then I slowly worked my way back. Once I took the lead, I kept it. I took the game 15-10. The second game started off just like the first, with me going down 0-3. I did my best to catch up, but I just couldn't break that plateau. I lost 11-15. The third game was very competitive. There was one point that the score was 7-5. We traded service several times, but I finally broke the tie and didn't look back. I took that game 15-13. As I said, I didn't look back. That went for the next two games. But the score doesn't tell the whole story. There were a lot of really good rallies and a lot of good shots. The pace of the game had really picked up, and I was pressuring and pushing every point. We played a rare 5 games, me going 4-1 this routine. The score of the last two games were 15-3 and 15-5. It is a lot more fun to watch my former family with kids.
Wednesday is the regular tennis day, so I had to relax some when I got home, and then I had to get going to the courts to be on time. The menu was the same as usual but with a few variations to accommodate the numbers. I'm starting to not feel comfortable on court again. I can feel myself hitting off my back foot instead of pushing on into the court, and move forward into the ball. No Serve/Return practice. I was so erratic. I'd hit a great shot, then shank my next few. I need stability in my game. But it was a good workout... TWICE TODAY!!!
In the end, I burned a total of 2557 kcals. Even though I love tennis and Pickle-Ball, I would like to keep doubling up a secret.
Another double day!
Since I took the day off yesterday, John and I didn't play Pickle-Ball. And because of school events, Thursday and Friday were out of the question. So, if we were to play this week, it had to be today. And it was a very free day at that. Nothing to do in the morning and only one meeting in the afternoon. So, we played in the morning, the coldest time of the day.
In the first game, I fell behind pretty quickly, 0-3, but then I slowly worked my way back. Once I took the lead, I kept it. I took the game 15-10. The second game started off just like the first, with me going down 0-3. I did my best to catch up, but I just couldn't break that plateau. I lost 11-15. The third game was very competitive. There was one point that the score was 7-5. We traded service several times, but I finally broke the tie and didn't look back. I took that game 15-13. As I said, I didn't look back. That went for the next two games. But the score doesn't tell the whole story. There were a lot of really good rallies and a lot of good shots. The pace of the game had really picked up, and I was pressuring and pushing every point. We played a rare 5 games, me going 4-1 this routine. The score of the last two games were 15-3 and 15-5. It is a lot more fun to watch my former family with kids.
Wednesday is the regular tennis day, so I had to relax some when I got home, and then I had to get going to the courts to be on time. The menu was the same as usual but with a few variations to accommodate the numbers. I'm starting to not feel comfortable on court again. I can feel myself hitting off my back foot instead of pushing on into the court, and move forward into the ball. No Serve/Return practice. I was so erratic. I'd hit a great shot, then shank my next few. I need stability in my game. But it was a good workout... TWICE TODAY!!!
In the end, I burned a total of 2557 kcals. Even though I love tennis and Pickle-Ball, I would like to keep doubling up a secret.
2-06-18 (Tuesday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 1 + Ab Burner + TCF + Ab EMS.
2-06-18 (Tuesday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 1 + Ab Burner + TCF + Ab EMS.
Today was totally free for one reason, I took the day off from work to have the day with my wife to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We got up a little later than usual and had breakfast, did household chores, and just had a relaxing morning. We went to our favorite Sushi restaurant for lunch. It was delicious! Then we went shopping for some stuff we needed. Then we went for some tea at a local cafe. It was a wonderful day. When we got home, my wife had other stuff to do and I got ready for my workout. No pressure or time crunches rushing me so I could focus on the moves and working the target muscle groups.
