Finishing 2018 with the TRI-Challenges.
Let me start by giving my review of the Challenges I did this month. December started off as a Quad-Challenge because I was doing 4 different challenges, three set up here, and a personal one of Pull-Ups. Near the end of the month, I had to abandon the Pull-Up challenge due to an injury in my left shoulder. The three other challenges were unaffected.
Burpees were fine until the rep count got up around the '40s. Then, they just weren't fun anymore. If there were off days, like every 5 days or so, it may have been different, but 31 days straight was tough. And with a compound move like Burpees, 45-50 reps take a LOOOONG time. I'm glad I did it, but I'm more glad it is finished.
The Pike-Up or V-Up challenge was a good one. There were several days when I doubled up on ab exercises because an ab section was embedded into a workout, and I made the mistake of doing this challenge after the routine. Then, I would barely get to 20 reps before I would have to take a break. But near the end, when I entered my Tennis Tournament Prep and I wasn't doing any regular routines, this challenge (along with the other two) became my main workout for each day. And, I was able to hit 50 reps in a single set. Then I'd have to finish out the last 2-10 reps in an extra set.
The Push-Up Challenge was my favorite. Since my month off from any type of regular exercise in September, when I started doing Push-Ups again in October, they were slow and labored. I really wanted to get back that explosive power I had previously so I was really putting a lot of expectations on this challenge. Well, I think I crushed it. By the middle of the month, I was feeling the power again and pumping out reps was much smoother and less labored until I started hitting my max zone. Today, I hit a personal record of 60 reps in a row. I was extremely happy with this challenge and my performance in it. As I said earlier, These three challenges ended up becoming my main workout this past week because I entered my tennis tournament prep period (I have a single tournament on January 2). So I was very thankful that I had this to get me up and moving on days when I didn't play any tennis. But it was definitely tough when I had to do the high reps after practice. I hope to do this type of challenge again.
Monday, December 31, 2018
Dec. 29. Saturday night bonus tennis.
December 29, Saturday. TRI-Challenge + Bonus Tennis Practice.
Saturdays are usually off days for me, but since the tennis tournament is coming up on Wednesday, I was invited by a member of my club to have an extra practice with another member who is planning to play in the January 2 tournament. So, the three of us went to the courts on a frigid Saturday night and practiced some match play in the singles format.
We started off with a little warm up, then did a little Stoke/Volley and Serve/Return and Smash practice, then we got right into singles matches. Out of the three of us, I have the least amount of tournament experience. This will be only my third singles tournament in two years. The others have played in several tournaments throughout the year. So I just wanted to try and get my head and mental game used to the singles format. I played in the first two matches, and I lost both matches 3-4. They were really good matches and close. The one match between the other two players, it wasn't even close, the younger guy won 4-0. So I didn't have to wait that long to play again. There wasn't a lot of time left, so we played Tie-Breakers. I easily won my first tie-breaker, 7-3, but lost the next one, 4-7. I lost the final tie-breaker 6-8. I should have won that one because I was up 6-3 serving, but I choked and lost five straight points. Weak mental game. I was stroking the ball well, and I hit some solid shots, and I was working points well, but when it came right down to it, my decision making failed me. I would try to hit the low percentage shot when I wasn't even in a good position or the ball was not in a good position. I need to be more patient and wait for my opportunities instead of trying to create them when it is ill-advised. Also, I caught myself on the majority of my service points instinctively walking to the doubles serving position instead of the singles position. And at times, I wasn't moving into the center because I was expecting my partner, who was non-existent, to be there to cover the return. I think I got the hang of it though, I was doing better by the end. All in all, it was a good practice that showed me what I need to do and what I need to be aware of on the 2nd.
I forgot to mention that before leaving for tennis, I did the TRI-Challenges so I wouldn't have to do them all tired and sweaty when I got home. Good decision!
In the end, I burned a good 1609 kcals. A good burn for a cold session. I'm ready as I'll ever be for the tournament!
Saturdays are usually off days for me, but since the tennis tournament is coming up on Wednesday, I was invited by a member of my club to have an extra practice with another member who is planning to play in the January 2 tournament. So, the three of us went to the courts on a frigid Saturday night and practiced some match play in the singles format.
We started off with a little warm up, then did a little Stoke/Volley and Serve/Return and Smash practice, then we got right into singles matches. Out of the three of us, I have the least amount of tournament experience. This will be only my third singles tournament in two years. The others have played in several tournaments throughout the year. So I just wanted to try and get my head and mental game used to the singles format. I played in the first two matches, and I lost both matches 3-4. They were really good matches and close. The one match between the other two players, it wasn't even close, the younger guy won 4-0. So I didn't have to wait that long to play again. There wasn't a lot of time left, so we played Tie-Breakers. I easily won my first tie-breaker, 7-3, but lost the next one, 4-7. I lost the final tie-breaker 6-8. I should have won that one because I was up 6-3 serving, but I choked and lost five straight points. Weak mental game. I was stroking the ball well, and I hit some solid shots, and I was working points well, but when it came right down to it, my decision making failed me. I would try to hit the low percentage shot when I wasn't even in a good position or the ball was not in a good position. I need to be more patient and wait for my opportunities instead of trying to create them when it is ill-advised. Also, I caught myself on the majority of my service points instinctively walking to the doubles serving position instead of the singles position. And at times, I wasn't moving into the center because I was expecting my partner, who was non-existent, to be there to cover the return. I think I got the hang of it though, I was doing better by the end. All in all, it was a good practice that showed me what I need to do and what I need to be aware of on the 2nd.
I forgot to mention that before leaving for tennis, I did the TRI-Challenges so I wouldn't have to do them all tired and sweaty when I got home. Good decision!
In the end, I burned a good 1609 kcals. A good burn for a cold session. I'm ready as I'll ever be for the tournament!
Dec. 27, LIIFT 4, end of week 2.
December 27, 2018, Thursday. HY: LIIFT 4 - Legs, HIIT + TRI-Challenges + TCF.
Today is the last day of week 2 in the LIIFT 4 program. I am not doing this program according to the calendar, rather, I'm doing the routines when I can and don't have tennis. So that is about twice a week, so one week basically takes me two weeks to finish. Also, after today, I will be entering my Tennis Tournament Prep period so not heavy weights, and mainly conditioning and tennis and playing with my daughter are my workouts and activity until after the tournament which is on January 2, 2019.
Today, Legs. I was a little wary of doing Legs in this program because the last time, I was so sore for almost a week afterward. But I discovered that the routine was not a weighted routine, but rather just a HIIT routine. So I went for it. Only four moves declining in time as the move gets more and more difficult. The moves were: 1. High-Knee Run for 60 seconds, 2. Triple Bear for 45 seconds (the form is like you are on your hands and knees but your knees are off the ground, so you are on your hands and toes. Then you hop from center-left-center-right-center, knees stay low), 3. High Jump Burpees for 30 seconds, 4. Alternating Lunge Jumps for 14 seconds. Each move has a 15 second break after it except for the last move at the end of the set which had a 30 second break.
There were 5 sets of those moves, but the last two sets were done doing all four moves for 30 seconds no breaks. That was sort of the burn out, and it was totally burning me out. Then of course, there was the Ab/Core round of two moves, 30 seconds each, in three rounds. and that was a killer part as well. It was a good workout. So good, that I decided to integrate the TRI-Challenge and count the moves in the routine towards my reps in the challenges. Good thing, because I was dead afterward.
I finished with a Flow series, but I was sweating like a pig, for sure!
In the end, I burned a good 581 kcals. Again, a pretty good number for a short workout.
Today is the last day of week 2 in the LIIFT 4 program. I am not doing this program according to the calendar, rather, I'm doing the routines when I can and don't have tennis. So that is about twice a week, so one week basically takes me two weeks to finish. Also, after today, I will be entering my Tennis Tournament Prep period so not heavy weights, and mainly conditioning and tennis and playing with my daughter are my workouts and activity until after the tournament which is on January 2, 2019.
