11-29-16 HY: Body Beast - Bulk: Shoulders + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

11-29-16 HY: Body Beast - Bulk: Shoulders + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

Another regular Tuesday, meetings and all.  So, after some extremely mind-numbing meetings, I was so ready for today's workout.  Shoulders is the last routine of the Bulk Phase, so I am going to move on to the Beast Phase on my next workout and Beast out until 2017!  I'm planning to BLOW OUT 2017 with my newest program.  More on that in the future.  But today, was a good one.  Today's routine also completes this worksheet, so I'm very happy about that. 

I did some small changes here and there to the weights, so here is a little round up of what I changed.  The beginning Super Set, I lowered the light Lateral Raise to 3kgs, kept the middle weight at 5kgs and upped the heavy weight to 7.5kgs.  Here too, I wanted to make the weight jumps higher.  The second move, the Arnold Press, I lower the light weight to 7.5kgs, kept the middle weight at 12kgs, but upped the Drop Set to 17kgs & 14.5kgs.  I almost failed with the both weights with only 8reps.  But I was happy to get back to 17kgs on shoulder presses.  The next Progressive Set of Upright Rows, I lowered the light weight to 7.5kgs, but kept all the other weights the same as the previous time.  By this time my shoulders were ON FIRE!!!  I was really feeling the big pump again.  The next Super Set, Alt. Front Raise and the Plate-Twist-Twist,  I lowered the light weight, but kept the next two sets the same as before.  But on the Plank move, I upped the weight to 10kgs from 7.25kgs.  That was huge for me.  I could really feel the tension, but I nailed it! The Burn just kept on giving.  For the next Progressive Set, the Reverse Fly, I went way down in weight, with 4-5-6.25kgs.  Previously, I used a 5-6.25-7.5kg progression, but my form, especially on the mid and heavy weights just fell apart.  So I gave myself a chance, today, to clean up my form.  I always wanted to keep my arms as straight as they could get, but I kept bending them like crazy, and the move ended up being a row of sorts.  No More! I wanted to keep the range of motion wide.  So I went with weights on which I could keep my arms straight and form perfect, or at least as perfect as I. NAILED IT!!!  But my back shoulders were burning up like crazy.  The final Super Set of Superman Stretch and Plank Twist-Twist.  Everything was fine, but I upped my reps on the last move.  Up from 40reps to 45reps.  I was so winded after that craziness!

Again, stuck with Chalene and got another great core burn.  YEAH!

Splits and Flow also were just on. 

In the end, I torched a nit 800+kcals.  I can still feel the pump on my shoulders just hours after the workout ended.  Great workout and good sweat!

11-28-16 HY: Pickleball + Splits + TCF.

11-28-16 HY: Pickleball + Splits + TCF.

Back, and with a vengeance!

Last week, for the first time, I reported the loss of  1-3.  I wasn't happy, but I accepted that result as a challenge for the next week.  THIS WEEK!  This week, I made it a point to get to bed earlier to get a good sleep the night before, and I requested a high protein breakfast to charge me up.  This was also the first time for us to play in the the morning.  Until now, we were playing in the afternoon, but since I have no class anymore, we moved our session to the morning.

I came out ROARING!!!  The first two games I was unstoppable!  Shot making, moving, stretching for shots.  I was so fun.  But I paid the price for my lightning start.  By the end of the second game, my legs were burning.  In Pickleball, changing directions quickly is extremely important as is stretching for shots.  I do a huge number of lunges and squats during every point.  I was really feeling it.  I took the first to games allowing only 4 and 5 points to my 15 respectively.  But I lost the third game, taking only 9 points.  I was considerably slower, and wasn't recovering as quickly and my movement was too slow.  I tried to pick it up in the final game and it was a battle.  The longest game of the day.  Lots of good shots.  I started to get a second wind, but that didn't help much with my burning legs.  I eventually took the game 17-15.  So much fun!

I did my splits and flow in the evening and the first round was painful, but I got loose quickly and got low in the second round.  Everything worked out very nicely.

In the end, I torched 1100+kcals.  Awesome BURN!!!

11-27-16 HY: Body Beast - Bulk: Arms + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

11-27-16 HY: Body Beast - Bulk: Arms + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

Average Sunday, going out to do a few errands, eating out with my wife at an Udon place and coming back to relax a bit before getting into my workout. 