I began the Lean Circuit today. Compound moves, back up to 12 reps, and Break Down Sets on every move. I kept the Pull-Up sets (reps) in, Chin-Ups (8), V-Pull-Ups (10), 5-Grip (15), and Parallel Grip (8). All with the added 10kgs. I felt good today, but I faded at the end. I really wanted to hit 10 reps on the last set, but I barely got the 8. On the 5-Grip, the last set of 5, my form was really going down hill. I couldn't hardly get my chin above the bar. The target muscles were Biceps and Triceps with the added lower body moves. My biceps seemed a little weak today. On the first move, I was dying by the 9th rep. I needed a little nudge to get the dumbbells up the last two reps. But I was able to focus on flexing them as well. I tried to stick with the weight from the last time which was almost a year and a half ago. However, there were a few changes. On move 6. Plank with Single-Triceps Extension. I stayed at 8.75 kgs. Core was killing me. I did the move Breakdown, then did the Chalene break down, so that was a little extra pump. On move 7. Reverse Lunge - Double-Arm Biceps Curl, I upped the Breakdown weight to 22 kgs. Everything was fine, but I was starting to feel really spent. Move 8. Supine Triceps on a Swiss Ball, instead of doing two dumbbells, I used one heavy dumbbell, and that more than doubled the weight over last time. I felt good, but as I said, I faded quickly once I started to fatigue. Surprisingly, I was able to recover quicker then before.
I decided to stick with Chalene for abs so I got out a routine I hadn't done in years. Ab Burner is a great routine for this time. I think I handled it well, but the burn came on a little later than I would have liked.
I had the time, so I did the Anabolic Stretch. I did 5 sets of each move for the arms. It actually felt pretty good. Now I wonder what the effects will be like tomorrow.
The other two parts: TCF and Ab EMS were at my leisure. I did the Flow right after the routine. And the EMS before bed.
In the end, I burned 996 kcals. I was surprised to get so high on the scale in such a short period of time. I really stressed out my arms, I'm looking forward to see what is going on.
Today was totally free for one reason, I took the day off from work to have the day with my wife to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We got up a little later than usual and had breakfast, did household chores, and just had a relaxing morning. We went to our favorite Sushi restaurant for lunch. It was delicious! Then we went shopping for some stuff we needed. Then we went for some tea at a local cafe. It was a wonderful day. When we got home, my wife had other stuff to do and I got ready for my workout. No pressure or time crunches rushing me so I could focus on the moves and working the target muscle groups.
I began the Lean Circuit today. Compound moves, back up to 12 reps, and Break Down Sets on every move. I kept the Pull-Up sets (reps) in, Chin-Ups (8), V-Pull-Ups (10), 5-Grip (15), and Parallel Grip (8). All with the added 10kgs. I felt good today, but I faded at the end. I really wanted to hit 10 reps on the last set, but I barely got the 8. On the 5-Grip, the last set of 5, my form was really going down hill. I couldn't hardly get my chin above the bar. The target muscles were Biceps and Triceps with the added lower body moves. My biceps seemed a little weak today. On the first move, I was dying by the 9th rep. I needed a little nudge to get the dumbbells up the last two reps. But I was able to focus on flexing them as well. I tried to stick with the weight from the last time which was almost a year and a half ago. However, there were a few changes. On move 6. Plank with Single-Triceps Extension. I stayed at 8.75 kgs. Core was killing me. I did the move Breakdown, then did the Chalene break down, so that was a little extra pump. On move 7. Reverse Lunge - Double-Arm Biceps Curl, I upped the Breakdown weight to 22 kgs. Everything was fine, but I was starting to feel really spent. Move 8. Supine Triceps on a Swiss Ball, instead of doing two dumbbells, I used one heavy dumbbell, and that more than doubled the weight over last time. I felt good, but as I said, I faded quickly once I started to fatigue. Surprisingly, I was able to recover quicker then before.
I decided to stick with Chalene for abs so I got out a routine I hadn't done in years. Ab Burner is a great routine for this time. I think I handled it well, but the burn came on a little later than I would have liked.
I had the time, so I did the Anabolic Stretch. I did 5 sets of each move for the arms. It actually felt pretty good. Now I wonder what the effects will be like tomorrow.
The other two parts: TCF and Ab EMS were at my leisure. I did the Flow right after the routine. And the EMS before bed.
In the end, I burned 996 kcals. I was surprised to get so high on the scale in such a short period of time. I really stressed out my arms, I'm looking forward to see what is going on.