Today, Legs. I was a little wary of doing Legs in this program because the last time, I was so sore for almost a week afterward. But I discovered that the routine was not a weighted routine, but rather just a HIIT routine. So I went for it. Only four moves declining in time as the move gets more and more difficult. The moves were: 1. High-Knee Run for 60 seconds, 2. Triple Bear for 45 seconds (the form is like you are on your hands and knees but your knees are off the ground, so you are on your hands and toes. Then you hop from center-left-center-right-center, knees stay low), 3. High Jump Burpees for 30 seconds, 4. Alternating Lunge Jumps for 14 seconds. Each move has a 15 second break after it except for the last move at the end of the set which had a 30 second break.
There were 5 sets of those moves, but the last two sets were done doing all four moves for 30 seconds no breaks. That was sort of the burn out, and it was totally burning me out. Then of course, there was the Ab/Core round of two moves, 30 seconds each, in three rounds. and that was a killer part as well. It was a good workout. So good, that I decided to integrate the TRI-Challenge and count the moves in the routine towards my reps in the challenges. Good thing, because I was dead afterward.
I finished with a Flow series, but I was sweating like a pig, for sure!
In the end, I burned a good 581 kcals. Again, a pretty good number for a short workout.
Dec. 26, Last official club tennis practice of 2018.
December 26, Wednesday. Tennis + Tri-Challenges.
Today, was a rainy day pretty much all morning. But fortunately, the rain let up around noon and the sun peeped out from behind the mostly cloudy skies. So, since it was not raining heavily, the practice went on as scheduled. However, we had practice at a new park that I had never been to. Getting directions was a little tough, but once I understood where it was, I was fine.
The new courts were still kind of wet and had puddles all over them so the first 15-20 minutes, we squeegeed the surface as best we could, but there were still wet spots that caused the ball to skid instead of bounce. Plus, the lights were a lot dimmer than normal court lights so it was really difficult to see the ball. Everyone was missing easy shots, and timing due to skidding was causing problems all over the place. But that forced us all to focus even harder and we were really zoning in on the ball. We eventually started to get the hang of playing through these conditions. Another thing about tonight was the fact that we had two courts and only 9 members showed up. So we were pretty much moving the whole night with virtually no rest. The menu was the same for the first two drills, Stroke/Volley and Service/Return in a double court rotation. But in the last 45 minutes, we did something a little different. Still using the double court rotation, one court was doing the regular Game-sim, and the other court was doing a game-sim but starting with an actual serve, but only from one side, The Deuce side, then after one rotation, we switched sides to the Ad side. For me, it was a lot of fun and I hit some really good shots, but of course, I shanked some points as well. But I was really playing well against certain players and junk against others. I still have a weak mental game, probably stemming from a lack of confidence and experience. I'll have to keep playing to get over that weakness. It was a good practice, albeit on a pretty cold night. I was wearing a warm pullover jacket that I needed to remove after warming up, but put back on when the wind started picking up. It just got too chilly.
When I got home, I did the TRI-Challenges and that was it.
In the end, I burned a good 1609 kcals. This was for around 90 minutes of play, so I was happy with that number.
Today, was a rainy day pretty much all morning. But fortunately, the rain let up around noon and the sun peeped out from behind the mostly cloudy skies. So, since it was not raining heavily, the practice went on as scheduled. However, we had practice at a new park that I had never been to. Getting directions was a little tough, but once I understood where it was, I was fine.
The new courts were still kind of wet and had puddles all over them so the first 15-20 minutes, we squeegeed the surface as best we could, but there were still wet spots that caused the ball to skid instead of bounce. Plus, the lights were a lot dimmer than normal court lights so it was really difficult to see the ball. Everyone was missing easy shots, and timing due to skidding was causing problems all over the place. But that forced us all to focus even harder and we were really zoning in on the ball. We eventually started to get the hang of playing through these conditions. Another thing about tonight was the fact that we had two courts and only 9 members showed up. So we were pretty much moving the whole night with virtually no rest. The menu was the same for the first two drills, Stroke/Volley and Service/Return in a double court rotation. But in the last 45 minutes, we did something a little different. Still using the double court rotation, one court was doing the regular Game-sim, and the other court was doing a game-sim but starting with an actual serve, but only from one side, The Deuce side, then after one rotation, we switched sides to the Ad side. For me, it was a lot of fun and I hit some really good shots, but of course, I shanked some points as well. But I was really playing well against certain players and junk against others. I still have a weak mental game, probably stemming from a lack of confidence and experience. I'll have to keep playing to get over that weakness. It was a good practice, albeit on a pretty cold night. I was wearing a warm pullover jacket that I needed to remove after warming up, but put back on when the wind started picking up. It just got too chilly.
When I got home, I did the TRI-Challenges and that was it.
In the end, I burned a good 1609 kcals. This was for around 90 minutes of play, so I was happy with that number.
Dec. 25. Xmas workout, From QUAD to TRI-Challenge
December 25, Tuesday, HY: Transform :20 + Tri-Challenge + TCF.
Merry Christmas! It is Christmas and there is basically no difference today than there is with any other normal day. Christmas isn't really celebrated here in Japan so my daughter had school, and businesses are still open. I had the day off because I worked on Monday which was a national holiday. So I got today as a replacement holiday.
Today's workout was a test routine for the new Shaun T program, "Transform :20". I did a little intro routine a couple weeks ago, but that was not even a full routine, just Shaun T doing a few of the moves for about 13 minutes. This was the first routine in this 60-Day program. I did this first look routine of Transform :20 and this is what I honestly thought of it. First of all, I did the modified version because I don't have a step thing so that would have made the routine much more painful, I'm sure. That being said, I thought it was okay. It really didn't wow me. It didn't kill me. Personally, I am not a fan of the "do a whole progression on one side then repeat on the other side" style of workout. That was my one big complaint about the PiYo program as well. It was much better than the 13-minute sneak peek "phone video" Shaun T posted a couple weeks ago mainly because of the countdown clock and the progress bar. This time, I knew (sort of) how much time I had left on any particular move. That being said, it was a little weird because most of the moves didn't start right on :00 or :30 so you have to really watch to make sure of the starting point. Since the moves are one-sided, it takes a little getting used to when switching sides. Several times during the routine, I got confused as two which side I was doing and had to rewind the video, check the move to make sure I was, in fact, doing the opposite side, then restart. It especially happened on the more complicated moves. There was one move were you lunge, step up, then raise the knee on the opposite leg and the hand opposite that leg. So it was a mess this time around. I'm sure I would do better after a few run-throughs. Something that bothered me a little is the fact that the team doing the routine had all different forms, so it was a little weird to see so many different ranges of motion and styles. It didn't seem as uniform as Insanity or T25. The one thing that gave me the biggest problems was the lateral movement. The jumping and landing on a flat surface was hard enough, but add a step, I don't think my knees or ankles could handle it. I had to slow down and make sure I was stepping squarely on my feet instead of landing in an odd angle to keep a fast pace. It was not worth it to me to go at their fast pace and potentially land wrong and injure myself. In tennis, there is a lot of lateral movement, but that lateral movement is different because I can plant my foot at the end of the movement at a greater angle which provides more support. With these moves, there was little to no support on the fast lateral moves which for me, is dangerous. I much prefer moves like the "4-Way Heisman" because it is a lateral move, but it also provides ankle support because it also integrates vertical movement. Another somewhat odd thing is the "Transformer" 1-minute moves. There was no special emphasis put on them like in Chalene's TurboFire program when the progress bar changed color and the music amped up. This was just Shaun T talking for a minute. Besides, doing one move for a minute, in one case 30-seconds on each side, will burn no matter what program you do, so this isn't that original. What's more, they just seemed like something to bring the pain during the workout. Again, nothing special. This apparently was hyped as Beachbody's first Step program, but other step programs are just as, if not better, than this one. I've seen other trainers (non-TBB) use a step before and I didn't see anything original here. ***Bottom line: Transform :20, to me, is not as solid as any of the Insanity programs or even the comparable T25. It just seemed a little bit forced together and it lacked the fluidity that the aforementioned programs seemed to have. I don't really see this program being a solid standalone program it is something for me to do in a time crunch. To me, this is more of a supplemental program than a main or standalone program. It will be interesting to see what the other routines do. I've written this review based on only two routines, so it is just my preliminary thoughts.
