7-31-17 (Monday) HY: Tennis + Unlock Your Hip Flexors + Foam Rolling.
TENNIS DAY!!!
Today is the last Monday Tennis Day until next April. The reason why is because in the first semester, I teach at another of my school's campuses and there is a staff member who plays tennis on Thursdays. A few years ago he offered to play with me on Monday's for about an hour. So, for a couple of years, we were just drilling and playing some sets. Just the two of us after my classes and after his work. But this year, he invited some of the Thursday members to come so we could play doubles. So from this April, it was like a sub-club day. I can only attend one Thursday a month because of my work schedule, so I was very thankful for the Monday Tennis Day. I was finally able to talk to the members and get to know them a little better. So my tennis days will be severely limited from now on.
So today was an important day because I also wanted to practice for the up coming tournament. My strokes have always been above average. My serve was also above average, but the weakest part of my game was the metal part. I would fold under pressure. I lacked game experience. So putting myself into game situations, feeling the pressure of being down is something I needed to overcome and get used to. I think I have improved a lot over the past few months. I've played a lot of matches and I accomplished something I really wanted to accomplish. That is to not lay off my second serve. I need to gain confidence in my serve so I can play my game. If I lay off my second serve, I'm basically telling myself that I can't hit a good second serve. Today, I went for it. Of course, that doesn't mean I hit my second serve like my first serve. I go for my first serve with a flat serve. But I put a lot of spin on my second serve. But my head speed is close to the same. In the first set today, ZERO DOUBLE FAULTS!!! Our opponents never got more than two points off of my serve. Plus, I won both service games. In the second set, I started off with a double fault, and then a few points later, another one. I got taken to Deuce, but I ended up winning that game. In the next game, I started off with two double faults, but I buckled down and hit some amazing serves to take the game. In the final service game, I was just ON. No double faults and hit all solid ground strokes and volleys. The only point lost was an error by my partner, who admittedly was not playing his best. As for the game count, We won the first set 6-3. The second set, I had a different partner, and we lost 5-6. We had opportunities to win other games, but those are the breaks. One game we had the Deuce Game Point and I had an easy overhead that I just netted. I was just livid, but in a fun way. The biggest issue for tonight was the temperature in the gym. The thermometer read 101 degrees. It was an oven in there. We opened the windows and it went down to 97, but then it started to rain really hard. The temp went down to 94. But then the rain started coming into the gym so we had to close the windows. Just before closing the windows there was a lovely cool breeze. Then the windows were shut. The consequences was felt almost immediate. The temps went back up to almost 100 again, but settled at 98 degrees. The sweat was flowing down my legs like a waterfalls. By the end of the night, my shoes were just soaked. But I felt good about my game. I was planning to go to the club on Thursday night, but I was told that they had to move the night to Wednesday. So I can't play because of another class. I was bummed. I'm going to see if I can shift my schedule so I can get just one more day in of doubles tennis before the tournament. There is another issue I had to deal with. Once we started to play, about halfway through the session, I felt the weird sensation in my legs that my muscles were getting ready to cramp up. It was just an odd feeling. I sort of had to pull back a bit because I was a little nervous about cramping up. So, when I got home. I stretched and foam rolled as a protective measure. I'm not sure if it was my weak legs, or the heat affecting my muscles, or what. But my legs were feeling really rubbery right after. Today was a long session because I got to the gym early and got to do some drills and practice beforehand. In total, over three hours. I'm BUSHED!!!
In the end, I TORCHED 1850+kcals. What a day! Good-Bye Monday Tennis Day! Until next year.
Monday, July 31, 2017
7-30-17 (Sunday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Intervals + Extreme Core Circuit + Unlock Your Hip Flexors + TCF.
7-30-17 (Sunday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Intervals + Extreme Core Circuit + Unlock Your Hip Flexors + TCF.
Kind of a lazy day today. I didn't really have a plan to do anything. It is just too hot to do anything active outside, and inside, the AC didn't feel like it was working so we just tried to be as sedentary as possible to not sweat too much. I was thinking to do my workout earlier in the day, but procrastination pushed it to a little later than a regular work day. So I didn't get started until close to 7pm. Bummer.
Again, this week is a conditioning week for me with a very specific purpose: Prepare for a tennis tournament. So I will be doing more muscular endurance work on my resistance days and tennis on cardio days. I will maintain the mid-week recovery day. I want to be in as good shape as possible come Sunday.
Today I went with a routine that I haven't really done too much, but after today, I will definitely be doing it more. Compared to the other cardio/resistance routines in ChaLEAN Extreme, this is probably the most EXTREME. The Intervals are considerably longer than the other routines and what's different is the clock run time. Each move shift starts the move clock at the top of the move, instead of counting down the whole cardio or resistance section. I didn't realize that until the first set of resistance moves. It was just standard Biceps Curls and watching the clock, I thought I would be finishing, but the time went back up and the move shifted from a slow count to a faster count, then shifted to alternating arms, then some other variation and it kind of worked in a circuit style instead of Intervals. Oh, and also, I tried going up in weight from the beginning. I tried going up to 6.25kgs. Up from 5kgs. When I did 5kgs, I was able to use that weight all the way through the routine. Not today! Depending on the move and how blown I was, I went down in weight. My arms were so blown that on the Prone Triceps Kickbacks, I had to go to 4kgs. The variety of moves to go total body pretty much made this routine one of my all time favorites. 6.25kgs is definitely my limit. At this point, there is no way I could go heavier. On the Overhead Triceps Extensions, I did use a 8.75kg dumbbell, only one. And that totally fried me. I had to tap out before the final circuit move. Chalene was saying to keep my elbows in and mine were Flaring like the sun, so I had to stop. A few moments later when I restarted, my form was right on. That was the story with most of the weighted moves. I did some weight shifting as well. The two-handed moves were either 4-5-6.25kgs. And unlike Firday, I actually started to get a little bit of a pump. The burn, of course, was even more intense today, but the pump was coming on as well. I may try this weight with the other cardio/resistance routines to see if the pump is comes. A big difference, also, it the use of the Swiss Ball. It was nice to sit for some of the weighted moves, but since my space is limited, the side-to-side moves were sort of lacking in range of motion. I was hitting my light and bumping the furniture some. So, next time, I am considering using my medicine ball for that kind of swing move instead of my Swiss Ball. It's just 5kgs.
So, in order to keep continuity, I went with Extreme Core Circuit for my abs and stuck with the Swiss Ball. It was a nice change, but I kept the 2kgs hand weights as usual. Today, I got a huge burn in my abs, so I was glad for the pain. I maintained good form and pushed to not bounce but made every rep as controlled as possible. The BURN was real.
For the stretch, I really want to push my hip flexors to open up so I took the time to really stretch them out and then I finished as usual, with my Flow series.
In the end, I torched a modest 720+kcals. The AC finally started to work so my room wasn't a sweltering as it had been. Right around 88 degrees Fahrenheit.
Kind of a lazy day today. I didn't really have a plan to do anything. It is just too hot to do anything active outside, and inside, the AC didn't feel like it was working so we just tried to be as sedentary as possible to not sweat too much. I was thinking to do my workout earlier in the day, but procrastination pushed it to a little later than a regular work day. So I didn't get started until close to 7pm. Bummer.
Again, this week is a conditioning week for me with a very specific purpose: Prepare for a tennis tournament. So I will be doing more muscular endurance work on my resistance days and tennis on cardio days. I will maintain the mid-week recovery day. I want to be in as good shape as possible come Sunday.
Today I went with a routine that I haven't really done too much, but after today, I will definitely be doing it more. Compared to the other cardio/resistance routines in ChaLEAN Extreme, this is probably the most EXTREME. The Intervals are considerably longer than the other routines and what's different is the clock run time. Each move shift starts the move clock at the top of the move, instead of counting down the whole cardio or resistance section. I didn't realize that until the first set of resistance moves. It was just standard Biceps Curls and watching the clock, I thought I would be finishing, but the time went back up and the move shifted from a slow count to a faster count, then shifted to alternating arms, then some other variation and it kind of worked in a circuit style instead of Intervals. Oh, and also, I tried going up in weight from the beginning. I tried going up to 6.25kgs. Up from 5kgs. When I did 5kgs, I was able to use that weight all the way through the routine. Not today! Depending on the move and how blown I was, I went down in weight. My arms were so blown that on the Prone Triceps Kickbacks, I had to go to 4kgs. The variety of moves to go total body pretty much made this routine one of my all time favorites. 6.25kgs is definitely my limit. At this point, there is no way I could go heavier. On the Overhead Triceps Extensions, I did use a 8.75kg dumbbell, only one. And that totally fried me. I had to tap out before the final circuit move. Chalene was saying to keep my elbows in and mine were Flaring like the sun, so I had to stop. A few moments later when I restarted, my form was right on. That was the story with most of the weighted moves. I did some weight shifting as well. The two-handed moves were either 4-5-6.25kgs. And unlike Firday, I actually started to get a little bit of a pump. The burn, of course, was even more intense today, but the pump was coming on as well. I may try this weight with the other cardio/resistance routines to see if the pump is comes. A big difference, also, it the use of the Swiss Ball. It was nice to sit for some of the weighted moves, but since my space is limited, the side-to-side moves were sort of lacking in range of motion. I was hitting my light and bumping the furniture some. So, next time, I am considering using my medicine ball for that kind of swing move instead of my Swiss Ball. It's just 5kgs.
So, in order to keep continuity, I went with Extreme Core Circuit for my abs and stuck with the Swiss Ball. It was a nice change, but I kept the 2kgs hand weights as usual. Today, I got a huge burn in my abs, so I was glad for the pain. I maintained good form and pushed to not bounce but made every rep as controlled as possible. The BURN was real.
For the stretch, I really want to push my hip flexors to open up so I took the time to really stretch them out and then I finished as usual, with my Flow series.
In the end, I torched a modest 720+kcals. The AC finally started to work so my room wasn't a sweltering as it had been. Right around 88 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sunday, July 30, 2017
7-28-17 (Friday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Get Lean Intervals + I've Got Abs + Splits + TCF.
7-28-17 (Friday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Get Lean Intervals + I've Got Abs + Splits + TCF.
Back to a regular workout today, but not as regularly scheduled. Now that the first semester is finished, there will be another big shake up of my workout schedule. Things will be pretty irregular for the next couple months during the summer holidays while my son is at home and while I don't have regular classes. I will get back to a fixed workout schedule when the second semester starts at the end of September. But I'll discuss that as the changes and different activities come. Today was a good day, but again, I'm having to shake things up because of my schedule. I have a tennis tournament in a week so I don't want to do anything that will make me too sore or too tight before then, so I'm going to do more body weight routines this coming week.
Today was a the Endurance Muscle Training with Chalene so I felt it was a good way to start my conditioning for the tournament. I did however, go up in my weight. Previously, I used 4kgs, but today I tried 5kgs. It is interesting how, with the lower weight but higher reps, the burn is way more intense, but I don't get much of a pump. I was burning out on almost every weighted move, sometimes more than once, but I didn't feel much of a pump. I was able to do the moves easily at first, but near the middle, I was dying. Pretty much all of the weighted moves after the 18 minute mark were really tough to get through. The first round of shoulder presses almost took me down, but the second round, WHOOO WEEE! That crushed me. I had to tap out twice, shake out my shoulders, then get back into it. The last Thigh Toner also really killed me. But I'm glad to say that I didn't tap out. I gutted out the whole time. I got a good sweat on, too. Extremely intense routine. The cardio moves were also really taxing. I was pretty much heaving after each one past the 20 minute mark. But the moves were fun so I enjoyed them. My favorite move would have to be the Skater, but the Thigh Toner is a raster blaster for sure. Great routine.
I moved into the Ab routine on the same disk to save time. But I did need some time to stretch out because my body was aching and burning. On my abs, I got a great burn, but I think the conditioning from Ab Ripper X helped a lot. Although I burned out, I didn't tap out. I made it to the end of each move. Often times in flaming pain, but no tapping out. But the one move, or type of move that gave me the most pain was the Push-Ups. I still had a lingering soreness so those slow Push-Ups were brutal. My abs got a good workout, today.
I had just enough time to get in a slightly modified Splits stretch and a Flow Series. So I was able to fit everything in before sunset.
In the end, I torched just under 900kcals. Great way to finish off my week. Looking forward to my conditioning week next week. Happy Weekend!
Back to a regular workout today, but not as regularly scheduled. Now that the first semester is finished, there will be another big shake up of my workout schedule. Things will be pretty irregular for the next couple months during the summer holidays while my son is at home and while I don't have regular classes. I will get back to a fixed workout schedule when the second semester starts at the end of September. But I'll discuss that as the changes and different activities come. Today was a good day, but again, I'm having to shake things up because of my schedule. I have a tennis tournament in a week so I don't want to do anything that will make me too sore or too tight before then, so I'm going to do more body weight routines this coming week.
Today was a the Endurance Muscle Training with Chalene so I felt it was a good way to start my conditioning for the tournament. I did however, go up in my weight. Previously, I used 4kgs, but today I tried 5kgs. It is interesting how, with the lower weight but higher reps, the burn is way more intense, but I don't get much of a pump. I was burning out on almost every weighted move, sometimes more than once, but I didn't feel much of a pump. I was able to do the moves easily at first, but near the middle, I was dying. Pretty much all of the weighted moves after the 18 minute mark were really tough to get through. The first round of shoulder presses almost took me down, but the second round, WHOOO WEEE! That crushed me. I had to tap out twice, shake out my shoulders, then get back into it. The last Thigh Toner also really killed me. But I'm glad to say that I didn't tap out. I gutted out the whole time. I got a good sweat on, too. Extremely intense routine. The cardio moves were also really taxing. I was pretty much heaving after each one past the 20 minute mark. But the moves were fun so I enjoyed them. My favorite move would have to be the Skater, but the Thigh Toner is a raster blaster for sure. Great routine.
I moved into the Ab routine on the same disk to save time. But I did need some time to stretch out because my body was aching and burning. On my abs, I got a great burn, but I think the conditioning from Ab Ripper X helped a lot. Although I burned out, I didn't tap out. I made it to the end of each move. Often times in flaming pain, but no tapping out. But the one move, or type of move that gave me the most pain was the Push-Ups. I still had a lingering soreness so those slow Push-Ups were brutal. My abs got a good workout, today.
I had just enough time to get in a slightly modified Splits stretch and a Flow Series. So I was able to fit everything in before sunset.
In the end, I torched just under 900kcals. Great way to finish off my week. Looking forward to my conditioning week next week. Happy Weekend!
Friday, July 28, 2017
7-27-17 (Thursday) HY: Pickle-Ball + Foam Rolling.
7-27-17 (Thursday) HY: Pickle-Ball + Foam Rolling.
Pickle-Ball Day!
Otherwise known as a day in an over-sized oven. As you know, Friday is the normal Pickle-Ball day, but due to scheduling changes, it had to be moved to today. The big difference is that on Friday, we can play in the morning. Today, we had to play during the hottest period of the day. When I entered the gym, it was like walking into an oven. The temperature was close to if not higher than 100 degrees. I almost canceled today, but my desire to play and get in a workout was stronger so I stayed the course. But maybe it would have been better if I had canceled, because I was playing like junk. In the first game, I had a 14-6 lead, and I ended up losing 14-16. I just totally gassed out and couldn't get anything going. Somehow I took the second game 15-7. But from the very first point of the third game, I was gassed out. I couldn't run worth anything. Sweat was puddled on the floor and I was slipping on it. I lost the third game, 11-15. We hit a few good shots, but in ended up the one with the more endurance won. My endurance is total garbage. I need more endurance training. Maybe I should get my bike out and start that up again. But it is just too dang hot. Anyway, I think I may be a bit dehydrated because of tell-tale signs. I've been feeling exhausted since. I think it's time for bed.
Oh, and the major soreness hit today. Especially in my Triceps. So I foam rolled in the evening before bed. Much better nights sleep is in store for me tonight.
In the end, I torched 1400+kcals. I'm actually a bit surprised my calorie count was so high. I tried to conserve energy as much as possible my minimizing my movement on the court. But it didn't help much. Despite the terrible heat, I had a fun time.
Pickle-Ball Day!
