HY: Basketball + 10MT-Total Body 2/Core Cardio/Upper Body + TC-Flow + Splits
Had kind of a housework family day. In the morning I completed a Spring Vacation Project, which was to switch the flooring on my workout/office area. It had gotten big holes and cracks in it and was getting dangerous to walk on because one might trip. So I took the whole morning to clear everything off the flooring, switch it out with a new one, the put everything back. Cleaning everything as I went. I was thinking that that would have been a good workout in itself. I should have worn a HRM. Worked up a good sweat, too. My room now looks and feels like new! Watched a movie with my kids in he early afternoon, then played some basketball with my son. Again, I should have worn a HRM. It was getting late so I came in to start my regular workout.
I had forgotten how intense the 10MT could be. Previously, I had used the easy bands so I guess I was breezing through it. Now, I'm using the second to hardest bands I have and I'm dying. There was no way I was going straight through any of these workouts. In TB2 my shoulders, back, and legs were dying. I barely made it through CC, and my arms got a huge pump and burn with UB. Bi's and Tri's were really feeling it. On several of the moves, I couldn't last to the end of the minutes. WIMP!!! I was really breathing heavy through out, and today I needed to get out the big towel to keep my sweat at bay.
I did a slow flow today to renew that muscle memory for the flow. Felt really good. When all was done, I had burned almost 900kcals with my splits yet to go. I plan to do them later after my bath. It's going to be interesting because the new flooring is very slippery so I wonder if I'll have a good time staying up... or down...
Just finished splits and it was great with the new slippery floor. Easy to inch out and get lower. I think I hit my lowest mark to date, but still hip flexor tightness. Maybe I'll do some foam rolling on them in the days to come. Great workout. If I add all the extras, I torched over 1000kcals today.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
HY: 10 Minute Trainer-Total Body/Lower Body/Abs + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
HY: 10 Minute Trainer-Total Body/Lower Body/Abs + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
Got really busy and wasn't able to post this on Friday when it was done. This was a great workout. Got a great burn in my lower body especially. Abs were rocking in he final phase. Heel is no longer an issue but I still have to be careful. Although it doesn't hurt like before, it still aches when I walk barefoot on hard surfaces.
The splits and flow were good, but my hip flexors are really feeling it now. I don't know if the shape of my hip flexors are preventing my flexibility from improving faster or if I'm just that tight. Recently, I don't feel as much pull my my muscles, per se, but more pain in those hip flexors. If you have any insights, I'd appreciate some comments.
The flow was smooth. I think it is starting to come together. I just wish I was confident enough to stop training and just do it for it. Looking forward to the day off.
Got really busy and wasn't able to post this on Friday when it was done. This was a great workout. Got a great burn in my lower body especially. Abs were rocking in he final phase. Heel is no longer an issue but I still have to be careful. Although it doesn't hurt like before, it still aches when I walk barefoot on hard surfaces.
The splits and flow were good, but my hip flexors are really feeling it now. I don't know if the shape of my hip flexors are preventing my flexibility from improving faster or if I'm just that tight. Recently, I don't feel as much pull my my muscles, per se, but more pain in those hip flexors. If you have any insights, I'd appreciate some comments.
The flow was smooth. I think it is starting to come together. I just wish I was confident enough to stop training and just do it for it. Looking forward to the day off.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
HY: Tennis + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
HY: Tennis + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
I had my Shake in the morning with the full intention of doing a regular workout in the morning before tennis in the afternoon. But for some reason, the time got away from me and I decided to just do my workout after tennis.
My son and I went to a tennis racket event sponsored by one of the local sporting goods stores that allowed us to try all the new models of tennis rackets. We were scheduled for only one hour. I thought we would go and hit a few balls and serves and switch rackets and that was it. I didn't think it would be anything too strenuous. We ended up staying there for close to 2 hours. We drilled for about 30 minutes with a bunch of different rackets, then we had free rally time for over an hour. Just on a whim, I decided to use my HRM and at the end of it, I had 5 blisters on my hands and feet, and had burned almost 1300kcals. I was dead tired. I decided not extra workout was necessary.
After my shower, I did my splits and Flow. Felt good to get back to it and I still kept my mark. Flows were solid, no hiccups! Fun day with a big burn!
I had my Shake in the morning with the full intention of doing a regular workout in the morning before tennis in the afternoon. But for some reason, the time got away from me and I decided to just do my workout after tennis.
My son and I went to a tennis racket event sponsored by one of the local sporting goods stores that allowed us to try all the new models of tennis rackets. We were scheduled for only one hour. I thought we would go and hit a few balls and serves and switch rackets and that was it. I didn't think it would be anything too strenuous. We ended up staying there for close to 2 hours. We drilled for about 30 minutes with a bunch of different rackets, then we had free rally time for over an hour. Just on a whim, I decided to use my HRM and at the end of it, I had 5 blisters on my hands and feet, and had burned almost 1300kcals. I was dead tired. I decided not extra workout was necessary.
After my shower, I did my splits and Flow. Felt good to get back to it and I still kept my mark. Flows were solid, no hiccups! Fun day with a big burn!
HY: P90X2-X2 Yoga + Tai Cheng Flow.
HY: P90X2-X2 Yoga + Tai Cheng Flow.
I was feeling really sore from the previous days weights so I decided I had better take it a little easy today and do a restorative routine. It has been a while, but I really wanted to go back to some Yoga. My routine of choice is X2 Yoga. Challenging and Fun. I got a great stretch, but I have definitely lost some Yoga ability. I was not able to go though the entire "on one leg" sequence. I had to take a lot of breaks and my balance from Half Moon and Twisting Half Moon was just terrible. I kept falling out. I also couldn't hold Crow Pose as long as I used to. But I was able to get the Wrap on both sides, albeit only holding my finger tips, I was able to keep my high shoulder up on both sides. No cramp this time. I was nervous about that. I was also nervous about the Bridge\Wheel pose because of my wrist, but I was careful and it wasn't that bad. A little pain at the start, but I tried to just forget it and in a bit, I wasn't even noticing any pain at all... until I noticed it. Also, throughout the whole session, my back on the right side was pulling tight, so I had to be careful about that also. I'm slowly falling apart, but I doing my best to keep it together.
I also felt that I did enough to open my hips so I didn't do the splits training today, but I did do several solid flows. Felt a lot looser today after the workout. But tomorrow is back to the grind.
My heel is still hurting, but not sharply anymore. I hope it will be totally healed by next week.
I was feeling really sore from the previous days weights so I decided I had better take it a little easy today and do a restorative routine. It has been a while, but I really wanted to go back to some Yoga. My routine of choice is X2 Yoga. Challenging and Fun. I got a great stretch, but I have definitely lost some Yoga ability. I was not able to go though the entire "on one leg" sequence. I had to take a lot of breaks and my balance from Half Moon and Twisting Half Moon was just terrible. I kept falling out. I also couldn't hold Crow Pose as long as I used to. But I was able to get the Wrap on both sides, albeit only holding my finger tips, I was able to keep my high shoulder up on both sides. No cramp this time. I was nervous about that. I was also nervous about the Bridge\Wheel pose because of my wrist, but I was careful and it wasn't that bad. A little pain at the start, but I tried to just forget it and in a bit, I wasn't even noticing any pain at all... until I noticed it. Also, throughout the whole session, my back on the right side was pulling tight, so I had to be careful about that also. I'm slowly falling apart, but I doing my best to keep it together.
I also felt that I did enough to open my hips so I didn't do the splits training today, but I did do several solid flows. Felt a lot looser today after the workout. But tomorrow is back to the grind.
My heel is still hurting, but not sharply anymore. I hope it will be totally healed by next week.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
"HY" 10 Min. Trainer, ONE on ONE-Chest & Back/Plyo Intervals/Friday Night Arms + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
"HY" 10 Min. Trainer, ONE on ONE-Chest & Back/Plyo Intervals/Friday Night Arms + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
Really busy day with a lot of errands run. Got home late and got a late start. Started after 7pm and I had another errand to run later in the evening so I was in a bit of a time crunch.
What can I say, Tony is a genius with his 10 minute routines. Today, I got two upper body routines and I got fried and pumped. I really REALLY Felt the burn in my biceps with the bands. Something that doesn't really happen that much with the heavy weights. So I was glad to feel that burn. It took me a bit longer than just 10 minutes with each routine because I had to watch and learn the move first, but once I got it, I was fine. Some repackaged moves and a lot of new moves so it was interesting. I burned out on each routine. I'm not used to no on-screen time clock or text cues. But once I know the routines better, it will be okay.
Again, combined with the stretch and Flow, I burned off over 850kcals. Thanks, TONY!!!
Really busy day with a lot of errands run. Got home late and got a late start. Started after 7pm and I had another errand to run later in the evening so I was in a bit of a time crunch.
What can I say, Tony is a genius with his 10 minute routines. Today, I got two upper body routines and I got fried and pumped. I really REALLY Felt the burn in my biceps with the bands. Something that doesn't really happen that much with the heavy weights. So I was glad to feel that burn. It took me a bit longer than just 10 minutes with each routine because I had to watch and learn the move first, but once I got it, I was fine. Some repackaged moves and a lot of new moves so it was interesting. I burned out on each routine. I'm not used to no on-screen time clock or text cues. But once I know the routines better, it will be okay.
Again, combined with the stretch and Flow, I burned off over 850kcals. Thanks, TONY!!!
HYBRID (HY) 10 Min. Trainer, ONE on ONE-Lower Body/Upper Body/Cardio Intervals + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
HYBRID (HY) 10 Min. Trainer, ONE on ONE-Lower Body/Upper Body/Cardio Intervals + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
No week or day count from today because I'm not on any one program officially anymore. Rather, I'm back on my hybrid or Beachbody and other programs. Mixing it up and spicing up my life with variety. I was really looking forward to trying this next set of routines.