Arms is probably one of my favorite routine in this program.  I love the pump I get.  I have done this routine a few more times than some of the other routines so the workout sheet is a little full.  So today, in order to stay with the other worksheets, I used a red pen to write in my weights and stuff.  I was feeling good so I upped my weights a bit by about 1.25kgs.  But not for all the weights.  The first Progressive Set, I upped the weights by that amount, and I was burning.  I am learning that the bigger the jump in weights is, the more of a burn I can get.  But not only burn, but also pump.  I upped the next Single set by a lot.  I think my Triceps are comparatively stronger than my biceps.  The Force Set just totally burned me out.  Since I upped the weights on the previous biceps move, I went down to 10kgs for this set.  And I sooo got a great burn and pump.  The next Single Set for Triceps I stuck with the light and medium weights, but I upped the Drop Set.  Then, the Progressive Set on the Hammer Curls, same weights, but incredible pump and burn.  It was Beautifully Brutal!  At the end of this move, I tried to hold my arms up at a 90 degree angle and I got them up, but when I tried to hold them up, they slowly went down like they were on a hydraulic lift or something. Just sank down involuntarily. That was the first time for that to happen!  The next Progressive Set with the Kick Backs, what can I say, just so brutal on my triceps.  Totally burned them out.  For the final Single Set, I did the same thing on the Weighted Crunches, 12kgs behind the head first for 30reps, then on the chest for 30reps.  Great routine and awesome pump and burn.  Arms were like ROCKS!!!  But I could barely lift them up afterwards.

I am sticking with this routine for my abs a bit because of my back so today, I kept the 2kgs and went for good form and keeping my elbows out.  Huge difference in the intensity.  I'm moaning in pain every go now.  This has swiftly become one of my favorites for abs.

The splits and Flow were right on!

In the end, I torched 800+kcals.  It was a good day.

11-26-16 HY: Splits + TCF.

11-26-16 HY: Splits + TCF.

Today is the make up day for my stretch circuit.  I really need to up my game and push harder and probably longer from now on.  I have only just over a month left to hit my goal of full splits by December 31 of this year.  Taking that week off didn't help the cause, but it was out of my control.

Tonight was a good stretch. I feel better in the second round so I need to probably go longer next time.

11-25-16 HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + Combat HIIT 1 Power + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit.

11-25-16 HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + Combat HIIT 1 Power + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit.

Second of three Friday morning workouts.  Next Friday is the last one until I have to take Friday off and workout on Saturday evening.  So I'm taking advantage of the chance!  I got to sleep a little late last night trying to solve a computer issue so I got up a little later than I wanted to this morning, but I knew is was a shorter routine today so I wasn't too worried. 

This is the second morning of this most recent cold front from the north so I finally got my ceramic heater out and started it up to warm up my room.  But I had to get my body warmed up so again, Cold Start was first, and it was SMASHINGLY successful to its purpose!!!

It has been a while since I did HIIT 1 Power so I was wondering how much I would be sweating.  Boy did I ever find out.  I made it through each progression , but I was so winded after each round, From the third track, I needed more recovery time because I was just so doubled over heaving for air.  The Warm Up track got the sweat film on, but the weighted track got the sweat flowing.  I started with a lighter weight than usual, but it was good to pace myself so I could get through each track.  But on the last set of the Triple Thrust Presses, I went to the heavy weights.  I was dying.  I really wanted to crush the Burpee Track, so I was drinking water and trying not to burn out totally on the early tracks.  The 8-12-16 rep progression is brutal.  I was able to crush each individual set, but I needed some extra time between the 8 and 12, and I needed a lot of extra time between the 12 and 16.  Then I was heaving after the 16 so I took an extra minute to catch my breath.  I am a real stickler for doing equal reps on both sides.  One thing I wish Combat would do is tell us how many reps we will be doing.  On the last track, the core track, we start in high plank then go down to low plank then up again.  I led with the right arm for 8 reps then switched, but they only did 12 reps, so while they went on with the mountain climbers, I finished out 4 more reps to keep both sides even.  Then I rewound the DVD and Started the Mountain Climbers from the beginning.  I had the same issue, even rep count, on the four sets, so I had to take a break between sets to rewind the DVD.  I know now to switch sides at 6 reps so I can keep up on time.  But I added time to the routine.  The Spider Ups were the only set that I died in the middle, so I started from the place I stopped and finished it out.  Such a brutal way to end the routine, and I was sweating like crazy.

I took a little bit of a breather before getting into core.  I wanted to crush it and keep using the 2kg dumbbells so I had to push myself to do it.  I was burned out on my core at the end of the first Crunch progression.  Also, there was a little odd feeling happening.  When I was doing the oblique crunches, the right side was fine, but I felt like my left side was sort of distended.  It felt like the muscle or something was pooching out getting pinched  as I crunched.  It didn't hurt or anything, but it felt weird.  I am so grateful for the breaks Chalene gives us during the routine.  I tried to keep solid form with arms back, but I had to cheat a few times.  But I got a great burn again.

I didn't have time to do the Splits/stretch so I planned to try doing it after work if I got home early enough.  I got home early enough, but my daughter had brought some friends home, so I wasn't able to do my thing.  So, I'll have to do it on Saturday evening.

In the end, I torched over 900kcals.  Great way to close out the week!

Happy Weekend Everyone!

11-24-16 HY: P90X2 - Cold Start + Body Beast - Bulk: Back + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit+ Splits + TCF.