Otherwise known as a day in an over-sized oven. As you know, Friday is the normal Pickle-Ball day, but due to scheduling changes, it had to be moved to today. The big difference is that on Friday, we can play in the morning. Today, we had to play during the hottest period of the day. When I entered the gym, it was like walking into an oven. The temperature was close to if not higher than 100 degrees. I almost canceled today, but my desire to play and get in a workout was stronger so I stayed the course. But maybe it would have been better if I had canceled, because I was playing like junk. In the first game, I had a 14-6 lead, and I ended up losing 14-16. I just totally gassed out and couldn't get anything going. Somehow I took the second game 15-7. But from the very first point of the third game, I was gassed out. I couldn't run worth anything. Sweat was puddled on the floor and I was slipping on it. I lost the third game, 11-15. We hit a few good shots, but in ended up the one with the more endurance won. My endurance is total garbage. I need more endurance training. Maybe I should get my bike out and start that up again. But it is just too dang hot. Anyway, I think I may be a bit dehydrated because of tell-tale signs. I've been feeling exhausted since. I think it's time for bed.
Oh, and the major soreness hit today. Especially in my Triceps. So I foam rolled in the evening before bed. Much better nights sleep is in store for me tonight.
In the end, I torched 1400+kcals. I'm actually a bit surprised my calorie count was so high. I tried to conserve energy as much as possible my minimizing my movement on the court. But it didn't help much. Despite the terrible heat, I had a fun time.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
7-26-17 (Wednesday) HY: P90X2 - X2 Yoga + TCF.
7-26-17 (Wednesday) HY: P90X2 - X2 Yoga + TCF.
Mid-Week Recovery!!!
I missed this last week because of all the tennis, but with two brutal resistance workouts sandwiching a hot tennis day, I need this recovery. Or so I thought... about the "Recovery". I slept early the night before and so I naturally woke up a little earlier than usual giving myself a lot of extra time so I decided to do X2 Yoga. I think it has been close to a couple of months since I did that routine last. But I felt I needed it especially after "The Challenge" yesterday.
I actually didn't feel too sore when I got up in the morning which I was very thankful for. But as I started the routine, that first Vinyasa woke me up right quick. The Push-Up between Up-Dawg and Down-Dawg was OUCH!!! on my Triceps. The A round was okay, but in the B round with the 1-2-3 progression I was dying! My Triceps were on FIRE, but I gutted out every rep. I had a little trouble on the Half-Moon, but not with balance. My problem was with a slight cramp in the hip flexor of my base leg. So I had to come down and reset. I also was unable to hold the Crane Pose on just my hands. I was sort of rocking back and forth from hands, to hands and toes. Then, to add to all the issues, I was sweating like the dickens! This is the most I've sweated during yoga, EVER! Every time my head went down sweat would pour down. I ended up needing two towels to wipe everything and keep control of my sweat. I mean it was constant pouring out of my body. This is also the first time I ever needed to stop the DVD to get a drink. I could feel myself getting dehydrated so I drank a lot of water. Overall, the routine went very well, but if felt more like hot yoga. It wasn't too hot, around 90 degrees, but the humidity was just so thick. That is what made the difference. 60+% humidity. There is a typhoon to the south of where I am. Still far off, but it is pushing hot HOT air and humidity right over us.
The Flow series was fine. There was a slight glitch on the right side, but a slight pause and remembrance got be back on track.
In the end, I burned off a nice 505+kcals. I felt nice and loose the whole day.
Mid-Week Recovery!!!
I missed this last week because of all the tennis, but with two brutal resistance workouts sandwiching a hot tennis day, I need this recovery. Or so I thought... about the "Recovery". I slept early the night before and so I naturally woke up a little earlier than usual giving myself a lot of extra time so I decided to do X2 Yoga. I think it has been close to a couple of months since I did that routine last. But I felt I needed it especially after "The Challenge" yesterday.
I actually didn't feel too sore when I got up in the morning which I was very thankful for. But as I started the routine, that first Vinyasa woke me up right quick. The Push-Up between Up-Dawg and Down-Dawg was OUCH!!! on my Triceps. The A round was okay, but in the B round with the 1-2-3 progression I was dying! My Triceps were on FIRE, but I gutted out every rep. I had a little trouble on the Half-Moon, but not with balance. My problem was with a slight cramp in the hip flexor of my base leg. So I had to come down and reset. I also was unable to hold the Crane Pose on just my hands. I was sort of rocking back and forth from hands, to hands and toes. Then, to add to all the issues, I was sweating like the dickens! This is the most I've sweated during yoga, EVER! Every time my head went down sweat would pour down. I ended up needing two towels to wipe everything and keep control of my sweat. I mean it was constant pouring out of my body. This is also the first time I ever needed to stop the DVD to get a drink. I could feel myself getting dehydrated so I drank a lot of water. Overall, the routine went very well, but if felt more like hot yoga. It wasn't too hot, around 90 degrees, but the humidity was just so thick. That is what made the difference. 60+% humidity. There is a typhoon to the south of where I am. Still far off, but it is pushing hot HOT air and humidity right over us.
The Flow series was fine. There was a slight glitch on the right side, but a slight pause and remembrance got be back on track.
In the end, I burned off a nice 505+kcals. I felt nice and loose the whole day.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
7-25-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X3 - The Challenge + P90X - Ab Ripper X + Unlock Your Hip Flexors + TCF.
7-25-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X3 - The Challenge + P90X - Ab Ripper X + Unlock Your Hip Flexors + TCF.
I'm kind of back to my regular schedule this week, but there will be a few changes near the end. But for now, I'm getting my resistance in for the week. Today, The Challenge. I am a little surprised that it has been almost exactly one month since I did this routine. This is one routine that I would like to do at least twice a month just so I can keep my Pull-Up strength up. Anyway, I was able to get myself up and ready to go after getting home from work earlier than usual so I was able to do a full workout all in one sitting.
For some reason, I'm not feeling in tip-top shape. I feel a little like my strength has been declining a bit so I was a little apprehensive as to whether I should up my numbers from a month ago. Finally I decided to up them a bit. So, on the Pull-Ups, I went from 8 reps to 9 reps. And for the Push-Ups, I went from 28 reps to 30 reps. For me, Wide Pull-Ups are the hardest variation so I'm glad they are up first. I was able to knock them out of the park. And the Push-Ups were a breeze. The two sets of Chin-Ups were good, but I started slowing down on the first set of Military Push-Ups. Then I had to split the second set of Military Push-Ups 22-8. I had to tap out. Pausing at the top wasn't relief enough. The second circuit is where I start pumping and burning up. By the third circuit, I'm majorly PUMPED. My arms won't just fall straight because my lats have a major pump going. The two sets of Close Grip Pull-Ups were both split, 5-4 and 6-3 respectively. Thank goodness for the Wide Push-Ups, but I was still dying at the end. I got the same split for the Vaulter Pull-Ups. Both were 6-3. And for the Push-Ups, the first set was straight, but split 20-10 on the second set. I was majorly pumped at this point. When I'm this pumped the lack or range of motion in my shoulders becomes evident. On the Burnout, I pushed as hard as possible with the Parallel Grip Pull-Ups and the Wide Push-Ups, and I was able to go non-stop, no break. I was able to eek out one extra set upping my total from 11 reps to 12 reps. This routine gives me the biggest pump of any routine I've done in a long time. AWESOME!!!
I moved right into Abs and I crushed it. This is the first time since I started doing Ab Ripper X again that I made it all the way through the Mason Twists. Previously I only got to 40 before needing to tap out, then do an extra 20 reps. But today I was determined to crush it and I did. All the way to 50 reps. Mission accomplished. Now, I want to get through the Mason Twist and be able to speak afterwards. I'l keep pushing it and hopefully I will get up to that pace.
On Sunday, I did the Unlock Your Hip Flexors program and the next day, I didn't have any too sever pain there so I guess figured I'll try it again and see if I am spared from the pain. But it felt really good to get that stretch in. And the Flow series was spot on. I'm also getting better at keeping my Flow time consistent between both sides. Today was DA BOMB!!!
In the end, I torched a modest 860+ kcals. But I'm loving this pump.
I'm kind of back to my regular schedule this week, but there will be a few changes near the end. But for now, I'm getting my resistance in for the week. Today, The Challenge. I am a little surprised that it has been almost exactly one month since I did this routine. This is one routine that I would like to do at least twice a month just so I can keep my Pull-Up strength up. Anyway, I was able to get myself up and ready to go after getting home from work earlier than usual so I was able to do a full workout all in one sitting.
For some reason, I'm not feeling in tip-top shape. I feel a little like my strength has been declining a bit so I was a little apprehensive as to whether I should up my numbers from a month ago. Finally I decided to up them a bit. So, on the Pull-Ups, I went from 8 reps to 9 reps. And for the Push-Ups, I went from 28 reps to 30 reps. For me, Wide Pull-Ups are the hardest variation so I'm glad they are up first. I was able to knock them out of the park. And the Push-Ups were a breeze. The two sets of Chin-Ups were good, but I started slowing down on the first set of Military Push-Ups. Then I had to split the second set of Military Push-Ups 22-8. I had to tap out. Pausing at the top wasn't relief enough. The second circuit is where I start pumping and burning up. By the third circuit, I'm majorly PUMPED. My arms won't just fall straight because my lats have a major pump going. The two sets of Close Grip Pull-Ups were both split, 5-4 and 6-3 respectively. Thank goodness for the Wide Push-Ups, but I was still dying at the end. I got the same split for the Vaulter Pull-Ups. Both were 6-3. And for the Push-Ups, the first set was straight, but split 20-10 on the second set. I was majorly pumped at this point. When I'm this pumped the lack or range of motion in my shoulders becomes evident. On the Burnout, I pushed as hard as possible with the Parallel Grip Pull-Ups and the Wide Push-Ups, and I was able to go non-stop, no break. I was able to eek out one extra set upping my total from 11 reps to 12 reps. This routine gives me the biggest pump of any routine I've done in a long time. AWESOME!!!
I moved right into Abs and I crushed it. This is the first time since I started doing Ab Ripper X again that I made it all the way through the Mason Twists. Previously I only got to 40 before needing to tap out, then do an extra 20 reps. But today I was determined to crush it and I did. All the way to 50 reps. Mission accomplished. Now, I want to get through the Mason Twist and be able to speak afterwards. I'l keep pushing it and hopefully I will get up to that pace.
On Sunday, I did the Unlock Your Hip Flexors program and the next day, I didn't have any too sever pain there so I guess figured I'll try it again and see if I am spared from the pain. But it felt really good to get that stretch in. And the Flow series was spot on. I'm also getting better at keeping my Flow time consistent between both sides. Today was DA BOMB!!!
In the end, I torched a modest 860+ kcals. But I'm loving this pump.
Monday, July 24, 2017
7-24-17 (Monday) HY: Tennis + Foam Rolling + TCF.
7-24-17 (Monday) HY: Tennis + Foam Rolling + TCF.
Tennis Day!
I got in some much needed drill practice before getting into the matches. I slowly worked my way up so that I could get used to coming over the ball and striking it with power. I was just spraying everything last time and was way off on my timing, so I really needed some drill time to get back some stability in my ground strokes. When we started the matches, I was still not feeling all there, but I guess I needed some game time pressure to push me back into position. My serve was again about 50% -60% back. In the two sets played, I lost my first service game going to deuce and then winning the next service game at almost love or 15. I could feel that my toss was off and that I wasn't being patient with it. I knew I was going after bad tosses, but I kept it up. But in the second game of the second set, I was all on. The points lost on serve were due to partner errors so I wasn't too upset. I still pulled it out. But with the good rigorous drill time and the two long sets, I won the first one 6-4, but lost the second one 3-6, it was a very long session. If I include all the preliminaries and the take down and cool down, it was a grand total of THREE HOURS. I was so dead afterward. Not to mention, like a broken record, the heat and humidity in the gym. By the beginning of the second set, my sweat bands were putting more sweat on my face than taking off. Same thing with my towel. I was also doing my best dog impression, leaving puddles all over the court. Anyway, overall I am happy with my progress. I played much better than I played on Thursday. I was able to make good contact with the ball on several shots and I was able to strike several hard service returns with pace and spin for return winners. But it is still a work in progress. MORE PRACTICE!!!
When I got home and stepped into the shower, I think I was feeling a little bit of heat exhaustion because I suddenly felt really weak. I sat down and lowered the water temperature. After several minutes I was feeling a little better. I'm glad I didn't pass out because no one else was at home, I would have been lying there in the shower for about 30 minutes.
In the end, I torched a good 1600+kcals. But I was dead tired. My legs and glutes were pretty sore as well from the lower body workout yesterday. I think I would have done better if I didn't have that soreness.
I took some time in the evening to roll out my sore legs. And then finished my day with a nice series of Flows. I'm going to sleep well tonight. Got to hit the sack early.
Tennis Day!
I got in some much needed drill practice before getting into the matches. I slowly worked my way up so that I could get used to coming over the ball and striking it with power. I was just spraying everything last time and was way off on my timing, so I really needed some drill time to get back some stability in my ground strokes. When we started the matches, I was still not feeling all there, but I guess I needed some game time pressure to push me back into position. My serve was again about 50% -60% back. In the two sets played, I lost my first service game going to deuce and then winning the next service game at almost love or 15. I could feel that my toss was off and that I wasn't being patient with it. I knew I was going after bad tosses, but I kept it up. But in the second game of the second set, I was all on. The points lost on serve were due to partner errors so I wasn't too upset. I still pulled it out. But with the good rigorous drill time and the two long sets, I won the first one 6-4, but lost the second one 3-6, it was a very long session. If I include all the preliminaries and the take down and cool down, it was a grand total of THREE HOURS. I was so dead afterward. Not to mention, like a broken record, the heat and humidity in the gym. By the beginning of the second set, my sweat bands were putting more sweat on my face than taking off. Same thing with my towel. I was also doing my best dog impression, leaving puddles all over the court. Anyway, overall I am happy with my progress. I played much better than I played on Thursday. I was able to make good contact with the ball on several shots and I was able to strike several hard service returns with pace and spin for return winners. But it is still a work in progress. MORE PRACTICE!!!
When I got home and stepped into the shower, I think I was feeling a little bit of heat exhaustion because I suddenly felt really weak. I sat down and lowered the water temperature. After several minutes I was feeling a little better. I'm glad I didn't pass out because no one else was at home, I would have been lying there in the shower for about 30 minutes.
In the end, I torched a good 1600+kcals. But I was dead tired. My legs and glutes were pretty sore as well from the lower body workout yesterday. I think I would have done better if I didn't have that soreness.
I took some time in the evening to roll out my sore legs. And then finished my day with a nice series of Flows. I'm going to sleep well tonight. Got to hit the sack early.
7-23-17 (Sunday) HY: P90X3 - Eccentric Lower + P90X - Ab Ripper X + Unlock Your Hip Flexors + Splits + TCF.
7-23-17 (Sunday) HY: Walking + P90X3 - Eccentric Lower + P90X - Ab Ripper X + Unlock Your Hip Flexors + Splits + TCF.
Today was somewhat of a busy day. After waking up late, I got ready to go out with my wife to help her with a bunch of errands she needed to finish at the mall. Basically buying a lot of stuff for the kids that they needed and couldn't be put off any longer. She had her list and I was the driver, carrier today. Long story short, we were out for over 6 hours and most of that was walking around the mall and carrying all of the purchases. I would, as discreetly as possible do curls with all the bags and Triceps extensions. Of course, near the end of the day, with the number of bags growing, I started to really get a nice little pump. Also, as we walked through the crowd, I would do lateral raises with static holds with the bags as we weaved in and out of the people. Sort of fun sneaking a workout in there like that.
We got home around 5:30pm and we relaxed a little. Then I started to get ready for my workout. I wanted to start at 6 o'clock. We had set the timer for the AC to kick on about an hour before we got home but for some reason it didn't come on and my workout area was close to 37 degrees Celsius, which is close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. So I turned on the AC and had to wait for it to cool down. I had to wait a good 45 minutes before it was down to a bearable temperature. Then I started my workout.