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
2-05-18 (Monday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + CVX + Abs 40 + TCF.
2-05-18 (Monday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + CVX + Abs 40 + TCF.
From February, my schedule changes. I now have a night class on Monday nights three Mondays a month. This was my first Monday with a night class. And it just so happened to be Super Bowl Sunday in the USA so I get the game live Monday morning. So, instead of doing a workout, I watched the Super Bowl. Very stressful game, but not for the regular reasons. Up until this year I could watch the Super Bowl with the same commentary as the live broadcast in the US. But for some reason, this year, no English commentary. There were TWO audio channels, but BOTH were Japanese commentary. For American sports, their commentary is terrible. So, I didn't really enjoy the game. And what's worse, I didn't get to do my workout. I had to leave for work as soon as the game ended, and I didn't get home until after 8 pm. So, I had to do a quick workout and one not resistance. So I chose CVX.
I chose this routine because of the weight that it did use. Just a light weight but with tons of reps. I used a 4 kg dumbbell. But I started off with Cold Start as my warm up. Perfect for today. For the raising and lifting moves, it was fine, but for the static hold like in the Chair to Back Lunge, holding that weight over my head was a burn on my shoulders. All the circuits were good and the moves were not too difficult, but the balance move in which I had to bring my knee to the weight for the second round was tough. My glute on the standing leg got that pre-cramping sensation, but I made it through. I started to gas out near the end. Then, I hit my second wind at the end of the first round of the final circuit. I killed the Burnout. I was so happy that I caught that second wind so I could finish strong.
It was getting late, but I wanted to add some abs in there to round out the routine, so I did the Ab40 routine. Four moves done in 5 sets. I was originally only going to do 3 sets, but I didn't want to go any less than 200 reps for my abs, so I pushed it to go 5 sets. To refresh the memory, the four moves were Flutter Kicks, Knees Bent V-Ups, In and Outs, and Reverse Crunches. Each for 10 reps. If it doesn't sound that tough, try it. Rest only 30 seconds between sets. I started to fail in the third set, and I almost left it there. But, as I said, I pushed it to go to 5 sets. Then I finished off with a nice Flow series.
In the end, I burned 707kcals. Good for a shorter workout. My breath was taken away several times during the routine, especially during the second round. But that was the plan.
From February, my schedule changes. I now have a night class on Monday nights three Mondays a month. This was my first Monday with a night class. And it just so happened to be Super Bowl Sunday in the USA so I get the game live Monday morning. So, instead of doing a workout, I watched the Super Bowl. Very stressful game, but not for the regular reasons. Up until this year I could watch the Super Bowl with the same commentary as the live broadcast in the US. But for some reason, this year, no English commentary. There were TWO audio channels, but BOTH were Japanese commentary. For American sports, their commentary is terrible. So, I didn't really enjoy the game. And what's worse, I didn't get to do my workout. I had to leave for work as soon as the game ended, and I didn't get home until after 8 pm. So, I had to do a quick workout and one not resistance. So I chose CVX.
I chose this routine because of the weight that it did use. Just a light weight but with tons of reps. I used a 4 kg dumbbell. But I started off with Cold Start as my warm up. Perfect for today. For the raising and lifting moves, it was fine, but for the static hold like in the Chair to Back Lunge, holding that weight over my head was a burn on my shoulders. All the circuits were good and the moves were not too difficult, but the balance move in which I had to bring my knee to the weight for the second round was tough. My glute on the standing leg got that pre-cramping sensation, but I made it through. I started to gas out near the end. Then, I hit my second wind at the end of the first round of the final circuit. I killed the Burnout. I was so happy that I caught that second wind so I could finish strong.
It was getting late, but I wanted to add some abs in there to round out the routine, so I did the Ab40 routine. Four moves done in 5 sets. I was originally only going to do 3 sets, but I didn't want to go any less than 200 reps for my abs, so I pushed it to go 5 sets. To refresh the memory, the four moves were Flutter Kicks, Knees Bent V-Ups, In and Outs, and Reverse Crunches. Each for 10 reps. If it doesn't sound that tough, try it. Rest only 30 seconds between sets. I started to fail in the third set, and I almost left it there. But, as I said, I pushed it to go to 5 sets. Then I finished off with a nice Flow series.
