October 1, As we enter the month of Halloween...

Here we go!

October is pretty much known for being the month of Halloween, and another "King of the Hill" Challenge is upon me and my Beachbody Coaches Group.  As a warm-up for the KotH Challenge, my coach sent out a "Spooky Routine" to all the members to do at least once before October started.  So I actually did this routine on Sunday, the 29th, but I held off on reporting it because it was so cool. Here is it:

I thought I could power through this in 25 minutes or so.  It ended up taking me close to an hour to get through the three rounds of this monster!  A couple adjustments and an additional move at the end brought it to that long.  Here's what I did:  I did all the timed moves as noted, but I ended up going overtime on most of them because I didn't want to stop at like 33 reps, so I kept going a few extra seconds to get to 35 or 40 reps on the fast moves like Mountain Climbers or Speed Skaters.  But on the bodyweight moves like Push-Ups, I did 20 instead of 15.  Instead of Walking Lunges (First Move), I did Alternating Jumping Lunges, 2 moves equaled 1 rep.  For the weighted moves, Curls and Rows, I did them as a Combo move instead of individually.  I used 10kgx2 for the first two rounds then went down to 7.5kgsx2 for the last round.  I was just fried.  Then, in the end, after the Plank move, I added 5 reps of Pull-Ups.  Just to start getting back into it.

Let me tell you, this little routine was a lot harder than I had initially thought.  But it was a good full-body workout.

I burned over 800kcals on this routine, so I was happy about that.  From October 1, today, I'm going to kick it into high gear and do something every day so I can keep my "Crown".

The US Trip and the resulting Workouts through September

     I left for the US on August 29.  It was a long trip but there was no outstanding incident.  Everything went smoothly and it was probably the fastest trip in the sense of security checks and immigration that I have ever experienced.  I didn't get asked more than one or two questions all the way through.  As for the trip, I was able to do all my scheduled work duties so that part was fine.  I wasn't even that effected by the jet lag that much which made me happy.

     I was hoping to play Pickleball every day in the evening, but in the end, I ended up only being able to play twice the whole trip.  The first time the weather was hot, but the second time, it was almost cold near the end of play.  I didn't bring my HRM but I only played doubles so I didn't really need it.  But it was still a good workout each time.  During the first day, I won all my matches.  The second was much the same, winning all my matches except one.  But the difference was that I played with a variety of players.  It was just fun all around both days.

     On the trip back, I got the news that a typhoon was heading to Tokyo and might cause some delay for my flight.  But eventually, it was reported that there were no delays of incoming flights to Narita.  Again, all the security checks were fast and problem-free.  The only little nervousness I had was waiting to see if the seat next to me would be open or not.  Fortunately, it was open, so I could stretch out a little more this time.   Since I got the ticket there was only one thing I was even remotely worried about, and that was the transit time between Narita and Haneda.  I knew I was going to cut it close, but if everything went as smoothly as it had been, I was going to make it.  But Mother Nature had other plans.  When I arrived at Narita (a few minutes earlier than scheduled),  I was hopeful that I would make it on time.  I went through customs, immigration, and security with no hitches got my bags and headed to the shipping counter.  On my way there, I noticed that the lines for the bus ticket counter were "snakingly" long.  That is when I got my first hint that something was not right.  I shipped my three large bags and head back to buy my bus ticket to Haneda.  Unfortunately, the line was even longer now.  I went out to the bus stop to see if I could just ride the bus and pay cash.  But there was a notice that stated that the bus service was not running.  Looking up and down the line, tons of people were just waiting and no buses or even taxis were running.  At this point, I still had over two hours to get to Haneda.  Well, it ended up that because of the typhoon, there was flooding all over the city and no transportation services were running at all in or around Narita, but planes were still arriving.  Totally, an estimated 17,000 were stranded at Narita that night.

That whole experience just totally screwed up my internal clock and even three weeks later, I'm still feeling the effects of the jet lag.

I didn't do any workout the first week back.  The next week, I just did a week of X3 Yoga.  Then I started doing some resistance last week along with the Yoga.  Below is my worksheet for the routine.

This routine offically completes my Hammer and Chisel run through.  From October I will start a normal workout schedule.  Here we go!

Ups and Downs during the past three months

Here I'm going to talk about some of the big ups and downs I experienced during the past three months.

1.  Pull-Up Strength.  I love doing Pull-Ups, but this is one move that if I stop doing then for an extended period of time, I will go down in strength... A LOT and QUICKLY.  During the two weeks of inactivity, I was literally doing no strength exercises.  Not because I couldn't, but I think I was mentally afraid of injuring myself again.  But as my ankle got stronger, my desire to workout again became stronger.  But after two weeks, I could barely do 8 reps.  But after a couple of day, I was able to get back to about 10 reps and that was one plateau.  About a month later, I got up to 15 reps and plateaued again.  Last week, I got back to 20 reps in a row.  I've done that three times since then.  I'm very happy.

2. Yoga.  My flexibility has gone to pot.  Again, like Pull-Ups, if I stop doing it, I lose it.  Two and a half years ago, I joined a tennis club.  Sundays and Wednesdays are now Tennis days.  Previously, at least one of those days was a yoga day, and one was either a stretch or a Foam Roller Day.  Now, I do nothing for flexibility.  And it shows.  When I did a Yoga routine after about two months, in the middle of July, I couldn't even get close to doing the Yoga Wrap.  My Shoulders were just too tight.  A couple of times since, I barely was able to touch my tippy tips of my fingers together, but no clasp or hook.  But I kept doing it and just today, August 28, for the first time in over... I don't know, a long time, I actually was able to hook my fingers for a quick moment on both sides.  So my flexibility is slowly coming back.  I am also making it a part of my routine to stretch my Hip Flexors and do Shoulder Opening Yoga stretches.

Another thing in Yoga is my Half-Moon pose and my Warrior 3 pose.   The first time I got back to a yoga routine in June, I was falling all over myself.  I couldn't hold the Half-Moon pose for longer than a few seconds.  I was very unstable and my legs would just poop out.  But since I started doing the Chisel and Hammer program, the routines also work the legs and I could feel my legs getting stronger.  After a few of the Chisel and Hammer routines, I did a yoga routine, and my Half-Moon was solid as a rock.  My Warrior 3 pose was also extremely stable.  I could even do it with my arms forward, not back.  I thought that playing tennis would be enough leg work for me since I did a lot of "getting low" to the ball, but it wasn't nearly enough.  Now, I know I have to do Leg-specific training moves to keep up my leg strength.

3. Over all Strength.  The old saying is right, "If you don't use it, you lose it."  I am proof of that.  Whenever I take any type of break from working out, strength workouts, for longer than a few days, I start to lose strength.  It has taken over three months, but I am back in the habit and on my way to reaching my fitness goals.

After a three month absence...

Well, after a three month absence from writing about my workouts, I'm back... sort of.  I'm about to leave on a business trip so I will be absent again for a few weeks before I get back to regular posts.  But I will give a brief overview of what I have been doing.

Probably the biggest reason for my absence is my ankle injury.  For about two weeks I didn't do anything, but then I started to do mostly upper body workouts.  But then I just got busy and ended up not writing.  That is something I regret because I have made a lot of good progress in different areas of my fitness.

Here is a basic workout week.

Sunday - Tennis
Monday - Off Day, or Stretching
Tuesday - Resistance Training
Wednesday - Tennis
Thursday - Yoga or Stretching
Friday - Resistance Training
Saturday - Off Day, or Stretching

That was how a basic week went.  Then, in July I got back into Pickle-Ball with a different friend who came back from the United States.  So, I was able to make Monday Pickle-Ball day.  But there were days when tennis got rained out so I would do a resistance workout instead.  On all resistance days, I would of course do Abs after the main routine, and the Tai Cheng Flow.  But the Tai Chen Flow sort of got phased out in and Shoulder Opening Yoga took its place.