I got the 10 Minute Trainer program several years ago. Then a couple years ago I was browsing the BB store... and discovered that BB had added a few discs to the 10MT program. These new discs were not available directly through TBB, but only through the BB site. So I had to wait until I went back to the US order them. Finally got to do the first disc today! They were such great routines. I got an awesome burn. I was actually not going to do the lower body, but once I got started, I just had to keep going. Thankfully, I was able to keep off my heel and on my toes, so I didn't really feel any sort of pain in my heel. Or maybe it was the adrenalin that was coursing through my body during my workout. Great Triple 10!! With the Lower and Cardio, it was like two leg workouts.
No week or day count from today because I'm not on any one program officially anymore. Rather, I'm back on my hybrid or Beachbody and other programs. Mixing it up and spicing up my life with variety. I was really looking forward to trying this next set of routines.
I got the 10 Minute Trainer program several years ago. Then a couple years ago I was browsing the BB store... and discovered that BB had added a few discs to the 10MT program. These new discs were not available directly through TBB, but only through the BB site. So I had to wait until I went back to the US order them. Finally got to do the first disc today! They were such great routines. I got an awesome burn. I was actually not going to do the lower body, but once I got started, I just had to keep going. Thankfully, I was able to keep off my heel and on my toes, so I didn't really feel any sort of pain in my heel. Or maybe it was the adrenalin that was coursing through my body during my workout. Great Triple 10!! With the Lower and Cardio, it was like two leg workouts.
Combined with the stretch and the Flow, I burned over 900kcals with this routine. Definitely will do this again. Too tired to do the core. Maybe tomorrow.
W12D6, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 14 + 10 Min. Trainer: Abs + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
W12D6, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 14 + 10 Min. Trainer: Abs + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
Weird day today. Started off fine, but for some reason, after getting to work, on the walk from my car to my office, a pain in my left heel started to come on. It got really painful the more I walked on it, and wouldn't you know it, this is the day I had to do a lot of extra walking. Kind of hit me from out of left field. It started throbbing on the drive home. I was out of sorts as to what kind of workout to do. Definitely no cardio or lower body work. Finally I decided on what is listed above.
Weird day today. Started off fine, but for some reason, after getting to work, on the walk from my car to my office, a pain in my left heel started to come on. It got really painful the more I walked on it, and wouldn't you know it, this is the day I had to do a lot of extra walking. Kind of hit me from out of left field. It started throbbing on the drive home. I was out of sorts as to what kind of workout to do. Definitely no cardio or lower body work. Finally I decided on what is listed above.
Finished off the 14 day Yoga Shred Challenge. Thankfully it was a restorative routine so no extra pressure on my heel. Got a good stretch and warm up.
I wanted to do the P90X2 Recovery and Mobility routine for the concentrated Foam Rolling, but I didn't have the time, so I went really short with 10 Min. Trainer's Abs routine. Yep, without ab focus, I definitely lost some ab strength, so with the up coming hybrid, I'm focusing on abs.
Splits was tough because there is a lot of pressure on my heels when going down, so I didn't hold the position for as long as I usually do, just an 8-count at the bottom. Legs are still a bit sore so lost some ground, but I'm going to keep pushing.
The Flow was okay, but I had to modify my left back stance to take of the pressure. That slight change threw me off a bit and I was just okay.
Tomorrow is my off day, so I'm going to take advantage of it and really try and rest up so hopefully my heel recovers quickly and I can hit it again from Sunday. Happy for the weekend! I'll be here when ya'll get here!
I wanted to do the P90X2 Recovery and Mobility routine for the concentrated Foam Rolling, but I didn't have the time, so I went really short with 10 Min. Trainer's Abs routine. Yep, without ab focus, I definitely lost some ab strength, so with the up coming hybrid, I'm focusing on abs.
Splits was tough because there is a lot of pressure on my heels when going down, so I didn't hold the position for as long as I usually do, just an 8-count at the bottom. Legs are still a bit sore so lost some ground, but I'm going to keep pushing.
The Flow was okay, but I had to modify my left back stance to take of the pressure. That slight change threw me off a bit and I was just okay.
Tomorrow is my off day, so I'm going to take advantage of it and really try and rest up so hopefully my heel recovers quickly and I can hit it again from Sunday. Happy for the weekend! I'll be here when ya'll get here!
Thursday, March 19, 2015
W12D5, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 12 + SPS P4: Functional Cardio + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
W12D5, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 12 + SPS P4: Functional Cardio + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
Semi-relaxing day. Easy morning until we went to watch my daughter's class match. She was playing volleyball and she did awesome, if I do say so myself. Her team got 2nd place. Should have gotten first, but the other teams folded in the finals. But my wife and I had a great time watching all the matches. But it was a long 3.5 hours. After getting some things done, I started my workout.
Today was arms in the Yoga Challenge. It wan't too hard, but it gave me the good little burn I needed to warm me up.
Today was the same cardio routine I did on Monday. I ended up doing it twice this week because of some scheduling issues last week. I think I handled it a lit better and I added to the rep count of all the moves. 6 sets (20 seconds each) of Jumping Jacks/In and Outs/Star Jumps/Rest. Tough and sweet! Got an awesome burn!
Splits... OUCH! Since yesterday was leg day, I was sore and really tight. The first round I lost about 10cm on my spread. In the end, I was able to almost get back to the mark, but still lost about 2cm. I'll give myself a break on this one, too.
My Flows were virtually flawless. Very happy with them.
Considerably shorter workout today but still was able to lose over 400kcals.
Semi-relaxing day. Easy morning until we went to watch my daughter's class match. She was playing volleyball and she did awesome, if I do say so myself. Her team got 2nd place. Should have gotten first, but the other teams folded in the finals. But my wife and I had a great time watching all the matches. But it was a long 3.5 hours. After getting some things done, I started my workout.
Today was arms in the Yoga Challenge. It wan't too hard, but it gave me the good little burn I needed to warm me up.
Today was the same cardio routine I did on Monday. I ended up doing it twice this week because of some scheduling issues last week. I think I handled it a lit better and I added to the rep count of all the moves. 6 sets (20 seconds each) of Jumping Jacks/In and Outs/Star Jumps/Rest. Tough and sweet! Got an awesome burn!
Splits... OUCH! Since yesterday was leg day, I was sore and really tight. The first round I lost about 10cm on my spread. In the end, I was able to almost get back to the mark, but still lost about 2cm. I'll give myself a break on this one, too.
My Flows were virtually flawless. Very happy with them.
Considerably shorter workout today but still was able to lose over 400kcals.
W12D4, SPS P4: Legs + Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 12+ Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
W12D4, SPS P4: Legs + Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 12+ Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
Was just relaxing at home when suddenly my schedule changed and I had to truck my kids around the city later in the day so I had to rush to get my workout in. I wasn't sure if I could get it in so I mixed up my order so as to get my main program in and then added the extra programs in as time permitted.
Today was the final day of the regular weights routines. Tomorrow is the very last routine, but it is just cardio, no weights. So I really wanted to go for it. I did the recommended warm up today which was 100 body weight squats. That burned out my legs right off the bat. Range of motion was getting a bit shallow around the 70 mark so I took a two breath break then went full ROM for the last 30. The first move was 5 sets of weighted (34kgs) Side to Side Squats. The first 2 sets were okay, but I was starting to really feel it from set 3. The last 5 reps or so were a real struggle to get up. During my 60 sec. rest period, I could feel my legs starting to cramp up so I carefully stretched and flexed. Next move was weighted (50kgs to 25kgs) Dropset Squats. It is supposed to be Leg Extensions, but I have no way to do that move, so instead, I slightly modified the squat to really focus on my quads even more. Basically, I did a more upright stance and did about a half squat, going down until I felt the flex in my quad. Then from that point, I pulsed 16-20 reps. OUCH!!! I had to be careful not to go to far forward or that would have been hard on my knees. After every set, I dropped 5kgs and increased the rep count a bit. No rest between sets except for the time it took to adjust the weights. Talk about pain... but in a good sense. The next move was supposed to be 5 sets of Dumbbell Leg Curls but I don't have a bench from with to work. I considered doing it off the floor, but with the dumbbells that I have, that would have really not given me a good ROM. So I ended up doing weighted (25kgs) Bridge Lifts. Since the target was hamstrings, I remembered doing this move with Chalene in PiYo so I adapted it for this routine. Laying on the ground with my feet up high on a step ladder, dumbbell on my stomach. I tried to engage my hamstrings as I raised my butt as high as possible off the ground. During the 5 sets, I played with distance from the ladder to see what distance would really hit the hammys. Close and far both were tough, so I didn't hit on a definitive distance. I guess I'll have to do a little more research on that. But the goal of hitting my hamstrings was definitely achieved. That move was supersetted with One Leg Balance Toe Touch. Again, I went around the circuit with the lifted foot, back middle, out and forward, then back again for the final set. That really killed my legs, too. My legs were feeling like rubber by the end, but I still had one move left. Thankfully, it was the Functional Cardio/Core Duoset. 6 sets of 20 sec. of In and Outs into 20 sec. of Crunches, then 20 sec. rest. A lot harder and more painful than I had anticipated. The final set was killer, but I pushed to increase my rep count. AWESOME WORKOUT!!!
I figured I had the time so I jumped right back into the Yoga Shred Challenge. To my chagrin, it was full body with a lot of legs. GREAT! This would have been a great warm up had I done it at the beginning. Now it was just testing my legs even more. I got through it with many decibels.
I am really seeing gains on my splits since I started the 30 second hold time limit on each move. I don't fully understand the science of why that is, I'm just glad my friend introduced me to it, I'm doing it and it is working. Today I got to my lowest point thus far in my splits 1 year challenge. Although I'm measuring in millimeters, 1-2 millimeters a day is a huge distance.
