12-31-15 HY: Body Beast- Bulk: Arms + 0-6 Abs- P2: Level 5 & 4 + Splits + TCF.

12-31-15 HY: Body Beast- Bulk: Arms + 0-6 Abs- P2: Level 5 & 4 + Splits + TCF.

That's it! The final workout of 2015 is in the books. Let's talk pump and BURN!!!

I LOVE the Bulk: Arms routine. It gives me such a huge pump and burn! Got to love that feeling. Today, I used the same weights as I did the previous time except for the very first move. Progressive Set: Standing Curl (4/5/7.5/10/7.5/6.25kgs). Going up was the same, but coming down, I went up to 10kgs then progressed down as shown. Feeling a little stronger than the last time. All the way around, I felt more stability in all the moves. Especially on the Progressive Set: Hammer Curls. The last time, my left arm proved to be significantly weaker, and once I got to the highest weight, I could barely get the weight up. Well, on the upward progression, I still couldn't get the weight up after the 3rd rep, but coming down, I was able to most of the reps with at least 70% range of motion. I barely hit 50% for most of the reps before. I down graded the notes from "Too Heavy" to "Heavy". Then on the medium weight, I was burned out so I still have to keep the "Too Heavy" note. I had to take a couple breaks and lost significant range of motion. I also had to resort to some body swinging to get the weight up the last few reps. Same for the light weight and 15 reps. I was totally burning by the 15th rep, but I finished! The Triceps Kickback, Left was able to keep up all the way except for the up heavy weight. But I did down-grade the note from "Too Heavy" to "Heavy". I removed the "Heavy" note from the down-heavy weight. Nailed it! I was also able to do all 30 reps on the final Single Set: Weighted Crunch. Still with 5kgs, but non-stop.

Moving to abs, I did Level 5 once again, and was able to get to and finish the 4th circuit without any significant pain fluctuation. I got an incredible burn, though on the final Ball Plank right when the trainer said rest was the most intense burn, so I was happy to come out of it. I was feeling good, so I also did Level 4, and the 20secX2 one leg up plank was totally easy now. Felt good to master that one with no pain.

Splits. Well, I'm calling it. I failed in my resolution to get full Splits by December 31, 2015. So I have set a new resolution to take affect in 8 hours. [Achieve full straddle splits and both side splits by December 31, 2016. But I have also set a preliminary goal of 6 months. I hope to achieve all the full splits by the end of June 2016. If I say December 31, I'm afraid I might slack off, but I want to get it done as soon as possible.

The Flow was, again, slow, to check my form. It was clean and smooth. To be sure, I'll have to do the Flow outside my comfort zone in an unfamiliar setting so I will be forced to trust my skill and not the geographic markers in my room. Also, this will probably be the last time for me to write about the Flow in my official workout record. I won't stop doing it, but I don't want to keep writing the same thing day after day. I may talk about it once a week or so, but it won't be a regular part of my report.

In the end, I torched a solid 730+kcals. Not bad for a primarily upper body workout.

I wish you a Happy New Year, and all the clean sweat you can give in 2016! Can't wait to workout with you next year! See you tomorrow!

LOVE!

12-30-15 HY: T25- Beta: Rip'T Circuit + P90X3: X3 Yoga + Splits + TCF.

12-30-15 HY: T25- Beta: Rip'T Circuit + P90X3: X3 Yoga + Splits + TCF.

After 3 straight days of resistance, I thought it was time for some cardio AND yoga, so went with both. Rip'T Circuit was a good routine to sort of support all the resistance I've been doing in cardio fashion. It didn't get my heart rate going too high, but I got a good burn and it really worked the total body. Most of my upper body had a moderate level of soreness so the slow push-ups and other strength moves with the resistance band were a good muscle reminder. Combined with the cardio moves, it really felt good all over. I also got a good sweat going in a cold room.

I moved right into yoga and it also felt good. The sweat kept rolling. The stretch really felt good and when possible, I really pushed the pose to get an extra deep stretch, especially with the hip flexor moves. That warmed me up for the splits stretch to come. Balance, for some reason, was a lot better than it had been on past yoga workouts. The bench mark is Half-Moon. Today's Half-Moon, on BOTH sides was very solid. The right side was especially solid, which is usually my bad side. So that made me really happy.

Splits were really good today, I felt like I was going past the mark for most of the later straddle splits, and I felt like both the side splits were making gains. But the bad news is, with one day left in 2015, there is no way I'm going to make this years goal unless I tear some muscle tissue and tendons. And I can tell you, THAT is not going to happen. So I'll have to rethink my goal for next year.

The Flow was also quite clean and I had a good run at different speeds. I was very happy with the Flow.

In the end, I torched a good 652kcals. Not bad for a pseudo-recovery day.

12-29-15 HY: Body Beast-Bulk: Legs + 0-6 Abs- P2: L5 + Splits + TCF.

12-29-15 HY: Body Beast-Bulk: Legs + 0-6 Abs- P2: L5 + Splits + TCF.

Triceps are still sore, Chest and Shoulders just a bit sore. Glad it is Legs today. As for the weights, everything was the same as the previous time. But the workout seemed just a little easier. I was able to keep up with Sagi a little better this time. Two Progressive Sets is so BRUTAL! Especially the second one with right and left sides. I was able to stay with the pace. But I did cut the rest time a bit short so I could add and take off the plates from my dumbbells. My lower back started to feel the burn with the Stiff Leg Dead Lift, but I focused on flattening out my back and the pain went a way. Calf Raises were the same and still really painful after rep30. All in all it was a great workout. But I was pretty winded afterwards.

I took a little break before going into abs. I stayed with Level 5 to see if it would be any different from yesterday. It was a little better. I didn't pull back on the ball as much and as long during the 4th set, but I still REALLY felt the burn in the core.

Splits and Slow Flow were good.

In the end, I torched a good 803kcals.

12-28-15 HY: Splits + TCF + Body Beast-Bulk: Chest + 0-6 Abs-P2: Level 5.

12-28-15 HY: Splits + TCF + Body Beast-Bulk: Chest + 0-6 Abs-P2: Level 5.

Kind of a weird and lazy day so did the workout a little backwards to fit the events. There are two movies I watch every year so since I had the time today, I watched both of them. Major eye fry, but tears of joy put the fires out. LOL! While I was watching the second movie, I started the splits stretch and Flow. Since I've seen both movies several times, I was fine just watching and listening to it when in certain positions. The Splits were good. Still caught on the plateau and desperately trying to get down. The Flow was still clean and smooth. I did several rounds at all different speeds. But still can't flip the switch that gets me to the speed of two Flows (left and right) under one minute. I guess that point is still in the future.