As far as programs, when I started back after my injury, I went with Body Beast, trying several of the Build and Bulk routines in a circuit.  Then I started the Hammer and Chisel Program.  I have done all of the full routines except for one, Chisel Power, which is in the deluxe section.  I haven't do the shorter routines like the 15 minute Cardio or the 15 minute Leg routines.  But I did the 10 Minute Ab Chisel just the other day.  That is one that I will be doing again.  Most of the ab routines I did where from the ChaLEAN Extreme Program:  Ab Burner, Extreme Abs, Extreme Core Circuit, and I've Got Abs are the ones I used the most.  But I did to the Ab routine from Body Beast and P90X3 once or twice.

From now, I will post the worksheets I filled in for most of the routines I did the past three months.  The dates are all over the place, but you can get the gist of what I did.

May 30, Back to Back Upper Body days, hope I don't pay to much for this decision.

May 30, 2019, Thursday - Sagi's BOD Exclusive: Chest and Triceps + Core + Shoulder Care Modified + TCF.

I was planning to play tennis again today, but as a result of an unexpected turn of events, I ended up no being able to go and so I stayed home and went with another round of Sagi's Beachbody on Demand Exclusive workout.  This time, Chest and Triceps.  There is a Leg routine in there, but I'm staying away from heavy leg work for now to protect my knees and ankles.  I want to stay in shape for tennis and not risk straining any tendons or other muscle injuries.

May 29, New Upper Body workouts with Sagi on BOD.

May 29, 2019, Wednesday - Sagi's BOD Exclusive - Back and Shoulders + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Abs + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

This is a new set of routines for me.  Since I started using the Beachbody on Demand, I have mostly done programs I already have.  With the exception of LIIFT4 and Shoulder Care Yoga, I have everything I've done.  This was another venture outside my known world.  These workouts are only on BOD so I was excited to give it a try.  As the video started, I was a little disappointed because I realized that Sagi was planning to use a machine in the routines.  So I was forced to rip up some sort of system to copy the movements.  I was actually pretty happy with the results of my ingenuity.  There was no worksheet so I didn't keep a written record of my weight and reps, but here are the moves.  Each set was done for three rounds with increasing weight and decreasing reps:

Super Set 1:
Close-Grip Chin-Ups: 10 - 10 - 10 (5-3-2)
Kneeling Lat Pull: 15 - 12- 10 Green Band

Single Set 2:
Squat with Cable Row: 15 - 12 - 10 Green Band
Plus Drop set, 8 Reps in four quick rounds.

Single Set 3:
One-Arm T-Bar Row: Right - 10 - 12 - 14.5
                               Left - 10 - 12 - 14.5
Drop set 6 reps and 2 rounds. 17 - 14.5

Force Set 4:
Military Press: 7 reps, 7 rounds - 12 kgs

Super Set Set 5:
Wide Grip Upright Row:  7.5 - 8.75 - 10
Lateral Raise with Cable: 10 Reps/Rnd, Black, and Blue bands

Set 6:
Posterior Delts Cable Fly: 15 - 12 - 10,
Black - Black/Blue - Black/Blue/Red

It was a cool workout with a bunch of fun new ways to use the resistance bands.  Something I plan on doing more of in the future.  Definitely a Body Beast style of routine.

I felt good, so I went back to Chalene's Extreme Abs.  I still had to tap out and was unable to finish the routine without breaks.  But I plan to work my way back to the point where I can do the whole routine without a break.  Crushed the Stretch and Flow.

In the end, I burned a good 723 kcals.  Pretty average burn for an upper body routine.

May 28, Trying out regular tennis.

May 28, 2019, Tuesday - Tennis.

Today, instead of playing on the wall, we got a court and did some real hitting over the net.  We were both looking forward to it because it has been almost two months for me since hitting on a court last, and several months for my wife.  The big "Fly in the Ointment" was the fact that my wife accidentally brought my spare racket instead of her own racket.  It wouldn't be such a problem, except for the fact that my racket it almost 60g heavier than my wife's racket.  And she felt the difference and it was causing her a little bit of pain just trying to swing the heavier racket.  So I had to try to keep my hits to her backhand because her two-handed backhand is much stronger than her one-handed forehand.  Much less risk of injury on her backhand side.

I couldn't hit out, but I could practice more footwork.  My wife made me run a lot, which really tested my ankle and knee.  Happy to report that my knee was virtually pain-free.  But there was a little stiffness in my ankle.  I think I'll need to use a stiffer supporter for my ankle for a while.  But I'm glad I got this practice in because I was forced to move laterally a lot.  I think I'm ready to go back to my tennis club from this coming Sunday and practice with them.  I'm excited.

In the end, I burned a good 804 kcals.  My legs were also still pretty sore from the Plyo Legs day the week before so my age is showing.  Normally the soreness would have been gone by day 3, but it is lingering.  Probably connected to the way I climb stairs with my bum knee.  It's a workout in itself.

May 26, 10-Minute Trainer routines

May 26, 2019, Sunday: P90X3 - Cold Start + 10-Minute Trainer: Total Body + Core Cardio + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

I'm not really sure why I went to 10-Minute Trainer today, but I think I wasn't feeling very motivated because of soreness and aches and pains in various locations of my body, you know, ankle, knee, back, shoulders, legs.  basically all over, but nothing too debilitating.

I needed to warm up so I went to a good one in Cold Start and then moved right to the routines.  The Total Body routine is good because I was able to do moves that helped me to stretch out even more.  A lot of quick squats and pop moves to get the lower body and then the curls and presses for the upper body.   It's a fun routine.  Then I moved quickly to the Core Cardio and this one got me.  I had to pause the video a few times to watch the move to learn it and to catch my breath.  I also had to rig a few different band configurations to enable me to get the full range of motion and not have the bands rub on nearby furniture.  It was a good focused core/ab routine, so I felt that was good for today.  I finished off with a good Shoulder Care stretch and then my regular Flow.  But I also started doing Triceps Dips in the shower so I started off with just 50 reps or so, but I'm going to increase that as the time goes on.

In the end, I burned a good 800 kcals.

May 24, Finishing off the week with some Wall Tennis +.

May 24, 2019, Friday - Wall Tennis + Walking + Pull-Ups.

I made it home a little early so I was able to get to the Wall early and claim the whole wall for my wife and I.  We were hitting for about 15 minutes when another guy came and was waiting.  Then the same guy from the previous times came and just walked in and asked if he could play on half.  My wife being the nice person she is said okay, and both guys came in and started hitting on the wall.  They asked for half and took two thirds.  I should say tried to take two thirds.  They just assumed that we would move, but at the wall, there are no reservations, it is first come first serve so we were totally within our rights to stay and keep the whole wall.  Anyway, we kept half and the other guy who came second was pushed to the edge by the guy who came third and set himself right in the middle of everyone.  He almost hit my wife a few times.  He was incredibly in the way, but he didn't care.  That led to a little non-verbal drama, but we focused on our tennis.

Today was a good day for tennis.  I was feeling some of that control coming back, and hitting at a good contact point.  Focusing on the ball and good form.  I was able to hit hard and maintain a good rally rhythm.  I didn't keep count of the strokes I hit, but it was a pretty good number.  No problems with my ankle or my knee.  I used the smaller supporter on my knee this time just to test it out and as I said, no problem and no pain.  After we finished, to cool down, we took a walk around the park.  I also stopped at a workout station to do a few sets of Pull-Ups to get in some of that work.  All in all, it was a good workout.

In the end, I burned a good 1107 kcals.  Glad to break passed a thousand for the first time since early in May.  And only the second time since the last time I went to regular tennis practice.

May 22, Another round of Wall Tennis.

May 22, 2019, Wednesday - Wall Tennis.

Today, I had no meetings after work, so I was able to get home a little earlier and go to the wall with my wife.  My legs were feeling very sore from yesterday.  I didn't feel too bad in the morning when I woke up, as the day wore on, the soreness hit.  Also, my right knee started to feel really painful.  Especially going up the stairs.  It hurt so much when I put weight on the higher leg to climb a step.  Walking straight on flat ground was painless, just stairs.  So I decided to try out the Wall again but I put on a knee supporter.

