11-29-17 (Wednesday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + T25 - Alpha: Speed 1.0 + TCF.
Very disappointed today because I wasn't able to play tennis. I was looking forward to playing because the venue was a new place for me. Unfortunately, it rained all day and was still raining in the afternoon. Eventually, I got word that it was moved to the indoor facility and, again, because it was a last minute reservation, we could only get one hour. So, I decided not to go because it wouldn't have been worth the drive and all the effort just for one hour. Most of it would have been just warming up anyway. So, I decided to just stay home and do a regular workout.
I was thinking of doing either an X3 or T25 cardio routine. But I knew I was going to need to start off with a good warm up. So, I began with Cold Start. Everything was fine through the jogging and pivoting move, but once I started doing the Safety Jacks, OH!! THE PAIN!!! I felt a little sore in my arms and a little in my chest, but nothing too much all day. But once I started doing the Safety Jacks, moving my arms back and forth just stretched my chest in a different way and it was excruciating! I wasn't able to raise my arms as high, and that triggered the other muscles to show their soreness. The push-ups were a pain. Pretty much everything was putting me in pain. It weakened a little by the end, but more surprises were coming in the main workout.
The routine was basically good, but the jumping moves put pressure on my chest, so I had to flex as much as possible to keep tight and less "bouncy". I am thankful for the stretch intervals. I originally wanted to do this routine last Friday, but accidentally did Alpha: Cardio. But it was a blessing in disguise because I wouldn't have been able to handle Cardio today. I was able to do a straight 25 so I was happy, but the move that killed me the most was the Low Cross Jacks. My arches were screaming out in the last 30 seconds or so... in the main routine and the Burn Out. I think I hit a second wind because I was able to get through the toughest part of the Burn Out pretty well. But I was dogging it.
I finished off with a good Flow Series. I'm really getting a good even pace on both sides.
In the end, I burned a modest 507kcals. Pretty much what I can expect from the shorter routines.
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
11-28-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + The Challenge + TCF.
11-28-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + The Challenge + TCF.
Today is the one day between my sports days during this "special" week. So it had to be a resistance day. For some reason, I was really wanting to do The Challenge even before I looked at my options which means I had only one option for today. Since I decided to do one of the most brutal routines in X3, I knew I had to start off with Cold Start. Just to be safe.
It has been a while since I did regular Pull-Ups or Push-Ups and I was a little nervous about the numbers. So I chose numbers that I thought would be challenging and doable. 8 Pull-Ups and 25 Push-Ups.
The only fully intact round was the first round with Wide Pull-Ups and Standard Push-Ups. From the next round, the splits started. Only one, at first on the second round of Military Push-Ups, then the last two circuits were full of splits. See Below for all the splits. I kind of expected to fade on the Military Push-Ups, but I was a little surprised that I needed a split on the Wide Push-Ups. It happened only once on this worksheet, 5.5 months ago. I knew the Close Grip Pull-Ups were going to be a problem. I think I need to re-evaluate my Pull-Up form because in order for me to get full RoM, I am going all the way down to a hang, but that gets my body swinging and I can't go back up right away. By the last circuit, my arms were feeling like noodles. I surprised that I was able to get that last circuit done. Then in the burn out, I fell one short of my record of 12 rounds. I ended up with a good Flow series.
In the end, I burned 674kcals. No extras today because my arms were totally fried. I love the pump and burn I always get from this routine. I hope I'm not too sore to play tennis tomorrow.
Today is the one day between my sports days during this "special" week. So it had to be a resistance day. For some reason, I was really wanting to do The Challenge even before I looked at my options which means I had only one option for today. Since I decided to do one of the most brutal routines in X3, I knew I had to start off with Cold Start. Just to be safe.
It has been a while since I did regular Pull-Ups or Push-Ups and I was a little nervous about the numbers. So I chose numbers that I thought would be challenging and doable. 8 Pull-Ups and 25 Push-Ups.
The only fully intact round was the first round with Wide Pull-Ups and Standard Push-Ups. From the next round, the splits started. Only one, at first on the second round of Military Push-Ups, then the last two circuits were full of splits. See Below for all the splits. I kind of expected to fade on the Military Push-Ups, but I was a little surprised that I needed a split on the Wide Push-Ups. It happened only once on this worksheet, 5.5 months ago. I knew the Close Grip Pull-Ups were going to be a problem. I think I need to re-evaluate my Pull-Up form because in order for me to get full RoM, I am going all the way down to a hang, but that gets my body swinging and I can't go back up right away. By the last circuit, my arms were feeling like noodles. I surprised that I was able to get that last circuit done. Then in the burn out, I fell one short of my record of 12 rounds. I ended up with a good Flow series.
In the end, I burned 674kcals. No extras today because my arms were totally fried. I love the pump and burn I always get from this routine. I hope I'm not too sore to play tennis tomorrow.
Monday, November 27, 2017
11-27-17 (Monday) HY: Pickle-Ball + TCF.
11-27-17 (Monday) HY: Pickle-Ball + TCF.
Finally, Pickle-Ball Day is here! This is the first time to play in the morning this semester. Until today, we've played in the afternoon because of my class. But now, the class has been passed on to the next teacher and I'm free. So we moved our play time to the morning. It was a bit chilly, but we warmed up pretty quickly. But, if in the later weeks, it get too cold, we may switch back to the afternoon. But for today, we jammed in the morning.
We played three games today. The reason why we played only three games is because the games were much longer. We had a lot more serve changes which means we were stuck on certain scores for longer periods of time. The first game, I just couldn't get anything going. Not once did I win more than one point at a time. That should tell you that I lost the game. I gave up the lead right off and just couldn't catch up. Twice I came close at 2-3 and 6-7. After that, John just took off and I couldn't stop him. I lost the game 8-15.
The second game was more of the same, but worse. I ended up giving up the lead 1-8. I just couldn't get anything going again. But once it hit 1-8, something clicked and I went on a few long runs and I got my first lead, and eventually my first win of the day. Final score, 15-10. I just kept it going in the third game. I was totally unstoppable. I ran all the way to a 14-1 lead, then everything fell apart. I couldn't hit anything in. I had at least three clear "Gimmies" but ended up smacking the ball way out, or into the net. Luckily, I pulled it together in time and got that elusive point. Final score 15-11. There is no lead that is safe in Pickle-Ball. But I guess that is true of most sports.
It was a great session, and we both really enjoyed it. There was one semi-issue I had. In my haste to get ready in the morning, I forgot to pack my sweat bands so I was forced to wipe my sweat with my sleeve. My brains felt like they were falling out of my head. It was so weird playing without something around my head, a headband or a hat, or something. Next time, I'll have to at least tie a towel around my head.
In the end, I burned 800+kcals. Normally it would have been over 1000, but again, I attribute the lower count to the chilly temps. So glad to be back playing Pickle-Ball!
Finally, Pickle-Ball Day is here! This is the first time to play in the morning this semester. Until today, we've played in the afternoon because of my class. But now, the class has been passed on to the next teacher and I'm free. So we moved our play time to the morning. It was a bit chilly, but we warmed up pretty quickly. But, if in the later weeks, it get too cold, we may switch back to the afternoon. But for today, we jammed in the morning.
We played three games today. The reason why we played only three games is because the games were much longer. We had a lot more serve changes which means we were stuck on certain scores for longer periods of time. The first game, I just couldn't get anything going. Not once did I win more than one point at a time. That should tell you that I lost the game. I gave up the lead right off and just couldn't catch up. Twice I came close at 2-3 and 6-7. After that, John just took off and I couldn't stop him. I lost the game 8-15.
The second game was more of the same, but worse. I ended up giving up the lead 1-8. I just couldn't get anything going again. But once it hit 1-8, something clicked and I went on a few long runs and I got my first lead, and eventually my first win of the day. Final score, 15-10. I just kept it going in the third game. I was totally unstoppable. I ran all the way to a 14-1 lead, then everything fell apart. I couldn't hit anything in. I had at least three clear "Gimmies" but ended up smacking the ball way out, or into the net. Luckily, I pulled it together in time and got that elusive point. Final score 15-11. There is no lead that is safe in Pickle-Ball. But I guess that is true of most sports.
It was a great session, and we both really enjoyed it. There was one semi-issue I had. In my haste to get ready in the morning, I forgot to pack my sweat bands so I was forced to wipe my sweat with my sleeve. My brains felt like they were falling out of my head. It was so weird playing without something around my head, a headband or a hat, or something. Next time, I'll have to at least tie a towel around my head.
In the end, I burned 800+kcals. Normally it would have been over 1000, but again, I attribute the lower count to the chilly temps. So glad to be back playing Pickle-Ball!
Sunday, November 26, 2017
11-26-17 (Sunday) HY: Tennis + TCF.
11-26-17 (Sunday) HY: Tennis + TCF.