My flow was a bit of a let down in the sense that since my legs were fried, my balance was way off. I was tipping and falling over on several of the back stances because I just couldn't stabilize myself. Especially on the slow flow. Once I sped up, it got a little better, but it wasn't up to my usual standards. But under the circumstances, I gave myself a break and didn't flog myself too much about it. But the good thing was that each move was in place and clean, no misses there.
Great workout today, and I finished everything with literally 8 minutes to spare before I had to start my taxi service. I a bit scared about how my legs are going to feel in the morning. BRING ON THE PAIN!!!
Was just relaxing at home when suddenly my schedule changed and I had to truck my kids around the city later in the day so I had to rush to get my workout in. I wasn't sure if I could get it in so I mixed up my order so as to get my main program in and then added the extra programs in as time permitted.
Today was the final day of the regular weights routines. Tomorrow is the very last routine, but it is just cardio, no weights. So I really wanted to go for it. I did the recommended warm up today which was 100 body weight squats. That burned out my legs right off the bat. Range of motion was getting a bit shallow around the 70 mark so I took a two breath break then went full ROM for the last 30. The first move was 5 sets of weighted (34kgs) Side to Side Squats. The first 2 sets were okay, but I was starting to really feel it from set 3. The last 5 reps or so were a real struggle to get up. During my 60 sec. rest period, I could feel my legs starting to cramp up so I carefully stretched and flexed. Next move was weighted (50kgs to 25kgs) Dropset Squats. It is supposed to be Leg Extensions, but I have no way to do that move, so instead, I slightly modified the squat to really focus on my quads even more. Basically, I did a more upright stance and did about a half squat, going down until I felt the flex in my quad. Then from that point, I pulsed 16-20 reps. OUCH!!! I had to be careful not to go to far forward or that would have been hard on my knees. After every set, I dropped 5kgs and increased the rep count a bit. No rest between sets except for the time it took to adjust the weights. Talk about pain... but in a good sense. The next move was supposed to be 5 sets of Dumbbell Leg Curls but I don't have a bench from with to work. I considered doing it off the floor, but with the dumbbells that I have, that would have really not given me a good ROM. So I ended up doing weighted (25kgs) Bridge Lifts. Since the target was hamstrings, I remembered doing this move with Chalene in PiYo so I adapted it for this routine. Laying on the ground with my feet up high on a step ladder, dumbbell on my stomach. I tried to engage my hamstrings as I raised my butt as high as possible off the ground. During the 5 sets, I played with distance from the ladder to see what distance would really hit the hammys. Close and far both were tough, so I didn't hit on a definitive distance. I guess I'll have to do a little more research on that. But the goal of hitting my hamstrings was definitely achieved. That move was supersetted with One Leg Balance Toe Touch. Again, I went around the circuit with the lifted foot, back middle, out and forward, then back again for the final set. That really killed my legs, too. My legs were feeling like rubber by the end, but I still had one move left. Thankfully, it was the Functional Cardio/Core Duoset. 6 sets of 20 sec. of In and Outs into 20 sec. of Crunches, then 20 sec. rest. A lot harder and more painful than I had anticipated. The final set was killer, but I pushed to increase my rep count. AWESOME WORKOUT!!!
I figured I had the time so I jumped right back into the Yoga Shred Challenge. To my chagrin, it was full body with a lot of legs. GREAT! This would have been a great warm up had I done it at the beginning. Now it was just testing my legs even more. I got through it with many decibels.
I am really seeing gains on my splits since I started the 30 second hold time limit on each move. I don't fully understand the science of why that is, I'm just glad my friend introduced me to it, I'm doing it and it is working. Today I got to my lowest point thus far in my splits 1 year challenge. Although I'm measuring in millimeters, 1-2 millimeters a day is a huge distance.
My flow was a bit of a let down in the sense that since my legs were fried, my balance was way off. I was tipping and falling over on several of the back stances because I just couldn't stabilize myself. Especially on the slow flow. Once I sped up, it got a little better, but it wasn't up to my usual standards. But under the circumstances, I gave myself a break and didn't flog myself too much about it. But the good thing was that each move was in place and clean, no misses there.
Great workout today, and I finished everything with literally 8 minutes to spare before I had to start my taxi service. I a bit scared about how my legs are going to feel in the morning. BRING ON THE PAIN!!!
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
W12D3, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 11 + SPS P4: Shoulder/Traps/Calves + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
W12D3, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 11 + SPS P4: Shoulder/Traps/Calves + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
Today was graduation at my school. Sitting there for almost two hours listening to monotone drones speak with no end in sight just drains the life out of you. When I got home I was so tired I just wanted to veg out. So I did for a long time. When my wife got home, she asked me to wash the cars so I put on my shorts and started washing her car, that lit a fire in me so I washed my car also. When I got in, was ready to go with my workout.
Another core routine with the Yoga Shred. WOW! Killed my core. When I get into my hybrid next week, I'm going to really work my core. I feel I need to really focus on it now.
Only 4 moves today, but intense. First, 4 sets of Standing Military Press supersetted with Behind the Back Shrugs. I did the presses with 19.5kgsx2 and man, that was still heavy, but I was able to get through all four sets non-stop. That is a first, so something must be happening. I had never don BB Shrugs before, so this was an interesting experience. They are really tough! Hitting my shoulders at yet another angle. I wonder if they'll be sore in the morning. Again, non-stop, but I came close to stopping on a few occasions. Second move was 4 sets of Lateral Dumbbell raises, supersetted with front dumbbell raises. I started of with 7.5, but I felt something kink in my shoulder so I went down to 6.25kgs and no kink. It has been a while since I've done Lateral Dumbbell raises so I had to focus in order to activate the lats. The last weights move was weighted calf raises. I put on 23.75kgsx2 and did 4 sets at four different foot angles. First 2 sets were good, but I felt it. Barely got straight through the 3rd, and really needed a mid-set break on the final set, no supersets. The lat move is the cardio and core move. Today was easy, 6 sets of 20 sec. Jumping Jacks, 20 sec. variety crunches, 20 sec. rest. Just to burn the last amount of energy left. Great feeling to go all the way.
For splits, I started to lean back on my side split hip flexor stretch to get more of a stretch, and it was stretched hard today, both sides. I also got to my lowest point on the mat. Happy Day!
The flow was almost perfect, except for a slight balance bobble.
After the workout, I had regained my energy and felt so refreshed!
Today was graduation at my school. Sitting there for almost two hours listening to monotone drones speak with no end in sight just drains the life out of you. When I got home I was so tired I just wanted to veg out. So I did for a long time. When my wife got home, she asked me to wash the cars so I put on my shorts and started washing her car, that lit a fire in me so I washed my car also. When I got in, was ready to go with my workout.
Another core routine with the Yoga Shred. WOW! Killed my core. When I get into my hybrid next week, I'm going to really work my core. I feel I need to really focus on it now.
Only 4 moves today, but intense. First, 4 sets of Standing Military Press supersetted with Behind the Back Shrugs. I did the presses with 19.5kgsx2 and man, that was still heavy, but I was able to get through all four sets non-stop. That is a first, so something must be happening. I had never don BB Shrugs before, so this was an interesting experience. They are really tough! Hitting my shoulders at yet another angle. I wonder if they'll be sore in the morning. Again, non-stop, but I came close to stopping on a few occasions. Second move was 4 sets of Lateral Dumbbell raises, supersetted with front dumbbell raises. I started of with 7.5, but I felt something kink in my shoulder so I went down to 6.25kgs and no kink. It has been a while since I've done Lateral Dumbbell raises so I had to focus in order to activate the lats. The last weights move was weighted calf raises. I put on 23.75kgsx2 and did 4 sets at four different foot angles. First 2 sets were good, but I felt it. Barely got straight through the 3rd, and really needed a mid-set break on the final set, no supersets. The lat move is the cardio and core move. Today was easy, 6 sets of 20 sec. Jumping Jacks, 20 sec. variety crunches, 20 sec. rest. Just to burn the last amount of energy left. Great feeling to go all the way.
For splits, I started to lean back on my side split hip flexor stretch to get more of a stretch, and it was stretched hard today, both sides. I also got to my lowest point on the mat. Happy Day!
The flow was almost perfect, except for a slight balance bobble.
After the workout, I had regained my energy and felt so refreshed!
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
W12D2, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 10 + SPS P4: Functional Rest Cardio + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
W12D2, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 10 + SPS P4: Functional Rest Cardio + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
Major time crunch today because of weird schedule changes while school is out. Very early morning workout after a Shake Breakfast.
This is where the short routines take the cake. The Yoga shred was a great warm up AND workout. Focus was core today, and I could not hang. I don't know if it was because I had just woken up, or my core is just that weak, but I'm going to have to do thi...s one again, someday.
Major time crunch today because of weird schedule changes while school is out. Very early morning workout after a Shake Breakfast.
This is where the short routines take the cake. The Yoga shred was a great warm up AND workout. Focus was core today, and I could not hang. I don't know if it was because I had just woken up, or my core is just that weak, but I'm going to have to do thi...s one again, someday.
SPS was the much shorter routine that I skipped on Friday in favor of weights and the fact that I had much more time. This routine is intended to be a rest day from weights, and it was. But it definitely was not a rest day from work. Today, only one Triset of 5 sets. Jumping Jacks/Mountain Climbers/Star Jumps. Each 20 seconds each, with a 1 minutes recovery. Nothing difficult or complicated, just straight cardio. Got a good sweat on.
I didn't have time to hold all my stretches for splits today as usual, but I held them as long as I felt I got the muscles stretched. and I was able to hit my mark on the splits. Not a quickly as previously, but by the third pass, I was on mark.
