6-30-16 HY: Tennis + Tennis + Splits + TCF.
Tennis Day today! And I mean, another BIG tennis day, today!!!
Regular morning session for about 90 minutes. It was good, but something seemed a bit odd. We usually rev ourselves up and after a short warm up, really start banging the ball around. But today, for some reason, neither me nor my partner seemed to feel the urgency and the warm up lasted a lot longer than usual. Then once we started to play, our strokes seemed a bit tentative and held back. There was a point that we were hitting out, but we couldn't sustain it. But that not withstanding, I still torched just over 1000kcals in the morning session. I was able to take the first set 6-1, and we didn't even finish the second set. I actually just totally forgot to keep score after being up 2-0. Perhaps one thing that contributed to my sluggishness was the fact that my legs, glutes and knees were a bit achy. No excuses though.
In the early evening, since I didn't have my night class, I went to tennis club. It had been three weeks since I last went. And this time, I invited my morning playing partner to come. We got paired together for the first two matches and we lost 3-6 and 1-6. That second set, something just wasn't clicking. But it was still fun. We immediately noticed how different we both played in an actual game situation. What's more, doubles tennis. There is a whole new dynamic to doubles over singles. But having played doubles with the club a couple times before, I think I'm getting the mentality back of playing with a partner. But as I was watching my friend play, it was obvious that he has never played doubles. I didn't feel it was appropriate for me to coach him today. I figured I just let me experience it for now. Then maybe next time, give some tips. I FINALLY got my first club win tonight. Actually two wins. I was so happy! Got that monkey off my back! It was a really fun session. Just under 3 hours.
I got my Splits and Flow in later that evening. Everything went well and low.
In the end, after two sessions of tennis, I torched over 2700kcals! Burn Burn BUUUURN!!!
Thursday, June 30, 2016
6-29-16 HY: P90X3 - Pilates X + Splits + TCF.
6-29-16 HY: P90X3 - Pilates X + Splits + TCF.
Mid-Week Recovery Day!!!
I thought I'd do something I haven't done in a very long time, so I went with Pilates. It was a great stretch and a great core workout. I had forgotten how tough this routine was. The breathing seems easy, but when you are trying to coordinate everything together, I actually forget to breathe. How crazy it that!!! So it is a good thing that Tony keep reminding the viewer to follow his breathing. If I had more control of my breathing, I'm sure some things would be better. Control as a whole, perhaps. Maybe even my balance. I'm just spit-balling here, though. But I am sure that breathing is important. Definitely don't want to stop doing it.
I wasn't able to finish everything in the morning, so I did the Splits and Flow in the evening after work. It was again, like a double stretch day. Love it when that happens. It is just putting me closer to my Full Splits goal.
In the end (of the morning only), I burned just over 200kcals. About what I have come to expect from the shorter recovery day routines. I'll definitely make up for it tomorrow. Big tennis day.
Mid-Week Recovery Day!!!
I thought I'd do something I haven't done in a very long time, so I went with Pilates. It was a great stretch and a great core workout. I had forgotten how tough this routine was. The breathing seems easy, but when you are trying to coordinate everything together, I actually forget to breathe. How crazy it that!!! So it is a good thing that Tony keep reminding the viewer to follow his breathing. If I had more control of my breathing, I'm sure some things would be better. Control as a whole, perhaps. Maybe even my balance. I'm just spit-balling here, though. But I am sure that breathing is important. Definitely don't want to stop doing it.
I wasn't able to finish everything in the morning, so I did the Splits and Flow in the evening after work. It was again, like a double stretch day. Love it when that happens. It is just putting me closer to my Full Splits goal.
In the end (of the morning only), I burned just over 200kcals. About what I have come to expect from the shorter recovery day routines. I'll definitely make up for it tomorrow. Big tennis day.
6-28-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 2 + RevAbs - Mercy Abs + Splits + TCF.
6-28-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 2 + RevAbs - Mercy Abs + Splits + TCF.
Getting this entry out a little late, but here goes. I'll try to remember what happened. I had sort of an irritating day at work. Some things happened that caused some blood to boil and as Course Head, I had to calm people down and take on some extra work. Had to be done, but the manner in which it was done was not what one might call professional. Oh Well.
I was in the mood to pump some iron so today was going to be a good day. Target muscles were the whole shoulder, front, top and back, upper back, and legs. In the Lean Phase, there is always some legs. Also, I should mention that there is a Breakdown set on every move, but in the Lean Phase, it is usually not the original move, but only part of it. The Lean Phase is a Upper Body/Lower Body combo move Phase so as to focus on the core. I was trying to do the same weights as last year (the last time I did this routine) but for the most part, they seemed a bit too heavy. I pushed it over the first 6 moves, but had to go lower on the final three moves. Also, the Pull Ups, I went slow again, and only 6reps with a 3rep Breakdown. That is except for the 5-Grip set. But even then, I only did 10 total reps. Throughout the routine, there were several moves that used the resistance band around the legs and required balance. Again, for some reason, my balance was way off today, and I had to tap out several time to stop myself from falling over. Move 2, 3, 5 and 8. All required balance that I did not have today. Bummed out, I was. When I got to the 7th move, my shoulders were spent. I could only do half of the reps at the former weight of 10kgs. I lowered my weight to 7.5kgs and finished out the rest of the move. Then the rest of the moves were at that weight. The last move, "Squat with Double-Arm Anterior Delt-Lift" was a lot tougher than I remember it being. Just barely got to 10 and rested before finishing out the 12reps. But my shoulders were majorly pumped after this routine. Back was also spent but I didn't feel as pumped in my upper back as I feel on my limbs. I wonder if that is just because of the nature of the muscle group.
I wanted to do an ab routine I haven't done in a while so I went with Mercy Abs. That always burns me out, and today... not as much as previously. I got a good burn, yes, but the longevity of the burn wasn't as long as I remember being. But, I got enough for today.
Splits and Flow were great. I'm very happy with my progress on my splits. Pushing lower everyday.
In the end, I torched 900+kcals. Good way to workout the stress of the day.
Getting this entry out a little late, but here goes. I'll try to remember what happened. I had sort of an irritating day at work. Some things happened that caused some blood to boil and as Course Head, I had to calm people down and take on some extra work. Had to be done, but the manner in which it was done was not what one might call professional. Oh Well.
I was in the mood to pump some iron so today was going to be a good day. Target muscles were the whole shoulder, front, top and back, upper back, and legs. In the Lean Phase, there is always some legs. Also, I should mention that there is a Breakdown set on every move, but in the Lean Phase, it is usually not the original move, but only part of it. The Lean Phase is a Upper Body/Lower Body combo move Phase so as to focus on the core. I was trying to do the same weights as last year (the last time I did this routine) but for the most part, they seemed a bit too heavy. I pushed it over the first 6 moves, but had to go lower on the final three moves. Also, the Pull Ups, I went slow again, and only 6reps with a 3rep Breakdown. That is except for the 5-Grip set. But even then, I only did 10 total reps. Throughout the routine, there were several moves that used the resistance band around the legs and required balance. Again, for some reason, my balance was way off today, and I had to tap out several time to stop myself from falling over. Move 2, 3, 5 and 8. All required balance that I did not have today. Bummed out, I was. When I got to the 7th move, my shoulders were spent. I could only do half of the reps at the former weight of 10kgs. I lowered my weight to 7.5kgs and finished out the rest of the move. Then the rest of the moves were at that weight. The last move, "Squat with Double-Arm Anterior Delt-Lift" was a lot tougher than I remember it being. Just barely got to 10 and rested before finishing out the 12reps. But my shoulders were majorly pumped after this routine. Back was also spent but I didn't feel as pumped in my upper back as I feel on my limbs. I wonder if that is just because of the nature of the muscle group.
I wanted to do an ab routine I haven't done in a while so I went with Mercy Abs. That always burns me out, and today... not as much as previously. I got a good burn, yes, but the longevity of the burn wasn't as long as I remember being. But, I got enough for today.
Splits and Flow were great. I'm very happy with my progress on my splits. Pushing lower everyday.
In the end, I torched 900+kcals. Good way to workout the stress of the day.
Monday, June 27, 2016
6-27-16 HY: T25 - Core Speed + Splits + TCF + Tennis.
6-27-16 HY: T25 - Core Speed + Splits + TCF + Tennis.
I was feeling really tight and sore upon getting up this morning. So I was actually thinking of doing something other than T25 for my cardio fix this morning. So, as I was getting ready, I was thinking of what I could do. But there was nothing as intense and that would bring the results I was looking for, so I decided to stick with T25. I had always though Core Speed was a great routine, so I decided to go with that one. That was somewhat of a mistake. It is a great workout, but I need to warm up better than I did the next time. I started out cold and I pain for it. I just wasn't moving well at the beginning. I was behind pace and felt really sluggish. But as the routine went on, I got it better. But even though I was getting looser, my stamina wasn't getting longer. I needed to take a break between rounds and sometimes mid-round. Definitely not a Straight 25 today, but I got through it. I was doing the sprinkler thing again with my sweat. I may have to start wearing long sleeves when I woukout to prevent the sprinkler action. Shoulders also were really feeling it, especially on those two burpee variations. All in all, a good workout.
I moved right to the splits. I was still feeling the affects of the workout so the warm muscles really helped me get it done. Got down and dirty. The Flow was also very good.
In the afternoon, after class, I played tennis again. There were times when I felt I couldn't miss the ball and we had long rallies. But at other times, I couldn't keep the ball out of the net. There you have it, my downfall, my Achilles Heel: CONSISTENCY. Anyway, we played some games, didn't have time for a full match or set because of the longer warm up time, but I did better this time than last time. Last time I didn't hit any good shots, but today, I was able to bring a little of my game to the court. Last time, the games I won were "Give me's". Like he double faulted away a whole game. But today, I EARNED my games. I hit winners, and hustled. But still, I only got two game off him. He knows the court, so in this case, home court advantage is easier. Baby Steps. One day, I'm going to dominate!
In the end, I had two calorie burn counts: The morning session torched 610+kcals, and the Tennis session burned 1100+kcals. It started rough, but ended great!
I was feeling really tight and sore upon getting up this morning. So I was actually thinking of doing something other than T25 for my cardio fix this morning. So, as I was getting ready, I was thinking of what I could do. But there was nothing as intense and that would bring the results I was looking for, so I decided to stick with T25. I had always though Core Speed was a great routine, so I decided to go with that one. That was somewhat of a mistake. It is a great workout, but I need to warm up better than I did the next time. I started out cold and I pain for it. I just wasn't moving well at the beginning. I was behind pace and felt really sluggish. But as the routine went on, I got it better. But even though I was getting looser, my stamina wasn't getting longer. I needed to take a break between rounds and sometimes mid-round. Definitely not a Straight 25 today, but I got through it. I was doing the sprinkler thing again with my sweat. I may have to start wearing long sleeves when I woukout to prevent the sprinkler action. Shoulders also were really feeling it, especially on those two burpee variations. All in all, a good workout.
I moved right to the splits. I was still feeling the affects of the workout so the warm muscles really helped me get it done. Got down and dirty. The Flow was also very good.
In the afternoon, after class, I played tennis again. There were times when I felt I couldn't miss the ball and we had long rallies. But at other times, I couldn't keep the ball out of the net. There you have it, my downfall, my Achilles Heel: CONSISTENCY. Anyway, we played some games, didn't have time for a full match or set because of the longer warm up time, but I did better this time than last time. Last time I didn't hit any good shots, but today, I was able to bring a little of my game to the court. Last time, the games I won were "Give me's". Like he double faulted away a whole game. But today, I EARNED my games. I hit winners, and hustled. But still, I only got two game off him. He knows the court, so in this case, home court advantage is easier. Baby Steps. One day, I'm going to dominate!
In the end, I had two calorie burn counts: The morning session torched 610+kcals, and the Tennis session burned 1100+kcals. It started rough, but ended great!
6-26-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 1 + Ab Burner + Splits + TCF.
6-26-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 1 + Ab Burner + Splits + TCF.