Today is the beginning of Week 2 of the Bulk Block. All the weights I used were the same as the last run through except for one move. The Combo Set: Close-Grip Press to Fly (7.5/8.75/10/12kgs). I did two different things: 1. I went down 2-4.5kgs on the first three sets. Segi only did three sets, but I added one set. I thought I was going down only 2kgs, but when I finished, I noticed that the third set the last time was 14.5kgs and today was 10kgs. I didn't really like that, so I added one set at 12kgs. I was happy I was able to muscle it up there for 8 reps. The reason why I went lower on this move was because I was feeling burned out. I noticed that when Sagi does the first set with 15 reps, he goes at a slower pace, but as the weights get heavier and the reps get fewer, his pace gets faster. For me, that is really tough, I tried to keep up for the first few sets, but by the time I got the set three, the Progressive Set, I just couldn't keep up so I let them go ahead and I just went at my pace. I think that trying to keep up and push the pace burned me out quicker. But for the Multi Set, I was a little wary of the first set of Decline Push Ups, but once I got started, I was able to pump them out. I did the Russian Twist with my legs up as well. Then, for the closer, I added, like last time, Band Upper Cuts still with the brown band. That really hit my low and mid pecks. Man was I feeling pumped, still a lot my inner shoulders, but this time, a little more in my chest. I think I'll stay at this weight until I am able to really focus on the target muscles.

Went right to abs. I usually do a new level and then do the previous level because the difficulty wasn't that high. Today, all that changed. Level 5 just about fried my core to the core. Still only two moves, but extremely EXTREMELY taxing! The first move was Full Plank on a Balance Ball, holding for 40 seconds, 20 second rest, then Alternating Straight Leg Lifts with no hand support. The good thing is that on the second move, I am able to do a lot better with keeping my lower back on the ground. The first move, I thought would be okay in the first round, but by the end of the second round, I knew the last two rounds would be tough. Round three almost pushed me over the edge of failure. And my core was just dying. The Final round was just too much and I had to cheat a little by rolling the ball a little closer to me and breaking the 90 degree angle of my shoulders. I didn't quite rest, hands to shoulders, but just enough to give me a few seconds of relief before finished out the last 10 seconds in regular form and major core burn.

Great workout today, and in the end, I torched a solid 800+kcals.

I used to alternated Resistance and Cardio workouts, but with Body Beast, I've been doing 2 resistance days and 1 cardio day twice a week. I'm wondering if that is better. The regular Body Beast schedule has 3 resistance, 1 cardio and abs, then 2 resistance. Which schedule has a better penchant towards fat burning. Also, I'm very sorry to say this, but I think that the Body Beast program has moved into first place as my favorite resistance program, overtaking Chalene Extreme and the P90X series. But that does not mean I will not use those programs anymore. I will, OF COURSE, go through those programs when their time comes.

12-27-15 HY: Badminton + Body Beast- Bulk: Arms + 0-6 Abs-P2: Level 4 & 3 + Splits + TCF.

12-27-15 HY: Badminton + Body Beast- Bulk: Arms + 0-6 Abs-P2: Level 4 & 3 + Splits + TCF.

Today was a great day. Started off with Badminton with the whole family! Unfortunately, we could only get one hour or we would have played at least one more hour. But it was getting pretty competitive. No games, just playing points and trading partners. It was like a lower body workout the way I had to move around the court. Great workout.

When I got home, I started my regular workout. Thank goodness it wasn't legs today or I may have wimped out because I could feel it already in my legs. But it was the routine that I had been looking forward to. I really wanted to see what this routine was like, and I found out the "HARD" way. Here are my weights for this routine: Progressive Set (4/5/7.5/6.25/5kgs) I started off light going up, but coming down, I went up a little and still got it done. This one move already got my biceps really pumped.

Single Set: Tricep Extension (12/14.5/19.5/17kgs). This was only one dumbbell so it wasn't too bad. I was fine until the last Drop Set, then I started to really feel it by the 4th rep. Again, got a really good pump. Now my arms were starting to feel like balloons.

Force Set: Wide EZ Bar Curl (12kgs). I wanted to go a little heavy with this move because it was only 5 sets of 5 reps, so I chose 12kgs. The first 3 sets were okay, I was able to hang with Segi, but the last 2 sets, I was noticeably slowing down, and in the last set, I needed to cheat a bit and move my elbows to get the final two reps. Biceps were feeling rock hard at this point.

Single Set: Skull Crusher (6.25/8.75/12/10kgs). This is where it started to hurt. The second set really started to get heavy and the drop set was just getting to be a bit too heavy. I had to, again, cheat a bit to get the weights up. The cue to keep my elbows in was also right on. I often times flare my elbows out, but this time, I kept them in, and it made a huge difference.

Progressive Set: Hammer Curl (5/7/10/10/7/5kgs). This is where the discrepancy between my right and left arms came out to play. I did the same weights for right and left, but the 10kgs on the left were just too heavy. I should have gone down at least 2kgs to keep full range of motion and non-stop sets. On the up sets, the left 10kg was just about half the range of motion for more than half the set. On the down set, same thing for the last 3-4 reps of the 10kg. I also had to resort to a lot of body movement and swings to get the weight up. Right side was just strong enough to get through all the reps, but on the up sets, almost failed at the top. Going down was a lot easier on the 10kg, but I needed a mid-set break on the 7kg and 5kg. 15 reps is huge when your burned out.

Progressive Set: Tricep Kickback (5/7/10/10/7/5kgs). The weight this time was a lot better on both sides, but still, I could see how much weaker my left was. Not as much of a difference for the triceps as the biceps, but there is a difference with the left being weaker. Here, less range of motion on the up 10kg, but got all 8 reps. The down 10kg was fine, but the 7 was really tough. Somehow, this move also nailed my core.

Single Set: Weighted Crunch (5kgs). This is the first time for me to do a weighted crunch this way. Usually I have a dumbbell under my chin, but this was the first time to hold a plate behind my head. Also, doing it on a ball made it really tough. I could only get to 20 reps before I needed to take a break, then finish out the 30 reps. OUCH!!! This was an AWESOME routine. But I'll probably need to do this again just for my left to get it caught up to my right.

Went right into Abs. Level 4 consisted of two 20 second one legged plank, and double leg lifts. We were supposed to switch the lifted leg after 20 seconds, but the first 2 sets, I held one leg for 40 seconds. That was too tough, so I did it as directed for the last two sets. I'm feeling my core getting stronger I think. I went back to Level 3 and the regular low plank was a lot easier to hold for 40 seconds. After 4 rounds of the two levels, my core was really feeling the burn.

Splits were good, but it seems that I have hit another plateau. Just can't get passed my most recent mark. It feels as though there was a hitch in my hip flexor that is keeping me from getting all the way down. But I have to push through and advance my mark. I have to fine a stretch that can really stretch out my front hip flexors because that is were I need help. Hamstrings also. I just have to get over the fear of the pain that I feel every time.

Went again with the slow Flow and focused on hips and form. It was a great session. Then, I went fast at the end and tested myself to see if I could get under a minute. I went just 2 seconds over. I need to stabilize my form more. When I do the slow Flow, I lose my balance some, but regain it later. I want to be able to do the perfect Flow on a moments notice.