11-24-16 HY: P90X2 - Cold Start + Body Beast - Bulk: Back + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

The first really cold morning of the season.  I knew I would need a better warm up than what Segi does at the beginning of his routines, so I went with the old faithful, Cold Start.  I was perfect to get my muscles warmed up and ready to go.

I was considering skipping Bulk Back because this is the routine that I was doing when I hurt my back a couple weeks ago, so I was afraid that I might hurt it again due to the cold.  But eventually I decided not to decide anything on the basis of fear.  So I went with it but made sure that I was keeping form and not stressing my back too much.  On the first Super Set I kept the weight on the Pull Over the same as previously, but I used the strong resistance band as an assist on the pull ups.  I have lost considerable Pull Up strength due to not doing pull ups more, so I want to get that back.  On the next Progressive Set, Reverse Grip Row, I went single arm with this and lowered the light and medium weight while the heavy was the same.  Again, bigger weight jumps.  It really helped focus the flexing on my lats.  The Force Set, I actually went up to 17kgs from 14.5kgs.  Felt good and almost maxed out on the last set, especially on my left.  The Single Set Dead Lift I changed as well starting very light and ending with the same as previous run.  The bigger weight jumps seem to make the muscle activation easier and more focused.  The final Super Set, Reverse Fly and Plank Rotation, that is the one solid set that remained the same all the way through.

Then I went right into Abs, I still kept the 2kg weights and I was burning out.  I can't believe how great a burn I get from this routine.  I can still feel the burn several hours later.

The Splits and Flow came later in the evening after my night class.  Both were on point.

In the end, of the morning session, I torched 901kcals.  Nice way to start my day.

11-23-16 HY: Combat 60 LIVE - Ultimate Warrior's Workout + Splits + TCF.

11-23-16 HY: Combat 60 LIVE - Ultimate Warrior's Workout + Splits + TCF.

Today was the Japanese Labor Day, a national so I had the day off.  I pretty much lazed around most of the day until workout time.  Watched some TV, edited some video, talked with my girls.  It was a good day.

Today was the Live hour long routine.  It was a good workout.  The tracks were good.  I think my favorite track it the Mauy Thai track.  I had the hardest time keeping up with the combos, the descending elbow, then the triple elbow with the Cross-Jab, then the Kick.  Then all those Knee thrusts.  My hip flexor was screaming at the end of it.  Another fun track was the Capoeira track.  I forget the names of the moves, but my legs were so burning at the end of it.  This was a really good routine, and despite the coolness of the room where I was, I got a good sweat on.  I was thinking about doing a bonus ab routine, but my abs were still pretty sore, so I decided to let them rest and I went straight into my Splits and Flow.  All in all, it was a good workout today. 

In the end, I torched a good 901kcals.  Nice off day today.

11-22-16 HY: Body Beast - Bulk: Chest + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

11-22-16 HY: Body Beast - Bulk: Chest + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

Starting one more round of Bulk phase before I move on to the final phase, but I'm going to skip Legs and really modify Back for obvious reasons.  This time around, I paid a little more attention to what the other guys were lifting and I realized that my "Light" weight was too heavy.  My light weight was heavier than the two guys with Segi's light weight was, so I decided to go down on my light weight to a weight that was a little lighter than theirs.  But my heavy weight was still my heavy weight.  So, the first Super Set, Incline Fly last time was 7.5-8.75-10kgs, but this time it was 4-7.5-12kgs.  Instead of going up only 1.25-2.5kgs, I almost doubled the weights.  It really made a big difference.  I was really able to focus on the Chest muscles.  I worked on activating them as best I could.  Then on the second move, it was 7.5-12-17-14.5kgs.  I was able to go a little heavier on the heavy end and that is what I like about this new weight distribution among the sets. The force set was still set at 17kgs, but I got a really good and focused chest burn.  On the Progressive Set, I did things a little differently, in that on the descending progression, I went up a little on the heavy weight.  So it was 7.5-14.5-17kgs on the ascending, but 19.5-14.5-7.5kgs on the descending.  And even though 7.5kgs on the light set seems really light, (it is), I was burning out on the last few reps.  BURN CITY!!!  The Combo Set has always been tough for me, and going down a bit on the light set did make it easier, but harder at the same time.  But I really like the weight change, because I really flexed out my chest, even on the light weights.  The final Multi Set, I pushed to get all the push ups done and done with good form.  It was a good set.  The very final move, the addition of the Band Upper Cuts, Big change.  I kept the resistance bands the same a last time, but instead of a rep progression, I did all the sets at 15 reps, also with a long static hold in the up position.  Just barely cramped each rep.  All the other moves seem to be focusing on upper and mid pecs, but the band work I do, is really a great lower pec move.  That is why I do it.  Great routine today!

I wanted to up the intensity on the abs today, so I went with the 2kg weights.  And the intensity went up.  I got such a burn on my abs, I was almost failing and cramping.  It was brutal!

Splits and Flow were as usual. Slowly getting back into the swing of things.

In the end, I torched 1000+kcals.  I feel I activated my chest more today than I have in the past, so I'm looking forward to the soreness to come.