Today was a big day. It was also a beautiful day, so you know what that means, especially after all the rain we've been having, our lawn looked like a jungle. So it all came down. Also there was a huge weed growing on our back retaining wall and it is our responsibility to cut it down. Well, all that yard work took over 4 hours so I was a but tired afterwards. Then, a little later, I went to have my hair cut. It was such a relief because my hair was out of control, especially with all the humidity.
As I was going in and getting ready to do my workout, my daughter said, "Daddy, do you want to play with me?" How could I say no? So we went out for about an hour and tossed the football around. My daughter, when she is on, has a really tight spiral. I was really impressed. We ran fly routes up hill as well. What a great workout warm up.
Anyway, I eventually got to my workout. Started the Lean Circuit today. Going back to 12 reps was tough, but I got through it. I stuck with my weights from the last time, and it was BRUTAL!!! Mini-breaks all through out the routine. I added the 4 sets of various pull/chin ups. This time, again, I am trying the slow pull ups. They really take it out of a guy. In this circuit, the Breakdown is a separate move, so I'm following the program. There were times that I thought the weight I had chosen was too light, but by the end, I was just dying. So the weights were good. I didn't think that 14.5kgs, 12kgs, and 10kgs would be so tough, but they were. A lot of the moves, I had to switch and take a break. The target was Bi's and Tris with some lower body thrown in for good measure.
I moved right into the Ab Burner. And it lived up to its name. Burned my abs, good!
I was in sort of a time crunch, so I had to hold off on Splits and Flow until later, but they were both good!
At the end of the resistance and ab work, I did the home chores and finally got to the splits and Flow. As expected, they were good, but on the splits, my knee was feeling it bad. But I torched a huge 1250kcals. That's the way to start a week!
Today was a big day. It was also a beautiful day, so you know what that means, especially after all the rain we've been having, our lawn looked like a jungle. So it all came down. Also there was a huge weed growing on our back retaining wall and it is our responsibility to cut it down. Well, all that yard work took over 4 hours so I was a but tired afterwards. Then, a little later, I went to have my hair cut. It was such a relief because my hair was out of control, especially with all the humidity.
As I was going in and getting ready to do my workout, my daughter said, "Daddy, do you want to play with me?" How could I say no? So we went out for about an hour and tossed the football around. My daughter, when she is on, has a really tight spiral. I was really impressed. We ran fly routes up hill as well. What a great workout warm up.
Anyway, I eventually got to my workout. Started the Lean Circuit today. Going back to 12 reps was tough, but I got through it. I stuck with my weights from the last time, and it was BRUTAL!!! Mini-breaks all through out the routine. I added the 4 sets of various pull/chin ups. This time, again, I am trying the slow pull ups. They really take it out of a guy. In this circuit, the Breakdown is a separate move, so I'm following the program. There were times that I thought the weight I had chosen was too light, but by the end, I was just dying. So the weights were good. I didn't think that 14.5kgs, 12kgs, and 10kgs would be so tough, but they were. A lot of the moves, I had to switch and take a break. The target was Bi's and Tris with some lower body thrown in for good measure.
I moved right into the Ab Burner. And it lived up to its name. Burned my abs, good!
I was in sort of a time crunch, so I had to hold off on Splits and Flow until later, but they were both good!
At the end of the resistance and ab work, I did the home chores and finally got to the splits and Flow. As expected, they were good, but on the splits, my knee was feeling it bad. But I torched a huge 1250kcals. That's the way to start a week!
Saturday, June 25, 2016
6-25-16 HY: 22 Push Up Challenge + Splits + TCF.
6-25-16 HY: 22 Push Up Challenge + Splits + TCF.
Today is an off day, but I had to do what is on the list because I'm doing the challenge and because I took Friday off from the Splits and Flow.
Today's Push Ups were Oblique Push Ups. Things started out fine, but my daughter came up in the middle of recording and started to make me laugh and so I lost count. I ended up doing 26 reps. Also did a quick bonus video.
The Splits and Flow were fine, and I'm just happy to keep it going. I'm a huge proponent of increasing flexibility. So, the 40-45 minutes a day of stretching a Splits/flexibility training is really important.
Happy to get in this supplemental light workout day.
Today is an off day, but I had to do what is on the list because I'm doing the challenge and because I took Friday off from the Splits and Flow.
Today's Push Ups were Oblique Push Ups. Things started out fine, but my daughter came up in the middle of recording and started to make me laugh and so I lost count. I ended up doing 26 reps. Also did a quick bonus video.
The Splits and Flow were fine, and I'm just happy to keep it going. I'm a huge proponent of increasing flexibility. So, the 40-45 minutes a day of stretching a Splits/flexibility training is really important.
Happy to get in this supplemental light workout day.
Friday, June 24, 2016
6-24-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Push Circuit 3 + Extreme Core Circuit.
6-24-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Push Circuit 3 + Extreme Core Circuit.
Had an extra long day at work that pushed my departure time back so I was in a time crunch from the start. I needed every second to finish these routines. I did start with the 22 Push Up Challenge which was tough. And I accidentally did 30 reps instead of 22. My brain was off somewhere and I just lost count. But I did the Medicine Ball Alternating Push Up today. One on one off. The one on was very tough and the sweat started to fly and drip. You can see the videos of all my push ups on my facebook page. Today was day 13.
Today ends my second round of the Push Circuit. Next week, I start the Lean Circuit. I was considering doing one more round, but I just ordered the Les Mills Combat and I want to try that program out after I'm done with ChaLEAN Extreme. The big change for today was the Pull Ups. Instead of pumping out a fast set of 12-15reps, I went slow, in keeping with Chalene's methodology. The first set I did 22 slow reps, mixing the numbers on the different grips. The next three variations, Wide Front, Close Front, and Towel, all topped out at 6reps. Doing pull ups slow is a whole new ball game. The first two reps felt really good, I felt strong, the next two were when the pain started to creep in. The last two, I was struggling not to kip and failed at six. Major Burn! Huge cardio affect as well. I was a bit surprised at how out of breath I was. Everything else was the same as the last time. The big changes to the original were also the same as last time. Move 2. I did it Elbow Out. Move 8. I did single arm instead of double arm so I could load up my weights and not worry about my back. But the weird thing was that my when working my right arm and in a Left-foot-forward lunge, my left glute started to cramp. Then visa versa. It seems like I was putting some extra stress on my hip to stabilize so I wouldn't slant my shoulders. So, on the last few reps, I focused on squaring my hips to the floor and that helped so much, no cramping. Huge burn all around. Great workout.
Abs and core were fried with this routine. It keeps raising the intensity on me. Today, I almost cramped out, but I breathed it out and it was good. For pain, the best advice came from Shaun T. He said to exhale forcefully. Simple, but IT WORKS!!!
In the end, I torched 1220+kcals. One reason why I burned so much was that for the first 1/3 plus of the resistance routine, I wasn't using the AC. But once my daughter came home and came up to her boiling hot room, she turned on the AC so I got some relief at the end. I'll do the Splits and TCF tomorrow. Today will be my off day from them.
Happy Weekend!!!
Had an extra long day at work that pushed my departure time back so I was in a time crunch from the start. I needed every second to finish these routines. I did start with the 22 Push Up Challenge which was tough. And I accidentally did 30 reps instead of 22. My brain was off somewhere and I just lost count. But I did the Medicine Ball Alternating Push Up today. One on one off. The one on was very tough and the sweat started to fly and drip. You can see the videos of all my push ups on my facebook page. Today was day 13.
Today ends my second round of the Push Circuit. Next week, I start the Lean Circuit. I was considering doing one more round, but I just ordered the Les Mills Combat and I want to try that program out after I'm done with ChaLEAN Extreme. The big change for today was the Pull Ups. Instead of pumping out a fast set of 12-15reps, I went slow, in keeping with Chalene's methodology. The first set I did 22 slow reps, mixing the numbers on the different grips. The next three variations, Wide Front, Close Front, and Towel, all topped out at 6reps. Doing pull ups slow is a whole new ball game. The first two reps felt really good, I felt strong, the next two were when the pain started to creep in. The last two, I was struggling not to kip and failed at six. Major Burn! Huge cardio affect as well. I was a bit surprised at how out of breath I was. Everything else was the same as the last time. The big changes to the original were also the same as last time. Move 2. I did it Elbow Out. Move 8. I did single arm instead of double arm so I could load up my weights and not worry about my back. But the weird thing was that my when working my right arm and in a Left-foot-forward lunge, my left glute started to cramp. Then visa versa. It seems like I was putting some extra stress on my hip to stabilize so I wouldn't slant my shoulders. So, on the last few reps, I focused on squaring my hips to the floor and that helped so much, no cramping. Huge burn all around. Great workout.
Abs and core were fried with this routine. It keeps raising the intensity on me. Today, I almost cramped out, but I breathed it out and it was good. For pain, the best advice came from Shaun T. He said to exhale forcefully. Simple, but IT WORKS!!!
In the end, I torched 1220+kcals. One reason why I burned so much was that for the first 1/3 plus of the resistance routine, I wasn't using the AC. But once my daughter came home and came up to her boiling hot room, she turned on the AC so I got some relief at the end. I'll do the Splits and TCF tomorrow. Today will be my off day from them.
Happy Weekend!!!
Thursday, June 23, 2016
6-23-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.
6-23-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.
Tennis Day!!!
Super stoked about that, but the gym was so humid and there were spots of condensation on the floor that made running a little scary. But we went ahead and played. It was a good session. I was working on staying consistent. I used the high tension racket today so I was also going for more spin and power. There was a little more reverb today so the gym didn't seem as dead because the sound was carrying more. The first set took a lot longer than it should have. I jumped out to an early lead, then let it get away, then jumped out to another lead, then sat there for a while. Finally I closed it out. I'll have to work on that. I want to be more decisive with my game and be able to just close out matches instead of letting my opponent back into the match. Over all, though, I had a good time. Near the end of our session, another teacher came into the gym with some students and started walking in circles. It was so weird. But by that time, the baseline was peppered with my sweat and I was going to start slipping all over that line. So it was a good time to stop.
I wasn't able to do my Splits and Flow until after my late class so I just finished. It was good to get the splits in and go low. My knee felt a little pressure, but no pain. The Flow was also as expected.
In the end (of tennis), I torched a solid 950+kcals. Maybe I was a bit sluggish today. Usually I get more than 1000kcals. But it was a good day.
Tennis Day!!!
Super stoked about that, but the gym was so humid and there were spots of condensation on the floor that made running a little scary. But we went ahead and played. It was a good session. I was working on staying consistent. I used the high tension racket today so I was also going for more spin and power. There was a little more reverb today so the gym didn't seem as dead because the sound was carrying more. The first set took a lot longer than it should have. I jumped out to an early lead, then let it get away, then jumped out to another lead, then sat there for a while. Finally I closed it out. I'll have to work on that. I want to be more decisive with my game and be able to just close out matches instead of letting my opponent back into the match. Over all, though, I had a good time. Near the end of our session, another teacher came into the gym with some students and started walking in circles. It was so weird. But by that time, the baseline was peppered with my sweat and I was going to start slipping all over that line. So it was a good time to stop.
I wasn't able to do my Splits and Flow until after my late class so I just finished. It was good to get the splits in and go low. My knee felt a little pressure, but no pain. The Flow was also as expected.
In the end (of tennis), I torched a solid 950+kcals. Maybe I was a bit sluggish today. Usually I get more than 1000kcals. But it was a good day.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
6-22-16 HY: P90X2 - Mobility and Recovery + Splits + TCF.
6-22-16 HY: P90X2 - Mobility and Recovery + Splits + TCF.
So thankful I inserted this mid-week recovery day into my schedule. I really need this extra stretch and less intense day to recover.
Mobility and Recovery is one of my favorite routines to do mid-week because the foam rolling and the hip opening and the shoulder opening is such a relief. It really hits the spots. It also give me a chance to have a double stretch, because the M&R routine is long enough to fit in the morning and doesn't allow me to do much else, so I have to do the Splits and Flow after work. So I end up getting a double stretch on either ends of the day.
