7-31-16 HY: Combat 60 Extreme Cardio Fighter + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.
HOT HOT DAY!!! The kind of hot that makes a full blast AC seem like it's making no headway. I just felt dead and totally unmotivated for pretty much the whole morning. Just felt so heavy and sluggish. But I did get a ton of video editing done so that is one good thing. My daughter was away at camp as was coming back in the afternoon so I had to pick myself up and go out and get her. Also, it is "Indulgence Day"! The 31st of the month, so it is sort of tradition for my family to get some ice cream from Baskin Robbins. So on my way to get my daughter, I picked up some ice cream. As an aside, I got it, but I haven't eaten it yet. I will probably eat it over the next few days, just little by little. Around 6pm, I finally got the will to get up and get ready for my workout.
Today starts Week 3 of Combat. So I did a new routine today. It is said to be one of the toughest routines in the program so I was a bit stoked. I decided not to use the hand weights today so I could learn the moves and combinations. Good thing, because the combo's were pretty complicated and it took a bit of time for me to get used to them. Weight distribution and right foot placement to bring out the most power in the kicks and punches. But once I got a hand of the moves, I got it going. The new kick/lower body interval made me feel really uncoordinated at first. I just wasn't getting the rhythm of the combinations. I was doing them with no power behind them. But by the second round, I sort of got used to them and was doing them a little better, but still, I fell off balance several times. Hopefully I'll do better the next time around. One big negative is my right knee. I started out my fitness journey with TAEBO and after a few years of doing it, my right knee started to feel a little gimpy, not on kicks or stuff like that, but on one particular move, the right jab. I am careful to keep my knee square and behind my ankle so as to keep it stable, but still, I guess I'm still putting too much pressure on it. It started to feel a little gimpy with the "shuffle" as well. That lateral movement to the right is hitting an angle that is causing some discomfort. I'm going to have to find a way to work around it or I won't last the full duration of the program without injury. I ended up modifying a little to keep pressure off the knee and that seemed to help, but that modification prevented me from putting full power into my punches with that forward lunge and push off the back leg. But the intervals were really good, and they are set up in a way that makes the hour just fly by. Oh, also, not pull ups today, I wanted to focus on the new routine and get it down. I like the core interval at the end. Than circle with the hands and the two center pulses really hit the abs good. Got a nice burn in the second round. Fun all around routine.
I still wanted more Abs so I went to a good routine. I really like this routine because it is directly attacking the core. I continued the burn here, and I think I got better with my form. I'm still using the 2kg dumbbells so that is a good challenge.
Splits were good. Coming off an off day, it was a little slow getting to my mark, but I got there. I'm finally able to straighten my right leg on the right side splits. Before, there was always a slight bend, but now, I can straighten it out. Now to go lower. Flow was clean and smooth.
In the end, I torched just under 900kcals. Nice way to start off the week. I workout in the second floor of my house and today, it was like a Sauna from the morning, so about an hour before I started working out, I turned on the AC to cool it down. By the time I started working out, it was a nice but not too cool temperature. If I had left it warmer, I probably would have broken a thousand kcals, but I would have been dead. So I'm happy with my decision.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Friday, July 29, 2016
7-29-16 HY: Combat- HIIT 2 Shock Plyo + P90X - Ab Ripper X + Splits + TCF.
7-29-16 HY: Combat- HIIT 2 Shock Plyo + P90X - Ab Ripper X + Splits + TCF.
Today was a good day. Final day of classes and gearing up for summer vacation. I still have some work, but just here and there. I was able to get home at a good time so I could do a complete workout, so I was happy.
W2D6 of Combat, and like last week, finishing it out with the HIIT 2. This is a great routine that get my heart going. Today, the warm up fried my legs. I was like, "WHAT???!!!" I couldn't hang with the first interval with the lunges, I ended up having to modify just to get through that first set. But luckily, the lunges didn't return until the second interval so my legs had time to warm up more and get used to the grinding. So by the second interval, I was more ready and killed the routine from there. However, again, I modified the routine just a bit and added a set of Pull Ups between intervals for a total of 4 sets or 12 reps with different grips. I didn't do a set after the warm up, but started after the Leg Interval. Happy that I can still whip out 12 reps at least. Somewhere in the middle of the first interval after the warm up, I caught a second wind and my legs felt rejuvenated. I love is when that happens early in a routine. One thing I wish this routine would do is have a set rep count. At the beginning of the routine, the lady said that she would be using a lot of numbers, and counting. But the rep counts for various moves seemed to be all over the place. The Side Plank Push Ups (I forget their British name for it), went past 10 reps, then the Lunges were a double 4 count, etc. In most of the other BeachBody programs, were looking at 8 or 12 reps. Anything other than those counts, they are shown on the screen so you have a goal and one can push to that goal instead of the seeming endless set. There is something to be said for that style, but I'm personally not a fan. But despite that, I really liked this routine and got a huge burn from it.
I wanted to close out the week with an intense round of abs, so I went old school and chose Ab Ripper X! I felt the burn, but I was able to keep up and nail all the moves. But my nemesis move was the closer so I really wanted to nail that also and go all the way to the end... NAILED IT!!!, but I cramped up and died as I hit the final rep. Once I hit around 35, I couldn't keep my legs out, so I had to bend my knees a bit, but I didn't touch the ground, just a slight bend. Then as I neared 50, I started to open up, but I kept it under control to the end, then fell over in pain. "I HATE IT! But I LOVE IT!!!"
Splits and Flow were awesome. Felt really open today and pushed really low. I've hit another plateau so I have to push more and harder to get passed this one as I've done with all the past plateaus.
In the end, I torched a round 1030kcals. Nice way to close out the week. Ready for my off day! Happy Weekend!
Today was a good day. Final day of classes and gearing up for summer vacation. I still have some work, but just here and there. I was able to get home at a good time so I could do a complete workout, so I was happy.
W2D6 of Combat, and like last week, finishing it out with the HIIT 2. This is a great routine that get my heart going. Today, the warm up fried my legs. I was like, "WHAT???!!!" I couldn't hang with the first interval with the lunges, I ended up having to modify just to get through that first set. But luckily, the lunges didn't return until the second interval so my legs had time to warm up more and get used to the grinding. So by the second interval, I was more ready and killed the routine from there. However, again, I modified the routine just a bit and added a set of Pull Ups between intervals for a total of 4 sets or 12 reps with different grips. I didn't do a set after the warm up, but started after the Leg Interval. Happy that I can still whip out 12 reps at least. Somewhere in the middle of the first interval after the warm up, I caught a second wind and my legs felt rejuvenated. I love is when that happens early in a routine. One thing I wish this routine would do is have a set rep count. At the beginning of the routine, the lady said that she would be using a lot of numbers, and counting. But the rep counts for various moves seemed to be all over the place. The Side Plank Push Ups (I forget their British name for it), went past 10 reps, then the Lunges were a double 4 count, etc. In most of the other BeachBody programs, were looking at 8 or 12 reps. Anything other than those counts, they are shown on the screen so you have a goal and one can push to that goal instead of the seeming endless set. There is something to be said for that style, but I'm personally not a fan. But despite that, I really liked this routine and got a huge burn from it.
I wanted to close out the week with an intense round of abs, so I went old school and chose Ab Ripper X! I felt the burn, but I was able to keep up and nail all the moves. But my nemesis move was the closer so I really wanted to nail that also and go all the way to the end... NAILED IT!!!, but I cramped up and died as I hit the final rep. Once I hit around 35, I couldn't keep my legs out, so I had to bend my knees a bit, but I didn't touch the ground, just a slight bend. Then as I neared 50, I started to open up, but I kept it under control to the end, then fell over in pain. "I HATE IT! But I LOVE IT!!!"
Splits and Flow were awesome. Felt really open today and pushed really low. I've hit another plateau so I have to push more and harder to get passed this one as I've done with all the past plateaus.
In the end, I torched a round 1030kcals. Nice way to close out the week. Ready for my off day! Happy Weekend!
Thursday, July 28, 2016
7-28-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.
7-28-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.
Tennis Day!
Actually I was planning to play twice, once in the morning and then in the evening, but I wasn't able to make it to the evening session because of a weird reason: My shoes were wet. The gym today was extremely hot and humid. I started dripping sweat just by putting up the net. I decided to go totally with standard scoring today just to see how things were going. I started out strong, but went through a lull in the middle, then blasted back at the end. The score was 6-2, 7-5, 6-0. In the beginning, I was fresh and hitting the ball well, but still couldn't iron out the unforced errors. But in the second set, My partner raised his level just as I was losing my concentration and had to play catch up the whole time. The one good thing is that I was able to fight my way back from 15-40 down and had ad a few time before losing. I never lost a game with anything less than 30. I would fight my way back, then putter out. But I definitely caught a second wind for the third, and I think he was getting a bit tired and I was hitting and placing shots at will. But by the third set, the sweat was flowing and I had to stop several times to wipe myself down and the floor. Where are the Ball Boys when you need them! This brings me to the reason why I didn't go to the evening tennis. When I sweat, I sweat a lot. And as usual, I sweat so much, it filled my shoes and they were water-logged. Those are my only pair of tennis shoes, so no go for the evening. It was a great match, and I had a great time.
Splits and Flow came in the evening so I really enjoyed just relaxing and stretching out. Everything was choice!
At the end of the tennis, I torched a big but not totally unexpected 1200+kcals. Only one more time this semester, then it's off time until we can figure out a new time for second semester.
Tennis Day!
Actually I was planning to play twice, once in the morning and then in the evening, but I wasn't able to make it to the evening session because of a weird reason: My shoes were wet. The gym today was extremely hot and humid. I started dripping sweat just by putting up the net. I decided to go totally with standard scoring today just to see how things were going. I started out strong, but went through a lull in the middle, then blasted back at the end. The score was 6-2, 7-5, 6-0. In the beginning, I was fresh and hitting the ball well, but still couldn't iron out the unforced errors. But in the second set, My partner raised his level just as I was losing my concentration and had to play catch up the whole time. The one good thing is that I was able to fight my way back from 15-40 down and had ad a few time before losing. I never lost a game with anything less than 30. I would fight my way back, then putter out. But I definitely caught a second wind for the third, and I think he was getting a bit tired and I was hitting and placing shots at will. But by the third set, the sweat was flowing and I had to stop several times to wipe myself down and the floor. Where are the Ball Boys when you need them! This brings me to the reason why I didn't go to the evening tennis. When I sweat, I sweat a lot. And as usual, I sweat so much, it filled my shoes and they were water-logged. Those are my only pair of tennis shoes, so no go for the evening. It was a great match, and I had a great time.
Splits and Flow came in the evening so I really enjoyed just relaxing and stretching out. Everything was choice!
At the end of the tennis, I torched a big but not totally unexpected 1200+kcals. Only one more time this semester, then it's off time until we can figure out a new time for second semester.
7-27-16 HY: P90X3 - X3 Yoga + Splits + TCF.
7-27-16 HY: P90X3 - X3 Yoga + Splits + TCF.
Mid-Week Recovery Day!
According to the Combat schedule, Day 4 is a Rest day, but I like to do a little something just to help my body recover. Today's Yoga was great to keep me loose and start my day. I was able to keep go full range of motion and do all the advanced moves. Balance all around was a lot better, but still, left was more stable than the right. I didn't go for the move to the side this time with the Toe Bind keeping my leg in front this time. I was able to hold it a little better, but still no where near straightening in leg. Wrap, Triangle, Half Moon, were all good. Felt energized at the end. I had to drive an hour to work right after so it was nice to be loose.
Splits and Flow came after work in the evening, so happy to get a double stretch. I'm hoping that that will help me make a speedier move to my goal of full splits. Flow was as expected.
In the end, I burned a nice little 220+kcals. Very thankful for this day in my schedule.
Mid-Week Recovery Day!