In the end, I burned 707kcals. Good for a shorter workout. My breath was taken away several times during the routine, especially during the second round. But that was the plan.
Monday, February 5, 2018
2-04-18 (Sunday) HY: Tennis x2 + Ab EMS + TCF.
2-04-18 (Sunday) HY: Tennis x2 + Ab EMS + TCF.
Since Wednesday, club members were worried about playing tennis at the regular outside venue because the weather forecast called for snow. When I woke up this morning, it was snowing. After a bunch of texting between members, it was decided that we those who can play in the morning would go to the courts, and those who can play in the afternoon can go to the indoor facility. The only difference from last week is that the afternoon reservation was at 1pm which is the usual ending time for the morning session. So, we cut the morning session by and hour which gave everyone who went to the morning session only an hour to transition to the other courts. No time to relax and shower like last week, but it was GO GO GO all the way.
The morning session was good. I had prepared for some really cold conditions and playing in the snow, but although it was snowing, it wasn't that could. Or at least once I got moving, I was actually rather hot. I was planning to play with my coat on, but after just the warm up, I had to take it off and played without it the whole time after that. Regular two-step menu to start after the warm up. Stroke/Volley, then Serve/Return. Then. since there were only 9 of us, for the last 45 minutes, we played a match. Long story short, I was serving well, but my partner and I just made too many mistakes and came up short. The odd thing was that all of the first service games were lost by the serving side. There wasn't a hold of serve until the 5th game. There were some really good points, so it was a fun match. I had only one double fault that match, but unfortunately, it was on a Break Point. The other two service game I had were to Deuce, but I couldn't hold them either. I was just off.
In the afternoon session, basically the same menu, buy there were almost double the people. I got a little more serve practice and return practice in, so I was happy. There is one (literally only one) guy that just can't seem to keep his mouth shut about his shots. For example, even during the warm up, if the person he warms up with hit a ball into the net, he raises his arms and says, "I WIN!!!" Literally EVERY POINT!!! that he would win if it was a game situation. The thing is, it is not a game situation but he still pats his own back. And if he hits a ball out, he is like "Really? That was out? Naw! REALLY?". I try not to warm up with him whenever possible. But during the Serve/Return practice, whenever I had to serve to him or return his serve, I kicked it up a notch and played a real point. It was fun crushing him. Anyway, since I played a match in the morning, I wasn't planning to play in the afternoon, but I was called, so I played a match in the afternoon as well. We started off losing the first three games. But then we picked up our level and picked up the next two games. Next was my serve. It was 30-Love and my partner had an easy put-away to go up 40-Love, but he netted it. I got to 40-15, but it fell apart and I couldn't close it out. Of the 6 service games I played today, morning and afternoon, 4 of them went to Deuce, but I couldn't convert. Again my weak mental game made itself known. I need to become mentally stronger. OR, I'm hoping that it is just the cold conditions. I hope to play better in the spring.
It was a fun day with a lot of tennis. Tennis in the snow, and tennis in an ice box. But I had a great time. I got in my EMS and Flow later in the evening.
In the end, I burned 3158kcals. Again, about half of my regular weekly average. Great way to start off my week. Doing what I Love.
Since Wednesday, club members were worried about playing tennis at the regular outside venue because the weather forecast called for snow. When I woke up this morning, it was snowing. After a bunch of texting between members, it was decided that we those who can play in the morning would go to the courts, and those who can play in the afternoon can go to the indoor facility. The only difference from last week is that the afternoon reservation was at 1pm which is the usual ending time for the morning session. So, we cut the morning session by and hour which gave everyone who went to the morning session only an hour to transition to the other courts. No time to relax and shower like last week, but it was GO GO GO all the way.