In the evening, the Splits were extra good, really opening up my hip flexors. I was able to get nice and low. Also, the Flow felt extra smooth and clean. The only little, or potentially big problem is that I'm feeling a bit gimpy in my right knee again. There is no pain, but the knee just feels a little loose. That is the best way I can explain it. So I'll have to keep an especially close watch over it. No HRM in the evening.
In the end (of the morning session) I melted a modest 195kcals. But entirely worth it.
So thankful I inserted this mid-week recovery day into my schedule. I really need this extra stretch and less intense day to recover.
Mobility and Recovery is one of my favorite routines to do mid-week because the foam rolling and the hip opening and the shoulder opening is such a relief. It really hits the spots. It also give me a chance to have a double stretch, because the M&R routine is long enough to fit in the morning and doesn't allow me to do much else, so I have to do the Splits and Flow after work. So I end up getting a double stretch on either ends of the day.
In the evening, the Splits were extra good, really opening up my hip flexors. I was able to get nice and low. Also, the Flow felt extra smooth and clean. The only little, or potentially big problem is that I'm feeling a bit gimpy in my right knee again. There is no pain, but the knee just feels a little loose. That is the best way I can explain it. So I'll have to keep an especially close watch over it. No HRM in the evening.
In the end (of the morning session) I melted a modest 195kcals. But entirely worth it.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
6-21-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Push Circuit 2 + Extreme Abs + Splits + TCF.
6-21-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Push Circuit 2 + Extreme Abs + Splits + TCF.
Busy work day so workout came in the evening. For some reason, I woke up this morning, tired and still sleepy, sort of like a sleep cycle got interrupted and I felt sleepy most of the day. I had to do some jamming out on my drive home so stay awake.
The targets for today's routine were Shoulders and Legs. I kept all the weights the same as last week, because it was tough. The rep counts were all the same also, even move 7. with the 6-2-3 count. My shoulders were pretty spent by that time so I probably should have taken Chalene's advice and go down in my weight. As for the Pull Ups, I got one more on the Close Front, to 16, and I was feeling a little energized on the Horn (parallel grip) pull ups and banged out 20, up 5reps from last week. Over all a good routine, and I hit my limit on every move. Push to failure, for sure!
The Splits are feeling really good recently. Once I get warmed up, I'm able to really push it low, especially on the straddle splits. So happy to get over that plateau. The Flow also was very nice, smooth and clean.
In the end, I torched over 950+kcals. Good workout today.
Busy work day so workout came in the evening. For some reason, I woke up this morning, tired and still sleepy, sort of like a sleep cycle got interrupted and I felt sleepy most of the day. I had to do some jamming out on my drive home so stay awake.
The targets for today's routine were Shoulders and Legs. I kept all the weights the same as last week, because it was tough. The rep counts were all the same also, even move 7. with the 6-2-3 count. My shoulders were pretty spent by that time so I probably should have taken Chalene's advice and go down in my weight. As for the Pull Ups, I got one more on the Close Front, to 16, and I was feeling a little energized on the Horn (parallel grip) pull ups and banged out 20, up 5reps from last week. Over all a good routine, and I hit my limit on every move. Push to failure, for sure!
The Splits are feeling really good recently. Once I get warmed up, I'm able to really push it low, especially on the straddle splits. So happy to get over that plateau. The Flow also was very nice, smooth and clean.
In the end, I torched over 950+kcals. Good workout today.
6-20-16 HY: T25 - Alpha: Speed 1.0 + Splits + TCF + Tennis.
6-20-16 HY: T25 - Alpha: Speed 1.0 + Splits + TCF + Tennis.
This is another Double Day. I'm going to do them as long as I can which means for only 5 more weeks, until the semester ends. So I'm taking advantage of the extra time as much as possible.
In the morning, I started off with some cardio and stretching. Perfect way to wake the body and mind up. I really like all the moves and the stretches mixed in. Straight 25, but I had to take the intensity out of a couple of moves because I wasn't prepared for the sweat to fly off of me like it started to do around the 12 minutes mark. With all the rain comes the humidity, and I just didn't want my stuff to be splattered with sweat. But on everything that didn't have a flailing extremity, I pushed it. I was able to get a good burn today.
The Splits and Flow were right on par with last night. Pushed low and good some good results. Very happy wit my showing today.
After classes, I had an extra tennis session. Again, very humid in the gym and I was sweating hard. The practice was good, but I felt just off a bit today, unable to find a rhythm. As my stroke started to get some consistency, my partner calls for a break, so we take a break. After the break, we played a set. Practice is supposed to help you make things like strokes and such, second nature... natural. But when we started to play the set, my partner totally changed up his style and returned everything like a bloop shot. I was a bit taken a back and a little upset because that is not what we were practicing. So, I was whiffing balls out and netting them. So different from how we were hitting before. I don't want to play conservative in matches, so I hit out and I messed up. So, I lost. Thankfully not a bagel, but I'm itching to play again now that I know what will come and I'm mentally prepared. But that not withstanding, I had a good session and I exhausted myself... in a good way. I love double days.
In the end, I torched 750+kcals in the morning, and 1500+kcals in the evening. Nice big burn today.
This is another Double Day. I'm going to do them as long as I can which means for only 5 more weeks, until the semester ends. So I'm taking advantage of the extra time as much as possible.
In the morning, I started off with some cardio and stretching. Perfect way to wake the body and mind up. I really like all the moves and the stretches mixed in. Straight 25, but I had to take the intensity out of a couple of moves because I wasn't prepared for the sweat to fly off of me like it started to do around the 12 minutes mark. With all the rain comes the humidity, and I just didn't want my stuff to be splattered with sweat. But on everything that didn't have a flailing extremity, I pushed it. I was able to get a good burn today.
The Splits and Flow were right on par with last night. Pushed low and good some good results. Very happy wit my showing today.
After classes, I had an extra tennis session. Again, very humid in the gym and I was sweating hard. The practice was good, but I felt just off a bit today, unable to find a rhythm. As my stroke started to get some consistency, my partner calls for a break, so we take a break. After the break, we played a set. Practice is supposed to help you make things like strokes and such, second nature... natural. But when we started to play the set, my partner totally changed up his style and returned everything like a bloop shot. I was a bit taken a back and a little upset because that is not what we were practicing. So, I was whiffing balls out and netting them. So different from how we were hitting before. I don't want to play conservative in matches, so I hit out and I messed up. So, I lost. Thankfully not a bagel, but I'm itching to play again now that I know what will come and I'm mentally prepared. But that not withstanding, I had a good session and I exhausted myself... in a good way. I love double days.
In the end, I torched 750+kcals in the morning, and 1500+kcals in the evening. Nice big burn today.
Monday, June 20, 2016
6-19-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Push Circuit 1 + Ab Burner + Splits + TCF.
6-19-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Push Circuit 1 + Ab Burner + Splits + TCF.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!! to all you fathers out there!!
It was a good day. Not a usual Father's Day, but one where I had to be a father and do fatherish stuff. With one child away at school, and another busy with school, it was only appropriate that I do something for school So my wife and I attended my son's schools PTA meeting. It is something that I plan on attending only once unless dire necessity requires my attendance next year. Not really my cup of tea. Enough said. I was glad to be doing something for my son in his first year of college. But we went on a lot of errands before getting home and it was quite late by the time we got home. I knew my girls were wanting to have a celebration in the evening so I needed to get to my workout right away. Another time crunch.
Back for another round of Push Phase, so the target muscles today were Biceps, Legs, Triceps, plus my pull ups. After the first round last week, I learned a few thing and so I adjusted my weights accordingly. The first 2 moves (not including the pull ups) were the same, but the 3rd move, I went from 11.25kgs to a flat 12kgs. On the next move, I went down from 13.25kgs to 12kgs. With the heavier weight, I couldn't get my elbows away from my sides like Chalene was instructing, I was just going straight up with the dumbbells and not out. The 12's allowed me to have the right form. Move 7. moved up from 12.5kgs to 13.25kgs. Chalene said to go down from the first move, but for me, I agree with Tony when he says that Hammer Curls a little easier than regular curls so heavy up the weights. I was able to do it okay with good form. The only other little change I did was the second set of Pull Ups. I did Towel Pull Ups in two sets last time with two different grips. This time, I did just the one grip and went for a straight set. I got a huge pump and burn from this routine. And the pump lasted well into the evening.
I quickly moved to Ab Burner because time was running short. But still went very hard and got a good burn.
I only had time to get through the core so I stopped and showered. We had our Father's Day celebration. It was nice to eat together. And per my request, we had order in pizza. But I got the thin crust and less cheese so I wouldn't have to be too guilty. But it was a party, so nope, NO GUILT! Just fun with my girls. Then, we called my Dad and we ended up talking for about 90 minutes. Then, I got to finish out my workout.
The Splits were really good today. There is one point that I reach where I can really push low, especially on the Straddle Splits. I think I will be able to hit the full splits within the next couple months if I can keep on this pace. The Flow was also smooth and clean.
In the end, I torched 970+kcals not including the Splits and Flow. Good day!
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!! to all you fathers out there!!
It was a good day. Not a usual Father's Day, but one where I had to be a father and do fatherish stuff. With one child away at school, and another busy with school, it was only appropriate that I do something for school So my wife and I attended my son's schools PTA meeting. It is something that I plan on attending only once unless dire necessity requires my attendance next year. Not really my cup of tea. Enough said. I was glad to be doing something for my son in his first year of college. But we went on a lot of errands before getting home and it was quite late by the time we got home. I knew my girls were wanting to have a celebration in the evening so I needed to get to my workout right away. Another time crunch.
Back for another round of Push Phase, so the target muscles today were Biceps, Legs, Triceps, plus my pull ups. After the first round last week, I learned a few thing and so I adjusted my weights accordingly. The first 2 moves (not including the pull ups) were the same, but the 3rd move, I went from 11.25kgs to a flat 12kgs. On the next move, I went down from 13.25kgs to 12kgs. With the heavier weight, I couldn't get my elbows away from my sides like Chalene was instructing, I was just going straight up with the dumbbells and not out. The 12's allowed me to have the right form. Move 7. moved up from 12.5kgs to 13.25kgs. Chalene said to go down from the first move, but for me, I agree with Tony when he says that Hammer Curls a little easier than regular curls so heavy up the weights. I was able to do it okay with good form. The only other little change I did was the second set of Pull Ups. I did Towel Pull Ups in two sets last time with two different grips. This time, I did just the one grip and went for a straight set. I got a huge pump and burn from this routine. And the pump lasted well into the evening.
I quickly moved to Ab Burner because time was running short. But still went very hard and got a good burn.
I only had time to get through the core so I stopped and showered. We had our Father's Day celebration. It was nice to eat together. And per my request, we had order in pizza. But I got the thin crust and less cheese so I wouldn't have to be too guilty. But it was a party, so nope, NO GUILT! Just fun with my girls. Then, we called my Dad and we ended up talking for about 90 minutes. Then, I got to finish out my workout.
The Splits were really good today. There is one point that I reach where I can really push low, especially on the Straddle Splits. I think I will be able to hit the full splits within the next couple months if I can keep on this pace. The Flow was also smooth and clean.
In the end, I torched 970+kcals not including the Splits and Flow. Good day!
Friday, June 17, 2016
6-17-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Push Circuit 3 + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 200 + 22 Push Up Challenge + TCF.
6-17-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Push Circuit 3 + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 200 + 22 Push Up Challenge + TCF.
Fridays are time crunch days. I have a small window of time to get my workout done after getting home from work, so once I got home, I got to it.
