2-12-16 HY: T25- Alpha: Cardio + Splits + TCF.

2-12-16 HY: T25- Alpha: Cardio + Splits + TCF.

Got home late so I had to make a choice in the time crunch. So I decided to let go of the Ab routine today. I was feeling a little soreness in my legs, so I was a little wary of doing this cardio. But once I got started I was on, and the pain abated. The Run Progression is a tough way to start, and my feet started to feel the pain coming on, but I rode it out and I got a good second wind and kept on going. I was nailing everything with good range of motion until the 15 minute mark. I was in the middle of the very last move of the first Burnout when the phone rang. My daughter answered it then needed me to talk, SOOOO I had to stop, catch my breath, then talk on the phone. 20 seconds later, and after rewinding the move to start it again, I was back at it. But about 5 minutes later, I had to stop again for another phone call. I was disappointed because I thought I might have been able to do a straight 25, but at the 5 minute mark, when doing the second half of the speed & agility, the Jack Feet, my arches couldn't take it so I had to take the last 10 seconds and shake them out. But I went straight from then on all the way. A lot better than the last time I did this routine. Making large strides of improvement. With the knowledge that I would not be doing abs today, I was trying to flex my core as much as possible when raising my knees so I hope that did a little something.

Splits were good. Getting to my mark faster, but still have that hip flexor pain. I need to push through that so I can break out of my most recent plateau. Still keeping it up though. I'm still very encouraged to compare where I was last year to today. Not much further to go! Flow was as usual, smooth and clean.

In the end, I torched a VERY SHOCKING 830+kcals. Yes, I was shocked. I don't look at my calorie burn until I stop the HRM and I was guessing it would be more like in the 500's, but 800's, Shocked to say the least. But smashing way to finish off this week.

Advice request: I am a huge tennis fan/player/freak as you know, so I was wondering if anyone has any advice on what to do to even out body strength. My right side is stronger than my left. Should I just workout more on my left to strengthen it, or is keeping the workout balance the key?

Why the white background and big spaces???

Okay, I'm doing the exact same thing I've always done, but I have no idea why there is a white background and so much space between paragraphs. Any idea what the deal is?  Please comment.

2-11-16 HY: BB- Build: Legs + 0-6 Abs- P2: L9 & 10 + Splits + TCF.

2-11-16 HY: BB- Build: Legs + 0-6 Abs- P2: L9 & 10 + Splits + TCF.

Back to a normal workout today. Had sort of a busy morning, but was able to relax in the afternoon. Today is a national holiday so I was off from work. YAH!!! I still procrastinated until the regular time though, so I got done at the regular time.

I really like the Build: Legs routine. It just KILLS my legs. It is a little longer because of all the double moves, but it goes by fast because there are only 4 sets. I kept the weights for most of the moves, but I upped them when I could, mainly on squat moves. Here they are:

Single Set: Sumo Squat (10/19.5/25/22kgs). Went the limit of my dumbbells today, but for squats, that is still a bit light. The first weight might seem light, and it is. But I use that as sort of a warm up. From the second set, I put on the weight.

Super Set: Alternating Lunge & Step-Up to Reverse Lunge (7.5/10/12kgs). This is a tough move, especially with the heavier weights, but I think this is my favorite set of the bunch. I was happy that I didn't lose my balance like I did before, and my knee was not hurting either.

Giant Set: Parallel Squat (17/19.5/25kgs). Bulgarian Squat & Straight Leg Dead Lift (7.5/8.75/10kgs). I went to DB limit again, and it was good. Started to get a good burn and pump at 25kgs. Ready for more on that move. The last two moves are my least favorite. But don't get me wrong, I still like them, just not as much as some others. I always start to feel a cramp coming on with the light set. 15 reps is a lot. But the heavier weights give a good burn. The Dead Lift really works the hamstrings hard, and I also get a little tweak in my lower back. That is the main reason why I don't go heavier, got to protect my back. Little by little bumping the weights up. I've gotten carried away before and gotten hurt. Never again.