A lot of fun and work today. In the end, I torched a nice 1230kcals. Big burn to start the final week of 2015!

12-26-15 HY: Splits + TCF.

12-26-15 HY: Splits + TCF.

Just making up for not having the time to do the splits stretch and Flow yesterday. Felt a little tighter than usual, so took a little longer to get to the mark on my splits. But eventually got there. Still feels like there's a hitch in my hip that is keeping me from getting lower. Flow went very slowly, but smoothly. Form seems to be solid. But I will have to check with the DVD sometime this coming week. All around, it was a good evening session.

12-25-15 HY: Ping Pong + Badminton.

12-25-15 HY: Ping Pong + Badminton.

It's Xmas!!! So today was a different type of workout.

My daughter loves playing sports at the park and she is very into badminton at the moment. We wanted to play badminton for 2 hours, but there were no 2 hour slots open so instead, we went with an hour of ping pong, and an hour of badminton. My wife also decided to come and play. Unfortunately, my son had school so he didn't come.

The hour of ping pong went by very fast. Lots of smashes, lots of rallies, and lots of laughs to go along with it. I wasn't expecting to burn that many calories. I ended up burning only around 300kcals on the hour.

Badminton was a different story. My daughter got tons better since the last time we played and this time, there was no taking it easy on her. The game we played actually went back and forth a lot going into extra points to finish. I was sweating a ton and my legs were aching from the punishment. But again, lots of fun and laughs!

In the end, I torched a solid 800+kcals on the day. Fun kind of workout!

12-24-15 HY: Body Beast- Bulk: Shoulders + 0-6 Abs- P2: Level 3 + Splits + TCF.

12-24-15 HY: Body Beast- Bulk: Shoulders + 0-6 Abs- P2: Level 3 + Splits + TCF.

Had a little bit of a time crunch because of the evening plan. But I got a full workout in on Xmas Eve! I usually don't do two resistance workouts in a row, but this week, because of scheduling, I went with it. Today is the second time this week for me to do it. It is working out great because of the shorter BULK routines. Today was Shoulders. Here are my weights. Super Set: Lateral Raise (2/3/4kgs). This straight are lateral stuff really kills me, proving to me how really weak my shoulders are. Even with these light weights, I was really feeling it. Arnold Press (12/13.25/15.75/14.5kgs) I went way higher for this move because I thought I could handle it, judging from past experience. But I almost didn't make it. With a mid-set break, I had to really push to get the heavy weights up, and that burned me out. I had to go with some bad form to get up o the last couple reps.

Progressive Set: Upright Row (7.5/10/12/12/10/7.5kgs). This move is perfect to nail my shoulders. But I have to be careful not to employ different muscles other than the target muscles. Pump and Burn!

Super Set: Alt. Front Raise (3/4/5kgs) Another straight arm move, hence the lighter weights. But I was feeling pretty good, so I went up a Kg this time. Plate Twist-Twist (5kgs). I was a little scared of this move, but once I actually did it, I could have gone up a few kgs. I wish I could have used about 8-10kg plates. But you go with what you have. I'll have to rig something up to go heavier next time.

Progressive Set; Reverse Fly (3/4/5/5/4/3kgs). Again with the much lower weights, but I really wanted to hit my shoulders, and this move totally kills them if I fly my arms in the right angle. Also, the range of motion. I wanted that to be very high. I was really able to hit the back part of my shoulders today.

Super Set: Superman Stretch (10+/10+reps). We were supposed to do only 10 reps, but I was able to get a few extra in. Plank Twist-Twist (25/29reps). This was the core/cardio move that always comes at the end. I was afraid my shoulders wouldn't hold out in the plank position, but thankfully, they did. Good form, good speed, tough final move.

Instead of doing two routines today, I just went with one so as to finish my workout on time. So I just did Level 3 again. The planks felt good and solid. The Alternating Leg Raises also felt good. Nothing too difficult today. We'll move on next time. Still got a good burn and shake.

Splits and Flow were really good today. Pushed low and did another slow Flow form check. Everything looks good so far.

In the end, I torched a solid 800+kcals.

12-23-15 HY: Body Beast- Bulk:Back + 0-6 Abs- P2:Level 3-2 + Splits + TCF.

12-23-15 HY: Body Beast- Bulk:Back + 0-6 Abs- P2:Level 3-2 + Splits + TCF.

I'm really liking this program the further I get into it. The Bulk routines are short but extremely tough. Here are the weights I used today: Super Set: Pull-Over (10/12.5/17/14.5kgs). Again, today, I am lowering my weight between 2-5kgs from my top weight for each move so I can focus on my form and activating the target muscles. With this move, I was having trouble actually activating my lats on my right side. I could really feel the left side lats very clearly, but I just couldn't feel the tension and pull on the right side. I'll have to work harder to activate that side. Pull-Up (10/10/5-3-2reps). The first two sets were good, but I was burned out in the third set and had to break up the 10 reps into 3 small sets.

Progressive Set: Reverse Grip Row (10\12\14.5\14.5/12/10kgs). These weights seem low, but the only really low weight was the first 10kgs. All the weights after that are really putting tension on my back and shoulders. I am again, having trouble hitting my back because it seems like I'm still using too much shoulders on this move. At the end of the set, my shoulders and a little back were feeling the pump and burn. But more my shoulders.

Force Set: One-Arm Row (12kgs). I usually go 17kgs on this move, and even up to 22kgs or 25kgs, But today, 12 was more than enough for me to go with a good range of motion and focusing on my back. This was a good move for that. Getting my scapula to shift towards my spine in a good cue. Huge pump and burn.

Single Set: Dead Lift (10/12/19.5/17kgs). I was feeling good at the Drop Set so I went heavy. I figured I could do it for only 8 reps. Keeping the back flat was tough, but I had to protect my back.

Super Set: Reverse Fly (3/4kgs). 3's are light, but I wanted to keep full range of motion for all the reps. Even at 3kgs I was feeling the burn. 4kgs, I felt my range of motion getting smaller, but I pushed, almost to cramping, for full range of motion. Plank Rotation (4/5kgs). This is basically a side plank with a weight in the hand going high. Good core warm up for the ab routine.

Really got an awesome pump from this routine in my back and shoulders. I'll have to focus more to hit my back more. Or maybe that means my shoulders are still too weak so they need to get stronger before I can really hit my back. Sort of like going through the layers of muscle.

Went right into the ab routine. Two 8 minute routines, Phase 2, Level 3 and 2. Finally, Level 3 is at the full low plank. and alternating straight leg lifts. 40 seconds on, and 20 seconds rest. I then went back to Level 2 but instead of doing the one knee down, I did the 4 rounds with the full low plank. It just started to shake on the third and fourth rounds, but stable.

Splits and Flow were as expected. But today's Flow was very slow so as to check my form. It took a little getting used to at such a slow speed, but after a few times around, I was solid.

In the end, I torched a good 700+kcals! Kind of expected that lower count with the upper body workout.