When I got the worksheet out and looked at the previous sessions weights, I was a little shocked because I saw numbers from 18.25kgs to 25kgs exclusively. I became a little nervous because I thought I might not be able to handle that heavy of weights today, plus the Pull Ups. But I figured I'd try it and if it was too much at the beginning, I'd swallow my pride and go down some. But it ended up being okay, in fact, I went up a little on one move, and adjusted another move to get more weight in and protect my back. The target muscles today were Legs, Upper Back and Chest. With the Pull ups, it is more difficult because sometimes I end up doing two moves that hit the same muscles back-to-back. But the spacing today, was perfect and afforded me the perfect move placement within the routine. You can see the worksheet below. But, I did have to make a few adjustments to some of the moves in the name of safety. The Switch Grip Pull Ups had a total of 5reps on each grip, but divided in a 3-2 count. I still got 25. But I needed some time to recover, especially since this move started me off. The numbered move #2. Single-Arm Row, I did the single arm row, but did it a little differently, in that I did it with my ELBOW OUT instead of at my side like Chalene did it. I knew that there would be three sets of rows, so I wanted to get the three elbow positions. The next move, #3. Chest Fly, I did it as recommended, but this is the heaviest weight I've used, EVER on this move. Woo Woo!!! From then on, all the moves and breakdowns were with Chalene so not issues. But the last two numbered moves, #8. Reverse-Grip Bent Over Row, I did as a Single Row, one arm at a time because I wanted to go heavy to benefit my back. If I did it as a Double Row, I'd have to go down to around the 19.5kg range and that was too light. But doing it as a single had the unexpected added bonus of giving my glutes a hard static workout. #9. Long-Arm Pull Over, I did it on a Swiss Ball because I wanted more range of motion. I was able to go down an extra 6-8 inches more than if I were just on the floor. Went to the limit on this one. Felt good. The last move of the routine was the Towel Pull Ups. This time, I did the finger hook grip from the beginning and banged out 12reps. Except for the Switch Grips, I only did 12 reps where I usually do about 15reps, because my back was tired from a couple moves before, which was also a back move, namely, a row of some sort. So I maxed out quicker. The Squats today were killer! It is just a couple hours after my workout and I am feeling it on my quads and inner thighs already.
Time was short so I went for a short but intense ab routine. This cramps me every time. Today was no different, BUT that cramp feeling came on a few moves later than usual. Are my abs getting stronger? I hope so.
I was fully intending to start my workout with the Push Up Challenge, but for some reason, I forgot and got straight to the routine. Ding Bat! Luckily today, I was going with the "Triangle" or "Heart to Heart" Push Ups so more triceps than chest. I thought I was going low, but after looking at the video, I should have pushed and gone lower. Next time, I will start of with it so I can get better form and range of motion.
No time for the Splits, so I went directly for the Flow. and I must say, it was a treat.
In the end, I torched a good 925+kcals. If I had had time to do the splits, I would have topped a grand. But that just means I'm going tomorrow with the splits. So the Push Up Challenge won't be alone.
Fridays are time crunch days. I have a small window of time to get my workout done after getting home from work, so once I got home, I got to it.
When I got the worksheet out and looked at the previous sessions weights, I was a little shocked because I saw numbers from 18.25kgs to 25kgs exclusively. I became a little nervous because I thought I might not be able to handle that heavy of weights today, plus the Pull Ups. But I figured I'd try it and if it was too much at the beginning, I'd swallow my pride and go down some. But it ended up being okay, in fact, I went up a little on one move, and adjusted another move to get more weight in and protect my back. The target muscles today were Legs, Upper Back and Chest. With the Pull ups, it is more difficult because sometimes I end up doing two moves that hit the same muscles back-to-back. But the spacing today, was perfect and afforded me the perfect move placement within the routine. You can see the worksheet below. But, I did have to make a few adjustments to some of the moves in the name of safety. The Switch Grip Pull Ups had a total of 5reps on each grip, but divided in a 3-2 count. I still got 25. But I needed some time to recover, especially since this move started me off. The numbered move #2. Single-Arm Row, I did the single arm row, but did it a little differently, in that I did it with my ELBOW OUT instead of at my side like Chalene did it. I knew that there would be three sets of rows, so I wanted to get the three elbow positions. The next move, #3. Chest Fly, I did it as recommended, but this is the heaviest weight I've used, EVER on this move. Woo Woo!!! From then on, all the moves and breakdowns were with Chalene so not issues. But the last two numbered moves, #8. Reverse-Grip Bent Over Row, I did as a Single Row, one arm at a time because I wanted to go heavy to benefit my back. If I did it as a Double Row, I'd have to go down to around the 19.5kg range and that was too light. But doing it as a single had the unexpected added bonus of giving my glutes a hard static workout. #9. Long-Arm Pull Over, I did it on a Swiss Ball because I wanted more range of motion. I was able to go down an extra 6-8 inches more than if I were just on the floor. Went to the limit on this one. Felt good. The last move of the routine was the Towel Pull Ups. This time, I did the finger hook grip from the beginning and banged out 12reps. Except for the Switch Grips, I only did 12 reps where I usually do about 15reps, because my back was tired from a couple moves before, which was also a back move, namely, a row of some sort. So I maxed out quicker. The Squats today were killer! It is just a couple hours after my workout and I am feeling it on my quads and inner thighs already.
Time was short so I went for a short but intense ab routine. This cramps me every time. Today was no different, BUT that cramp feeling came on a few moves later than usual. Are my abs getting stronger? I hope so.
I was fully intending to start my workout with the Push Up Challenge, but for some reason, I forgot and got straight to the routine. Ding Bat! Luckily today, I was going with the "Triangle" or "Heart to Heart" Push Ups so more triceps than chest. I thought I was going low, but after looking at the video, I should have pushed and gone lower. Next time, I will start of with it so I can get better form and range of motion.
No time for the Splits, so I went directly for the Flow. and I must say, it was a treat.
In the end, I torched a good 925+kcals. If I had had time to do the splits, I would have topped a grand. But that just means I'm going tomorrow with the splits. So the Push Up Challenge won't be alone.
6-16-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.
6-16-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.
TENNIS DAY!!! Second tennis day this week. I really like playing twice a week. There is noticeable improvement and noticeable increase in consistency which is where I need the most work. Although it was a good day for tennis, there were some odd circumstances. First, it was raining all night and morning so the humidity level was very high, probably the highest this year. That affected the air in the gym, in that is was heavy, and it seemed like the sound waves were slower or at least the sound was greatly dampened. The sound of the ball off our rackets was very different. Second, I got new balls so we were having timing issues with the live balls. Third, I was breaking in new shoes. They felt really good, but at the same time, they were a bit stiff. Once they are a little more broken in, they'll be great. It was a somewhat wavy session, but not as many lows as there were highs. I also was able to sustain the highs a little longer than the past. I was able to dig out of the lows a little faster. The match score ended up being 6-2, 6-1, 3-0. It was nice to play, and a challenge to raise our games when we needed to. Again, we both were ripping winners and they felt good!
Before playing today, I did the 22 Push Ups Challenge. Today's variation, Decline Push Ups. I did it in the gym and if the camera was closer, it would have caught huge beads of sweat dripping off my face. Good round.
I had to wait on the Splits and Flow until after my night class, so I didn't get to them until around 10:30pm. But I got them done and I pushed it hard. Feeling the stretch.
In the end, that is after the tennis, I torched over 1050kcals. Nice big burn!
TENNIS DAY!!! Second tennis day this week. I really like playing twice a week. There is noticeable improvement and noticeable increase in consistency which is where I need the most work. Although it was a good day for tennis, there were some odd circumstances. First, it was raining all night and morning so the humidity level was very high, probably the highest this year. That affected the air in the gym, in that is was heavy, and it seemed like the sound waves were slower or at least the sound was greatly dampened. The sound of the ball off our rackets was very different. Second, I got new balls so we were having timing issues with the live balls. Third, I was breaking in new shoes. They felt really good, but at the same time, they were a bit stiff. Once they are a little more broken in, they'll be great. It was a somewhat wavy session, but not as many lows as there were highs. I also was able to sustain the highs a little longer than the past. I was able to dig out of the lows a little faster. The match score ended up being 6-2, 6-1, 3-0. It was nice to play, and a challenge to raise our games when we needed to. Again, we both were ripping winners and they felt good!
Before playing today, I did the 22 Push Ups Challenge. Today's variation, Decline Push Ups. I did it in the gym and if the camera was closer, it would have caught huge beads of sweat dripping off my face. Good round.
I had to wait on the Splits and Flow until after my night class, so I didn't get to them until around 10:30pm. But I got them done and I pushed it hard. Feeling the stretch.
In the end, that is after the tennis, I torched over 1050kcals. Nice big burn!
Thursday, June 16, 2016
6-15-16 HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + ChaLEAN Extreme - Recharge + Splits + TCF.
6-15-16 HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + ChaLEAN Extreme - Recharge + Splits + TCF.
Today was another messed up day. In the morning, continuing on from last week, I had part 2 of my school health check. It was only one test, the test to check for stomach cancer. So I had to drink some carbonate powder and barium. UGH!!! I was planning to do my workout after the test, but when I got to school they system was way backed up so I had to wait for a while before it was my turn. So that nixed working out in the morning. So I ended up having to do my workout after my night class. I got home around 8pm and got started about 20 minutes later. In hind sight, it was a good thing that I couldn't do my workout in the morning because my stomach was very gassy and I had a bit of an upset stomach combined with a stomach ache.
My body was still pretty sore from the resistance yesterday, so that is why I only did some easy stretch and flexibility work. I didn't want to do X3 Yoga again, and the other Yoga routines were a bit too long, so I combined Cold Start and Recharge. Doing the light warm up moves in Cold Start sort of made my stomach ache a little more so I'm glad it wasn't more intense. But I was glad that I was able to hit all the stretch poses in both routines fine, including all the bending over poses. They are nice combination actually. Great warm up and stretch. I felt like I was really hitting my spots. Then, combine those routines with my regular Splits and Flow. It was a great mid-week recovery session.
In the end, I melted only about 250+/-kcals. But it was a great day... not including the morning test, of course.
Today was another messed up day. In the morning, continuing on from last week, I had part 2 of my school health check. It was only one test, the test to check for stomach cancer. So I had to drink some carbonate powder and barium. UGH!!! I was planning to do my workout after the test, but when I got to school they system was way backed up so I had to wait for a while before it was my turn. So that nixed working out in the morning. So I ended up having to do my workout after my night class. I got home around 8pm and got started about 20 minutes later. In hind sight, it was a good thing that I couldn't do my workout in the morning because my stomach was very gassy and I had a bit of an upset stomach combined with a stomach ache.
My body was still pretty sore from the resistance yesterday, so that is why I only did some easy stretch and flexibility work. I didn't want to do X3 Yoga again, and the other Yoga routines were a bit too long, so I combined Cold Start and Recharge. Doing the light warm up moves in Cold Start sort of made my stomach ache a little more so I'm glad it wasn't more intense. But I was glad that I was able to hit all the stretch poses in both routines fine, including all the bending over poses. They are nice combination actually. Great warm up and stretch. I felt like I was really hitting my spots. Then, combine those routines with my regular Splits and Flow. It was a great mid-week recovery session.
In the end, I melted only about 250+/-kcals. But it was a great day... not including the morning test, of course.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
6-14-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Push Circuit 2 + Extreme Core Circuit + 22 Push Up Challenge + Splits + TCF.
6-14-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Push Circuit 2 + Extreme Core Circuit + 22 Push Up Challenge + Splits + TCF.
When I woke up this morning, I was aching all over. Legs and biceps especially. This is the second day burn for me. But I had to gut through it. Another time crunch today. Had to get started on my workout pretty much right when I got home from work because of a business guest coming over later in the evening. Not rest or relaxing today. Just pushing non-stop.