Rain! But fortunately the club was able to snag a court at the indoor facility. So, I had to get up a little earlier to get to the courts on time. With regard to the court, The time was split because the reservations were last minute. So, we had an hour from 10-11, then from 12-2pm. So we got a full three hours in. But initially we all thought that it was going to be only 2 hours. Good for us!
The warm up was shorter than usual because of the time crush, and we started with the first drill which was just Volley and Stroke. Still not feeling it and I am not happy but not despondent. Just keep going. Then we took our off hour. There was literally nothing we could do because everything that we could have done was taken up other people so we just sat and talked.
When we got back on court, my body had lost its warmth so getting back into it was like starting from square one again. But this time, the drill was server and return. Initially, I was a bit wary about it, but my serve was much better than in former practices. I was able to hit my spots and get a good level of power and spin on the ball. My returns were less than Stellar. For some reason I wasn't making good contact and I had problems with the sweet spot. So, I switched rackets and things improved a bit. I think I'm going to switch my racket around to find a good feel. We did a lot of serve and return and had time for only one more drill, which was the point play. First starting with the forehand receive then the backhand. We took it to the end of our time and I started to feel it coming back during that drill. I hope to keep it up more this week. A lot of tennis this week.
I did the usual Flow at home and ended my day.
In the end, I burned a good 1550+kcals. Quite a bit lower than usual three hour sessions, but today was cold and a bit unusual. But I had a good time. Good way to start my week.
Rain! But fortunately the club was able to snag a court at the indoor facility. So, I had to get up a little earlier to get to the courts on time. With regard to the court, The time was split because the reservations were last minute. So, we had an hour from 10-11, then from 12-2pm. So we got a full three hours in. But initially we all thought that it was going to be only 2 hours. Good for us!
The warm up was shorter than usual because of the time crush, and we started with the first drill which was just Volley and Stroke. Still not feeling it and I am not happy but not despondent. Just keep going. Then we took our off hour. There was literally nothing we could do because everything that we could have done was taken up other people so we just sat and talked.
When we got back on court, my body had lost its warmth so getting back into it was like starting from square one again. But this time, the drill was server and return. Initially, I was a bit wary about it, but my serve was much better than in former practices. I was able to hit my spots and get a good level of power and spin on the ball. My returns were less than Stellar. For some reason I wasn't making good contact and I had problems with the sweet spot. So, I switched rackets and things improved a bit. I think I'm going to switch my racket around to find a good feel. We did a lot of serve and return and had time for only one more drill, which was the point play. First starting with the forehand receive then the backhand. We took it to the end of our time and I started to feel it coming back during that drill. I hope to keep it up more this week. A lot of tennis this week.
I did the usual Flow at home and ended my day.
In the end, I burned a good 1550+kcals. Quite a bit lower than usual three hour sessions, but today was cold and a bit unusual. But I had a good time. Good way to start my week.
Friday, November 24, 2017
11-24-17 (Friday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + T25 - Alpha: Cardio + TCF.
11-24-17 (Friday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + T25 - Alpha: Cardio + TCF.
Started off my day with a shake and a morning workout. I knew I wouldn't have time after work to do anything, so it had to be a morning session. But I didn't have a lot of time, so I decided to do T25. I actually wanted to do the routine that has a few stretch intervals embedded into the routine. And I thought that it was Cardio that did that. But once it started, I realized that it wasn't. The one I wanted to do was Speed 1.0. But I couldn't stop what I started to I just kept going. I was happy to get all the way through without a break. There were a few times that I was tempted to stop, but I had made it almost to the end of that particular move, so I just kept on going. Usually my arches give me problems, but today, it wasn't my arches, rather, my calves. The first progression always gets me with the Jacks. My lower calves were feeling it bad. It was good that I could get through most of each move because despite the pain, I could stick it out for just another 5 seconds. That is why I like the predictable workouts with the time bar. I know exactly where I am all the time.
But before doing this, I knew I'd need a good stretch, so I went with my favorite stand alone warm up, Cold Start. If I didn't do Cold Start, I am pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to take the calf pain than came with the more intense end of each progression. The agility progression before the final burnout was brutal, but I'm glad I was able to gut it out. I ended the session with a Flow series.
In the end, I burned over 550kcal. A good total for a short routine. Glad to be done and easing into the weekend. Happy Weekend, everyone!
Started off my day with a shake and a morning workout. I knew I wouldn't have time after work to do anything, so it had to be a morning session. But I didn't have a lot of time, so I decided to do T25. I actually wanted to do the routine that has a few stretch intervals embedded into the routine. And I thought that it was Cardio that did that. But once it started, I realized that it wasn't. The one I wanted to do was Speed 1.0. But I couldn't stop what I started to I just kept going. I was happy to get all the way through without a break. There were a few times that I was tempted to stop, but I had made it almost to the end of that particular move, so I just kept on going. Usually my arches give me problems, but today, it wasn't my arches, rather, my calves. The first progression always gets me with the Jacks. My lower calves were feeling it bad. It was good that I could get through most of each move because despite the pain, I could stick it out for just another 5 seconds. That is why I like the predictable workouts with the time bar. I know exactly where I am all the time.
But before doing this, I knew I'd need a good stretch, so I went with my favorite stand alone warm up, Cold Start. If I didn't do Cold Start, I am pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to take the calf pain than came with the more intense end of each progression. The agility progression before the final burnout was brutal, but I'm glad I was able to gut it out. I ended the session with a Flow series.
In the end, I burned over 550kcal. A good total for a short routine. Glad to be done and easing into the weekend. Happy Weekend, everyone!
11-23-17 (Thursday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + Total Synergistics + TCF.
11-23-17 (Thursday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + Total Synergistics + TCF.
Today is Thanksgiving Eve in the USA and Labor Day in Japan, so, I had the day off. But I had no plan to do anything today so that is pretty much what happened, nothing. My daughter had gone out with her friends so my wife and I were in our "Empty Nest". So, we just relaxed most of the day. We called my parents, watched some TV, talked, snacked (on nuts and small cookies). It was a very relaxing day. Finally, around 5pm, I got off my butt and started getting ready for my workout.
I wanted to do a resistance workout, but since my triceps and shoulders were still pretty sore, I looked for a full body routine that wouldn't focus on any one sore part, so I went back to P90X3. It ended up being the perfect workout because it was total body. But since I was still feeling that soreness, I began with Cold Start to not only warm up, but to loosen up my sore muscles. Worked as advertised! The first move was Push-Ups with Side Arm Balance. Luckily, it wasn't Military or Triceps Push-Ups or it would have been brutal. With my arms wider in the standard position, I was able to avoid a lot of pain. The non-weighted moves early on were fine, but the ones at the end were brutal. The final non-weighted move was the most brutal. Warrior Squat Moon. Again, my Half-Moon was unstable and I couldn't hold the pose steady for a good solid static pose. In and fall out. The first 4 reps were totally fine and easy, but the 5th rep brought on a whole new burn and I couldn't take in after the 6th rep. I had to tap out and shake it out. By then I could only fit one rep before Tony called time. Exactly the same thing on the other side.
As for the weighted moves, I felt good, so on a few moves, I upped the weight from the previous run which was about 4 months ago. Specifically Move #6, #11, and #13. But rep counts were down a bit. I didn't get a huge pump, but I felt it coming. I felt really good on the Chin-Up Circle Crunch. Got the highest rep count on this worksheet. But the Pull-Up followed suit. Maybe my biceps are starting to catch up. That'd be nice. I finished to workout off with a good series of Flows.
In the end, I burned over 750kcals. So I was satisfied!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Push Play Today!!!
Today is Thanksgiving Eve in the USA and Labor Day in Japan, so, I had the day off. But I had no plan to do anything today so that is pretty much what happened, nothing. My daughter had gone out with her friends so my wife and I were in our "Empty Nest". So, we just relaxed most of the day. We called my parents, watched some TV, talked, snacked (on nuts and small cookies). It was a very relaxing day. Finally, around 5pm, I got off my butt and started getting ready for my workout.
I wanted to do a resistance workout, but since my triceps and shoulders were still pretty sore, I looked for a full body routine that wouldn't focus on any one sore part, so I went back to P90X3. It ended up being the perfect workout because it was total body. But since I was still feeling that soreness, I began with Cold Start to not only warm up, but to loosen up my sore muscles. Worked as advertised! The first move was Push-Ups with Side Arm Balance. Luckily, it wasn't Military or Triceps Push-Ups or it would have been brutal. With my arms wider in the standard position, I was able to avoid a lot of pain. The non-weighted moves early on were fine, but the ones at the end were brutal. The final non-weighted move was the most brutal. Warrior Squat Moon. Again, my Half-Moon was unstable and I couldn't hold the pose steady for a good solid static pose. In and fall out. The first 4 reps were totally fine and easy, but the 5th rep brought on a whole new burn and I couldn't take in after the 6th rep. I had to tap out and shake it out. By then I could only fit one rep before Tony called time. Exactly the same thing on the other side.