According to the Combat schedule, Day 4 is a Rest day, but I like to do a little something just to help my body recover. Today's Yoga was great to keep me loose and start my day. I was able to keep go full range of motion and do all the advanced moves. Balance all around was a lot better, but still, left was more stable than the right. I didn't go for the move to the side this time with the Toe Bind keeping my leg in front this time. I was able to hold it a little better, but still no where near straightening in leg. Wrap, Triangle, Half Moon, were all good. Felt energized at the end. I had to drive an hour to work right after so it was nice to be loose.
Splits and Flow came after work in the evening, so happy to get a double stretch. I'm hoping that that will help me make a speedier move to my goal of full splits. Flow was as expected.
In the end, I burned a nice little 220+kcals. Very thankful for this day in my schedule.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
7-26-16 HY: Combat 45 Power Kata + RevAbs - Merciless Abs + Splits + TCF.
7-26-16 HY: Combat 45 Power Kata + RevAbs - Merciless Abs + Splits + TCF.
Got to my workout right after getting home from work. It's weird coming home to a virtually empty house. No kids activity or anything. It's nice to be able to do my own thing when I want to do it, but I miss the days when the kids would meet me at the door with open arms and ask to play, which would push my workout to a lot later than I wanted. Those days are just a memory now...
W2D3 of Combat. Second time for this routine. It was a really good cardio workout, and I remembered being able to handle most of the routine with little extra break time, so I wanted to amp up the routine a little bit. I don't have those gloves, but I do have small hand weights. I knew 1kg weights would be too heavy for all the punches and such, but I have these little half-pound weights from TAEBO that I haven't used in a long time because they are too light for anything, or so I thought. I thought that they would add just a little weight to my punches so I put them on. They were light, but I could feel the difference. I was told that too heavy weights could hurt my joints, so going with the tiny weights was the right choice to see how it would go. It was Awesome. Just the right resistance to make a difference. I started off strong, and pretty much kept up for the first two intervals, but I started to fade on the third Interval, and then I caught my second wind in the fourth interval. Again, that Muay Thai flying kick is so AWESOMELY FUN!!! I guess it's more of a Flying Knee than a kick. That Jumping Low Kick is also TONS of FUN! It really brings back the days when I was learning Tae Kwon Do. My kicks were a little better, but still had that hip flexor issue when I would rock back on the base leg. But I found a better angle at which to kick. So next time, I'll see what I can do and if I can improve the range of the kicks. The final Interval with all those punches, the sweat started flying off me all over the room, so I had to keep wiping on the pulse to minimize the splatter. Great routine!
It was predetermined by me to do Merciless Abs today so no delay in starting up. I hit failure several times in the third round. Just couldn't keep my legs up in the static hold. Nor could I get my legs straight in the V-Ups. Work in Progress!
Splits and Flow were right on point. Very satisfied.
In the end, I torched a bigger 920+kcals. Really burned it up today.
Got to my workout right after getting home from work. It's weird coming home to a virtually empty house. No kids activity or anything. It's nice to be able to do my own thing when I want to do it, but I miss the days when the kids would meet me at the door with open arms and ask to play, which would push my workout to a lot later than I wanted. Those days are just a memory now...
W2D3 of Combat. Second time for this routine. It was a really good cardio workout, and I remembered being able to handle most of the routine with little extra break time, so I wanted to amp up the routine a little bit. I don't have those gloves, but I do have small hand weights. I knew 1kg weights would be too heavy for all the punches and such, but I have these little half-pound weights from TAEBO that I haven't used in a long time because they are too light for anything, or so I thought. I thought that they would add just a little weight to my punches so I put them on. They were light, but I could feel the difference. I was told that too heavy weights could hurt my joints, so going with the tiny weights was the right choice to see how it would go. It was Awesome. Just the right resistance to make a difference. I started off strong, and pretty much kept up for the first two intervals, but I started to fade on the third Interval, and then I caught my second wind in the fourth interval. Again, that Muay Thai flying kick is so AWESOMELY FUN!!! I guess it's more of a Flying Knee than a kick. That Jumping Low Kick is also TONS of FUN! It really brings back the days when I was learning Tae Kwon Do. My kicks were a little better, but still had that hip flexor issue when I would rock back on the base leg. But I found a better angle at which to kick. So next time, I'll see what I can do and if I can improve the range of the kicks. The final Interval with all those punches, the sweat started flying off me all over the room, so I had to keep wiping on the pulse to minimize the splatter. Great routine!
It was predetermined by me to do Merciless Abs today so no delay in starting up. I hit failure several times in the third round. Just couldn't keep my legs up in the static hold. Nor could I get my legs straight in the V-Ups. Work in Progress!
Splits and Flow were right on point. Very satisfied.
In the end, I torched a bigger 920+kcals. Really burned it up today.
Monday, July 25, 2016
7-25-16 HY: Combat HIIT 1 Power + Splits + TCF.
7-25-16 HY: Combat HIIT 1 Power + Splits + TCF.
It was a good relaxing morning. Shake for breakfast and got my regular morning workout in. I was hoping to play tennis, but some family stuff came up so I had to cancel. Bummer because this was my last chance for a Monday Tennis Day. Oh well.
I reduced the dumbbell weight by 2.5kgs and went down to 7.5kgs from 10kgs. Still tough but this time, I was able to complete the weighted sets. Still killed my shoulders though, especially on those presses. 5 sets of the triple press and squats was very tough. I was able to make it through the Weighted Interval, but when it came to the Lower Body Interval, OH MY!!! I had to take breaks. My legs were dying! There is one progression that moved from Squats to Jumping Lunges. I could not hang, I had to take a breather between the Squats and Lunges. Quads were BURNING!!! I was also really dying on the Burpee Interval. I did pretty well last week, but today, I was just so spent by the middle set that I had to stick with Option 1 and do the single squat. But for some reason, the last set, the Double-8 set, I caught a second wind, and I did the single high jump, Option 3 for the last 6 reps. I desperately needed a break after that one. This was an incredibly intense routine and I needed a little bit of a longer break to allow my heart rate to drop a little before getting on with the next Interval. Great but brutal routine.
I needed some water and coconut water before going on to the stretch. But it felt really good to to stretch out my burnt legs. Having stretched just a few hours earlier I was able to open the hips rather well and get low. I was also able to do a clean and smooth Flow.
In the end, I torched just under 800kcals. A little more than last week.
It was a good relaxing morning. Shake for breakfast and got my regular morning workout in. I was hoping to play tennis, but some family stuff came up so I had to cancel. Bummer because this was my last chance for a Monday Tennis Day. Oh well.
I reduced the dumbbell weight by 2.5kgs and went down to 7.5kgs from 10kgs. Still tough but this time, I was able to complete the weighted sets. Still killed my shoulders though, especially on those presses. 5 sets of the triple press and squats was very tough. I was able to make it through the Weighted Interval, but when it came to the Lower Body Interval, OH MY!!! I had to take breaks. My legs were dying! There is one progression that moved from Squats to Jumping Lunges. I could not hang, I had to take a breather between the Squats and Lunges. Quads were BURNING!!! I was also really dying on the Burpee Interval. I did pretty well last week, but today, I was just so spent by the middle set that I had to stick with Option 1 and do the single squat. But for some reason, the last set, the Double-8 set, I caught a second wind, and I did the single high jump, Option 3 for the last 6 reps. I desperately needed a break after that one. This was an incredibly intense routine and I needed a little bit of a longer break to allow my heart rate to drop a little before getting on with the next Interval. Great but brutal routine.
I needed some water and coconut water before going on to the stretch. But it felt really good to to stretch out my burnt legs. Having stretched just a few hours earlier I was able to open the hips rather well and get low. I was also able to do a clean and smooth Flow.
In the end, I torched just under 800kcals. A little more than last week.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
7-24-16 HY: Combat 30 - HIIT Kick Start + RevAbs - Mercy Abs + Splits + TCF.
7-24-16 HY: Combat 30 - HIIT Kick Start + RevAbs - Mercy Abs + Splits + TCF.
Busy morning. I wasn't planning on it, but when I woke up and saw that it was cloudy, I decided to do the long overdue lawn work, mainly cutting the grass. So, I had a shake and got to it. I usually go over the lawn twice, first cutting the long and thick grass, rake it up and bag it, then go back over and cut all the patches I might have missed and then clear the lawn. But, I ran out of nylon string for the week wacker so I was only able to do one pass. It took only a couple hours this time, but half way through, the sun came out and I started to cook. So maybe it was a good thing that I ran out of nylon. I was soaked! So I showered and cooled off. I ran some errands with my wife in the afternoon and then hit the workout in the early evening.
Week 2 Day 1 of Combat is just a repeat of Week 1. So, I did a little bit of tweaking to today's routine. Being able to keep my Pull Up reps up is important to me. In Combat, I haven't seen much strength training, but only one week in, I'm staying hopeful. So today, I added a little Pull Up training to the mix. Between the different Intervals, I inserted one set of Pull Ups. It was only 12 reps each, but it was good to get some Pull Ups done. I ended up doing only 4 sets each a different position on the bar just for variety. Anyway, the main routine was a lot better this time around. I still can't be sure if the sets are time based of rep based, because I still feel that the right side is doing more reps than the left for some reason. But I was a lot better on sticking with the left and right side this time. Got a great sweat rolling and raised my heart rate a level. I didn't feel my upper back this time, just like last Sunday, but I'm interested to see if I'm going to be sore in my upper back like I was last Monday. But I definitely did a lot better today. More efficient on my Kata and was able to control my breathing better when applying power to the punches, especially the knock out punch. Still having problems with my balance on some of the kicks, especially the Back Kicks. The Jumping Kick starts out wobbly but get better once I find the groove. Good routine today.
I'm feeling a bit soft in my core today, so I went with Mercy Abs. Perfect to Burn it up. The static contractions and the slow reps are really good. However, I got a little impatient and didn't give myself any rest between the sets, especially on the last circuit. It was brutal, but in a good way. I need to work on keeping my legs straight on the V-Ups. Still very tough for me.
The Splits were a little more painful than usual today, but that was expected because of the off day yesterday. But I got to my mark quicker than before and got past it as well. I added a few stretches and raised the time in some stretches. The Flow was good, smooth and clean.
In the end, I torched a solid 820kcals. About the same number as last week. Nice to stay consistent.
Busy morning. I wasn't planning on it, but when I woke up and saw that it was cloudy, I decided to do the long overdue lawn work, mainly cutting the grass. So, I had a shake and got to it. I usually go over the lawn twice, first cutting the long and thick grass, rake it up and bag it, then go back over and cut all the patches I might have missed and then clear the lawn. But, I ran out of nylon string for the week wacker so I was only able to do one pass. It took only a couple hours this time, but half way through, the sun came out and I started to cook. So maybe it was a good thing that I ran out of nylon. I was soaked! So I showered and cooled off. I ran some errands with my wife in the afternoon and then hit the workout in the early evening.
Week 2 Day 1 of Combat is just a repeat of Week 1. So, I did a little bit of tweaking to today's routine. Being able to keep my Pull Up reps up is important to me. In Combat, I haven't seen much strength training, but only one week in, I'm staying hopeful. So today, I added a little Pull Up training to the mix. Between the different Intervals, I inserted one set of Pull Ups. It was only 12 reps each, but it was good to get some Pull Ups done. I ended up doing only 4 sets each a different position on the bar just for variety. Anyway, the main routine was a lot better this time around. I still can't be sure if the sets are time based of rep based, because I still feel that the right side is doing more reps than the left for some reason. But I was a lot better on sticking with the left and right side this time. Got a great sweat rolling and raised my heart rate a level. I didn't feel my upper back this time, just like last Sunday, but I'm interested to see if I'm going to be sore in my upper back like I was last Monday. But I definitely did a lot better today. More efficient on my Kata and was able to control my breathing better when applying power to the punches, especially the knock out punch. Still having problems with my balance on some of the kicks, especially the Back Kicks. The Jumping Kick starts out wobbly but get better once I find the groove. Good routine today.