11-21-16 HY: Pickleball + Splits + TCF.

11-21-16 HY: Pickleball + Splits + TCF.

My legs were a bit sore from the more intense tennis yesterday, but I felt good otherwise.  The gym is getting cooler as well.  My back is still not 100% but I'm still able to be mobile.  Time for some Pickleball!

It was bound to happen.  I lost to my opponent.  But this was also the most intense set of games we've played thus far.  The first game, I kept having to come from behind and when I took the lead, I wasn't able to sustain the momentum.  I lost the first game 13-15.  The second game was almost like the first, I just couldn't get anything going.  There were times when we just stayed on the same score for several serve changes.  It was like neither of us could get it going.  But he go it going first and won the second game, 12-15.  Then the third game was the most intense of the three.  Many lead changes, and many great shots.  But I eventually lost it, 15-17.  But I had to get at least one game, which I did and in emphatic fashion, I got a good second wind and killed it.  I won the last game 15-4.  It was a good game and everything fell into place.

The Splits and Flow came in the evening.  It felt good and I pushed hard.  Lots of good pain to get low.


In the end, after only the Pickleball, I torched over 1100kcals.  Fun day.

11-20-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.

11-20-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.

Today was supposed to be a resistance day, but my wife wanted to play tennis, so I played tennis with my wife.  I was also intending to do a regular resistance workout in the evening, but after the tennis, I decided not to, because the calorie burn with a lot higher than I had anticipated, so I felt good about the tennis being my main workout for today. 

Usually, when I play with my wife, the rallies are relatively short so there is not a lot of sustained cardio.  Today, however, we were having a lot of really long rallies.  I did my best to get the balls back to her or close to her, but she was able to return most of the balls.  And those sustained rallies are a lot of stop and go and run and pack peddle, and change directions.  I still am not hitting the ball very hard, but as I gauged how my wife is progressing and getting used to the strokes and timing and distance judging, I started to hit a little harder.  But definitely a good workout.  I was also right after a rain.  The court was dry but still had a couple big puddles around the court, not in it luckily.  But the air was heavy with humidity so I got a big sweat on.

I did the Splits and Flow in the evening so tack on another 165kcals or so to that total.

In the end, I torched 900+kcals during the tennis and I was sweating.

11-19-16 HY: Splits + TCF.

11-19-16 HY: Splits + TCF.

Just a short entry today.  I wasn't able to finish my whole workout on Friday, so I did the last part this evening.  Just needed to keep up with my Splits training.  I don't want anymore setbacks like the injury break, so definitely no more than one day off a week, possibly everyday come December.  Need to push harder.  Splits were good, but still taking a little too long to get to the mark and pass it.  Hamstrings not releasing as early as before the off week.  Still getting a nice little film of sweat going during my stretch.  But not much of a calorie burn, but that's not the point of this, so I'm happy with it.  Just a modest average of 165kcals during the solo stretch and Flow. Solo Stretch and Flow is when I do only the Splits and Flow independent of a regular workout.  Like when I do a workout in the morning, then the Splits and Flow at night.  Oh, Today's Flow was good.  Clean and smooth. 

11-18-16 HY: Combat 45 - Power Kata + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit.

11-18-16 HY: Combat 45 - Power Kata + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit.

Yes, it is Friday, but since I am off on Friday mornings for the next few weeks, I am going to take advantage of that and do a workout on Friday so I can take Saturday night off.  Third day in a row for a morning shake and workout.  I'm getting used to the routine.  I wish it could stay this way, but I know my schedule will change... for now, I'm doing what I can.

I think this Combat routine is my favorite fighting routine.  The tracks go by really fast, I get a great workout, and for the first time in a while, I didn't have any discomfort in my knee.  I was wearing my full wrap brace, but I was pain free with no holding back on the moves.  There are two tracks in the middle, the Muay Thai circuit and the long one after it are the best tracks.  I really liked the combinations and the moves.  Jumping side kick and the flying knee are awesome moves.  I like to get as much air as possible and go for the move.  A lot of fun!

Two days in a row for my abs, but Saturday will be an off day then back to the grind.  But my abs were still sore from yesterday, but I pushed through.  I felt the burn and still those upper abs on the roll back were still burning on the roll out.  Awesome burn.

I didn't have time for the Splits so, I will be doing them on Saturday night, along with the Flow.

Ready for a rant:  I need to burn that belly flab off.  I getting frustrated that it is taking so long.  I'm seeing very little results in that area.  I can feel the strength coming back, but waist is not reducing.  I'm doing all the conventional diet and exercise things, but nothing.  I'm thinking it might be a different problem, maybe medical.  I don't know.  My wife expressed the same confusion to me as well.  Very VERY frustrated and irritated when the feeling and thought pops into my head.

Anyway, In the end, I torched a good 700+kcals.  Nice sweat to finish off the week.

Happy Weekend!!!