As for the weighted moves, I felt good, so on a few moves, I upped the weight from the previous run which was about 4 months ago. Specifically Move #6, #11, and #13. But rep counts were down a bit. I didn't get a huge pump, but I felt it coming. I felt really good on the Chin-Up Circle Crunch. Got the highest rep count on this worksheet. But the Pull-Up followed suit. Maybe my biceps are starting to catch up. That'd be nice. I finished to workout off with a good series of Flows.
In the end, I burned over 750kcals. So I was satisfied!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Push Play Today!!!
Thursday, November 23, 2017
11-22-17 (Wednesday) HY: Tennis + TCF.
11-22-17 (Wednesday) HY: Tennis + TCF.
It was a lucky day. Rain all day and the in indoor courts were reserved so tennis was a GO! Also, there were only 12 members tonight on 2 courts so it was a continuous, no rest session. Another lucky point was the fact that my sore Triceps seemed to not affect my play for which I was extremely grateful. What was not lucky was the fact that I still am in somewhat of a funk regarding the feel of my strokes. Right from the warm up, I was unable to consistently strike the ball in the sweet spot of my racket face. There were still too many off-center hits. Of course there was the smattering of good shots, but still the vast majority were still not good. I was happy to be able to get a lot of practice in tonight. This has happened before and it is just more practice that will get me through. I have to be patient and not get too down on myself. Focus on the ball, keep my form, and move well. After going through all the regular drills, I had the chance to practice in a real match. The four more advanced players paired up and played a match. The one good thing that I did was to totally ace one of the better and more experienced players. The player that won 3rd place with another partner in the regional (that includes most of southern Japan). But unfortunately, I also double faulted twice before the ace. I got my game to deuce, but lost. In the end, my partner and I won the match 4-2. Time was up. Even though I still don't feel totally comfortable, I can sense that I am a little less uncomfortable than the previous practice on Sunday. I'm doing my best and forgetting the rest. Flow at home to bring my day to an end.
In the end, I burned close to 1700kcals. If this session was in the summer, I think I would have gotten closer to 2000. It was a bit chilly tonight.
It was a lucky day. Rain all day and the in indoor courts were reserved so tennis was a GO! Also, there were only 12 members tonight on 2 courts so it was a continuous, no rest session. Another lucky point was the fact that my sore Triceps seemed to not affect my play for which I was extremely grateful. What was not lucky was the fact that I still am in somewhat of a funk regarding the feel of my strokes. Right from the warm up, I was unable to consistently strike the ball in the sweet spot of my racket face. There were still too many off-center hits. Of course there was the smattering of good shots, but still the vast majority were still not good. I was happy to be able to get a lot of practice in tonight. This has happened before and it is just more practice that will get me through. I have to be patient and not get too down on myself. Focus on the ball, keep my form, and move well. After going through all the regular drills, I had the chance to practice in a real match. The four more advanced players paired up and played a match. The one good thing that I did was to totally ace one of the better and more experienced players. The player that won 3rd place with another partner in the regional (that includes most of southern Japan). But unfortunately, I also double faulted twice before the ace. I got my game to deuce, but lost. In the end, my partner and I won the match 4-2. Time was up. Even though I still don't feel totally comfortable, I can sense that I am a little less uncomfortable than the previous practice on Sunday. I'm doing my best and forgetting the rest. Flow at home to bring my day to an end.
In the end, I burned close to 1700kcals. If this session was in the summer, I think I would have gotten closer to 2000. It was a bit chilly tonight.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
11-21-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X2 - X2 Yoga + TCF.
11-21-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X2 - X2 Yoga + TCF.
The soreness was progressive. It wasn't that bad in the morning, but as the day wore on, extending my arms and rotating my shoulders became more and more of a chore. By the time I got home, after my night class, I didn't know how I would do with a regular workout. A fleeting thought of doing X3 Yoga popped into my head, you know, just to get something done quickly, but then it popped right out. Then, for some reason, X2 Yoga popped in and lodged itself in my mind and from that point on, that was it.
There were a lot of firsts in this routine tonight. In the intro, Tony says, "Enjoy the journey". I usually do. But after Mountain Pose and then the neck stretches, and as we moved into the first Vinyasa, transitioning from Plank into Chaturanga, a shooting pain in my triceps stepped into the forefront of my calm demeanor. OUCH!!! That was a pain I hadn't experienced in a long time, or at least not in the memorable past. Then, Tony says, "Let's to FIVE SLOW PUSH-UPS." I did them in extreme pain and duress, and a lot slower than what Tony's pace was. So slow that my Child's Pose was cut to almost nothing. Then, for the next Vinyasa, for the first time EVER, I consciously chose NOT to do the Push-Up between Chaturanga and Downward Facing Dog. I ALWAYS did that Push-Up, but today, I just couldn't. So, for most of the Vinyasa's that followed, no push-up. Near the end of the routine, I was warmed up enough that I was able to try it again without too much pain, but by last Vinyasa, it was out. Things went pretty well, but for the first time EVER, I wasn't sweating at the end of the "ONE" of the ONE-TWO-THREE progression. I started to drip in the middle of the THREE. I guess it was the coolness of the room that delayed the waterworks.
For the first standing progression, for the first time, I totally mucked up the Half-Moon Pose. I just couldn't keep balance... ON BOTH SIDES!!! Usually, my balance on one side is good, and not as good on the other, but today, I couldn't stay up for longer than a few seconds before I'd have to tap out. Then on the other moves/poses in the progression, just awful! My hip joint felt like it was going to pop, as well as my knee. I could barely get my back leg up on both sides for Stand Splits. All the way around, that first standing progression was terrible. When it came to the Crane Pose, my Triceps were way to tender to put my knees on them so I rested my knees just above my elbows. But again, I couldn't hold the balance for more than a few seconds. "Enjoying the journey" became all the harder.
Then, a big blow. One the Wrap, a pose I can usually do quite well, for the FIRST TIME EVER, I actually fell over backward... on BOTH SIDES!!! What was up??? I was failing at almost everything I, in the past, have been able to do, and do well. The only pose I feel even remotely satisfied with is Triangle. And even there, I didn't feel as "flat" as I usually do. The one and ONLY really positive thing that came out of the routine today was that hamstring stretch. I was very happy that I was able to reach down past my heel with a flat back. Also, I was happy that I was still able to get through the Ab progression despite not doing focused ab work. Most of my ab work is from tennis with all the core rotations required to hit the ball. But the burn did come on the last 10 reps of the last ab move. That's for sure!
I'm not even going to talk about the series with Plow.
I can honestly say, that I didn't "enjoy the journey". But I can also say that I didn't overtly "hate the journey" either. I know I have bad days, and this was one of them, exacerbated by the extreme soreness in my shoulders and triceps. So, I'll give it a go on another day, and hopefully, I'll do better then.
In my relatively relaxed state, I finished out with a Flow series. This time, I did a slow series just to really get into each move with good breathing.
In the end, I burned around 350kcals. I usually get around 450-500, but again, it was cool, and since I was tapping out a lot, I wasn't able to maintain the long push.
The soreness was progressive. It wasn't that bad in the morning, but as the day wore on, extending my arms and rotating my shoulders became more and more of a chore. By the time I got home, after my night class, I didn't know how I would do with a regular workout. A fleeting thought of doing X3 Yoga popped into my head, you know, just to get something done quickly, but then it popped right out. Then, for some reason, X2 Yoga popped in and lodged itself in my mind and from that point on, that was it.
There were a lot of firsts in this routine tonight. In the intro, Tony says, "Enjoy the journey". I usually do. But after Mountain Pose and then the neck stretches, and as we moved into the first Vinyasa, transitioning from Plank into Chaturanga, a shooting pain in my triceps stepped into the forefront of my calm demeanor. OUCH!!! That was a pain I hadn't experienced in a long time, or at least not in the memorable past. Then, Tony says, "Let's to FIVE SLOW PUSH-UPS." I did them in extreme pain and duress, and a lot slower than what Tony's pace was. So slow that my Child's Pose was cut to almost nothing. Then, for the next Vinyasa, for the first time EVER, I consciously chose NOT to do the Push-Up between Chaturanga and Downward Facing Dog. I ALWAYS did that Push-Up, but today, I just couldn't. So, for most of the Vinyasa's that followed, no push-up. Near the end of the routine, I was warmed up enough that I was able to try it again without too much pain, but by last Vinyasa, it was out. Things went pretty well, but for the first time EVER, I wasn't sweating at the end of the "ONE" of the ONE-TWO-THREE progression. I started to drip in the middle of the THREE. I guess it was the coolness of the room that delayed the waterworks.