Finally, was doing four challenges through a group my BB Coach started, Push-Ups, Burpees, Pike-Ups, and Pull-Ups. It was a hard decision, but I had to discontinue the Pull-Ups Challenge. Unfortunately, the pain in my left shoulder was too intense so I decided to rest it for the rest of the month and restart the challenge from January 1, 2019. So, instead of four challenges, QUAD, I'm now only doing three challenges, TRI.
I finished off my workout with a good Flow series.
In the end, I burned a nice 526 kcals. That is a good number for such a short workout.
Merry Christmas! It is Christmas and there is basically no difference today than there is with any other normal day. Christmas isn't really celebrated here in Japan so my daughter had school, and businesses are still open. I had the day off because I worked on Monday which was a national holiday. So I got today as a replacement holiday.
Today's workout was a test routine for the new Shaun T program, "Transform :20". I did a little intro routine a couple weeks ago, but that was not even a full routine, just Shaun T doing a few of the moves for about 13 minutes. This was the first routine in this 60-Day program. I did this first look routine of Transform :20 and this is what I honestly thought of it. First of all, I did the modified version because I don't have a step thing so that would have made the routine much more painful, I'm sure. That being said, I thought it was okay. It really didn't wow me. It didn't kill me. Personally, I am not a fan of the "do a whole progression on one side then repeat on the other side" style of workout. That was my one big complaint about the PiYo program as well. It was much better than the 13-minute sneak peek "phone video" Shaun T posted a couple weeks ago mainly because of the countdown clock and the progress bar. This time, I knew (sort of) how much time I had left on any particular move. That being said, it was a little weird because most of the moves didn't start right on :00 or :30 so you have to really watch to make sure of the starting point. Since the moves are one-sided, it takes a little getting used to when switching sides. Several times during the routine, I got confused as two which side I was doing and had to rewind the video, check the move to make sure I was, in fact, doing the opposite side, then restart. It especially happened on the more complicated moves. There was one move were you lunge, step up, then raise the knee on the opposite leg and the hand opposite that leg. So it was a mess this time around. I'm sure I would do better after a few run-throughs. Something that bothered me a little is the fact that the team doing the routine had all different forms, so it was a little weird to see so many different ranges of motion and styles. It didn't seem as uniform as Insanity or T25. The one thing that gave me the biggest problems was the lateral movement. The jumping and landing on a flat surface was hard enough, but add a step, I don't think my knees or ankles could handle it. I had to slow down and make sure I was stepping squarely on my feet instead of landing in an odd angle to keep a fast pace. It was not worth it to me to go at their fast pace and potentially land wrong and injure myself. In tennis, there is a lot of lateral movement, but that lateral movement is different because I can plant my foot at the end of the movement at a greater angle which provides more support. With these moves, there was little to no support on the fast lateral moves which for me, is dangerous. I much prefer moves like the "4-Way Heisman" because it is a lateral move, but it also provides ankle support because it also integrates vertical movement. Another somewhat odd thing is the "Transformer" 1-minute moves. There was no special emphasis put on them like in Chalene's TurboFire program when the progress bar changed color and the music amped up. This was just Shaun T talking for a minute. Besides, doing one move for a minute, in one case 30-seconds on each side, will burn no matter what program you do, so this isn't that original. What's more, they just seemed like something to bring the pain during the workout. Again, nothing special. This apparently was hyped as Beachbody's first Step program, but other step programs are just as, if not better, than this one. I've seen other trainers (non-TBB) use a step before and I didn't see anything original here. ***Bottom line: Transform :20, to me, is not as solid as any of the Insanity programs or even the comparable T25. It just seemed a little bit forced together and it lacked the fluidity that the aforementioned programs seemed to have. I don't really see this program being a solid standalone program it is something for me to do in a time crunch. To me, this is more of a supplemental program than a main or standalone program. It will be interesting to see what the other routines do. I've written this review based on only two routines, so it is just my preliminary thoughts.
Finally, was doing four challenges through a group my BB Coach started, Push-Ups, Burpees, Pike-Ups, and Pull-Ups. It was a hard decision, but I had to discontinue the Pull-Ups Challenge. Unfortunately, the pain in my left shoulder was too intense so I decided to rest it for the rest of the month and restart the challenge from January 1, 2019. So, instead of four challenges, QUAD, I'm now only doing three challenges, TRI.
I finished off my workout with a good Flow series.
In the end, I burned a nice 526 kcals. That is a good number for such a short workout.
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Dec. 23 Final Tennis Sunday of 2018.
December 23, Sunday. Tennis + Quad-Challenge.
As the title states, this is the final Sunday the club will have practice on Sunday. There was a little fear about the weather earlier in the week because the forecast was the same as last week and tennis got rained out last week. But as we entered the weekend, the forecast cleared up and there was no rain forecasted at all. In fact, on Saturday, a day when there was hardly a cloud in the sky and the high temperatures were in the low 70's, we were all feeling pretty positive about there being tennis to be played today.
I got to the courts a little late, about 10:15 am. But there were only 7 people in attendance. Once I arrived, the odd man out and I started our warm-up and we had a good slug-fest. However, unlike last Wednesday, I wasn't feeling ON at any time after the warm-up. Also, since there were only eight of us, we decided to start playing matches earlier than usual. We usually start the drills with Stroke/Volley, then move to Serve/Return, then some other drill, but today we started with Serve/Return for about 30 minutes, then started with matches. In that time, four other people came for a total of twelve members. That meant that four people would be waiting while the other eight would be playing, and when the third shift is made, one team would have to play straight so the opponents would be all different. I ended up playing four matches. My record at the end of the day was 1-3. My partner was an older guy, and we seemed to both not feeling it today. In the first match, everyone on court won their service game. Then we lost the next two games. As for me, I won my first service game. I didn't get the chance to serve a second game. In our second match, I kept the same partner but we played the team the lost their first match also. This time, each of us lost our first service game, then I also won my second service game as did our opponent, so my partner served the deciding game, and we took it in dramatic style. It was a really good match. We were pretty evenly matched.
My last two matches, I partnered with my wife. We lost both matches, 4-1, 4-0. Unfortunately, I was playing terribly and I wasn't able to win any of my service games. The only game we won was a break of serve. But my wife, although she was nervous to play with the guys, she did well, and the opposing teams were gracious to her. My serve was JUNK today. Three different times I double-faulted to end a game. First time for that to happen. I could feel my toss being so erratic and out of control. I just felt really out of sorts. I had no confidence in my second serve. But all that aside, I had a good time.
When I got home, before taking a shower, I crushed the Quad-Challenges.
In the end, I burned 1984 kcals. Still lower than my Sunday tennis average, but that is because of the number of matches we played today. One thing I realized today thanks to all those matches, a big problem I have is my decision making during matches. Too often I try things that are ill-advised. Also, I try to end points too quickly by forcing shots that are out of not set up well enough. I need to go in with a better game plan and stick to it. I'm not good enough to adlib with crazy shots. Instead of going for the low percentage shots, I need to improve my high percentage shots and improve my accuracy. That is what I'll be focusing on Wednesday and Saturday night. This coming Saturday night, I have a special practice for the January 2 singles tournament.
As the title states, this is the final Sunday the club will have practice on Sunday. There was a little fear about the weather earlier in the week because the forecast was the same as last week and tennis got rained out last week. But as we entered the weekend, the forecast cleared up and there was no rain forecasted at all. In fact, on Saturday, a day when there was hardly a cloud in the sky and the high temperatures were in the low 70's, we were all feeling pretty positive about there being tennis to be played today.