I'm feeling a bit soft in my core today, so I went with Mercy Abs. Perfect to Burn it up. The static contractions and the slow reps are really good. However, I got a little impatient and didn't give myself any rest between the sets, especially on the last circuit. It was brutal, but in a good way. I need to work on keeping my legs straight on the V-Ups. Still very tough for me.
The Splits were a little more painful than usual today, but that was expected because of the off day yesterday. But I got to my mark quicker than before and got past it as well. I added a few stretches and raised the time in some stretches. The Flow was good, smooth and clean.
In the end, I torched a solid 820kcals. About the same number as last week. Nice to stay consistent.
Friday, July 22, 2016
7-22-16 HY: Combat - HIIT 2: Plyo Shock + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.
7-22-16 HY: Combat - HIIT 2: Plyo Shock + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.
Finally able to do a morning workout today. Weird schedule this week so wasn't able to do a morning workout on Monday. Instead, it shifted to Friday. The good thing is that I was able to do a full workout instead of splitting it morning and evening.
Today was the final new routine for the first two week period. Even though it is only 30 minutes, I was dying, sweating, and burning like nobody's business. The warm up was already burning my quads and the standing progressions was getting me to heave. I was needing a break at the midway point of the last two intervals. I think it was the third interval with the double lunges that just totally fried my legs out. However, I caught my second wind and finished out the final interval strong. Luckily is was Plank Work, Side Planks with Push Ups, and that type of stuff. I think my favorite Interval was the one with the Burpees. With the jumps and squats, that got me burning as well, but the combination of moves was fun. I'm still not totally used to their style of counting yet. I can't figure out if they are doing the moves according to time or by a set rep count. I haven't been able to take the time to count each move or time each move. But now that I've been through the first set of routines, I'll see about doing it in the next week. One thing that made this routine a lot harder than it should have been is the fact that my legs were feeling pretty sore from the tennis yesterday. Also, my right Achilles was feeling a little gimpy, but not like my left was feeling a couple weeks ago. But I wonder if I could handle this routine without any breaks if I was more fresh. Either way, Great routine!
I did some core work in Combat, but I wanted more. The Ball work with Chalene was really calling me today, so there was not really any discussion as to which routine I was going to do today. Got a great burn and I was trying to really control my reps so as not to bounce at all. Sometimes when I get tired, I fell into the trap of bouncing a bit to help get up. Not today, and my moaning and groaning was proof of that fact.
Had time for the Splits, so I pushed hard and low today. I feel the progress is there, but slow. I am now rolling my leg on the hamstring stretches to get the whole area, not just one side. I can feel part of the muscle is more flexible than other parts so I have started the rolling. The Flow was also good. Legs were sore, so it took a little grit to stay firm and stable.
In the end, I torched a nice week-ending 800kcals. Happy Weekend!!!
Finally able to do a morning workout today. Weird schedule this week so wasn't able to do a morning workout on Monday. Instead, it shifted to Friday. The good thing is that I was able to do a full workout instead of splitting it morning and evening.
Today was the final new routine for the first two week period. Even though it is only 30 minutes, I was dying, sweating, and burning like nobody's business. The warm up was already burning my quads and the standing progressions was getting me to heave. I was needing a break at the midway point of the last two intervals. I think it was the third interval with the double lunges that just totally fried my legs out. However, I caught my second wind and finished out the final interval strong. Luckily is was Plank Work, Side Planks with Push Ups, and that type of stuff. I think my favorite Interval was the one with the Burpees. With the jumps and squats, that got me burning as well, but the combination of moves was fun. I'm still not totally used to their style of counting yet. I can't figure out if they are doing the moves according to time or by a set rep count. I haven't been able to take the time to count each move or time each move. But now that I've been through the first set of routines, I'll see about doing it in the next week. One thing that made this routine a lot harder than it should have been is the fact that my legs were feeling pretty sore from the tennis yesterday. Also, my right Achilles was feeling a little gimpy, but not like my left was feeling a couple weeks ago. But I wonder if I could handle this routine without any breaks if I was more fresh. Either way, Great routine!
I did some core work in Combat, but I wanted more. The Ball work with Chalene was really calling me today, so there was not really any discussion as to which routine I was going to do today. Got a great burn and I was trying to really control my reps so as not to bounce at all. Sometimes when I get tired, I fell into the trap of bouncing a bit to help get up. Not today, and my moaning and groaning was proof of that fact.
Had time for the Splits, so I pushed hard and low today. I feel the progress is there, but slow. I am now rolling my leg on the hamstring stretches to get the whole area, not just one side. I can feel part of the muscle is more flexible than other parts so I have started the rolling. The Flow was also good. Legs were sore, so it took a little grit to stay firm and stable.
In the end, I torched a nice week-ending 800kcals. Happy Weekend!!!
7-21-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.
7-21-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.
Tennis Day!
According to the Combat schedule, I'm supposed to be doing a HIIT workout, but Tennis Day takes priority. I was a little bummed, but when I discovered, the schedule calls for the same routine that was on Day 1, I figured that I would just not do the repeat routine and do the new HIIT routine on Friday. So nothing missed.
HOT HOT HOT!!! In the gym. I checked the floor before setting up this time and, yes, that one baseline had a film of condensation on it. So I set up the net on the other side of the gym and it seemed okay. But I found a few drip areas near the net. So I just marked those spots in my head and determined to just be careful in that area. I am back to using normal scoring today because I just wanted to see how it would be. No suspense, it was a very tough first set. But I finally took the match, 8-6, 6-0. The first set was a really dog fight. Both were making shots and having ups and downs in concentration and strokes. I was actually up 5-2 but them I just sort of shut down and lost 3 straight games. I got up to 6-5, then lost again. Eventually taking the last two games. But that was the start of a tear that saw 8 straight games. I don't know what happened, I was just on fire at times, and when I started to slow down, he slowed down more. We started to play a third set, but the by that time, my sweat was starting to free-flow and it was getting slippery, so we just played for a bit more, and then stopped. This is the first time for ME to actually call a stop. After falling and slipping last week, I didn't want that to happen again. I had to really push myself today, because I was feeling a bit sluggish and tired the whole time. I would have bursts of energy during a point and I would be able to run down balls, but then I would be very winded afterwards. I finished my water bottle, but it isn't enough because I was a bit dehydrated after the match. I may have to bring my bigger bottle on days like this. But the most important thing... It was great fun!
I did my Splits and Flow after my night class and everything went well. I'm hitting on a point that really enables me to push lower and find the muscles that need stretching out. Flow was Choice.
In the end, only tennis, I torched over 1300kcals. Big burn!
Tennis Day!
According to the Combat schedule, I'm supposed to be doing a HIIT workout, but Tennis Day takes priority. I was a little bummed, but when I discovered, the schedule calls for the same routine that was on Day 1, I figured that I would just not do the repeat routine and do the new HIIT routine on Friday. So nothing missed.
HOT HOT HOT!!! In the gym. I checked the floor before setting up this time and, yes, that one baseline had a film of condensation on it. So I set up the net on the other side of the gym and it seemed okay. But I found a few drip areas near the net. So I just marked those spots in my head and determined to just be careful in that area. I am back to using normal scoring today because I just wanted to see how it would be. No suspense, it was a very tough first set. But I finally took the match, 8-6, 6-0. The first set was a really dog fight. Both were making shots and having ups and downs in concentration and strokes. I was actually up 5-2 but them I just sort of shut down and lost 3 straight games. I got up to 6-5, then lost again. Eventually taking the last two games. But that was the start of a tear that saw 8 straight games. I don't know what happened, I was just on fire at times, and when I started to slow down, he slowed down more. We started to play a third set, but the by that time, my sweat was starting to free-flow and it was getting slippery, so we just played for a bit more, and then stopped. This is the first time for ME to actually call a stop. After falling and slipping last week, I didn't want that to happen again. I had to really push myself today, because I was feeling a bit sluggish and tired the whole time. I would have bursts of energy during a point and I would be able to run down balls, but then I would be very winded afterwards. I finished my water bottle, but it isn't enough because I was a bit dehydrated after the match. I may have to bring my bigger bottle on days like this. But the most important thing... It was great fun!
I did my Splits and Flow after my night class and everything went well. I'm hitting on a point that really enables me to push lower and find the muscles that need stretching out. Flow was Choice.
In the end, only tennis, I torched over 1300kcals. Big burn!
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
7-20-16 HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + ChaLEAN Extreme - Recharge + Splits + TCF.
7-20-16 HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + ChaLEAN Extreme - Recharge + Splits + TCF.
According to the Combat Warrior schedule, Day 4 is a Rest day, but I continued my regular system and used Wednesday as my Recovery Day. So I did something that I haven't done in a long time. I combined two short routines to make a 30+ minute recovery routine. Cold Start and Recharge actually really compliment each other very nicely. The warm up Strength moves in Cold Start are supported by the Yoga moves in Cold Start and it just seems to mesh together really well. I was sweating up a storm for most of the workout. I was really happy with this workout.
Splits and Flow came after work so another Double Stretch Day. The evening stretch felt really good. Almost refreshing if it wasn't for the pain. Pushed really hard today. The Flow was also right on point.
In the end, in the morning, I burned a nice little 260+kcals. Great Recovery!!!
According to the Combat Warrior schedule, Day 4 is a Rest day, but I continued my regular system and used Wednesday as my Recovery Day. So I did something that I haven't done in a long time. I combined two short routines to make a 30+ minute recovery routine. Cold Start and Recharge actually really compliment each other very nicely. The warm up Strength moves in Cold Start are supported by the Yoga moves in Cold Start and it just seems to mesh together really well. I was sweating up a storm for most of the workout. I was really happy with this workout.
Splits and Flow came after work so another Double Stretch Day. The evening stretch felt really good. Almost refreshing if it wasn't for the pain. Pushed really hard today. The Flow was also right on point.
In the end, in the morning, I burned a nice little 260+kcals. Great Recovery!!!
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
7-19-16 HY: Combat 45 - Power Kata + Abs + Splits + TCF.
7-19-16 HY: Combat 45 - Power Kata + Abs + Splits + TCF.
Regular day, but woke up rather sore, but not in the place I expected to be sore. I was expecting to be sore in my legs, and they were a bit sore, but I was a lot more sore in my lats from right below my shoulders all the way down my outer back. It was really an odd sensation. I don't every remember being sore in those muscles before. I wasn't really sure how I even hit those muscles. Reaching forward and picking things up activated them and thus the pain came. Once I started today's workout, I realized what and how it happened.
I rather enjoyed Combat 30. It was a fun and relatively easy to follow routine. I kind of expected the same from this one. I got a lot more. Right from the first punch, I discovered that it was all that punching and blocking that created that soreness I talked about earlier. Every punch brought along its own little scream party. But once I warmed up, it wasn't so much the pain, but the strain on the muscles. But there was some pull when I started putting more power into my punches. The Intervals were fun. A lot of interesting new and somewhat complicated combinations. It is interesting that in each Interval, they lead through two separate progressions. I was expecting them to combine the two somehow, but nope, they left them independent of each other and did them in succession. I have to say that the Muay Tai moves were really fun. Love that Flying Knee move, and the High to Low Vertical Punch. Those are two moves I've never done before. They do Capoeira, too. I recognized some of the moves, but I preferred Brett's form for their moves. Sorry! I was heaving and sweating like crazy the entire routine. It played out nicely. One thing though, is it just me, or does the right side seem to be longer than the left? For some reason, I felt that way today. I just felt like I was doing more reps on the right side. Maybe it was just because it was the first time on the right, and was used to it on the left so it seemed shorter. Oh well. Either way, Good work today.
I found a little ab workout that I hadn't done yet by another small independent trainer on YouTube that looked interesting. Funny name. The routine was called "Abs, Abs, Abs... Abs". Basically, it was 4 moves done in a succession with no rest in a descending rep counts of 12-10-8-6. The moves were: 1. V-Ups, Revers Toe Touches, Hand overhead Leg Lifts, and Scissor Kicks (two kicks is one rep). Every set was really tough, and I got a good burn in the core.