11-17-16 HY: Body Beast - Bulk: Shoulders + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

11-17-16 HY: Body Beast - Bulk: Shoulders + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

I forgot to mention yesterday, Wednesday, that I realized that I usually do a mid-week recovery day on Wednesday, because I started on Monday with the more intense routines, I decided to forego the mid-week recovery day and go straight through.  So regular workout all week.

Today, completes the Bulk Phase once again.  I think I may stay with the Bulk phase for a few more rounds because I want to go through all of them again but with the lighter weights to improve my form and range of motion.

Shoulders today, is a nice, no-back-pressure routine so I was happy about that.  There were no surprises today.  Weights stayed the same as last time, but it was tough due to my break.  I did everything as prescribed, not modifications or alterations to form.  The only different number I put up today was on the last Super Set on the Plank Twist-Twists.  This was the first time for me to hit 40reps on the first set.  Previously I would hit in the high 30's, but today, I pushed it to 40reps.  I was able to keep that number (40) for the second set as well.  But I was heaving.  So out of breath.  Nice little cardio at the end.  But for the shoulder moves, I really tried to activate my targeted shoulders muscles.  Sometimes I couldn't even tell if my shoulders were flexing or not.  But once I noticed that, I had to consciously focus on feeling the target muscle activate.  I wonder if anyone else has that difficulty.  Anyway, I could feel the pump in the shoulders, but even a little more in my upper arms.  I thought that was a bit odd.  I guess I still need to work on my form to fully activate my shoulders as opposed to the peripheral muscles.

I went for it on my Abs today.  But they were really feeling sore today still, especially my upper abs.  I really felt my upper abs on the move where I had to roll back, then forward while lifting one leg.  The slow roll back, MAN!!! could I ever feel those upper abs.  And then it migrated to other abs as well.  That ball ab routine is awesome!

The Splits and Flow were later that evening after my night class, and were right on point.  Flow was much better than yesterday.  Balance was a lot better. Not perfect, but better.  No HRM today.

In the end, I torched just under 800kcals.  But the pump and burn were epic!

11-16-16 HY: Combat - HIIT 2 Shock Plyo + Splits + TCF.

11-16-16 HY: Combat - HIIT 2 Shock Plyo + Splits + TCF.

Morning shake and workout today. 

I was thinking the 45 minute routine was up today but it was the Shock Plyo.  I'm actually happy it was this one because I am going to skip the Leg workout from Body Beast because of my back for a couple weeks.  But this routine is a really great/terrible one for the legs.  My legs were burning mid-way through the warm up track.  That series of Double Lunges, then Jump Lunges is a killer progression.  But frying my legs so quickly, helped me hit my second wind a little faster.  Then, I was able to finish out the routine.  My legs were like jello walking down the stairs.  I really am growing to like this routine more and more.

Splits and Flow came in the evening after work.  My hamstrings were still sore from Pickleball, so they were hurting a bit on those stretches.  But they stretched out pretty quickly.  So I push harder after the initial pain subsided.  Flow was fine, but I lost my balance a few times, so I still need some time to get back into it.  Then, just for interest sake, I wore my HRM and just the stretch and Flow burned just under 200kcals in just under an hour.

In the end, I torched close to 900kcals.  It was nice to get back to a regular cardio routine.

11-15-16 HY: Beast Body - Bulk: Arms + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

11-15-16 HY: Beast Body - Bulk: Arms + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

Regular day, regular schedule.  Back to resistance today.

I started as I usually do setting up my weights.  I have to stoop over to get my weights out of their holding area and I could quickly feel that the stooping position was putting too much pressure already so I had to be really careful not to re-injure my back by getting into a bad position.  I started by reducing the light weight.  I noticed that Segi was using only 10lbs for his light weight on the first Progressive Set, so I decided to go down to 4kgs on my light weight.  Segi's medium and heavy weights take big jumps where I usually went up by only 1.25 - 2.5kbs.  So on this move, I started off really light and then jumped like 5kgs on each step from there.  Previously, I did 7.5-10-12 and back down, but today, it was 4-7.5-12 So my jumps were a lot bigger.  That immediately brought on a huge pump.  On the next Single Set, I cut the light and medium weight a lot. 14.5 to 7.5, then 17 to 12 on the medium weight.  But on the Drop Set, I went up to 22 then 19.5kgs, just one plate off the previous go.  I kept the Force Set at 12, and that was tough.  But I was able to get it done.  Now the pump was so tight.  The next Single Set for Triceps was the Skull Crusher.  I kept the weights the same as last time.  It was a good range for me.  Struggled on the last of the Drop Set.  In the next Progressive Sets for biceps and triceps, I kept the same weight as last time.  The lighter weights.  Light and medium were fine, but the heavy was almost to failure on the right, and I lost range of motion and height on the left.  Also, had to do a mid set break.  But on the descending set, the burn was on.  Man that was a rough set.  The triceps Kickbacks were better, but the burn was on as well.   The final Single Set, I did again as a double set, the weighted Crunches, and I kept the 12kgs, but this time I did the back first then the front. Wore me out! HUGE PUMP and WOW Burn!