I got to the courts a little late, about 10:15 am. But there were only 7 people in attendance. Once I arrived, the odd man out and I started our warm-up and we had a good slug-fest. However, unlike last Wednesday, I wasn't feeling ON at any time after the warm-up. Also, since there were only eight of us, we decided to start playing matches earlier than usual. We usually start the drills with Stroke/Volley, then move to Serve/Return, then some other drill, but today we started with Serve/Return for about 30 minutes, then started with matches. In that time, four other people came for a total of twelve members. That meant that four people would be waiting while the other eight would be playing, and when the third shift is made, one team would have to play straight so the opponents would be all different. I ended up playing four matches. My record at the end of the day was 1-3. My partner was an older guy, and we seemed to both not feeling it today. In the first match, everyone on court won their service game. Then we lost the next two games. As for me, I won my first service game. I didn't get the chance to serve a second game. In our second match, I kept the same partner but we played the team the lost their first match also. This time, each of us lost our first service game, then I also won my second service game as did our opponent, so my partner served the deciding game, and we took it in dramatic style. It was a really good match. We were pretty evenly matched.
My last two matches, I partnered with my wife. We lost both matches, 4-1, 4-0. Unfortunately, I was playing terribly and I wasn't able to win any of my service games. The only game we won was a break of serve. But my wife, although she was nervous to play with the guys, she did well, and the opposing teams were gracious to her. My serve was JUNK today. Three different times I double-faulted to end a game. First time for that to happen. I could feel my toss being so erratic and out of control. I just felt really out of sorts. I had no confidence in my second serve. But all that aside, I had a good time.
When I got home, before taking a shower, I crushed the Quad-Challenges.
In the end, I burned 1984 kcals. Still lower than my Sunday tennis average, but that is because of the number of matches we played today. One thing I realized today thanks to all those matches, a big problem I have is my decision making during matches. Too often I try things that are ill-advised. Also, I try to end points too quickly by forcing shots that are out of not set up well enough. I need to go in with a better game plan and stick to it. I'm not good enough to adlib with crazy shots. Instead of going for the low percentage shots, I need to improve my high percentage shots and improve my accuracy. That is what I'll be focusing on Wednesday and Saturday night. This coming Saturday night, I have a special practice for the January 2 singles tournament.
Dec. 20 LIIFT and Quad.
December 20, Thursday. HY: LIIFT 4 - Shoulders + Quad-Challenges + TCF.
This is the style of routine that I've wanted more of, Real integration of Resistance and Cardio. Much like the Burn Intervals in ChaLEAN Extreme. The only thing about this routine though is that the transitions between resistance and cardio seemed a little too deliberate and that caused the routine to feel a little choppy. It lost a fluid feel and instead had a clunky feel to it. But that notwithstanding, I had a good workout. I didn't lift my max for my shoulders, but I did choose a weight that challenged me. The toughest move was definitely that move where I'm holding light weights up and my elbows are at 90-degrees, then I open and close my arms while my knees are a little bent, and I'm leaning forward a bit. This is the second time to do this move and both times, I've had to tap out because even with just 3kgs in each hand, I couldn't hold the position. Too much BURN! The cardio moves were fine, and like the HIIT stuff from an earlier routine, it was the third round that really brought the burn. I keep forgetting to mention the Core Component, but the core work in all the LIIFT routines are surprisingly tough. Today was no exception. I learned my lesson before, and even though I have the Quad-Challenges listed second, I was actually integrating them into the routine by doing one move between each set of moves. I did the Pike-Ups first because the last time I left the Pike-Ups after the core work, I was dying from the burn. So this time, the separation between the two core sessions was enough to prevent cramping from the burn.
I finished off with a solid round of Tai Cheng Flows.
In the end, I burned a nice 469 kcals. Lower than I would have hoped for, but about to be expected from a resistance routine with a little cardio included. Next up in the is program is Legs!
This is the style of routine that I've wanted more of, Real integration of Resistance and Cardio. Much like the Burn Intervals in ChaLEAN Extreme. The only thing about this routine though is that the transitions between resistance and cardio seemed a little too deliberate and that caused the routine to feel a little choppy. It lost a fluid feel and instead had a clunky feel to it. But that notwithstanding, I had a good workout. I didn't lift my max for my shoulders, but I did choose a weight that challenged me. The toughest move was definitely that move where I'm holding light weights up and my elbows are at 90-degrees, then I open and close my arms while my knees are a little bent, and I'm leaning forward a bit. This is the second time to do this move and both times, I've had to tap out because even with just 3kgs in each hand, I couldn't hold the position. Too much BURN! The cardio moves were fine, and like the HIIT stuff from an earlier routine, it was the third round that really brought the burn. I keep forgetting to mention the Core Component, but the core work in all the LIIFT routines are surprisingly tough. Today was no exception. I learned my lesson before, and even though I have the Quad-Challenges listed second, I was actually integrating them into the routine by doing one move between each set of moves. I did the Pike-Ups first because the last time I left the Pike-Ups after the core work, I was dying from the burn. So this time, the separation between the two core sessions was enough to prevent cramping from the burn.
I finished off with a solid round of Tai Cheng Flows.
In the end, I burned a nice 469 kcals. Lower than I would have hoped for, but about to be expected from a resistance routine with a little cardio included. Next up in the is program is Legs!
Dec. 19. Tennis + Challenges.
December 19, Wednesday. Tennis + Quad-Challenges.
Like last Wednesday, it started off with very few people, but after about half an hour, suddenly, a whole bunch of people came. It wasn't too cold, so I felt that I could move a lot better than the week before. I ended up warming up with one of the ladies in the club so I wasn't able to really get into a knockdown fest, but rather stay in control of each shot and really work the ball. I think that really worked in my favor though because when it came right down to it, tonight is one of the best sessions of tennis I've had in a long time. I was really seeing the ball well, and I was really feeling the contact point, and striking the ball extremely well. All my groundstrokes were feeling extremely crisp and I was hitting some very acute angles on service returns. It was just a great night all around. I also was able to grab a majority of points off of the top players in the club so I was very happy.
When I got home, I really didn't feel like it, but I hammered out my Quad-Challenges and took a shower. My biceps were a little sore, but not as bad as the week one routine.
In the end, I burned 1814 kcals. I think this number shows that I was really pushing hard today because I was feeling so ON. I was running for everything and getting everything. Being ON will do that to your energy levels.
Like last Wednesday, it started off with very few people, but after about half an hour, suddenly, a whole bunch of people came. It wasn't too cold, so I felt that I could move a lot better than the week before. I ended up warming up with one of the ladies in the club so I wasn't able to really get into a knockdown fest, but rather stay in control of each shot and really work the ball. I think that really worked in my favor though because when it came right down to it, tonight is one of the best sessions of tennis I've had in a long time. I was really seeing the ball well, and I was really feeling the contact point, and striking the ball extremely well. All my groundstrokes were feeling extremely crisp and I was hitting some very acute angles on service returns. It was just a great night all around. I also was able to grab a majority of points off of the top players in the club so I was very happy.
When I got home, I really didn't feel like it, but I hammered out my Quad-Challenges and took a shower. My biceps were a little sore, but not as bad as the week one routine.
In the end, I burned 1814 kcals. I think this number shows that I was really pushing hard today because I was feeling so ON. I was running for everything and getting everything. Being ON will do that to your energy levels.
Dec. 18. LIIFT again
December 18, Tuesday, HY: LIIFT 4 - Back and Biceps 50/50 + Quad-Challenge + TCF.