Today's targets were Shoulders, Legs and Glutes. I tried to keep the same weights I did last time so mainly bouncing back and forth between 17kgs and 10kgs. With one 19.5kg exception on the Single-Leg Tap Lunges. But adding to that, the 4 extra sets of Pull Ups, it was a full workout. The 17kgs for the Standard Overhead Press felt good at first, but again, it was the slow reps that killed me. I felt good up until the 6th rep, then I need to really bear down and gut out the last two reps. Actually, that is how it was for the whole routine. Feeling good on the first few SLOW reps, then quickly got tired and and to twist my face into all sorts of ugly to get it done. And I did make a recording mistake on move 7. Frontal Shoulder Press. I wrote down 8-3x2, but it actually was 6-2-3x2. My shoulders were totally fried by then and I needed to take a breather at 6 reps. So I put the dumbbells down for a bit and shook out my arms, then did the last 2 reps, then the break down. All the Fly moves and lateral moves just wasted me. Using 10kgs for those moves might be a bit heavy. Because in the later reps, I couldn't keep in control of weight and couldn't lower the weights as slowly as I needed to. But I didn't drop them down. I controlled them down, but, especially on my right arm, my shoulder seemed to do some odd things as the weight went down. The oddest thing is that my left arm felt a lot stronger today that previously. A long more control and stronger releases. The Shoulder Press moves got more and more difficult as the routine progressed. The 17's kept getting heavier and heavier. But I was able to finish. The one good thing that I am most proud of is raising all my Pull Up numbers from last time. Plus 5 reps on the last 3 sets and plus 2 on the first. Those Wide Pull Ups are brutal, but I love it.
When I woke up this morning, I was aching all over. Legs and biceps especially. This is the second day burn for me. But I had to gut through it. Another time crunch today. Had to get started on my workout pretty much right when I got home from work because of a business guest coming over later in the evening. Not rest or relaxing today. Just pushing non-stop.
Today's targets were Shoulders, Legs and Glutes. I tried to keep the same weights I did last time so mainly bouncing back and forth between 17kgs and 10kgs. With one 19.5kg exception on the Single-Leg Tap Lunges. But adding to that, the 4 extra sets of Pull Ups, it was a full workout. The 17kgs for the Standard Overhead Press felt good at first, but again, it was the slow reps that killed me. I felt good up until the 6th rep, then I need to really bear down and gut out the last two reps. Actually, that is how it was for the whole routine. Feeling good on the first few SLOW reps, then quickly got tired and and to twist my face into all sorts of ugly to get it done. And I did make a recording mistake on move 7. Frontal Shoulder Press. I wrote down 8-3x2, but it actually was 6-2-3x2. My shoulders were totally fried by then and I needed to take a breather at 6 reps. So I put the dumbbells down for a bit and shook out my arms, then did the last 2 reps, then the break down. All the Fly moves and lateral moves just wasted me. Using 10kgs for those moves might be a bit heavy. Because in the later reps, I couldn't keep in control of weight and couldn't lower the weights as slowly as I needed to. But I didn't drop them down. I controlled them down, but, especially on my right arm, my shoulder seemed to do some odd things as the weight went down. The oddest thing is that my left arm felt a lot stronger today that previously. A long more control and stronger releases. The Shoulder Press moves got more and more difficult as the routine progressed. The 17's kept getting heavier and heavier. But I was able to finish. The one good thing that I am most proud of is raising all my Pull Up numbers from last time. Plus 5 reps on the last 3 sets and plus 2 on the first. Those Wide Pull Ups are brutal, but I love it.
I made the mistake of doing the Push Up Challenge after the main routine. Upper body was spent. The variation I chose for today was the moving push up. Also, I wanted to do the time-lapse video so I had to do it slow enough so the camera could catch the moves. Luckily there is no sound on the time-lapse because I was groaning and moaning. But I think the video turned out okay. Arms got a nice pump and definitely a good burn.
The Splits and Flow were as expected. I ended up cutting a minute off my splits time so and that turned out to be the decisive minute. Because as I was getting out of the shower, the guest rang the doorbell. WHEW!!! That was too close.
In the end, I torched 1006kcals. Big Burn!!!
Monday, June 13, 2016
6-13-16 HY: T25 - Alpha: Cardio + Splits + TCF + Tennis.
6-13-16 HY: T25 - Alpha: Cardio + Splits + TCF + Tennis.
Today was a normal day... FINALLY!!! But there will be some more unusual days coming this week, but after this week, there will be a long run of normal days so that will be nice. But for now, the name of the game is adaptation.
It was nice to get back to a morning workout. But I was in a little bit of a time crunch because our bank guy was coming to have me sign some papers. So, I had to get to it quick. Cardio is always a good routine for me. I love the moves, the progressions are tough, but in a good order so just when I'm about to give it up, a new progression start and allows me to shake out some of the pain and recover some. Especially right off the bat with that first progression. But I was able to take the pain. Actually, the pain has slowly been getting more bearable the more I do these routines which was one of my goals. This type of conditioning is something I need to play tennis better and longer. But I NAILED the routine and went Straight 25. I was sweating like crazy and the drops started to fly. It is the rainy season here and the humidity is close to 90% hence the buckets of sweat. It was a great routine.
Before doing the stretch, I recorded the 22 day Push Up challenge. I'm supposed to do only 22 push ups a day, but I ended up doing 44. The first time I recorded the push ups, I used the Time-Lapse function but it was too fast and I couldn't see what I was doing. So I went with the regular rate video. I still nailed it! For our TROOPS!
I moved into the Splits, and luckily, I started early enough, and ended early enough that the time crunch sort of became a non-issue. So I could do a full stretch and Flow. The stretch was great, and I was able to get really low and I got to the point where I could actually feel the pull on my inner thighs. I'm glad to be doing effective stretches. The Flow was as expected, smooth and clean.
I did some tennis training and drilling today. Almost non-stop for the whole session. We were able to go a little longer today, just about 10 minutes longer but worth it because we were practicing serves and I need all the practice I can get. The gym was also very humid, so the sweat was pouring down. Consistency is what I need. I have a good stroke, but I just don't have the control I need to go up to that next step, or level. But playing twice as much as before will hopefully push me to be more consistent. I felt a smidge better this week so that is a good thing! Last week I was on day 3 of the refresh so I didn't have the energy I needed. But today, I pushed it.
In the end, I forgot the exact Torch rate, but combining the morning and afternoon sessions, I Torched just under 2000kcals. Woo Woo!!!
Today was a normal day... FINALLY!!! But there will be some more unusual days coming this week, but after this week, there will be a long run of normal days so that will be nice. But for now, the name of the game is adaptation.
It was nice to get back to a morning workout. But I was in a little bit of a time crunch because our bank guy was coming to have me sign some papers. So, I had to get to it quick. Cardio is always a good routine for me. I love the moves, the progressions are tough, but in a good order so just when I'm about to give it up, a new progression start and allows me to shake out some of the pain and recover some. Especially right off the bat with that first progression. But I was able to take the pain. Actually, the pain has slowly been getting more bearable the more I do these routines which was one of my goals. This type of conditioning is something I need to play tennis better and longer. But I NAILED the routine and went Straight 25. I was sweating like crazy and the drops started to fly. It is the rainy season here and the humidity is close to 90% hence the buckets of sweat. It was a great routine.
Before doing the stretch, I recorded the 22 day Push Up challenge. I'm supposed to do only 22 push ups a day, but I ended up doing 44. The first time I recorded the push ups, I used the Time-Lapse function but it was too fast and I couldn't see what I was doing. So I went with the regular rate video. I still nailed it! For our TROOPS!
I moved into the Splits, and luckily, I started early enough, and ended early enough that the time crunch sort of became a non-issue. So I could do a full stretch and Flow. The stretch was great, and I was able to get really low and I got to the point where I could actually feel the pull on my inner thighs. I'm glad to be doing effective stretches. The Flow was as expected, smooth and clean.
I did some tennis training and drilling today. Almost non-stop for the whole session. We were able to go a little longer today, just about 10 minutes longer but worth it because we were practicing serves and I need all the practice I can get. The gym was also very humid, so the sweat was pouring down. Consistency is what I need. I have a good stroke, but I just don't have the control I need to go up to that next step, or level. But playing twice as much as before will hopefully push me to be more consistent. I felt a smidge better this week so that is a good thing! Last week I was on day 3 of the refresh so I didn't have the energy I needed. But today, I pushed it.
In the end, I forgot the exact Torch rate, but combining the morning and afternoon sessions, I Torched just under 2000kcals. Woo Woo!!!
6-12-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Push Circuit 1 + Ab Burner + Splits + TCF.
6-12-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Push Circuit 1 + Ab Burner + Splits + TCF.
I'M BACK!!! The recovery week was great! I was really able to rest up and allow my body to heal. Plus, the 3-Day Refresh that started off my Recovery Week really gave me a new and energized body. I'll admit, I was a little restless with all that extra energy, but the stores are full, and I'm ready to work hard.
Today was a good day. Went shopping and ran some errands with my wife in the morning. We ate at Subway for lunch and it was delicious! When we got home, we relaxed for a while, and then I got to work.
I was really looking forward to the Push Phase because this is one muscle group at a time and the pump and burn are palpable. Today's menu was Biceps, Legs with Squats and Triceps. I used the previous run through notes as my guide, but some of the weights were a little too heavy, so I will have to adjust them for next time. And I must say, that even though I was only doing 8 reps then the break down on the last 6 moves, I was getting an incredible cardio effect. By the end of those slow sets, I was gasping for air. I wasn't, or at least I wasn't trying to hold my breath, but man, was I winded after most of those moves. The numbers game was still playing in my head for the 4 extra sets of pull/chin ups. I went as fast as I could for as many as I could but to a goal. I did better than last time. The big thing was that again, my forearms were really feeling it today. Chalene warned about not gripping the weights too tight for fear of over gripping, but I needed to really grip the weights or they'd fall right out of my hands. I don't think I had a death grip on them, but enough to not let them fall. But there were a lot of heavy weights, especially for the squats. Only one move forced me to stop before 8 reps, that is the Hammer Biceps move in the last circuit of 3. My biceps were about ready to give out, and they did on 6, but I wanted to get to 8 so I shook out my arms and finished off the set, then, plus the breakdown. The pump really stayed with me for a long time after. My forearms are still feeling it as I type. Also, the very final move, Push Ups, instead of doing regular push ups as Chalene does, I went with Triangle Push Ups so I could keep working my Triceps. That final move blew me away. Then I had the last set of Pull Ups, but I was doing a 5-grip Switch Grip set. The last 2 grips, I had to rest after 4 then eek out a fifth. Super SUPER Pump and Burn today. Getting that After burn effect also.
Ab Burner seemed like the logical choice for abs today so that is what I did. My arms were so spent, I'm glad I could push with Chalene today. I got that long lost burn, but it's BACK!!!
The Splits were really good today. Smooth and clean, I just need to get lower sooner. And I did several extra Flows to cap off the workout.
In the end, I torched a great 1125+kcals. Back to the big Burn!
I'M BACK!!! The recovery week was great! I was really able to rest up and allow my body to heal. Plus, the 3-Day Refresh that started off my Recovery Week really gave me a new and energized body. I'll admit, I was a little restless with all that extra energy, but the stores are full, and I'm ready to work hard.
Today was a good day. Went shopping and ran some errands with my wife in the morning. We ate at Subway for lunch and it was delicious! When we got home, we relaxed for a while, and then I got to work.
I was really looking forward to the Push Phase because this is one muscle group at a time and the pump and burn are palpable. Today's menu was Biceps, Legs with Squats and Triceps. I used the previous run through notes as my guide, but some of the weights were a little too heavy, so I will have to adjust them for next time. And I must say, that even though I was only doing 8 reps then the break down on the last 6 moves, I was getting an incredible cardio effect. By the end of those slow sets, I was gasping for air. I wasn't, or at least I wasn't trying to hold my breath, but man, was I winded after most of those moves. The numbers game was still playing in my head for the 4 extra sets of pull/chin ups. I went as fast as I could for as many as I could but to a goal. I did better than last time. The big thing was that again, my forearms were really feeling it today. Chalene warned about not gripping the weights too tight for fear of over gripping, but I needed to really grip the weights or they'd fall right out of my hands. I don't think I had a death grip on them, but enough to not let them fall. But there were a lot of heavy weights, especially for the squats. Only one move forced me to stop before 8 reps, that is the Hammer Biceps move in the last circuit of 3. My biceps were about ready to give out, and they did on 6, but I wanted to get to 8 so I shook out my arms and finished off the set, then, plus the breakdown. The pump really stayed with me for a long time after. My forearms are still feeling it as I type. Also, the very final move, Push Ups, instead of doing regular push ups as Chalene does, I went with Triangle Push Ups so I could keep working my Triceps. That final move blew me away. Then I had the last set of Pull Ups, but I was doing a 5-grip Switch Grip set. The last 2 grips, I had to rest after 4 then eek out a fifth. Super SUPER Pump and Burn today. Getting that After burn effect also.