Splits and Flow were good. My hip flexor needs a lot of work. I'm almost sure I'll be able to get at least one of the Side Splits by Dec. 31, but I probably won't be able to be totally upright for them. But I'm trying and pushing.
In the end, I torched a solid 800+kcals. Since starting Combat, my workout are about30-45 minutes shorter they they were just previously. I guess that extra time accounts for the 150-250+ more calories burned during my workout. But I'm feeling a lot of different muscles being worked.
Regular day, but woke up rather sore, but not in the place I expected to be sore. I was expecting to be sore in my legs, and they were a bit sore, but I was a lot more sore in my lats from right below my shoulders all the way down my outer back. It was really an odd sensation. I don't every remember being sore in those muscles before. I wasn't really sure how I even hit those muscles. Reaching forward and picking things up activated them and thus the pain came. Once I started today's workout, I realized what and how it happened.
I rather enjoyed Combat 30. It was a fun and relatively easy to follow routine. I kind of expected the same from this one. I got a lot more. Right from the first punch, I discovered that it was all that punching and blocking that created that soreness I talked about earlier. Every punch brought along its own little scream party. But once I warmed up, it wasn't so much the pain, but the strain on the muscles. But there was some pull when I started putting more power into my punches. The Intervals were fun. A lot of interesting new and somewhat complicated combinations. It is interesting that in each Interval, they lead through two separate progressions. I was expecting them to combine the two somehow, but nope, they left them independent of each other and did them in succession. I have to say that the Muay Tai moves were really fun. Love that Flying Knee move, and the High to Low Vertical Punch. Those are two moves I've never done before. They do Capoeira, too. I recognized some of the moves, but I preferred Brett's form for their moves. Sorry! I was heaving and sweating like crazy the entire routine. It played out nicely. One thing though, is it just me, or does the right side seem to be longer than the left? For some reason, I felt that way today. I just felt like I was doing more reps on the right side. Maybe it was just because it was the first time on the right, and was used to it on the left so it seemed shorter. Oh well. Either way, Good work today.
I found a little ab workout that I hadn't done yet by another small independent trainer on YouTube that looked interesting. Funny name. The routine was called "Abs, Abs, Abs... Abs". Basically, it was 4 moves done in a succession with no rest in a descending rep counts of 12-10-8-6. The moves were: 1. V-Ups, Revers Toe Touches, Hand overhead Leg Lifts, and Scissor Kicks (two kicks is one rep). Every set was really tough, and I got a good burn in the core.
Splits and Flow were good. My hip flexor needs a lot of work. I'm almost sure I'll be able to get at least one of the Side Splits by Dec. 31, but I probably won't be able to be totally upright for them. But I'm trying and pushing.
In the end, I torched a solid 800+kcals. Since starting Combat, my workout are about30-45 minutes shorter they they were just previously. I guess that extra time accounts for the 150-250+ more calories burned during my workout. But I'm feeling a lot of different muscles being worked.
Monday, July 18, 2016
7-18-16 HY: Combat - HIIT 1: Power + Splits + TCF.
7-18-16 HY: Combat - HIIT 1: Power + Splits + TCF.
Today was a national holiday, but I had to work. BUMMER! But I was raring to go on my workout when I got home. And I got right to it.
Week 1, Day 2 of Combat. I was expecting a longer routine, and I thought that I knew what to expect, but this routine totally BLEW ME AWAY!!! Right from the warm up I was sweating and starting to breath heavily. The first Interval was not bad, but from the second interval and the usage of the weights, WOW!!! This was really a new experience for me. I started off with 10kgs, and as the first weighted interval progressed, my regret grew with every lift. The Dead Lift progression was tough, but the next progression with the Tower Presses was BRUTAL. I stayed with 10kgs, but next time, I'll go down. And maybe go up later. That was really tough and with the fast pace, Yeah, definitely going with a lighter weight next time. Also, I wasn't able to Squat using my full range of motion today because of the weight and pace. It was more like a half to three-quarters squat. I think I'll be able to go close to full Range of Motion with maybe 7.5kgs. But even though my RoM was left wanting, my legs were BURNING!!! I know I'm going to feel it tomorrow. The Body Weight Interval was EXTREME! I was already pretty tired and those Burpees and Plank moves ending with the Mountain Climbers and Spider Push Ups. OUCH. Again with the legs. My legs were ON FIRE!! Thank goodness it was only 30 minutes. But actually, I took longer because I was learning the moves and also taking breaks. I was taking some extra recovery time between intervals. And by the time I hit the Body Weight Interval, I was taking breaks between moves and all over. Glad I get another chance at this one.
I was so ready for the stretch after the Combat routine. Quads were on fire! The Splits went very well. By the second round, I'm pushing so low on the left side. The right side definitely has ha hitch in the hip flexor. I had to take the Flow a bit slower today because my legs were a bit wobbly. But it was clean.
In the end, I torched a good 720+kcals. Less calories burned, but I'm glad for the shorter workouts.
Today was a national holiday, but I had to work. BUMMER! But I was raring to go on my workout when I got home. And I got right to it.
Week 1, Day 2 of Combat. I was expecting a longer routine, and I thought that I knew what to expect, but this routine totally BLEW ME AWAY!!! Right from the warm up I was sweating and starting to breath heavily. The first Interval was not bad, but from the second interval and the usage of the weights, WOW!!! This was really a new experience for me. I started off with 10kgs, and as the first weighted interval progressed, my regret grew with every lift. The Dead Lift progression was tough, but the next progression with the Tower Presses was BRUTAL. I stayed with 10kgs, but next time, I'll go down. And maybe go up later. That was really tough and with the fast pace, Yeah, definitely going with a lighter weight next time. Also, I wasn't able to Squat using my full range of motion today because of the weight and pace. It was more like a half to three-quarters squat. I think I'll be able to go close to full Range of Motion with maybe 7.5kgs. But even though my RoM was left wanting, my legs were BURNING!!! I know I'm going to feel it tomorrow. The Body Weight Interval was EXTREME! I was already pretty tired and those Burpees and Plank moves ending with the Mountain Climbers and Spider Push Ups. OUCH. Again with the legs. My legs were ON FIRE!! Thank goodness it was only 30 minutes. But actually, I took longer because I was learning the moves and also taking breaks. I was taking some extra recovery time between intervals. And by the time I hit the Body Weight Interval, I was taking breaks between moves and all over. Glad I get another chance at this one.
I was so ready for the stretch after the Combat routine. Quads were on fire! The Splits went very well. By the second round, I'm pushing so low on the left side. The right side definitely has ha hitch in the hip flexor. I had to take the Flow a bit slower today because my legs were a bit wobbly. But it was clean.
In the end, I torched a good 720+kcals. Less calories burned, but I'm glad for the shorter workouts.
7-17-16 HY: Combat - Kick Start (Combat 30) + ChaLEAN Extreme - I've Got Abs + Splits + TCF.
7-17-16 HY: Combat - Kick Start (Combat 30) + ChaLEAN Extreme - I've Got Abs + Splits + TCF.
Today was a nice relaxing day. Just at home in the morning, running errands with my wife in the early afternoon, watching news in mid-afternoon, and then working out in the late-afternoon. Nice day. The only thing that was sort of a downer was the extreme heat. When I got home, I was so hot and tired that I just sat. Didn't feel like doing anything. But I finally got my butt of the sofa and got to it.
I decided to go ahead and just do it, so I started Les Mills Combat. I decided to just go with the starter level schedule, "Combat Warrior". For now, it fits my daily schedule perfectly so I won't have to change anything up. It has been several years since I did a martial arts based program, but it slowly came back to me. Initially, it was pretty easy, and I was a little bored. But after the first few minutes, it got fun with all the combinations. I was actually surprised that I was getting a little winded and that I was sweating a lot. I was rather disappointed that my side kicks were so low, even when I tried to kick up higher. But that is an anatomical issue. HA! One thing that I wish they did more clearly on the DVD is to tell us which side a move or combo starts from. Often times, I started on the wrong side, and sort of got confused when they had some sort of left-right punch-kick combo. It was a lot different from TAEBO. The combinations are a lot more interesting than individual moves of TAEBO. But the later amalgamations of TAEBO started putting together more combinations, but still had a lot of individual moves. So as far as a martial arts program, I'm liking Combat.
I was intending to stick with the Combat program, but I was feeling pretty energetic so I wanted to do some extra abs so I while I was flipping through my DVDs, I saw I've Got Abs. So I started it up and I was very impressed at how much burn it put me through. I wonder why I haven't done that routine more. I'm sure I've done it at least once, and maybe only once, but I'm definitely doing it more as a supplemental part of my workouts. There were several of the same moves like Crunches, Crosses, Cat-Cow, etc., but some new moves and new styles that really brought on the burn. Plus more Plank stuff and Push Ups. Really good routine.
Splits and Flow were good. After an off day, I usually have a little trouble getting low, but today, I went right to the bottom and pushed lower. I'm also including those micro-movements to change the angle of my muscle so as to stretch the whole muscle and spectrum of the muscle bands. I'm working on the inner thigh especially for those Straddle Splits. I really feel the pull. Flow was really good as usual. Felt the Flow flowing through me.
In the end, I was very surprised to have torched a big 800+kcals. Happy to start off with a big burn!
Today was a nice relaxing day. Just at home in the morning, running errands with my wife in the early afternoon, watching news in mid-afternoon, and then working out in the late-afternoon. Nice day. The only thing that was sort of a downer was the extreme heat. When I got home, I was so hot and tired that I just sat. Didn't feel like doing anything. But I finally got my butt of the sofa and got to it.
I decided to go ahead and just do it, so I started Les Mills Combat. I decided to just go with the starter level schedule, "Combat Warrior". For now, it fits my daily schedule perfectly so I won't have to change anything up. It has been several years since I did a martial arts based program, but it slowly came back to me. Initially, it was pretty easy, and I was a little bored. But after the first few minutes, it got fun with all the combinations. I was actually surprised that I was getting a little winded and that I was sweating a lot. I was rather disappointed that my side kicks were so low, even when I tried to kick up higher. But that is an anatomical issue. HA! One thing that I wish they did more clearly on the DVD is to tell us which side a move or combo starts from. Often times, I started on the wrong side, and sort of got confused when they had some sort of left-right punch-kick combo. It was a lot different from TAEBO. The combinations are a lot more interesting than individual moves of TAEBO. But the later amalgamations of TAEBO started putting together more combinations, but still had a lot of individual moves. So as far as a martial arts program, I'm liking Combat.
I was intending to stick with the Combat program, but I was feeling pretty energetic so I wanted to do some extra abs so I while I was flipping through my DVDs, I saw I've Got Abs. So I started it up and I was very impressed at how much burn it put me through. I wonder why I haven't done that routine more. I'm sure I've done it at least once, and maybe only once, but I'm definitely doing it more as a supplemental part of my workouts. There were several of the same moves like Crunches, Crosses, Cat-Cow, etc., but some new moves and new styles that really brought on the burn. Plus more Plank stuff and Push Ups. Really good routine.
Splits and Flow were good. After an off day, I usually have a little trouble getting low, but today, I went right to the bottom and pushed lower. I'm also including those micro-movements to change the angle of my muscle so as to stretch the whole muscle and spectrum of the muscle bands. I'm working on the inner thigh especially for those Straddle Splits. I really feel the pull. Flow was really good as usual. Felt the Flow flowing through me.
In the end, I was very surprised to have torched a big 800+kcals. Happy to start off with a big burn!
Friday, July 15, 2016
7-15-16 HY: Body Beast - Bulk: Chest + Beast: Abs + Splits + TCF.
7-15-16 HY: Body Beast - Bulk: Chest + Beast: Abs + Splits + TCF.
Finishing off the week with some good resistance training. Because of my weird schedule this week, I only did two days of resistance. First time for that to happen since I don't even know when. I may go one more week with Body Beast before moving to Combat. I'm still thinking about that though. I'll make a decision by Sunday for sure.
