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.
Sunday, May 19, 2019
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, May 11, 2019
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.
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.
Friday, May 3, 2019
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.
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.
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.
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.
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