Ab Burner seemed like the logical choice for abs today so that is what I did. My arms were so spent, I'm glad I could push with Chalene today. I got that long lost burn, but it's BACK!!!
The Splits were really good today. Smooth and clean, I just need to get lower sooner. And I did several extra Flows to cap off the workout.
In the end, I torched a great 1125+kcals. Back to the big Burn!
Friday, June 10, 2016
6-10-16 HY: Insanity: Cardio Recovery + Splits + TCF.
6-10-16 HY: Insanity: Cardio Recovery + Splits + TCF.
Finishing out my RECOVERY WEEK today with Shaun T and the shorter of his recovery routines. It is interesting to me that this is a recovery routine because it made my legs burn like crazy. The slow squats and lunges then with the slow pulses. OUCH!!! All the slow movements really focus the pain so as to concentrate on tensing up the muscle then releasing it to relax it. Oh my goodness. It worked. My inner thighs were burning on the squats, my quads were burning on the lunges, shoulders were burning on those oblique moves. Man, it was like a full body burn. I very much appreciated the burn today, for sure.
All that burn was really noticeable on the splits. I was able to get really low today. I tried something new today. Instead of switching after one set to the other side, I did two sets of stretches on each side. That allowed me to sit into the stretch a lot more and I really needed to breathe though the pain today. I usually get pretty low on my left side splits, and not so low on the right side, but today, the right side got almost as low as the left, and the straddle splits hit a new low as well. It was nice to really feel the pull in my inner thighs, hammys and hip flexors more than usual. Great stretch. The Flow was also on point, smooth and clean.
In the end, I burned a nice 350+kcals. Satisfying end to my recovery week. Happy Weekend, Everyone!
Finishing out my RECOVERY WEEK today with Shaun T and the shorter of his recovery routines. It is interesting to me that this is a recovery routine because it made my legs burn like crazy. The slow squats and lunges then with the slow pulses. OUCH!!! All the slow movements really focus the pain so as to concentrate on tensing up the muscle then releasing it to relax it. Oh my goodness. It worked. My inner thighs were burning on the squats, my quads were burning on the lunges, shoulders were burning on those oblique moves. Man, it was like a full body burn. I very much appreciated the burn today, for sure.
All that burn was really noticeable on the splits. I was able to get really low today. I tried something new today. Instead of switching after one set to the other side, I did two sets of stretches on each side. That allowed me to sit into the stretch a lot more and I really needed to breathe though the pain today. I usually get pretty low on my left side splits, and not so low on the right side, but today, the right side got almost as low as the left, and the straddle splits hit a new low as well. It was nice to really feel the pull in my inner thighs, hammys and hip flexors more than usual. Great stretch. The Flow was also on point, smooth and clean.
In the end, I burned a nice 350+kcals. Satisfying end to my recovery week. Happy Weekend, Everyone!
6-09-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.
6-09-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.
Back to my original Thursday schedule. Tennis in the morning, then Splits and Flow at night after my night class. Because of that night class, no tennis club for the next three weeks. But that just gives me something to look forward to so I'll be happy.
The gym was rather humid today. Fortunately it wasn't that hot. But it will get there in the weeks to come. Then, I'll have to bring a few shirts to change into or my sweat will pool up right there on the baseline. But as for today's tennis, the extra day of tennis on Monday is helping with my focus and concentration, I felt. The more often I play, the better I play. Once a week is barely enough to maintain a certain level. Twice a week will allow me to reach a groove faster and I certainly felt that today. Warm up was short and then we started to bang the ball. Recently, I've been using my loose racket because of control issues at the other venue. So to get used to that racket, I'm using that one more. It was a great session, but right in the middle, we both stepped off the train and lost focus and concentration and the balls were either flying to the back wall or junking into the net. But we quickly climbed out of that funk and started playing better. There was also a weird feeling like a bruised muscle in my right quad. Almost like a pre-cramp. Nothing happened, but it was throbbing some. That feeling started right before the session while I was climbing the stairs. Odd, but I got through with no incident. The score ended up being 6-2, 4-1. Didn't have much time today, but play was intense.
After the night class, I got to my splits and Flow. Everything seemed to be firing on all cylinders, so I was happy.
In the end, I torched a good 1010kcals, but that is only for the tennis. No HRM in the evening.
Back to my original Thursday schedule. Tennis in the morning, then Splits and Flow at night after my night class. Because of that night class, no tennis club for the next three weeks. But that just gives me something to look forward to so I'll be happy.
The gym was rather humid today. Fortunately it wasn't that hot. But it will get there in the weeks to come. Then, I'll have to bring a few shirts to change into or my sweat will pool up right there on the baseline. But as for today's tennis, the extra day of tennis on Monday is helping with my focus and concentration, I felt. The more often I play, the better I play. Once a week is barely enough to maintain a certain level. Twice a week will allow me to reach a groove faster and I certainly felt that today. Warm up was short and then we started to bang the ball. Recently, I've been using my loose racket because of control issues at the other venue. So to get used to that racket, I'm using that one more. It was a great session, but right in the middle, we both stepped off the train and lost focus and concentration and the balls were either flying to the back wall or junking into the net. But we quickly climbed out of that funk and started playing better. There was also a weird feeling like a bruised muscle in my right quad. Almost like a pre-cramp. Nothing happened, but it was throbbing some. That feeling started right before the session while I was climbing the stairs. Odd, but I got through with no incident. The score ended up being 6-2, 4-1. Didn't have much time today, but play was intense.
After the night class, I got to my splits and Flow. Everything seemed to be firing on all cylinders, so I was happy.
In the end, I torched a good 1010kcals, but that is only for the tennis. No HRM in the evening.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
6-08-16 HY: P90X3 - X3 Yoga + Splits + TCF.
6-08-16 HY: P90X3 - X3 Yoga + Splits + TCF.
Today, I had my health check at work. So, I wasn't supposed to eat anything in the morning. So, without eating, I went to work and got the check done. Everything was fine. The slight anomaly was that my weight was up, but my waist measurement was down. I'm thinking muscle mass is the cause. Right after the check, I went to the gym to get my workout in.
X3 Yoga is always a great routine to do on off days or recovery days/weeks. I pushed the stretching as much as possible and pressed my range of motion. Tried for perfect form, and for the most part, from my point of view, I was doing okay. My Wrap was good. My Half Moon was strong and steady on both sides. My right Toe Bind was strong and stable, but the left side was pitiful. I kept falling out of it and couldn't maintain the pose. Everything else was good. On that move after Plow, with the legs straight up, today, my legs were the straightest and the most perpendicular to the ground I've gotten them in a long time. Felt really good today, all around. Right after the yoga, I wanted to test my pull up strength, so I did a set of Pull Ups. Nailed out 21 in a row. The most for in one set, non-stop. My previous record was 20.
I wasn't able to do the splits until I got home late in the evening. But I got them done, adding time to them to push lower, and I was feeling good, so I was able to push. I think I pushed the lowest today for a new record low. The Flow was smooth and clean.
In the end, but after only the Yoga, I burned a nice 300+kcals. Recovery week is almost done, then it's back to the heavy resistance. Looking forward to it.
Today, I had my health check at work. So, I wasn't supposed to eat anything in the morning. So, without eating, I went to work and got the check done. Everything was fine. The slight anomaly was that my weight was up, but my waist measurement was down. I'm thinking muscle mass is the cause. Right after the check, I went to the gym to get my workout in.
X3 Yoga is always a great routine to do on off days or recovery days/weeks. I pushed the stretching as much as possible and pressed my range of motion. Tried for perfect form, and for the most part, from my point of view, I was doing okay. My Wrap was good. My Half Moon was strong and steady on both sides. My right Toe Bind was strong and stable, but the left side was pitiful. I kept falling out of it and couldn't maintain the pose. Everything else was good. On that move after Plow, with the legs straight up, today, my legs were the straightest and the most perpendicular to the ground I've gotten them in a long time. Felt really good today, all around. Right after the yoga, I wanted to test my pull up strength, so I did a set of Pull Ups. Nailed out 21 in a row. The most for in one set, non-stop. My previous record was 20.
I wasn't able to do the splits until I got home late in the evening. But I got them done, adding time to them to push lower, and I was feeling good, so I was able to push. I think I pushed the lowest today for a new record low. The Flow was smooth and clean.
In the end, but after only the Yoga, I burned a nice 300+kcals. Recovery week is almost done, then it's back to the heavy resistance. Looking forward to it.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
6-07-16 HY: Insanity: Asylum, pt. 2- Off-Day Stretch + Splits + TCF.
6-07-16 HY: Insanity: Asylum, pt. 2- Off-Day Stretch + Splits + TCF.
First day post 3-Day Refresh, and I must say, I feel refreshed! I feel lighter as well, and I lost just over half an inch around my waste. Another 10 times and I'm golden. Naw, actually, for me, that is a good result. But today is my wife's birthday and we celebrated in the evening with a lovely dinner. Felt good to have regular food, but will stay on track from tomorrow on.
Day 3 of my recovery week as well. So I went to a routine that I haven't done in close to 3 or 4 years to continue the recovery. This really felt good. I really love this hybrid style because I am learning a lot of different styles of stretching, lifting and moving. Today, I really liked the different progressions Shaun T used to stretch out everything from the top to the bottom. I especially like stretching out my shoulders, and my right shoulder in particular. With all the tennis I've been playing and now serving, my right shoulder needs some extra care. Also, I've been really tight in the shoulders so I'm wanting to push to open them up too. So today, hit some key spots for me.
Later in the evening, I did my stretch and Flow. I felt REALLY good on my splits today so I pushed a lot harder today to get low. The Flow was on point.
I tried to wear my HRM just to see what this was like, but the burn was just over 100kcals. So, in the end, it wasn't about the burn or pump, it was about opening up, and I achieved that goal.
First day post 3-Day Refresh, and I must say, I feel refreshed! I feel lighter as well, and I lost just over half an inch around my waste. Another 10 times and I'm golden. Naw, actually, for me, that is a good result. But today is my wife's birthday and we celebrated in the evening with a lovely dinner. Felt good to have regular food, but will stay on track from tomorrow on.
Day 3 of my recovery week as well. So I went to a routine that I haven't done in close to 3 or 4 years to continue the recovery. This really felt good. I really love this hybrid style because I am learning a lot of different styles of stretching, lifting and moving. Today, I really liked the different progressions Shaun T used to stretch out everything from the top to the bottom. I especially like stretching out my shoulders, and my right shoulder in particular. With all the tennis I've been playing and now serving, my right shoulder needs some extra care. Also, I've been really tight in the shoulders so I'm wanting to push to open them up too. So today, hit some key spots for me.
Later in the evening, I did my stretch and Flow. I felt REALLY good on my splits today so I pushed a lot harder today to get low. The Flow was on point.
I tried to wear my HRM just to see what this was like, but the burn was just over 100kcals. So, in the end, it wasn't about the burn or pump, it was about opening up, and I achieved that goal.
Monday, June 6, 2016
6-06-16 HY: T25 - Alpha: Ab Intervals + Splits + TCF + Tennis.
6-06-16 HY: T25 - Alpha: Ab Intervals + Splits + TCF + Tennis.
3-Day Refresh, Day 3, and Recovery Week, Day 2. I don't want to go too intense or rigorous this week, so I'm choosing routines that are less so. This one was perfect. I wasn't feeling particularly energetic in the morning, but this routine got my blood flowing and my core burning. I almost made a Straight 25, but that progression right in the middle, with the V-ups and Leg Raises without putting my heels on the ground, just wiped me. I had to take a little break. Thank goodness this routine is only 25 minutes. That is more than enough time to waste my core.
The splits and Flow were again, good. Low, Clean and Smooth.