I really wanted to do chest so this was the day. It is a short workout, but my arms and chest got a huge pump. So many Presses, I was afraid I wouldn't make it to the end without lowering my weights from the previous round which was in March. But I ended up not having to lower the weights. However, on the Incline Press Progressive set, I have a note that says 19.5kgs is light. But it definitely was NOT light I barely got the final light set up and had to take a mid-set break at 10 reps to ensure I made it to 15reps. I again, added the Band Uppercuts. I really flexed my chest on that one just to get that static tension directly over the entire chest. I felt good doing it. I love working the chest!
And since I haven't done it in a while, I stuck with Segi and did Beast: Abs. Nice little workout. I should have remembered it. I'm definitely going to put that into my ab rotation. Got a good burn. The only move I changed a bit was the Roman Twist. Segi has his feet on the floor, but I put my feet in the air. Burn BUrn BURN!!!
The Splits and Flow are feeling really good now and I think I am definitely moving in the right direction.
In the end, I torched another solid 1000+kcal day. Great to finish the week on this high!
Finishing off the week with some good resistance training. Because of my weird schedule this week, I only did two days of resistance. First time for that to happen since I don't even know when. I may go one more week with Body Beast before moving to Combat. I'm still thinking about that though. I'll make a decision by Sunday for sure.
I really wanted to do chest so this was the day. It is a short workout, but my arms and chest got a huge pump. So many Presses, I was afraid I wouldn't make it to the end without lowering my weights from the previous round which was in March. But I ended up not having to lower the weights. However, on the Incline Press Progressive set, I have a note that says 19.5kgs is light. But it definitely was NOT light I barely got the final light set up and had to take a mid-set break at 10 reps to ensure I made it to 15reps. I again, added the Band Uppercuts. I really flexed my chest on that one just to get that static tension directly over the entire chest. I felt good doing it. I love working the chest!
And since I haven't done it in a while, I stuck with Segi and did Beast: Abs. Nice little workout. I should have remembered it. I'm definitely going to put that into my ab rotation. Got a good burn. The only move I changed a bit was the Roman Twist. Segi has his feet on the floor, but I put my feet in the air. Burn BUrn BURN!!!
The Splits and Flow are feeling really good now and I think I am definitely moving in the right direction.
In the end, I torched another solid 1000+kcal day. Great to finish the week on this high!
7-14-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.
7-14-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.
Test Day! and Tennis Day!
I have taken it easy on my Achilles for the past week or so and today was testing day. I was planning to just play as normal while keeping close tabs on the condition of my Achilles. To make a long story short, everything went well. Not a bit of pain, but there was a little stiffness, but I had expected that. That being said, I wasn't really able to play as "normally" as I had hoped. The reason was that since we've been having a lot of rain recently, the gym was extremely humid and there was a big puddle on the side of the court from some ceiling drippage. I tried to mop up the floor as best I could, but it wasn't going to totally dry. So I kept a mental note not to try to attempt a sudden stop in that area. To make matters worse, for some reason, right at the center of my baseline, there was a layer of condensation that stretched for about 1.5 meters either way of the center hash mark. I tried playing on the baseline, but I was just slipping around, and when I moved quickly for a shot, I slipped. So, I ended up having to play about a meter inside the baseline. Timing was way off for a while. Then to make matters even worse, I was sweating like I was in a sauna (actually, the gym was that humid), so with movement, I was dripping on the floor. There was a point that the moisture from condensation was less than the wetness from my sweat, so I moved back to the baseline. Then only a few minutes of play, that area was drip wet. And my shoes, MY NEW SHOES!!! were so wet inside due to the sweat running down my legs and into my shoes, the last 15-20 minutes, I was literally sloshing around the court. I had a few year spills and one big spill. It happened as I was hitting a shot and tried to change directions too quickly. BAM!!! Down to the ground. So most of the time, I had to really soft step around the court, and I had to give up on shots I could normally get because I couldn't change directions or get a good push off. Now, that being said, I scored regularly today, with standard scoring, and I took the match, 6-2, 6-2. It took a lot less time to get that score, but I didn't want to continue with that because of the potential danger of slipping, so I just practiced after those two sets. There were some really good shots and rallies, but we'll never know if some of those should could have been returned. But it was a fun session.
I did the splits after work in the evening and everything went well. I feel like I'm getting over a plateau so I'm pushing lower. Flow was on point as usual.
In the end, after the tennis, I torched a solid 1100+kcals. That is pretty much par for the course.
Test Day! and Tennis Day!
I have taken it easy on my Achilles for the past week or so and today was testing day. I was planning to just play as normal while keeping close tabs on the condition of my Achilles. To make a long story short, everything went well. Not a bit of pain, but there was a little stiffness, but I had expected that. That being said, I wasn't really able to play as "normally" as I had hoped. The reason was that since we've been having a lot of rain recently, the gym was extremely humid and there was a big puddle on the side of the court from some ceiling drippage. I tried to mop up the floor as best I could, but it wasn't going to totally dry. So I kept a mental note not to try to attempt a sudden stop in that area. To make matters worse, for some reason, right at the center of my baseline, there was a layer of condensation that stretched for about 1.5 meters either way of the center hash mark. I tried playing on the baseline, but I was just slipping around, and when I moved quickly for a shot, I slipped. So, I ended up having to play about a meter inside the baseline. Timing was way off for a while. Then to make matters even worse, I was sweating like I was in a sauna (actually, the gym was that humid), so with movement, I was dripping on the floor. There was a point that the moisture from condensation was less than the wetness from my sweat, so I moved back to the baseline. Then only a few minutes of play, that area was drip wet. And my shoes, MY NEW SHOES!!! were so wet inside due to the sweat running down my legs and into my shoes, the last 15-20 minutes, I was literally sloshing around the court. I had a few year spills and one big spill. It happened as I was hitting a shot and tried to change directions too quickly. BAM!!! Down to the ground. So most of the time, I had to really soft step around the court, and I had to give up on shots I could normally get because I couldn't change directions or get a good push off. Now, that being said, I scored regularly today, with standard scoring, and I took the match, 6-2, 6-2. It took a lot less time to get that score, but I didn't want to continue with that because of the potential danger of slipping, so I just practiced after those two sets. There were some really good shots and rallies, but we'll never know if some of those should could have been returned. But it was a fun session.
I did the splits after work in the evening and everything went well. I feel like I'm getting over a plateau so I'm pushing lower. Flow was on point as usual.
In the end, after the tennis, I torched a solid 1100+kcals. That is pretty much par for the course.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
7-13-16 HY: P90X3 - X3 Yoga + Splits + TCF.
7-13-16 HY: P90X3 - X3 Yoga + Splits + TCF.
Sure needed this mid-week recovery today. Due to my schedule quirk, I ended up doing to resistance days in a row on Monday and Tuesday. My arms were doing some major barking today and I really needed a good stretch and recovery. There was just a little tweak in my Achilles today, but I felt it was good and fine in general.
Started off my day with a lovely Shake and then went into my morning session. Love this routine! I was sweating from the start. I really wanted to keep good and steady form throughout so I extended all the stretches to get the max benefit. I feel that it was a good round and that my form stayed stable. Balance wise it was good also. My half moon was okay, only tapped out a couple time on my left. Toe Bind move was still a struggle. My leg cannot straighten out and my toe was in pain. The Wrap was good, feeling a lot more range of motion. I didn't need to struggle to find my fingers on either side. Crane was good, only tapped out once, but that was because my triceps were being crushed by my knees and that was painful. Felt good by the end and much looser.
I had to do my Splits and Flow in the evening after work so it was like getting a double stretch today. YES!!! Love it when that happens. Everything went well.
In the end (of the morning), I only burned a modest 200+kcals, but the small burn was worth the other intangible or felt benefits.
Sure needed this mid-week recovery today. Due to my schedule quirk, I ended up doing to resistance days in a row on Monday and Tuesday. My arms were doing some major barking today and I really needed a good stretch and recovery. There was just a little tweak in my Achilles today, but I felt it was good and fine in general.
Started off my day with a lovely Shake and then went into my morning session. Love this routine! I was sweating from the start. I really wanted to keep good and steady form throughout so I extended all the stretches to get the max benefit. I feel that it was a good round and that my form stayed stable. Balance wise it was good also. My half moon was okay, only tapped out a couple time on my left. Toe Bind move was still a struggle. My leg cannot straighten out and my toe was in pain. The Wrap was good, feeling a lot more range of motion. I didn't need to struggle to find my fingers on either side. Crane was good, only tapped out once, but that was because my triceps were being crushed by my knees and that was painful. Felt good by the end and much looser.
I had to do my Splits and Flow in the evening after work so it was like getting a double stretch today. YES!!! Love it when that happens. Everything went well.
In the end (of the morning), I only burned a modest 200+kcals, but the small burn was worth the other intangible or felt benefits.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
7-12-16 HY: P90X3 - Total Synergistics + Splits + TCF.
7-12-16 HY: P90X3 - Total Synergistics + Splits + TCF.
My Achilles felt pretty good today. No pain going up and down stairs. No pain on slightly supported calf raises. So I decided to test my Achilles a bit and do a workout with some lower body stuff. I decided on the first X3 routine. I was a little nervous because my biceps and triceps were REALLY feeling it all day. They felt flexed for most of the day and quickly got pumped when activated for use. This routine has a pretty wide variety of upper body moves so I didn't know how I would perform. But, I was actually surprised that I was able to keep up and do all the reps with Tony and Crew. I didn't push for speed, but I did try and keep the slower-than-usual-for-Tony pace. It was a good slow pace so I could focus on target muscle activation. This routine had a little of everything which was perfect. I had to print out a new set of worksheets so I'm working from scratch with the weights. But using the weight range from yesterday's Body Beast, I think I got good weights. I took a little longer than the 30 minutes because I had to relearn a lot of the moves so after watching some, I went back and started from the beginning of the time. I was glad that there were some Pull Ups and Chin Ups, but I'm also glad that there were only two sets. A lot of balance work as well. The few bicep curls burned out my biceps even though I only used 7.5kgs. I was feeling it. There was a good amount of Core work as well. Which was good because I was thinking to do an ab routine afterwards, but I really didn't want to do three days in a row. There were a couple Sumo-ish Squats that I felt my inner thighs very much, along with Calf raises. No Achilles pain! I didn't go very heavy, but the intensity was there due to the slower pace or the reps. Great workout routine!
I went right into the Splits and I felt really good. I was able to push lower on both the Straddle and Left and Right Side Splits today and pushed more on the time as well. It's coming along. I'm within 4 inches of the ground. Excited about that! Still need to work on loosening those front hip flexors so I can be more upright in the Side Splits.
The Flow was on par with everything today so just rght.
In the end, I torched a pleasant 600+kcals. Less burn but less time. Still a great pump and burn.
My Achilles felt pretty good today. No pain going up and down stairs. No pain on slightly supported calf raises. So I decided to test my Achilles a bit and do a workout with some lower body stuff. I decided on the first X3 routine. I was a little nervous because my biceps and triceps were REALLY feeling it all day. They felt flexed for most of the day and quickly got pumped when activated for use. This routine has a pretty wide variety of upper body moves so I didn't know how I would perform. But, I was actually surprised that I was able to keep up and do all the reps with Tony and Crew. I didn't push for speed, but I did try and keep the slower-than-usual-for-Tony pace. It was a good slow pace so I could focus on target muscle activation. This routine had a little of everything which was perfect. I had to print out a new set of worksheets so I'm working from scratch with the weights. But using the weight range from yesterday's Body Beast, I think I got good weights. I took a little longer than the 30 minutes because I had to relearn a lot of the moves so after watching some, I went back and started from the beginning of the time. I was glad that there were some Pull Ups and Chin Ups, but I'm also glad that there were only two sets. A lot of balance work as well. The few bicep curls burned out my biceps even though I only used 7.5kgs. I was feeling it. There was a good amount of Core work as well. Which was good because I was thinking to do an ab routine afterwards, but I really didn't want to do three days in a row. There were a couple Sumo-ish Squats that I felt my inner thighs very much, along with Calf raises. No Achilles pain! I didn't go very heavy, but the intensity was there due to the slower pace or the reps. Great workout routine!
