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.
Sunday, June 2, 2019
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.