For the first standing progression, for the first time, I totally mucked up the Half-Moon Pose. I just couldn't keep balance... ON BOTH SIDES!!! Usually, my balance on one side is good, and not as good on the other, but today, I couldn't stay up for longer than a few seconds before I'd have to tap out. Then on the other moves/poses in the progression, just awful! My hip joint felt like it was going to pop, as well as my knee. I could barely get my back leg up on both sides for Stand Splits. All the way around, that first standing progression was terrible. When it came to the Crane Pose, my Triceps were way to tender to put my knees on them so I rested my knees just above my elbows. But again, I couldn't hold the balance for more than a few seconds. "Enjoying the journey" became all the harder.
Then, a big blow. One the Wrap, a pose I can usually do quite well, for the FIRST TIME EVER, I actually fell over backward... on BOTH SIDES!!! What was up??? I was failing at almost everything I, in the past, have been able to do, and do well. The only pose I feel even remotely satisfied with is Triangle. And even there, I didn't feel as "flat" as I usually do. The one and ONLY really positive thing that came out of the routine today was that hamstring stretch. I was very happy that I was able to reach down past my heel with a flat back. Also, I was happy that I was still able to get through the Ab progression despite not doing focused ab work. Most of my ab work is from tennis with all the core rotations required to hit the ball. But the burn did come on the last 10 reps of the last ab move. That's for sure!
I'm not even going to talk about the series with Plow.
I can honestly say, that I didn't "enjoy the journey". But I can also say that I didn't overtly "hate the journey" either. I know I have bad days, and this was one of them, exacerbated by the extreme soreness in my shoulders and triceps. So, I'll give it a go on another day, and hopefully, I'll do better then.
In my relatively relaxed state, I finished out with a Flow series. This time, I did a slow series just to really get into each move with good breathing.
In the end, I burned around 350kcals. I usually get around 450-500, but again, it was cool, and since I was tapping out a lot, I wasn't able to maintain the long push.
Monday, November 20, 2017
11-20-17 (Monday) HY: Supreme 90-Day - Chest, Shoulders & Tris + Pull-Up Challenge Bonus +TCF.
11-20-17 (Monday) HY: Supreme 90-Day - Chest, Shoulders & Tris + Pull-Up Challenge Bonus +TCF.
I was getting my gear together for Pickle-Ball when I got a message from John saying that he was under the weather and needed to cancel today's game. The good thing is that I didn't have to lug the gear to school, but my mind immediately went to what kind of workout I would do after work. I was thinking to continue the Body Weight BOOM program that I started at the beginning of November, but I figured that since I had taken too long of a break from it, I stop it for now and start it up again when I feel it is appropriate. So since that is decided, I knew I would have to do some sort of resistance routine since I haven't done an intense one for a few weeks. In searching for a routine, I discovered that there was one routine in Supreme 90-Day that I hadn't done yet, aside from "Legs". So I picked it up and went for it. I also wanted to keep up my Pull-Ups, not necessarily with the Pull-Up Challenge program, but using the pattern I used with it. So the little hybrid was born.
It has been about 19 months since I last did this routine, so I knew I wanted to watch my weights, because I wouldn't be able to lift what I did then. As is the norm in Supreme 90-Day, the warm up is a core circuit. I pretty much did the first two moves as is, but I amped up the third move. Instead of just a simple Ball Exchange, I did a set of V-Ups instead. Way more intense than the original move, and I felt it burn hard.
Before the main workout, I did three sets of Pull-Ups. Just 6reps with the three grips. Felt good, I could have done more, but I wanted to pace myself.
Circuit 1 - Oblique Push-Ups (Spider Push-Ups), Arnold Press, Triceps Kickbacks done in 3 rounds. Everything went as planned, but the 3rd set of Spider Push-Ups were brutal. I hit failure at 10 reps. I took a few breaths then finished out the last 6 reps. Arms were major pumped. The Arnold Presses were tough from the start. I used 12kgs to begin with, and that proved to be a bit too much, I couldn't get to 15 reps, so I did a 10-5 split, second set was a 8-7 split. For the 3rd round, upped the weight to 14.5kgs and did a 6-4 split. Each split was at failure. Triceps Kickbacks were straight all three round, even on the upped weight, but I lowered the rep count to 10. My arms were already feeling incredibly pumped.
Just one set of 6reps of Chin-Ups. Stayed on the bar the whole time, but took a breathing break after the 4th rep.
Circuit 2 - Alt. Chest Press, Alt. Shoulder Press, Triceps Extension/Pull Across. For the Chest Press, I thought I could go with 14.5kgs, but I tried a rep and immediately knew it was too heavy, so I went down to 12kgs. It was alternating so I did a total of 30 reps. By the end of it, I was feeling the burn, right to failure. I couldn't have done one more rep. And that was just the first round. I guess I just needed a little warm up, because the second round was better. So I went up a little, to 14.5kgs for the third round, and my arms were shaking like palm trees in a hurricane. Only got to 20reps. I had to drop way down to 8.75kgs for the Shoulder Press. And that was too much. I needed a 20-10 split in first two rounds. I went up a bit to 12kgs for the third round and only got to 16reps. But surprisingly, it was a straight set. The Triceps Extension/Pull Across was okay for the first two rounds... sort of. The end of the second round, especially on my left, my form said, "bye-bye". I was flaring my elbow, and dropping it on the Pull across just to get the weight up. The big difference is that I went up in weight for the second set because the first set was straight. Maybe that was a mistake. On the third set, I went up to 8.75kgs and unfortunately, that definitely was a mistake. My form was gone for most of the set, and I got only 8reps on each side. By this time my arms were feeling fried.
Did one set of 6reps of Pull-Ups. This set was easier than the first set after the warm up. But I needed a Breath break at each 2reps.
Circuit 3 - Chest Press/Leg Raise, Plank/Alt. Arm Fly, Lying Triceps Extension. When I picked up the 14.5kgs for the Chest Press, I didn't think I'd be able to get them up. But somehow I did. But my arms were totally shaking the whole time, all three rounds. I failed on the final rep. All three round for the Plank/Alt. Arm Raise were good. Mirrored the last time, but my left shoulder had that kink in it. And I just about hit failure at the end. My Triceps were feeling totally FRIED, so I kept the weights the same for the first two rounds then went up for only the last round. Arms were noodles.
Did one set of 6reps of Parallel Grip. I did them after the cool down, so the felt pretty good. Breath break at 4reps.
I finished out the workout with my usual Flow series. Arms almost didn't work, they were so blown.
In the end, I burned a good 1060+kcals. Surprising for an upper body routine. When I took my shower, I could barely lift my arms to shampoo my hair. A good FRY-day.
Sunday, November 19, 2017
11-19-17 (Sunday) HY: Tennis + TCF.
11-19-17 (Sunday) HY: Tennis + TCF.
First of all, quick report about last week. As you can see, I only had three workouts last week. Sunday tennis, Monday Pickle-Ball, and Wednesday tennis. The big reason for that is because Monday night, I was feeling extra tired all over and it carried on through to Tuesday. My throat was scratchy and I felt a little warm. So, I decided to take Tuesday off. I felt better on Wednesday so I tried going to tennis. But after tennis, the cold had taken its toll on me and I had a full blown cold, complete with scratchy throat, aches, pains, runny nose, and exhaustion. So I took the rest of the week off. I felt really good on Saturday, so I decided that I was good for Tennis today.
Today, there weren't many people from the beginning. Just about 12 people on 2 courts. And 3 were beginners with one coach, also a member. So there were 8 of us on 1 and a half courts so they got two kinds of drills running, Volley stroke on the half court and then Serve and return on the full court. Then we would rotate. No rest at all for almost 90 minutes. Finally with the drill switch we got our first breather. I still didn't feel comfortable. I just can't seem to find a good contact point. One thing did feel better though. The past couple week, I have felt that my strings were getting loose and with heavy spin, sure enough, they were. So last night, I installed a full complement of string lock in my strings to bring back some tension. I instantly felt the difference. I was able to feel a good vibe with good strokes so I was satisfied. Now, I just need to get used to playing in the cold.
Yes, it was cold. Not as cold as Wednesday, but cold enough to force me to play the whole session with my jacket on. There was one time I was quite warm from the drills that I removed my jacket, but when the drill was shifted and we gathered balls, I got cold again. After that, the jacket stayed on till the end.
My strokes were a little better as well as my serves, but I just couldn't get the groove. I was too unstable and erratic in my play. Again, I think it is just me not used to playing in the cold. But I need to get used to that because I'm planning to play in a tournament in January. It is a single tournament, the same tournament that my son played in last year. I didn't want to play then, but when I saw the people playing, I figured I'd give it a try next year. I never expected that I'd be in a tennis club though, so I'm getting in tons more practice than I ever thought I would. So, this is good for me to get this junk out of my system now so I can peak by January.
As usual, I was able to do my Flow when I got home.