Today, I worked on Back and Biceps. The last time, my biceps were aching for almost a week. So I was a little nervous at how my body would react to this time around. But this routine was set up a little different. Actually, it was very different. Three sets of Super-Sets of three rounds each. The first set was Back-Back, the second set was Back-Biceps, and the last set was Biceps-Biceps. To be honest, if I'm going to work two muscle groups, I'd rather spread them out instead of concentrate on them one at a time. Honestly, I didn't get as much of a burn as I was thinking I would, but I got a good pump. The HIIT was not too bad for the first two rounds. But the third round was brutal. That got my heart rate UP! It was a good combo of moves and my legs were on fire after that 180-degree squat jump move in the third round.
The Quad-Challenges are getting up there in the rep count, but I'm still knocking them out in single sets, but if the burn I'm feeling is any indication, I'll be breaking the reps up into at least two sets soon on the Pike-Ups and Pull-Ups. I'm still going strong on the Push-Ups and Burpees! But I think I'm going to have to start modifying on the Pull-Ups because my left Latisumus Dorsi seems to be injured. I can't do a clean Pull-Up, so I have to have the support of the floor when I come down, and then a little help going up. So I'm doing more of an eccentric Pull-Up than a regular Pull-Up. But I did Chin-Ups with a lot less pain and no floor tapping.
Finished off with a good Flow series.
In the end, I burned a respectable 785 kcals. That is a good number for today's workout. I'm wondering how much soreness I'll have in the next couple of days.
Today, I worked on Back and Biceps. The last time, my biceps were aching for almost a week. So I was a little nervous at how my body would react to this time around. But this routine was set up a little different. Actually, it was very different. Three sets of Super-Sets of three rounds each. The first set was Back-Back, the second set was Back-Biceps, and the last set was Biceps-Biceps. To be honest, if I'm going to work two muscle groups, I'd rather spread them out instead of concentrate on them one at a time. Honestly, I didn't get as much of a burn as I was thinking I would, but I got a good pump. The HIIT was not too bad for the first two rounds. But the third round was brutal. That got my heart rate UP! It was a good combo of moves and my legs were on fire after that 180-degree squat jump move in the third round.
The Quad-Challenges are getting up there in the rep count, but I'm still knocking them out in single sets, but if the burn I'm feeling is any indication, I'll be breaking the reps up into at least two sets soon on the Pike-Ups and Pull-Ups. I'm still going strong on the Push-Ups and Burpees! But I think I'm going to have to start modifying on the Pull-Ups because my left Latisumus Dorsi seems to be injured. I can't do a clean Pull-Up, so I have to have the support of the floor when I come down, and then a little help going up. So I'm doing more of an eccentric Pull-Up than a regular Pull-Up. But I did Chin-Ups with a lot less pain and no floor tapping.
Finished off with a good Flow series.
In the end, I burned a respectable 785 kcals. That is a good number for today's workout. I'm wondering how much soreness I'll have in the next couple of days.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Quad-Challenges everyday of the month.
The month of December...
I just wanted to explain the deal with my workout days. There are two days this semester that I would normally workout but can't because of work. But for this month, I have been doing the Quad-Challenges every day they are assigned. Sometimes there are different rest days integrated with each of the challenges except for the Burpees and my Pull-Ups. It is so nice when I have an off day. I am being true to the challenges. So even when I can't do a regular workout, I just come home and knock out the challenges. It was fun.
I just wanted to explain the deal with my workout days. There are two days this semester that I would normally workout but can't because of work. But for this month, I have been doing the Quad-Challenges every day they are assigned. Sometimes there are different rest days integrated with each of the challenges except for the Burpees and my Pull-Ups. It is so nice when I have an off day. I am being true to the challenges. So even when I can't do a regular workout, I just come home and knock out the challenges. It was fun.
Dec. 16, Tennis got rained out.
December 16, Sunday - HY: LIIFT 4 - Chest and Triceps Circuit + Quad-Challenges + TCF.
Today was supposed to be tennis day, but since there was a steady rain, it was canceled. I was so bummed. But it was a blessing in disguise because the night before, Saturday night, I watched the three-hour Crossover episodes of The Flash, Supergirl and Arrow called ELSEWORLD. Since my daughter was out till about 9:30pm, we didn't start watching till past 10 o'clock. It didn't finish until after 1 am. And it was such an awesome show that I couldn't sleep for a long time. So I woke up naturally around 10:30am. I would have been really late if we did have tennis practice, but when I heard the rain, I knew it was canceled so I went back to sleep and didn't get up till close to noon. I went out with my daughter in the afternoon just to do a little shopping and run some errands. It was another nice moment of Father/Daughter time. When I got home, I was awake and ready to move.
I am continuing on with the LIIFT 4 program, so today was the beginning of Week 2, so back to Chest and Triceps. The routine was made up of Quad-sets of alternating Chest and Triceps exercises. It put the burn on, but It didn't feel as brutal as Week 1's routine. I'm not sure if I like Quad-sets. Supersets are more my pace. But I pushed it as hard as I could go. There wasn't a cardio part, but as usual, there was a core part, and that rocked my world. I made the mistake of not doing the Quad-Challenges first, so when I got to them, the main trouble area was the Core and my core was getting so sore! This is the first day that I had to break the V-Ups into two sets. Also, for the Pull-Ups, it seems that I injured my left-upper-lat. Pull-Ups were tough, as opposed to Chin-Ups which I was able to do better and with no toe taps.
In the end, I burned a good 785 kcals. About average for a day like this. I had a shake for dinner so I hope I evened out the calorie intake and burn.
Today was supposed to be tennis day, but since there was a steady rain, it was canceled. I was so bummed. But it was a blessing in disguise because the night before, Saturday night, I watched the three-hour Crossover episodes of The Flash, Supergirl and Arrow called ELSEWORLD. Since my daughter was out till about 9:30pm, we didn't start watching till past 10 o'clock. It didn't finish until after 1 am. And it was such an awesome show that I couldn't sleep for a long time. So I woke up naturally around 10:30am. I would have been really late if we did have tennis practice, but when I heard the rain, I knew it was canceled so I went back to sleep and didn't get up till close to noon. I went out with my daughter in the afternoon just to do a little shopping and run some errands. It was another nice moment of Father/Daughter time. When I got home, I was awake and ready to move.
I am continuing on with the LIIFT 4 program, so today was the beginning of Week 2, so back to Chest and Triceps. The routine was made up of Quad-sets of alternating Chest and Triceps exercises. It put the burn on, but It didn't feel as brutal as Week 1's routine. I'm not sure if I like Quad-sets. Supersets are more my pace. But I pushed it as hard as I could go. There wasn't a cardio part, but as usual, there was a core part, and that rocked my world. I made the mistake of not doing the Quad-Challenges first, so when I got to them, the main trouble area was the Core and my core was getting so sore! This is the first day that I had to break the V-Ups into two sets. Also, for the Pull-Ups, it seems that I injured my left-upper-lat. Pull-Ups were tough, as opposed to Chin-Ups which I was able to do better and with no toe taps.
In the end, I burned a good 785 kcals. About average for a day like this. I had a shake for dinner so I hope I evened out the calorie intake and burn.
Dec. 12, Midweek Tennis
December 12, Wednesday - Tennis + Quad-Challenges.
Today was another indoor tennis practice. This month, actually, we didn't have the luck of the draw with the new public courts so we are at the indoor facility every Wednesday this month unless there is a cancelation and the weather is good.
Today's tennis was okay. I didn't feel totally on the ball. I had some good rallies and made some good shots. But the "ON" feeling just wasn't there. The menu was regular, but I didn't do spectacularly well, or terribly either. It was a middle of the road night for me. Weather-wise, it wasn't that cold so I was able to just wear shorts.
When I got home, I hammered out the Quad-Challenges. The numbers are starting to get up there, but I'm still knocking them out of the park.
In the end, I burned a good 1334 kcals. It is still around 200 kcals of the average.
Today was another indoor tennis practice. This month, actually, we didn't have the luck of the draw with the new public courts so we are at the indoor facility every Wednesday this month unless there is a cancelation and the weather is good.