The same guy was there, so we had to again, share the wall with him.  The last time, it took about 30 minutes for me to get the feel back.  I felt like at the end I was hitting some good strokes and finding a good contact point.  My timing was also coming back.  However, today, I just didn't feel solid at all.  I didn't feel "uncomfortable" like I did last time in the beginning, but I just didn't "feel" it today.  My strokes felt mechanical and stiff.  But the one good thing is that I started to serve and my serves felt okay.  I did realize that when my toss was too much over my head and I didn't bend back for the kick serve, I was compensating with my shoulder and that that positioning was causing pain.  So, I learned that if I'm going to do a kick serve, I need to go for it and not task my shoulder to get the extension I need to generate the racket head speed and path I need.  Even though I didn't have the feeling today, I focused on form and made sure I got low But I was really pushing it today, and we stayed for a little longer today so the burn was a bit higher.

In the end, I burned a good 922 kcals.  Playing tennis didn't bring any knee pain or ankle pain, so I was happy about that.  I may not do Plyo Legs again for a while, or at least until I know my knee feels better.

May 21, Leg Day with Tony, a new routine for me.

May 21, 2019, Tuesday:  One-on-One with Tony Horton, Vol. 1, Workout 1 - Plyo Legs + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Abs + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

Today is Leg day.  I was going to do the Tony Horton leg routine I did before from Volume 3, but I found one in Volume 1.  It was Plyo, so I thought I would start it and if it was too hard on my ankle from all the jumping, I'd stop and then do the Volume 3 routine.  As it turns out, it wasn't that hard as far as high impact stuff like Insanity, it was almost the same as the P90X routine Plyometrics X.  A lot of the same moves, a few new moves, and a few amped up old moves.  So, I finished the routine.  But I was afraid I wouldn't near the middle of it.  It as tough and my legs were starting to cramp and give out.  Luckily, the last few moves were a little easier so that was motivation to finish it out.  There was no worksheet for this routine so I couldn't really keep a record of my rep count, but I pretty much kept up with Tony except for a couple of moves where I did 5-10 fewer reps.  It was a very tough routine.  We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

The biggest thing with this workout was the fact that there are a lot of moves where I have to bend over and touch the ground and stand back up.  By the middle of the workout, my lower back was just screaming out.  So much so that I had to stop and lay down on my rumble roller to relieve the tension.  I had to do that for a few minutes every few moves with bending over.  But I got through it.

My legs were fried, but I felt good enough to do Chalene's Extreme Abs.  I had to tap out a few times, but I did my best to breathe through the burn.

In the end, I burned a good 892 kcals.

May 19, I went for the second Tempo workout.

May 19, Sunday, 2019: Body Beast - Tempo: Back and Biceps + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 200 + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

This is the second and final Tempo routine in Body Beast.  All the parameters are the same as the Chest and Triceps routine.  Again, the weights I used were a lot lighter than I usually lift, but it was still as brutal as all get out.  The one big difference was the sets were mostly single sets and after the three rounds, there was a Core/Cardio move, as you can see on the worksheet below.  I really felt the pump and burn today.  I suspect that I will feel the soreness for a few days afterward like I did with the Chest and Triceps routine.  Since I was feeling a little wasted already in my abs, I went back to the regular Power 90 Ab Ripper 200, the longer one, not the accelerated 100.  Still got the good burn even with the short breaks between moves.

In the end, I burned a good 728 kcals.  I'll do these ones again, I'm sure.

May 17, Tested my ankle on the wall.

May 17, 2019, Friday: Wall Tennis.

Today was the first time for me to go out and do some actually hitting a tennis ball in a month and a half.  My wife was actually the one that suggested this to me.  We didn't get a court, but just went to the hitting wall at the park and we hit against a wall.  I wanted to test my ankle to see if there was any pain with actual tennis movement.  I started out at the service line and just practiced my stance and was looking for my contact point.  I felt really uncomfortable.  I couldn't seem to find the correct contact point and it was a mess.  I felt like I was just flailing around.  I was misjudging the distance to the ball a lot and was either reaching out for the ball or jamming myself.  After about 15 minutes or so, I started to get the feel and timing back.  After half an hour, I started to move back, and I began to hit the ball a little harder.  My wife also hit so we traded off.  There was another guy there on the other half of the wall so we had to share.  We actually lost a ball over the fence but found two more so we gained a ball.

I was happy to get back to tennis and almost on a court.  Since we were on only half a court, I couldn't really do a lot of lateral movement with my footwork to test my ankle like I wanted, but maybe that was a good thing.  I need to just take it slow.

In the end, I burned a good 788kcal.  I was surprised that I burned that many calories just hitting with the wall.

May 16, Time Crunch, so a quick The Challenge.

May 16, 2019, Thursday: P90X3 - X3: The Challenge + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 200 Speedy.

I got home a little later than I was expecting so I had to rush my routine and try and cut out or skip the periods where Tony did a lot of talking.   Just a quick shake out and stretch/ballistic stretch and I was on to the next move.  If I got too far ahead, I would jump the video ahead to catch up to my move.  When I was finished, I was only about four minutes faster than the regular straight play.  I did the Burnout with Tony and the team.  My numbers were 20/7.

Due to my time crunch, I went to my shortest ab routine, Power 90's Ab Ripper 100.  But I rushed through with no breaks or waiting between moves to watch Tony's demonstrations, and ended up doing the Ab Ripper 200 in the Ab Ripper 100's time.   My numbers were 20/7.

In the end, I burned a good 455kcals.

May 15, Leg day on the slides.

May 15, 2019, Wednesday: PiYo - Strong Legs + P90 - Ab Ripper B + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

I was really feeling the soreness today, so I was happy to work on the lower body.  I was a little scared of using the slides today because of the difficulties I had last time, but I stuck with it.  And, I  must say, I think I did better than last time.  I didn't lose my balance as often, and I got a little further into the routine before tapping out.  But the bridge work at the end of the routine was still hideous.  In that position, I just have virtually no range of motion.  I was barely able to open my legs more than 10 inches or so at the knees.  But I was happy that I could still hold my bridge higher.

I still had to tap out near the middle of Ab Ripper B last time, so I went with it again.  I still had to tap out pretty early.  My abs and core must still be incredibly weak.

In the end, I burned a good 602kcals.

May 14, Trying the new TEMPO routine from Body Beast.

May 14, 2019, Tuesday: Body Beast - Tempo: Chest & Triceps + P90 - Ab Ripper B + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

I've always wanted to try this pair of routines, but buying them on disk was way too expensive.  But now, with Beachbody on Demand, I am able to give them a go.  I had seen reviews for it on YouTube but really wanted to try it myself.  So here it goes.  The Tempo for the three sets was 6-6, then 6-3, then finally 3-3.  The numbers denote a "count" pace for each direction of the weight.  Basically, the longer number is for the eccentric half of the rep.  All the reviews said that the Tempo routines were brutal, and now, after having tried them, I'd have to say that I agree.  The first set starts of pretty easy because of the light weight, but by the middle of the set, my muscles were feeling it.  The brilliant thing is that since I'm going so slow, I was able to focus on form and activating the target muscles.  In today's case, Chest and Triceps.  The one thing I was wondering about was the fact that one difference I saw when compared to other Tempo routines I've seen on the internet was the Static hold.  Some trainers add a static hold at the bottom and top of each half rep.  Not too long, but something like a beat or two.  I assume that is for preventing momentum from helping move the weight.  But Segi emphasizes a continuous movement.  I got a good pump and burn from this one.  More burn, though.  And I was exhausted at the end.  So exhausted that I went with the shortest ab routine I have.  I got a great burn from this one as well.  Below is my worksheet for the Tempo routine.

In the end, I burned a good 646kcals.

May 10, Week ending Recovery Plus.

May 10, 2019, Friday:  X2 - Mobility & Recovery + Push-Ups and Pull-Ups.

I actually had some time today, but I was feeling a bit run down, so I decided to stick with the schedule and do recovery.  In my younger days, with this much time on a Friday, I probably would have tried to do another resistance routine to finish out the week, but not anymore.  Stuck with the recovery.

I'm a bit tighter than I used to be so the stretching part was disappointing.  Less range of motion in my stretches.  I a lot of hot spots in my calves that wouldn't release, so I just moved on.  Not many hot spots in my hamstrings, though.  But overall, the foam rolling felt good.