In the end, After a good 4 hours of tennis, I burned a nice 2493kcals. I'm sure it would have been over 3000 if it was in summer. I'm still feeling good as I type this, so I think I'm through the cold. I'm ready for Pickle-Ball tomorrow.
First of all, quick report about last week. As you can see, I only had three workouts last week. Sunday tennis, Monday Pickle-Ball, and Wednesday tennis. The big reason for that is because Monday night, I was feeling extra tired all over and it carried on through to Tuesday. My throat was scratchy and I felt a little warm. So, I decided to take Tuesday off. I felt better on Wednesday so I tried going to tennis. But after tennis, the cold had taken its toll on me and I had a full blown cold, complete with scratchy throat, aches, pains, runny nose, and exhaustion. So I took the rest of the week off. I felt really good on Saturday, so I decided that I was good for Tennis today.
Today, there weren't many people from the beginning. Just about 12 people on 2 courts. And 3 were beginners with one coach, also a member. So there were 8 of us on 1 and a half courts so they got two kinds of drills running, Volley stroke on the half court and then Serve and return on the full court. Then we would rotate. No rest at all for almost 90 minutes. Finally with the drill switch we got our first breather. I still didn't feel comfortable. I just can't seem to find a good contact point. One thing did feel better though. The past couple week, I have felt that my strings were getting loose and with heavy spin, sure enough, they were. So last night, I installed a full complement of string lock in my strings to bring back some tension. I instantly felt the difference. I was able to feel a good vibe with good strokes so I was satisfied. Now, I just need to get used to playing in the cold.
Yes, it was cold. Not as cold as Wednesday, but cold enough to force me to play the whole session with my jacket on. There was one time I was quite warm from the drills that I removed my jacket, but when the drill was shifted and we gathered balls, I got cold again. After that, the jacket stayed on till the end.
My strokes were a little better as well as my serves, but I just couldn't get the groove. I was too unstable and erratic in my play. Again, I think it is just me not used to playing in the cold. But I need to get used to that because I'm planning to play in a tournament in January. It is a single tournament, the same tournament that my son played in last year. I didn't want to play then, but when I saw the people playing, I figured I'd give it a try next year. I never expected that I'd be in a tennis club though, so I'm getting in tons more practice than I ever thought I would. So, this is good for me to get this junk out of my system now so I can peak by January.
As usual, I was able to do my Flow when I got home.
In the end, After a good 4 hours of tennis, I burned a nice 2493kcals. I'm sure it would have been over 3000 if it was in summer. I'm still feeling good as I type this, so I think I'm through the cold. I'm ready for Pickle-Ball tomorrow.
11-15-17 HY: (Wednesday) Tennis + TCF.
11-15-17 (Wednesday) HY: Tennis + TCF.
Today, tennis was at the courts near my house so I was glad that I could take it a little easy after work before going to the courts. I was so looking forward to playing tennis tonight, but what I wasn't look forward to or even expecting was the fact that it was chilling cold. It wasn't "Freezing" cold but it was pretty close. It actually was 6 degrees Celsius. I did warm up and sweat while playing, but if I stopped moving, the chill came and would make my wet clothes feel like it was freezing. I did have my workout jacket on, which kept my body heat near my body, but keeping warm was all dependent on me keeping moving. So move I did.
The menu was the usual drills, but at first there were only a few people. I thought that not too many people would come because of the cold, but after about half an hour, there were 16 people playing on two courts. So we were rotating at a quick pace. I was feeling good the last time I played, like I was finally hitting my stride and my rhythm with my strokes. But I think the cold did something to me tonight. I just never felt quite comfortable. I hit a few good shots and had a few good rallies, but that nice, "In the Groove" feeling just never surfaced. The weirdest thing was when I was serving. The sky was pitch black, so when I would toss the ball for my serve and the bright yellow ball had the back ground of black nothingness, I lost all depth perception and I couldn't tell where the ball was. It was the proverbial "Shooting blind" scenario. I was just swinging in the general direction of the ball. There was just something that made it so hard to see and perceive. But I got through it and I know that there will be more sessions like this before I get that groove back.
When I got home, I was free to do my Flow as usual.
In the end, I burned a nice 1050+kcals. I got my new transmitter just today and I was able to put it to quick use today.
Today, tennis was at the courts near my house so I was glad that I could take it a little easy after work before going to the courts. I was so looking forward to playing tennis tonight, but what I wasn't look forward to or even expecting was the fact that it was chilling cold. It wasn't "Freezing" cold but it was pretty close. It actually was 6 degrees Celsius. I did warm up and sweat while playing, but if I stopped moving, the chill came and would make my wet clothes feel like it was freezing. I did have my workout jacket on, which kept my body heat near my body, but keeping warm was all dependent on me keeping moving. So move I did.
The menu was the usual drills, but at first there were only a few people. I thought that not too many people would come because of the cold, but after about half an hour, there were 16 people playing on two courts. So we were rotating at a quick pace. I was feeling good the last time I played, like I was finally hitting my stride and my rhythm with my strokes. But I think the cold did something to me tonight. I just never felt quite comfortable. I hit a few good shots and had a few good rallies, but that nice, "In the Groove" feeling just never surfaced. The weirdest thing was when I was serving. The sky was pitch black, so when I would toss the ball for my serve and the bright yellow ball had the back ground of black nothingness, I lost all depth perception and I couldn't tell where the ball was. It was the proverbial "Shooting blind" scenario. I was just swinging in the general direction of the ball. There was just something that made it so hard to see and perceive. But I got through it and I know that there will be more sessions like this before I get that groove back.
When I got home, I was free to do my Flow as usual.
In the end, I burned a nice 1050+kcals. I got my new transmitter just today and I was able to put it to quick use today.
Monday, November 13, 2017
11-13-17 (Monday) HY: Pickle-Ball + TCF.
11-13-17 (Monday) HY: Pickle-Ball + TCF.
Today was my "as scheduled" Pickle-Ball day.
Today, we were able to get started a little early, so we played a total of 4 games. No suspense, I was able to sweep all four games. The first game was pretty competitive. We were trading serve quite a bit and both were hitting good shots. But I was able to get a good lead and keep it all the way through to the end of the game. 15-8. The second game, for the first half of the game, everything I did in the first game was not working. I was over-hitting, missing lines, netting easy returns, etc. I fell behind 2-13. Then suddenly, everything just started to click and I went on a run to 6, then 10, then 13. I lost serve at those breaks. Then I closed it out. It was really weird how things switched around. I just couldn't get anything going, then BAM Run Run Run. 15-13. I carried that run on into the next game and took a 14-0 lead. Eventually took the game 15-2. I just couldn't close out that game to get the bagel. I really wanted to, but a few good shots on John's part, a few changes in serve and he snagged two points. I kept it going in the fourth game also until I hit 13-2. Then I just stalled. I couldn't get it going. A lot of serve changes, some amazing shots, and a lot of hustle and a blowout started to get interesting. I, on the other hand was getting nervous. But, the come back stalled and I finally closed the game out, 15-8. I was feeling really good today. It seems like both our repertoire of shots has grown and we are getting more and more creative with shot selection and more daring with angles and going for the lines. It is really getting competitive. But sometimes, like today, one of us is just on and things happen.
When I got home, my Flow was waiting completion.
In the end, I don't know how many calories I burned because of the dead transceiver. But I would guess that it was as usual, just over 1000kcals. It could be a little less, because the gym was pretty cool, and I didn't sweat as much as I normally would have. Great fun today!
Today was my "as scheduled" Pickle-Ball day.
Today, we were able to get started a little early, so we played a total of 4 games. No suspense, I was able to sweep all four games. The first game was pretty competitive. We were trading serve quite a bit and both were hitting good shots. But I was able to get a good lead and keep it all the way through to the end of the game. 15-8. The second game, for the first half of the game, everything I did in the first game was not working. I was over-hitting, missing lines, netting easy returns, etc. I fell behind 2-13. Then suddenly, everything just started to click and I went on a run to 6, then 10, then 13. I lost serve at those breaks. Then I closed it out. It was really weird how things switched around. I just couldn't get anything going, then BAM Run Run Run. 15-13. I carried that run on into the next game and took a 14-0 lead. Eventually took the game 15-2. I just couldn't close out that game to get the bagel. I really wanted to, but a few good shots on John's part, a few changes in serve and he snagged two points. I kept it going in the fourth game also until I hit 13-2. Then I just stalled. I couldn't get it going. A lot of serve changes, some amazing shots, and a lot of hustle and a blowout started to get interesting. I, on the other hand was getting nervous. But, the come back stalled and I finally closed the game out, 15-8. I was feeling really good today. It seems like both our repertoire of shots has grown and we are getting more and more creative with shot selection and more daring with angles and going for the lines. It is really getting competitive. But sometimes, like today, one of us is just on and things happen.
When I got home, my Flow was waiting completion.
In the end, I don't know how many calories I burned because of the dead transceiver. But I would guess that it was as usual, just over 1000kcals. It could be a little less, because the gym was pretty cool, and I didn't sweat as much as I normally would have. Great fun today!