The morning session was good. I had prepared for some really cold conditions and playing in the snow, but although it was snowing, it wasn't that could. Or at least once I got moving, I was actually rather hot. I was planning to play with my coat on, but after just the warm up, I had to take it off and played without it the whole time after that. Regular two-step menu to start after the warm up. Stroke/Volley, then Serve/Return. Then. since there were only 9 of us, for the last 45 minutes, we played a match. Long story short, I was serving well, but my partner and I just made too many mistakes and came up short. The odd thing was that all of the first service games were lost by the serving side. There wasn't a hold of serve until the 5th game. There were some really good points, so it was a fun match. I had only one double fault that match, but unfortunately, it was on a Break Point. The other two service game I had were to Deuce, but I couldn't hold them either. I was just off.
In the afternoon session, basically the same menu, buy there were almost double the people. I got a little more serve practice and return practice in, so I was happy. There is one (literally only one) guy that just can't seem to keep his mouth shut about his shots. For example, even during the warm up, if the person he warms up with hit a ball into the net, he raises his arms and says, "I WIN!!!" Literally EVERY POINT!!! that he would win if it was a game situation. The thing is, it is not a game situation but he still pats his own back. And if he hits a ball out, he is like "Really? That was out? Naw! REALLY?". I try not to warm up with him whenever possible. But during the Serve/Return practice, whenever I had to serve to him or return his serve, I kicked it up a notch and played a real point. It was fun crushing him. Anyway, since I played a match in the morning, I wasn't planning to play in the afternoon, but I was called, so I played a match in the afternoon as well. We started off losing the first three games. But then we picked up our level and picked up the next two games. Next was my serve. It was 30-Love and my partner had an easy put-away to go up 40-Love, but he netted it. I got to 40-15, but it fell apart and I couldn't close it out. Of the 6 service games I played today, morning and afternoon, 4 of them went to Deuce, but I couldn't convert. Again my weak mental game made itself known. I need to become mentally stronger. OR, I'm hoping that it is just the cold conditions. I hope to play better in the spring.
It was a fun day with a lot of tennis. Tennis in the snow, and tennis in an ice box. But I had a great time. I got in my EMS and Flow later in the evening.
In the end, I burned 3158kcals. Again, about half of my regular weekly average. Great way to start off my week. Doing what I Love.
Friday, February 2, 2018
2-02-18 (Friday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Push Circuit 3 + TCF + Ab EMS.
2-02-18 (Friday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Push Circuit 3 + TCF + Ab EMS.
I was planning to add in an Ab workout today, but I got home later than expected and I only had time for the main workout with no rushing, so instead of rushing to get in some abs, I didn't rush and got in a good full resistance workout. I was a little bummed that I didn't have time for my Anabolic Stretch, but I'll get it done the next time I do Chest, Back, and Legs.
Well, right off the bat, I made a mistake. The extra Pull-Up sets were done out of order. I was supposed to start with 5-Grip, then Wide Front, but I accidentally did Wide Front First. So I did 5-Grip second. No biggie, but just a little perturbing. As far as weights are concerned, I upped all the Non-25kg weights by 1.25kgs to 19.5kgs. One big change I did was with move 8. Reverse-Grip Bent-Over Rows. I didn't want to go down in weight because 25kgs are fine, but according to my memory and some notation, my back was feeling a little gimpy afterwards. So, to protect my back, instead of doing both arms together, I did one at a time. It is good isolation work and I was able to really focus on getting my back muscles activated. And finally, as with Push 1 and 2 this round, I added a Break Down set to the first three moves. Those are the major changes. Everything else went according to plan.
Now, all that done, I have been seeing a couple things that are a little disturbing regarding the regular message of Beachbody coaches. Science also seems strong so I'd like to see what you think. Mainly two points: 1. Slow reps can diminish gains, and 2. Doing sets to failure does more harm than good. If you are interested, I'll try to find the pages I saw those claims on.
After the main routine, I did a good Flow series and had a good leg stretch afterwards. EMS later that evening.