12-22-15 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.

12-22-15 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.

Schedule changed again. Tennis moved back to Tuesday which means we can play for about 30 minutes longer. It was a great match! Had a lot of fun. But the mindset of pushing the rallies because of a short time was still with us and we were pushing it hard. We were running for shots, going for shots, just being really aggressive all around. It was a great great session. We both really brought the level of play up another notch.

Busy day, so I wasn't able to get to my splits and Flow until close to mid-night. But I got it in and it was good. My glutes were really sore but that didn't have any influence on how low the stretches were. I was able to get a good painful regular stretch. The Flow was also very smooth and clean. No HRM for the night part of my workout.

At the end of the tennis, I torched a solid 1010kcals. Good day's burn.

12-21-15 HY: Body Beast-Bulk: Legs + 0-6 Abs- P2: Level 2 & 1 + Splits + TCF.

12-21-15 HY: Body Beast-Bulk: Legs + 0-6 Abs- P2: Level 2 & 1 + Splits + TCF.

Normally I'd be doing a cardio workout today but looking at my schedule, I have tennis coming up on Tuesday so I decided to go two in a row on the BB's. Glad I'm not working out the upper body today, because my chest is really feeling yesterdays workout. Sore galore!

Leg day is always a killer, but today was even more so. Just straight legs is brutal. Right from the first move, I felt the pain. So here are my weights.

Single Set: Front to Back Lunge (5/6.25/7.5kgs). I've done this move in another program and I always hated it because the pain is present. This time was more so because of the progression in weights and rep count.

Progressive Set: Squat (17/19.5/22/22/19.5/17kgs). Oh my goodness! This was a pain, LITERALLY!!! I'm glad that Segi was picking up the pace because I couldn't have hung is the pace was much slower.

Force Set: Full to 1/2 Sumo Squat (19.5kgs). The first 3 sets were fine, but the last two were brutal, again, the PAIN was brought.

Progressive Set: Split Squat w/ EZ Bar ( 12/14.5/17/17/14.5/12kgs). The 3 sets without a break four times was again BRUTAL! Thank goodness for the faster pace.

Super Set: Stiff Leg Dead Lift (7.5/8.75/12/10kgs). To protect my back, I stayed safe and light. But I got a good stretch on my hamstrings. Alt. Side Squat (7.5/8.75/10kgs). Segi said to stay with the light weight, but I couldn't because switching back would have taken too much time so I just kept going up with the weight. Total for all three sets was 60 squats... BRUTAL!!! Got a great burn on the inner thighs.

Super Set: Calf Raise (10kgs). I went to 30 reps straight, then had to go 10 and 10 to get to the 50 reps. Beast Abs is a relatively easy so I had fun with it. I'm sure I'm going to feel it tomorrow. I hope it doesn't affect my tennis tomorrow.

I moved right to Abs, and I went right to Level 2 and did the 4 sets of 2 moves which were Plank on one knee for 20 seconds and switch knees, then 90 degree bent knee lifts for 40 seconds with 20 second rest between the two. For the second move though, I straightened out my legs a little more to raise the intensity. Then I did Level 1 again, but instead of Plank on my knees for 40 seconds, I did a regular low plank for 40 seconds. But I did the alternating bent knee raises as instructed. I got a great burn in my core!

Splits felt good today so I pushed hard until I couldn't take the pain in the hip flexors. Knees are holding up well enough. Got really low today. The Flow again, was clean and smooth. Holding at 60 seconds per set. Still planning to go back to slow to check my form. I'll have to get the Master Scroll out for that one.

After all the routines, I did a set of pull ups to keep up that skill using the Russian training technique I read about.

In the end, I torched a solid 950+kcals. Huge difference between upper and lower body workouts for sure!

12-20-15 HY: Body Beast- Bulk:Chest + 0-6 Abs- P2: Level 1 + Splits + TCF.

12-20-15 HY: Body Beast- Bulk:Chest + 0-6 Abs- P2: Level 1 + Splits + TCF.

Got a head start on the new year by starting on a couple of new phases. Today was a good day, and I was feeling good.

I was excited to get started with the Bulk phase because the workouts seem to be extremely focused. Today, Chest. I have always had some difficulty with the chest because I never seem like I'm hitting it as directly as I should be. So today I decided to lower my weights so I could really focus on my chest more. I think it was a good decision. Here are the weight selections and notes: Super Set: Incline Fly (7.5/8.75/10kgs) Incline Press (12/14.5/19.5/17kgs). These series of weights enabled me to really control the dumbbells a activate the upper chest muscles.

Force Set: Chest Press w/ Rotation (17kgsx5). I usually can do 22-25kgs on the press, so I thought 17kgs would be easy... It was not. The first two sets were okay, but I came extremely close to failing on the last set. I really had to push it hard to get it up.

Progressive Set: Incline Press (12.5/14.5/17/17/14.5/12.5kgs). This is the first time for this type of set. Going up was fine, but coming down, Oh MY! 12.5kgs never felt so heavy. Again, just hit the failure threshold.

Combo Set: Close-Grip Press to Fly (10/12/14.5kgs) 10kgs was pushing it. 12kgs was almost too heavy. 14.5kgs just about killed me. For the last two sets, I had to take a mid-set break because my palms were hurting. It has been a while since that happened. But the combo move was another move that was a lot tougher than I first thought. But one good thing is that I think I was able to keep form for most of the reps, especially during the final set.

Multi Set: Decline Push-Up (15/12/8reps). Luckily, I was able to hit each goal without stopping. Cobra to Airplane (16reps). My shoulders were extremely pumped which made this move very tough and range of motion was a lot less than usual. Russian Twist (20x2reps). I did this with my feet up, balancing on my butt. Wanted to make it harder to push myself.

Extra Set: Band Uppercuts (15/12/8x3 reps). This is an extra move that I added that I wanted to do to hit my lower chest a little more. It is a move that I learned from Tony in One-on-One 10 Minute Trainer. I was shocked at the pump I got in my chest from it so I just added it to the end of my chest workout, and boy did it pump the chest up. I only used the brown band so limited resistance but it hit exactly where it was supposed to. Great pump and burn today all around. Also, on the incline moves, I got a great isometric workout on my legs. Since I don't have a bench, I use the balance ball and holding in the incline position for all those sets is a game changer.

Entered Phase 2 of 0-6 Abs today. More uncharted territory. I was expecting a tough group of moves, because the trainer kept saying, in Phase 1, that Phase 2 was a lot more difficult. But it ended up being only two moves, 40 seconds on with 20 seconds rest, 4 times, but I ended up doing it 9 times because I was unfamiliar with the video setup. But by the end of it, my core was so tight, I was shocked at the effectiveness of the moves. The two moves were 1. Low Plank on the Knees, and 2. 90 degree alternating Toe Touch. The first set of four times, I was watching the first video that only had the series once, so I kept going back. I thought the next video was a new set of moves, but it ended up being the same two moves but with 2 series. The next two videos progressed to 4 sets all together. Not sure why they did it that way, but... oh well. But as I said, I was feeling the tightness and pull in my core for quite some time afterwards. I'll stick with the program.