I wasn't really thinking about upping my weights, but I ended up upping just over half of the weighted moves. I upped #1 Squats, #2 Lunge, #3 Sumo, #8 Adductor Lunge, #9 Cross Reach, and #11 Bridge Kicks. The most difficult weighted move was #2 Lunge. I just wasn't able to explode up as fast from the bottom. When I went down to the lowest point, I would slowly come up for the first 5-8 inches, then when I was a little higher, Explode up. So it ended up being only half an explosion. I may have to go back to the 17kg weights. The most difficult non-weighted move was again, #10 TT Plus. I was burning by rep 7 and barely made it to 10 on both sides. The move with the least amount range of motion was a tie between #4 Weighted Pistols, and #11 Bridge Kicks. Today I had a bit of a balance issue on #4, more with the left than the right, but I had to tap out about 5 times. I only tapped out a couple times on the right side. #11 is always tough because my hip flexors are too tight and the shape of my bow back prevents me from really push out straight. But it was a good lower body workout. I felt the burn with virtually every move. Surprisingly, the most intense burn came from #5 Side Kick. The burn on the last 3 reps was extremely intense on the base leg glute. I was dying and needed some extra time to stretch out the glutes. Two sides, same burn.
I moved right into abs. I was sort of thinking before not to do Ab Ripper X again, because of what it did to my Hip Flexors before, but I didn't want to run and hide from that pain, so I went for it today. I know I hit those Hip Flexors hard and I'm sure I'll feel it someday, but I also did a lot better on several of the move. I was able to go longer into the tougher moves without tapping out. Great burn today. Again, only made it to the 40th rep on the Mason Twists, but I did an extra 10 for a total of 60 reps. OUCH!!! I felt that!!!
To try and fight the soreness, I went with a combo of Unlock Your Hip Flexors and Splits. It felt good to focus on a trouble area. I hope it works out and I don't have much soreness tomorrow. And the ending Flow Series was right on.
In the end, I torched a low 760+kcals. I was hoping for more because it was lower body, but I didn't hit a grand. Oh well, great day all around despite that.
Today was somewhat of a busy day. After waking up late, I got ready to go out with my wife to help her with a bunch of errands she needed to finish at the mall. Basically buying a lot of stuff for the kids that they needed and couldn't be put off any longer. She had her list and I was the driver, carrier today. Long story short, we were out for over 6 hours and most of that was walking around the mall and carrying all of the purchases. I would, as discreetly as possible do curls with all the bags and Triceps extensions. Of course, near the end of the day, with the number of bags growing, I started to really get a nice little pump. Also, as we walked through the crowd, I would do lateral raises with static holds with the bags as we weaved in and out of the people. Sort of fun sneaking a workout in there like that.
We got home around 5:30pm and we relaxed a little. Then I started to get ready for my workout. I wanted to start at 6 o'clock. We had set the timer for the AC to kick on about an hour before we got home but for some reason it didn't come on and my workout area was close to 37 degrees Celsius, which is close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. So I turned on the AC and had to wait for it to cool down. I had to wait a good 45 minutes before it was down to a bearable temperature. Then I started my workout.
I wasn't really thinking about upping my weights, but I ended up upping just over half of the weighted moves. I upped #1 Squats, #2 Lunge, #3 Sumo, #8 Adductor Lunge, #9 Cross Reach, and #11 Bridge Kicks. The most difficult weighted move was #2 Lunge. I just wasn't able to explode up as fast from the bottom. When I went down to the lowest point, I would slowly come up for the first 5-8 inches, then when I was a little higher, Explode up. So it ended up being only half an explosion. I may have to go back to the 17kg weights. The most difficult non-weighted move was again, #10 TT Plus. I was burning by rep 7 and barely made it to 10 on both sides. The move with the least amount range of motion was a tie between #4 Weighted Pistols, and #11 Bridge Kicks. Today I had a bit of a balance issue on #4, more with the left than the right, but I had to tap out about 5 times. I only tapped out a couple times on the right side. #11 is always tough because my hip flexors are too tight and the shape of my bow back prevents me from really push out straight. But it was a good lower body workout. I felt the burn with virtually every move. Surprisingly, the most intense burn came from #5 Side Kick. The burn on the last 3 reps was extremely intense on the base leg glute. I was dying and needed some extra time to stretch out the glutes. Two sides, same burn.
I moved right into abs. I was sort of thinking before not to do Ab Ripper X again, because of what it did to my Hip Flexors before, but I didn't want to run and hide from that pain, so I went for it today. I know I hit those Hip Flexors hard and I'm sure I'll feel it someday, but I also did a lot better on several of the move. I was able to go longer into the tougher moves without tapping out. Great burn today. Again, only made it to the 40th rep on the Mason Twists, but I did an extra 10 for a total of 60 reps. OUCH!!! I felt that!!!
To try and fight the soreness, I went with a combo of Unlock Your Hip Flexors and Splits. It felt good to focus on a trouble area. I hope it works out and I don't have much soreness tomorrow. And the ending Flow Series was right on.
In the end, I torched a low 760+kcals. I was hoping for more because it was lower body, but I didn't hit a grand. Oh well, great day all around despite that.
Saturday, July 22, 2017
7-21-17 (Friday) HY: Pickle-Ball + Foam Rolling.
7-21-17 (Friday) HY: Pickle-Ball + Foam Rolling.
Pickle-Ball Day!
The day started out as every Pickle-Ball day did. Everything went as scheduled and everything was normal. Then we started playing. Yes, the gym was hot. Yes, the gym was humid. Conditions were equal. For the first two games, I just couldn't string anything together. In the first game, Joe jumped out to a 1-10 lead. Then, finally I started to come back, but the comeback was short lived to 8-10. Then it became pretty competitive. There weren't many spectacular shots, but it was a grind. I lost 12-15. The second game was almost a carbon copy of the first, except worse. Shots that I normally make with ease were going way out. I couldn't find the lines. Last week when I swept Joe 4-0 I was painting the lines, I was hitting the angles. Everything was just clicking and it was glorious. Today, it was garbage. I lost the second game 9-15. The third game, Finally I started off strong and got a lead. Then Joe started to come back. Just as his come back began, I started to gas out. I suddenly felt extremely sluggish and movement was hard. I had a 14-8 lead and I just had one more point to take the game. We were stuck on 14-8 for about 15 minutes. We both were visibly exhausted. taking some extra time before our serves. Then Joe broke the stalemate and went to 9 points. We traded serve a few more times, but I finally got my game point. Even though I had won the game, I felt like I had lost it. I was, we were just so exhausted. I was glad to avoid the sweep. I have never been swept before and only once or twice before had I lost on game count. But that third game took just under half an hour and time was up. I eventually discovered that I was pretty dehydrated despite taking in fluids regularly between each game. But the third game was the worst. It was so physically draining. But we had a great time!
By the end of the Pickle-Ball, I had torched a satisfying 1200+ Kcals. It was a great way to finish off a grueling week. A week in which I missed my mid-week recovery and played tennis 3 times.
At home, I started to cramp up in my legs and lower back, so I took the time to stretch some but mostly foam roll. Over an hour of sitting on hot spots. I almost fell asleep I felt so good.
Happy Weekend!
Pickle-Ball Day!
The day started out as every Pickle-Ball day did. Everything went as scheduled and everything was normal. Then we started playing. Yes, the gym was hot. Yes, the gym was humid. Conditions were equal. For the first two games, I just couldn't string anything together. In the first game, Joe jumped out to a 1-10 lead. Then, finally I started to come back, but the comeback was short lived to 8-10. Then it became pretty competitive. There weren't many spectacular shots, but it was a grind. I lost 12-15. The second game was almost a carbon copy of the first, except worse. Shots that I normally make with ease were going way out. I couldn't find the lines. Last week when I swept Joe 4-0 I was painting the lines, I was hitting the angles. Everything was just clicking and it was glorious. Today, it was garbage. I lost the second game 9-15. The third game, Finally I started off strong and got a lead. Then Joe started to come back. Just as his come back began, I started to gas out. I suddenly felt extremely sluggish and movement was hard. I had a 14-8 lead and I just had one more point to take the game. We were stuck on 14-8 for about 15 minutes. We both were visibly exhausted. taking some extra time before our serves. Then Joe broke the stalemate and went to 9 points. We traded serve a few more times, but I finally got my game point. Even though I had won the game, I felt like I had lost it. I was, we were just so exhausted. I was glad to avoid the sweep. I have never been swept before and only once or twice before had I lost on game count. But that third game took just under half an hour and time was up. I eventually discovered that I was pretty dehydrated despite taking in fluids regularly between each game. But the third game was the worst. It was so physically draining. But we had a great time!
By the end of the Pickle-Ball, I had torched a satisfying 1200+ Kcals. It was a great way to finish off a grueling week. A week in which I missed my mid-week recovery and played tennis 3 times.
At home, I started to cramp up in my legs and lower back, so I took the time to stretch some but mostly foam roll. Over an hour of sitting on hot spots. I almost fell asleep I felt so good.
Happy Weekend!
Friday, July 21, 2017
7-20-17 (Thursday) HY: Tennis + Foam Rolling + TCF.
7-20-17 (Thursday) HY: Tennis + Foam Rolling + TCF.
Another TENNIS DAY!!! This is EXTREMELY unusual for me to play tennis three times in one week. But it happened. Three Thursdays a month I have a night class to teach, but whenever the free Thursday(s) come around, and if there is no other conflict, I go and play tennis with my club. Today was one of those free days so I played tennis.
First, YES, the gym was very hot and very humid. The temperature was over 31 degrees Celsius. But I had a full bottle of water and a dry towel so I was good to go. I got to the gym a little late because of traffic so I didn't get the regular warm up drills, so I was playing "cold", and it showed. In the first set, we all were playing at about the same level so each person won their service game twice which took the score to 4-4. Then we finally broke serve in the next game and held serve to take the set. I was very happy because our opponent was the one of two members I and a partner have not beaten yet. As far as my play, My serve was pretty on, over 60% of my in serves were winners. No aces, though. But the bad thing is that I wasn't able to make too many shots with good clean contact. I'm usually a power hitter, but I wasn't able to play my game today. My timing was also way off on several shots. There were some really easy shots that on any other day I would have put away, but instead, I shanked them.
In the second set, I went through a lull and promptly lost my first service game. I just threw it away double faulting on game point. Again, no really good consistent play to speak of, but my serve came back for my next service game just in time. We played well on a lot of key points and we got my break back, and then another break to go up 4-3. Then on my serve I was down LOVE-30 and then I hit Service Winner - Ace - Service Winner - Ace to close out the game. How "Federer-esque" of me. The score was now 5-3. The next two games went to the server so we won 6-4. I was happy with my serve, but pretty much all the other aspects of my game were under par. Basically I played poorly. But I was able to hit decent shots in crunch time and we ended up winning both matches. But the best thing is that we beat the last person I have not yet beaten. I have won several times with him, but when I was on the opposite side of the net, I always lost... until now. Now, I have beaten everyone in the club.
In the end, I torched 1170+kcals. I would have been a lot more if I had gotten that drill warm up time.
My calves were feeling really tight so in the evening, I rolled them out along with my feet and legs. No upper body rolling today. I usually end my workout with a Flow series, but today, I'm ending my day with a Flow series. SLEEP TIGHT!
Another TENNIS DAY!!! This is EXTREMELY unusual for me to play tennis three times in one week. But it happened. Three Thursdays a month I have a night class to teach, but whenever the free Thursday(s) come around, and if there is no other conflict, I go and play tennis with my club. Today was one of those free days so I played tennis.
First, YES, the gym was very hot and very humid. The temperature was over 31 degrees Celsius. But I had a full bottle of water and a dry towel so I was good to go. I got to the gym a little late because of traffic so I didn't get the regular warm up drills, so I was playing "cold", and it showed. In the first set, we all were playing at about the same level so each person won their service game twice which took the score to 4-4. Then we finally broke serve in the next game and held serve to take the set. I was very happy because our opponent was the one of two members I and a partner have not beaten yet. As far as my play, My serve was pretty on, over 60% of my in serves were winners. No aces, though. But the bad thing is that I wasn't able to make too many shots with good clean contact. I'm usually a power hitter, but I wasn't able to play my game today. My timing was also way off on several shots. There were some really easy shots that on any other day I would have put away, but instead, I shanked them.
In the second set, I went through a lull and promptly lost my first service game. I just threw it away double faulting on game point. Again, no really good consistent play to speak of, but my serve came back for my next service game just in time. We played well on a lot of key points and we got my break back, and then another break to go up 4-3. Then on my serve I was down LOVE-30 and then I hit Service Winner - Ace - Service Winner - Ace to close out the game. How "Federer-esque" of me. The score was now 5-3. The next two games went to the server so we won 6-4. I was happy with my serve, but pretty much all the other aspects of my game were under par. Basically I played poorly. But I was able to hit decent shots in crunch time and we ended up winning both matches. But the best thing is that we beat the last person I have not yet beaten. I have won several times with him, but when I was on the opposite side of the net, I always lost... until now. Now, I have beaten everyone in the club.
In the end, I torched 1170+kcals. I would have been a lot more if I had gotten that drill warm up time.
My calves were feeling really tight so in the evening, I rolled them out along with my feet and legs. No upper body rolling today. I usually end my workout with a Flow series, but today, I'm ending my day with a Flow series. SLEEP TIGHT!
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
7-19-17 (Wednesday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + Eccentric Upper + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 200 + TCF + Foam Rolling + Unlock your Hip Flexors.
7-19-17 (Wednesday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + Eccentric Upper + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 200 + TCF + Foam Rolling + Unlock your Hip Flexors.
Today was a result of a big schedule shift. Two unscheduled Tennis Days on Monday and Tuesday with my wife brought on the erasure of my regular Mid-Week Recovery Day and turned it into a Resistance Day. Also, since I was in a time crunch in the morning, today's workout is in two parts: Morning and Evening.
Morning Session:
I was intending to go to be early last night then wake up early today and get in a full workout. But I guess I was more tired than I thought and I ended up sleeping an hour longer than I had intended. So that effectively canceled any chance for me to do a full workout all at once. I started off with Cold Start, probably the best warm up routine I've done since getting the X3 program. I was feeling ready for the workout. Before starting, I was already thinking to modify because I didn't want to go to work in too much pain, but it didn't quite workout that way. I started off as normal, and everything was fine until Move #8. V Pull-Ups. Previous times, I needed the heavy resistance assist band. But today, I, for some crazy reason, decided to try it without the assist band. I didn't feel too blown away, but once I started, I felt it. I was able to do only 4 reps without the assist bands. But I tapped out and finished the last 6 reps with the assist band. Everything went as expected until Move #14. Vaulter Pull-Ups. I was feeling pretty energized so I decided to give this move a try without the assist bands. The first half was really good. The second half brought the pain on rather quickly. I had to tap out just before the last rep. I was bummed, but I got back in and barely finished that last rep. Move #16. Rocket Launcher Kickback. was a bit surprising. My notation the last time was that 8.75kgs was too heavy, so I back off and went down to 7.5kgs. I started off fine, but the last 3-4 reps, I just couldn't keep my elbows up on the Eccentric half of the move. Kicking back was fine, but the slow release was just terrible. My elbows dropped with the weight. Form went out the window. With the Eccentric, I may have to go down to 6.25kgs next time. After that, the rest of the workout was fine. I won't say I crushed the routine, but I was feeling pretty good that I got through it, even the Burnout.
I went right to the Abs workout. I was able to get through the first three moves before the burn started to show up. But this little ab routine is totally a killer/burner. I got a great burn and the doubling over cramp that tells me I really worked my abs.
I ended with a series of good Flows.
At the end of the morning session, I torched a good 1003kcals. No A/C so the warmth probably helped some.
Evening Session:
By the end of the day, my upper body was tightening up, especially in my lower neck and upper back area, So I took time to foam roll that area and then I took time to really stretch out my Hip Flexors. No HRM, just pure stretch and roll. Nice way to end the day.
Today was a result of a big schedule shift. Two unscheduled Tennis Days on Monday and Tuesday with my wife brought on the erasure of my regular Mid-Week Recovery Day and turned it into a Resistance Day. Also, since I was in a time crunch in the morning, today's workout is in two parts: Morning and Evening.