Giant Set: Single Leg Calf Raise (Left- 47reps at 10kgs/ 50reps at 12kgs. Right- 49reps at 10kgs/ 50reps at 12kgs). Seated Calf Raise (36reps at 17kgs/ 36reps at 19.5kgs). In and Outs (36/40reps). Nice finisher. Calves were BURNING so bad, but the double reps was good. I was glad I could work them more. In Bulk: Legs, there's only one set per side on calves, so tripling that is good. Again, for the ab move, since I'm on the ground, I raised my hand above my head like Tony does in Ab Ripper X. Good warm up for the next routine. As I write this, I feel my legs and glutes throbbing. I know I'm going to feel this tomorrow. Or actually, I may feel in the day after tomorrow. Recently, soreness comes two days after instead of the next day. Odd. But I'm happy because I know I had a good workout.

Abs were very solid today. Doing two levels. The burn and groan is still there in the fourth set of Level 9, but I'm controlling it much better now. Level 10 is still not much of a problem. I could probably hold it a lot longer than 40 seconds. But despite that, I feel I'm progressing.

Splits were really good today. I didn't get past my lowest point, but I got to that point a lot quicker than I have in the past. Baby steps for sure. Flow was smooth and clean.

In the end, I torched a bug 1002kcals. BOOM!!! I just hope I'll be able to do my cardio tomorrow. HA!

2-10-16 HY: Splits + TCF.

2-10-16 HY: Splits + TCF.

Well, I was planning to do a X3 Yoga today also, but due to some good news received by my daughter (she passed the entrance exam to her first choice high school), we had a little celebration when I got home that went a little longer than planned. So I only had time for Splits and Flow. I didn't bother wearing a HRM so no calorie burn count. It was just important for me to get the splits done so I could maintain my flexibility level. I lose it so quickly if I skip a day. Good stretch and Flow!!!

2-09-16 HY: Tennis + TCF + Splits + BB- Bulk: Chest + 0-6 Abs- P2: L9&10 + Splits.

2-09-16 HY: Tennis + TCF + Splits + BB- Bulk: Chest + 0-6 Abs- P2: L9&10 + Splits.

Today was a monster day. Not be choice, but by necessity. Tennis day had to be pushed to Tuesday because we would not have access to the gym on our regular day.  Then, on top of that, I wasn't sure what was on tap for Body Beast, but after tennis, I was really tired. So, I said to myself that if a Leg workout was scheduled, I would only do splits and Flow. Well, it turns out that Chest was up and Legs are after that, so, I went ahead and did it.  It also works because Wednesday will be a late day so I will only have time for shorter workout in the evening.  So in the end, everything works out.

Tennis was... VERY VERY NOT GOOD. I know what the problem was, but my backhand was totally off. Just returning was fine, but when I was going for a winner or specific placement, I would miss hit the ball, or something would go wrong and the ball would go flying out into the next court.  There was also an issue with backlighting that made seeing the ball very tough. Even though I won the match, I am very dissatisfied with my play.

After the match, I took a lot of time to Flow and get centered again.  As always, it was nice to be free with no restrictions or barriers in my way, so no having to adjust my stances.  A few times, I overextended my stance, but a few Flows into the session, I stabilized myself.