I went right into the Splits and I felt really good. I was able to push lower on both the Straddle and Left and Right Side Splits today and pushed more on the time as well. It's coming along. I'm within 4 inches of the ground. Excited about that! Still need to work on loosening those front hip flexors so I can be more upright in the Side Splits.
The Flow was on par with everything today so just rght.
In the end, I torched a pleasant 600+kcals. Less burn but less time. Still a great pump and burn.
Monday, July 11, 2016
7-11-16 HY: Body Beast - Bulk: Arms + Fit Ball Core Strength + Splits + TCF.
7-11-16 HY: Body Beast - Bulk: Arms + Fit Ball Core Strength + Splits + TCF.
Today, was supposed to be a double workout day, but as I said before, I injured my left Achilles and am not actively trying to not aggravate it so I can play tennis on Thursday. I was supposed to play this afternoon, but I decided not to play because of that very reason. So, only one workout today.
I was a little troubled trying to find an upper body routine that wouldn't put any pressure on my Achilles. I was looking at some X3 routines, but they mostly had some lower body stuff except for The Challenge, and I was not feeling in the mood to go that intense. Finally I hit on Bulk: Arms. It has been a few months since I did this routine, and when I got the worksheet out, I was thinking the weights were a bit light. Famous last words! I basically did the same weights as the last time with a couple of changes. On the first set, the Progressive Set of Standing Curls, I went up a small plate (1.25kgs) on the light and medium weight and then up a medium plate (2kgs) on the heavy. In hind sight, that was a mistake. I was dying by the end, and I needed to take a break between sets and a few mid-set breaks on the last two sets as well. Biceps were BURNING!!! On all the sets, the target muscles, either biceps or triceps were left burning like crazy! On the last move, the Weighted Crunches, instead of using plates of 7.5kgs, I used two dumbbells for 8kgs. a little heavier. It felt good to get those different style of sets done again with different levels of weight. There were some slow reps, not as slow as ChaLEAN Extreme, but slow enough to get that semi-static pump and burn. I was glad to also keep the pressure off my Achilles.
Even though I did abs yesterday, I wanted to do something Core today, so I thought to do something totally different that I wanted to try but never had the chance or never got a round to it to do. So I went to my online subscriptions and chose a Core Swiss Ball workout. I liked Chalene's a lot so I wanted to see what else was out there. I chose the Fit Ball, Core Strength ab workout. It was lead by an Australian, which was new. There were a lot of moves I knew, but a couple new ones that were pretty tough. But it wasn't only core, it was almost full body. That hamstring pull in almost cramped my hammys. I could really feel how weak my hamstrings were. It was nice to do something different. It was a good 15 minutes ab routine.
Splits were good! I feel like I'm primed to go on past the present plateau so I'm getting ready for another concerted push to go to that next level. Flow was also clean and smooth.
In the end, I torched a nice 700+kcals. No lower body in play so that was pretty much what I was expecting. But the Pump and Burn was Awesome!
Today, was supposed to be a double workout day, but as I said before, I injured my left Achilles and am not actively trying to not aggravate it so I can play tennis on Thursday. I was supposed to play this afternoon, but I decided not to play because of that very reason. So, only one workout today.
I was a little troubled trying to find an upper body routine that wouldn't put any pressure on my Achilles. I was looking at some X3 routines, but they mostly had some lower body stuff except for The Challenge, and I was not feeling in the mood to go that intense. Finally I hit on Bulk: Arms. It has been a few months since I did this routine, and when I got the worksheet out, I was thinking the weights were a bit light. Famous last words! I basically did the same weights as the last time with a couple of changes. On the first set, the Progressive Set of Standing Curls, I went up a small plate (1.25kgs) on the light and medium weight and then up a medium plate (2kgs) on the heavy. In hind sight, that was a mistake. I was dying by the end, and I needed to take a break between sets and a few mid-set breaks on the last two sets as well. Biceps were BURNING!!! On all the sets, the target muscles, either biceps or triceps were left burning like crazy! On the last move, the Weighted Crunches, instead of using plates of 7.5kgs, I used two dumbbells for 8kgs. a little heavier. It felt good to get those different style of sets done again with different levels of weight. There were some slow reps, not as slow as ChaLEAN Extreme, but slow enough to get that semi-static pump and burn. I was glad to also keep the pressure off my Achilles.
Even though I did abs yesterday, I wanted to do something Core today, so I thought to do something totally different that I wanted to try but never had the chance or never got a round to it to do. So I went to my online subscriptions and chose a Core Swiss Ball workout. I liked Chalene's a lot so I wanted to see what else was out there. I chose the Fit Ball, Core Strength ab workout. It was lead by an Australian, which was new. There were a lot of moves I knew, but a couple new ones that were pretty tough. But it wasn't only core, it was almost full body. That hamstring pull in almost cramped my hammys. I could really feel how weak my hamstrings were. It was nice to do something different. It was a good 15 minutes ab routine.
Splits were good! I feel like I'm primed to go on past the present plateau so I'm getting ready for another concerted push to go to that next level. Flow was also clean and smooth.
In the end, I torched a nice 700+kcals. No lower body in play so that was pretty much what I was expecting. But the Pump and Burn was Awesome!
7-10-16 HY: PiYo- Define: Lower Body ChaLEAN Extreme - Ab Burner + Splits + TCF.
7-10-16 HY: PiYo- Define: Lower Body ChaLEAN Extreme - Ab Burner + Splits + TCF.
Very weird schedule today. Had some contract work from 8am to 4:30pm, and my wife and daughter wanted to go out shopping at a distant shopping center right when I got home. Literally less than a minute in the house just to grab something and it was out again. Did a lot of walking while shopping. Didn't get home until close to 10pm and wasn't able to get started on my workout until about 10:30pm. Put on top of that, my Achilles injury and the first time in almost two years that I went two days in a row without doing my Splits stretching, I couldn't NOT workout today. So, to take it easy on my Achilles, I went with a very low impact high intensity workout.
PiYo was a good routine, to rest my Achilles and get a nice little sweat going without waking up the neighbors. Then, quickly moving on to Abs with a nice short and intense routine. Achilles was safe and not a bit of strain on it.
I was a little worried about the Splits, but no problem. Flow was also no problem. I'm really worried about aggravating the injury and making it worse. So, I'm probably going to take it easy this week. Call it a forced recovery week. I may not even do tennis tomorrow. I will test my Achilles in the morning to see how it feels. If there is any pain in the slightest, I'm calling off the tennis. I want to be ready for Tennis on Thursday.
I put on an HRM anyway, and in the end, I burned a modest 300+kcals. Pretty much as expected. But I think I'm going to do some heavy stuff for upper body this week. But shorter routines like X3 stuff. I'll hold off on Insanity and T25 for now.
Very weird schedule today. Had some contract work from 8am to 4:30pm, and my wife and daughter wanted to go out shopping at a distant shopping center right when I got home. Literally less than a minute in the house just to grab something and it was out again. Did a lot of walking while shopping. Didn't get home until close to 10pm and wasn't able to get started on my workout until about 10:30pm. Put on top of that, my Achilles injury and the first time in almost two years that I went two days in a row without doing my Splits stretching, I couldn't NOT workout today. So, to take it easy on my Achilles, I went with a very low impact high intensity workout.
PiYo was a good routine, to rest my Achilles and get a nice little sweat going without waking up the neighbors. Then, quickly moving on to Abs with a nice short and intense routine. Achilles was safe and not a bit of strain on it.
I was a little worried about the Splits, but no problem. Flow was also no problem. I'm really worried about aggravating the injury and making it worse. So, I'm probably going to take it easy this week. Call it a forced recovery week. I may not even do tennis tomorrow. I will test my Achilles in the morning to see how it feels. If there is any pain in the slightest, I'm calling off the tennis. I want to be ready for Tennis on Thursday.
I put on an HRM anyway, and in the end, I burned a modest 300+kcals. Pretty much as expected. But I think I'm going to do some heavy stuff for upper body this week. But shorter routines like X3 stuff. I'll hold off on Insanity and T25 for now.
Friday, July 8, 2016
7-08-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 3 + Extreme Core Circuit + TCF.
7-08-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 3 + Extreme Core Circuit + TCF.
Today was an extremely odd day. I don't know what happened, but when I woke up this morning, my left Achilles was very tender. Putting pressure on it caused some major pain, so walking up and down stairs was rather painful. Walking on a flat floor was painful if my pace was high and that would cause me to walk with a limp. So to hide my pain, I walked quite slowly. During tennis yesterday, I don't recall anything at all that I did that would have caused this to happen. Especially since, as I said, I was feeling a bit sluggish because of the heat. So I was moving slower and not pushing as hard to run for shots. So this is a complete mystery. But either way, It is happening and I have to deal with it. The thought of totally canceling my workout today crossed my mind for just an instant, but that died a quick death. I was thinking to do all my moves sitting or in a position that wouldn't pressure my Achilles, but when I thought about it, Lean Circuit 3 doesn't really have any major lower body, much less, Achilles moves. So, I decided to just go ahead and do the routine, and if any move proved to cause any problems, I'd just modify it.
This routine, looking back at my performance last week, I needed to go down in weight for the shoulder moves, so I dropped 1.25kgs on the shoulder moves. But I kept the weights for the Chest moves and upped one move. I wrote in the Breakdown moves, and only the first Breakdown required a different weight. I went 22kgsX2 on the Squats. On the shoulder moves, Overhead Presses, etc. I went down to 15.75kgs from 17kgs. I barely made it to 12reps. Only one move needed a mid-set break, move #6 Dead Lift Frontal Press. This time, instead of letting the weights down on the Dead Lift, I kept them up like Chalene does. If I was going at a faster pace, I could have done 12 reps, but again, those slow reps just wasted me, and I couldn't hold them up the whole time. So I put them dumbbells down at 7reps, and then finished it out plus the Breakdown. Chalene was right, a lot of push up in this routine, but that makes this routine all the easier, because push-ups are my jam. The one move that I went up in weight in was move 5. Push Up Side Plank. I went up on Kg. Started to shake at that weight, but I could probably use a higher weight next time. All the other moves were done to failure at 12reps. Got an awesome Burn and Pump!
Moved right into Abs. I am still using the 2kg dumbbells instead of weighted gloves, but that weight is getting easier, but I burned out today. I'm learning how to activate my core more so I'm glad about that.
I didn't want to put any extra pressure on my Achilles so I decided to hold off on the splits today and see how it feels tomorrow. So I went right into the Flow and everything went smoothly.
In the end, I torched a respectable 700+kcals. Nice way to finish out my week and ChaLEAN Extreme. As I said earlier, I am planning to try a new program that I got from the Beachbody summer sale, Combat, but with my injury, I don't know. It seems like a lot of jumping around and what not, so I may have to hold off for a bit until I'm healed and in top condition. You will know by Sunday what program I will use as my Hybrid Primary Program.
Happy Weekend!!!
Today was an extremely odd day. I don't know what happened, but when I woke up this morning, my left Achilles was very tender. Putting pressure on it caused some major pain, so walking up and down stairs was rather painful. Walking on a flat floor was painful if my pace was high and that would cause me to walk with a limp. So to hide my pain, I walked quite slowly. During tennis yesterday, I don't recall anything at all that I did that would have caused this to happen. Especially since, as I said, I was feeling a bit sluggish because of the heat. So I was moving slower and not pushing as hard to run for shots. So this is a complete mystery. But either way, It is happening and I have to deal with it. The thought of totally canceling my workout today crossed my mind for just an instant, but that died a quick death. I was thinking to do all my moves sitting or in a position that wouldn't pressure my Achilles, but when I thought about it, Lean Circuit 3 doesn't really have any major lower body, much less, Achilles moves. So, I decided to just go ahead and do the routine, and if any move proved to cause any problems, I'd just modify it.