Morning Session:
I was intending to go to be early last night then wake up early today and get in a full workout. But I guess I was more tired than I thought and I ended up sleeping an hour longer than I had intended. So that effectively canceled any chance for me to do a full workout all at once. I started off with Cold Start, probably the best warm up routine I've done since getting the X3 program. I was feeling ready for the workout. Before starting, I was already thinking to modify because I didn't want to go to work in too much pain, but it didn't quite workout that way. I started off as normal, and everything was fine until Move #8. V Pull-Ups. Previous times, I needed the heavy resistance assist band. But today, I, for some crazy reason, decided to try it without the assist band. I didn't feel too blown away, but once I started, I felt it. I was able to do only 4 reps without the assist bands. But I tapped out and finished the last 6 reps with the assist band. Everything went as expected until Move #14. Vaulter Pull-Ups. I was feeling pretty energized so I decided to give this move a try without the assist bands. The first half was really good. The second half brought the pain on rather quickly. I had to tap out just before the last rep. I was bummed, but I got back in and barely finished that last rep. Move #16. Rocket Launcher Kickback. was a bit surprising. My notation the last time was that 8.75kgs was too heavy, so I back off and went down to 7.5kgs. I started off fine, but the last 3-4 reps, I just couldn't keep my elbows up on the Eccentric half of the move. Kicking back was fine, but the slow release was just terrible. My elbows dropped with the weight. Form went out the window. With the Eccentric, I may have to go down to 6.25kgs next time. After that, the rest of the workout was fine. I won't say I crushed the routine, but I was feeling pretty good that I got through it, even the Burnout.
I went right to the Abs workout. I was able to get through the first three moves before the burn started to show up. But this little ab routine is totally a killer/burner. I got a great burn and the doubling over cramp that tells me I really worked my abs.
I ended with a series of good Flows.
At the end of the morning session, I torched a good 1003kcals. No A/C so the warmth probably helped some.
Evening Session:
By the end of the day, my upper body was tightening up, especially in my lower neck and upper back area, So I took time to foam roll that area and then I took time to really stretch out my Hip Flexors. No HRM, just pure stretch and roll. Nice way to end the day.
7-18-17 (Tuesday) HY: Tennis + Unlock your Hip Flexors.
ANOTHER TENNIS DAY!!!
Well, this is unprecedented, to say the least. Usually (every time before this), when I play tennis with my wife one day, or when she plays in her club, the next day she is pretty much out of commission. Virtually unable to move. Not only the next day, but for the next few days. My wife and I played last night so I was already preparing for my regular resistance day today. I was going to do either Eccentric Upper, or The Challenge. But when I got home, my wife said, "Can we play tonight?" So I answered in the affirmative. I'm not going to pass up a chance to play tennis, that's for sure. So that is going to affect my schedule.
Today at the court, it seemed to be a lot more humid than last night. The air seemed to be a lot heavier. Last night, I just didn't feel into the game. Everything felt forced and I just felt really heavy and my movement was extremely sluggish. But tonight, I was feeling much lighter and I felt like I was able to be a lot more agile. My footwork also felt a lot better. I rotated between three of my four rackets to get a feel for them. I'm going to have to make some adjustments with the older rackets because of the strings have loosened with play, but that is expected. But overall, tonight was a much better session for me. It would have been perfect except for a spell of rain that interrupted our play. It only lasted about 5-7 minutes, but it was about 20 minutes before the end of the session so we weren't able to play a game. So we just kept rallying. There were a few more longer rallies as well. It was a good evening.
When I got home, I did more stretching. I'm still feeling that soreness in my hip flexors so I took some good time to stretch them out.
In the end, I torched a good 750+kcals. Looking forward to a different schedule for tomorrow.
ANOTHER TENNIS DAY!!!
Well, this is unprecedented, to say the least. Usually (every time before this), when I play tennis with my wife one day, or when she plays in her club, the next day she is pretty much out of commission. Virtually unable to move. Not only the next day, but for the next few days. My wife and I played last night so I was already preparing for my regular resistance day today. I was going to do either Eccentric Upper, or The Challenge. But when I got home, my wife said, "Can we play tonight?" So I answered in the affirmative. I'm not going to pass up a chance to play tennis, that's for sure. So that is going to affect my schedule.
Today at the court, it seemed to be a lot more humid than last night. The air seemed to be a lot heavier. Last night, I just didn't feel into the game. Everything felt forced and I just felt really heavy and my movement was extremely sluggish. But tonight, I was feeling much lighter and I felt like I was able to be a lot more agile. My footwork also felt a lot better. I rotated between three of my four rackets to get a feel for them. I'm going to have to make some adjustments with the older rackets because of the strings have loosened with play, but that is expected. But overall, tonight was a much better session for me. It would have been perfect except for a spell of rain that interrupted our play. It only lasted about 5-7 minutes, but it was about 20 minutes before the end of the session so we weren't able to play a game. So we just kept rallying. There were a few more longer rallies as well. It was a good evening.
When I got home, I did more stretching. I'm still feeling that soreness in my hip flexors so I took some good time to stretch them out.
In the end, I torched a good 750+kcals. Looking forward to a different schedule for tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
7-17-17 (Monday) HY: Tennis + UYHF.
7-17-17 (Monday) HY: Tennis + UYHF.
Today was a national holiday, but I had to work because my school had a recruiting event. BUMMER! I was thinking how I could follow last weeks Monday Double Cardio routine day today. I was considering going for another double routine, but to be honest, I was exhausted after that so I wasn't really relishing the thought of doing it again. Then about an hour before I headed home, I got a message from my wife saying she reserved a tennis court for us to play in the evening. My dilemma was over, the decision was made. When I got up this morning, my body had a medium soreness all over, but some intense soreness in my front hip flexors. I knew exactly why. P90X - Ab Ripper X. Yesterday I did Ab Ripper X for the first time in several months and I wanted to step up my ab work, but I had forgotten how tough, with all the leg lifts and lower body lifts it was on the hip flexors. Just raising my leg to walk up stairs was tough. I pretty much had soreness and pain there all day. I am sure it had an affect on my tennis.
We got there early and luckily the court we got was free so we were able to start early, and since we were in the last slot of the day we were able to go over time too. So we got in a lot of extra play time. But there was one big problem, I was feeling so heavy and I just couldn't get my feet going. My movement around the court was extremely sluggish. I made some shots, but I just didn't ease into the session. But I tried to stay focused and consciously got my feet moving. When I play my wife it is not about winning, it is about controlling the ball back to her so she can make me run. And she did that well. But I was just gassing out way too quickly today. On top of that, my serve was way off. I can't really go for it when I play my wife, so control is everything. It ended up being a good session. Another thing, it wasn't that hot that late in the day, but the humidity! Woo Wee! It was swimming in sweat and the air was so heavy. But we still had fun.
Later in the evening, I did the Unlock Your Hip Flexors routine because the pain was getting tough to take, so I spend close to an hour just stretching out my hip flexors mainly, but calves, quads, and hamstrings. It felt much better afterward.
In the end, I torched a nice 786kcals. We played for almost two hours but like I said, movement was sluggish. More tennis to come this week. So hopefully I can improve on today's performance.
Today was a national holiday, but I had to work because my school had a recruiting event. BUMMER! I was thinking how I could follow last weeks Monday Double Cardio routine day today. I was considering going for another double routine, but to be honest, I was exhausted after that so I wasn't really relishing the thought of doing it again. Then about an hour before I headed home, I got a message from my wife saying she reserved a tennis court for us to play in the evening. My dilemma was over, the decision was made. When I got up this morning, my body had a medium soreness all over, but some intense soreness in my front hip flexors. I knew exactly why. P90X - Ab Ripper X. Yesterday I did Ab Ripper X for the first time in several months and I wanted to step up my ab work, but I had forgotten how tough, with all the leg lifts and lower body lifts it was on the hip flexors. Just raising my leg to walk up stairs was tough. I pretty much had soreness and pain there all day. I am sure it had an affect on my tennis.
We got there early and luckily the court we got was free so we were able to start early, and since we were in the last slot of the day we were able to go over time too. So we got in a lot of extra play time. But there was one big problem, I was feeling so heavy and I just couldn't get my feet going. My movement around the court was extremely sluggish. I made some shots, but I just didn't ease into the session. But I tried to stay focused and consciously got my feet moving. When I play my wife it is not about winning, it is about controlling the ball back to her so she can make me run. And she did that well. But I was just gassing out way too quickly today. On top of that, my serve was way off. I can't really go for it when I play my wife, so control is everything. It ended up being a good session. Another thing, it wasn't that hot that late in the day, but the humidity! Woo Wee! It was swimming in sweat and the air was so heavy. But we still had fun.
Later in the evening, I did the Unlock Your Hip Flexors routine because the pain was getting tough to take, so I spend close to an hour just stretching out my hip flexors mainly, but calves, quads, and hamstrings. It felt much better afterward.
In the end, I torched a nice 786kcals. We played for almost two hours but like I said, movement was sluggish. More tennis to come this week. So hopefully I can improve on today's performance.
Monday, July 17, 2017
7-16-17 (Sunday) HY: Yardwork + P90X3 - Total Synergistics + P90X - Ab Ripper X + Splits + TCF.
7-16-17 (Sunday) HY: Yardwork + P90X3 - Total Synergistics + P90X - Ab Ripper X + Splits + TCF.
Today was a busy day... sort of.
The end of rainy season was officially announced and the results of all that rain were evident in the jungle growing in my yard. So, despite the heat and humidity, I had to get out there and chop it all down. I did it as fast and efficiently as I possibly could, but it still took just about two and a half hours. The back of my neck got a little sunburned as well. And that is big because I don't usually burn that easily. But now, my lawn looks great! I also did some much needed repairs on a few spots in our fence. But now I have a month to enjoy my lovely lawn before I have to do it again.
I was exhausted after that so I pretty much vegged out the hottest part of the day. Then in the early evening, I started my regular workout. Today is the beginning of round three of P90X3 Resistance. So first up is Total Synergistics. Everything went as planned. The big changes were in weight. I went up in weight on all the weighted moves. You can compare the differences below. Not too much of a change in rep counts, maybe a couple of reps, but my best showing was with move #7. Chin-Up Circle Crunch. I'm glad that I was able to go to 10 straight reps, but I was at failure on the 10th rep. But I wanted to squeeze a couple more reps in there because I had a few seconds left. The big thing I noticed was that the burn came on a lot faster with the heavier weights. But the move that probably most surprised me was the final move, #16. Warrior-Squat Moon. I thought I could do all the reps straight, but I only made it part of the way before the pain set in. Then I had to tap out, shake out my booty some, then finish out the time. Not as much pump today, but I got a major burn on each move.
I didn't feel like going back to Extreme Abs today, so I took it more intense with an oldie but goodie, the original, Ab Ripper X. I sort of wanted to see if I could hack it like I remember I could. It was BRUTAL!!! Again, I almost hit failure at the end of each move. Really tough. But I got through each move. Mason Twist! I made it through the 40 reps, BUT, I couldn't do the bonus 10 reps. But I got back in there and finished it up. It was nice to get back to my routes. One thing that struck me, though, is that several of the moves were not spread over my abs. A lot of the move were causing pain in my hip flexor area and not my abs. So I think I'll try I different routine next time.
The Splits/Stretch and Flow were as usual. I am not pushing too hard, but the pushing thing is helping me maintain a stable plateau. I'll work it out next time.
In the end, I torched a nice 930kcals. It was a great and productive day. Perfect way to start of my week.
Today was a busy day... sort of.
The end of rainy season was officially announced and the results of all that rain were evident in the jungle growing in my yard. So, despite the heat and humidity, I had to get out there and chop it all down. I did it as fast and efficiently as I possibly could, but it still took just about two and a half hours. The back of my neck got a little sunburned as well. And that is big because I don't usually burn that easily. But now, my lawn looks great! I also did some much needed repairs on a few spots in our fence. But now I have a month to enjoy my lovely lawn before I have to do it again.
I was exhausted after that so I pretty much vegged out the hottest part of the day. Then in the early evening, I started my regular workout. Today is the beginning of round three of P90X3 Resistance. So first up is Total Synergistics. Everything went as planned. The big changes were in weight. I went up in weight on all the weighted moves. You can compare the differences below. Not too much of a change in rep counts, maybe a couple of reps, but my best showing was with move #7. Chin-Up Circle Crunch. I'm glad that I was able to go to 10 straight reps, but I was at failure on the 10th rep. But I wanted to squeeze a couple more reps in there because I had a few seconds left. The big thing I noticed was that the burn came on a lot faster with the heavier weights. But the move that probably most surprised me was the final move, #16. Warrior-Squat Moon. I thought I could do all the reps straight, but I only made it part of the way before the pain set in. Then I had to tap out, shake out my booty some, then finish out the time. Not as much pump today, but I got a major burn on each move.
I didn't feel like going back to Extreme Abs today, so I took it more intense with an oldie but goodie, the original, Ab Ripper X. I sort of wanted to see if I could hack it like I remember I could. It was BRUTAL!!! Again, I almost hit failure at the end of each move. Really tough. But I got through each move. Mason Twist! I made it through the 40 reps, BUT, I couldn't do the bonus 10 reps. But I got back in there and finished it up. It was nice to get back to my routes. One thing that struck me, though, is that several of the moves were not spread over my abs. A lot of the move were causing pain in my hip flexor area and not my abs. So I think I'll try I different routine next time.
The Splits/Stretch and Flow were as usual. I am not pushing too hard, but the pushing thing is helping me maintain a stable plateau. I'll work it out next time.
In the end, I torched a nice 930kcals. It was a great and productive day. Perfect way to start of my week.
Friday, July 14, 2017
7-14-17 (Friday) Pickle-Ball + Foam Rolling.
7-14-17 (Friday) Pickle-Ball + Foam Rolling.
PICKLE-BALL DAY!!!
No skipping Pickle-Ball! Joe and I were not looking forward to playing in the sauna-gym though. When I went in to set the net up, it was actually feeling a bit cool. But once I started moving, the heat and humidity made themselves known, and the sweat started to pour. And that was just from setting up the net, around five minutes. We didn't play until about thirty-minutes later, and by that time, I could feel the temperatures in the gym had gone up at least two degrees. Sweat started forming from the moment we stepped into the gym.
The first game was a battle. A lot of service changes. A lot of great shots. A lot of gazelle-like running for shots. We wanted to make the most of our energy as long as we had it. Neither of us jumped out to a big lead in the first game. The biggest lead either of us had was three points. But the behind person always caught up. There were also a lot of lead changes. When the score was around 11-12, I started to feel a little gassed out. My footwork started to noticeably slow down and I was needing a bit longer to recover after long rallies. But in the end, I took the game, 16-14.
The second game was much easier in terms of the play. I took the game 15-4. But it was a lot closer than the score would let on. There were a lot of service changes in this one as well, but I was able to take advantage of my opportunities a little more than Joe. The Third game was more of the same. I actually ran out to a 14-1 lead, then something switched off and I lost a bunch of points mixed in with a few service changes. During that stretch, I was feeling really gassed. But finally, I closed out the game 15-8.
The last game was more competitive, for sure. There were a lot of lead changes and service changes in the early stages of the game. The score was pretty close until about 8-6. Then I just leaped out and extended the lead. Then a dry spell. Another period of several service changes and battling for every point. But I finally closed it out 15-9. I was very happy because this is the first 4-game sweep when both Joe and I were on equal terms. The last time I completed a sweep was the week Joe got back from the UK. But it was obvious that jet lag was affecting Joe's play, so I put an asterisk on that sweep, but today's sweep was clean.
My back was feeling really tight when I got home, so I took the time to roll out my back. It felt so much better afterward. My lower back from today's Pickle-Ball, and my upper back and on into my shoulders from the Complex Upper. Soreness was had.
In the end, I torched a good 1200+kcals. We were able to play relaxed today because nothing was pushing our time. No meetings, no appointments, nothing. So we played as long as we could. We were definitely both gassed and sopping wet with sweat at the end. Can't wait for next week.
PICKLE-BALL DAY!!!
No skipping Pickle-Ball! Joe and I were not looking forward to playing in the sauna-gym though. When I went in to set the net up, it was actually feeling a bit cool. But once I started moving, the heat and humidity made themselves known, and the sweat started to pour. And that was just from setting up the net, around five minutes. We didn't play until about thirty-minutes later, and by that time, I could feel the temperatures in the gym had gone up at least two degrees. Sweat started forming from the moment we stepped into the gym.