My legs were sore and I was tired when I got home, so I wasn't in the best frame of mind to do a resistance workout. But I actually like Bulk: Chest, so that helped my attitude a lot.  As I started the getting ready, my daughter needed to use the computer so, while she was using it, I went ahead and did the splits.  It was a bit tough with sore legs but I was able to get back to my mark. When I finally was able to start my workout,   I decided to keep the weights the same as my previous run. Most of the weights I kept the same, but I did raise the weights on a few moves.  Here are my weights:
Super Set: Incline Fly (8.75/10/12kgs). Incline Press (13.25/15.75/25/22kgs). Move one was good.  The lighter weights gave me the opportunity to try and focus on my chest and activate my pecs a little more.  The second more was good.  But I was at my limit on the Drop Set.  Just barely getting up on the final rep and impossible to got one more in. I went up 3kgs on the Drop set.
Force Set: Chest Press w/ Rotation (19.5kgsX5).  This was my limit.  I can usually hit the first 4 sets then struggle on the 5th, but at this weight, I was beginning the struggle on the 3rd set.  I barely held out to the 5th set.  Definitely couldn't have gone any more.
Progressive Set: Incline Press (14.5/17/19.5/19.5/17/14.5kgs).  Only the first two sets were "easy" but the last four sets, all were struggles from the halfway point.  I could not keep up with Segi's pace either.  He seemed to pick up the pace early on.  I just could not hang.
Combo Set: Close-Grip Press to Fly (7.5/10/12kgs).  This one, I changed a lot from the previous time.  I went down 1.25kgs on the first set, up the same amount on the second, and ended up at the same weight on the final set.  Also, I did only the three sets.  No extra fourth set this time.  I hit my limit so many times already, I was just spent.
EXTRA SET: Band Uppercuts (Green). I did four sets on this rep count was 15-12-10-8. This move is Awesome! I really was able to activate my chest and did a static hold to get the burn.
Multi Set: Decline Push-Up (15/12/8reps), Cobra to Airplane (12reps). Russian Twist (32reps, legs up). If this finishing move was designed to burn me out, well, it lived up to its calling.  I was burned out. Scraping out those last 8 push ups was brutal!  But I was able to keep pace and crush it.
This was a super workout and I felt the pump and BURN!  One of the biggest things that I was very happy with is the fact that after all that heavy weight I did on presses and flies, my hands didn't hurt to the point of needing to give up.  With the heavy weights, I usually have a pain in my hand, specifically, my palms.  But today, I was fine. No overwhelming pain. That is definitely a win!

I was really tired by the end of the main workout, so I was thinking to just do one level.  I did Level 9 and crushed it! I was strong and stable.  Straight through, no rest.  That success energized me enough to motivate me to go on to Level 10, which I also crushed.  So happy to burn it out.

After I finish my workouts, I like to got right into the shower, but today, my daughter beat me to it, so while I was waiting, I stretched out with splits and some extra yoga moves.  While I didn't get any lower that my mark, I was able to settle there.  Hopefully I will see a clear benefit to doing splits twice.  That would motivate me to continue to do so.

So here are the totals.  Another Monster day!

In the end, I Torched 986kcals during Tennis, and then an additional 990kcal during my evening workout.  For a grand total of 1976kcals on the day!!! I will definitely need a mid week recovery day with some yoga a night.  I'll still keep up the stretch though, of course.

2-08-16 HY: T25- Alpha: Lower Focus + 0-6 Abs- P2: L9 & 10 + Splits + TCF.

2-08-16 HY: T25- Alpha: Lower Focus + 0-6 Abs- P2: L9 & 10 + Splits + TCF.

I did the final routine of Alpha today. Or at least the routines that I'm going to do. I am not doing Ab Circuit because I'm doing abs pretty much everyday already so I'm not really planning on using that routine. This is the first time to do this routine in a long time so I was excited to refresh my memory. I was VERY happy that the beginning was that same Run Progression. The past few times I've had to do it, I went through some pretty intense pain in my arches and ankles, but today, I was able to get through it non-stop and go smoothly into the Squat and Lunge progression. I was pretty much nailing the routine until about 10 minutes left and one move just burned me out. I had to take a break just before the first Burnout. After that, I had to take a few more quick breaks. The most killer move that brought the pain was the Calf Hops. That just killed my arches on both feet. I had to take two quick breaks to shake out my foot. I eventually added about two and a half minutes to the main routine for rewinding and starting over again. There were also a couple times I had to watch and learn the move before doing it. But I feel my endurance and foot strength increasing little by little.

After doing Level 10 yesterday and it was easy, I decided to go for two levels, 9 and 10. So that is what I did today. I started with the more difficult one, 9. But it was the most stable and strongest showing with that level ever. So I was very pleased. Level 10 was good as well. But I will say, that my back was burning from holding my arm out in the balance plank. My right side especially in the first round. But after that, the rest of the rounds were relatively easy. But I got a good pump and burn in my core.

The Splits were good, but I couldn't push lower that yesterday. I didn't quite make it as low as yesterday, but I am being cautious. I tried to push it, but my glute started to cramp and so I laid off a bit. I'll have to find out the reason of that cramp and stretch it out so I can get past it. I'm glad to keep it going though. I also added extra glute stretches and Pigeon pose. Flow was on point.