Today's tennis was okay. I didn't feel totally on the ball. I had some good rallies and made some good shots. But the "ON" feeling just wasn't there. The menu was regular, but I didn't do spectacularly well, or terribly either. It was a middle of the road night for me. Weather-wise, it wasn't that cold so I was able to just wear shorts.
When I got home, I hammered out the Quad-Challenges. The numbers are starting to get up there, but I'm still knocking them out of the park.
In the end, I burned a good 1334 kcals. It is still around 200 kcals of the average.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Dec. 11, Free Day Workout, LIIFT Legs
December 11, Tuesday, HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + LIIFT 4 - Legs + Quad-Challenges + TCF.
I was a little afraid of today because I haven't done legs in a long time. I usually do upper body and core, and leave the leg workout to my two days of tennis a week. But since it is part of the program and the final routine of Week 1 of this program, I'm going to do it.
Not much creativity in the moves and the pattern is set, three rounds of a few moves. The moves were the usual leg moves of Squats, Lunges, etc. But I went to a good weight on the moves and I was really pushing it and struggling. I know I got a good workout and I know I'm going t be sore for a while afterward. And since I knew it would be brutal, I started off with the best warm-up out there. X3 Cold Start. It got my whole body moving awesome.
The Quad-Challenges are starting to become more challenging. Getting up into the mid-teens in reps and I am slowing down. But the best thing is my Push-Ups are explosive now. Before starting this challenge on December 1, my push-ups were a real struggle. I was feeling so heavy. Then the challenge came into my life. The first couple of days were a bit of a heavy task, but from the third day, I was pumping them out like a crazy person. I hope I can keep it up all the way to 50 reps. So far so good.
I finished off the workout as usual, with a flow series.
In the end, I burned 843 kcals. Another nice surprise calorie burn.
I was a little afraid of today because I haven't done legs in a long time. I usually do upper body and core, and leave the leg workout to my two days of tennis a week. But since it is part of the program and the final routine of Week 1 of this program, I'm going to do it.
Not much creativity in the moves and the pattern is set, three rounds of a few moves. The moves were the usual leg moves of Squats, Lunges, etc. But I went to a good weight on the moves and I was really pushing it and struggling. I know I got a good workout and I know I'm going t be sore for a while afterward. And since I knew it would be brutal, I started off with the best warm-up out there. X3 Cold Start. It got my whole body moving awesome.
The Quad-Challenges are starting to become more challenging. Getting up into the mid-teens in reps and I am slowing down. But the best thing is my Push-Ups are explosive now. Before starting this challenge on December 1, my push-ups were a real struggle. I was feeling so heavy. Then the challenge came into my life. The first couple of days were a bit of a heavy task, but from the third day, I was pumping them out like a crazy person. I hope I can keep it up all the way to 50 reps. So far so good.
I finished off the workout as usual, with a flow series.
In the end, I burned 843 kcals. Another nice surprise calorie burn.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Dec. 9, Tennis Day with a lot of matches.
December 9, Sunday. Tennis Day.
It was supposed to be cold, but lately, it has been not as cold as one would expect it to be in December. It was a beautiful day! A little cloud cover, and a little breeze. I dressed accordingly. At the courts, it seemed colder than it was at my house. Especially when I was sitting in the shade of a tree and the wind blew. The chill was felt.
The menu was the regular drills, but the length was shortened a bit. We ended up playing matches for almost half the practice. My first match was an easy one. My partner and I overmatched our opponents and took the set 4-0. We paired again for a second match but this match was much tougher and we ended up losing 2-4. It was odd, because, in the first match, my serve was firing great, but in the second match, I couldn't buy a first serve. In the third match, I paired with my old partner and we played well together and took the match 4-2 against another strong team. We started the fourth match with totally new players but had to cut the game short due to time at 1-1. But since we played most matches, there was more waiting time than usual. So my calorie burn was quite a bit lower than the average Sunday tennis practice.
When I got home, I wasn't looking forward to doing the Quad-Challenges, but once I got started, it was a lot easier than I had expected. Crushed them.
In the end, I burned 1756 kcals. That is a little less than 1000 kcals lower than a normal Sunday. But getting in matches is a necessary practice.
It was supposed to be cold, but lately, it has been not as cold as one would expect it to be in December. It was a beautiful day! A little cloud cover, and a little breeze. I dressed accordingly. At the courts, it seemed colder than it was at my house. Especially when I was sitting in the shade of a tree and the wind blew. The chill was felt.
The menu was the regular drills, but the length was shortened a bit. We ended up playing matches for almost half the practice. My first match was an easy one. My partner and I overmatched our opponents and took the set 4-0. We paired again for a second match but this match was much tougher and we ended up losing 2-4. It was odd, because, in the first match, my serve was firing great, but in the second match, I couldn't buy a first serve. In the third match, I paired with my old partner and we played well together and took the match 4-2 against another strong team. We started the fourth match with totally new players but had to cut the game short due to time at 1-1. But since we played most matches, there was more waiting time than usual. So my calorie burn was quite a bit lower than the average Sunday tennis practice.
When I got home, I wasn't looking forward to doing the Quad-Challenges, but once I got started, it was a lot easier than I had expected. Crushed them.
In the end, I burned 1756 kcals. That is a little less than 1000 kcals lower than a normal Sunday. But getting in matches is a necessary practice.
Dec. 6, NO NIGHT CLASS!!! LIIFT Day!
December 6, Thursday, HY: LIIFT 4 - Shoulders + Quad-Challenge + TCF.
I am still working out the system of this program but I think I'm starting to get used to the workout style of the trainer. I actually still like Tony, Chalene, and Shaun the best because they seem more natural in front of the camera, but this trainer, whose name I cannot remember at the moment, still seems a bit artificial on camera, much like Segi and Brett. They just seem like they are trying too hard to be cool for my taste. But their programs are good.
Anyway, back to the workout. Shoulders today, and I was a little wary of the workout because I have had shoulder problems in the recent past that I don't want coming back, so I chose some weights that are a bit lighter than I would normally go if I was at 100%. But again, they felt like they were right on the money get me to burn out by the final set and rep. One thing I really like about this program is the focus on pace. Not to slow, not to fast, but a steady pace that would keep the time-under-tension long and I can also do eccentric work for more gains. I don't do the pace the trainer uses, he uses a 2-0-2 pace, but I like the Tony style, 1-0-3 pace. That eccentric theory has me going for more gains. My shoulders got a good workout, pump and burn.
Biceps were on fire today. If I kept my arms bent for too long a period of time they would start to ache so I would need to straighten them to stretch them. HOW LONG WILL THE PAIN BE REAL!!!!
Finished off with the Quad-Challenge and my Flow series.
In the end, I burned a good 635 kcals. This is the number I was expecting, but it was a good workout.
I am still working out the system of this program but I think I'm starting to get used to the workout style of the trainer. I actually still like Tony, Chalene, and Shaun the best because they seem more natural in front of the camera, but this trainer, whose name I cannot remember at the moment, still seems a bit artificial on camera, much like Segi and Brett. They just seem like they are trying too hard to be cool for my taste. But their programs are good.
Anyway, back to the workout. Shoulders today, and I was a little wary of the workout because I have had shoulder problems in the recent past that I don't want coming back, so I chose some weights that are a bit lighter than I would normally go if I was at 100%. But again, they felt like they were right on the money get me to burn out by the final set and rep. One thing I really like about this program is the focus on pace. Not to slow, not to fast, but a steady pace that would keep the time-under-tension long and I can also do eccentric work for more gains. I don't do the pace the trainer uses, he uses a 2-0-2 pace, but I like the Tony style, 1-0-3 pace. That eccentric theory has me going for more gains. My shoulders got a good workout, pump and burn.
Biceps were on fire today. If I kept my arms bent for too long a period of time they would start to ache so I would need to straighten them to stretch them. HOW LONG WILL THE PAIN BE REAL!!!!
Finished off with the Quad-Challenge and my Flow series.
In the end, I burned a good 635 kcals. This is the number I was expecting, but it was a good workout.