In the end, I burned 714kcals. I'm satisfied with that. I still got a good pump and burn. Nice way to finish off my week! Happy Weekend, Everyone!
I was planning to add in an Ab workout today, but I got home later than expected and I only had time for the main workout with no rushing, so instead of rushing to get in some abs, I didn't rush and got in a good full resistance workout. I was a little bummed that I didn't have time for my Anabolic Stretch, but I'll get it done the next time I do Chest, Back, and Legs.
Well, right off the bat, I made a mistake. The extra Pull-Up sets were done out of order. I was supposed to start with 5-Grip, then Wide Front, but I accidentally did Wide Front First. So I did 5-Grip second. No biggie, but just a little perturbing. As far as weights are concerned, I upped all the Non-25kg weights by 1.25kgs to 19.5kgs. One big change I did was with move 8. Reverse-Grip Bent-Over Rows. I didn't want to go down in weight because 25kgs are fine, but according to my memory and some notation, my back was feeling a little gimpy afterwards. So, to protect my back, instead of doing both arms together, I did one at a time. It is good isolation work and I was able to really focus on getting my back muscles activated. And finally, as with Push 1 and 2 this round, I added a Break Down set to the first three moves. Those are the major changes. Everything else went according to plan.
Now, all that done, I have been seeing a couple things that are a little disturbing regarding the regular message of Beachbody coaches. Science also seems strong so I'd like to see what you think. Mainly two points: 1. Slow reps can diminish gains, and 2. Doing sets to failure does more harm than good. If you are interested, I'll try to find the pages I saw those claims on.
After the main routine, I did a good Flow series and had a good leg stretch afterwards. EMS later that evening.
In the end, I burned 714kcals. I'm satisfied with that. I still got a good pump and burn. Nice way to finish off my week! Happy Weekend, Everyone!
2-01-18 (Thursday) HY: P90X2 - X2 Yoga + TCF + Ab EMS.
2-01-18 (Thursday) HY: P90X2 - X2 Yoga + TCF + Ab EMS.
Happy February!
I didn't have my usual night class tonight so I was free to do a longer mid-week recovery workout. The two routines I was weighing were both from P90X2, either Balance and Recovery (the Foam Rolling routine), and X2 Yoga. Obviously Yoga won that battle, because I wanted to do some active stretching moves. But I will almost definitely do B&R next time.
It's a lovely routine, and it started of great! It was awesome until the first Standing Progression. Half-Moon, still a problem. But this time around, not with my balance, rather with simple leg strength. I didn't seem to have the strength to hold my body weight on one leg for that long. I had to tap out a couple of times to shake my leg out. But once Standing Spits was done, I was doing fine. Half-Moon was shaky, but not as much as I thought it would be. I was able to inter-lock my fingers much deeper on the Wrap on both sides. Also, today was the first time I was able to actually try "CRANE" pose. I wasn't able to the true Crane Pose before because my Triceps were to sore to rest my knees on them. Today, I set my knees just under my armpits. Immediately, I could feel the difference. A whole new ball game with that knee position. I was only able to hold Crane Post for a few seconds before tipping over onto my head. After the Standing Sequence, most of the rest of the routine is pretty standard. I love it because it also works on the abs and the better warrior.
Then, I got my Flow series and EMS in later in the evening.
In the end, I burned a modest 349kcals. That is the lowest for this routine so far. But I felt great afterwards. I'm ready for resistance tomorrow.
Happy February!
I didn't have my usual night class tonight so I was free to do a longer mid-week recovery workout. The two routines I was weighing were both from P90X2, either Balance and Recovery (the Foam Rolling routine), and X2 Yoga. Obviously Yoga won that battle, because I wanted to do some active stretching moves. But I will almost definitely do B&R next time.