The first game was a battle. A lot of service changes. A lot of great shots. A lot of gazelle-like running for shots. We wanted to make the most of our energy as long as we had it. Neither of us jumped out to a big lead in the first game. The biggest lead either of us had was three points. But the behind person always caught up. There were also a lot of lead changes. When the score was around 11-12, I started to feel a little gassed out. My footwork started to noticeably slow down and I was needing a bit longer to recover after long rallies. But in the end, I took the game, 16-14.
The second game was much easier in terms of the play. I took the game 15-4. But it was a lot closer than the score would let on. There were a lot of service changes in this one as well, but I was able to take advantage of my opportunities a little more than Joe. The Third game was more of the same. I actually ran out to a 14-1 lead, then something switched off and I lost a bunch of points mixed in with a few service changes. During that stretch, I was feeling really gassed. But finally, I closed out the game 15-8.
The last game was more competitive, for sure. There were a lot of lead changes and service changes in the early stages of the game. The score was pretty close until about 8-6. Then I just leaped out and extended the lead. Then a dry spell. Another period of several service changes and battling for every point. But I finally closed it out 15-9. I was very happy because this is the first 4-game sweep when both Joe and I were on equal terms. The last time I completed a sweep was the week Joe got back from the UK. But it was obvious that jet lag was affecting Joe's play, so I put an asterisk on that sweep, but today's sweep was clean.
My back was feeling really tight when I got home, so I took the time to roll out my back. It felt so much better afterward. My lower back from today's Pickle-Ball, and my upper back and on into my shoulders from the Complex Upper. Soreness was had.
In the end, I torched a good 1200+kcals. We were able to play relaxed today because nothing was pushing our time. No meetings, no appointments, nothing. So we played as long as we could. We were definitely both gassed and sopping wet with sweat at the end. Can't wait for next week.
7-13-17 (Thursday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Burn Intervals + Extreme Abs.
7-13-17 (Thursday) HY: ChaLEAN Extreme - Burn Intervals + Extreme Abs.
Today is my final resistance day for the week, but despite taking a mid-week recovery day yesterday I was still feeling really sore from the Complex routines and the double cardio, so I went with a different kind of resistance. I went with what Chalene called "Endurance Resistance". I've said before that I love the routines that combine Resistance and Cardio so I was looking forward to this workout. I started up right when I got home because I was in the same time crunch as usual on Thursdays. I've got to sneak my workout in between classes.
No workout sheet for today's resistance/cardio routine. Basically, I used only one set of dumbbells, my 4kgs. I've always had a tough time with these so I usually had my 3kgs standing by. Not today, I was feeling pretty good, strength-wise, so I was going to stick with the 4's all the way through. Usually, I have to tap out of a few of the resistance moves because of the burn. Today, I think I performed the best I've done in a while with this routine. I only needed to tap out of one move, my nemesis move on this routine. But on the positive side, I only needed to tap out once. Usually, I tap out multiple times because the burn is just too much. That move is the dumbbell move that works the triceps. I made it through the Kickbacks and the regular Overhead Triceps Extensions, but when she transitioned to the slow count Extensions, my triceps were just on FIRE!!! I had to tap out and shake them out. But I was able to gut through the last two transitions. BURN BURN BURN!!! As for the cardio moves, the first third of the routine was good, but from the second 15-minute part began, I was just getting winded really easily and I needed to take little extra break times to recover after the more rigorous moves. Usually, I can do the cardio moves with no trouble, but today, I was struggling. The Burpees today were particularly tough, I almost didn't make it to the last rep. And pretty much all the resistance band moves killed my adductors and glutes. The kickboxing moves were the ones that brought out the fun in the workout for me. But they were even difficult for me. I just pretty much struggled for the last two-thirds of the routine. I think it was, again, the heat that had an effect on me. I just sweat so much and so worn in the heat. The muscle fatigue hits a lot quicker than when it is not too hot or humid. So, I'm going to have to gut out at least another two to three months of workouts in these conditions. BRING IT!!!
Since Extreme Abs is on the same disk, I just went with it. It was a lot tougher than the last time I remember doing it. I just about hit failure by the last rep on all the moves from the Punching Sit-Ups to the Side-Plank Hip Raises. I got a good core burn as expected.
In the end, I torched right around 850kcals. Not bad for a shorter workout. But I need to recover faster. Looking forward to my off day.
Today is my final resistance day for the week, but despite taking a mid-week recovery day yesterday I was still feeling really sore from the Complex routines and the double cardio, so I went with a different kind of resistance. I went with what Chalene called "Endurance Resistance". I've said before that I love the routines that combine Resistance and Cardio so I was looking forward to this workout. I started up right when I got home because I was in the same time crunch as usual on Thursdays. I've got to sneak my workout in between classes.
No workout sheet for today's resistance/cardio routine. Basically, I used only one set of dumbbells, my 4kgs. I've always had a tough time with these so I usually had my 3kgs standing by. Not today, I was feeling pretty good, strength-wise, so I was going to stick with the 4's all the way through. Usually, I have to tap out of a few of the resistance moves because of the burn. Today, I think I performed the best I've done in a while with this routine. I only needed to tap out of one move, my nemesis move on this routine. But on the positive side, I only needed to tap out once. Usually, I tap out multiple times because the burn is just too much. That move is the dumbbell move that works the triceps. I made it through the Kickbacks and the regular Overhead Triceps Extensions, but when she transitioned to the slow count Extensions, my triceps were just on FIRE!!! I had to tap out and shake them out. But I was able to gut through the last two transitions. BURN BURN BURN!!! As for the cardio moves, the first third of the routine was good, but from the second 15-minute part began, I was just getting winded really easily and I needed to take little extra break times to recover after the more rigorous moves. Usually, I can do the cardio moves with no trouble, but today, I was struggling. The Burpees today were particularly tough, I almost didn't make it to the last rep. And pretty much all the resistance band moves killed my adductors and glutes. The kickboxing moves were the ones that brought out the fun in the workout for me. But they were even difficult for me. I just pretty much struggled for the last two-thirds of the routine. I think it was, again, the heat that had an effect on me. I just sweat so much and so worn in the heat. The muscle fatigue hits a lot quicker than when it is not too hot or humid. So, I'm going to have to gut out at least another two to three months of workouts in these conditions. BRING IT!!!
Since Extreme Abs is on the same disk, I just went with it. It was a lot tougher than the last time I remember doing it. I just about hit failure by the last rep on all the moves from the Punching Sit-Ups to the Side-Plank Hip Raises. I got a good core burn as expected.
In the end, I torched right around 850kcals. Not bad for a shorter workout. But I need to recover faster. Looking forward to my off day.
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
7-12-17 (Wednesday) HY: P90X3 - X3 Yoga + TCF + Foam Rolling.
7-12-17 (Wednesday) HY: P90X3 - X3 Yoga + TCF + Foam Rolling.
Mid-Week Recovery day is a must for me now especially after three brutal days of resistance and cardio workouts. This morning, my upper back and my lats were feeling it. Needed a good stretch on those parts, but that wouldn't happen until later in the day.
After a delicious shake, I went to my yoga. Today was probably the best I've done in a long time. There weren't any really bad issues, a few minor balance shakes, but my long-time nemesis move, Half-Moon was solid on both sides. Extended leg with Toe Bind and the Wrap were solid, too. Everything went really well, better than expected. Then a series of Flow to close out my morning session was clean and smooth.
In the evening, I foam rolled my lower body and upper body, especially those lats. OUCH!!! So good!
In the end, I burned a slight 274kcals. Again, the heat and humidity played a role. Last time I did X3 yoga, I turned the AC on and my burn was only about 190kcals. Today, no AC and the humidity was almost at 60%.
Mid-Week Recovery day is a must for me now especially after three brutal days of resistance and cardio workouts. This morning, my upper back and my lats were feeling it. Needed a good stretch on those parts, but that wouldn't happen until later in the day.
After a delicious shake, I went to my yoga. Today was probably the best I've done in a long time. There weren't any really bad issues, a few minor balance shakes, but my long-time nemesis move, Half-Moon was solid on both sides. Extended leg with Toe Bind and the Wrap were solid, too. Everything went really well, better than expected. Then a series of Flow to close out my morning session was clean and smooth.
In the evening, I foam rolled my lower body and upper body, especially those lats. OUCH!!! So good!
In the end, I burned a slight 274kcals. Again, the heat and humidity played a role. Last time I did X3 yoga, I turned the AC on and my burn was only about 190kcals. Today, no AC and the humidity was almost at 60%.
7-11-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X3 - Complex Upper + X3 Ab Ripper + Splits + TCF.
7-11-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X3 - Complex Upper + X3 Ab Ripper + Splits + TCF.
Today, I finish the second round of my P90X3 Resistance, which means I am focusing on using the X3 resistance routines and putting them together with other cardio routines from other programs or other genres of sports, namely tennis, Pickle-Ball, and Shaun T stuff. So when I got home, I got right to it. I workout on the second floor of my house and it was hot. But I didn't want to get too cold because of the AC, so I held off on turning on my AC. I think it was probably not the best idea in the world. The humidity was close to 60% and the temperature topped out at 34.3C degrees or 93.7F.
As I started the workout, I was already feeling a bit sluggish. But after each move I just kept slowing down, needing some extra time to recover from the strain of the move. I made it through two of the four complexes before I turned on the AC, and even then, I didn't really feel the effects until near the end of the routine. By the end of the routine, the temperature had dropped by almost two degrees. Doesn't seem like much, but it made a big difference. The first time I did this routine I needed to use a resistance assist band on the Chin-Ups and Pull-Ups. Today, I tried those moves without the assist band. I wasn't able to get a straight set, but I was able to go all the way to the third round without the assist. But my numbers fell, as you can see below. I was so blown, that I decided to use the assist band on the last round and the Burnout round. I was actually surprised at how stable my Chin-Ups were. Then I was surprised at how quickly I burned out. But the Slo-Mo Chin-Ups were really tough. The "W's" were a little easier. The other big change was the weight on move #3. Lunge Thrust Press. I went up to 8.75kgs from 7.5kgs. I figured since I used the 8.75's on Complex Lower, I couldn't NOT use them here and with lower reps. But during the Burnout, I almost lost it. I couldn't get my feet off the ground on Rep 9 and almost fell. Everything else was fine. I did a little increase in reps for the last Complex. The count is at the bottom of the worksheet below. Because the heat totally burned me out, the 30 minutes became almost an hour. It was a brutal workout, but it's not over yet.
Abs were killing it on today's ab work. Like yesterday, I pretty much did everything as on Sunday, but the one big difference is that on the move that has us do Side-Plank, two Hip Drops, then bring the upper hand under the body. That is all normal. But today, I went with a 3kg dumbbell. Yesterday was a 2kg dumbbell. Hardcore city! But I still only made it to rep 7 on the Bridge Burners, but I felt much more stable than before. Super Burn!
The Splits and Flow are awesome! No time to foam roll today, but definitely tomorrow evening!
In the end, I melted away 1204kcals. Man, it was a tough day. No more trying to play hero again. Turning on the AC asap! Be smart, not stupid. Especially during the summer. Also, I drank close to three liters of water during the workout, but evidence still proved that I was dehydrated. MORE WATER!!!
Today, I finish the second round of my P90X3 Resistance, which means I am focusing on using the X3 resistance routines and putting them together with other cardio routines from other programs or other genres of sports, namely tennis, Pickle-Ball, and Shaun T stuff. So when I got home, I got right to it. I workout on the second floor of my house and it was hot. But I didn't want to get too cold because of the AC, so I held off on turning on my AC. I think it was probably not the best idea in the world. The humidity was close to 60% and the temperature topped out at 34.3C degrees or 93.7F.
As I started the workout, I was already feeling a bit sluggish. But after each move I just kept slowing down, needing some extra time to recover from the strain of the move. I made it through two of the four complexes before I turned on the AC, and even then, I didn't really feel the effects until near the end of the routine. By the end of the routine, the temperature had dropped by almost two degrees. Doesn't seem like much, but it made a big difference. The first time I did this routine I needed to use a resistance assist band on the Chin-Ups and Pull-Ups. Today, I tried those moves without the assist band. I wasn't able to get a straight set, but I was able to go all the way to the third round without the assist. But my numbers fell, as you can see below. I was so blown, that I decided to use the assist band on the last round and the Burnout round. I was actually surprised at how stable my Chin-Ups were. Then I was surprised at how quickly I burned out. But the Slo-Mo Chin-Ups were really tough. The "W's" were a little easier. The other big change was the weight on move #3. Lunge Thrust Press. I went up to 8.75kgs from 7.5kgs. I figured since I used the 8.75's on Complex Lower, I couldn't NOT use them here and with lower reps. But during the Burnout, I almost lost it. I couldn't get my feet off the ground on Rep 9 and almost fell. Everything else was fine. I did a little increase in reps for the last Complex. The count is at the bottom of the worksheet below. Because the heat totally burned me out, the 30 minutes became almost an hour. It was a brutal workout, but it's not over yet.
Abs were killing it on today's ab work. Like yesterday, I pretty much did everything as on Sunday, but the one big difference is that on the move that has us do Side-Plank, two Hip Drops, then bring the upper hand under the body. That is all normal. But today, I went with a 3kg dumbbell. Yesterday was a 2kg dumbbell. Hardcore city! But I still only made it to rep 7 on the Bridge Burners, but I felt much more stable than before. Super Burn!
The Splits and Flow are awesome! No time to foam roll today, but definitely tomorrow evening!
In the end, I melted away 1204kcals. Man, it was a tough day. No more trying to play hero again. Turning on the AC asap! Be smart, not stupid. Especially during the summer. Also, I drank close to three liters of water during the workout, but evidence still proved that I was dehydrated. MORE WATER!!!
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
7-10-17 (Monday) HY: T25 - Gamma: Speed 3.0 + P90X3 - MMX + Splits + TCF + Foam Rolling.
7-10-17 (Monday) HY: T25 - Gamma: Speed 3.0 + P90X3 - MMX + Splits + TCF + Foam Rolling.
TENNIS DAY!!! Is what I was supposed to start off with, but bummer of bummers, it didn't happen today. I was looking forward to using my new racket again today, but after my class, I open the door to my classroom and there waiting was the other teacher. He then raised his two fingers and positioned them to for the letter "X". I knew what that meant, "No Tennis today." So I went home, relaxed a little, though a little about what cardio routine to do for my workout, but the thought of missing the 2+ hours of tennis and burning the 1000+kcals got me thinking. I want to burn at least 1000kcals today to keep up with my norm. So, I thought to do a T25 routine AND a P90X3 cardio routine. I think my favorite X3 Cardio routine is MMX, so I figured I'd just do that one. I was also thinking to do an ab routine, but I figured I wait to see how my burn was doing at the end.
I got started with Gamma: Speed 3.0 and the two moves right at the beginning really pounded my calves and arches. I brought back to my memory the pain of the Shaun T programs. I actually made it through the first two levels of Round 1, but just before round 3 began, I had to tap out. That was at about the 17-minute mark. I made it through Level 3 of Round 1 but the little breaks came a lot after that. I had to take a few little breaks to watch the move to learn it, then I rewound the video and started over again. Round 2, Level 1, I had to take a few small breaks because I fell behind on the rep count. Especially on the "Hop-Hop-Squat" move. I kept falling behind, but finally, I figured I'd just reduce my range of motion on the Squat some and that did the trick. I was able to keep up on Level 3. Probably the main reason was that my glutes were killing me from the Lower Body workout yesterday, and I wasn't able to get up and down as quickly as if I had done an Upper Body workout the previous day. I was sweating like crazy and the thought of doing another routine after this was only seemed like a pipedream. I was thinking, "NO WAY!!!" I got through Speed 3.0 and was feeling really worn, my feet were feeling beat, and I was breathing really heavily. I thought that there was no way I was going to do another routine. I was done! But once I finished the cooldown, another thought entered my mind as I looked at my HRM which showed only 480kcals burned. I suddenly caught my second wind and I just automatically got the MMX DVD out and started it up.