Splits were better than yesterday and the Flow was smooth and clean. One of these days, I'm going to have to go back to the slow Flow and check my form again.

In the end, I torched a solid 689kcals. Good start to the holiday week. Got to keep it going. No holiday from working out for me. The body doesn't take a break, so why should I!

12-19-15 HY: Splits + Flow.

12-19-15 HY: Splits + Flow.

I missed doing it yesterday so I had to do it today. I took some extra time to get through all the moves. It was a good session, but I was really not feeling it at the beginning though. Once I got started, however, the motivation kicked in. It was a bit tight at the beginning, but I got passed the mark and get low. But I'm still not at the place I need to be to reach my goal in 11 days. Not looking good.

The Flow was clean and smooth.

No HRM so no kcal burn count, but that is not the point, so I was okay with it. Good and Happy Weekend!

12-18-15 HY: PiYO-Sweat + 0-6 Abs- P1: Level 4.

12-18-15 HY: PiYO-Sweat + 0-6 Abs- P1: Level 4.

Big FAIL today. I was planning to do my secondary routines in the morning, but I woke up late and was unable to. So, I only did what's in today's header.

I haven't done this workout for quite some time so I had to watch some moves to remember what the sequence was, otherwise I was able to do it straight through. The first part, Heat, was okay, but once I got into lower body, and then Power, the sweat started to flow. Once I hit the part with the Burpees, whenever I was in Downward Dog, I could feel the sweat trailing down my scalp to drip off my head. My quads especially felt it today. But all the moves, I felt like I was able to nail them all with a good range of motion. The push ups were fine until the Stretch and Strength section. That last set of push ups was a real test, but I powered through.

Abs was good. I was able to do through the whole routine without any big drops. I also got a really good burn. My original plan was to go two weeks on this phase, but I'm feeling pretty good with it, so I might go into Phase 2 (there are only two phases in this program, but phase 2 has about 15 levels.)

In the end, I burned a good 466kcals. Nice light ending to the week. I'm planning to do splits and Flow tomorrow night. Hopefully I'll make it happen. Happy Weekend!

12-17-15 HY: Body Beast- Build: Shoulders + 0-6 Abs- P1: Level 4 + Splits + TCF.

12-17-15 HY: Body Beast- Build: Shoulders + 0-6 Abs- P1: Level 4 + Splits + TCF.

The Build phase officially ended with my last BB routine, but I wanted to finish out the week with Body Beast so I went ahead and did the routine that comes next in the progression. Still not wanted to push too hard, I went a little lower on the weights. Still nursing that dizziness. This is one of the shorter routines in the phase so it was nice to buzz through it. Here are my weights. Single Set: Shoulder Press (12/13.25/15.75/14.5kgs). Just about hit failure despite the lower weights. Even had to stand up to get the last 2 reps on the last set.

Super Set: Lateral Raise (3/4/5kgs) These types of moves just burn out my shoulders. Weights seem light, but they are tough when trying to keep form as well. Upright Row (12/13.25/15.75/14.5kgs). It was really tough with the heavier weights last time so I was happy to go down in weight. But it was still tough. The last set was killer, and my form folded a bit on the last few reps.

Giant Set: EZ Bare Underhand Press (7.5/10/12kgs). I went way down in weight on this move. The last time I accidentally went way high and my form suffered. This time, I went at a good weight and I was able to keep form and range of motion not only in my shoulders, but also with my wrists. The last time, the weights were so heavy that my wrists couldn't stay in the underhand position. 1,1,2 Front Raise (2/3/4kgs). This seems really light, but believe me, it's not. With all those straight arm moves, I have to go light. The 2kgs warmed up my anterior deltoids, but the next two sets BURNED!!! Rear Delt Raise (same). Same as the earlier move, my form started to fall apart on the last set, last few reps. I'm so weak on the rear delts. I could go heavier, but only for about 3-4 reps.

Super Set: Standing Dumbbell Shrug (17/19.5/25/22kgs). These weights were still easy. I could go heavier, but I don't have anymore plates to add. I'm going to have to get another set. Dumbbell Scap Trap (17/19.5/22kgs) Did this move again in a standing bent over posture. Had to really watch my back, but I was able to do it. I wondering if I'm actually doing it right, or if I'm hitting the right target muscle.

Super Set: Sagi Six-Way (2.25/3.25kgs). I had to really fight and grimace to get the last few reps on the second set up. That was really tough. Tuck and Roll (16-15 reps). I'm basically doing straight leg hip raises here. Rolling to me, just seems like using momentum to get up. So I try to control it up and really hit my abs that way.

Abs were good and burning today. It was a good thing for me to continue focusing on keeping my lower back on the deck. That is a game changer for me. Really good burn and breathe.

Got really low on my splits today. But still got the cramp in my glute on the last straddle. I should start stretching to the inside as well to combat that. The Flow was also clean and smooth.

In the end, I torched a good 632kcals. You can't buy a burn like I got today!

12-16-15 HY: 0-6 Abs- P1: Level 4 + Splits + Flow + Tennis.

12-16-15 HY: 0-6 Abs- P1: Level 4 + Splits + Flow + Tennis.

I really didn't want to wait until late in the evening to get to my Splits and Flow, so I got up a little earlier and did Abs, Splits and Flow in the morning. It was nice to get them out of the way so I could be free in the evening and get to bed early.

The morning session was nice. Really got me going and injected me with more energy to meet the day. I was still trying to focus on keeping my lower back on the deck so that was making it a lot more difficult on my core. But I got a good burn. I'm working on my breathing as well. Breathing during an ab routine is a lot harder than breathing during other routines. The trainer says it works the muscles in a different and more effective way. I'm inclined to agree.

Splits were tough. They usually are in the morning, but they warmed up quickly and I was able to get down to my mark before the middle of the process. Felt a little pull but that is what I'm going for. But I'll have to watch for potential injury signs. The Flow, as usual, was clean and smooth.

In the afternoon, I had another really exciting tennis session. As I said before, even though the session is a little shorter, we push harder and run harder for all the balls. I'm getting more consistent. Able to control the points a little more. But at times when I let go of my concentration, I fall apart. The struggle to get it back is also very challenging.

In the end, I torched a combined, morning and afternoon sessions, 943kcals. Gung HO!!!

12-15-15 HY: P90X2- X2 Yoga + Splits + Flow.

12-15-15 HY: P90X2- X2 Yoga + Splits + Flow.

Still taking it easy today, but wanted to go longer than X3 Yoga so I went for the next shortest routine. It has been a few weeks since I actually did yoga because my tennis day was moved from Tuesday to Wednesday, and it showed. I was struggling to hold poses and I was cramping too easily when certain muscles were held to flex. I'll have to keep yoga in my weekly rotation so I can keep the skill up. I was a little worried about the balance poses, especially the leg portion with Warrior 3 and Half-moon. Big discrepancy between left and right. This time, Right was very shaky while the left was a lot more stable. But it felt good today. A lot better than yesterday.