I moved to Abs.  I would be going to Ab Ripper X this week, but I have to take a step back because of my back, so I went to Swiss Ball.  Immediately I went to ChaLEAN Extreme and got this routine out.  It is great to work my abs.  Felt good.  I also chose this routine because the back support I get from it is great.  So I didn't have to worry about my back.  Watch that angle especially when getting something off he floor. Got to be smarter. But I got a good workout and will be hoping for more burn later this week.

Splits were really good tonight, to my surprise.  My legs were pretty sore today after the Pickleball yesterday, so I was a bit worried about it.  After the initial pain, I was able to get comfortably low on all spits.  The Flow was right on track as well.

In the end, I torched just over 900kcals.  It was a good routine to get back into resistance. I felt really good about it.

11-14-16 HY: Pickleball + Splits + TCF.

11-14-16 HY: Pickleball + Splits + TCF.

After over a week off of literally zero strenuous workouts, I was feeling the need to get back into workout.  I wanted to start on Sunday, but because of the sudden trip to the Field Hockey Finals over 2 hours north, no go.  So, my come back started today.  And it started with Pickleball.  I was pretty confident to play, because I was not in pain from movement, the pain came from sitting.  That is the first time experience for me.  My back was either so messed up that any position was painful, or sitting and lying down were the only comfortable positions.  But sitting causing the pain was a first.  But just to be safe, I started out slow with the warm up, but after a few rallies, I was feeling confident that my back was fine the this kind of movement so I started to turn it up.  We ended up playing 5 games and I won 4 of them.  The first and last three.  I lost the second game.  Perhaps it was a laps in concentration, but the last three games took longer than than the first couple.  Lots of good rallies, shots, and plays.  We had a lot of fun and we sweat a lot.  Not as much as usual because the gym was actually at the perfect temperature today.  I also, FINALLY!!!, Remembered to bring my phone so I could snap a pic of the Pickleball court.  So here it is...

We use the doubles badminton lines (green).  A lot of fun and a great calorie burn.

I got to the Splits in the evening.  I was really worried that I lost some flexibility, and for the most part, I did lose some, but I was able to get back to my low mark with some normal pain and weight bearing.  My hamstrings are definitely tighter, but they opened up some to let me get back to the mark.  It will take a couple weeks at best to get loose again.  Reaching my goal by December 31 took a big hit.  The Flow was good.  I lost my balance a bit on the first run through, but the subsequent Flows were on point. 

In the end, of the Pickleball, I torched 1100+kcals.  God to get back to the big burns.  Tomorrow, resistance.

11-05-16 HY: Body Beast - Bulk Back + 10 Minute Trainer - Abs + Splits + TCF.

11-05-16 HY: Body Beast - Bulk Back + 10 Minute Trainer - Abs + Splits + TCF.

Yes, it has been over a week since I last posted.  The reason being will become clear as I talk about this workout that I did a couple Saturday nights ago.  The story starts about three weeks before the 5th because that is when I started to prepare my sermon for my church.  I was tackling the most difficult topic, language wise for me, I have ever tried.  But I have been wanting to talk on this topic for years, but I just never felt secure enough with my Japanese skills to go for it.  Finally, I feel good about my Japanese skill, so I decided to do it.  Anyway, Saturday morning, I delivered my talk/sermon and it wasn't perfect, but a lot of the people said that they learned a lot and that they thought about issues I brought out for the first time, so I was happy.  Well, I had already taken Friday off, so I knew I was going to workout that night.  I thought I Bulk: Arms was up, but it was Back.  Checking the worksheet, I figured it was okay, so I just went according to the schedule. 

The first Super Set was fine.  I stuck with the weights from before so the Pull-Over was good.  I was considering going heavier the next time out.  The first two sets of Pull Ups were complete sets of 10reps.  But the last set was broken into a 5/3/2 configuration.  I was a little surprised that I wasn't able to do 10reps for the third set.  The next Progressive Set started out well with all the ascending weights.  But on the descending heavy set, as I was bending to start the reps, I felt something in my lower right side sort of become disconnected.  It felt sort of like peeling a big scab, or breaking the seal on a big suction cup.  I actually felt something separate from one side to the other.  It felt more weird than painful, but the next moment, I felt a little prick of pain and I put the weights down.  I did a little stretch and found that there was pain at a specific angle, and almost not pain at other angles.  So, I continued my workout avoiding that painful back angle.  Also, I modified a lot of the moves from then on to not put pressure on my back.  So, for the descending set of Reverse Grip Rows, I did one handed instead of double.  It went okay. The Force set with One-Arm Rows was also fine.  No need to go down in weight.  The next Single set, Dead Lift, I didn't do.  Instead, I did shoulder shrugs and as I brought my shoulders up, I thrust them back to activate the back muscles.  I also greatly reduced the weights down to 10/12/15.25/14.5kgs.  That cut 5-10kgs across the board.  On the final Super Set, instead of doing the Reverse Flies bending over, I did them on the Swiss Ball, and the Plank Rotation, I did normally with no modification.  The last few reps with the 7.5kgs though were extremely tough. My core just lost strength right at the end. Got to failure, but it was because of my injury.  I actually didn't feel that much pain overall, just in that certain bent over angle.