I felt rushed my the time and the first flow got all messed up and I ended up having to restart the flow. Just botched up the moves and lost balance trying to rush through it. That type of attitude will never get it done. If I had just remained calm from the beginning, I would have finished earlier. Today's lesson learned. Off to work.
I didn't have time to hold all my stretches for splits today as usual, but I held them as long as I felt I got the muscles stretched. and I was able to hit my mark on the splits. Not a quickly as previously, but by the third pass, I was on mark.
I felt rushed my the time and the first flow got all messed up and I ended up having to restart the flow. Just botched up the moves and lost balance trying to rush through it. That type of attitude will never get it done. If I had just remained calm from the beginning, I would have finished earlier. Today's lesson learned. Off to work.
W12D1, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 9 + SPS P4: Back & Triceps + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
W12D1, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 9 + SPS P4: Back & Triceps + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
Saturday was beautiful! Sun was out, and temps were perfect. Went to a small park near my house and tried to do muscles ups. The bar was sticky and it hurt a bit because there was no sliding. I didn't get up, but I got further uptown I have in the past. I'll need to check my technique because I feel like I'm strong enough to do them, but I'm just getting stuck at the same point. More time o...n that one is needed.
Saturday was beautiful! Sun was out, and temps were perfect. Went to a small park near my house and tried to do muscles ups. The bar was sticky and it hurt a bit because there was no sliding. I didn't get up, but I got further uptown I have in the past. I'll need to check my technique because I feel like I'm strong enough to do them, but I'm just getting stuck at the same point. More time o...n that one is needed.
Today, I was very busy right off. My daughter had a soccer game so we went to watch. Unlike yesterday, it was cold and rainy. Terrible conditions for a game. Worse for spectators. I had to try to dry soaked jerseys between games, and bring stuff back and forth from the car. Busy busy, but I loved watching my daughter play. Everyone was cold and very wet. When I got home, I did not feel like doing anything. Because of that feeling, I knew I had to do my workout as soon as possible, so I got to it.
After a good yoga warm up, I got to the weights. Not many moves today, but burn out the target muscles. First was 3 sets of Dead Lifts (12 reps) supersetted with Prone Cobras (10 reps). My back was feeling okay so I went up To 20kgs in weight. At the end of it, my back was burning, but in a good way. No dangerous pain. Next was 4 sets of One Arm Rows (both arms of 8 reps, 25kgs) supersetted with again Prone Cobras. Although Mike didn't call for it, I did 2 sets each of elbow in then out grip. My back was really feeling it. Burn burn. 4 sets of Skull Crushers (12 reps, 10kgsx2) with weighted (25kgs) dips. I thought this would be easy, but NO! My Triceps were getting a huge pump and burn. Failure came suddenly. The final move was functional cardio and core. 4 sets of Jumping Lunges into Lying Heel Touches. 20 sec. Each with 20 sec. Rest. It was a good burn out to finish out the routine.
Splits and Flow brought good closure to my workout. Calm and smooth and peaceful.
After a good yoga warm up, I got to the weights. Not many moves today, but burn out the target muscles. First was 3 sets of Dead Lifts (12 reps) supersetted with Prone Cobras (10 reps). My back was feeling okay so I went up To 20kgs in weight. At the end of it, my back was burning, but in a good way. No dangerous pain. Next was 4 sets of One Arm Rows (both arms of 8 reps, 25kgs) supersetted with again Prone Cobras. Although Mike didn't call for it, I did 2 sets each of elbow in then out grip. My back was really feeling it. Burn burn. 4 sets of Skull Crushers (12 reps, 10kgsx2) with weighted (25kgs) dips. I thought this would be easy, but NO! My Triceps were getting a huge pump and burn. Failure came suddenly. The final move was functional cardio and core. 4 sets of Jumping Lunges into Lying Heel Touches. 20 sec. Each with 20 sec. Rest. It was a good burn out to finish out the routine.
Splits and Flow brought good closure to my workout. Calm and smooth and peaceful.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
W11D6, Walk + Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 8 + SPS P4: Arms & Chest + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
W11D6, Walk + Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 8 + SPS P4: Arms & Chest + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
Kind of a busy afternoon up for today, so I had to do a morning workout. I like doing morning workouts because I get to have a breakfast Shake. YUM!
After leg day yesterday, I was looking forward to the upper body stuff today. But the Yoga for today was lower body. GREAT! But since it was not that long I enjoyed it and it got my body warmed up.
I had to mix up the routines Mike has set up in the SPS program to fit my weird schedule this coming week. It was supposed to be a functional rest day today with only a little cardio, but I am only going to have a little time on Monday, so instead of doing Day 5 as scheduled, I'm doing Day 6 today, and then doing Day 5 on Monday morning before my day gets out of hand.
Arms and chest burned out but then got rejuvenated mid-routine. It seems that I'm able to get to a second wind pretty fast recently. First up, 4 sets of Incline Chest Press (8 reps, 25kgsx2) with Wide Push Ups (10-15 reps) for the active rest. I was really struggling right off the bat. I got through the first set okay, but I felt failure coming on quick. Barely made it through the second set, needed a mid-set break at 5 reps next, then only made it to 6 on the last set. For the Wide Push Ups, I did 15 the first 2 sets, then only could manage 10 on the last 2 sets. Totally Fried. Next move was 3 sets of Weighted Dips (30 reps, 25kgs) with the same Wide Push Ups for active rest. Made it through all 3 sets struggling and in pain the last few reps. Maintained only 10 WPU's. Next was 3 sets of Standing Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curls (8x2 reps, 17kgsx2), and again WPU's for the active rest. First 2 sets were a real struggle, but the last set, I had to break at 4, then finish the last 4 out. Kept 10 reps, but felt really good and regretted not going for 15. The final weights move was Standing Dumbbell Hammer Curls Drop Setx3. 8 reps each, Starting with 14.5kgsx2, then 13.25kgsx2, then 12kgsx2, and finally 10kgsx2 for the final drop. Then I went to 20 WPU's for the final active rest set. Man, that really burned my arms out good. The final move of the routine was another Triset, but strength instead of cardio. 3 sets at 20 sec. each of: 4 count push ups, Side-to-Side Push Ups, then finally, Side Plank on both sides. Felt really good on all the push ups. But the last set of Side-to-Sides were a struggle. Got an awesome Pump and Burn!
For splits, I was so happy, that I was able to get right to my mark on the first set. and I pushed it even lower on the subsequent tries. The goal is still fuzzy, but it is moving into focus. Glad I started the timed style. I also got up out of the splits in 8 seconds. Fastest so far. For some reason, the first run through of my Flow was terrible, Messed up in a couple spots and lost my balance once. Took a deep breath and the Flows after that were spot on. NAILED IT!!! But still not happy about that beginning. Have to iron those misses out.
Great way to flow into the weekend and my off day. I'll be here when you get here!
Kind of a busy afternoon up for today, so I had to do a morning workout. I like doing morning workouts because I get to have a breakfast Shake. YUM!
After leg day yesterday, I was looking forward to the upper body stuff today. But the Yoga for today was lower body. GREAT! But since it was not that long I enjoyed it and it got my body warmed up.
I had to mix up the routines Mike has set up in the SPS program to fit my weird schedule this coming week. It was supposed to be a functional rest day today with only a little cardio, but I am only going to have a little time on Monday, so instead of doing Day 5 as scheduled, I'm doing Day 6 today, and then doing Day 5 on Monday morning before my day gets out of hand.
Arms and chest burned out but then got rejuvenated mid-routine. It seems that I'm able to get to a second wind pretty fast recently. First up, 4 sets of Incline Chest Press (8 reps, 25kgsx2) with Wide Push Ups (10-15 reps) for the active rest. I was really struggling right off the bat. I got through the first set okay, but I felt failure coming on quick. Barely made it through the second set, needed a mid-set break at 5 reps next, then only made it to 6 on the last set. For the Wide Push Ups, I did 15 the first 2 sets, then only could manage 10 on the last 2 sets. Totally Fried. Next move was 3 sets of Weighted Dips (30 reps, 25kgs) with the same Wide Push Ups for active rest. Made it through all 3 sets struggling and in pain the last few reps. Maintained only 10 WPU's. Next was 3 sets of Standing Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curls (8x2 reps, 17kgsx2), and again WPU's for the active rest. First 2 sets were a real struggle, but the last set, I had to break at 4, then finish the last 4 out. Kept 10 reps, but felt really good and regretted not going for 15. The final weights move was Standing Dumbbell Hammer Curls Drop Setx3. 8 reps each, Starting with 14.5kgsx2, then 13.25kgsx2, then 12kgsx2, and finally 10kgsx2 for the final drop. Then I went to 20 WPU's for the final active rest set. Man, that really burned my arms out good. The final move of the routine was another Triset, but strength instead of cardio. 3 sets at 20 sec. each of: 4 count push ups, Side-to-Side Push Ups, then finally, Side Plank on both sides. Felt really good on all the push ups. But the last set of Side-to-Sides were a struggle. Got an awesome Pump and Burn!
For splits, I was so happy, that I was able to get right to my mark on the first set. and I pushed it even lower on the subsequent tries. The goal is still fuzzy, but it is moving into focus. Glad I started the timed style. I also got up out of the splits in 8 seconds. Fastest so far. For some reason, the first run through of my Flow was terrible, Messed up in a couple spots and lost my balance once. Took a deep breath and the Flows after that were spot on. NAILED IT!!! But still not happy about that beginning. Have to iron those misses out.
Great way to flow into the weekend and my off day. I'll be here when you get here!