This routine, looking back at my performance last week, I needed to go down in weight for the shoulder moves, so I dropped 1.25kgs on the shoulder moves. But I kept the weights for the Chest moves and upped one move. I wrote in the Breakdown moves, and only the first Breakdown required a different weight. I went 22kgsX2 on the Squats. On the shoulder moves, Overhead Presses, etc. I went down to 15.75kgs from 17kgs. I barely made it to 12reps. Only one move needed a mid-set break, move #6 Dead Lift Frontal Press. This time, instead of letting the weights down on the Dead Lift, I kept them up like Chalene does. If I was going at a faster pace, I could have done 12 reps, but again, those slow reps just wasted me, and I couldn't hold them up the whole time. So I put them dumbbells down at 7reps, and then finished it out plus the Breakdown. Chalene was right, a lot of push up in this routine, but that makes this routine all the easier, because push-ups are my jam. The one move that I went up in weight in was move 5. Push Up Side Plank. I went up on Kg. Started to shake at that weight, but I could probably use a higher weight next time. All the other moves were done to failure at 12reps. Got an awesome Burn and Pump!
Moved right into Abs. I am still using the 2kg dumbbells instead of weighted gloves, but that weight is getting easier, but I burned out today. I'm learning how to activate my core more so I'm glad about that.
I didn't want to put any extra pressure on my Achilles so I decided to hold off on the splits today and see how it feels tomorrow. So I went right into the Flow and everything went smoothly.
In the end, I torched a respectable 700+kcals. Nice way to finish out my week and ChaLEAN Extreme. As I said earlier, I am planning to try a new program that I got from the Beachbody summer sale, Combat, but with my injury, I don't know. It seems like a lot of jumping around and what not, so I may have to hold off for a bit until I'm healed and in top condition. You will know by Sunday what program I will use as my Hybrid Primary Program.
Happy Weekend!!!
7-07-16 HY: Tennis + TCF + Splits.
7-07-16 HY: Tennis + TCF + Splits.
Tennis Day!!!
This is my weekly session that I look forward to the most because I can be most myself and not have to speak Japanese. However, the gym was like a sauna today and within the first 30 minutes, the baseline was like a rain forest had exploded. I couldn't play at full strength because I was afraid of slipping and taking a spill or pulling a muscle or something. So I started to play inside the baseline and that messed up my timing. But there were good times and bad times. But despite that, we had a good session. The first set took a pretty long time, and I took it 6-2 with the adjusted scoring. Then, I decided to see how it would go if I went back to regular scoring and the end result, I won, 6-2. But I took it in a much shorter time than the first set. Since it was so hot, I think that affected our play. I was feeling a lot more sluggish than usual and it took a longer time for me to raise my game level to start going for shots. A lot of lob bloop balls today. But when I got it going, I was sharp and accurate. I just wish I could have maintained that level of play for longer than just a few minutes. Also, for some reason, since Tuesday, my left quad has been feeling a lot tighter than usual. So that also had an impact.
Before we started playing, I have to go in to set up the net and my partner was a lot later than usual so I used that time to do my Flow. I did a whole series the full length of a badminton court. That's a lot of Flowing! Everything was smooth and clean. Although there were a few times I got lost in my direction. But I did my best and held on.
I had my night class tonight so no extra tennis this week. I did the Splits after getting home. I really wanted to stretch out my left quad. But oddly enough, most of the stretches I was using weren't stretching my problem area. So I had to shift angles and positions. But I still get just the right place. But the other muscles got a great stretch. Low and Lower.
At the end of tennis, I torched a big 1299kcals. Hot and sweaty was the theme for today.
Tennis Day!!!
This is my weekly session that I look forward to the most because I can be most myself and not have to speak Japanese. However, the gym was like a sauna today and within the first 30 minutes, the baseline was like a rain forest had exploded. I couldn't play at full strength because I was afraid of slipping and taking a spill or pulling a muscle or something. So I started to play inside the baseline and that messed up my timing. But there were good times and bad times. But despite that, we had a good session. The first set took a pretty long time, and I took it 6-2 with the adjusted scoring. Then, I decided to see how it would go if I went back to regular scoring and the end result, I won, 6-2. But I took it in a much shorter time than the first set. Since it was so hot, I think that affected our play. I was feeling a lot more sluggish than usual and it took a longer time for me to raise my game level to start going for shots. A lot of lob bloop balls today. But when I got it going, I was sharp and accurate. I just wish I could have maintained that level of play for longer than just a few minutes. Also, for some reason, since Tuesday, my left quad has been feeling a lot tighter than usual. So that also had an impact.
Before we started playing, I have to go in to set up the net and my partner was a lot later than usual so I used that time to do my Flow. I did a whole series the full length of a badminton court. That's a lot of Flowing! Everything was smooth and clean. Although there were a few times I got lost in my direction. But I did my best and held on.
I had my night class tonight so no extra tennis this week. I did the Splits after getting home. I really wanted to stretch out my left quad. But oddly enough, most of the stretches I was using weren't stretching my problem area. So I had to shift angles and positions. But I still get just the right place. But the other muscles got a great stretch. Low and Lower.
At the end of tennis, I torched a big 1299kcals. Hot and sweaty was the theme for today.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
7-06-16 HY: P90X2 - Recovery and Mobility + Splits + TCF.
7-06-16 HY: P90X2 - Recovery and Mobility + Splits + TCF.
Boy, I really needed this recovery day. Since Tuesday morning, for some reason, my right calf felt like it was about to cramp when I climbed the stairs. Just that slight tug on the muscle. I thought it would be gone by the morning, but nope, still there. So rolling it out was Painfully Pleasant. The stretch felt really good as well. The Pigeon, Frog, Hamstring stretches at the end were awesome. After the routine, I rolled my calf for a bit longer.
Splits came in the evening so it was another double stretch day. I felt really good so I was able to go low on my straddle splits. I lost myself on the Flow and everything was just automatic. YEAH!!! I'm getting there!!! That point where the Flow just happens.
I foam rolled more after all was said and done.
In the end of the morning routine, I burned a modest 200+kcals, but totally worth the stretch.
Boy, I really needed this recovery day. Since Tuesday morning, for some reason, my right calf felt like it was about to cramp when I climbed the stairs. Just that slight tug on the muscle. I thought it would be gone by the morning, but nope, still there. So rolling it out was Painfully Pleasant. The stretch felt really good as well. The Pigeon, Frog, Hamstring stretches at the end were awesome. After the routine, I rolled my calf for a bit longer.
Splits came in the evening so it was another double stretch day. I felt really good so I was able to go low on my straddle splits. I lost myself on the Flow and everything was just automatic. YEAH!!! I'm getting there!!! That point where the Flow just happens.
I foam rolled more after all was said and done.
In the end of the morning routine, I burned a modest 200+kcals, but totally worth the stretch.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
7-05-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 2 + P90X - Ab Ripper X + Splits + TCF.
7-05-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 2 + P90X - Ab Ripper X + Splits + TCF.
Very busy day at work so I was ready to burn it off in my workout today.
In the resistance routine, I did as I did on Sunday, I dropped the weights from 1.25kgs to 2.5kgs. I was struggling way too much last time and form was not good on the late reps. I also wasn't able to make it to 10reps much less 12 without a break on several moves. Still did the slow pull ups and slow everything. I pretty much hit failure or exhaustion on every move. Got a major cardio affect. There was also a lot of core activation in a lot of the moves. But I guess that that is the intention of this phase. I did my best to keep the Chalene pace and go slow. A few moves I was a little slower, like on move 6. Plank with Single-Arm Row and the breakdown. Also on that move, Chalene said so keep my shoulders square, but that is impossible with my weights. If my shoulders were square, That would leave me with only about 5 inches to raise the weight. So I have to go higher with the lifting side, also to activate my back. By the end of the routine, my shoulders were really feeling it. I feel I got a better workout and burn than with heavier weights. The burn felt good. But I was sweating like crazy.
Since I was feeling good, and time wasn't a factor, I went with an oldie but goodie. It has been a while since I did this one so I wanted to see if I could still do it all the way through. Actually, I made it all the way through to the Mason Twist, and I felt good, but right around rep 35, my abs just about gave out and I had to stop at 40. I stretched out a moment, then started again from 31 and made it to the end. I really wanted to finish, but the cramp and pain was brutal.
The Splits and Flow were good. I'm at a good place now, just sinking into each position. Maybe another week or so before I go down another level. Getting there. The Flow was as usual.
In the end, I torched a solid 1313kcals. Nice big burn again. Helped by the heat of my room. Sweat like crazy!
Very busy day at work so I was ready to burn it off in my workout today.
In the resistance routine, I did as I did on Sunday, I dropped the weights from 1.25kgs to 2.5kgs. I was struggling way too much last time and form was not good on the late reps. I also wasn't able to make it to 10reps much less 12 without a break on several moves. Still did the slow pull ups and slow everything. I pretty much hit failure or exhaustion on every move. Got a major cardio affect. There was also a lot of core activation in a lot of the moves. But I guess that that is the intention of this phase. I did my best to keep the Chalene pace and go slow. A few moves I was a little slower, like on move 6. Plank with Single-Arm Row and the breakdown. Also on that move, Chalene said so keep my shoulders square, but that is impossible with my weights. If my shoulders were square, That would leave me with only about 5 inches to raise the weight. So I have to go higher with the lifting side, also to activate my back. By the end of the routine, my shoulders were really feeling it. I feel I got a better workout and burn than with heavier weights. The burn felt good. But I was sweating like crazy.
Since I was feeling good, and time wasn't a factor, I went with an oldie but goodie. It has been a while since I did this one so I wanted to see if I could still do it all the way through. Actually, I made it all the way through to the Mason Twist, and I felt good, but right around rep 35, my abs just about gave out and I had to stop at 40. I stretched out a moment, then started again from 31 and made it to the end. I really wanted to finish, but the cramp and pain was brutal.
The Splits and Flow were good. I'm at a good place now, just sinking into each position. Maybe another week or so before I go down another level. Getting there. The Flow was as usual.
In the end, I torched a solid 1313kcals. Nice big burn again. Helped by the heat of my room. Sweat like crazy!
Monday, July 4, 2016
7-04-16 HY: T25 - Alpha: Cardio + Splits + TCF + Tennis.
7-04-16 HY: T25 - Alpha: Cardio + Splits + TCF + Tennis.
Started my Independence Day with a Shake! Lovely way to start anything! Went right to my workout.
My arches are getting stronger! Not as much pain or discomfort in the first progression. Usually I'd be dying just getting past the Basic Jacks, but I had some leeway on that pain today. Went straight through for a Straight 25. There was a problem though, or actually two problems. 1. I was sweating like crazy and it was flying everywhere. 2. I wore the wrong socks and I started getting a blister on my left arch. Aside from that, NAILED IT!!!
Went right to the Splits and Flow. Everything went well and I was able to get down low and do a good clean and smooth Flow.
Tennis in the afternoon after class is always nice. But I have only two sessions of this left for the year. The gym was HOT!!! and HUMID!!! Today's weather was the hottest it's been in a long time. Summer is here! But fortunately, opening the windows offered some relief. Today was drill and training day. Stroke practice, volley practice and server practice. My second serve is coming back, but I'm still having a problem with reigning in my first serve power. I keep hitting it long. I need to generate more head speed or it's all for not. Maybe those big booming serves are for a younger time. Maybe I should just play the angle and finesse game. We'll see. It was a very good session.
In the end, I torched almost 2000kcals today. A little over 600kcals in the morning and just a little over 1300kcals from the tennis. Tennis is usually a little less, but since we were drilling today, no match, my heart rate stayed up a lot longer... and higher. Good Monday!
Started my Independence Day with a Shake! Lovely way to start anything! Went right to my workout.
My arches are getting stronger! Not as much pain or discomfort in the first progression. Usually I'd be dying just getting past the Basic Jacks, but I had some leeway on that pain today. Went straight through for a Straight 25. There was a problem though, or actually two problems. 1. I was sweating like crazy and it was flying everywhere. 2. I wore the wrong socks and I started getting a blister on my left arch. Aside from that, NAILED IT!!!