Abs were a little tougher because of a lot of the Plank moves.  So I had to do the modification move and go on my knees for all the Plank moves.  But I still tried to make it clean and keep my form perfect.  But I think my sub-conscious got the better of me and I was using other muscles to help with the moves because I didn't get as much of a burn on my abs as I usually do, or as I did the previous time. 

The Splits were fine, still got to my mark and was able to push passed it.  But on certain moves where I had to lean over, I didn't lean to that painful spot, so stayed a little more upright on the hamstring stretch.  And the Flow was a little slower than usual, but got through it with no big hiccups.

In the end, I torched around 750kcals.  But I was moving much slower and I had to be more careful of the movement and my back.

The next morning, my back was throbbing, but it wasn't too painful.  But I had to work that Sunday as a English Proficiency Test interviewer.  A lot of sitting for hours on end.  By the end of the day, sitting was the most painful position for me.  I could feel the muscle in my lower right back harden and pull the longer I sat, and when I stood up, or tried to stand up, I couldn't stand up straight.  Something was hindering me from standing up straight.  The pain was real, and sitting was the enemy.  I was unable to do anything that night, so no workout, and no sitting at the computer to post.  In fact, I wasn't able to sit at my computer for about 5 days.  So no big passages typed during that time.  Little comments here and there on my iPad, but that was about it.  Luckily my school had entrance exams on Thursday and Friday, so no classes.  But I still had to go to school and sit at my desk.  So, I brought my little Rumble Roller and set it on my lower right back.  IT WAS AWESOME!!! For the first time, I was able to stand up relatively straight from a sitting position.  So I kept my roller with me whenever I could.  Driving was the worst.  I have a one hour commute to and from work.  I could barely get out of my car after an hour of driving during the first 4 days.  But once I got my roller working, it started getting better.  In addition to that, from Monday to Friday, I went to the clinic and got some electric treatment which help to speed up the healing.  On Sunday, I had to go to the next state north to attend my daughter's Field Hockey match.  It was the Finals of the Kyushu Division so I wasn't going to miss it.  But my wife, what an angel, drove the whole way because she didn't want my back to get worse.  So I sat with my roller in the co-pilot seat.  It was a 2 and a half hour drive.  That day, I did a lot of walking and actually the more moving I did the better my back felt, but the sitting was still a problem.  Well, my daughter's team lost the game in a sudden death shoot out.  It was a great game.  But just by making it to the finals, they earned their ticket to the national tournament in March way up north near Osaka.  Very proud of my baby!  Monday, will be its own post.  But I am ready and chomping at the bit to get back into my workouts.  I know I lost strength so I need to get that back.

11-03-16 HY: Tennis + Body Beast - Bulk: Legs + 10 Minute Trainer - Abs + Splits + TCF.

11-03-16 HY: Tennis + Body Beast - Bulk: Legs + 10 Minute Trainer - Abs + Splits + TCF.

Monster Day today!  First off I want to say CONGRATULATIONS to the Chicago Cubs on their World Series Victory.  I was watching game 7 from the midway point and with a 3 run lead, I was thinking that they had it in the bag.  Then, at the 7th Inning Stretch, I had to leave to play tennis with my wife.  When we got back home, I never suspected that the game would still be on, but it was the top of the 10th score tied.  I got home just in time to see Zobrist drive the go ahead run and Montero drive in the needed insurance run.  And finally Montgomery closing out the bottom of the inning.  Cubs are not "MY" team, I'm a Philadelphia Phillies Phan, but living so close to Chicago, the Cubbies have always been my second favorite team.  I've never been to a professional baseball game, but I almost went to a Cubs game when I was in elementary school.  That's the closest I ever got.  But I'm so happy for the Cubs, Cubs Fans, and the City of Chicago.  Chicago is my favorite city in the world!  Oh, and I was so lucky because today, Thursday, is a National Holiday, so I had the day off from work.  How great is that!!!  Here are some pics of my experience.

Anyway, my day started off watching the game, but in the middle of it, my wife and I went to play tennis.  It was a beautiful day, but it was a bit windy.  So I had to do a little more running than usual because sometimes the wind held the ball up and I had to dash forward to get it.  My wife wanted to practice both down the line and cross court shots, so I was running a lot to get those balls back.  It was a great session.  We had a great time.  I was intending to go right into my workout when I got home, but since the game was still on, I watched the rest of the game, and then had lunch.  So the regular workout came a few hours later.