I had some extra time and motivation, so I did three sets of 30 reps of Push-Ups on my Push-Up Stands.  The stands increased my range of motion so I wasn't able to get to 50 reps in one set.  But that is my goal for Push-Ups on the stands.  Then I knocked out 20 reps of Pull-Ups, then a set of 10 reps.  This is the first time for me in a LONG time to do 20 reps in a row with no breaks.  I was very happy.  I wanted to get to at least 15 reps in my second set, but my wife made me laugh so I couldn't get it.

In the end, I burned a nice 371 kcals.  Just an easy workout with some burn at the end.

May 8, multi-10-Minute Trainer routines

May 8, 2019, Wednesday: 10-Minute Trainer - Upper Body + One-on-One Upper + Abs + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

I was feeling for something short today.  I was just feeling off and not really balanced and I didn't want to overdo something and then get injured again.  So instead of a routine that used dumbbells, I went with a band routine(s).  10-Minute Trainer is the only program I could think of that used bands in a consistent manner through a full routine.  I did two routines, Upper Body, and One-on-One Upper.  Both only 10 minutes, but they actually took me a little longer to get through because I wanted to hit even rep counts when I did alternating sides on certain moves.  So, even though it was a 10-minute routine, it actually took me a little over 15 minutes for each one.  I have a new respect for bands.  I really got a good burn from the bands.  I also got a pretty good pump as well.    But the burn was definitely there.  There were some moves that also worked the core along with the upper body.

I also did 10-minute Abs.  It has been a while since I did that routine, and before, if memory serves, I was able to get through it without more than a couple tap outs at most.  But this time, I was tapping out all over the place.  Especially when I was doing moves from the Plank position.  Definitely felt the burn.  The rest of the workout felt as it should.

In the end, I burned a good 687 kcals.  One thing, during the band work, I actually broke one of the handles of my bands, so I had to switch to another set that was a little weaker, but it ended up being a good switch because I was fried.

May 7, Leg day again.

May 7, 2019, Tuesday:  PiYo - Buns + Power 90 - Ab Ripper B + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

Today is Leg day again.  This is another week for me to implement this type of workout regiment and with the class schedule I've got at work and no tennis, I think this might be the workout schedule I'll be on for the foreseeable future.  Upper Body - Lower Body - Upper Body - Yoga/Recovery. And, as I said, today is the second day in the progression, Leg Day.

Since I'm not playing tennis (due to my ankle injury), I still want to keep my lower body strength, so a few weeks ago I started to do some body weight lower body work.  This is the second time for me to go through this routine and I think it went a little better.  I was able to get further into the routine without tapping out.  But I still had to tap out on the third circuit.  My legs are just not as strong as they used to be due to the inactivity.  But I'm on my way to getting back to a good level of strength.

The Ab Ripper B is still extremely difficult once I get past the halfway point.  I just need to keep on doing this one until I can get all the way through it non-stop and without tapping out.  The moves aren't that tough, but they are tough when done at a slower pace.  That is muscle endurance speaking.  The rest of the workout was on par.

In the end, I burned a good 610 kcals.  Not bad for a short leg routine.

May 6, Time to rip on the Upper Body Tony Style!

May 6, 2019, Monday - One-on-One with Tony Horton, Vol. 3, Upper Body X + P90 - Ab Ripper B + Shoulder Care Yoga + Push/Pulls + TCF.

It is a very rare occasion when I miss working out for three days in a row.  But one thing after another came up and this is how it ended up.  So, getting back into it with some big upper body work. 

This is the first time for me to do this routine so here is the setup: There were four circuits consisting of three moves each.  Each circuit was done twice.  I did 10 to 12 reps on each move.  Here are the moves:

Circuit 1-
2 Dog Push-Ups
4 Ball Pike Press
Forearm Plank Triceps Kickbacks

The first move didn't seem that tough, but I ended up only getting 10 reps and I was fried.  I think I only got 8 reps in the second round.  The second move, since I don't have four balls, I put my hands on my big foam roller and did the move on that.  I used only 7.5 kgs for the Kickbacks and that was plenty.  With the squeeze at the top, I got a good burn.

Circuit 2-
Caturocker Puch-Ups
Strip Presses (12-8.75-4)
One-Arm Bench Dips

The first move was tough.  I only got 8 reps done.  For the Stip Presses, I started off with 15 reps for all three weights in the first round, but I was fried in the second round so I only went for 12.  I was dying with the light weight at the end.  I am nowhere near strong enough to do one arm dips, so I ended up just doing regular dips.

Circuit 3-
3 Ball Burpee
Scarecrow Press
Side Forearm Plank Triceps Rises

On the first move, I used my foam roller and my med ball.  I barely made it to 10 reps in the first round and had a solid 10 reps in the second round.  On the second move, I tried only 4 kgs and that was light, so I bumped it up to 5 kgs in the second round.  That was much tougher.  In the final move, I used 7.5 kgs in the first round but that was a little light, so I upped it to 10 kgs and that was tough.

Circuit 4-
Med Ball Side Arm Push-Up
Bent Over Circle Flies
High Bar Band Extension

I was pretty fried by this time so I'm really glad that the last three moves were a little easier than the rest.  I did the Push-Ups on my foam roller for both rounds. I used 2 kgs in the first round for the second move and bumped it up to 3 kgs for the second round.  That was much tougher.  For the final move, I didn't want to use my bar because it would have fallen off, so I just used the doorknob attachment and did it from the mid door instead of high.  I still got a huge burn in my triceps, especially the second round.

For my abs, I did the P90 next step up, Ab Ripper B.  I thought it would just add 10 reps, but it added 5 moves all at just 10 reps.  Easy peasy, or so I thought.  By the time I was going through the last few moves, my core was screaming!  Very tough for the middle-level routine.  I had to tap out of the last couple reps, but I got in all the reps.

Shoulder Care and the Flow were good as usual, no hiccups.

In the end, I burned a good 1005 kcals.  A lot for an upper body routine.

May 2, Finishing the week's resistance workouts with another Lower Body routine.

May 2, 2019, Thursday - One-on-One with Tony, Vol. 1: Bun Blaster + P90: Ab Ripper A + Shoulder Care Yoga + Push/Pull Cont. Mini "The Challenge" + TCF.

I'm planning to do Yoga on Friday, so today ends resistance work for the week.  For some reason, I felt the need to do legs again, or at least lower body, so I was looking through the Beachbody on Demand programs and found, a One-on-One with Tony routine called  Bun Blaster.  Actually, it was called "Bun - Shaper" on the workout list, but Tony called it Bun Blaster in the video.  In his intro, he said it was only 9 moves twice so I was again thinking, Huh, not too bad.  Plus, there were no weights, except for a tiny 4 lb. medicine ball.  I used to dread leg day with weights, but this seemed easy.  Well, by the end of the second move, I knew I would be crying out in pain.  Mid-way through the routine I stopped moving and I could feel my leg muscles start to cramp up and tighten.  So I quickly moved and stretched.  Uh-Oh! That was not good.  The nine moves were:

1. Side-to-Side Squats
2. Knee-kick, Back Lunge
3. Side Kicks
4. 8-Card Pick-Up (Squats)
5. Crossover Stepback Lunges (Skaters)
6. Back Kicks (Donkey Kicks)
7. Sitdown Squats
8. Super Lunges (Mary Catherines)
9. Knee to Opposite Elbow, Side Kick

These moves don't seem very tough, and they aren't in their execution, but put them all together and they are a killer lower body workout.  They were done in a variety of rep counts ranging from 10 reps to 40 reps.  for 3/4 of the routine, my legs felt on the verge of cramping so I had to be careful and stretch out when they started to tighten up.

I went with a totally new routine for abs on a program I've never done before, P90.  I didn't do this program because it is sort of an entry-level program so there was an ego thing there.  Ab Ripper A was only like 8 minutes long, but the moves were almost all new and a lot of them worked my core in a different way.  Nice innovation, Tony!

After Shoulder Care Yoga, I started to do some Push-Ups and Pull-Ups.  And I ended up doing half of a "The Challenge" routine.  I did 10 Pull-Ups and 20 Push-Ups twice, then I did 7 Wide Grip Pull-Ups and 20 Wide Push-Ups twice.  That is basically half of a "The Challenge" workout routine.  I felt a good pump in all the right spots.