In the end, I torched a good 761kcals. Good solid number for today's workout.

2-07-16 HY: BB- Build: Shoulders + 0-6 Abs- P2: L10 + Splits + TCF.

2-07-16 HY: BB- Build: Shoulders + 0-6 Abs- P2: L10 + Splits + TCF.

Sundays are good days around these parts. Nothing big to do today but run a few errands in town. But for some reason, I procrastinated and ended up doing my workout at the usual time. I wanted to do it earlier, but there were little things that required my attention and then it got later and later. But I am glad I could get a full workout in and done.

Build: Shoulders is a really good routine. Looking over the weights, they were a bit lighter than in Bulk: Shoulders. But, I still kept close to the Build level and went up when I felt I was ready. So, here are the weights:

Single Set: Shoulder Press (12/13.25/15.75/14.5kgs). This was down about 1.25kgs from Bulk and it made a huge difference. On the drop set, I could stay seated the whole time, and on the final set, I just needed a couple mid-set breaks to get through it. Push it hard.

Super Set: Lateral Raise (4/5/6.25kgs). Upright Row (12/13.25/15.75/14.5kgs). Move one set one seems like a light weight, but by the 12th rep, I was feeling the burn, but I was able to keep my form. Barely kept my form in the second set, but the heavy set, I needed to bend my elbows. Even though the weights were light, I could really target the shoulders. I was struggling with the second move on the Drop Set. I had to really grind it out because that burn was coming on fast. Definitely couldn't have done 12 reps with the heavy weights.

Giant Set: EZ Bar Underhand Press (10/12/13.25kgs). 1,1,2 Front Raise and Rear Delt Raise (3/4/5kgs). I went up 2.5kgs on the first move. I was feeling good, so I decided to push myself on this move. I don't have an EZ Bar so I use dumbbells. I don't know if I could use a bar because my wrist flexibility doesn't seem to be that good. So, I'm making due with dumbbells. Move two is really tough. Easy, but this is a burner. The burn sort of sneaks up on me. I'm feeling good, but then at rep 13 or so, WHAM!! Major BURN! That happens with each set. The heavy set, I can barely get the dumbbells over my head, but I muscled it them up to finish out the set. The third move was like the lateral raises. The slow burn creeps up and cooks right through.

Super Set: Standing Dumbbell Shrug (17/19.5/25/22kgs). Dumbbell Scap Trap (17/19.5/22kgs). I have to really watch the first move so I hit the right muscles. It is so easy to do it the wrong way. The second move is a lot more difficult for me because when I use my ball, the weights are on the floor so my range of motion is reduced. So, I do the move bending over. I have to really watch my back.

Super Set: Segi Six-Way (3/4kgs). Tuck & Roll (15reps X2). I went up .75kgs and that was more than enough. All those moves were really burning at the end of each set. Barely able to get the weights over my head on the last couple of reps. Second move was a good warm up for my ab work. The weird thing is my right wrist was a little sore, and now, my right forearm feels a bit strained. So I'm constantly needing to stretch it out for the past hour.

Moved right into abs. Today, I decided to go up to level 10. the two moves were Cross Balance Plank and Leg Raises. Times are the same, 40 seconds on 20 second rest and repeat. It was actually a lot easier than Level 9. I didn't get as much burn in the core as I did with level 9. So, I'll probably go back to level 9 and then also do 10.

Splits were AWESOME!!! Today, I got a lot lower on the straddle splits than I have ever gotten. From my estimate, I think I broke the 10cm barrier. So I'm less than 10cm to my goal on the straddle splits. I definitely got much lower than the push up bar height. Side splits, are still a little higher. My hamstrings are lengthening, but my front hip flexors don't seem to be opening up. In the side splits position, I can go down further when I lean forward. But if I go upright, the hip flexor in the back leg just won't open up. That is where I need to push. I did some extra stretch moves at the end as well in an attempt to open up. The Flow was on par, smooth and clean.

In the end, I torched a solid 750+kcals. Good start to the week. Looking at my schedule, Wednesday is going to pose some problems because I have no opening to do a workout until after 8pm. I think that will be a quick yoga day. I'm seeing what can be done.