Since doing Les Mills Combat, I was a little wary about the kickboxing routine because of my knee. But as MMX progressed, it came back that MMX wasn't a "dancing around" type of routine. It was a real fight combination and form type of routine. So I was happy because I had ZERO knee pain that I normally got from the other "Fighting" routines. I love the combos. But several of the combos were really complicated, so I had to stop and watch them a few times to learn the steps. I was doing fine until the sprawls started coming out. Those killed me! The multiple Burpee moves in Speed 3.0 got me ready for them though, so I was fast on the up-tick. But again, by the middle mark, I was sweating even more and I was breathing heavily. I started to slow down a bit, but each time, I was able to find a third and fourth wind that pushed me on. There was one move that really slowed me down because it made me dizzy. The move was a four punch combo, with a scramble sprawl. I did a few fine, but then I started to get dizzy so I slowed down and just did a few reps. But from then blood was pumping and was starting gas out again. The final move is my favorite, but also one of the most complicated moves. The one with the flying kick, down punch, Sprawl, and four punches back. I watched the move to learn it and started doing it, but I kept forgetting a piece here and a piece there, so at about 20 seconds in, I restarted the move. This time, I killed it on both sides. I was dead after that one. But I had a great time. I looked at my HRM and I was already over 1000kcals burned so a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment rushed through me. With all the twisting and core movement in this routine, I felt that my core already got a great workout so no ab routine today.
When I workout at home, I usually go right into my Splits and Flow after the main routine(s), but today, I was just too sweaty. If I stayed for my splits and flow, I would have left puddles of sweat all over my floor, so I decided to go and take my shower first.
It was a good decision because I felt a lot better afterward. Later in the evening, I started my splits and flow with no sweat. My muscles were still warm, so I was able to still stretch it out really smoothly. I really wanted to take some time to stretch and foam roll my lower body so I was able to do that.
In the end, I torched a good 1213kcals. It was a sweaty and Hot experience. It was a good substitute for my tennis. I won't be able to play next week either so I have to plan for that.
TENNIS DAY!!! Is what I was supposed to start off with, but bummer of bummers, it didn't happen today. I was looking forward to using my new racket again today, but after my class, I open the door to my classroom and there waiting was the other teacher. He then raised his two fingers and positioned them to for the letter "X". I knew what that meant, "No Tennis today." So I went home, relaxed a little, though a little about what cardio routine to do for my workout, but the thought of missing the 2+ hours of tennis and burning the 1000+kcals got me thinking. I want to burn at least 1000kcals today to keep up with my norm. So, I thought to do a T25 routine AND a P90X3 cardio routine. I think my favorite X3 Cardio routine is MMX, so I figured I'd just do that one. I was also thinking to do an ab routine, but I figured I wait to see how my burn was doing at the end.
I got started with Gamma: Speed 3.0 and the two moves right at the beginning really pounded my calves and arches. I brought back to my memory the pain of the Shaun T programs. I actually made it through the first two levels of Round 1, but just before round 3 began, I had to tap out. That was at about the 17-minute mark. I made it through Level 3 of Round 1 but the little breaks came a lot after that. I had to take a few little breaks to watch the move to learn it, then I rewound the video and started over again. Round 2, Level 1, I had to take a few small breaks because I fell behind on the rep count. Especially on the "Hop-Hop-Squat" move. I kept falling behind, but finally, I figured I'd just reduce my range of motion on the Squat some and that did the trick. I was able to keep up on Level 3. Probably the main reason was that my glutes were killing me from the Lower Body workout yesterday, and I wasn't able to get up and down as quickly as if I had done an Upper Body workout the previous day. I was sweating like crazy and the thought of doing another routine after this was only seemed like a pipedream. I was thinking, "NO WAY!!!" I got through Speed 3.0 and was feeling really worn, my feet were feeling beat, and I was breathing really heavily. I thought that there was no way I was going to do another routine. I was done! But once I finished the cooldown, another thought entered my mind as I looked at my HRM which showed only 480kcals burned. I suddenly caught my second wind and I just automatically got the MMX DVD out and started it up.
Since doing Les Mills Combat, I was a little wary about the kickboxing routine because of my knee. But as MMX progressed, it came back that MMX wasn't a "dancing around" type of routine. It was a real fight combination and form type of routine. So I was happy because I had ZERO knee pain that I normally got from the other "Fighting" routines. I love the combos. But several of the combos were really complicated, so I had to stop and watch them a few times to learn the steps. I was doing fine until the sprawls started coming out. Those killed me! The multiple Burpee moves in Speed 3.0 got me ready for them though, so I was fast on the up-tick. But again, by the middle mark, I was sweating even more and I was breathing heavily. I started to slow down a bit, but each time, I was able to find a third and fourth wind that pushed me on. There was one move that really slowed me down because it made me dizzy. The move was a four punch combo, with a scramble sprawl. I did a few fine, but then I started to get dizzy so I slowed down and just did a few reps. But from then blood was pumping and was starting gas out again. The final move is my favorite, but also one of the most complicated moves. The one with the flying kick, down punch, Sprawl, and four punches back. I watched the move to learn it and started doing it, but I kept forgetting a piece here and a piece there, so at about 20 seconds in, I restarted the move. This time, I killed it on both sides. I was dead after that one. But I had a great time. I looked at my HRM and I was already over 1000kcals burned so a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment rushed through me. With all the twisting and core movement in this routine, I felt that my core already got a great workout so no ab routine today.
When I workout at home, I usually go right into my Splits and Flow after the main routine(s), but today, I was just too sweaty. If I stayed for my splits and flow, I would have left puddles of sweat all over my floor, so I decided to go and take my shower first.
It was a good decision because I felt a lot better afterward. Later in the evening, I started my splits and flow with no sweat. My muscles were still warm, so I was able to still stretch it out really smoothly. I really wanted to take some time to stretch and foam roll my lower body so I was able to do that.
In the end, I torched a good 1213kcals. It was a sweaty and Hot experience. It was a good substitute for my tennis. I won't be able to play next week either so I have to plan for that.
Monday, July 10, 2017
7-09-17 (Sunday) HY: P90X3 - Complex Lower + X3 Ab Ripper + Splits + TCF + Foam Rolling.
7-09-17 (Sunday) HY: P90X3 - Complex Lower + X3 Ab Ripper + Splits + TCF + Foam Rolling.
Hot and humid weather is never any fun for me. Nor does it provide any motivation to do anything that will result in excessive sweating. However, today, I wanted to relax with my family in the evening, so that was motivation enough for me to get off my butt and do my workout a whole 4 hours earlier than I normally would have. So, I was able to have a nice dinner and fun evening with my girls. Anyway, back to the workout. I was a little vexed to choose a Complex today, Upper or Lower. This is "Complex" week (last week was "Eccentric" week), so I was considering what this week's schedule would be like. Last week I started off with Upper, so I finally decided to go with Lower this week.
The first time I went through this routine was on the 22nd of June, and since I didn't quite remember it, I went with sort of average weights. So since I sort of remember that it was a little easy, I went up a bit in weight. Just 1.25kgs on the heavy moves, and up 3.75kgs on the lighter moves. (Check out the worksheet below.) To tell the truth, after the first round, I almost went back to the first weight all around. Pushing 8.75kgs on Bounding Split Squats was really tough and I almost didn't have the clearance to move my feet on the later reps. I was just about to lower the weights, but then just as the second round was starting, I didn't want to take the time to switch out the plates and also figured I could do half heavy and half light. But once I did the second round, it actually got a little better. Not easier, but I guess the learning curve for heavier weights was short because I was better able to handle the moves. The third round was the same. But I could feel that I was fading by the end of the third round. I was wanting to take some extra break time, but I pushed it so as not to take any extra break. I was breathing heavy and my legs were starting to shake. But I pushed through and completed it without any extra break time. One big thing I did was not to turn on the air conditioner throughout the main routine. The heat got up to 31 degrees at 66% humidity. I was sweating like crazy. But I didn't feel like it was too hot so I was able to go all the way to the end. But I suddenly got really hot as I started the ab portion of the workout so I turned on the AC. It didn't start to get cooler until about the middle of the routine. Anyway, back to the workout. The heavier weights made a huge difference today. I was really feeling the resistance and I wasn't as fast as I was with the lighter weights. I especially felt it on move #4. DS Double L. I had to really take a much slower pace than last time. So, since I didn't want to get behind, I didn't take the little breaks that Tony would provide by his talking. As he talked, I got into the moves right away and by the time the fourth move rolled around, I was able to go and my pace and keep pace with the moves on the video. No falling behind. I know I'm going to feel it either tomorrow or on Tuesday. Since I have tennis tomorrow, we'll see how doing a leg workout the day before influences my tennis the following day.
With my abs, I was able to make it all the way through to the Bridge Burner without too much trouble, per se. But there was a lot of moaning and groaning. It is tough, but I'm getting there. Today, I made it the furthest in on the Bridge Burners. I made it to the 7th rep before I needed to tap out. But that was the only break. I was barely able to pound out the last three reps without any break, but I will admit that the last rep was just a smidge quicker than normal. Still getting the burn.
The splits and Flow were just as can be expected. Smooth and clean. Opening up those hips is a chore, but I've got to do it regularly.
In the end, I torched 904kcals. Without a lot of extra breaks, today's workout was a lot shorter than normal. So I was able to extend the stretch and Flow a little more. After all was said and done, I felt I needed some extra foam rolling on my right calf, so I took almost an hour and rolled out some of the hot spots. It still feels a little tight I hope it loosens up by morning.
Hot and humid weather is never any fun for me. Nor does it provide any motivation to do anything that will result in excessive sweating. However, today, I wanted to relax with my family in the evening, so that was motivation enough for me to get off my butt and do my workout a whole 4 hours earlier than I normally would have. So, I was able to have a nice dinner and fun evening with my girls. Anyway, back to the workout. I was a little vexed to choose a Complex today, Upper or Lower. This is "Complex" week (last week was "Eccentric" week), so I was considering what this week's schedule would be like. Last week I started off with Upper, so I finally decided to go with Lower this week.
The first time I went through this routine was on the 22nd of June, and since I didn't quite remember it, I went with sort of average weights. So since I sort of remember that it was a little easy, I went up a bit in weight. Just 1.25kgs on the heavy moves, and up 3.75kgs on the lighter moves. (Check out the worksheet below.) To tell the truth, after the first round, I almost went back to the first weight all around. Pushing 8.75kgs on Bounding Split Squats was really tough and I almost didn't have the clearance to move my feet on the later reps. I was just about to lower the weights, but then just as the second round was starting, I didn't want to take the time to switch out the plates and also figured I could do half heavy and half light. But once I did the second round, it actually got a little better. Not easier, but I guess the learning curve for heavier weights was short because I was better able to handle the moves. The third round was the same. But I could feel that I was fading by the end of the third round. I was wanting to take some extra break time, but I pushed it so as not to take any extra break. I was breathing heavy and my legs were starting to shake. But I pushed through and completed it without any extra break time. One big thing I did was not to turn on the air conditioner throughout the main routine. The heat got up to 31 degrees at 66% humidity. I was sweating like crazy. But I didn't feel like it was too hot so I was able to go all the way to the end. But I suddenly got really hot as I started the ab portion of the workout so I turned on the AC. It didn't start to get cooler until about the middle of the routine. Anyway, back to the workout. The heavier weights made a huge difference today. I was really feeling the resistance and I wasn't as fast as I was with the lighter weights. I especially felt it on move #4. DS Double L. I had to really take a much slower pace than last time. So, since I didn't want to get behind, I didn't take the little breaks that Tony would provide by his talking. As he talked, I got into the moves right away and by the time the fourth move rolled around, I was able to go and my pace and keep pace with the moves on the video. No falling behind. I know I'm going to feel it either tomorrow or on Tuesday. Since I have tennis tomorrow, we'll see how doing a leg workout the day before influences my tennis the following day.
With my abs, I was able to make it all the way through to the Bridge Burner without too much trouble, per se. But there was a lot of moaning and groaning. It is tough, but I'm getting there. Today, I made it the furthest in on the Bridge Burners. I made it to the 7th rep before I needed to tap out. But that was the only break. I was barely able to pound out the last three reps without any break, but I will admit that the last rep was just a smidge quicker than normal. Still getting the burn.
The splits and Flow were just as can be expected. Smooth and clean. Opening up those hips is a chore, but I've got to do it regularly.
In the end, I torched 904kcals. Without a lot of extra breaks, today's workout was a lot shorter than normal. So I was able to extend the stretch and Flow a little more. After all was said and done, I felt I needed some extra foam rolling on my right calf, so I took almost an hour and rolled out some of the hot spots. It still feels a little tight I hope it loosens up by morning.
Friday, July 7, 2017
7-07-17 (Friday) HY: TCF + Pickle-Ball.
7-07-17 (Friday) HY: TCF + Pickle-Ball.
Pickle-Ball Day!!!
Today was a hot day, which means the gym was even hotter. But it was actually a little cooler than last week. The way we came to that conclusion is because the puddles of sweat at the baseline were a little smaller today than last week. But it was still sauna-like temps. Also, we were under a little time crunch because Joe had some students coming in at noon, so we had to end a little earlier than usual. I got to the gym a little early to stretch out, and since Joe was a little late, I had the time to do a nice long series of Flows. It is always nice to do Flows in an open space where there is no fear of bumping into a wall or a low ceiling.
Because of that time crunch, we shortened our warm up time to just one round of balls. That means four rallies until all four of our balls are at the net or off the court. I actually liked starting off a little quicker because I would rather not hit some good shots during the warm-up. hehe... The first game was extremely competitive. We were both charged and pushing each rally. There weren't really any bad shots, and if there was, they were few and far between. But it was evident that the "Time-Crunch Factor" was playing in our heads. That is when we know we don't have much time but we want to still get in a good cardio workout so we try that much harder, push that much further, and attack that much more aggressive. There were a lot of service changes which lengthened the game time. But I eventually took the game, 15-13. The second game, It was clear that Joe's intensity level dropped because he was hitting a lot more balls into the net off my serve. Way more unforced errors than the first game. But it had its share of intense rallies and awesome shots. I took that game 15-8. The third game was another very competitive game. There were a lot more service changes in this game than the first game. But the big difference was that this time, my intensity had dropped off. I was mis-hitting serves a lot, and I was started to feel gassed out. Recovery time after a grueling point was getting longer and I could feel my movement was not as smooth as before. But there was one point where the score was 10-12 and it was stuck on that score for over 10 service changes. I was like I would try really hard on Joe's serve, win the serve back, but I would be too tired to attack enough on my serve then Joe would win the serve back. After the game, we talked about our mindset and both of us were thinking, "the one that breaks this score count first is going to win the game." But we didn't say anything during the game for fear of jinxing it. Eventually, Joe broke out first and went on to take the game, 11-15. Before we started, Jo said that he needed to go at quarter-to. We started the fourth game at 20-to. The last time we were in this situation, Joe absolutely crushed me, something like 4-15. And since I was already gassing out, I thought the result would be the same. The game started out that way, but them Joe must have been gassed out too because he quickly faded and that gave me a little more energy. Not a lot of big shots, but just hitting away and the other person unable to run for it. I eventually took the final game at 15-6. The time was 10-to. We both acknowledged that today's session was a great workout.
In the end, I torched a nice 1100+kcals. As usual, a great way to end the workout week. Happy Weekend!
Pickle-Ball Day!!!
Today was a hot day, which means the gym was even hotter. But it was actually a little cooler than last week. The way we came to that conclusion is because the puddles of sweat at the baseline were a little smaller today than last week. But it was still sauna-like temps. Also, we were under a little time crunch because Joe had some students coming in at noon, so we had to end a little earlier than usual. I got to the gym a little early to stretch out, and since Joe was a little late, I had the time to do a nice long series of Flows. It is always nice to do Flows in an open space where there is no fear of bumping into a wall or a low ceiling.