In the afternoon, after my classes, the guy in charge of the tennis club I started going to offered to play tennis with me after work, so, How could I pass up that offer? I couldn't! I was a little worried about my low calorie intake messing with my energy, and I was a little worried if I could play the whole time. We planned for only an hour, but it looked to be an intense hour. I got there a bit early and did some serving practice. I'm starting feel my groove for my second serve, so I'm happy about that. We didn't plan to play a match, but just concentration and consistency drilling. The guy is old, but he can get everything back. So it was really good for me to really focus to keep each rally going. I was junking balls into the net a lot at the beginning, but as the groove started to happen, the rallies got longer and longer. Also, we weren't playing full court, rather Ad-court and Deuce court, the volleys. It was a hard hour. But the most surprising thing was that I didn't feel exhausted at all. Rather, I was feeling pretty energized the whole hour. I was very happy about that.
In the end, I burned 350+kcals in the morning, and 900+kcals during the tennis. A lot bigger burn than I expected on a recovery week/day 3 of the 3-Day Refresh. But none the less, I was VERY satisfied with my activity today.
3-Day Refresh, Day 3, and Recovery Week, Day 2. I don't want to go too intense or rigorous this week, so I'm choosing routines that are less so. This one was perfect. I wasn't feeling particularly energetic in the morning, but this routine got my blood flowing and my core burning. I almost made a Straight 25, but that progression right in the middle, with the V-ups and Leg Raises without putting my heels on the ground, just wiped me. I had to take a little break. Thank goodness this routine is only 25 minutes. That is more than enough time to waste my core.
The splits and Flow were again, good. Low, Clean and Smooth.
In the afternoon, after my classes, the guy in charge of the tennis club I started going to offered to play tennis with me after work, so, How could I pass up that offer? I couldn't! I was a little worried about my low calorie intake messing with my energy, and I was a little worried if I could play the whole time. We planned for only an hour, but it looked to be an intense hour. I got there a bit early and did some serving practice. I'm starting feel my groove for my second serve, so I'm happy about that. We didn't plan to play a match, but just concentration and consistency drilling. The guy is old, but he can get everything back. So it was really good for me to really focus to keep each rally going. I was junking balls into the net a lot at the beginning, but as the groove started to happen, the rallies got longer and longer. Also, we weren't playing full court, rather Ad-court and Deuce court, the volleys. It was a hard hour. But the most surprising thing was that I didn't feel exhausted at all. Rather, I was feeling pretty energized the whole hour. I was very happy about that.
In the end, I burned 350+kcals in the morning, and 900+kcals during the tennis. A lot bigger burn than I expected on a recovery week/day 3 of the 3-Day Refresh. But none the less, I was VERY satisfied with my activity today.
6-05-16 HY: 3-Day Refresh + ChaLEAN Extreme - Dynamic Flow Yoga + Splits + TCF.
6-05-16 HY: 3-Day Refresh + ChaLEAN Extreme - Dynamic Flow Yoga + Splits + TCF.
Day two of the Refresh turns out to be a Sunday. Unfortunately, there is a slight problem with the package. It seems that Day Two and Three are missing the Fiber Sweep. Instead, there are three Vanilla Refreshes. So I made due. I contacted my coach and she advised me on the matter. Aside from that, everything went well.
Since I'm doing the Refresh, I also decided to take this week and turn it into a Recovery Week. I haven't taken a Recovery Week in literally YEARS!!! So, with the lower intake of calories over the next three days, I figured this would be the perfect time to recover as well. So I went with a ChaLEAN Extreme recovery workout, and a workout I hadn't done since the last time I did it. The moves were basic and easy to do, but the reps were brutal. My shoulders were just SCREAMING during and after the routine. Felt good and stretched out, though.
I missed the Splits and Flow yesterday, so I went extra long with both routines today. Got really low with my splits and the Flow was clean and smooth.
I decided not to use my HRM today. But the calorie burn was probably around the 200kcal level. I got a good sweat on as well.
Day two of the Refresh turns out to be a Sunday. Unfortunately, there is a slight problem with the package. It seems that Day Two and Three are missing the Fiber Sweep. Instead, there are three Vanilla Refreshes. So I made due. I contacted my coach and she advised me on the matter. Aside from that, everything went well.
Since I'm doing the Refresh, I also decided to take this week and turn it into a Recovery Week. I haven't taken a Recovery Week in literally YEARS!!! So, with the lower intake of calories over the next three days, I figured this would be the perfect time to recover as well. So I went with a ChaLEAN Extreme recovery workout, and a workout I hadn't done since the last time I did it. The moves were basic and easy to do, but the reps were brutal. My shoulders were just SCREAMING during and after the routine. Felt good and stretched out, though.
I missed the Splits and Flow yesterday, so I went extra long with both routines today. Got really low with my splits and the Flow was clean and smooth.
I decided not to use my HRM today. But the calorie burn was probably around the 200kcal level. I got a good sweat on as well.
6-04-16 HY: 3-Day Refresh.
6-04-16 HY: 3-Day Refresh.
This was a very spur of the moment decision. I knew I was going to do it sometime in the next month or two, but when I woke up today, my mind was going over what what going to happen in the coming week and I was trying to workout how I would fit in my workouts on the odd days. Then as appointments and things started to create the picture of my week, it dawned on me that Starting the 3-Day Refresh today, Saturday would be perfect and would fit with my odd schedule perfectly! So, I got up and told my wife and she wasn't happy. Mainly because, I had told her I was wanting to do the Refresh, and she told me to tell her in advance so she could prepare my night-time dinner. I said I would. So when I sprang it on her like this, she wasn't happy, and understandably so. My Bad! But she accepted it and went along with it. So today, I started the program.
Everything went well for the morning shake and the evening Vanilla Refresh. But the morning Fiber Sweep, That was a disaster. I had to be away so I brought a water bottle of cold water and the packet of Fiber Sweep. At the scheduled time, I tried to put the powder into the bottle and then shake it like crazy. Big mistake! The powder ended up turning into a big ball and no matter how hard I shook, the ball wouldn't break apart. So I had to wait a few hours until I got home to spoon it out of the bottle and use my mixer to mix it up. What a mess. Lesson learned.
Can't wait for the end!
This was a very spur of the moment decision. I knew I was going to do it sometime in the next month or two, but when I woke up today, my mind was going over what what going to happen in the coming week and I was trying to workout how I would fit in my workouts on the odd days. Then as appointments and things started to create the picture of my week, it dawned on me that Starting the 3-Day Refresh today, Saturday would be perfect and would fit with my odd schedule perfectly! So, I got up and told my wife and she wasn't happy. Mainly because, I had told her I was wanting to do the Refresh, and she told me to tell her in advance so she could prepare my night-time dinner. I said I would. So when I sprang it on her like this, she wasn't happy, and understandably so. My Bad! But she accepted it and went along with it. So today, I started the program.
Everything went well for the morning shake and the evening Vanilla Refresh. But the morning Fiber Sweep, That was a disaster. I had to be away so I brought a water bottle of cold water and the packet of Fiber Sweep. At the scheduled time, I tried to put the powder into the bottle and then shake it like crazy. Big mistake! The powder ended up turning into a big ball and no matter how hard I shook, the ball wouldn't break apart. So I had to wait a few hours until I got home to spoon it out of the bottle and use my mixer to mix it up. What a mess. Lesson learned.
Can't wait for the end!
Friday, June 3, 2016
6-03-16 HY: Insanity - Upper Body Weight Training + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 200.
6-03-16 HY: Insanity - Upper Body Weight Training + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 200.
Friday is becoming time crunch days in that I'm getting home with a limited time to get in a full workout. Today was along those lines. Also, since this workout today is my final workout of the week, I decided to use a filler routine instead of going on to ChaLEAN Extreme's Push Circuit. I'll start that set of routines on Sunday so I can do all the routines in the cycle in one week.
I don't remember the last time I did this routine, but once I started doing it, I remember how much I liked it. Mixing resistance and cardio in one routine always gives me a good pump and burn. I really like the procedural style of this routine doing one circuit three times. I usually do it with almost my limit of weights first then end up having to lighten my weights for the last round, but this time, I did as I'm supposed to. I started off with a bit lighter weights, then went heavier each round. Just like Body Beast! So, as you can see from the worksheet, I went up in small increments to start, then bigger increments at the end. I felt really good and pumped on the resistance, then the cardio moves afterwards finished me off. I was dying at the break. I took extra time because I needed to change the plates on my dumbbells on almost every circuit. I pretty much followed Shaun T all the way through the routine except for the last circuit. On the last set of the Chest Press w/ Leg Raise, I was feeling really good, so I did a full 12 reps with the heavy weight. Then, for all three rounds of the Bent Over Row Fly, I followed the standard progressive rep count, 12-10-8. For some reason, Shaun T did 6-5-4reps. Nailed my back, but the rows were easy at the weight I was using. I had a couple recording mistakes. On round two of the first move, 360 Press, rep is 10 and weight is 13.25. Then on move 11. High Knee w/ Twist, round 1 says 30s. On move 4 and 11, there is only one line asking for time, but I put both time and rep count. Oops, I found one more miss on move 13. Round one's weight is 5kgs. Great routine for an awesome pump and burn.
I was very short on time, so I went fast and intense for abs. I started of well, jamming out the reps. I breezed through the first 3-4 moves without any issues. Suddenly on move five, the one with knees at 90 degrees and hand overhead and bringing my knees to my elbows, OMG, the burn and cramp were on! From that move on, I was on the verge of cramping halfway through each move. I was moaning and breathing hard to keep from cramping up. Super Burn! But I made it through.
I didn't have time for anything else, so I will take my splits and Flow off day today and do them tomorrow night.
In the end, I torched 1050+kcal. That is they type of burn I get with a resistance/cardio routine! YES! Nice way to end the week.
Friday is becoming time crunch days in that I'm getting home with a limited time to get in a full workout. Today was along those lines. Also, since this workout today is my final workout of the week, I decided to use a filler routine instead of going on to ChaLEAN Extreme's Push Circuit. I'll start that set of routines on Sunday so I can do all the routines in the cycle in one week.
I don't remember the last time I did this routine, but once I started doing it, I remember how much I liked it. Mixing resistance and cardio in one routine always gives me a good pump and burn. I really like the procedural style of this routine doing one circuit three times. I usually do it with almost my limit of weights first then end up having to lighten my weights for the last round, but this time, I did as I'm supposed to. I started off with a bit lighter weights, then went heavier each round. Just like Body Beast! So, as you can see from the worksheet, I went up in small increments to start, then bigger increments at the end. I felt really good and pumped on the resistance, then the cardio moves afterwards finished me off. I was dying at the break. I took extra time because I needed to change the plates on my dumbbells on almost every circuit. I pretty much followed Shaun T all the way through the routine except for the last circuit. On the last set of the Chest Press w/ Leg Raise, I was feeling really good, so I did a full 12 reps with the heavy weight. Then, for all three rounds of the Bent Over Row Fly, I followed the standard progressive rep count, 12-10-8. For some reason, Shaun T did 6-5-4reps. Nailed my back, but the rows were easy at the weight I was using. I had a couple recording mistakes. On round two of the first move, 360 Press, rep is 10 and weight is 13.25. Then on move 11. High Knee w/ Twist, round 1 says 30s. On move 4 and 11, there is only one line asking for time, but I put both time and rep count. Oops, I found one more miss on move 13. Round one's weight is 5kgs. Great routine for an awesome pump and burn.
I was very short on time, so I went fast and intense for abs. I started of well, jamming out the reps. I breezed through the first 3-4 moves without any issues. Suddenly on move five, the one with knees at 90 degrees and hand overhead and bringing my knees to my elbows, OMG, the burn and cramp were on! From that move on, I was on the verge of cramping halfway through each move. I was moaning and breathing hard to keep from cramping up. Super Burn! But I made it through.
I didn't have time for anything else, so I will take my splits and Flow off day today and do them tomorrow night.
In the end, I torched 1050+kcal. That is they type of burn I get with a resistance/cardio routine! YES! Nice way to end the week.