Sunday, November 12, 2017
11-12-17 (Sunday) HY: Tennis + TCF.
11-12-17 (Sunday) HY: Tennis + TCF.
I wasn't actually planning to play tennis today because I normally would be working part-time doing some English Interviews. But I didn't get asked this time so I was free. I was bummed at missing a good payday, but happy that I was able to play tennis.
It was a beautiful day. Just the perfect combination of clouds and sun. It was chilly in the shade, but warm in the sun. Sunday's are 3-hour sessions so I was ready for a good session. It was a full training menu today, stroke practice with volley practice. My strokes were feeling good. I was making good contact and brushing the ball well. My volleys felt good as well. Then serve and return practice. After a good warm-up round, I started to put some power into my serves and I was hitting some incredible spots. Getting good spin and power on both first and second serves. It was like that for 2 cycles. Then it was my turn to do return practice, and I was stroking the ball well. Still quite a bit of inconsistency with bad bounces, but I'm adjusting. Then, when I got back to serving, I had gone cold. I wasn't feeling it anymore. I couldn't get anything in. I had gone totally off the boil. Something was wrong and I couldn't fix it. A good 30-minutes for each skill. Then we had the chance to play matches with ATP Next-Gen rules. I was in the first match and serving first, with new balls. I almost double faulted the whole game away. I double faulted to Love-40 then finally I got one in and got the point. But double faulted on the next serve. In my next service game, I got a few serves in, but then my strokes went cold. We got it to deuce, but then the double fault bug hit again. But even though I lost both my service games, we still won the set. 4-3. After sitting out and watching the second grouping matches, I played again with another partner. I lost my one service game, and we ended up losing the set on game count, 1-3. We didn't have time to finish. I did have a few good points and I was happy that I got in a few good poaches, but I was disappointed with my overall match play performance. I need to do much better than what I did today.
I was able to do my Flow series in the evening after my legs got a little rested.
In the end, when I was checking my HRM after tennis, I discovered that my transceiver had died. Over three hours of tennis, my HRM usually reads over 2000kcals burned, but today, it had stopped recieving data until 800kcals. The timer was still running, so I have the time, but only 800kcals burned. Even though it was cooler than usual, I'm sure I burned way more than that today. I promptly ordered a new transceiver from Amazon and it should arrive on Tuesday. So no calorie burn count for tomorrow. Great start to my week! Great just because I was able to play, not because of my performance. But the challenge to improve is ON!
I wasn't actually planning to play tennis today because I normally would be working part-time doing some English Interviews. But I didn't get asked this time so I was free. I was bummed at missing a good payday, but happy that I was able to play tennis.
It was a beautiful day. Just the perfect combination of clouds and sun. It was chilly in the shade, but warm in the sun. Sunday's are 3-hour sessions so I was ready for a good session. It was a full training menu today, stroke practice with volley practice. My strokes were feeling good. I was making good contact and brushing the ball well. My volleys felt good as well. Then serve and return practice. After a good warm-up round, I started to put some power into my serves and I was hitting some incredible spots. Getting good spin and power on both first and second serves. It was like that for 2 cycles. Then it was my turn to do return practice, and I was stroking the ball well. Still quite a bit of inconsistency with bad bounces, but I'm adjusting. Then, when I got back to serving, I had gone cold. I wasn't feeling it anymore. I couldn't get anything in. I had gone totally off the boil. Something was wrong and I couldn't fix it. A good 30-minutes for each skill. Then we had the chance to play matches with ATP Next-Gen rules. I was in the first match and serving first, with new balls. I almost double faulted the whole game away. I double faulted to Love-40 then finally I got one in and got the point. But double faulted on the next serve. In my next service game, I got a few serves in, but then my strokes went cold. We got it to deuce, but then the double fault bug hit again. But even though I lost both my service games, we still won the set. 4-3. After sitting out and watching the second grouping matches, I played again with another partner. I lost my one service game, and we ended up losing the set on game count, 1-3. We didn't have time to finish. I did have a few good points and I was happy that I got in a few good poaches, but I was disappointed with my overall match play performance. I need to do much better than what I did today.
I was able to do my Flow series in the evening after my legs got a little rested.
In the end, when I was checking my HRM after tennis, I discovered that my transceiver had died. Over three hours of tennis, my HRM usually reads over 2000kcals burned, but today, it had stopped recieving data until 800kcals. The timer was still running, so I have the time, but only 800kcals burned. Even though it was cooler than usual, I'm sure I burned way more than that today. I promptly ordered a new transceiver from Amazon and it should arrive on Tuesday. So no calorie burn count for tomorrow. Great start to my week! Great just because I was able to play, not because of my performance. But the challenge to improve is ON!
11-10-17 (Friday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + Body Weight BOOM + PUC + TCF.
11-10-17 (Friday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + Body Weight BOOM + PUC + TCF.
Today, I was in a huge (or should I say small) time crunch. I had just over forty-five minutes to complete my workout. I would like to say that it was because I was late getting home, but I actually got home pretty early. I was procrastinating and let the time slip away. So, I had to push hard to get through the routine.
After doing Cold Start, I began the routine right away. Today was Day 3, so it was back to the same set of four moves as I did on Tuesday: Low-to-High Plank (10 reps on each side for a total of 20 reps), Balance Lateral Toe Touch (10 reps on each side), Scorpions (10 reps on each side), and 1 1/4 Squats (20 reps). But this time, I went for speed while trying to keep good form. I think I succeeded in keep good form throughout the routine. I really tried to go as fast as I could on the first move through all 5 rounds. My fastest time was close to 32 seconds for all 20 reps. For the Lateral Toe Touch, each round increased in intensity by the position of my raised leg. First, it went straight back while straight. Second, it went back while bent. Third, Ankles stayed close. Fourth, it went out to the side. And Fifth round, my raised leg went forward. I patterned that series after the similar move in P90X3's Triometrics. Worked and killed like a charm. I couldn't really "GO FAST" on the second and third moves (Scorpions were Scorpions) because of their nature, but the final move, I went as fast as I could keeping good form and keeping full range of motion. I cut the break as well, only about 45 seconds at most before starting up again. I checked my HRM afterwards and at some point in the routine, my heart rate jumped to over 200bpm. I guess I was pushing harder than I thought. Overall, it was good. Next time, if I am not in a time crunch, I'll have to add a little something something to intensify the moves that can be intensified.
By this time, time was short, so I didn't do a full day of Pull-Ups. Rather, I just did one round of the three grips at 5 reps each. Hammered those 15 reps out quick and then finished off with a Flow series. I just made it!
In the end, I burned a little over 500kcals. A rushed workout, but glad to get it in so I could keep my off day off. Happy Weekend, Everyone!
Today, I was in a huge (or should I say small) time crunch. I had just over forty-five minutes to complete my workout. I would like to say that it was because I was late getting home, but I actually got home pretty early. I was procrastinating and let the time slip away. So, I had to push hard to get through the routine.
After doing Cold Start, I began the routine right away. Today was Day 3, so it was back to the same set of four moves as I did on Tuesday: Low-to-High Plank (10 reps on each side for a total of 20 reps), Balance Lateral Toe Touch (10 reps on each side), Scorpions (10 reps on each side), and 1 1/4 Squats (20 reps). But this time, I went for speed while trying to keep good form. I think I succeeded in keep good form throughout the routine. I really tried to go as fast as I could on the first move through all 5 rounds. My fastest time was close to 32 seconds for all 20 reps. For the Lateral Toe Touch, each round increased in intensity by the position of my raised leg. First, it went straight back while straight. Second, it went back while bent. Third, Ankles stayed close. Fourth, it went out to the side. And Fifth round, my raised leg went forward. I patterned that series after the similar move in P90X3's Triometrics. Worked and killed like a charm. I couldn't really "GO FAST" on the second and third moves (Scorpions were Scorpions) because of their nature, but the final move, I went as fast as I could keeping good form and keeping full range of motion. I cut the break as well, only about 45 seconds at most before starting up again. I checked my HRM afterwards and at some point in the routine, my heart rate jumped to over 200bpm. I guess I was pushing harder than I thought. Overall, it was good. Next time, if I am not in a time crunch, I'll have to add a little something something to intensify the moves that can be intensified.
By this time, time was short, so I didn't do a full day of Pull-Ups. Rather, I just did one round of the three grips at 5 reps each. Hammered those 15 reps out quick and then finished off with a Flow series. I just made it!
In the end, I burned a little over 500kcals. A rushed workout, but glad to get it in so I could keep my off day off. Happy Weekend, Everyone!
11-09-17 (Thursday) HY: Body Weight BOOM + Pull-Up Challenge + TCF.
11-09-17 (Thursday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + Body Weight BOOM + Pull-Up Challenge + TCF.