Went right to the Splits and Flow. Everything went well and I was able to get down low and do a good clean and smooth Flow.
Tennis in the afternoon after class is always nice. But I have only two sessions of this left for the year. The gym was HOT!!! and HUMID!!! Today's weather was the hottest it's been in a long time. Summer is here! But fortunately, opening the windows offered some relief. Today was drill and training day. Stroke practice, volley practice and server practice. My second serve is coming back, but I'm still having a problem with reigning in my first serve power. I keep hitting it long. I need to generate more head speed or it's all for not. Maybe those big booming serves are for a younger time. Maybe I should just play the angle and finesse game. We'll see. It was a very good session.
In the end, I torched almost 2000kcals today. A little over 600kcals in the morning and just a little over 1300kcals from the tennis. Tennis is usually a little less, but since we were drilling today, no match, my heart rate stayed up a lot longer... and higher. Good Monday!
7-03-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 1 + Extreme Abs + Splits + TCF.
7-03-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 1 + Extreme Abs + Splits + TCF.
My wife and I went out for most of the day and got home in the early evening. After getting ready, it was a bit later than I had hoped so I felt a bit rushed and I made a mistake that ticked me off when I discovered it. I forgot to activate my HRM from the beginning of my workout. I caught it about 2/3 of the way through my main routine so I only got the last 3 moves of it. So, today does not have an accurate count of calories burned. This was shaping up to be a big week, too. Stupid me!!!
Anyway, looking over my notes from last week, I decided to drop my weights down by 2-2.5kgs on my biceps moves and 1.25 on my Triceps moves. Last week, I had a hard time getting to 12 reps without dying or taking breaks so I decided to drop and get to 12. Thanks to that decision, I got a huge burn today. I really felt it, and a few hours later, I am still feeling it. Especially in my biceps. I was pretty much able to make it to 12reps every time, but it was a huge struggle. The only move that I kept the previous weights on was move 8. Supine Triceps. Stayed at 10kgs. On all the biceps curl moves the first 5reps were easy, making me think that lowering my weights was a mistake, but by rep6-7 the pain hit and I was just making it up. I could not have done a 13th rep. Plus, I couldn't help gripping the dumbbells really tightly. I tried to loosen up my grip, but on the killer ending reps, it was a death grip. The Pull Ups were back, I stayed on the slow side again with only 6 reps and 3-4 for a breakdown. But on the final set, the Horn Pull Ups, I did fast and pumped out 10 initial reps, the 5 for the breakdown. My arms and back were blown and I couldn't have done slow reps. On the worksheet, I wrote down the Breakdown name since it is not the same as the original move. A few times the breakdown was just a squat, so I loaded up the weights to 22kgs x2 and pumped them out. I wish there was a little more room on the workout sheet for notes. Great workout today. I just wish I didn't make that bonehead mistake with my HRM.
I moved right into the abs routine and killed it. I really felt the burn hit and I was working on range of motion so I could activate more muscle tissue.
The Splits and Flow were good, as usual. Still working on getting off the most recent plateau, so I hope I get over it quickly. I added a quad stretch to help loosen my hip flexors more.
Before I started my regular workout, I recorded Day 22 of the 22 Push Up Challenge. The topper was Tony's Super Plyo Push Ups. I was getting some good air at the beginning, but if you see the video, I lose air by rep 12-13. Then it just gets lower from there. I'm barely off the ground by rep 22. But I was glad to get through it. I'll miss this challenge. I hope I get to do another one like it sometime soon.
In the end, I torched a modest 600+kcals as recorded by my HRM, but I'm sure the total would have been over 1000kcals. Got to keep my head in the game!
My wife and I went out for most of the day and got home in the early evening. After getting ready, it was a bit later than I had hoped so I felt a bit rushed and I made a mistake that ticked me off when I discovered it. I forgot to activate my HRM from the beginning of my workout. I caught it about 2/3 of the way through my main routine so I only got the last 3 moves of it. So, today does not have an accurate count of calories burned. This was shaping up to be a big week, too. Stupid me!!!
Anyway, looking over my notes from last week, I decided to drop my weights down by 2-2.5kgs on my biceps moves and 1.25 on my Triceps moves. Last week, I had a hard time getting to 12 reps without dying or taking breaks so I decided to drop and get to 12. Thanks to that decision, I got a huge burn today. I really felt it, and a few hours later, I am still feeling it. Especially in my biceps. I was pretty much able to make it to 12reps every time, but it was a huge struggle. The only move that I kept the previous weights on was move 8. Supine Triceps. Stayed at 10kgs. On all the biceps curl moves the first 5reps were easy, making me think that lowering my weights was a mistake, but by rep6-7 the pain hit and I was just making it up. I could not have done a 13th rep. Plus, I couldn't help gripping the dumbbells really tightly. I tried to loosen up my grip, but on the killer ending reps, it was a death grip. The Pull Ups were back, I stayed on the slow side again with only 6 reps and 3-4 for a breakdown. But on the final set, the Horn Pull Ups, I did fast and pumped out 10 initial reps, the 5 for the breakdown. My arms and back were blown and I couldn't have done slow reps. On the worksheet, I wrote down the Breakdown name since it is not the same as the original move. A few times the breakdown was just a squat, so I loaded up the weights to 22kgs x2 and pumped them out. I wish there was a little more room on the workout sheet for notes. Great workout today. I just wish I didn't make that bonehead mistake with my HRM.
I moved right into the abs routine and killed it. I really felt the burn hit and I was working on range of motion so I could activate more muscle tissue.
The Splits and Flow were good, as usual. Still working on getting off the most recent plateau, so I hope I get over it quickly. I added a quad stretch to help loosen my hip flexors more.
Before I started my regular workout, I recorded Day 22 of the 22 Push Up Challenge. The topper was Tony's Super Plyo Push Ups. I was getting some good air at the beginning, but if you see the video, I lose air by rep 12-13. Then it just gets lower from there. I'm barely off the ground by rep 22. But I was glad to get through it. I'll miss this challenge. I hope I get to do another one like it sometime soon.
In the end, I torched a modest 600+kcals as recorded by my HRM, but I'm sure the total would have been over 1000kcals. Got to keep my head in the game!
Friday, July 1, 2016
7-01-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 3 + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 200 + Splits + TCF.
7-01-16 HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Lean Circuit 3 + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 200 + Splits + TCF.
I always have a time crunch on Fridays, but today, I was able to make it home early so I could do a whole workout. So happy about that. It has been a while since I was able to get it done on a Friday.
Another Shoulder day, but it almost felt like a Total Body day. Did a lot of Chest, Abs and Legs as well. There were some big differences with this routine. The most notable is the absence of the Pull Ups. I didn't add extra pull ups on this final routine just to give myself a little break at the end of the week. Thank goodness for that. Shoulders were really feeling it today. Two shoulder days in a row is pretty brutal. Again, I tried to stay with the previous weights, but from the middle of the routine, I thought they were too heavy for 12 reps. I will probably go down in weight next week. Two big changes are on move 2. Reverse Lunge and Arnold Press (single arm). My strength difference really showed up today. On my right arm, I barely made it to 12reps. But on my left arm, it took me three sets, 6-4-3 to get it done. I added on extra rep because I figured 2reps is nothing. Then, the other big change was on move 6. Dead Lift Frontal Press. Usually, I break the two moves up instead of combining them. Mainly, because I want to protect my back. So, I use 10kgs X2 for the Dead Lifts, then 17kgs X2 for the Frontal Press. But today, I did the combo and went down to 14.5kgs X2. Failed at 10reps and this time, I did only 2reps to finish out the set. Everything else was as programed. Oh, one minor change. On move 7. Traveling Push-Ups, the Breakdown is Triceps Push Ups, but I did Diamond Push Ups instead. They get my Triceps better than just the regular Triceps Push Ups. I made a discovery today as well. On lifting moves and lying fly moves, I was afraid that the dumbbell bar would hurt my palms so I padded up today. But they hurt even more. So I removed the padding, and without the padding, there was almost no pain. Weird! So next time, I'll not use padding from the start and see what happens. Major muscle activation and burn today.
I was really tired today. The huge amount of tennis yesterday and the lack of sleep were all contributors, but were basically unavoidable. Yeah, I couldn't have used my time better, but no going back now. It is what it is. So, since I was feeling a little exhausted, I did an Old Faithful ab routine. Burned like a charm.
As I said, I was very happy to be able to do my Splits and Flow. So I got those all done today, But since I skipped yesterday, I'm still due to get them done on my off day, which is tomorrow, Saturday. But I'm okay with that.
In the end, I torched a nice 950+kcals. Nice way to end the week. Oh, I also did Day 20 of the 22 Push Up Challenge. Today, I went with the modified One-Arm Push Up. When I do them with Tony in P90X, I have always done them on my knees. But today, I did a Half modification in that I started on my toes, and went down on one knee for some extra needed support. I've never seen it done that way, so maybe I invented something. HA! But I was glad to be able to do them even modified. But I look forward to the day when I can do them all on my toes.
Finally, I missed posting my May calendar, so I'm posting both my May and June Beachbody workout calendars here.
Have a great weekend!
I always have a time crunch on Fridays, but today, I was able to make it home early so I could do a whole workout. So happy about that. It has been a while since I was able to get it done on a Friday.
Another Shoulder day, but it almost felt like a Total Body day. Did a lot of Chest, Abs and Legs as well. There were some big differences with this routine. The most notable is the absence of the Pull Ups. I didn't add extra pull ups on this final routine just to give myself a little break at the end of the week. Thank goodness for that. Shoulders were really feeling it today. Two shoulder days in a row is pretty brutal. Again, I tried to stay with the previous weights, but from the middle of the routine, I thought they were too heavy for 12 reps. I will probably go down in weight next week. Two big changes are on move 2. Reverse Lunge and Arnold Press (single arm). My strength difference really showed up today. On my right arm, I barely made it to 12reps. But on my left arm, it took me three sets, 6-4-3 to get it done. I added on extra rep because I figured 2reps is nothing. Then, the other big change was on move 6. Dead Lift Frontal Press. Usually, I break the two moves up instead of combining them. Mainly, because I want to protect my back. So, I use 10kgs X2 for the Dead Lifts, then 17kgs X2 for the Frontal Press. But today, I did the combo and went down to 14.5kgs X2. Failed at 10reps and this time, I did only 2reps to finish out the set. Everything else was as programed. Oh, one minor change. On move 7. Traveling Push-Ups, the Breakdown is Triceps Push Ups, but I did Diamond Push Ups instead. They get my Triceps better than just the regular Triceps Push Ups. I made a discovery today as well. On lifting moves and lying fly moves, I was afraid that the dumbbell bar would hurt my palms so I padded up today. But they hurt even more. So I removed the padding, and without the padding, there was almost no pain. Weird! So next time, I'll not use padding from the start and see what happens. Major muscle activation and burn today.
I was really tired today. The huge amount of tennis yesterday and the lack of sleep were all contributors, but were basically unavoidable. Yeah, I couldn't have used my time better, but no going back now. It is what it is. So, since I was feeling a little exhausted, I did an Old Faithful ab routine. Burned like a charm.
As I said, I was very happy to be able to do my Splits and Flow. So I got those all done today, But since I skipped yesterday, I'm still due to get them done on my off day, which is tomorrow, Saturday. But I'm okay with that.
In the end, I torched a nice 950+kcals. Nice way to end the week. Oh, I also did Day 20 of the 22 Push Up Challenge. Today, I went with the modified One-Arm Push Up. When I do them with Tony in P90X, I have always done them on my knees. But today, I did a Half modification in that I started on my toes, and went down on one knee for some extra needed support. I've never seen it done that way, so maybe I invented something. HA! But I was glad to be able to do them even modified. But I look forward to the day when I can do them all on my toes.
Finally, I missed posting my May calendar, so I'm posting both my May and June Beachbody workout calendars here.
Have a great weekend!
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