Because of that time crunch, we shortened our warm up time to just one round of balls. That means four rallies until all four of our balls are at the net or off the court. I actually liked starting off a little quicker because I would rather not hit some good shots during the warm-up. hehe... The first game was extremely competitive. We were both charged and pushing each rally. There weren't really any bad shots, and if there was, they were few and far between. But it was evident that the "Time-Crunch Factor" was playing in our heads. That is when we know we don't have much time but we want to still get in a good cardio workout so we try that much harder, push that much further, and attack that much more aggressive. There were a lot of service changes which lengthened the game time. But I eventually took the game, 15-13. The second game, It was clear that Joe's intensity level dropped because he was hitting a lot more balls into the net off my serve. Way more unforced errors than the first game. But it had its share of intense rallies and awesome shots. I took that game 15-8. The third game was another very competitive game. There were a lot more service changes in this game than the first game. But the big difference was that this time, my intensity had dropped off. I was mis-hitting serves a lot, and I was started to feel gassed out. Recovery time after a grueling point was getting longer and I could feel my movement was not as smooth as before. But there was one point where the score was 10-12 and it was stuck on that score for over 10 service changes. I was like I would try really hard on Joe's serve, win the serve back, but I would be too tired to attack enough on my serve then Joe would win the serve back. After the game, we talked about our mindset and both of us were thinking, "the one that breaks this score count first is going to win the game." But we didn't say anything during the game for fear of jinxing it. Eventually, Joe broke out first and went on to take the game, 11-15. Before we started, Jo said that he needed to go at quarter-to. We started the fourth game at 20-to. The last time we were in this situation, Joe absolutely crushed me, something like 4-15. And since I was already gassing out, I thought the result would be the same. The game started out that way, but them Joe must have been gassed out too because he quickly faded and that gave me a little more energy. Not a lot of big shots, but just hitting away and the other person unable to run for it. I eventually took the final game at 15-6. The time was 10-to. We both acknowledged that today's session was a great workout.
In the end, I torched a nice 1100+kcals. As usual, a great way to end the workout week. Happy Weekend!
7-06-17 (Thursday) HY: P90X3 - Incinerator + X3 Ab Ripper + TCF.
7-06-17 (Thursday) HY: P90X3 - Incinerator + X3 Ab Ripper + TCF.
Regular Thursday, so that means no time for the Splits, but just the main workout. I got home as early as possible because I wanted to try and get in the Splits, but it was still a NO-GO. For some reason, the Incinerator worksheet only has three lines to fill in for three workouts. I think all the others have six lines. Not sure why that is, but It is actually nicer to have more space to write little notes. So hopefully there will be more like this in the future. Anyway, I got right to my prep and workout when I got home. This is how it played out.
I was thinking to just do the same weights on the weighted moves as before, but there were several moves that I upped the weights a bit. Take a look at my workout sheet below for the actual data. The first four moves were actually exactly the same as before, weights and reps. But on the fifth move, I knew I did a higher weight on the Eccentric Upper on Sunday, so I decided to go up since I didn't have to worry about the slow reps today. So, I went up to 17kgs. It still felt good, and I might go a little heavier next time. I kept the higher weights for the next weighted move, #7. "A" Press. I like the Press move so I knew I could do 17kgs easily. But just to try, I stayed at 17kgs. Next time I'll go a smidge higher. I made a notation on the worksheet saying the weight was light, so definitely going higher next time. I was happy to get +3 reps on the Military Push-Ups. I didn't think I could do more reps than the 22 last time. I was totally fried. I was thinking about going up to 5kgs on the Monkey Pumps, but I'm glad I didn't. I ran smack into a wall on the fifth rep and struggled and burned to get to 8 reps without tapping out. I barely upped the rep count on #10. Pike Press. Just one rep. I upped the weight on the #11. Pterodactyl Flys to 5kgs. I was a little wary of it because of the shoulder pain, but I gave myself an out. I said that if the pain was too much, I'd go back to the 4kgs. Thankfully, very minimal pain, but mostly little pops. And the 5kgs seem a bit too light as well. But I'm nervous to go up to the 6.25kg weights. #13. Popeye Hammer Curls. I didn't go up in weight but I thought the 12kgs felt light. Got through the set pretty easily. I upped the weight on #15 and #16 went up to 8.75kgs. That was a tough weight. But the burn came a little late in the set, so I think that is where I should be right now. On #18 Rocket Launcher Kickbacks. Again, on the Eccentric Upper I did 8.75kgs and could not hold the form on the long reps. But I did acceptable, not great on my form though during the later reps. On move #16 Skyfers. This is the only move that I lost a little ground from last time. One rep missed. My shoulders really need to open up. I can't get my hand back enough so that my elbows are at a good angle for the move. #17 Arm and Hammer. I had to tap out twice. And I went for a 12-4-4 rep count. By this time my biceps were just fried. Also, I kept the weight the same. This Burnout, I was able to do the whole set without tapping out. But the sweat was dripping off me like crazy. BUT I made it to the end. Ended up doing a total of 16 Push-Ups with a bunch of planks and what not. Oh Man! The Pump and Burn were ON!!!
I was really toying with the idea of doing the original Power 90's Ab Ripper 200 today because of the time. But I figured I'm already behind schedule so, in order for me to get in at least a little Splits, something had to give. So I ended up sticking with the regular Ab routine and not worry about the stretch. It felt really good. I made it to the big combo move, I think Tony called it the "Bridge Burner", not sure why, but I only got to 5 reps then had to, HAD TO tap out. Then two more tap outs after that because my abs were on FIRE! The Flow was as good as can be expected.
In the end, I torched just under 800kcals again. Good to get in a nice workout to finish the day, but I was a wet blob after that. Off to work.
Regular Thursday, so that means no time for the Splits, but just the main workout. I got home as early as possible because I wanted to try and get in the Splits, but it was still a NO-GO. For some reason, the Incinerator worksheet only has three lines to fill in for three workouts. I think all the others have six lines. Not sure why that is, but It is actually nicer to have more space to write little notes. So hopefully there will be more like this in the future. Anyway, I got right to my prep and workout when I got home. This is how it played out.
I was thinking to just do the same weights on the weighted moves as before, but there were several moves that I upped the weights a bit. Take a look at my workout sheet below for the actual data. The first four moves were actually exactly the same as before, weights and reps. But on the fifth move, I knew I did a higher weight on the Eccentric Upper on Sunday, so I decided to go up since I didn't have to worry about the slow reps today. So, I went up to 17kgs. It still felt good, and I might go a little heavier next time. I kept the higher weights for the next weighted move, #7. "A" Press. I like the Press move so I knew I could do 17kgs easily. But just to try, I stayed at 17kgs. Next time I'll go a smidge higher. I made a notation on the worksheet saying the weight was light, so definitely going higher next time. I was happy to get +3 reps on the Military Push-Ups. I didn't think I could do more reps than the 22 last time. I was totally fried. I was thinking about going up to 5kgs on the Monkey Pumps, but I'm glad I didn't. I ran smack into a wall on the fifth rep and struggled and burned to get to 8 reps without tapping out. I barely upped the rep count on #10. Pike Press. Just one rep. I upped the weight on the #11. Pterodactyl Flys to 5kgs. I was a little wary of it because of the shoulder pain, but I gave myself an out. I said that if the pain was too much, I'd go back to the 4kgs. Thankfully, very minimal pain, but mostly little pops. And the 5kgs seem a bit too light as well. But I'm nervous to go up to the 6.25kg weights. #13. Popeye Hammer Curls. I didn't go up in weight but I thought the 12kgs felt light. Got through the set pretty easily. I upped the weight on #15 and #16 went up to 8.75kgs. That was a tough weight. But the burn came a little late in the set, so I think that is where I should be right now. On #18 Rocket Launcher Kickbacks. Again, on the Eccentric Upper I did 8.75kgs and could not hold the form on the long reps. But I did acceptable, not great on my form though during the later reps. On move #16 Skyfers. This is the only move that I lost a little ground from last time. One rep missed. My shoulders really need to open up. I can't get my hand back enough so that my elbows are at a good angle for the move. #17 Arm and Hammer. I had to tap out twice. And I went for a 12-4-4 rep count. By this time my biceps were just fried. Also, I kept the weight the same. This Burnout, I was able to do the whole set without tapping out. But the sweat was dripping off me like crazy. BUT I made it to the end. Ended up doing a total of 16 Push-Ups with a bunch of planks and what not. Oh Man! The Pump and Burn were ON!!!
I was really toying with the idea of doing the original Power 90's Ab Ripper 200 today because of the time. But I figured I'm already behind schedule so, in order for me to get in at least a little Splits, something had to give. So I ended up sticking with the regular Ab routine and not worry about the stretch. It felt really good. I made it to the big combo move, I think Tony called it the "Bridge Burner", not sure why, but I only got to 5 reps then had to, HAD TO tap out. Then two more tap outs after that because my abs were on FIRE! The Flow was as good as can be expected.
In the end, I torched just under 800kcals again. Good to get in a nice workout to finish the day, but I was a wet blob after that. Off to work.
Thursday, July 6, 2017
7-05-17 (Wednesday) P90X2 - Recovery & Mobility.
7-05-17 (Wednesday) P90X2 - Recovery & Mobility.
Mid-week recovery is a blessing!
I was expecting to be really sore in my legs because of yesterday's lower body focus. I was a bit tight, but not as painful as I thought I'd be. But I had a little extra time so I went with the longer foam rolling extravaganza! This time I didn't actually double the lower body roll, I 1.5ed it. Basically, I used the time of the first two parts, Lower Leg and Upper Leg on only the Calf. Then, I used the time from the first part on the Upper Leg. The rest was the same. My right calf always has a lot of hot spots. That is the reason why I usually do more rolling on my calf. Today, for the first time, I was able to get up on my triceps. Usually, they are so hot that I lie down and rest them on the roller. Today, I actually got some elevation on my upper body. I was happy that I am getting more and more used to the roller on my triceps. I felt really loose afterward and I'm glad for the recovery.
In the end, I burned off a nice little 212kcals. Great way to complete my workout.
Mid-week recovery is a blessing!
I was expecting to be really sore in my legs because of yesterday's lower body focus. I was a bit tight, but not as painful as I thought I'd be. But I had a little extra time so I went with the longer foam rolling extravaganza! This time I didn't actually double the lower body roll, I 1.5ed it. Basically, I used the time of the first two parts, Lower Leg and Upper Leg on only the Calf. Then, I used the time from the first part on the Upper Leg. The rest was the same. My right calf always has a lot of hot spots. That is the reason why I usually do more rolling on my calf. Today, for the first time, I was able to get up on my triceps. Usually, they are so hot that I lie down and rest them on the roller. Today, I actually got some elevation on my upper body. I was happy that I am getting more and more used to the roller on my triceps. I felt really loose afterward and I'm glad for the recovery.
In the end, I burned off a nice little 212kcals. Great way to complete my workout.
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
7-04-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X3 - Eccentric Lower + X3 Ab Ripper + Splits + TCF.
7-04-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X3 - Eccentric Lower + X3 Ab Ripper + Splits + TCF.
Today was a very busy day at work. I didn't have any classes, but I had to prepare for a department event that I and a colleague are in charge of organizing. So I had to run around setting up the sound system, arranging and setting tables, etc. Plus, I had to do all this through a typhoon. It was hot and VERY humid so my clothes were drenched within the first 10 minutes of getting to school and starting the setup. But thankfully, everything went off without too much of a hitch so we were happy. But probably the best thing about that event is that it gets me out of a couple committee meetings!
When I got home, I didn't take my usual relaxing time. I took some time debriefing with my wife about the day, and then I got to it. The last time I did Eccentric Lower I was coming off an injury so I went a little light on the weights. Today, I decided to bump the weight up a bit and see what happens. This is what happened... "OUCH!!!" Out of the nine weighted moves, six of the moves went up in weight. The three moves that stayed were the lighter moves. Move #4. Weighted Pistol, #8. Adductor Lunge, and #12. Bridge Kicks. On #4, I was barely able to keep my balance at the bottom. Also, with the weight, I can't help but twist into the weight. I tried to stay straight, but I just fell out. I guess I need more strength in my lower legs to keep stable. But the oddest thing is that the most painful move was move #10. TT Plus, a non-weighted move, but my glute just burned on the last couple reps. OUCH!!! Starting off, I was doing pretty well, keeping up with Tony and the crew, but my the end of move #7. Albanian Squat, my legs were just shaking like a wet and cold Chihuahua. I was really feeling it, and I know I'm going to feel it for the next few days as well. Every move after #7 just intensified the shake. On move # 9. Cross Reach, with the heavier weight, I was having some balance issues. I wasn't really stable today by any reach of the imagination. I think I hit my weight limit, so I'll try and master this weight for another round of X3 Resistance.
I had a really tough time with my abs on Sunday. Mostly because I did Eccentric Upper and a lot of the ab moves in this routine depended on upper body strength to support the move. I died on Sunday. Today, my upper body was relatively fresh and it was a whole new ball game. I didn't need a tap out until that huge combo move. But even then, I went all the way to rep number 5. I made it to rep number 3 on Sunday. And I tapped out in the 80's on the finale bicycle. I can do the abs a lot better if I do it after an upper body routine the day before. But everything else, I crushed and cramped.
The Splits and Flow were very good. I'm hoping the splits stretching prevents some soreness from settling in for the night.
In the end, I torched around 750kcals. It was curious because I usually break 1000kcals during lower body routines. But I suspect that it was because I turned on the air conditioner. On Sunday, it was so hot, so not wanted to experience that hell again, so I turned on the AC and worked out in a good temperature. But I was shocked by the low burn count. Great workout today.
Today was a very busy day at work. I didn't have any classes, but I had to prepare for a department event that I and a colleague are in charge of organizing. So I had to run around setting up the sound system, arranging and setting tables, etc. Plus, I had to do all this through a typhoon. It was hot and VERY humid so my clothes were drenched within the first 10 minutes of getting to school and starting the setup. But thankfully, everything went off without too much of a hitch so we were happy. But probably the best thing about that event is that it gets me out of a couple committee meetings!
When I got home, I didn't take my usual relaxing time. I took some time debriefing with my wife about the day, and then I got to it. The last time I did Eccentric Lower I was coming off an injury so I went a little light on the weights. Today, I decided to bump the weight up a bit and see what happens. This is what happened... "OUCH!!!" Out of the nine weighted moves, six of the moves went up in weight. The three moves that stayed were the lighter moves. Move #4. Weighted Pistol, #8. Adductor Lunge, and #12. Bridge Kicks. On #4, I was barely able to keep my balance at the bottom. Also, with the weight, I can't help but twist into the weight. I tried to stay straight, but I just fell out. I guess I need more strength in my lower legs to keep stable. But the oddest thing is that the most painful move was move #10. TT Plus, a non-weighted move, but my glute just burned on the last couple reps. OUCH!!! Starting off, I was doing pretty well, keeping up with Tony and the crew, but my the end of move #7. Albanian Squat, my legs were just shaking like a wet and cold Chihuahua. I was really feeling it, and I know I'm going to feel it for the next few days as well. Every move after #7 just intensified the shake. On move # 9. Cross Reach, with the heavier weight, I was having some balance issues. I wasn't really stable today by any reach of the imagination. I think I hit my weight limit, so I'll try and master this weight for another round of X3 Resistance.
I had a really tough time with my abs on Sunday. Mostly because I did Eccentric Upper and a lot of the ab moves in this routine depended on upper body strength to support the move. I died on Sunday. Today, my upper body was relatively fresh and it was a whole new ball game. I didn't need a tap out until that huge combo move. But even then, I went all the way to rep number 5. I made it to rep number 3 on Sunday. And I tapped out in the 80's on the finale bicycle. I can do the abs a lot better if I do it after an upper body routine the day before. But everything else, I crushed and cramped.
The Splits and Flow were very good. I'm hoping the splits stretching prevents some soreness from settling in for the night.
In the end, I torched around 750kcals. It was curious because I usually break 1000kcals during lower body routines. But I suspect that it was because I turned on the air conditioner. On Sunday, it was so hot, so not wanted to experience that hell again, so I turned on the AC and worked out in a good temperature. But I was shocked by the low burn count. Great workout today.
7-03-17 (Monday) Tennis.
7-03-17 (Monday) Tennis.
TENNIS DAY!!!
But it was so hot and humid in the gym. I got to the gym a little early and did a little prep, but students were still in the gym. I guess they had just finished a class so their heat just added to the natural heat. So by the time we started playing it was over 30 degrees. I was dripping within 20 minutes of play. But is was a good session... sort of.