In the end, I burned a good 903 kcals.  I big burn, but I expected as much from a lower body KILLER routine!  This one is coming again.

May 1, Looking for some Upper Body Variation.

May 1, Wednesday, 2019 - 10-Minute Trainer: One-on-One with Tony, Friday Night Arms + Chest and Back + ChaLEAN Extreme: Extreme Core Circuit + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

I was looking for something different but didn't have a lot of time today, so I thought the 10-minute trainer would be good for upper body work.  I figured I could do most of my upper body with just two routines, Friday Night Arms and Chest and Back.  Only 10 minutes each so I figured I could knock them out pretty quickly.  For FNA, I actually used light dumbbells, just 4-6.25 kgs for the various moves.  I didn't want to lose tension on the low positions.  Also, since each move is a timed move, I chose the lighter weight so I wouldn't burn out too early.  For the Chest and Back, no weights, just resistance bands so I figured it would be easy peasy. Nope, not at all. I didn't get a huge pump, but the burn was intense.  My back was ON FIRE for most of the routine.  Just continuous horizontal pulling from the doorknob level.  I was feeling good after those two little routines.

I was feeling a little tired, so I chose the Extreme Core Circuit because I could sit on the ball.  This time around, I used the 1 kg hand weights.  I tried to stay in the higher position for more of the moves.  I got a major burn.

I finished off with the regular stuff.

In the end, I burned a good 771 kcals.  Plus, it was nice to take a little break from Push-Ups and Pull-Ups.

April 30, Closing out the Push/Pull Challenges, and Good-Bye Heisei

April 30, 2019, Tuesday - Push/Pull Challenges.

Well, I really wanted to end the month with a bang, especially since I was also doing a "King of the Hill" Challenge with my Beachbody Coach, but I was unable to do so. 

You may have seen in the news that Japan will be starting a new "Era" from May 1 with the crowning of a new Emporer.  So, my family went out for some shopping and we stayed out for a nice dinner as well.  We didn't get home until after 9 pm, so I was unable to do a regular workout.  But there was one thing I had to do, I had to close out my 30-Day Pull-Up Challenge and my 30-Day Push-Up Challenge. 

I did the Push-Ups first, and I was a little nervous because I was only able to do 30-30 the previous day.  One thing I did forget to mention is that on that day, I was using Push-Up Stands so my range of motion was a little wider.  Today I closed out the challenge on the ground, and I crushed it!  This was the first time EVER for me to do 60 Push-Ups in a row with no break.  I was going along at a good pace all the way up to 45, but then I was feeling the strain coming on.  I didn't want to stop, so I just slowed my pace a bit and I was able to get to 60 reps.  I was stoked.

I did a minute or so of ballistic stretching then went right into the Pull-Ups.  This particular challenge was, in my mind, designed for a beginner just getting into Pull-Ups so the final numbers aren't that high.  But it was perfect for me because I was essentially starting over after that injury to my left lat.  No Pulled muscle this time, so I crushed the final set numbers, 10-5-3.  It was relatively easy, but I don't think I could have done many more reps.  So I want to stay within my ability and not push too hard over it and injure myself again.  I have to be smart and not get carried away.

I am happy I could reach both goals.  I think I'm going to continue the Push/Pull regime.  I want to be able to eventually get to 20 pull-ups in a row and I want to stay around the 50-60 Push-Up range.  But I will use the stands all the time to up the ante with the range of motion.

April 29, Time to get that Lower Body strong.

April 29, 2019, Monday - Piyo: Strong Legs + P90X3: X3 Ab Ripper + Push/Pull Challenges + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

It looks like I'm alternating upper body and lower body workouts.  For some reason, I chose a lower body routine today and did a routine that is in the Deluxe Package of PiYo.  It was a little shorter than Buns, but my legs were starting to feel the cramping up.  Using the slides was also something I haven't done in a while.  The most difficult move, a move I couldn't actually do was near the end.  While in Bridge position, Chalene had us slide one leg out and in.  I could hardly get my leg to move on either side and when I did, the range of motion was so small, I'm not sure I even moved at all.  My hip joint was just too tight and muscles in that area too weak.  When I did Buns, I was a little sore the next few days, I was really feeling it in my hamstrings.  But after today, I know I'm going to feel it even more. 

X3 Ab Ripper is actually a routine I sort of forgot about.  But Since doing it today, I'm going to pull it out more often.  It is a good routine that rips on my abs.  The rest of the workout was as planned.

In the end, I burned a good 783 kcals.  I did a lot of good work today, so I'm happy.

April 28, Push/Pull focus with The Challenge

April 28, 2019, Sunday - P90X3: The Challenge + ChaLEAN Extreme: I've Got Abs + Push/Pull Challenges + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

I wanted to accelerate my Pull-Up and Push-Up work so I went with a good ol' standard: The Challenge.  I wanted to up my numbers a bit, so I was going to go to 7 on the Pull-Ups, but on the first set, the Wide Grip, I could only get to 6, so I reset the number to 6.  I also was thinking to go to 20 on my Push-Ups, but I didn't want to burn out too quickly so I lowered it to 17 for the first half, but eventually went to 20 reps from the second half.  Below is the worksheet data:

Pretty much a standard workout, but the big difference was in the BURNOUT.  Tony does a 1 pull-up to 3 push-ups combo, and I usually hammer out 11 rounds of that, but with the new numbers, 3 Pull-Ups and 5 Push-Ups, I could only get 8 rounds.  I got an excellent pump and burn.  And I still did the Push/Pull Challenges.  But for them, I broke down the Push-Ups into a couple of sets instead of one set.  I wasn't able to do the Pull-Ups as stated, 9-4-2, so I did a few more sets to keep the reps.  I did 3-3-4-2. Then I did 30-30 for the Push-Ups.  Arms were JELLO!

I decided to further punish myself by doing "I've got Abs" again.  This time, those Push-Ups were brutal.  I almost went to my knees, but I gutted it out.  The Shoulder Care Yoga and the Flows were fine.

In the end, I burned a good 783 kcals.  While I'm freestyling it, I think I'll do The Challenge at least once a week just to get a boost for Push-Ups and Pull-Ups.

April 26, Only had time for some Ab and Shoulder work.

April 26, 2019, Friday - ChaLEAN Extreme: I've Got Abs + Push/Pull Challenges + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

I went to see Avengers: Endgame today in the afternoon, so by the time I got home, I didn't have a lot of time to work out, but I decided to go ahead and do a short one.

I chose I've Got Abs.  It is primarily an ab routine, but it also uses push-ups for its planking, but I figured that I could also get a little strengthening in as well.  It's been a while since I last did this routine so doing it made me a little nervous.  But coupled with the Push/Pull Challenges, my abs and chest and arms got a sufficient workout today.  And finishing off with the regulars, all in all, it was a good routine.

Short workout, but in the end, I burned a good 350 kcals.

April 24, Needed to start doing some Low Impact Lower Body work

April 24, 2019, Wednesday - Piyo: Buns + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Push/Pull Challenges + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

I am still not ready to go back to playing tennis, but since it is Wednesday, a regular tennis day, I wanted to try to get some leg work in and start conditioning my lower body for when I do go back so it won't be such a shock when I do start up again.  I've been working a lot on my upper body and babying my lower body to protect my ankle, I figure something is going to give when I go back to tennis.  So, I'm starting to do some body weight stuff for my lower body.  I couldn't think of anything better than PiYo to take care of my legs.

PiYo Buns sounded like a good lower body routine so I went for it and boy was it ever.  My legs and butt were feeling it around the 5-minute mark.  A lot of that slow lunge and squat work is just really taxing on my legs.  I could feel the tension.  I think I'm going to feel it in the days to come.

The rest of the workout was as usual.  I was thinking not to use the 2 kg dumbbells on my abs, but I ended up using them anyway.

In the end, I burned a good 654 kcals.  It was a short workout, but the pain made it feel longer. 