Splits were low today. I was able to hit my mark a lot sooner than usual (probably, most likely because of the yoga), but I'm still having trouble stretching my front hip flexor muscle/tendon on both sides. For a few days now, I've also had a little trouble with the last straddle splits move. I stretch it out 5 times, and the 5th time, I always start to cramp in my right glute when I go down. I have to come back up and shake it out for about 30 seconds. Then, I can go down.

The Flow was smooth and clean. Nothing to complain about today.

In the end, I torched just over 400kcals.

12-14-15 HY: Body Beast- Build Back/Bi's + 0-6 Abs-P1: Level 4 + Splits + Flow.

12-14-15 HY: Body Beast- Build Back/Bi's + 0-6 Abs-P1: Level 4 + Splits + Flow.

Took a half-day off and went to the hospital to get checked out. Everything was good. I asked the doctor if it was okay to exercise and he say that I should do everything as normally as possible. So, back to a regular routine today.

This is the last time for this routine in the BUILD section so I originally wanted to go up in weight, but because of my condition, I am going go easy and I went a bit lighter. An average of 1.25kgs lighter all the way around. I think this routine is the longest of the Build routines. Here are my weights for the moves. Single set: Dead Lift (10/12/19.5/17kgs). I had to keep telling myself to keep breathing. But this weight was good.

Super Set: Dumbbell Pull-Over (10/11.25/15.75/14.5kgs). I was really trying to focus on using my lats to get the weight up. Pull Up: (10x3) I was surprised that I actually got this done. I was thinking to only go half reps, but I was feeling good and I was able to control my swinging a little better so I went for it and got it. HOWEVER, I wasn't going all the way down. I was going down to about 135degrees.

Giant Set: EZ Bar Row (10/12/14.5kgs). This was a good weight, got a good burn. One-Arm Row (10/12/17kgs) The first two weights were light, so for the final set, I went heavier. Reverse Fly (4/5/6.25kgs) This was painful. To get the same range of motion with the heavier weight as the lighter weight was extremely tough. I wilted on the last couple reps and had to bend my arms.

Single Sets: Close-Grip Chin-Ups (10-2/6-2/4-3). The first number is non-stop reps, the second number is the number of reps after a little break within the 30 seconds. All I can say is, "OUCH!!" Also, I was using my weakest assist band today.

Seated Biceps Curl (6.25/7.5/12/10kgs). Burn BUrn BURN!!! But no cheating, and form stayed clean.

1,1,2 Hammer Curls (4/5/6.25kgs). This was another burner. The pump was ON!

Neutral EZ Bar Curl (6.25/7.5/12/10kgs). By this point, I was really struggling to get the weight up, but then I hit a second wind by the last set. This lower weight just might be better for me for now.

Airplane Cobra (18/19reps) This is +2 reps over last go.

This routine always gives me a huge pump and burn. Today was not different in that area. But one thing that was different was the fact that I didn't feel good afterwards. I felt bad, and worn. I guess I did a little too much today. But I had to finish.

Abs were good today. I tried to push a little harder and tried to really focus on keeping my lower back on the deck. That made it a whole lot harder and tasking. I had to really control my breathing as well.

Splits were better today, and my Flow was normal.

In the end, I torched 1125kcals. But I didn't feel physically good afterwards. But I did feel the pump.

12-13-15 HY: 0-6 Abs- P1: Level 4 + Splits + TCF.

12-13-15 HY: 0-6 Abs- P1: Level 4 + Splits + TCF.

Friday night during family worship I was hit with a mild dizzy spell. We finished our worship and I stayed in my chair to see if it would pass. It didn't. I was able to go and brush my teeth and everything, but about an hour later, I doing some major hurling. Did it again 2 hours later after rolling over. My wife is my hero! Finally was able to sleep. Stayed home all day Saturday with some slight dizziness. Stayed home all day today, most of the dizziness was gone, but still a little if I turned my head quickly. So, my wife stopped me from doing my Body Beast workout today. But I was able to do what is listed above. No HRM.

Level 4 seemed to go a little faster and a bit easier than level 3, but that is probably because I was fresh and the moves were a little faster. The same moves, just put into different combinations instead of being isolated, so more variety. But I still got a good burn.

The Splits were actually pretty good today. I was able to get to my mark relatively quickly which is unusual after two days off. I still had to push to get low. And the Flow was smooth and clean. I did it a little slower today because of the dizzyness, but still good.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get to Body Beast tomorrow.

12-11-15 HY: T25- Speed 2.0 + TCF.

12-11-15 HY: T25- Speed 2.0 + TCF.

Big time crunch today. Again, thank goodness for T25! Got in a good workout and sweat today. Pretty much a Straight 25. Really took advantage of the teeny breaks between moves. I am also very thankful for the "Rest Moves" Shaun T embedded into the workout that give some relief to the arches. It probably wouldn't have been so tough and painful had I not done the Body Beast: Build- Legs routine the previous day. Round 1 was fine, but upon entering Round 2, all those small in and out jumps were really taking their toll. Especially on my calves. I did have to modify a bit on moves like Hop Front and Back. Easy move, but a lot of pressure on the calves and arches. Range of motion got smaller and smaller, and there were times that I didn't leave the ground at all, but I kept on pushing and moving through.

Flow was Clean and smooth. In the end, I Torched just under 560kcals. Very happy for that number. Planning to do the splits and another round of Flows tomorrow! Happy Weekend!!

12-10-15 HY: Body Beast-Build: Legs + 0-6 Abs-P1: Level 3 + Splits + TCF.

12-10-15 HY: Body Beast-Build: Legs + 0-6 Abs-P1: Level 3 + Splits + TCF.
Almost done with this phase and ready to go on to Bulk. I was ready for Legs today. Mentally, I was prepared for the burn I knew to be coming. This is the final run though this routine so I wanted to up my weight as much as possible today. So here are my weights:
Single Set-Sumo Squat (10/11.25/22.5/22.5). Upped the final set by not going down. I could probably still go heavier. Super Set: Alternat...ing Lunge & Step-Up to Reverse Lunge (7.5/10/12kgs). I upped the second set by 1.5kgs but reduced the third set by .5kgs. This is the most grueling set by far of all the leg sets. Legs were just screaming after this one. Giant Set: Parallel Squat (14.5/17/19.5kgs) Really upped this one, but probably still could go heavier. I wanted to, but switching the plates around on my dumbbells would have taken too long so I went as high as I could. Bulgarian Squat & Straight Leg Dead Lift (7.5/8.75/10kgs). This set, with the heavier weights caused me a lot of pain. The Bulgarian Squat almost brought on a cramp in my glute and upper hamstring. The Dead Lift became very difficult in the final set on both sides. My lower back was feeling it along with my hammys. The final Giant Set: Two 30second sets per move. Single leg Calf Raises (10kgs-40reps/12kgs-40reps both sides). Cramp started coming on definitely on the second set. Range of motion also was forced to become less in the second set. Major burn in the arches. Seated Calf Raise (17kgs-35reps/19.5kgs-46reps). I wanted to go heavier on this move as well, but the time to switch plates stopped me. But I could do more weight for sure. In and Outs (38reps/42reps). Felt good to warm up my abs. Legs were just shaking like crazy going up and down my stairs after this one. Major pump and burn.