Dec. 5. Night tennis, indoors.
December 5, Wednesday. Tennis.
Today we had practice at the indoor courts. Before leaving home for the courts, I thought it would be colder than it was. So it was actually pretty warm, so I got a good sweat on. Today was rainy so it was good that we had it at the indoor courts again. But the surprising thing is that there were a lot of people who came. Luckily, they came mostly late, so I was able to get a good warm up in with a good player. After that, the people started coming and the court time was at a premium. So I made the best of my court time and really tried to be consistent and extend my rallies. It must have worked because the burn was evident. One big thing that made it extra tough was the fact that my arms, especially my biceps were so sore from the workout yesterday. I was shocked at how much my biceps were aching. In the past, after a biceps workout, I never really felt as sore as I did today. I would feel the pump and burn during and a little after, but never this intense the following day. But the big question is how I'll feel tomorrow. As I get older, the soreness from a good workout has typically been the worst on the second day after the workout.
But either way, today was a good tennis day. I was able to feel solid and I was stroking the ball well. That is always a plus!
When I got home, I did the Quad-Challenge and hammered it out.
In the end, I burned 1620 kcals. A good night's burn on any night.
Today we had practice at the indoor courts. Before leaving home for the courts, I thought it would be colder than it was. So it was actually pretty warm, so I got a good sweat on. Today was rainy so it was good that we had it at the indoor courts again. But the surprising thing is that there were a lot of people who came. Luckily, they came mostly late, so I was able to get a good warm up in with a good player. After that, the people started coming and the court time was at a premium. So I made the best of my court time and really tried to be consistent and extend my rallies. It must have worked because the burn was evident. One big thing that made it extra tough was the fact that my arms, especially my biceps were so sore from the workout yesterday. I was shocked at how much my biceps were aching. In the past, after a biceps workout, I never really felt as sore as I did today. I would feel the pump and burn during and a little after, but never this intense the following day. But the big question is how I'll feel tomorrow. As I get older, the soreness from a good workout has typically been the worst on the second day after the workout.
But either way, today was a good tennis day. I was able to feel solid and I was stroking the ball well. That is always a plus!
When I got home, I did the Quad-Challenge and hammered it out.
In the end, I burned 1620 kcals. A good night's burn on any night.
December 4, New Program Day.
December 4, Tuesday, HY: Transform :20 Preview + LIIFT4 - Back/Biceps Circuit + Quad-Challenge + TCF.
I had a lot of time today to work out, but I just wasn't feeling it for any cardio or T25 for some reason. As I was procrastinating in my workout clothes, my coach posted a demo video of Shaun T's newest program due out in the new year. Transform :20. It was of Shaun T basically doing a few moves and progressions that come out in the program. It uses a step, but I don't have a step so I did it without. Luckily, there was a guy to do it without the step so I could follow him. The moves were pretty standard stuff, but it seemed much tougher than it probably actually was because of the lack of a timer or a progress bar. I didn't know anything about the program process. I went in blind and the moves seemed to go on forever. I learned afterward that they were only about 30 seconds, but when you don't know when the end is, it seems like forever. It was only about 15 minutes, but I got a nice sweat on. Then I went to the next program.
Today was Back and Biceps. It wasn't too bad. I chose a weight that I thought was relatively light, but it turns out, it was enough to burn me out. Again, it was a bit odd doing a program without BGM, but I guess I'm starting to get used to it. It was only lifting weights today along with the core set. My arms and back were feeling the pump.
I took a few minutes to do the Quad-Challenge. The reps are still low so I could bang them all out pretty quickly. Then the Flow.
In the end, I burned a good 1085 kcals. I was surprised that I burned that many calories in this workout, but I was happy.
I had a lot of time today to work out, but I just wasn't feeling it for any cardio or T25 for some reason. As I was procrastinating in my workout clothes, my coach posted a demo video of Shaun T's newest program due out in the new year. Transform :20. It was of Shaun T basically doing a few moves and progressions that come out in the program. It uses a step, but I don't have a step so I did it without. Luckily, there was a guy to do it without the step so I could follow him. The moves were pretty standard stuff, but it seemed much tougher than it probably actually was because of the lack of a timer or a progress bar. I didn't know anything about the program process. I went in blind and the moves seemed to go on forever. I learned afterward that they were only about 30 seconds, but when you don't know when the end is, it seems like forever. It was only about 15 minutes, but I got a nice sweat on. Then I went to the next program.
Today was Back and Biceps. It wasn't too bad. I chose a weight that I thought was relatively light, but it turns out, it was enough to burn me out. Again, it was a bit odd doing a program without BGM, but I guess I'm starting to get used to it. It was only lifting weights today along with the core set. My arms and back were feeling the pump.
I took a few minutes to do the Quad-Challenge. The reps are still low so I could bang them all out pretty quickly. Then the Flow.
In the end, I burned a good 1085 kcals. I was surprised that I burned that many calories in this workout, but I was happy.
Saturday, December 8, 2018
Dec. 3, Scheduled Rest Day but did the Quad-Challenges.
December 3, Monday. Just the Quad-Challenge
Due to my late schedule, I couldn't do a regular workout, but when I got home, I did do the Quad-Challenges. Just a reminder, my Quad-Challenge is not for my quadriceps, but rather a four move challenge that I do every day according to the schedule I posted at the beginning of the month: Push-Ups, Pull-Ups, Burpees, V-Ups. It is still the beginning of the month so the number of reps is still relatively low so I breezed through the moves hardly breaking a sweat.
Sunday, December 2, 2018
December 2, Sunday, Tennis Day +!
December 2, Sunday - Tennis + Quad Challenge.
Today was the first tennis day in December. I thought it would be colder than it was, but there was a little rain, but it was very light and stopped after a little while. The bigger worry was the ash from our active volcano, but that ended up not being a thing because the winds carried the ash a little further to the south so it just missed us.
Practice started out as usual, and we did all the usual drills. I got to practice a little late with my wife so we weren't able to do a warm-up so our warm-up was the first drill. I was shanking a lot of balls, but I was able to find my contact point and within minutes, I was striking the ball well. My serve was firing at about 60%, but my first flat serve was totally gone. I couldn't hit anything in. We did a new drill after the regular stuff, a ball toss stroke drill just to work on form. 30 balls straight. The toss was often off so I was unable to really find my stroke on the forehand, but I was able to do a little better on the backhand. It is a tiring drill.
I had a chance to play only one match today. An erratic guy was my partner against the team that won the most recent mixed doubles tournament. In the first four games, all the games were breaks. As for my service game, I hit two double faults on the deuce side but got the point back on the ad side. I was able to work the score to the game point, then I muffed an easy forehand long. Then we started again at 2-2. This time, the first two games were holds. So that meant the deciding game would be on my racket at 3-3. Erratic Guy was on a good wave so we worked the score to 40-Love, then we faltered and lost two points to go to 40-30. Serving to the ad court, we were going at a crosscourt rally, then I hit a hard topspin ball that looked like it was going to carry long, but at the last moment, the bottom dropped out and it caught the back half of the line, Point-Game-Match! We were very happy to get the win. My daughter came to visit us at the courts so we took a little time to be with her.
Personal Note: A few weeks ago when the Tennis Club had their annual Tennis & BBQ at a special and far location, I didn't go because a couple days later my daughter would be taking her university entrance exams. Well, the results came were announced and she passed. So, that means my daughter is now an unofficial University Student. We have been celebrating for and with her for the past few days. So it was special and unusual that she came to the courts. This was only her second time to come. So we were kind of doting over her.
After tennis, when I got home, I did my December challenges offered by my Beachbody coach for this month. Below are the challenges:
These are the first three challenges. The fourth is an extension of the Chin-Up Challenge I was doing in November, but this month, I'm doing Pull-Ups with a smattering of Chin-Ups to keep up the strength. I started doing these challenges yesterday, December 1 so I am on track.
In the end, I burned a modest 1813 kcals. But I got a lot of good done.