6-02-16 HY: Tennis + Tennis + Splits + TCF.
6-02-16 HY: Tennis + Tennis + Splits + TCF.
Another double tennis day. In the morning, I felt a little more sluggish than usual, but the sluggishness didn't affect my game until the second set. I took the first set 6-2, but I was really mucking up the second set with a lot of dumb mistakes and unfocused strategies. I eventually fell behind 1-4. I really had to bear down, dig deep and push myself to focus and concentrate. I wish I could say I stormed back, but in actuality, it was a scrappy and long fight to get even and then to take the set 6-4. My legs were feeling really sore, and I'm sure it is from the resistance work I did on the universal machines on Tuesday. Especially my hamstrings. But that not withstanding, I had a good time.
In the afternoon, I was able to go to the club again because my night class was not scheduled. There was a member missing so we were cycling out. I played the first match and the third match. The first match, we fell behind 1-4, but my partner and I eventually climbed our way out and even took the lead for a game, but ended up tied at 5-5. This was for my first win at the club, but it was not to be. With the club scoring, it is first to 6 and the other team was serving. It was a good close match. Last week, I had a cramp in my right calf, but tonight, I started to feel that tug in my left calf. I was asked to play in the second match as well, but I declined and said I needed to rest and stretch. So during the second match, I was doing a lot of stretching and drinking water. At the beginning of the third match I was a bit cold so my first point was way off. I think I double faulted and my form felt very weird. But from that point on, I didn't drop my serve once. It was a bit disappointing. I was going for my first victory at the club, and we went up 3-1, but the other team came back and tied, and then we just exchanged serves until 5-5. Then time ran out. So my total record with the club is 0 wins, 4 loses, and 1 tie. I won't be able to attend for the next three weeks because of work, so I'll be going for my first win on the last Thursday of June. Wish me luck!
When I got home, I wanted to do my splits and Flow right after showering and dinner, but right after my shower, my son called and wanted to talk, so we talked for over an hour. So my splits and Flow didn't happen until close to midnight. Legs were really tight so the stretch felt good and painful. I was able to get to my mark so I was satisfied. The Flow also was as usual, right on point. Clean and smooth.
In the end, after the two tennis sessions, I torched a big 2534kcals. Happy Dance!!!
Another double tennis day. In the morning, I felt a little more sluggish than usual, but the sluggishness didn't affect my game until the second set. I took the first set 6-2, but I was really mucking up the second set with a lot of dumb mistakes and unfocused strategies. I eventually fell behind 1-4. I really had to bear down, dig deep and push myself to focus and concentrate. I wish I could say I stormed back, but in actuality, it was a scrappy and long fight to get even and then to take the set 6-4. My legs were feeling really sore, and I'm sure it is from the resistance work I did on the universal machines on Tuesday. Especially my hamstrings. But that not withstanding, I had a good time.
In the afternoon, I was able to go to the club again because my night class was not scheduled. There was a member missing so we were cycling out. I played the first match and the third match. The first match, we fell behind 1-4, but my partner and I eventually climbed our way out and even took the lead for a game, but ended up tied at 5-5. This was for my first win at the club, but it was not to be. With the club scoring, it is first to 6 and the other team was serving. It was a good close match. Last week, I had a cramp in my right calf, but tonight, I started to feel that tug in my left calf. I was asked to play in the second match as well, but I declined and said I needed to rest and stretch. So during the second match, I was doing a lot of stretching and drinking water. At the beginning of the third match I was a bit cold so my first point was way off. I think I double faulted and my form felt very weird. But from that point on, I didn't drop my serve once. It was a bit disappointing. I was going for my first victory at the club, and we went up 3-1, but the other team came back and tied, and then we just exchanged serves until 5-5. Then time ran out. So my total record with the club is 0 wins, 4 loses, and 1 tie. I won't be able to attend for the next three weeks because of work, so I'll be going for my first win on the last Thursday of June. Wish me luck!
When I got home, I wanted to do my splits and Flow right after showering and dinner, but right after my shower, my son called and wanted to talk, so we talked for over an hour. So my splits and Flow didn't happen until close to midnight. Legs were really tight so the stretch felt good and painful. I was able to get to my mark so I was satisfied. The Flow also was as usual, right on point. Clean and smooth.
In the end, after the two tennis sessions, I torched a big 2534kcals. Happy Dance!!!
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
6-01-16 HY: P90X2 - X2 Yoga + Splits + TCF.
6-01-16 HY: P90X2 - X2 Yoga + Splits + TCF.
I broke with what had become sort of a regular routine for Wednesdays and instead of doing my workout in the morning, I relaxed in the morning and waited to workout at night. The reason for that is because I didn't sleep well and felt a more sluggish than usual, and a little more sore than usual, especially in my legs. Plus, since I didn't have my regular night class tonight, it was no problem.
Wednesday has become mid-week recovery day so I went with yoga. I was thinking to do that level one recovery from Insanity, but since I'm going to have another big tennis day tomorrow, I went with yoga. I really went for the poses and pushed the stretches. Right Half Moon is still more shaky than Left Half Moon. I can't look up on the right, but I can look up on the left. On Twisting Half Moon, I can stay more steady if my put my fist on the ground as opposed to my finger tips. Triangle pose felt really good today. I usually have to move my feet a little closer together after that core work, but today, my feet stayed right in the same place and I felt like I was keeping pretty flat. I still had problems with Plow, and I still can't get my legs straight up in that progression after Plow. My shoulders still feel rather tight, so I need to work harder to open them up. But overall, today's yoga session felt much better than previous times.
The Splits were AWESOME!!! After opening up with Yoga, I was getting low, way past the mark today. It felt really good to get that low, but at the same time, I felt the pain, but in a good way. The Flow was also right on point, smooth and clean.
In the end, the burn was only 350+kcals, which would normally be disappointing, but that wasn't the point for today, so no problem. The recovery goal was reached.
I broke with what had become sort of a regular routine for Wednesdays and instead of doing my workout in the morning, I relaxed in the morning and waited to workout at night. The reason for that is because I didn't sleep well and felt a more sluggish than usual, and a little more sore than usual, especially in my legs. Plus, since I didn't have my regular night class tonight, it was no problem.
Wednesday has become mid-week recovery day so I went with yoga. I was thinking to do that level one recovery from Insanity, but since I'm going to have another big tennis day tomorrow, I went with yoga. I really went for the poses and pushed the stretches. Right Half Moon is still more shaky than Left Half Moon. I can't look up on the right, but I can look up on the left. On Twisting Half Moon, I can stay more steady if my put my fist on the ground as opposed to my finger tips. Triangle pose felt really good today. I usually have to move my feet a little closer together after that core work, but today, my feet stayed right in the same place and I felt like I was keeping pretty flat. I still had problems with Plow, and I still can't get my legs straight up in that progression after Plow. My shoulders still feel rather tight, so I need to work harder to open them up. But overall, today's yoga session felt much better than previous times.
The Splits were AWESOME!!! After opening up with Yoga, I was getting low, way past the mark today. It felt really good to get that low, but at the same time, I felt the pain, but in a good way. The Flow was also right on point, smooth and clean.
In the end, the burn was only 350+kcals, which would normally be disappointing, but that wasn't the point for today, so no problem. The recovery goal was reached.
5-31-16 HY: Weight Machines + Splits + TCF.
5-31-16 HY: Weight Machines + Splits + TCF.
Today was an insanely busy day for me. I literally didn't have more than 5 minutes between things all day. My day started at 6:30am and finally slowed down after I got home and did the Splits and Flow at 10pm. But today, I'll just talk about my workout.
Tuesday is a resistance day. I usually get home around 5:30pm and do a scheduled routine, which in this case should have been ChaLEAN Extreme: Push Circuit 1. But, a company I teach at had to move their class from Wednesday to Today, so I wouldn't get home until late. So that forced me to do resistance work at my school on their Universal Weight Machines. Plus, I didn't have a lot of time between a class I teach and a faculty meeting so I slipped it in between. I did it Body Beast style alternating between upper body machines and lower body machines. There are the machines I used along with the weights I did them at, The reps for the weighted moves were at 15-12-8:
Chest Press 30-40-50kgs
Leg Press 40-50-60kgs
Wide Pull Ups 12reps
Hamstring Curls 30-32.5-35kgs
Row Machine 40-50-60kgs
Chin Ups 15reps
Calf Raises 80-90-100kgs
Triceps Push Down 20-25-30kgs
Close Front Pull Ups 15reps
Leg Extension 60-70-80kgs
I got a huge pump and I felt like I really moved some weights. I still don't know if the numbers on the plates actually reflect the true weight I'm pushing though. For example, on the chest press, each handle is connected to a separate stack of weight plates, so when I say I pushed 50kgs, The is the weight for only one side. If I add both the left and right stacks, I'd be pushing 100kgs. But I can't imagine I'm actually Chest Pressing 100kgs. But it definitely feels heavier than my dumbbells, but I can't tell if it is twice as heavy as my Max on my heavy set of dumbbells which is 25kgs each.
I got home close to 10pm and relaxed a bit with my wife talking about the day, but quickly got to my splits because I know the later it got, the less likely I would have the energy to do them, so I went to it as quickly as possible. It felt good, really good. Up until today, when transitioning from left side splits to straddle splits I could get low, but when transitioning from right side splits to straddle splits there seemed to be something preventing me from going low, like an out of position tendon or something. But today, both sides were feeling good. No out of position anything keeping me from going low. So I pushed lower today. I think I'm starting to get of my latest plateau. The Flow was really good as well. No pain anywhere.
At the end of the Weight Machines session, I torched 730+kcals. Good session and nice variety to my hybrid. But I can't weight to get back to my regularly scheduled routines.
Today was an insanely busy day for me. I literally didn't have more than 5 minutes between things all day. My day started at 6:30am and finally slowed down after I got home and did the Splits and Flow at 10pm. But today, I'll just talk about my workout.
Tuesday is a resistance day. I usually get home around 5:30pm and do a scheduled routine, which in this case should have been ChaLEAN Extreme: Push Circuit 1. But, a company I teach at had to move their class from Wednesday to Today, so I wouldn't get home until late. So that forced me to do resistance work at my school on their Universal Weight Machines. Plus, I didn't have a lot of time between a class I teach and a faculty meeting so I slipped it in between. I did it Body Beast style alternating between upper body machines and lower body machines. There are the machines I used along with the weights I did them at, The reps for the weighted moves were at 15-12-8:
Chest Press 30-40-50kgs
Leg Press 40-50-60kgs
Wide Pull Ups 12reps
Hamstring Curls 30-32.5-35kgs
Row Machine 40-50-60kgs
Chin Ups 15reps
Calf Raises 80-90-100kgs
Triceps Push Down 20-25-30kgs
Close Front Pull Ups 15reps
Leg Extension 60-70-80kgs
I got a huge pump and I felt like I really moved some weights. I still don't know if the numbers on the plates actually reflect the true weight I'm pushing though. For example, on the chest press, each handle is connected to a separate stack of weight plates, so when I say I pushed 50kgs, The is the weight for only one side. If I add both the left and right stacks, I'd be pushing 100kgs. But I can't imagine I'm actually Chest Pressing 100kgs. But it definitely feels heavier than my dumbbells, but I can't tell if it is twice as heavy as my Max on my heavy set of dumbbells which is 25kgs each.
I got home close to 10pm and relaxed a bit with my wife talking about the day, but quickly got to my splits because I know the later it got, the less likely I would have the energy to do them, so I went to it as quickly as possible. It felt good, really good. Up until today, when transitioning from left side splits to straddle splits I could get low, but when transitioning from right side splits to straddle splits there seemed to be something preventing me from going low, like an out of position tendon or something. But today, both sides were feeling good. No out of position anything keeping me from going low. So I pushed lower today. I think I'm starting to get of my latest plateau. The Flow was really good as well. No pain anywhere.
At the end of the Weight Machines session, I torched 730+kcals. Good session and nice variety to my hybrid. But I can't weight to get back to my regularly scheduled routines.
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