I wasn't planning to do Abs today since I did them yesterday, but I decided to go ahead and do the routine because I had the time. Also I wanted to see how much I could keep my lower back on the floor through out the routine. I actually was able to focus on the lower back which made all the moves tougher, but I was able to stay on the floor, and keep pace. But after finishing Legs, holding my legs in 3-month Position was really hard on my quads. I had to come down a few times and shake it off. But this was, for sure, the best I've done this routine.
Splits were painful, but in a good way after legs. I was able to hit my hip flexor a little more, but I still need to find a stretch to get that more stretched out quickly. The Flow was awesome. I got the double sequence down to 56 seconds. My fastest time on record. I started to tense up, but I had to tell myself to stay loose.
In the end, I torched just under 800kcals. I wonder how much I'll feel it tomorrow.

12-09-15 HY: 0-6 Abs-P1: Level 3 + Splits + TCF + Tennis.

12-09-15 HY: 0-6 Abs-P1: Level 3 + Splits + TCF + Tennis.
Kind of an odd day. Thought I'd try something a little different. Since I couldn't play tennis yesterday, which is our normal tennis day, we had moved it to today. With that knowledge, and the fact that today is a late day for me, and I didn't feel like doing the splits that late unless I absolutely have to, I decided to do all the secondary routines in the morning. So, I did Abs, splits and Flow in the morning. I...t was nice to get in my stretch and Flow in in the morning. I was a bit tighter than usual, but I was surprised at how quickly I was able to stretch out, and hit my mark. The Flow also was clean and smooth as usual. But before that, the ab routine was good. I felt able to hold the poses as long as needed. There was a point that I was feeling I couldn't do it, but once I powered through that feeling, I was able to finish with a good burn. I normally wouldn't wear an HRM for just a secondary workout, but I kind of wanted to see how much I would actually burn with just the secondary stuff. In the end, I burned only 139kcals. I kind of chuckled at that one. But I did get a little damp in the pits.

In the afternoon, we only had just under an hour to play so we were attacking right away. Again, adjusted rules which is much more difficult, and challenging to score, so I really like it. We were playing like monsters. Hitting the ball so hard and making really good contact. I did win in the end, but by a score that was much closer than if we had used regular scoring. 6-4, 6-4, 3-1. We didn't have time to finish the last set, but I sure it would have been close again. In the end, I torched a solid 750+kcals. That's almost 900kcals on the day!
And before I forget, I was rather sore today in my anterior deltoids, upper chest and triceps. My hamstrings and quads were also quite sore, I'm assuming from the Beast Cardio. Yep, I'm still talking about that one! But with regard to my anterior deltoids being sore more than my chest, I will have to go over my form again for the chest moves so I can really hit my chest and not my shoulders. If anyone has any advice on that topic, I'd be open to any suggestions. CHEERS!

12-08-15 HY: Body Beast-Build:Chest/Tris + 0-6 Abs-P1: Level 3 + Splits + TCF.

12-08-15 HY: Body Beast-Build:Chest/Tris + 0-6 Abs-P1: Level 3 + Splits + TCF.

Today was a good day because I kind of had the day off. Just a little appointment in the morning, then FREE!!! I was planning to do my workout early but my son got sick and he was taking a nap when I got home so I had to wait for him to get up. That pushed my workout into the later afternoon and I was in a time crunch. I had just enough time to do the first two parts of my workout, then go to an appointment, then I finished the last two parts. But I got it all done.

This is the final rotation of the Build phase of Body Beast. I really wanted to top off the weights, but I wasn't able to up the weight that much. I'll just list out the moves and weight.

Single set: Dumbbell Chest Press (12/17/25/22kgs). This was good. I almost had an accident with the dumbbells on the 25's because the clip slipped off and the plate on the end fell off at the end, but I was putting them down, so it didn't fall far. Just a little struggle on the drop sets.

Super Set: Incline Dumbbell Fly (12/14.5/17kgs). Incline Dumbbell Press (12/14.5/22/19.5kgs). No weights raised, but got a good pump and burn. At this point, I was really feeling it on my upper chest, and a little on my inner shoulders. Giant Set: Close Grip Press and Partial Chest Fly (14.5/15.75/17kgs). This is the same weight as last time, but I was just barely able to get up the last few reps on the last two sets. My form was terrible just to get it up at the end of those sets. Heaving like crazy, elbows flaring, etc. I'll have to go lighter next time. The final set of the Giant Set, Decline Push-Up, were very tough on the long sets, I barely made it, and even had to go only half range of motion. But the last set, I just pumped them out. Moving on to Triceps, Single Set: Triceps Extension (10/11.25/12.5/12kgs). I just went way to heavy on this move. I barely made it up on the first two long sets, but the Drop Sets, I needed a mid-set break and my form crumbled. Again wiggling and flaring elbows. I'll have to go back down and start at 7.5kgs again. Starting at 10kgs was just too heavy to make it through the move. Super Set: Single Arm Kickback (6.25/7.5/10/8.75kgs) I was able to do this move well. But I still do it in the runners position instead of putting my arm on a bench or ball. Did it with less rest than the DVD gave me. But by this point, I had totally fried out my triceps so I couldn't even do the Triceps Push Ups on my knees. I ended up going on my knees and going a little less than half range of motion. I initially tried to do one rep on my toes, but I just fell to the ground. Then I couldn't even get up on my knees when I went all the way down. So, just about 40% down, if that. Triceps were SCREAMING!!! The final Super Set: Dips on Bench (50-13). I was able to get that many because I was using my push up bars and not a bench so my range of motion was a lot smaller. But I got a huge BURN. In and Outs (50-10). This moved served as a good warm up for the coming ab routine.

Abs was good. I getting better at the foundation moves and I'm getting balanced. I had a good run.

I did the Splits and Flow after an evening appointment so there was some time between. But they were okay. Not as low as I would have liked, but it was still too painful in the hip flexors to push harder.

In the end, I torched over 750kcals. Plus the splits and Flow on which I used no HRM.

November Schedule.

This is my November workout schedule.  There is really no difference between the green and orange days.  The reason for the orange is I logged it late. But it did get done.  Saturday is usually my off day, but because of a time crunch, I was unable to finish my workout on three Fridays, so I finished my workout on Saturday night.

12-07-15 HY: Body Beast- Beast: Cardio + Abs + Splits + TCF.

12-07-15 HY: Body Beast- Beast: Cardio + Abs + Splits + TCF.