Thursday, March 12, 2015
W11D5, Walk + Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 7 + SPS P4:Legs + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
W11D5, Walk + Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 7 + SPS P4:Legs + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
Still sore from the weights earlier in the week, I was sort of procrastinating today. Made myself busy with other things. My daughter was supposed to meet some friends at a park, so she asked me to walk her to the park. So we took a walk. When her friends weren't at the park, my daughter thought to go to another park, so we kept walking. Same thing, so we walked to the big park. No friends, so we walked back home. Actually I was walking, my daughter was Ripstiking, so I had to jog-walk to keep up with her. Ended up walking for almost an hour. It was some lovely father daughter time as well.
When I got home, I was raring to go so I got ready and jumped in right away to the Yoga Shred. I'm a little off their schedule so day 7 was a recovery day, but I still did it and really stretched out. Great warm up.
Today was leg day. I was glad for that since my upper body was still a touch sore. Mike likes Trisets. The first move was a Triset. Weighted Squats/Weighted lunges/Jumping lunges. 12x12x20 seconds. OMG! Individually, these moves are good, but put them in a triset and they are a TRIAL! I can't believe how winded I was at the end of each set. Thankfully there were only 3 sets. The next move was a superset, Stiff legged dead lifts with One Legged Balance Toe Touches. That second move brought me back to P90X2. Although Mike didn't say to, Each of the 4 sets for this move combo, I put my leg in a different position. First, back, like the runner, then ankles close, then leg to the side, and finally, leg out front. Very tough and I almost cramped up several times. For the dead lifts, again, because of my gimpy back, I used only 7.5kgsx2. The odd thing is that for the most part, my left lower back is feeling the pain, but my right hamstring is really tight. Painfully clear on the dead lifts. The last move is the timed functional cardio, 20 seconds of Low Wide Squat Jumps, then Stepping Taps, and rest. That was for 6 sets. I was able to handle this a lot better than the previous day's cardio, but I still got really winded.
I feel my splits are getting better and lower. With the 30 secondx2 time frame, I'm able to get loose better. I have to consciously tell my muscles to relax and open up. I can feel my muscles fighting the stretch to spare themselves the stretching pain. So I have to gain control and open up. If I don't, I could end up hurting myself.
The Flow has become very comfortable now. I don't know if it is automatic yet, because once today when trying to increase my speed, I totally went off the rails and had to start over. But aside from that blip, I'm happy with today's Flow, and overall workout.
Still sore from the weights earlier in the week, I was sort of procrastinating today. Made myself busy with other things. My daughter was supposed to meet some friends at a park, so she asked me to walk her to the park. So we took a walk. When her friends weren't at the park, my daughter thought to go to another park, so we kept walking. Same thing, so we walked to the big park. No friends, so we walked back home. Actually I was walking, my daughter was Ripstiking, so I had to jog-walk to keep up with her. Ended up walking for almost an hour. It was some lovely father daughter time as well.
When I got home, I was raring to go so I got ready and jumped in right away to the Yoga Shred. I'm a little off their schedule so day 7 was a recovery day, but I still did it and really stretched out. Great warm up.
Today was leg day. I was glad for that since my upper body was still a touch sore. Mike likes Trisets. The first move was a Triset. Weighted Squats/Weighted lunges/Jumping lunges. 12x12x20 seconds. OMG! Individually, these moves are good, but put them in a triset and they are a TRIAL! I can't believe how winded I was at the end of each set. Thankfully there were only 3 sets. The next move was a superset, Stiff legged dead lifts with One Legged Balance Toe Touches. That second move brought me back to P90X2. Although Mike didn't say to, Each of the 4 sets for this move combo, I put my leg in a different position. First, back, like the runner, then ankles close, then leg to the side, and finally, leg out front. Very tough and I almost cramped up several times. For the dead lifts, again, because of my gimpy back, I used only 7.5kgsx2. The odd thing is that for the most part, my left lower back is feeling the pain, but my right hamstring is really tight. Painfully clear on the dead lifts. The last move is the timed functional cardio, 20 seconds of Low Wide Squat Jumps, then Stepping Taps, and rest. That was for 6 sets. I was able to handle this a lot better than the previous day's cardio, but I still got really winded.
I feel my splits are getting better and lower. With the 30 secondx2 time frame, I'm able to get loose better. I have to consciously tell my muscles to relax and open up. I can feel my muscles fighting the stretch to spare themselves the stretching pain. So I have to gain control and open up. If I don't, I could end up hurting myself.
The Flow has become very comfortable now. I don't know if it is automatic yet, because once today when trying to increase my speed, I totally went off the rails and had to start over. But aside from that blip, I'm happy with today's Flow, and overall workout.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
W11D4, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 6 + P90X3-X3 Yoga + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
W11D4, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 6 + P90X3-X3 Yoga + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
Today I was focusing on getting rid of my soreness. After three days of hard and heavy and focused weights, I was quite sore. So instead of pushing more and putting myself at risk of injury, or worsening my back and wrist injury, I went with a more centering and calming and loosening workout.
I was thinking to forgo the Yoga Shred today so as not to double up on yoga, but I figured that it is still in my wheelhouse of getting rid of my soreness so I went with it. It was short and sweet and gave me a good warm up for the next round of yoga.
I really missed this routine. I hadn't done a pure yoga routine for a while so I was excited about getting back to it. Getting started, I was doing pretty well. My back issue didn't allow me to go for the range of motion limits I would have liked to go for with this routine, but I was able to keep up with Tony. Not doing any PiYo or Yoga for almost two weeks, I lost some balance. That was especially noticeable on my Half-moon pose and twisted half-moon. My hands out warrior three was also not very good. But the biggest Uh-Oh happened when I went for the wrap. Something instantly cramped up in my right shoulder and a shock of pain shot out. Either a muscle didn't reposition for the move and it got pinched or something like that, because the pain came the instant I connected my hands and started to lift my shoulder. Luckily, after shaking it out a bit, the pain went away and I don't seem to have any residual effects. We'll see how it fairs tomorrow. The Toe Grab Bind move was also not good, but better than I had expected. Overall, aside from that one incident, great loosening up and calming stretch that was much need was had.
As usual, the splits and Flow were the perfect way to end my workout.
Today I was focusing on getting rid of my soreness. After three days of hard and heavy and focused weights, I was quite sore. So instead of pushing more and putting myself at risk of injury, or worsening my back and wrist injury, I went with a more centering and calming and loosening workout.
I was thinking to forgo the Yoga Shred today so as not to double up on yoga, but I figured that it is still in my wheelhouse of getting rid of my soreness so I went with it. It was short and sweet and gave me a good warm up for the next round of yoga.
I really missed this routine. I hadn't done a pure yoga routine for a while so I was excited about getting back to it. Getting started, I was doing pretty well. My back issue didn't allow me to go for the range of motion limits I would have liked to go for with this routine, but I was able to keep up with Tony. Not doing any PiYo or Yoga for almost two weeks, I lost some balance. That was especially noticeable on my Half-moon pose and twisted half-moon. My hands out warrior three was also not very good. But the biggest Uh-Oh happened when I went for the wrap. Something instantly cramped up in my right shoulder and a shock of pain shot out. Either a muscle didn't reposition for the move and it got pinched or something like that, because the pain came the instant I connected my hands and started to lift my shoulder. Luckily, after shaking it out a bit, the pain went away and I don't seem to have any residual effects. We'll see how it fairs tomorrow. The Toe Grab Bind move was also not good, but better than I had expected. Overall, aside from that one incident, great loosening up and calming stretch that was much need was had.
As usual, the splits and Flow were the perfect way to end my workout.
W11D3, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 5 + SPS P4 + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
W11D3, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 5 + SPS P4 + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
The Yoga Shred was a short flow today. Good warm up, as I later found out.
If you wanted a lesson in muscle failure, today was it for me. Shoulders, Core, Calves, Cardio. Very VERY intense workout today. Standing dumbbell press and Front Shrugs with crunches, 5 sets. I used 19.5kgs and didn't go down. WOW! It was a really interesting progression. Did the 8 reps in set one struggling a bit with the last rep. Second set, I died at 5 reps, after swinging it out, did the last 3 reps. Same for the third, Made it to 6 reps on the fourth set, and did all 8 reps. I was surprised at the lose then strength gain in just 5 sets. I went down to 12kgs for the next set of moves. 5 sets of Front Shoulder Press with Side Shrugs, with Crunches. With the lower weight, I still really struggled, but got to 8 reps each set. My shoulders and core were BARKING hard and loud! The next move was just 3-position Calf Raises. I had 19.5kgsx2 and did 30 reps at each position. Parallel feet, Open Toes, and Pigeon Toes. The first set was easy. Then second, I needed a few breaks. The last set, I needed a break almost every 6-8 reps. Calves were BARKING!!!. Final move was the cardio move, 20 secondsx3 for Jump Knee Tucks, Rocking Get Ups, in other words, the "Dreya Roll", and Forward Bending Fast Arm Circles with a 20 second rest. That series with 20 seconds of rest in between. Doesn't sound like much, but I was dying, DYING I TELL YA! Such a great workout routine.
The splits and Flow were a real treat after that trial! But I had a great time with today's workout.
The Yoga Shred was a short flow today. Good warm up, as I later found out.
