1-09-17 HY: Combat 45 - Power Kata + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

1-09-17 HY: Combat 45 - Power Kata + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I hope that this new year will give you all the courage, energy and strength you need to reach all your goals.  I started this year sick, but that is motivating me even more to catch up and make up for lost time.

It has been 18 days since my last regular workout, not including the one tennis session and the one Pickleball session last week.  On the 22nd of December, I did this same routine, then I left for Tokyo and walked like crazy all over the city.  Then upon coming back home on the 28th, I took ill and have been recovering until today.  I'm still only at about 75%, but the itch to move has been gnawing at me for the past couple of days so I decided that today would be the day I would workout out.  My plan was to start Insanity: MAX 30 this month, but not being at 100%, I am a little hesitant to start it up.  So, since I have about a week left on my Combat schedule, I'm going to finish Combat over the next week or so, and then do some routines to warm up and regain my strength, then I will be starting MAX 30 on January 29, a Sunday, or the next Sunday, the 5th of February, depending on my condition.  I am shooting for the 29th so I can finish the 60 day schedule by April.

Today, I was feeling okay, but I know I have lost a lot of strength and stamina so I planned to modify as much as possible and not over do it.  According to the schedule, I was supposed to do HIIT 2: Plyo but even though that is a shorter routine, I knew that it would be too intense for me today, so instead of just choosing something off schedule, I just went a day back and redid Power Kata to stay on schedule.  Then, hopefully, next time, I'll feel more ready to do Plyo.  In the interest of modifying, I decided not to use my regular 1kg hand weights and just went with no weights.  In hind sight, I probably could have gone with half a kg.  But I without the hand weights, I was able to get through the routine on the regular mode not modified.  I also didn't feel the need to take as many breaks throughout the routine like in the past.  I only took two water breaks, just before the Boxing Track and before the Muay Thai Track.  And I didn't stop because I was tired, I stopped to drink.  I was sweating a lot so I knew I should stay hydrated.  My shoulders weren't anywhere near as tired as they are with the weights.  But at the end, my legs were shaking.  And I could feel them starting to buckle.  I got a good workout.  I didn't modify with the routine which means I was able to do the leaping side kicks and the flying knees.  I was also able to keep pace with Dan and Rach.  As I type this a few hours after the fact, I can still feel the tingle in my legs. 

Abs also, on today's routine, I decided not to use the regular 2kg weights, and that was a good thing.  I could really work on form on the ball and I could see how different the different positions on the ball are.  I got a hard burn in my abs and had to breathe it out to keep from cramping.  I tried to keep the Time-Under-Tension as long as possible.  That is my new point for this year: Time-Under-Tension, or TUT.  Keeping my target muscles in TUT will help build strength and so that is my new catch phrase this year, and a new focus, especially for resistance.

I was really curious to find out how much flexibility I have lost.  To my glee, not much.  I was able to get to my mark almost as quickly as before, but it did take a little longer and a little more pain to get there, but I got there.  But I was happy to get back to my quest.  I failed in reaching my goal last year, so I have to extend it one more year.  But not by December 31, I'm going for it as soon as possible.  Maybe I backed off last year thinking that I had a year and only a small distance to go, but now, I'm pushing it to I get it. NO SLACKING OFF!!!

The Flow was good.  I'm glad I remembered it.  A couple balance issues but overall, good.

In the end, I torched a good 954kcals.  I wasn't feeling too hot before starting the workout, but I felt great during it.  I felt a little downer about 20 minutes after, but I have plateaued and I feel just blaaa now.   So I'm planning to hit the hay early, also I have workout tomorrow so I need the sleep.