The tennis was kind of a sudden decision and I knew Bulk Legs was up for today.  I was a little wary of the workout because my legs were already a bit tired from the tennis earlier.  But I decided to just go with it.  I kept all the weights the same except for two moves, the Calf Raises at the end and the Force Set.  Any way, the starting Single set Front to Back Lunges, this time, I did the listed 12 reps with the light weights instead of 15 reps.  That was a lot better.  But I could feel my tiredness was going to be a factor right off.   During the Progressive Set Squats, I got really winded from the ascending heavy set all the way the the light descending set.  A few slight pauses to catch my breath, but I was really tired.  The Force Set, I went up to two 14.5kg dumbbells.  I was really feeling my inner thigh working it.  Came very close to failure by the fifth set.  On the Progressive Set Split Squat with EZ-Bar, the heavy weights were brutal.  And my upper right glute started to get that "pre-cramp" tension on.  I had to stretch a bit afterwards.  But, I got through it.  The next Super Set is the most brutal combination of moves in the routine. The Stiff Leg Dead Lift and the Alt. Side Squats.  I really try to stretch out the Hamstrings.  I went a little slower than Segi because I really wanted to feel that Hammy Stretch.  But the Squats, listed as 10 reps, but is actually 20 reps.  I had to take a little bit of an extra break just before the final set.  The Final Super Set, Calf Raises, Beast Abs,  I went up to 14.5 on the second set, but again, I did a double set.  Segi does one leg in one round, but I did both legs in the first round, and both in the second round.  Left calf is definitely weaker.  Although I got to the 50 reps, there was clear loss of range of motion on the last 5 reps.  And the pain was more intense on the left.  Beast Abs is easy-peasy.  So I doubled them too, spelling regularly and mirror image.  That makes more sense that just doing it backwards.  Going down the stairs, my legs, they were a-shaking!

I went right into Abs and for some reason, it seemed more difficult today that it did on Monday.  I wasn't able to hold out as long on the planking moves, and I had to put my feed down and release the core tension because it just got to be too much.  But got a great long lasting burn.

Splits and Flow were great! Pushing it hard, and I think my hip flexors and legs are responding to the challenge.  GOOD!!! Because I have less than 2 months to get it done.  The Flow was also very clean and smooth.

In the end, After late morning tennis and my evening workout, I torched just under 1800kcals.  As my schedule goes, this is my week-ending workout.  So good big burn to close out the week!

11-02-16 HY: P90X2 - X2 Recovery and Mobility + Splits + TCF.

11-02-16 HY: P90X2 - X2 Recovery and Mobility + Splits + TCF.

It's been a tough week so far.  I'm feeling the soreness all over, but not in debilitating pain.  It's more of a therapeutic pain.  But this recovery is going to feel very good.  I've been running with this routine for a while now because it is good to relive my muscle tension.  I only had time to double the lower body today, so only an additional 10 minutes on the Foam Rolling sequence.  I, again, used the regular Foam Roller, but I found some really good hot spots in my calves.  I sit on them, but I didn't get the release that I wanted today.  I sat for a while, but no release.  If I had had more time, I would have sat on them longer, but I had to move one.  Both calves, about midway up were really sore and full of hot spots that just wouldn't release.  I'll have to sit longer when I have the time.  My triceps were on fire as well.  I couldn't sit on them as much or as long.  The stretch sequence at the end were good.  I'm getting nice and low on my Pidgin  Gotta love Corpse Pose as well.  Nice topper!

Splits and Flow came at the end of the day.  I was feeling it on the splits, so I pushed as low as possible and got a great stretch.  Flow was right on.

In the end, I torched a bit over 250kcals.  Recovery day is a success!

Finally, here is my calendar for October! I'm still trying to get used to the weird schedule.  Not able to have a really consistant off day, either.  But getting it done!

11-01-16 HY: Pickleball + Splits + TCF.

11-01-16 HY:  Pickleball + Splits + TCF.

 Second time for me to play Pickleball in Japan.  Great fun to play singles as well.  After a nice warm up, we started to play games. This time, I took the first two games and he took the third.  I had a lead by a point, 8-7 in the fourth game when we had to call it quits because of the time.  The first game was close, 15-12. I was red hot in the second game and took it 15-4.  But I must have been tired out and lost 13-15 in the third.  I was behind most of the way in the last set, but came back to take an 8-7 lead, only to have to end because of time.  I also think I hurt something in my joints in my pelvis and possibly knees.  I was running to get a shot and then after hitting it, I did a "Stop-on-a-dime to turn to switch dirctions, then, OUCH!!! The joints in my knees and my hip flexors felt like they were overly compressed.  It happened to me in the USA when I had to stop instead of hitting a parked car.  Just got a weird step down.  But shook it off and finished out the session.  A lot of incredible shots, and I trying different strategies and shot combinations to fool my opponent.  Great fun!!!

Splits and Flow, came at night, and I had a great session.  The splits felt really strong, but my hip flexors seemed to be really tight.  I'm marking it up to the hip jam.  But great session.   The Flow was awesome as well.

In the end, I torched 1017kcals from the Pickleball.  Fun and a great method of exercise!