It's a lovely routine, and it started of great! It was awesome until the first Standing Progression. Half-Moon, still a problem. But this time around, not with my balance, rather with simple leg strength. I didn't seem to have the strength to hold my body weight on one leg for that long. I had to tap out a couple of times to shake my leg out. But once Standing Spits was done, I was doing fine. Half-Moon was shaky, but not as much as I thought it would be. I was able to inter-lock my fingers much deeper on the Wrap on both sides. Also, today was the first time I was able to actually try "CRANE" pose. I wasn't able to the true Crane Pose before because my Triceps were to sore to rest my knees on them. Today, I set my knees just under my armpits. Immediately, I could feel the difference. A whole new ball game with that knee position. I was only able to hold Crane Post for a few seconds before tipping over onto my head. After the Standing Sequence, most of the rest of the routine is pretty standard. I love it because it also works on the abs and the better warrior.
Then, I got my Flow series and EMS in later in the evening.
In the end, I burned a modest 349kcals. That is the lowest for this routine so far. But I felt great afterwards. I'm ready for resistance tomorrow.
1-31-18 (Wednesday) HY: Tennis + TCF + Ab EMS.
1-31-18 (Wednesday) HY: Tennis + TCF + Ab EMS.
Mid-Week tennis is what it is all about. Today, practice was at a different location. This was the first time for me to practice at this location. I never went before because it was a little more difficult to get to than the other places, and a little longer because of traffic. But, I didn't want to miss practice, so I went ahead and made plans to attend. I had been there before to watch my son play a tournament, but I had never played myself. But I left, with what I thought was plenty of time, but it ended up being exactly the amount of travel time I would need. Right on time. I cut it just right, but it is nice to have a few minutes of cushion. Next time, I'll have to leave a little earlier.
Tonight, the initial menu was as usual. And I must say that I was feeling good. During Stroke/Volley practice, I was getting my strokes set up nicely, and my volley's were mostly where I wanted them to be, deep. For Serve practice, My serve was hitting its spots. I was at about 65-70%. We had two courts for the first hour, then had to move to only one court for the second hour. But I few minutes into the second hour, we saw an open court on another block and we got it. But since it was a ways away, we split the members into two groups. The group I was with had most of the better players and we drilled in three different Point Sims. Feed to Forehand, then Feed to Backhand, and then finally an actual Deuce Court service. A lot of hard work tonight. But something was off. In the Point Sims, for some reason, I was, AGAIN, hitting off my back foot, so I was getting no power on my shots. I don't know why it happened, but I need to do better to get out of that bad pattern and keep my weight moving forward into the ball.
I got in my Flow series and the EMS later that evening.
In the end, I burned over 1400kcals. It was cold, but I seems to have finally found an outfit that is suited to cold weather. Bummer of the evening, I lost one of my Vibration Dampeners. It just flew off my racket in the middle of a rally. Then, when I went to look for it, I just couldn't find it. It might have flown down a drain grating. Looking to get another one before too long.
Mid-Week tennis is what it is all about. Today, practice was at a different location. This was the first time for me to practice at this location. I never went before because it was a little more difficult to get to than the other places, and a little longer because of traffic. But, I didn't want to miss practice, so I went ahead and made plans to attend. I had been there before to watch my son play a tournament, but I had never played myself. But I left, with what I thought was plenty of time, but it ended up being exactly the amount of travel time I would need. Right on time. I cut it just right, but it is nice to have a few minutes of cushion. Next time, I'll have to leave a little earlier.
Tonight, the initial menu was as usual. And I must say that I was feeling good. During Stroke/Volley practice, I was getting my strokes set up nicely, and my volley's were mostly where I wanted them to be, deep. For Serve practice, My serve was hitting its spots. I was at about 65-70%. We had two courts for the first hour, then had to move to only one court for the second hour. But I few minutes into the second hour, we saw an open court on another block and we got it. But since it was a ways away, we split the members into two groups. The group I was with had most of the better players and we drilled in three different Point Sims. Feed to Forehand, then Feed to Backhand, and then finally an actual Deuce Court service. A lot of hard work tonight. But something was off. In the Point Sims, for some reason, I was, AGAIN, hitting off my back foot, so I was getting no power on my shots. I don't know why it happened, but I need to do better to get out of that bad pattern and keep my weight moving forward into the ball.