April 23, Sticking with Body Beast Upper Body focus

April 23, 2019, Tuesday - Body Beast: Bulk-Arms + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Abs + Push/Pull Challenges + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

Today I'm focusing on the upper body, specifically arms in "Bulk: Arms".  Here is the worksheet for routine:

As you can see, I went with somewhat lighter weights so I could focus on eccentric movement, range of motion and form.  That is especially true for the last two Progressive Sets.

I definitely felt the discrepancy between my left and right arms and the discrepancy between my biceps and triceps.  My left side is definitely weaker than my right.

Abs are back on track, but still, have a way to get where I want to be.  For the Push/Pull Challenges, 43 Push-Ups and a 7-4-2 on the Pull-Ups.  That first set of pull-ups always makes my left side lats feel the strain, but that warms them up so that feeling is not there for the remaining sets. 

In the end, I burned a good 748 kcals.  Upper Body BURN!  Even though I was working on arms, I got a good little pump in my shoulders and other upper body muscles as well.

April 21, Ankle Rehab before my regular workout

April 21, 2019, Sunday - Ankle strengthening and Stretch + Body Beast - Bulk: Back + Beast Abs + Push/Pull Challenges + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

In the afternoon, I was taking some time to strengthen my ankle and test its range of motion.  I was also doing some lower back stretches and bridge work to test my ankle mobility.  It looked pretty good and felt a lot better than before.  When I used to do the Bridge move, as I lifted my butt, my feet, which were about shoulder width apart on the floor,  would be forced toward each other.  So my feet to knees would end up in a "V" shape.  But now, I was able to do bridges and have my feet stay shoulder width apart.  HAPPY!

Anyway, I promised I would work on my Back today and so I did.  Back with Segi and Bulk Back.  So here is the rundown of the routine:

Super Set
Pull-Over - 15r@17 kgs/ 12r@19.5 kgs/ 8r@25 kgs - 22 kgs
Pull-up - 10r/ 10r/ 7r-3r

The Pull-Overs were fine, the first two sets of pull-ups were also fine, but I had to tap out at 7 on the third set.  But I got through it.

Progressive Set
Reverse Grip Row - 15r@12x2 kgs/ 12r@14.5x2 kgs/ 8r@17x2 kgs - & Down

This was probably the roughest move of the routine.  I had to really work on that heavy weight.  I had to really push it.

Force Set
One-Arm Row - 5x5r@14.5 kgs Left first, then Right

Again, the first three sets were easy, but the fourth and fifth, brutal stuff.

Single Set
Deadlift - 15r@10x2 kgs/ 12r@12x2 kgs/ 8r@15.75x2 kgs - 14.5x2 kgs

I have to watch my back on this one.  I felt a little dangerous tweek when I was lifting earlier.

Super Set
Reverse Fly - 15r@6.25x2 kgs/ 12r@7.5x2 kgs
Plank Rotation - 12r@6.25x2 kgs/ 12r@7.5x2 kgs

I had to really push to get this one finished.  Those last few reps in the second set were just really tough.  But I crushed it.

Then I went to Beast Abs Classic, and it was the same routine I have on disk, so I changed to Beast Abs.  This was different than the Classic routine so I was wanting to try it.  I didn't last 20 seconds into the first move.  I don't have a rundown of this routine, but suffice it to say that I was burned out at the end.

I was thinking to claim to do the challenges integrated into the workout, but then I decided to just do it.  The numbers for Push-up was 41 reps which I crushed and then almost collapsed.  Talk about Burnout.  The Pull-Ups were very tough.  The set rep was 6-4-1.  I could handle only 3r but I got the other set done fine.

Then I decided to try the Flow.  I had been hesitant to do it because I had just done 30 reps.  And I was right, I was fried.  I could only do 3 reps.  I finished the 3, then hammered out the stated numbers the rest of the way.  The push-ups were good.  Crushed the set number which was 41 reps. 

I wanted to try the Flow series and I went for it.  It was a good Flow.  But I was still cautious about going on one foot.  But I got through it without a hitch.

In the end, I burned a good 981 kcals.  Awesome for an upper body workout.

Ankle Rehab and Recovery

A word about my ankle and its healing progress.

In mid-March, while I was playing tennis, I apparently did something to my ankle that I didn't quite realize.  In the evening, my ankle felt sore and painful, especially when I went down a flight of stairs.  I've had that feeling several times in the past from sore muscles so I thought that it was just sore muscles and that I'd just power through.  So, come to the next tennis practice, I went and played as much and as hard as the pain would let me.  I would start off feeling tight, but in time I would loosen up and the pain would become weaker until I didn't even notice it until I really had to run, stop and change directions.  This lasted for about three practice sessions.  Finally, one day I was looking at my ankle and it was swollen to the point where I couldn't even see that nubby bone on the sides of the ankle.  So, I put a cold pack on it and elevated it and did all the home remedies I could think of to do.  But it was still swollen. 

Finally, I took a Tuesday off from work and went to the hospital to get it X-rayed and checked out.  The doc said that the tendon that sort of controls the outside to in lateral movement was damaged and a big contributor was my flat feet or lack of any type of arch in my feet.  So the doc prescribed an insole made specifically for my foot.  For some reason, he made one only for my left foot.  He also taped up my foot and I immediately felt the difference and the pain was much lower.  So, they took a mold of my foot and was told it would be done by Friday. 

On Friday I went back to the hospital to pick up the insole.  I felt great, at first, then my arch started to ache.  But I sort of bent my foot to relieve the ache then kept going.  After a few days, I was used to the new insole, but I didn't like the difference in the hight of my shoes, so I went to the sporting good store to get an insole from there to try and even it out.  About five days into using the left insole I noticed something different in my gate. 

Since high school, I was walking sort of like a clown, with my toes jutting out with every step.  Both the left and right.  There was a guy that I sort of idolized, a really popular guy, president of the Student Council type of guy, and we were actually friends.  I went to his house often.  And that was how he walked so I started to walk like him from my freshmen year and since then, I'd always walked like that.  A few years ago I tried to correct it by myself by consciously trying to put my toes forward when I stepped instead of out, but after a few days, my knees started to hurt.  Then when I stopped trying to fix it, the pain went away. So I thought there was no hope of correcting it.  But with this new insole, in less than a week of using it in my work shoes, my gate was straight, and then with the store bought insole in my right, my right side was also starting to point forward as well.  I was ecstatic!  Now, I'm using arch supporters that wrap around my arch and foot when I'm at home in my socked feet.  I don't want to lose that effect.  Now, I'm looking into getting arch supporting insole for all my shoes.

You may be asking "why not just buy the store insoles instead of getting the expensive one made specifically for my foot?"  Well, there is a difference, a huge difference actually.  The store insole is a one-size-fits-all style so it is close to where I need the support but not right on it.  I have to wiggle it into position several times while I'm wearing it while the prescription one is perfect every time.  Plus, with insurance, I'm getting 70% back so it's not actually that expensive.

Anyway, that is my story.  I'm still not playing tennis, but I hope to go back to practice from May at the earliest.  I'm taking the whole month of April off.

I highly recommend that if you have arch issues that you get arch support insoles.  It will change your life!

April 19, Spot Training with Segi, the BEAST.

April 19, 2019, Friday - Body Beast - Build: Chest + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Push/Pull Challenges + Ankle Strengthening and Rehab.

The last two workouts I did were arm workouts, so I was feeling the need to get in some chest, and the only program that has routines that specifically was Body Beast.  My Chest was up, and I decided to hit my Back next time.  When doing this routine, I usually do it with a workout sheet and keep track of my weights, but today, I just went with feeling and past experience to choose the weights I did.  I still seemed to work out just fine.

Here is the rundown of the routine:

Superset
Incline Fly - 15 reps@7.5x2 kgs/ 12 reps@8.75x2 kgs/ 8 reps@10x2 kgs
Incline Press - 15 reps@12x2 kgs/ 12 reps@14.5x2 kgs/ 8 reps@18.25x2 - 17x2 kgs

This was a good starting set.  I felt good and strong as the rounds came and went.  The first round, 15 reps was actually the toughest because I was still in need to stretch those particular muscles, so the second and third sets actually felt better.  Not as much pressure and strain, but intensity.