I had a little more time so I warmed up with Cold Start. Really needed that warm up! Today was Day 2 of the Body Weight BOOM program. It consists of a new set of four moves in the circuit done in 5 rounds. The four moves are: Burpees (10 reps), 1 1/4 Lunges (10 reps per side), Fast Scissor Kick (30 seconds), Side Plank (30 seconds per side). The moves seem pretty harmless at first. I felt a little unchallenged doing just regular Burpees, so I added the Push-Up for a little intensity. I did that style for 3 sets, but on the last two sets, I added the Tuck Jump. I died at the end. Intensity CITY!!! The move of the day was the Lunge. 20 reps total per. To raise intensity, I tapped my back knee on the ground to get the full range of motion. After the first set, my quads were on FIRE!!! It was totally dying after that move. I needed a little extra break time to shake out my legs and stretch them out. Every set was a task that just burned more each round. The Scissor Kick is a core move and it was the first round was tough, I almost hit failure, but it actually got a little less intense in the later rounds. The final move, Side Planks, were a good respite from the other intense moves. But in the last two rounds, I could feel the strain coming on. For the last two timed moves, in the last round, I added 10 seconds to the time just because. There were a few times during the first two moves that I lost count. Although I ended with "10", I most likely did a few more reps than that. At the end of this routine, my legs were absolutely Jello-ish! Just shaking like wet leaves as I was walking down the stairs. Great workout!
I also started to feel like I was losing some Pull-Up strength, so I decided to incorporate the Pull-Up Challenge I did last month in to my routine program. So, today, I went back to the first day menu and did those sets. Two sets each of the three main grips, Pull 4/Chin 6/Parallel 5. I felt good with the first go through, but there was a little bit of a struggle in the second round, but still, I was able to complete each set with no breaks. I really want to keep #PullUpStrong.
I finished off the workout with a good series of Flows.
In the end, I burned 700+kcals. I got a good pump and burn today. Really felt like a full-body workout.
I had a little more time so I warmed up with Cold Start. Really needed that warm up! Today was Day 2 of the Body Weight BOOM program. It consists of a new set of four moves in the circuit done in 5 rounds. The four moves are: Burpees (10 reps), 1 1/4 Lunges (10 reps per side), Fast Scissor Kick (30 seconds), Side Plank (30 seconds per side). The moves seem pretty harmless at first. I felt a little unchallenged doing just regular Burpees, so I added the Push-Up for a little intensity. I did that style for 3 sets, but on the last two sets, I added the Tuck Jump. I died at the end. Intensity CITY!!! The move of the day was the Lunge. 20 reps total per. To raise intensity, I tapped my back knee on the ground to get the full range of motion. After the first set, my quads were on FIRE!!! It was totally dying after that move. I needed a little extra break time to shake out my legs and stretch them out. Every set was a task that just burned more each round. The Scissor Kick is a core move and it was the first round was tough, I almost hit failure, but it actually got a little less intense in the later rounds. The final move, Side Planks, were a good respite from the other intense moves. But in the last two rounds, I could feel the strain coming on. For the last two timed moves, in the last round, I added 10 seconds to the time just because. There were a few times during the first two moves that I lost count. Although I ended with "10", I most likely did a few more reps than that. At the end of this routine, my legs were absolutely Jello-ish! Just shaking like wet leaves as I was walking down the stairs. Great workout!
I also started to feel like I was losing some Pull-Up strength, so I decided to incorporate the Pull-Up Challenge I did last month in to my routine program. So, today, I went back to the first day menu and did those sets. Two sets each of the three main grips, Pull 4/Chin 6/Parallel 5. I felt good with the first go through, but there was a little bit of a struggle in the second round, but still, I was able to complete each set with no breaks. I really want to keep #PullUpStrong.
I finished off the workout with a good series of Flows.
In the end, I burned 700+kcals. I got a good pump and burn today. Really felt like a full-body workout.
11-08-17 (Wednesday) Tennis + TCF.
11-08-17 (Wednesday) Tennis + TCF.
I was able to switch my Wednesday night class to Tuesday so Wednesday tennis was on. Good thing too, because it was at the far venue so I needed every minute I had to get there on time after work.
It was a good session. Negatives first, for some reason there was no service practice tonight. I am assuming the reason is because the number of people at the practice. We had 18 on two courts so there was a lot of shifting around. But there were some good stroke practice drills as well as volley practice drills. I got a good sweat on in spite of the cooler temperatures even though were indoors. I got the impression that there were a lot of low balls today, because in order to keep good form, I was doing a lot of squat/lunges. Seems more than usual. It was a good evening. I was able to end everything with a good series of Flows at home, legs tired.
In the end, I burned a good 1000+kcals. I'm glad I could make it again to a mid-week tennis session. Hope I can keep making them.
Before I forget, here is my October calendar. I had a good month!
I was able to switch my Wednesday night class to Tuesday so Wednesday tennis was on. Good thing too, because it was at the far venue so I needed every minute I had to get there on time after work.
It was a good session. Negatives first, for some reason there was no service practice tonight. I am assuming the reason is because the number of people at the practice. We had 18 on two courts so there was a lot of shifting around. But there were some good stroke practice drills as well as volley practice drills. I got a good sweat on in spite of the cooler temperatures even though were indoors. I got the impression that there were a lot of low balls today, because in order to keep good form, I was doing a lot of squat/lunges. Seems more than usual. It was a good evening. I was able to end everything with a good series of Flows at home, legs tired.
In the end, I burned a good 1000+kcals. I'm glad I could make it again to a mid-week tennis session. Hope I can keep making them.
Before I forget, here is my October calendar. I had a good month!
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
11-07-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + Body Weight Boom + TCF.
11-07-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + Body Weight Boom + TCF.
Due to another schedule change, I had to do a morning workout today. There will be several schedule changes in the next few months, so I have to be able to roll with the punches. Often times, these changes will put pressure on my time, putting me into a time crunch, so I had to choose a program that would allow for flexibility. I will introduce that program in a bit. But first, how I started the day.
I was still feeling a bit tired upon waking up. After a morning shake, I got right to my workout. My body was still tight, so I decided to do Cold Start. As billed, it warmed me up and loosened me up, enough to feel ready to start my workout.
The program I am starting today is called, "Body Weight BOOM". It is a 30-Day program that is supposed to tone and strengthen. The first week is made up of two unique routines that are done alternately for 5 days with two rest days. I will be doing all the routines, but not entirely as scheduled, but rather as fillers for when I don't do either tennis or pickle-ball. Today's routine, as the other routine this week, consists of 4 moves: Low-to-High Plank (10 reps on each side for a total of 20 reps), Balance Lateral Toe Touch (10 reps on each side), Scorpions (10 reps on each side), and 1 1/4 Squats (20 reps). These four moves were done in 5 sets. The whole routine took just under 30 minutes. I was fine in the first two rounds, but I started to feel it from the third round. At the same time, I picked up my pace while keeping form. I also worked on TUT on all the target muscles for each move. It was a surprisingly good workout. I look forward to the rest of the program.
I finished off with a Flow series.
In the end, I burned only 465kcals, but I finished in under an hour so that was to be expected. Also, the cooler temperatures added to the lower burn. It was a good beginning. Next time though, I will be adding a round or two of pull-ups to maintain that strength.
Due to another schedule change, I had to do a morning workout today. There will be several schedule changes in the next few months, so I have to be able to roll with the punches. Often times, these changes will put pressure on my time, putting me into a time crunch, so I had to choose a program that would allow for flexibility. I will introduce that program in a bit. But first, how I started the day.
I was still feeling a bit tired upon waking up. After a morning shake, I got right to my workout. My body was still tight, so I decided to do Cold Start. As billed, it warmed me up and loosened me up, enough to feel ready to start my workout.
The program I am starting today is called, "Body Weight BOOM". It is a 30-Day program that is supposed to tone and strengthen. The first week is made up of two unique routines that are done alternately for 5 days with two rest days. I will be doing all the routines, but not entirely as scheduled, but rather as fillers for when I don't do either tennis or pickle-ball. Today's routine, as the other routine this week, consists of 4 moves: Low-to-High Plank (10 reps on each side for a total of 20 reps), Balance Lateral Toe Touch (10 reps on each side), Scorpions (10 reps on each side), and 1 1/4 Squats (20 reps). These four moves were done in 5 sets. The whole routine took just under 30 minutes. I was fine in the first two rounds, but I started to feel it from the third round. At the same time, I picked up my pace while keeping form. I also worked on TUT on all the target muscles for each move. It was a surprisingly good workout. I look forward to the rest of the program.
I finished off with a Flow series.
In the end, I burned only 465kcals, but I finished in under an hour so that was to be expected. Also, the cooler temperatures added to the lower burn. It was a good beginning. Next time though, I will be adding a round or two of pull-ups to maintain that strength.