If you wanted a lesson in muscle failure, today was it for me. Shoulders, Core, Calves, Cardio. Very VERY intense workout today. Standing dumbbell press and Front Shrugs with crunches, 5 sets. I used 19.5kgs and didn't go down. WOW! It was a really interesting progression. Did the 8 reps in set one struggling a bit with the last rep. Second set, I died at 5 reps, after swinging it out, did the last 3 reps. Same for the third, Made it to 6 reps on the fourth set, and did all 8 reps. I was surprised at the lose then strength gain in just 5 sets. I went down to 12kgs for the next set of moves. 5 sets of Front Shoulder Press with Side Shrugs, with Crunches. With the lower weight, I still really struggled, but got to 8 reps each set. My shoulders and core were BARKING hard and loud! The next move was just 3-position Calf Raises. I had 19.5kgsx2 and did 30 reps at each position. Parallel feet, Open Toes, and Pigeon Toes. The first set was easy. Then second, I needed a few breaks. The last set, I needed a break almost every 6-8 reps. Calves were BARKING!!!. Final move was the cardio move, 20 secondsx3 for Jump Knee Tucks, Rocking Get Ups, in other words, the "Dreya Roll", and Forward Bending Fast Arm Circles with a 20 second rest. That series with 20 seconds of rest in between. Doesn't sound like much, but I was dying, DYING I TELL YA! Such a great workout routine.
The splits and Flow were a real treat after that trial! But I had a great time with today's workout.
Monday, March 9, 2015
W11D2, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 4 + SPS P4 Tri's & Back + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
W11D2, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 4 + SPS P4 Tri's & Back + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
Vacation is nice! The first couple days I'm just taking it easy. Then, I'm into my vacation projects. Today was a relaxing day.
Didn't get started with my workout until about 3:20pm. I guess I was a little bit lazy in there, too, with the relaxation. But I started off with the warm up yoga. Today, was just a simple flow. These routines are just about 10 minutes long which is why I'm doing them as a warm up. Also, my sister is doing them, too. So we are talking about them. Nice bonding technique.
In phase 4, SPS introduces what Mike calls the "Active Rest". What happens is this, right after finishing a set, I use 20 seconds of the 60 second rest for another move. So you're actually only resting 40 seconds. Today, I totally burned out my Tri's and Back. Started with 3 sets to failure of Wide Pull Ups. with 15 push ups. Did 12-5-8 reps. Second move was T-Bar Rows with Prone Cobras. Since I don't have a barbell, I just jacked up one dumbbell with 30kgs. It also killed my back. And yet another back move, Back Extensions, also with Prone Cobras. I couldn't last. It was just killing. I didn't use heavy weights to protect my lower back, so I only used 3kgsx2. I will try upping that next time. Hopefully my back will be better by the time it comes around again.
The next two moves were for Triceps. First, Cable Tricep Extensions. Since I don't have that machine at home, I hung a resistance band over my pull up bar and did the move that way. I used the heaviest band I had but it was still not that heavy, so I got as low as I could and did slow reps. The rest move was 15 Close Grip Push ups. The final Tricep move was the One Arm Dumbbell Extension with again, 15 Close Grip Push Ups. I used only 7.5kgs but I was really struggling to get the DB up at for the final few reps. For the Close Grip Push Ups, I was really tempted to go on my knees, but I stuck it out and stayed on my toes all 3 sets. I was reeling in pain on that last rep. OUCH!! But my Tris got a rock hard pump.
The last move was a Triset. Toe Touch Crunches/Reverse Crunches/Bent Over Arm Circles. 20 seconds back to back. 3 sets. It was a crusher for my core. I had to take it a bit easy on the reverse crunches because of my back, but still got an awesome burn.
I love doing the splits with the time clock. I was able to get really low with all the splits. And the Flow was really good as well. I went a bit off on the first Flow, but the next few Flows were virtually seamless. It felt really good.
Vacation is nice! The first couple days I'm just taking it easy. Then, I'm into my vacation projects. Today was a relaxing day.
Didn't get started with my workout until about 3:20pm. I guess I was a little bit lazy in there, too, with the relaxation. But I started off with the warm up yoga. Today, was just a simple flow. These routines are just about 10 minutes long which is why I'm doing them as a warm up. Also, my sister is doing them, too. So we are talking about them. Nice bonding technique.
In phase 4, SPS introduces what Mike calls the "Active Rest". What happens is this, right after finishing a set, I use 20 seconds of the 60 second rest for another move. So you're actually only resting 40 seconds. Today, I totally burned out my Tri's and Back. Started with 3 sets to failure of Wide Pull Ups. with 15 push ups. Did 12-5-8 reps. Second move was T-Bar Rows with Prone Cobras. Since I don't have a barbell, I just jacked up one dumbbell with 30kgs. It also killed my back. And yet another back move, Back Extensions, also with Prone Cobras. I couldn't last. It was just killing. I didn't use heavy weights to protect my lower back, so I only used 3kgsx2. I will try upping that next time. Hopefully my back will be better by the time it comes around again.
The next two moves were for Triceps. First, Cable Tricep Extensions. Since I don't have that machine at home, I hung a resistance band over my pull up bar and did the move that way. I used the heaviest band I had but it was still not that heavy, so I got as low as I could and did slow reps. The rest move was 15 Close Grip Push ups. The final Tricep move was the One Arm Dumbbell Extension with again, 15 Close Grip Push Ups. I used only 7.5kgs but I was really struggling to get the DB up at for the final few reps. For the Close Grip Push Ups, I was really tempted to go on my knees, but I stuck it out and stayed on my toes all 3 sets. I was reeling in pain on that last rep. OUCH!! But my Tris got a rock hard pump.
The last move was a Triset. Toe Touch Crunches/Reverse Crunches/Bent Over Arm Circles. 20 seconds back to back. 3 sets. It was a crusher for my core. I had to take it a bit easy on the reverse crunches because of my back, but still got an awesome burn.
I love doing the splits with the time clock. I was able to get really low with all the splits. And the Flow was really good as well. I went a bit off on the first Flow, but the next few Flows were virtually seamless. It felt really good.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
W11D1, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 3 + SPS P4 Push + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
W11D1, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 3 + SPS P4 Push + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
Kind of lazed the first half of the day away. Woke up late and had a nice family breakfast. Then everyone did their thing. Around 1pm I watched a movie with my son. LOVED IT!!! After watching the "Extras" I got to it.
Day 3 is part 2 of the core focus. It was only about 7 minutes, but really intense. Really hit the core hard. It served the purpose I had intended, to warm up for the main body of my workout.
Phase 4 of SPS is the phase that is supposed to shred me, so I am going for it. Unlike phase 3, I am not to put on the heaviest weights possible, but rather about 85% of that weight and stabilize the rep counts. I missed one important piece of information. The target rep count is 8, but we are not to lower the weight in following sets even if we can't hit 8 reps. But I did lower the weight to get to 8 reps. I won't do that next time. Target areas today were Biceps and Chest, plus killer cardio. The first two moves were for the chest. Chest presses (4 sets of 8) and then Chest Flies (3 sets of 8). Supersetted with toe-touch crunches. I had 25kgsx2 and the first 2 sets were relatively easy, but I stressed on the 3rd set near the end, and I was really struggling to get the last rep up on the last set. Oh, and instead of 8, I did 12 on the first set, the 8 the last 3 sets. I had 17kgsx2 for the Chest Flies. Really struggled all the way through the 3 sets, but got through them. After each of the seven chest sets, I did 20 seconds of those Toe-Touch Crunches. 7 sets in all. Added to the core pain from the warm up, but a good pain.
Biceps moves were Standing Bicep Curls and Preacher Curls. I tried 17kgsx2 on the first set and only made it to 5 of 8, took a short breather, then did the last three. That is when I lowered the weight to 14.5kgsx2. Still couldn't get all the way to 8 reps, but the break was shorter. Next time, I'll start with 14.5kgs. In the past, since I don't have a Preacher Curl bench, I would just kneel on one knee, hang my arms down and curl up. Today, I remembered what I did with Tony in P90X2 and used my balance ball with my Preacher Curls. I could barely get 5 reps in. Somehow I got to 8 then I lowered to 7.5kgsx2 The first couple reps were noticeably easier, but then the move got hard really quick. Really struggled on the last two sets.
The final move was 8 sets of Burpees. 20 seconds on, and 20 seconds rest. But for the first 4 sets, I only took 10 seconds rest. I was DYING by set 4. I took a 60 second rest, then did the last 4 sets with the recommended 20 second break. I was just dying!
I did my old splits training today with my bad back. I was able to get back to my mark. I was very happy about that! But the one different thing I'm doing is I'm controlling the time. Instead of holding as long as possible, I'm holding for 30 seconds with a push down, then coming out. So it is more intense, but quicker. I'm going to go with that style for a while and see if I get any gains.
I went for fluidity in my Flow today. As non-stop as possible. I think I nailed it about 60% of the Flows. I did shake a bit a few times, but I need to keep my head in the game.
Great way to Blast into a new week. Phase 4 is not numbered as far as how many weeks it is. Basically do it for as long as you want. So, I'm going to stick with this for a month then go into my hybrid including SPS routines with Beachbody programs. There are 10 routines in phase 4, so I'm going to do 5 a week twice for one month. On the non-SPS day, I'm going to do a yoga workout to keep flexible. That is the plan of attack! CHARGE!!!
Kind of lazed the first half of the day away. Woke up late and had a nice family breakfast. Then everyone did their thing. Around 1pm I watched a movie with my son. LOVED IT!!! After watching the "Extras" I got to it.
Day 3 is part 2 of the core focus. It was only about 7 minutes, but really intense. Really hit the core hard. It served the purpose I had intended, to warm up for the main body of my workout.
Phase 4 of SPS is the phase that is supposed to shred me, so I am going for it. Unlike phase 3, I am not to put on the heaviest weights possible, but rather about 85% of that weight and stabilize the rep counts. I missed one important piece of information. The target rep count is 8, but we are not to lower the weight in following sets even if we can't hit 8 reps. But I did lower the weight to get to 8 reps. I won't do that next time. Target areas today were Biceps and Chest, plus killer cardio. The first two moves were for the chest. Chest presses (4 sets of 8) and then Chest Flies (3 sets of 8). Supersetted with toe-touch crunches. I had 25kgsx2 and the first 2 sets were relatively easy, but I stressed on the 3rd set near the end, and I was really struggling to get the last rep up on the last set. Oh, and instead of 8, I did 12 on the first set, the 8 the last 3 sets. I had 17kgsx2 for the Chest Flies. Really struggled all the way through the 3 sets, but got through them. After each of the seven chest sets, I did 20 seconds of those Toe-Touch Crunches. 7 sets in all. Added to the core pain from the warm up, but a good pain.