Addition:
In the evening, I played Pickle-Ball and Speed Koosh Catch with my daughter for an hour. I sweat so much that I had to take another shower. I had a great time.
Today was the first tennis day in December. I thought it would be colder than it was, but there was a little rain, but it was very light and stopped after a little while. The bigger worry was the ash from our active volcano, but that ended up not being a thing because the winds carried the ash a little further to the south so it just missed us.
Practice started out as usual, and we did all the usual drills. I got to practice a little late with my wife so we weren't able to do a warm-up so our warm-up was the first drill. I was shanking a lot of balls, but I was able to find my contact point and within minutes, I was striking the ball well. My serve was firing at about 60%, but my first flat serve was totally gone. I couldn't hit anything in. We did a new drill after the regular stuff, a ball toss stroke drill just to work on form. 30 balls straight. The toss was often off so I was unable to really find my stroke on the forehand, but I was able to do a little better on the backhand. It is a tiring drill.
I had a chance to play only one match today. An erratic guy was my partner against the team that won the most recent mixed doubles tournament. In the first four games, all the games were breaks. As for my service game, I hit two double faults on the deuce side but got the point back on the ad side. I was able to work the score to the game point, then I muffed an easy forehand long. Then we started again at 2-2. This time, the first two games were holds. So that meant the deciding game would be on my racket at 3-3. Erratic Guy was on a good wave so we worked the score to 40-Love, then we faltered and lost two points to go to 40-30. Serving to the ad court, we were going at a crosscourt rally, then I hit a hard topspin ball that looked like it was going to carry long, but at the last moment, the bottom dropped out and it caught the back half of the line, Point-Game-Match! We were very happy to get the win. My daughter came to visit us at the courts so we took a little time to be with her.
Personal Note: A few weeks ago when the Tennis Club had their annual Tennis & BBQ at a special and far location, I didn't go because a couple days later my daughter would be taking her university entrance exams. Well, the results came were announced and she passed. So, that means my daughter is now an unofficial University Student. We have been celebrating for and with her for the past few days. So it was special and unusual that she came to the courts. This was only her second time to come. So we were kind of doting over her.
After tennis, when I got home, I did my December challenges offered by my Beachbody coach for this month. Below are the challenges:
These are the first three challenges. The fourth is an extension of the Chin-Up Challenge I was doing in November, but this month, I'm doing Pull-Ups with a smattering of Chin-Ups to keep up the strength. I started doing these challenges yesterday, December 1 so I am on track.
In the end, I burned a modest 1813 kcals. But I got a lot of good done.
Addition:
In the evening, I played Pickle-Ball and Speed Koosh Catch with my daughter for an hour. I sweat so much that I had to take another shower. I had a great time.
3 Days of Pickle-Ball with my daughter
November 29, 30, and December 1 were all busy days so I was unable to do a regular workout. But I was able to play Pickle-Ball with my daughter for between 30 minutes to an hour. Each session brought on a lot of fun, a lot of laughs, and a lot of sweat. I got a pretty good workout from playing with my daughter. I also closed out my Chin-Up Challenge on the 30th. I hit my goal of doing 20 reps with no pause or break, straight. But my total was 30 reps so I was able to do the final set of 10 reps in one set. I will be doing a few other month-long challenges next month to finish out the year. Check out the next month for the new challenges. Unfortunately, I got no calorie burn counts for these three days.
28th, Mid-Week Tennis.
November 28, Wednesday. Tennis.
Today's tennis practice was at the indoor facility because of rain. When I arrived at the courts there were only two people there. So, after setting up the nets, we started our warm-up, two against one. Eventually, people started to come until we had a large number of people, but the warm-up alone took up more than 30 minutes of a two-hour practice session. When enough people came I started to hit with a guy who has really good strokes. We were going back and forth really smacking the ball. We started the regular menu and went through all the regular drills. When we got to game sims, that was it. I went up against one of the best members and I was solid, hitting my contact points right on the head. I was really striking the ball well and made a series of points. It felt good to have a practice like that.
When I got home, I did my Chin-Ups.
In the end, I burned a good 1611 kcals.
Today's tennis practice was at the indoor facility because of rain. When I arrived at the courts there were only two people there. So, after setting up the nets, we started our warm-up, two against one. Eventually, people started to come until we had a large number of people, but the warm-up alone took up more than 30 minutes of a two-hour practice session. When enough people came I started to hit with a guy who has really good strokes. We were going back and forth really smacking the ball. We started the regular menu and went through all the regular drills. When we got to game sims, that was it. I went up against one of the best members and I was solid, hitting my contact points right on the head. I was really striking the ball well and made a series of points. It felt good to have a practice like that.
When I got home, I did my Chin-Ups.
In the end, I burned a good 1611 kcals.
27th, Trying the new program, LIIFT 4.
November 27, Tuesday - HY: T25 - Alpha: Total Body Circuit + LIIFT 4 - 50/50 Chest & Tris + TCF.
I was free after work today, so I was able to take the time to do a regular workout. But actually, it turned out to be almost a double workout. I started off with the brutal T25 Alpha: Total Body Circuit. I really wanted to do well with this one, but I ended up needing to take a break a little earlier than usual. I didn't make it all the way to the Burn out like I did last time. I ended up taking several breaks before and during the Burnout. But I took a long enough break so I would be able to blast the move that took me out and forced the break. But I got through it.
I wanted to do some Upper Body weights and I was thinking to do it, as usual, just freestyle, but I just got access to Beachbody on Demand so I was browsing their new programs and LIIFT 4 sort of jumped out at me. LIIFT started out with weights which was exactly what I wanted so I went with the first program. Basically, it was three rounds of a superset. And there were three different sets of those for a total of nine sets of moves. The first two rounds, I kept the same weight, but I went up in weight on the last round. That weight round took a little over 20 minutes, but it felt longer because of the number of sets. After the weights, there was a HIIT section. I went through the first round, but I modified it because I was still tired from the T25. The final part was abs/core. I did their moves instead of doing an ab specific routine. The program was nice, but I was a little put off by the fact that there was no background music. So it felt like it was missing something.
I did the closer Flow and for the first time in a while, I had no problem with the right Flow.
In the end, I burned a good 1126 kcals. Good workout today.
I was free after work today, so I was able to take the time to do a regular workout. But actually, it turned out to be almost a double workout. I started off with the brutal T25 Alpha: Total Body Circuit. I really wanted to do well with this one, but I ended up needing to take a break a little earlier than usual. I didn't make it all the way to the Burn out like I did last time. I ended up taking several breaks before and during the Burnout. But I took a long enough break so I would be able to blast the move that took me out and forced the break. But I got through it.
I wanted to do some Upper Body weights and I was thinking to do it, as usual, just freestyle, but I just got access to Beachbody on Demand so I was browsing their new programs and LIIFT 4 sort of jumped out at me. LIIFT started out with weights which was exactly what I wanted so I went with the first program. Basically, it was three rounds of a superset. And there were three different sets of those for a total of nine sets of moves. The first two rounds, I kept the same weight, but I went up in weight on the last round. That weight round took a little over 20 minutes, but it felt longer because of the number of sets. After the weights, there was a HIIT section. I went through the first round, but I modified it because I was still tired from the T25. The final part was abs/core. I did their moves instead of doing an ab specific routine. The program was nice, but I was a little put off by the fact that there was no background music. So it felt like it was missing something.
I did the closer Flow and for the first time in a while, I had no problem with the right Flow.
In the end, I burned a good 1126 kcals. Good workout today.
26th, Monday, an off day.
November 26, Monday.
Today became an off day because of the late Monday class. But I did do a little stretch on my shoulders and still knocked out my Chin-Up Challenge. I did 24 reps today in three sets, 10-10-4.
Today became an off day because of the late Monday class. But I did do a little stretch on my shoulders and still knocked out my Chin-Up Challenge. I did 24 reps today in three sets, 10-10-4.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)