I got in my Flow series and the EMS later that evening.
In the end, I burned over 1400kcals. It was cold, but I seems to have finally found an outfit that is suited to cold weather. Bummer of the evening, I lost one of my Vibration Dampeners. It just flew off my racket in the middle of a rally. Then, when I went to look for it, I just couldn't find it. It might have flown down a drain grating. Looking to get another one before too long.
Thursday, February 1, 2018
1-30-18 (Tuesday) HY: TCF + Pickle-Ball + Ab EMS.
1-30-18 (Tuesday) HY: TCF + Pickle-Ball + Ab EMS.
Today was cold, and John was later than usual, so a good stretch and I was set to do a long Flow series down the length of the Pickle-Ball court. I got a lot of good Flows in and I was able to play with the tempo and pace of the Flows. I was also a little surprised that the Flows actually warmed me up a bit which was a plus.
Once John did arrive we started right in with our warm up rallying. I guess I was a bit off my game or I was still a little on the cold side because although I jumped out to a small lead, I lost the lead when John went on a huge run of points. Again, I couldn't catch up and I dropped the first game. 8-15. The second game was close from the beginning, but then I got the big lead and it seemed like the score would be the reverse of the first game because it was 14-8, but I couldn't close it out. I got a little conservative and lost a couple of points, but I got back to myself and finally closed out the game, 15-10. The third game was the closest and longest we've played in a few weeks. Very competitive and a lot of lead changes I did finally jump out to a relatively large lead, but then John came back to tie me at 13-13. I inched forward to 14-13, but again, I couldn't close it out. We exchanged service a couple more times before I finally closed it out, 15-13. The past few weeks, somehow, the third game has always finished with 10 minutes remaining of out game time. Once we had to play a short game, but the next two times we just finished to 15, all, I might add, I came through the victor! Today, with 10 minutes left, we, again said, "play to noon, and see what happens." But I was totally warmed up and I roared out of the gate. There was a little hiccup, but I ended the game just a couple of minutes after noon which is within our range of grace. There were no "GIMMIE" point in that final game. I fought and earned each point. I took the game 15-5. It was a good day.
I slipped in my EMS in the evening after my night class.
In the end, I burned over 1050kcals. I was hoping for more, but I suspect the cold kept my heart rate down. We'll see what happens in Summer.
Today was cold, and John was later than usual, so a good stretch and I was set to do a long Flow series down the length of the Pickle-Ball court. I got a lot of good Flows in and I was able to play with the tempo and pace of the Flows. I was also a little surprised that the Flows actually warmed me up a bit which was a plus.
Once John did arrive we started right in with our warm up rallying. I guess I was a bit off my game or I was still a little on the cold side because although I jumped out to a small lead, I lost the lead when John went on a huge run of points. Again, I couldn't catch up and I dropped the first game. 8-15. The second game was close from the beginning, but then I got the big lead and it seemed like the score would be the reverse of the first game because it was 14-8, but I couldn't close it out. I got a little conservative and lost a couple of points, but I got back to myself and finally closed out the game, 15-10. The third game was the closest and longest we've played in a few weeks. Very competitive and a lot of lead changes I did finally jump out to a relatively large lead, but then John came back to tie me at 13-13. I inched forward to 14-13, but again, I couldn't close it out. We exchanged service a couple more times before I finally closed it out, 15-13. The past few weeks, somehow, the third game has always finished with 10 minutes remaining of out game time. Once we had to play a short game, but the next two times we just finished to 15, all, I might add, I came through the victor! Today, with 10 minutes left, we, again said, "play to noon, and see what happens." But I was totally warmed up and I roared out of the gate. There was a little hiccup, but I ended the game just a couple of minutes after noon which is within our range of grace. There were no "GIMMIE" point in that final game. I fought and earned each point. I took the game 15-5. It was a good day.
I slipped in my EMS in the evening after my night class.
In the end, I burned over 1050kcals. I was hoping for more, but I suspect the cold kept my heart rate down. We'll see what happens in Summer.
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