Biceps moves were Standing Bicep Curls and Preacher Curls. I tried 17kgsx2 on the first set and only made it to 5 of 8, took a short breather, then did the last three. That is when I lowered the weight to 14.5kgsx2. Still couldn't get all the way to 8 reps, but the break was shorter. Next time, I'll start with 14.5kgs. In the past, since I don't have a Preacher Curl bench, I would just kneel on one knee, hang my arms down and curl up. Today, I remembered what I did with Tony in P90X2 and used my balance ball with my Preacher Curls. I could barely get 5 reps in. Somehow I got to 8 then I lowered to 7.5kgsx2 The first couple reps were noticeably easier, but then the move got hard really quick. Really struggled on the last two sets.
The final move was 8 sets of Burpees. 20 seconds on, and 20 seconds rest. But for the first 4 sets, I only took 10 seconds rest. I was DYING by set 4. I took a 60 second rest, then did the last 4 sets with the recommended 20 second break. I was just dying!
I did my old splits training today with my bad back. I was able to get back to my mark. I was very happy about that! But the one different thing I'm doing is I'm controlling the time. Instead of holding as long as possible, I'm holding for 30 seconds with a push down, then coming out. So it is more intense, but quicker. I'm going to go with that style for a while and see if I get any gains.
I went for fluidity in my Flow today. As non-stop as possible. I think I nailed it about 60% of the Flows. I did shake a bit a few times, but I need to keep my head in the game.
Great way to Blast into a new week. Phase 4 is not numbered as far as how many weeks it is. Basically do it for as long as you want. So, I'm going to stick with this for a month then go into my hybrid including SPS routines with Beachbody programs. There are 10 routines in phase 4, so I'm going to do 5 a week twice for one month. On the non-SPS day, I'm going to do a yoga workout to keep flexible. That is the plan of attack! CHARGE!!!
Friday, March 6, 2015
W10D6, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 2 + SPS P3 HEAVY Weights 3 + Tai Cheng Flow + Splits.
W10D6, Yoga Shred Challenge, Day 2 + SPS P3 HEAVY Weights 3 + Tai Cheng Flow + Splits.
Kind of a gloomy, rainy day today, so no tennis.
For my warm up, I went back to the Yoga Shred Challenge that my sister introduced me to the other day. Nice warm up and today's focus was on the core so 10 minutes or so of core work, SWEET!
This is the "easy" day of phase 3, but I pushed it hard today. Being very mindful of my back, I kept the weights heavy and basically failed at the last rep of the moves. I had to really focus so as not to hold my breath to help get the dumbbells up. The5 sets of Squat to Shoulder Press really gave me that cardio effect and the bicep curls gave me the pump and burn I was looking for. The super setted Shrugs really burned out my traps and grip strength. For the last three sets, I could have gone more on the shrugs themselves, but my grip couldn't hold the weights for that long, had to stop. The weighted Pyramid Squats just burned out my quads. What a great pump and burn on this last routine of SPS phase 3.
I did the ultra-slow Flow today. Just for the calming effect. I also went back to my normal splits training because of my back. Going straight down instead of bending over is easier at this point and I still get my hip flexors good.
Great way to blast calmly into the weekend. I'll see you when you get here!
Kind of a gloomy, rainy day today, so no tennis.
For my warm up, I went back to the Yoga Shred Challenge that my sister introduced me to the other day. Nice warm up and today's focus was on the core so 10 minutes or so of core work, SWEET!
This is the "easy" day of phase 3, but I pushed it hard today. Being very mindful of my back, I kept the weights heavy and basically failed at the last rep of the moves. I had to really focus so as not to hold my breath to help get the dumbbells up. The5 sets of Squat to Shoulder Press really gave me that cardio effect and the bicep curls gave me the pump and burn I was looking for. The super setted Shrugs really burned out my traps and grip strength. For the last three sets, I could have gone more on the shrugs themselves, but my grip couldn't hold the weights for that long, had to stop. The weighted Pyramid Squats just burned out my quads. What a great pump and burn on this last routine of SPS phase 3.
I did the ultra-slow Flow today. Just for the calming effect. I also went back to my normal splits training because of my back. Going straight down instead of bending over is easier at this point and I still get my hip flexors good.
Great way to blast calmly into the weekend. I'll see you when you get here!
Thursday, March 5, 2015
W10D5, Tennis + SPS P3 HEAVY Weights 2 + Tai Cheng Flow + Splits.
W10D5, Tennis + SPS P3 HEAVY Weights 2 + Tai Cheng Flow + Splits.
Had a morning tennis session with my son. Was a bit gimpy on my feet. Not as mobile as I usually am with my back and wrist issues, but it was a good 90 minutes. It was great because I was testing out my new racket. Such a solid and stable touch, even on non-sweet spot/mishit shots.
When I got home, I went right away into my regular workout. I did the same rotation as Tuesday, 2x2 moves and then the abs. Same tough progression. The chin ups were better this time. I got a good through 4 sets of straight 10 reps. I had to break the last two sets up. Previously I was able to only do one set straight, so that is better muscle endurance.
The Flow was good. I went with a continuous of left and right. Had a good run. I was almost automatic. The splits were very tough. With the lower back issue, it may have stiffened up my legs and hip flexors.
It was a good workout!
Had a morning tennis session with my son. Was a bit gimpy on my feet. Not as mobile as I usually am with my back and wrist issues, but it was a good 90 minutes. It was great because I was testing out my new racket. Such a solid and stable touch, even on non-sweet spot/mishit shots.
When I got home, I went right away into my regular workout. I did the same rotation as Tuesday, 2x2 moves and then the abs. Same tough progression. The chin ups were better this time. I got a good through 4 sets of straight 10 reps. I had to break the last two sets up. Previously I was able to only do one set straight, so that is better muscle endurance.
The Flow was good. I went with a continuous of left and right. Had a good run. I was almost automatic. The splits were very tough. With the lower back issue, it may have stiffened up my legs and hip flexors.
It was a good workout!
W10D4, Yoga Shred Challenge + SPS P3 HEAVY Weights 1 + Tai Cheng Flow + Splits.
W10D4, Yoga Shred Challenge + SPS P3 HEAVY Weights 1 + Tai Cheng Flow + Splits.
My sister introduced me to the Yoga Shred Challenge. I guess it is something she found on the net and tried and recommended it to me to try. The routines are only about 10 minutes long, and the challenge is only 14 days long. Since my sister started the challenge today, I started it with her. It was a nice warm up for me. It was a lot of squats, skaters, and lunges. Basically a lower body 10 minute routine. 14 days is not bad, so I am going to do this with my sister for the next 2 weeks.
Back to the beginning for the last time in phase 3. This is the last time for me to do this routine in the program, and I was very surprised at how fast and easy it was. I say easy as a term of relativity. It was tough, but easier than it was the first time. It took about 50% less time for me to get through the routine that it did the first time a week and a half ago. And that is with heavier weights and a bad back. Used 25kgsx2 the whole time, and on 25kg dumbbell on the weighted dips. A good pump and burn today.
My son came home early today so I got him to do a workout and he took my space, so I did my Flow elsewhere. I didn't do the splits until later in the evening. Needed to just get them in before going to bed.
Good workout today. Back is getting better, but still gimpy at certain angles.
My sister introduced me to the Yoga Shred Challenge. I guess it is something she found on the net and tried and recommended it to me to try. The routines are only about 10 minutes long, and the challenge is only 14 days long. Since my sister started the challenge today, I started it with her. It was a nice warm up for me. It was a lot of squats, skaters, and lunges. Basically a lower body 10 minute routine. 14 days is not bad, so I am going to do this with my sister for the next 2 weeks.
Back to the beginning for the last time in phase 3. This is the last time for me to do this routine in the program, and I was very surprised at how fast and easy it was. I say easy as a term of relativity. It was tough, but easier than it was the first time. It took about 50% less time for me to get through the routine that it did the first time a week and a half ago. And that is with heavier weights and a bad back. Used 25kgsx2 the whole time, and on 25kg dumbbell on the weighted dips. A good pump and burn today.
My son came home early today so I got him to do a workout and he took my space, so I did my Flow elsewhere. I didn't do the splits until later in the evening. Needed to just get them in before going to bed.
Good workout today. Back is getting better, but still gimpy at certain angles.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
W10D3, P90X3: Cold Start + SPS P3 HEAVY Weights 3 + Tai Cheng Flow + Splits.
W10D3, P90X3: Cold Start + SPS P3 HEAVY Weights 3 + Tai Cheng Flow + Splits.
Long day at work today, for entrance exams. When I got home, got right to the workout, because had a little celebration tonight for a Japanese Holiday, "Girls Day"!
Routine 3 in phase 3 is sort of easier than the previous two days so it was good because of my back. I was able to do all the moves without any back discomfort. A few times, I felt some pain coming on, but I checked my posture and I was fine.
But I used 17kgsx2 throughout the whole workout. Both on Squat to Shoulder Presses and Bicep Curls. It was almost.. ALMOST too heavy on the bicep curls, because I had to cheat just a little bit on the final rep to get it up. I leaned back just a touch and held my breath just a moment. I usually then go up to 25kgsx2 on the dumbbell shrugs, but I was a bit nervous about that weight on my back so I stuck with the 17's and did 10 extra reps to failure. On the Squat to Shoulder Presses, I didn't go down as low as I normally would, instead, I just went to 90 degrees on my my knees. That prevented my back from bending at a bad angle so I stayed virtually pain-free though the whole workout.