Monday, November 6, 2017
11-06-17 (Monday) HY: Pickle-Ball + TCF.
11-06-17 (Monday) HY: Pickle-Ball + TCF.
After a 2-week break, we finally got back to playing Pickle-Ball today. It was a good session. But the stupid thing is that I forgot to bring my water bottle to the gym and I didn't have time to go and get it. So no water during the breaks between games. But luckily, it was a bit cool in the gym so I didn't sweat that much.
The games were highly competitive today. After a rigorous warm up, a little longer than usual, we started the match. I was in the lead for just the first part, then I got passed at 3-3. Then after many exchanges John jumped out to a big lead. 7-13. But I kept the pressure on and chipped away at the lead until I finally got the score to 13-13. And that is where my comeback fizzled out. I ended up losing the first game 13-15. But I came roaring back in the second and third games with a combination of power, touch, pin-pin accuracy, and fineness. The game scores were 15-7 and 15-8. A lot of great shot making from both ends of the court. There was one incredible save I made in the first game that I was surprised I got back. I was at a full stretch and got it back in a good place, but unfortunately, I ended up losing the point 3 strokes later. It was a great match. Finished the session with a great long Flow series.
In the end, I burned just over 900kcals. Normally I would have burned well over 1000kcals, but I think the low temps in the gym kept that number low. I was very happy to get back to playing Pickle-Ball. I don't think there will be too many changes until Xmas break.
After a 2-week break, we finally got back to playing Pickle-Ball today. It was a good session. But the stupid thing is that I forgot to bring my water bottle to the gym and I didn't have time to go and get it. So no water during the breaks between games. But luckily, it was a bit cool in the gym so I didn't sweat that much.
The games were highly competitive today. After a rigorous warm up, a little longer than usual, we started the match. I was in the lead for just the first part, then I got passed at 3-3. Then after many exchanges John jumped out to a big lead. 7-13. But I kept the pressure on and chipped away at the lead until I finally got the score to 13-13. And that is where my comeback fizzled out. I ended up losing the first game 13-15. But I came roaring back in the second and third games with a combination of power, touch, pin-pin accuracy, and fineness. The game scores were 15-7 and 15-8. A lot of great shot making from both ends of the court. There was one incredible save I made in the first game that I was surprised I got back. I was at a full stretch and got it back in a good place, but unfortunately, I ended up losing the point 3 strokes later. It was a great match. Finished the session with a great long Flow series.
In the end, I burned just over 900kcals. Normally I would have burned well over 1000kcals, but I think the low temps in the gym kept that number low. I was very happy to get back to playing Pickle-Ball. I don't think there will be too many changes until Xmas break.
11-03-17 to 11-05-17 Walking.
11-03-17 to 11-05-17 Walking + TCF.
Since Friday was a national holiday, my family and I took a trip to Tokyo to visit my son. I went there a year ago, but my wife and daughter has never been there. So, we went to see his life in the big city. Of course we rode the trains a lot, but at the same time, we did a ton of walking.
Here is the data for the three days, Steps and Distance.
May 3 - 16,761 Steps, 10.7 Km
May 4 - 14,052 Steps, 8.9 Km
May 5 - 14,406 Steps, 8.3 Km
We went all over the city visiting two universities, tourist sites, temples, the works. No straight lines. I had to weave in and out of crowds. At the end of the long weekend, my legs were exhausted. But I feel that I got a good workout at the end of each day.
I was able get in a good Flow series at the end of each day as well.
Since Friday was a national holiday, my family and I took a trip to Tokyo to visit my son. I went there a year ago, but my wife and daughter has never been there. So, we went to see his life in the big city. Of course we rode the trains a lot, but at the same time, we did a ton of walking.
Here is the data for the three days, Steps and Distance.
May 3 - 16,761 Steps, 10.7 Km
May 4 - 14,052 Steps, 8.9 Km
May 5 - 14,406 Steps, 8.3 Km
We went all over the city visiting two universities, tourist sites, temples, the works. No straight lines. I had to weave in and out of crowds. At the end of the long weekend, my legs were exhausted. But I feel that I got a good workout at the end of each day.
I was able get in a good Flow series at the end of each day as well.
11-02-17 (Thursday) HY: Supreme 90 Day - Back & Bi's + TCF.
11-02-17 (Thursday) HY: Supreme 90 Day - Back & Bi's + TCF.
I started the day with my workout. I chose this routine because I wanted to work my arms and because I thought it was going to be a shorter routine. There were only four circuits all three moves each. I thought they moves seemed relatively easy and straight forward, but it was a lot more intense than I thought. I was thinking only about 45 minutes, but it went close to 2 hours.
Basically, I went with a lower weight from last time in order to really hit the maximum range of motion. I slowed down the reps to put my muscles under longer time-under-tension. Below is my workout sheet with all the weights and reps counts. I kept the same protocol as before the previous routines, the first two rounds, I used the same weight, but I went up for the last round. In the first circuit, everything went well, but the second round In/Out Biceps Curl, I burned out twice and had to take quick breaks. But I guess I got a good second wind and and in the third round, I was able to get the full set in with no break at the higher weight, but lower rep count. Other than that, I was able to do the full set each time, just about hitting failure each time in the second and third rounds. I got a good pump and burn.
Since I was in a time crunch due to the duration miscalculation, I only had time for the Flow Series. All is well!
In the end, I was shocked to see that I had burned over 1000kcals in an upper body workout. I guess I was using a lot more lower body than I had expected.
I started the day with my workout. I chose this routine because I wanted to work my arms and because I thought it was going to be a shorter routine. There were only four circuits all three moves each. I thought they moves seemed relatively easy and straight forward, but it was a lot more intense than I thought. I was thinking only about 45 minutes, but it went close to 2 hours.
Basically, I went with a lower weight from last time in order to really hit the maximum range of motion. I slowed down the reps to put my muscles under longer time-under-tension. Below is my workout sheet with all the weights and reps counts. I kept the same protocol as before the previous routines, the first two rounds, I used the same weight, but I went up for the last round. In the first circuit, everything went well, but the second round In/Out Biceps Curl, I burned out twice and had to take quick breaks. But I guess I got a good second wind and and in the third round, I was able to get the full set in with no break at the higher weight, but lower rep count. Other than that, I was able to do the full set each time, just about hitting failure each time in the second and third rounds. I got a good pump and burn.
Since I was in a time crunch due to the duration miscalculation, I only had time for the Flow Series. All is well!
In the end, I was shocked to see that I had burned over 1000kcals in an upper body workout. I guess I was using a lot more lower body than I had expected.
11-01-17 (Wednesday) HY: Tennis + TCF.
11-01-17 (Wednesday) HY: Tennis + TCF.
Today's workout was a little shorter than usual because I had to rush from my night class to the courts. Wednesday is the night session for my tennis club. But I have to teach a night class three Wednesdays a month. So, depending on the court location, sometimes I can make it and sometimes I can't. Today, It was at the courts close to my home right on the way from work so I was able to make it. Plus, I was able to finish early so I got an extra 30+ minutes in. I was planning for just an hour, but thanks to the low attendance to the class, I was able to get out early.
There was a chill in the air, so I dressed warm. But the thing is, I warm up quick and wearing the warmer stuff makes me sweat more once I'm warmed up. So it is either I suffer the cold at the beginning or the heat later on. Live and learn. Since I was late, they allowed me to jump in and take the constant stroke practice. Today, I was in a good group so I was able to get in some good practice. I was able to power some balls and hit out. Sometimes, when I'm grouped with the less experienced, I feel bad pounding the ball, so I take it easy and practice more finesse play. But tonight was all about power. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get in on the server practice, but it was worth it to get in the good stroke practice.
When I got home, I was able to get in a Flow series before showering.
In the end, I burned a good 1000+kcals. So it was a good night for me.
Today's workout was a little shorter than usual because I had to rush from my night class to the courts. Wednesday is the night session for my tennis club. But I have to teach a night class three Wednesdays a month. So, depending on the court location, sometimes I can make it and sometimes I can't. Today, It was at the courts close to my home right on the way from work so I was able to make it. Plus, I was able to finish early so I got an extra 30+ minutes in. I was planning for just an hour, but thanks to the low attendance to the class, I was able to get out early.
There was a chill in the air, so I dressed warm. But the thing is, I warm up quick and wearing the warmer stuff makes me sweat more once I'm warmed up. So it is either I suffer the cold at the beginning or the heat later on. Live and learn. Since I was late, they allowed me to jump in and take the constant stroke practice. Today, I was in a good group so I was able to get in some good practice. I was able to power some balls and hit out. Sometimes, when I'm grouped with the less experienced, I feel bad pounding the ball, so I take it easy and practice more finesse play. But tonight was all about power. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get in on the server practice, but it was worth it to get in the good stroke practice.
When I got home, I was able to get in a Flow series before showering.
In the end, I burned a good 1000+kcals. So it was a good night for me.
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