1-04-17 (Thursday) HY: Ab EMS + P90X3 - Cold Start + Six-Pack Shortcuts - Upper Body Weights + Abs After 40 - A40 Abs + TCF.

1-04-17 (Thursday) HY: Ab EMS + P90X3 - Cold Start + Six-Pack Shortcuts - Upper Body Weights + Abs After 40 - A40 Abs + TCF.

Today was another relaxing, nothing to do day.  Got to wake up late again, around 10:30am, and just relax watching some news and TV shows, playing some games, catching up on SNS correspondence and posts, etc.  While at my computer, I got in the Ab EMS session, about 30 minutes worth of stimulation.  It was a little painful at first with the setting I chose, but I got used to it and then I could feel my abs working it.  My daughter had "voluntary" school, so she was gone, and my son was sleeping the day away.  My wife was busy as a bee, but taking time to relax as well here and there.  I helped with chores, too.  Anyway, around 6pm, I started getting ready for my workout and finally started around 6:30pm. 

I was debating as to whether or not I should do resistance or cardio today, and I decided on resistance because of all the tennis I did the past couple days.  But I didn't want to get into a set program on the last and only resistance day of the week.  I wanted a "One-Off" that was moderately intense.  I fell upon the Six-Pack Abs Upper Body Weights routine that I have done a few times in the past at just the exact similar situation.  It's not too long, and works all the major/glamour muscle groups.  I still haven't made a worksheet for this routine, but I will sometime in the future.  But for now, I will just type my weights for each round.  This routine is basically 6 moves, but I added a 7th because I wanted to get back to Pull-Ups and bar work.  Then those moves are done consecutively in four rounds.  As I started the routine, I realized that I was actually feeling a bit tight, so I stopped and got Cold Start out and did that Awesome warm Up routine.  It was perfect for what I needed it to do.  Here are the moves, weights, and rep counts:

1. Single Arm Row in Runners Lunge, Right then Left.  10 Reps each side.
R1 - 17kgs,  R2 - 17kgs, R3 - 17kgs,  R4 - 18.25kgs

2. Clapping Push-Ups, 10 Reps.
R1 to R4 - 10 reps each.

3. Standing Shoulder Presses, Both arms together. 10 Reps.
R1 to R3 - 14.5kgs, R4 - 15.75kgs.

4. Alternating Standing Biceps Curls, 10 Reps each side.
R1 to R3 - 12kgs.  R4 - 13.25kgs.

5. Single Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extensions, 20 Reps.
R1 - 17kgs, R2 to R4 - 18.25kgs.

6. Standing Shoulder Shrugs, 20 Reps.
R1 - 22kgs.  R2 to R3 - 23.5kgs. R4 - 25kgs.

7. Pull-Up Variations, 10 Reps.
R1 - Pull-Ups.  R2 - Chin-Ups.  R3 - Close Grip Pull-Ups.  R4 - Parallel Grip Pull-Ups.

I was feeling the pump and burn on each set from Round 2 on.  There was only one set in the whole routine that I tapped out before the assigned number of reps.  That was the Triceps Extensions in R4.  My Triceps were feeling almost fried in R3, but in R4, with the added weight, I only made it to 17 reps then I had to put the weight down.  But moments later, I picked it up again and pumped out 5 more reps until failure.  During the Pull-Ups, The first two rounds were no problem, but R3 was tough.  I had to hang a bit to rest, but I never got off the bar.  Working that Grip Strength.  I felt a little twinge of pain in my right forearm, but I got through each set without coming off the bar.  But I was really feeling the pump and burn.  It took a little longer than expected, but it seemed to go by really quickly, so I was happy.

Then I saw a little Ab routine that I haven't done yet, so I figured, "Eh? Why Not!".  It is also from Six-Pack Shortcuts, but with the transitional figure head after Mike Chang left.  The program is Abs After 40, or "A40" for short.  Basically, it is just four moves done consecutively, 10 Reps each with only 30 to 45 seconds of rest between rounds.  The moves aren't anything new, but the new thing is the order of the moves and their progression.  The guy says that the moves should be done in 3 rounds, but I did 4 rounds to keep continuity with the previous routine.  Here are the moves:

1.  Flutter Kick
2.  Knees Bent V-Ups
3.  In-and-Outs
4.  Reverse Crunches/Leg Raises

I blew through the first round, but I started to feel a big something in the second round, starting with the V-Ups.  And then from that point on, I was just barely making it through each move.  The following two rounds were brutal.  I felt the burn each move from the second move of the second round.  This was a lot tougher than I had expected.  I sure I'll come back to this one in the future.  Super BURN!!!

I closed out the evening with a lovely Flow Series.  It is really interesting doing the Flow with arms like rubber.

In the end, I burned 910kcals.  It was a lot more than I had expected to burn in a short time and for an Upper Body routine.  But I was happily surprised.  I'll Take It!!!  Tomorrow, I start back to work.  All my foreign colleagues were not happy to have to go back to work on Friday, especially since Monday is a national holiday.  We couldn't plan a longer vacation bridging the Winter Holiday and the National Holiday.  The admin just had to put that ONE school day in there.  But at least I had a good workout today.