Force Set
Chest Press with Rotation - 5 reps x 5 rounds@14.5x2 kgs

The first three rounds were easy, but I was absolutely scorched on the last two.  My pace fell and I couldn't keep up with Segi, but I got through it.

Progressive Set
Incline Press
Up - 15 reps@8.75x2 kgs/ 12 reps@13.25x2 kgs/ 8 reps@15.75x2 kgs
Down - 8 reps@17x2 kgs/ 12 reps@14.5x2 kgs/ 15 reps@10x2 kgs

This set just rocked my world.  My triceps also got a really good workout.

Combo Set
Close Grip Press to Fly
15 reps@7.5x2 kgs/ 12 reps@8.75x2 kgs/ 8 reps@12x2 - 10x2 kgs

This is always a scary set for me before I start, but once I got the feel for it, I was fine.  But this is where I actually thought that 15 reps is a lot.  Here again, my triceps were getting a good workout as well.

MultiSet
Decline Push-Ups - 15 reps
Cobra to Airplane - 30 seconds
Decline Push-Ups - 12 reps
Russian Twist - 30 seconds
Decline Push-Ups - 8 reps

I was fried and burned by the time the last rep rolled around.  But I was happy that I was able to power through all the push-ups.  Previously, I would be too fried and would have to go onto my knees. 

I actually started to do the Shoulder Care Yoga but realized that I didn't have the time, since I was in a time crunch, so I went instead to abs.  I loved doing the Extreme Core Circuit last time, I figured I'd do it again, still with only the 1 kgs hand weights.  Another awesome burn. 

Then I finished out the workout with the Push/Pull Challenges, just the designated rep count due to the lateness of time.

In the end, I burned a good 768 kcals.  Remember, Back is up next.  I'm happy for the weekend.

April 16, Another ONE on ONE for the arms, JUST ARMS.

April 16, 2019, Tuesday - ONE on ONE with Tony Horton, Vol. 1: Just Arms + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Push/Pull Challenges + Ab Hang + Shoulder Care Yoga.

Well, my ankle is feeling a lot better, but since last Thursday I have just been really busy and things would come up just before my workout time so I wasn't able to workout on even Sunday, and for the life of me, I can't remember what I did as I type this.  Oh Well...

I'm still keeping up with the Push/Pull Challenges, and in fact, I believe it was Saturday night, I did a triple of the challenges.  That means I did the designated number of reps for that day three times.  And I do remember getting a pretty good pump.  On the other days, I did them just once.

Today, I went back to the upper body and specifically arms, and more specifically, for this routine called "Just Arms" I worked on Biceps, Triceps, and for the first time ever, Tony focused on Forearms.  The forearms are one of the most neglected muscle group in all the programs I've done.  Probably because they feel they don't need focused work because just holding the dumbbells or hanging from a pull-up bar is enough forearm work.  So it was nice to see the focus on them here.  So here is the rundown of the routine and each circuit was done twice:

Circuit 1
Sitting Bicep Curl - 12x2 kgs
Forearm Curl - 3x2 kgs/4x2 kgs
Lying Tricep Extension - 12x2 kgs

Only two sets seemed a bit incomplete.  I think I was conditioned to do 3 sets by LIIFT4, but if I did one more set, I think I would have hit total failure.  I think I crushed each move, rep, and set.

Circuit 2
Incline Biceps Curl - 8.75x2 kgs
Reverse Forearm Curl - 4x2 kgs
Single Arm Tricep Kickback - 8.75x2 kgs

On the first move, I actually had 10 kgs in my hand, but on the first rep, I knew it was too much, so I switched it out for the above weight.  The Biceps focus was tough, but it also gave me a good stretch.  I wanted to go heavier on the Kickbacks, but I didn't want to waste the time switching in and out plates between moves.  So I went a little slower on the reps to get long TUT.

Circuit 3
Bicep 21's (7 low, 7 high, 7 full ) - 8.75x2 kgs/7.5x2 kgs
3-Way Forearm ( 10 x 4 ) - 4x2 kgs
Side Tri Rise - 15x2 reps

My arms were just fried at this point and I had to lower the weight for the second round.  I started to get a good flex pump in my forearms with that triple combo forearm move.  It was cool to see the Side TR again, I haven't done it since P90X? for sure.

Burnout CircuitCrazy 8's ( 8 x 4 ) - 7.5x2 kgs
Back Forearm Curl - 4x2 kgs
Hammer Curl - 7.5x2 kgs
Tricep Throw - 12x2 kgs

In the final set, Tony only did the Crazy 8's twice, but I did all four moves twice, just because I didn't want to be uneven.  I'm not sure why Tony did the Hammer Curls, and it seemed like an afterthought, but since he did it, I did it... TWICE.

For abs, I went to another good one from Chalene.  I only used 1 kg hand weights, but it was good to get the burn in Extreme Core Circuit.  I didn't go way down into the easy position from the start, and everything seemed to work well, I was getting the burn I wanted, but what took me by surprise was the soreness the next day.  Man, I was sore.  My abs were the sorest part of my body the next day.  So I was like, Whoa! I'll have to get that one again.  But while I was feeling good, I added some extra ab stuff with my suspension arm straps, hanging from my bar.

Finishing off with my lovely Shoulder Care Yoga.  Opening up my shoulders.

In the end, I burned a good 794 kcals.  Back to an hour long main routine with Tony but only because I added some sets and reps or else this routine was just about 55 minutes long.

April 11, Sticking with Upper Body Resistance but with Tony

April 11, 2019, Thursday - One on One with Tony Horton, Vol. 3: Shoulders & Arms MC2 + Push/Pull Challenges + ChaLEAN Extreme: Ab Burner + Shoulder Care Yoga.

Still just working on upper body and probably will be for a while, while I'm healing.  Today, I'm free because I don't have the regular night class so I have a lot of time to workout.  So, I went with a new one that is targeting arms and shoulders.  I was looking at the Beachbody on Demand catalog of workouts and found this beauty in a new set for me, the ONE on ONE with Tony Horton series.  I have the 10-minute Trainer One on One routines, but this is my first full-length workout.  This is a little different in that it actually is set up like LIIFT4.  There are four circuit Supersets done three times.  Tony's rep count was all over the place depending on the move, but I kept my rep count at 10 reps per set.  Here is a rundown of the routine:

Circuit 1
Pike Press - 10 reps
Alternating Arnold Press - 17x2 kgs

The first two rounds were fine, but I had to take breaks in the third round during the Arnold Press.  I needed a little cheat push to get the weight up on the last few reps.

Circuit 2
Posterior Rear Delt Flies - 3x2 kgs/4x2 kgs 2x
Seated Bent Over V Flies - 5x2 kgs

3 kgs was too light for the delt flies on the first move in the first round, so I went up one kg after that.  My right shoulder has some pain in it a certain angle, and the angle of the second move was the pain angle.  I tried heavier weights, but the pain was too much.  So I went down to 5 kgs and I was able to keep form and reduce the pain while still getting a good burn.

Circuit 3
Biceps Curls - 12x2 kgs
Skull Crushers - 22 kgs

Same as circuit 1, the first two rounds were fine, but I could tell the final round would be a burner, and it was.  It came with mid-set breaks and some cheat body English.  I wanted to go up in weight for the Skull Crushers, but I just didn't have enough plates, so I went as heavy as possible without taking the time to move plates around.

Circuit 4
Crazy Eights 10x2 kgs/8.75x2 kgs 2x
Alternating Triceps Kickbacks - 10x2 kgs/8.75x2 kgs 2x

My arms were fried.  So I went down right from the get go. But it wasn't enough, so from the second set, I nudged the weight down a bit more and that was a good move for the 8's, but I could have stayed at the original weight on the Kickbacks.

My Arms were FRIED!!!  So, I was thinking to take a break from the Push/Pull today, but I was curious, because Push-Ups are supposed to be a chest move and Pull-Ups are a back move.  Did I have it in me to do them or was I too fried?  I was actually surprised to discover that I was able to do the Pushing and Pulling.  But I didn't go over the stated number of reps for today.  Plus, I was pretty sore from yesterday's pushing and pulling.