I started off really hot, literally and metaphorically. Metaphorically speaking I was killing my serve, and I won all my service games. The last game of the set I won at love. All the points were either aces or service winners. Then, we switched partners and I had to start serving. I practically double-faulted the game away. Then I ended up losing all my service games. I just couldn't get anything in in the second set. I just hit a wall. Also, I suspect it was because of the heat, but in my left hamstring, I was feeling as if I were about to cramp, so I was a little wary of that. I had some TOTALLY Awesome shots and then a bunch of totally SHANK shots. I ran so hot and cold today it wasn't funny, but I need to get through these spells and find a way out. But in sports, the bad days are just as important as the good days. Learning to work through a bit of a slump is extremely important. One thing I am pushing myself to do is not let up on my second serve. In the past, if I had to win the game, I would just dink my second serve back. NO MORE!!! Now, I just try to keep my head speed up and spin the serve in. Even if I lose, I don't want to dink. I have to become battle-strong. By the end of the session, it was like I had jumped into a pool and just climbed out of the deep end. Luckily, I didn't cramp up, but I needed a good stretch, but was too tired to do so. That is why today I only played tennis. I know I had a good workout if I can hardly walk hours later.
In the end, I torched just under 1500kcal. Looking forward to next Monday so I can redeem myself.
TENNIS DAY!!!
But it was so hot and humid in the gym. I got to the gym a little early and did a little prep, but students were still in the gym. I guess they had just finished a class so their heat just added to the natural heat. So by the time we started playing it was over 30 degrees. I was dripping within 20 minutes of play. But is was a good session... sort of.
I started off really hot, literally and metaphorically. Metaphorically speaking I was killing my serve, and I won all my service games. The last game of the set I won at love. All the points were either aces or service winners. Then, we switched partners and I had to start serving. I practically double-faulted the game away. Then I ended up losing all my service games. I just couldn't get anything in in the second set. I just hit a wall. Also, I suspect it was because of the heat, but in my left hamstring, I was feeling as if I were about to cramp, so I was a little wary of that. I had some TOTALLY Awesome shots and then a bunch of totally SHANK shots. I ran so hot and cold today it wasn't funny, but I need to get through these spells and find a way out. But in sports, the bad days are just as important as the good days. Learning to work through a bit of a slump is extremely important. One thing I am pushing myself to do is not let up on my second serve. In the past, if I had to win the game, I would just dink my second serve back. NO MORE!!! Now, I just try to keep my head speed up and spin the serve in. Even if I lose, I don't want to dink. I have to become battle-strong. By the end of the session, it was like I had jumped into a pool and just climbed out of the deep end. Luckily, I didn't cramp up, but I needed a good stretch, but was too tired to do so. That is why today I only played tennis. I know I had a good workout if I can hardly walk hours later.
In the end, I torched just under 1500kcal. Looking forward to next Monday so I can redeem myself.
Monday, July 3, 2017
7-02-17 (Sunday) HY: P90X3 - Eccentric Upper + X3 Ab Ripper + Splits + TCF.
7-02-17 (Sunday) HY: P90X3 - Eccentric Upper + X3 Ab Ripper + Splits + TCF.
Today was not a normal Sunday. I had some contract work today that melted my brain because of the lack of pre-frontal cortex activity. Yes, it was that time of year again when English testing is the thing to do. Luckily, this year, my morning session was actually pretty good, comparatively speaking. But the afternoon session was mind-numbing. So when I got home, close to 6 pm, I took a nap for about 30 minutes. Then I got to my workout. I was debating on whether or not to start the week off with upper or lower body, but I decided that since I'm playing tennis tomorrow, I should do Upper so my legs don't die on the court.
The workout was pretty much the same as last time, but there were a few big differences. First, move #2. Standard Pull-Ups. Today, I was able to do all 10 reps in a row. Last time I had to tap out at 8 reps. I was pretty happy about that. But for pull-ups, that is pretty much it for any changes. From there on, everything is the same. The next change doesn't come until move #12. Lateral/ Anterior Raise. I went up 1.25kgs from 5kgs to 6.25kgs. I thought it might be too much, but I barely hit failure by the final rep. Move #13. I felt strong enough to do the Clap this time. Last time, I was blown and there was no chance of me doing the clap. Nailed it today! Move #16. Pterodactyl Flys. I went up to 6.25kgs on these too. I was afraid of the left shoulder pain on the lowering half of the move, but there was absolutely ZERO pain, not even a slight tweak! YESSSS!!! Move #16. Rocket Launcher Kickbacks. I went up to 8.75kgs from 7.5kgs. By the third rep, my form was JUNK. The weights were too heavy. I'll have to go back to 7.5kgs next time. I felt the pump really coming on from move #7 and on. Awesome Pump and Burn today.
I moved right into Abs, and it blasted me. I forget the names of the moves, but those last few moves between the Abernom and the last bicycle, I could not finish. I had to tap out several times. Especially that combo move with the Banana to boat with 4 Mason Twists. I tapped out like 4 times on that one move alone. KILLER MOVE!!! But I got that burn that burns so good!
Splits and Flow were good to go. Hamstrings are loosening a little faster than before so I am pretty happy about that. Progress is slow but coming.
In the end, I torched a surprising 1039kcals. I was expecting around 700kcals because it was an upper body workout, so over a grand was good news. It is a new month, so below is my calendar for June. The usual explanation except for one mistake on color. June 4 should be Green. I accidentally forgot to log it until it was too late.
Today was not a normal Sunday. I had some contract work today that melted my brain because of the lack of pre-frontal cortex activity. Yes, it was that time of year again when English testing is the thing to do. Luckily, this year, my morning session was actually pretty good, comparatively speaking. But the afternoon session was mind-numbing. So when I got home, close to 6 pm, I took a nap for about 30 minutes. Then I got to my workout. I was debating on whether or not to start the week off with upper or lower body, but I decided that since I'm playing tennis tomorrow, I should do Upper so my legs don't die on the court.
The workout was pretty much the same as last time, but there were a few big differences. First, move #2. Standard Pull-Ups. Today, I was able to do all 10 reps in a row. Last time I had to tap out at 8 reps. I was pretty happy about that. But for pull-ups, that is pretty much it for any changes. From there on, everything is the same. The next change doesn't come until move #12. Lateral/ Anterior Raise. I went up 1.25kgs from 5kgs to 6.25kgs. I thought it might be too much, but I barely hit failure by the final rep. Move #13. I felt strong enough to do the Clap this time. Last time, I was blown and there was no chance of me doing the clap. Nailed it today! Move #16. Pterodactyl Flys. I went up to 6.25kgs on these too. I was afraid of the left shoulder pain on the lowering half of the move, but there was absolutely ZERO pain, not even a slight tweak! YESSSS!!! Move #16. Rocket Launcher Kickbacks. I went up to 8.75kgs from 7.5kgs. By the third rep, my form was JUNK. The weights were too heavy. I'll have to go back to 7.5kgs next time. I felt the pump really coming on from move #7 and on. Awesome Pump and Burn today.
I moved right into Abs, and it blasted me. I forget the names of the moves, but those last few moves between the Abernom and the last bicycle, I could not finish. I had to tap out several times. Especially that combo move with the Banana to boat with 4 Mason Twists. I tapped out like 4 times on that one move alone. KILLER MOVE!!! But I got that burn that burns so good!
Splits and Flow were good to go. Hamstrings are loosening a little faster than before so I am pretty happy about that. Progress is slow but coming.
In the end, I torched a surprising 1039kcals. I was expecting around 700kcals because it was an upper body workout, so over a grand was good news. It is a new month, so below is my calendar for June. The usual explanation except for one mistake on color. June 4 should be Green. I accidentally forgot to log it until it was too late.
Sunday, July 2, 2017
6-30-17 (Friday) HY: TCF + Pickle-Ball.
6-30-17 (Friday) HY: TCF + Pickle-Ball.
Today is the regularly scheduled Pickle-Ball Day!
I got to the gym a little early, so I used that time to stretch and do a series of Flows. I was trying to control my heart so as to not sweat as much. It worked a little, but I ended up sweating like a sprinkler anyway.
I look forward to this day every week. This week was no different. The gym was a sauna, but a little less hot than the gym last night. The similarity is the dead feeling of the air, again, zero circulation and very humid. We got right to the game, and I stormed out of the gate. I was on fire and was playing awesomely. I was rather surprised at myself. I took the first game 15-2. Total domination. But I wasn't able to maintain my level of play and I was making a lot of stupid mistakes. A lot of unreturned serves that I should have been able to return. But on the brighter side, it was a much more competitive game, but I came up on the short end of the stick. I lost the game 10-15. The next game was an all-out dogfight. There were a lot of service changes, a lot of long rallies, and a lot of incredible shots. By this time, we were both sweating like crazy and there were puddles lining the baseline of both ends of the court. I was lucky to get away with that game, 16-14. We were both gassed in the last game, I really wanted to get the majority wins, but I just couldn't get anything going until the end. But by that time Nick had opened up a big lead and I just couldn't catch him. I ended up losing the final game, 12-15. Although the conditions were brutal, we had a great time.
In the end, I torched a big 1300+kcals. Great way to end my week. I was Pumped to play my two favorite sports these last two days. So I'm going to have to really bring it with more resistance next week.
Today is the regularly scheduled Pickle-Ball Day!
I got to the gym a little early, so I used that time to stretch and do a series of Flows. I was trying to control my heart so as to not sweat as much. It worked a little, but I ended up sweating like a sprinkler anyway.
I look forward to this day every week. This week was no different. The gym was a sauna, but a little less hot than the gym last night. The similarity is the dead feeling of the air, again, zero circulation and very humid. We got right to the game, and I stormed out of the gate. I was on fire and was playing awesomely. I was rather surprised at myself. I took the first game 15-2. Total domination. But I wasn't able to maintain my level of play and I was making a lot of stupid mistakes. A lot of unreturned serves that I should have been able to return. But on the brighter side, it was a much more competitive game, but I came up on the short end of the stick. I lost the game 10-15. The next game was an all-out dogfight. There were a lot of service changes, a lot of long rallies, and a lot of incredible shots. By this time, we were both sweating like crazy and there were puddles lining the baseline of both ends of the court. I was lucky to get away with that game, 16-14. We were both gassed in the last game, I really wanted to get the majority wins, but I just couldn't get anything going until the end. But by that time Nick had opened up a big lead and I just couldn't catch him. I ended up losing the final game, 12-15. Although the conditions were brutal, we had a great time.
In the end, I torched a big 1300+kcals. Great way to end my week. I was Pumped to play my two favorite sports these last two days. So I'm going to have to really bring it with more resistance next week.
6-29-17 (Thursday) Tennis.
6-29-17 (Thursday) Tennis.
I missed tennis on my regular tennis day, but things sort of fell into place so I could play tennis today. It is the 5th Thursday of the month so I don't have my night class so that opened the evening up. Plus, I just got a new racket and I really wanted to play with it. Actually, I got two new rackets and I really wanted to try them out. What happened was I got a new racket so as I was getting ready to go and get it strung, I decided to get my oldest racket re-strung. Even though the strings weren't broken they were old and had lost tension so it was like hitting with a trampoline. So I cut them and brought both rackets. When I went to pick them up, the told me that the old racket was in too bad of a condition that the racket might not hold up with the new strings. Plus, the grommet was a mess and since it was old, they didn't have the necessary model in stock. But they offered me a used racket that was a little newer and in much better condition for only 2500yen. So I said goodbye to my old racket (I still have it, just no strings) and got the new used racket to replace it. Below is my collection of rackets. Actually, it is not a "collection", rather it is my "arsenal". The new racket is the "Stars and Stripes US Open" model. LOVE IT!!!
Anyway, I got to the gym and luckily, everyone was not there and as fate would have it, two members of the regular club did not come today, so there were only six members. That meant I could play a little singles, even just to hit around. The big thing, though, was that the gym was close to 30 degrees. I was dripping sweat after just a couple minutes. Even at dusk, the heat was just there, no circulation in the gym. But we played on. The new racket was Super-Awesome! The feel was great, and I was able to gain control right away. As for match play, I was a little off on my serve. I hit a couple double faults each service game, but I hit double aces or service winners. I was 100% on the night with my service games. My partner and I won the first set 6-1. Luckily, the other pairs played the next game while my partner and I hit some singles. That is when the heat started to get to me. I started to feel dehydrated and weak. But foolishly, I didn't want to be the one to stop the rally. Finally, my partner called for a break and I went and got some water and I took two sodium tablets. That did the trick because when I came back, I was feeling a lot more energized. I was serving a little better this match so I was feeling more confident. We also won this match 6-1. It was a good night.
In the end, I torched over 1500kcals. Probably helped by the heat in the gym, but it was a good burn.
I missed tennis on my regular tennis day, but things sort of fell into place so I could play tennis today. It is the 5th Thursday of the month so I don't have my night class so that opened the evening up. Plus, I just got a new racket and I really wanted to play with it. Actually, I got two new rackets and I really wanted to try them out. What happened was I got a new racket so as I was getting ready to go and get it strung, I decided to get my oldest racket re-strung. Even though the strings weren't broken they were old and had lost tension so it was like hitting with a trampoline. So I cut them and brought both rackets. When I went to pick them up, the told me that the old racket was in too bad of a condition that the racket might not hold up with the new strings. Plus, the grommet was a mess and since it was old, they didn't have the necessary model in stock. But they offered me a used racket that was a little newer and in much better condition for only 2500yen. So I said goodbye to my old racket (I still have it, just no strings) and got the new used racket to replace it. Below is my collection of rackets. Actually, it is not a "collection", rather it is my "arsenal". The new racket is the "Stars and Stripes US Open" model. LOVE IT!!!
Anyway, I got to the gym and luckily, everyone was not there and as fate would have it, two members of the regular club did not come today, so there were only six members. That meant I could play a little singles, even just to hit around. The big thing, though, was that the gym was close to 30 degrees. I was dripping sweat after just a couple minutes. Even at dusk, the heat was just there, no circulation in the gym. But we played on. The new racket was Super-Awesome! The feel was great, and I was able to gain control right away. As for match play, I was a little off on my serve. I hit a couple double faults each service game, but I hit double aces or service winners. I was 100% on the night with my service games. My partner and I won the first set 6-1. Luckily, the other pairs played the next game while my partner and I hit some singles. That is when the heat started to get to me. I started to feel dehydrated and weak. But foolishly, I didn't want to be the one to stop the rally. Finally, my partner called for a break and I went and got some water and I took two sodium tablets. That did the trick because when I came back, I was feeling a lot more energized. I was serving a little better this match so I was feeling more confident. We also won this match 6-1. It was a good night.
In the end, I torched over 1500kcals. Probably helped by the heat in the gym, but it was a good burn.
Saturday, July 1, 2017
6-28-17 (Wednesday) HY: P90X3 - X3 Yoga + TCF.
6-28-17 (Wednesday) HY: P90X3 - X3 Yoga + TCF.
Mid-week recovery was a must this week. Two tough resistance days and an intense T25 cardio day. But I was in a bit of a time crunch at work because of a deadline for a paper I'm supposed to hand it for publication. Deadline is this Friday and I haven't been able to really find the time to get it done. Now, I'll have to get it done somehow. So, I need to workout and get to work as early as possible to have time to get cracking on my paper.
Basically, everything was as expected. The Flow was good and controlled. I was strong all the way up until the Half-Moon on my right side. Still had some balance issues. Still can't look up. Plus, I just wasn't able to keep my balance. I kept falling out of it. I was falling a lot more than usual on my left side as well. But not as much as my right. My Up-Dog on my Vinyasas have greatly improved over the last week. My back is still not at 100%, but the range of motion on my Up-Dogs are almost back to normal. If I push, there is a little tweak, so I don't push too much or too hard. After yoga, I took some time to do a series of Flows and it felt pretty good.
In the end, I melted about 190kcals. Very calm day today.
Mid-week recovery was a must this week. Two tough resistance days and an intense T25 cardio day. But I was in a bit of a time crunch at work because of a deadline for a paper I'm supposed to hand it for publication. Deadline is this Friday and I haven't been able to really find the time to get it done. Now, I'll have to get it done somehow. So, I need to workout and get to work as early as possible to have time to get cracking on my paper.
Basically, everything was as expected. The Flow was good and controlled. I was strong all the way up until the Half-Moon on my right side. Still had some balance issues. Still can't look up. Plus, I just wasn't able to keep my balance. I kept falling out of it. I was falling a lot more than usual on my left side as well. But not as much as my right. My Up-Dog on my Vinyasas have greatly improved over the last week. My back is still not at 100%, but the range of motion on my Up-Dogs are almost back to normal. If I push, there is a little tweak, so I don't push too much or too hard. After yoga, I took some time to do a series of Flows and it felt pretty good.
In the end, I melted about 190kcals. Very calm day today.
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