I went right into the Flow today to get done quicker for the celebration. By my reckoning, I made only ONE slight bobble. Almost... ALMOST perfect today.
I took a hot shower and had the Girl's Day celebration with my family, then we watched AI together. I was stretching and doing splits while we were watching. It was nice, because my legs were still nice and warm after the bath. I may try that again sometime.
Back is getting better, but I hope I gets better quicker because I have some tennis days coming up.
Long day at work today, for entrance exams. When I got home, got right to the workout, because had a little celebration tonight for a Japanese Holiday, "Girls Day"!
Routine 3 in phase 3 is sort of easier than the previous two days so it was good because of my back. I was able to do all the moves without any back discomfort. A few times, I felt some pain coming on, but I checked my posture and I was fine.
But I used 17kgsx2 throughout the whole workout. Both on Squat to Shoulder Presses and Bicep Curls. It was almost.. ALMOST too heavy on the bicep curls, because I had to cheat just a little bit on the final rep to get it up. I leaned back just a touch and held my breath just a moment. I usually then go up to 25kgsx2 on the dumbbell shrugs, but I was a bit nervous about that weight on my back so I stuck with the 17's and did 10 extra reps to failure. On the Squat to Shoulder Presses, I didn't go down as low as I normally would, instead, I just went to 90 degrees on my my knees. That prevented my back from bending at a bad angle so I stayed virtually pain-free though the whole workout.
I went right into the Flow today to get done quicker for the celebration. By my reckoning, I made only ONE slight bobble. Almost... ALMOST perfect today.
I took a hot shower and had the Girl's Day celebration with my family, then we watched AI together. I was stretching and doing splits while we were watching. It was nice, because my legs were still nice and warm after the bath. I may try that again sometime.
Back is getting better, but I hope I gets better quicker because I have some tennis days coming up.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
W10D2, P90X3: Cold Start + SPS P3 HEAVY Weights 2 + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
W10D2, P90X3: Cold Start + SPS P3 HEAVY Weights 2 + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
Felt really lazy today for some reason. Procrastinated the afternoon away with correspondence and what not. Finally got up and got to work.
Warm up Cold Start was good as usual. Warmed up well and fast.
Today's routine is the toughest one of the phase. I tried something different today with the move sequence. There are 5 moves. I usually did the first 4 moves in one circuit and repeated the circuit 5 times doing the first 2 moves one more time, because the program requires 6 sets of the first 2 moves. Today, I focused on doing the first 2 moves as a circuit 6 times. Then moves 3 and 4 Five times, then the final move, which is in Tabata style, 15 sec. on 15 sec. off. of V-up sit ups. It was a huge difference. The first two moves, the Dead Lift and Pull Ups, were TOUGH. Rest times were short and intervals were shorter than ever before. The biggest difference was seen in move three. I was always able to do the 12 reps struggling on the final couple reps. But this time, my upper body was somewhat blown so I had to take a mid-set break at 9, then finished the 12. I kept the Upright Rows at 17kgsx2, but I upped the Shoulder Press weight to 19.5kgs right from the start. Major burn on the shoulders today. Great Pump as well. One thing that is also getting worked it my grip strength. Lifting heavy is really pushing my hands and forearms to get stronger. Yesterday and today, I really felt it.
The stretch was really good, and painful. Unfortunately, I lost some control and over stretched. Now I'm sort of having lower back pain. I need to be more careful not to push too hard, and especially not to stretch with a bowed back. It will kill me every time.
Felt like going really slow on the Flows today, but I pushed it, because I didn't want to let up because of some pain. The lower back pain just made me realize bad posture so it actually helped me keep good posture during the Flow.
Going to be early to try and relax the back and allow it to heal a bit. Let's be careful out there!
Felt really lazy today for some reason. Procrastinated the afternoon away with correspondence and what not. Finally got up and got to work.
Warm up Cold Start was good as usual. Warmed up well and fast.
Today's routine is the toughest one of the phase. I tried something different today with the move sequence. There are 5 moves. I usually did the first 4 moves in one circuit and repeated the circuit 5 times doing the first 2 moves one more time, because the program requires 6 sets of the first 2 moves. Today, I focused on doing the first 2 moves as a circuit 6 times. Then moves 3 and 4 Five times, then the final move, which is in Tabata style, 15 sec. on 15 sec. off. of V-up sit ups. It was a huge difference. The first two moves, the Dead Lift and Pull Ups, were TOUGH. Rest times were short and intervals were shorter than ever before. The biggest difference was seen in move three. I was always able to do the 12 reps struggling on the final couple reps. But this time, my upper body was somewhat blown so I had to take a mid-set break at 9, then finished the 12. I kept the Upright Rows at 17kgsx2, but I upped the Shoulder Press weight to 19.5kgs right from the start. Major burn on the shoulders today. Great Pump as well. One thing that is also getting worked it my grip strength. Lifting heavy is really pushing my hands and forearms to get stronger. Yesterday and today, I really felt it.
The stretch was really good, and painful. Unfortunately, I lost some control and over stretched. Now I'm sort of having lower back pain. I need to be more careful not to push too hard, and especially not to stretch with a bowed back. It will kill me every time.
Felt like going really slow on the Flows today, but I pushed it, because I didn't want to let up because of some pain. The lower back pain just made me realize bad posture so it actually helped me keep good posture during the Flow.
Going to be early to try and relax the back and allow it to heal a bit. Let's be careful out there!
Sunday, March 1, 2015
W10D1, P90X3: Cold Start + SPS P3 HEAVY Weights 1 + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
W10D1, P90X3: Cold Start + SPS P3 HEAVY Weights 1 + Splits + Tai Cheng Flow.
Yep, you see it correctly, not PiYo, but P90X3! I had totally forgotten about this little warm up sequence until today so I dug it out and used it for today's warm up. I had forgotten how good it actually is. Got a great warm up and a little bit of a burn on the Push Up Lunges. Good to see Tony again as well.
Third time around for this routine, one to go. I went for it with the weights. I went with the max weight I could for my dumbbell set, which is 25kgsx2. The three moves, Weighted Squats, Chest Press, Weighted Dips all were at 25kgs or 50kgs. Went to almost failure on each of the five sets. I wrote before that I do the chest press on my balance ball, the thing that stood in my way was actually getting the weights up and into position to do the move. I guess it was a mental thing, because, in order to speed things up, I use clips to keep the plates on the bar. There is a chance, if the plates are too heavy and I tip them that the plates could fall off. So I was afraid that if I picked them up in a Hammer position, the plates might fall off. Once I secured the plates with the screw lock, I had a lot more confidence to attempt getting the dumbbells up without a spot. Went to almost failure on each set. Awesome pump! 25kgs on the dips, which are actually bridge dips as opposed to suspended dips. I wish I had the stands to do suspended dips, though. One of these days, I'm getting a set like Chalene uses in some of her videos. Finally, instead of doing all 100 of the leg raises at the end, I split them up in sets of 20. Routine is da bomb!
Went with the Shane Stretch today. That's what I'm going to call it from now on. I can't do it every day, but when I have the time to do it, most likely about 3 times a week, I'll do it. On the other days, I'll do my regular splits stretch which is about 8-10 minutes shorter. The hurdlers Stretch is the one that is killing me now. When I'm in the hurdlers position, I can't hardly stretch forward, and I can't stretch back. That angle on my hip flexors is just too restricted at this time. But this stretch routine allows me to focus on target muscles so I know just how much further I need to go.
Not much to say about the Flow today. It flowed and I had fun with it. I helped bring my heart rate down and the breathing exercises were great to keep me in control of myself.
Great way to blast into week 10, and March! I'll be here when you get here!
Yep, you see it correctly, not PiYo, but P90X3! I had totally forgotten about this little warm up sequence until today so I dug it out and used it for today's warm up. I had forgotten how good it actually is. Got a great warm up and a little bit of a burn on the Push Up Lunges. Good to see Tony again as well.
Third time around for this routine, one to go. I went for it with the weights. I went with the max weight I could for my dumbbell set, which is 25kgsx2. The three moves, Weighted Squats, Chest Press, Weighted Dips all were at 25kgs or 50kgs. Went to almost failure on each of the five sets. I wrote before that I do the chest press on my balance ball, the thing that stood in my way was actually getting the weights up and into position to do the move. I guess it was a mental thing, because, in order to speed things up, I use clips to keep the plates on the bar. There is a chance, if the plates are too heavy and I tip them that the plates could fall off. So I was afraid that if I picked them up in a Hammer position, the plates might fall off. Once I secured the plates with the screw lock, I had a lot more confidence to attempt getting the dumbbells up without a spot. Went to almost failure on each set. Awesome pump! 25kgs on the dips, which are actually bridge dips as opposed to suspended dips. I wish I had the stands to do suspended dips, though. One of these days, I'm getting a set like Chalene uses in some of her videos. Finally, instead of doing all 100 of the leg raises at the end, I split them up in sets of 20. Routine is da bomb!
Went with the Shane Stretch today. That's what I'm going to call it from now on. I can't do it every day, but when I have the time to do it, most likely about 3 times a week, I'll do it. On the other days, I'll do my regular splits stretch which is about 8-10 minutes shorter. The hurdlers Stretch is the one that is killing me now. When I'm in the hurdlers position, I can't hardly stretch forward, and I can't stretch back. That angle on my hip flexors is just too restricted at this time. But this stretch routine allows me to focus on target muscles so I know just how much further I need to go.
Not much to say about the Flow today. It flowed and I had fun with it. I helped bring my heart rate down and the breathing exercises were great to keep me in control of myself.
Great way to blast into week 10, and March! I'll be here when you get here!
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