This was cardio day. The schedule called for Build: Shoulders and Beast: Cardio to be switched, but my schedule required it to be flipped around so today was the day. This cardio routine always kills me. Today was no different. I lasted a little longer through it without a break, but the Plyo-Push ups got me, From that point on, I had to extend my breaks a little longer to recover. But I was able to nail each move and get a great burn.

I went right into Abs and this is the first time that I was dying on each move. It was a real burner. I used a 2kg and 5kg weight and it was tough! This ab routine is moving up my like scale. It's short and intense.

Splits and Flow were good. Got low on the splits, but still had some pain in the hip flexor and there was a little twinge in my left knee. The Flow was smooth and clean. Got one full cycle under 1 minute now. Need to keep practicing so I can Flow anywhere easily.

In the end, I torched over 855kcals. A lot more than usual for a short cardio and ab workout. Really Burned it today.

12-06-15 HY: Body Beast-Build: Shoulders + 0-6 Abs- Phase 1: Level 3 + Splits + TCF.

12-06-15 HY: Body Beast-Build: Shoulders + 0-6 Abs- Phase 1: Level 3 + Splits + TCF.

Back to a regular workout. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to the splits last night marking the first time in my memory that I went two days without doing the splits training. Wish I was able to fit it in, but just didn't workout.

Today, was a good workout. Shoulders burned out and failed. Only went up in weight on a couple moves. The first move, Shoulder Press, which was planned. Same on the first set (12kgs) but up on the next three sets (14.5/17/15.75/14.5kgs). If those weights look a little off, it was. The 2nd set I did the 12 reps, but I could only do 7 reps on the 3rd set, and then on the 2nd drop set, I did 4 reps then dropped the weight and did the last 4 reps. The other upped weight was on the first move in the Giant Set, the EZ Bar Underhand Press. That up was actually an accident. I was planning to do the same weight as last time, but I saw the order wrong and started with the final set weight. So I went up in weight in a very small increments. 12/13/13.5kgs. Just upped it by 1.5kgs in the end, but went up 7kgs on the first set. That was TOUGH!!! But warmed up enough to up the weight a bit. Oops! In looking at my worksheet, there was one more move that I upped my weights on, the second move on the Super Set after the Giant Set. Instead of going to lower weights, I just kept the same weight from the first move. So I basically more than doubled the weight from last time. Oh, okay, one more, the last weight move, Sagi Six-Way, I just added a small .25kgs to the mix. So 2.25/3.25kgs. And that weight on that move was VERY noticeable. Again, the going up above my head was almost too much, but I muscled through. My shoulders were ON FIRE!!!

I decided to stick with Phase 3 of Level 1 of 0-6 Abs. I felt that I still hadn't mastered that part of the foundation. So I'm going to do it for one more week to make sure I've got that base good and firm. But I got a good burn and I feel I am improving.

The Splits hurt today. After a 2 day break, I had some hip flexor issues at the beginning. It took some tries to get opened up, but I got there. I also switched the order of the moves so I could actually get the splits opened up even more. I now stretch the hammy first, then hip flexor, then go into the splits that stretches everything. So I'm trying to loosen up first. I probably should have noticed this much earlier, but we'll see if it helps in my final push to the 31st. The Flow was clean and smooth so I was happy about that.

In the end, I torched a good 858kcals. Good way to start the week.

12-04-15 HY: T25: Core Cardio + TCF.

12-04-15 HY: T25: Core Cardio + TCF.

Very tight time crunch today. So in order to get a workout in, it needed to be short. Enter T25! I wasn't really expecting to burn too many calories today in 25 minutes + cool down, but WHAT A SHOCK! I wasn't able to do this one in a straight 25 minutes, because I had to stop and see what Shaun T was doing so I stopped and rewound the DVD a few times. I took some breathing breaks as well. Especially near the end. This was a really good workout. Very deceptive in it burn. But moves are very well placed and spaced to provide the maximum burn per minute.

No time for abs, which is fine because my core was worn out from this routine anyway, plus, again, no time. But when I got home after work, I did do a series of Flows that were clean and smooth.

In the end, I torched over 550kcals. Very happy. I'm planning to do splits and maybe even the ab routine tomorrow. Welcome weekend!

12-03-15 HY: Body Beast- Build:Back\Bi's + 0-6 Abs- Phase 1: Level 3 + Splits + TCF.

12-03-15 HY: Body Beast- Build:Back\Bi's + 0-6 Abs- Phase 1: Level 3 + Splits + TCF.

An off Thursday evening doesn't come along very often, but I've got a few coming up because of the holiday season.  Very Happy about that. So I could take my time with the workout today.

I was a bit scared of today's routine because my right shoulder was really sore and achy.  I was afraid that I might have re-injured it again.  The test was going to be the pull ups and chin ups.  If I felt pain in my shoulder when doing those moves, I'd be forced to take a break to let it heal again, and I really don't want to do that.   Luckily, NO PAIN in the shoulder.  Thank goodness!!!  Today, I didn't really up my weights that much.  On a lot of the moves, I kept the weight I did the previous time.  The Back half, I went up a little on the Dead Lift just 2.5kgs on the drop sets. No change on the Super set.  But I got to 7 reps on the third set of pull ups, that's 1 more than the last time.  For the Giant set, all the same weights.  But I was able to prepare the weights so I didn't take the time Segi takes between the moves within the set, so I was pushing the pace with really no rest between the moves.  I really needed that extra long 90sec. break between sets.  My heart rate was flying.  I lost some strength and stamina because I wasn't able to match my Chin Up production from last time.  Just under by a few reps each set.  The Bicep half with 3 single sets was tough, very tough.  The Seated Bicep Curls, I really wanted to go up in weight, but I wasn't able to.  In fact, I went down by 2kgs on the Drop Set.  Almost failed but I did what I had to to get the dumbbells up.  Used a little cheat arch to get them up.  I also wanted to go up on the 1,1,2 Hammer Curls, but again, wasn't able to.  Really burned out my biceps trying to put on the squeeze.  I kept trying to control the dumbbells up and down.  I didn't want to drop them, or use gravity to take them down.  Tried to go down slower taking advantage of the eccentric movement.  The final bicep set was the Neutral EZ Bar Curl.  Kept the weights the same and really struggled at the end.  Almost failed again.  Really got a major pump and burn.  The final move, Airplane Cobra was the only move with a consistent improvement.  Plus 1 rep on both sets. Very burned out, but feeling good!

The ab routine really burned my abs.  I really focused on keeping the contraction and I could feel the burn and lilting cramping coming on.  It really felt like it was working my core in a really different way than all the other routines I've done before.  This program is really growing on me and I still have a lot of steps left.

The Splits and Flow were good.  I was able to get back down to the bar and even stay on it for a while at the end.  The Flow was extra fun today because my daughter was doing it with me... sort of.  It was so funny.  So I really had a great time.

In the end, I torched a good 951kcals! WHEW!!!