For abs, I went back to an oldie but goodie. Ab Burner.  I was surprised to find that it was tougher than before.  I actually had to tap out and release the tension a few times before the mid-routine stretch at about the 8-minute mark.  I got a good burn where it counted.

The Shoulder Care felt especially good today.

In the end, I burned a good 700 kcals.  Awesome work today.

April 10, First workout after ankle Injury

April 10, 2019, Wednesday - P90X3: The Challenge + Hammer and Chisel: Chisel Abs + Shoulder Care Yoga.

As far as the calendar is concerned, I haven't posted a workout since April 4.  After the Full Body HIIT which was the last routine of LIIFT4, my left ankle swelled up to where I couldn't see the little knubby bone just above my foot.  So, I decided to take some time off and stay off my ankle.  I elevated it, put cold packs on it for the next four days but the swelling didn't  go down.  I didn't do any formal routine over those four days, but I did do the Push/Pull Challenges since I would be hanging and there would be zero pressure on my ankle.  But I finally ended up going to the hospital on Tuesday.  I got it X-rayed and the doc diagnosed the problem as an inflamed Lower Posterior tendon, so not just a run of the mill sprain as I thought.  The issue was aggravated by my flat feet.  So I had a made-to-fit insole which I would have to pick up on Friday.  But the doc taped up the arch and I immediately felt much less pain and all around less pressure.  So, I taped my arch up until Friday.

Anyway, on Wednesday, I was feeling really antsy and really wanted to do something, to workout.  The only workout that I could really think of was what I did, X3's, The Challenge.  Totally upper body and zero pressure on my ankle.  It felt great to get back into the strength training again and I was happy that the Push/Pull Challenges up to this point sort of prepared me for this routine.  I had already, as far as reps and such are concerned, done this routine once plus.  Also, I didn't do the Challenges today because this would basically be a weeks worth of the challenges.

Here is a graphic of the moves involved in The Challenge.  Tony says to choose a number for the Push-Ups and Pull-Ups, and although I had been doing those moves everyday since April 1, I didn't go too crazy and kept it within my ability.  The numbers I chose were 15 Push-ups and 5 Pull-Ups.  And for this routine at this time, those numbers were exactly spot on.

For the Burnout, I did the Parallel Grip Pull-Up and Standard Push-Ups and I did a total of eleven rounds.  Man, I was feeling pumped.  I felt awesome, but I was also burned out!  

I also tried something new today for my abs and went with Hammer and Chisel's Chisel Abs with Autumn Calabrese.  This was my first ever routine with Autumn so I was curious to see how she runs a routine.  The moves were simple with timed sets.  I actually prefer rep count sets because I have a goal to count, as opposed to counting down the time.  I realized that if the time is set, time under tension should be even, but I like to keep even numbers.  That is just me.  Also, it just seemed to me that Autumn was over-explaining the moves a little too much so that kind of threw me.  I wasn't overly wowed, but I'll give her another chance on another routine sometime.  But the routine did give me the burn I was expecting.

The Shoulder Care Yoga felt great after that burner.

In the end, I burned a good 606 kcals.  Not too bad for an upper body workout.

April 4, LIIFT4 Grand Finale!

April 4, 2019, Thursday - LIIFT4, wk8, d4: Full Body HIIT + Shoulder Care Yoga + Push/Pull Challenges + TCF.

Well, this is it.  The last routine of the LIIFT4 program.  It is an 8-week program, but because of my schedule and other exercise commitments, namely tennis and Yoga, and some injury breaks, it took a little over double that.  I averaged two of the four routines a week.  And now, I have come to the final routine, Full Body HIIT.  My left ankle has been hurting pretty bad so I almost decided to hold off and do it when I was at 100% or close to that, but I eventually decided to just power through and get it done.  I did have to modify a little on some of the jumping moves, but I'll put that in the notes for each block.  For now, here is the rundown of the routine:

Block 1
Soccer Run (60 sec.)
Push-Up Mountain Twister (45 sec.)

Right off the bat, I had to modify the first move.  I couldn't lift my foot and then put it down at that angle.  I also couldn't kick my right foot in because that would put too much pressure on my knee.  So I tried high-knee running which was good for my knee, but that still hurt my ankle.  So I tried Shaun T's move, Low Switch Kicks, and that released the pain by quite a lot.  Then I added the arms for Mummy Switch Kicks.  For the second move, rep counts for the three rounds were 5, 6, 10.  Once I got the hang of it, I turned it on at the end.

Block 2
Sumo Jumps (45 sec.)
Double Plyo Push-Ups (30 sec.)

Sumo Jumps were totally fine, no modification, just the burn. Reps for the three rounds averaged in at 65.  For the Ups, I did pretty well, again, getting stronger as I progressed.  Reps were 16, 18, 20. 

Block 3
Single Leg Plyo Lunge Jumps (30 sec. total, 15 sec. each leg)
Push-Up Knee Tucks (15 sec.)

I had to modify on the left side a ton because my ankle just couldn't take it.  I was dying with the last move, and I was careful not to come in too tight.  Rep count was 10, 10, 12.

Burnout
All six of the moves done for 30 seconds each with a 15-second break between each move.

For this final burnout, I turned off all the safeties (except for the ankle) and went for it.  Non-stop for three minutes.  BRUTAL!

Core Block
Prayer Crunches
Straight Leg Windshield Wipers
Rocking Plank

This combo was actually fine.  Nothing too strenuous.  Slow and steady and focused.  Obliques got a good stretch and workout. 

Overall, I was happy with this routine and this program.  I was glad to finally see Joel do a workout with the team, and it was cool that he brought everyone in to do the routine with him.  I still would have liked some music, though.  I was burned out, sweating like crazy and the burn was ON!  Happy to have completed this program.

I did the Shoulder Care and it was a good stretch.  For the Challenges, I was feeling better than yesterday so I was able to easily hammer out the Pull-Ups.  Again, I almost didn't do the Push-Ups because I did so many during the workout, but I figured, heh, just to keep it uniform, I did them, too.  And finally, ending with a good flow series.

In the end, I burned a good 606 kcals.  Now to decide what to do next.  I'm looking at Shaun T's new 20-minute program.  If I go that way, I'll have to wait till my ankle is healed.

April 3, Night Tennis... OUTSIDE!

April 3, 2019, Wednesday - Tennis + Push/Pull Challenges.

The weather has finally let us play outside on a Wednesday night.  But the session was at courts we only occasionally use and they are a bit far.  I got an early start and was making good time despite it being at the tail end of rush hour, then I made a bonehead mistake and took a wrong turn.  I ended up driving around a maze of back streets and that added a good 10 minutes to my time so I was about 15 minutes late.  Harbinger of things to come, sort of.

My left ankle was still hurting me yesterday, but it didn't feel like it was sprained or anything like that, it just felt sore.  But once I started moving on it the pain was less intense until I had to run forward for a short ball and suddenly stop.  That hurt some.  Luckily, during the warm-up, there was an odd person so she joined my court so I didn't have to run as much.  The courts were those Japanese Omni courts but the sand was much coarser than the other places with Onmi courts.  So, the balls either skidded a lot where the sand was thick, or if it hit an open part, it bit hard.  Very hard to read the ball in those conditions.  We started out with regular drills, and I was on fire.  I was pretty much getting everything back low and hard.  I even scored a majority of points on the team coach.  I was on fire! and it felt really good.  We had three courts so one court was used for matches.  I didn't play in the first match because I wanted to drill and good thing, too. 

I played in the second match and pair with a guy my same age, and we just crushed the other team 6-1.  Yes, this time we had time to play six games, a full set.  But the thing is, for some reason, I became tentative and lost confidence in my strokes.  I don't understand why that happened.  I hit good shots, but they were slow but just well placed, no crushing shots like I was just hitting during the drills.  There was just a little time left, so we switched partners and in the next match, I totally fell apart.  We were down 1-4 when time was called.  I tried to hit out, but the ball went out. 

The mental game is my biggest weakness.  I don't know why I fold and crumble like that, and so easily, and unexpectedly, too. I'm going to have to find a way to work on that if I want to progress.

In the end, I burned a good 1630 kcals.  When I got home, I did the Push/Pull Challenges.  I'm lucky it's still the early stages.