Last Post of 2010!

Happy holidays!

This will be the last post for the year as not much has changed. However, the new year will be different with a new program and new diet.

However, for the last few weeks I have been working out hard core. I took a week off but I have done my 3 days of week of workout and I have been eating fairly well. I have not gained weight but I have not lost any and I think my body is a little more tones.

I think I have reached a plateau and am going to change it up next year that is why I have been keeping the current workout until the end of the year.

MyFitnessPal.com is awesome!

I just started using myfitnesspal.com and it is great! It is much better than mypyramidtracker.gov just because the nutritional information for food is more complete. It is great to calculate your caloric intake but that is all I find it useful for.

Here is an example of my intake from yesterday. I set my personal goal to eat 2400 calories to gain 0.5 lbs/per week. I also set my carbs - protein - fat ratio to 40%-40%-20% (this means 40% of my calories should come from carbs and protein while 20% should come from fat).

Remember, tools only provide estimates unless you put in exactly every little thing you eat and added to cook your food.

New Stats - new scale

I just got myself a new scale today. My new stats:

Weight: 167 lbs
Body fat %: 17.4
Hydration %: 60

I was totally not expecting an increase of 2% in body fat and I was hoping to be at 170lbs because that is what the gym was measuring. I guess now that I have a scale, I can measure it during the morning right after getting up.

I'll try again tomorrow to see if measuring body fat during the afternoon changes when measured in the morning.

Week 5 Summary

I am on a role! Week 5 (last week) was a great week. I was able to get all 3 workouts in. They were all done in a row and not on alternate days but I worked with what I had.

Tues: Chest and Shoulders
Wed: Legs and Back
Thurs: Arms

It seems like I only have time to workout after work on these 3 days. I wish I could work out 5 days a week but my schedule doesn't really allow it (for now)

I think I am slowly increasing my strength but in very small increments so it is hard to tell. I was for sure focused. There are 2 things I remember reading about which you must think when at the gym: Form and Function. Without these, you won't be doing jack. Form is all about execution. With the proper form, you get the full benefit of the exercise. Function is more psychological I would say. It helps you keep your focus on what exactly you are working on.

Remember, FORM and FUNCTION. Don't think about anything else.

Week 4 Summary

Last week was my week 4 gym workout. It was totally great. I am writing this a little late as I already started my week 5 workout today :(.

As usual, I've had no cardio thus far because of my poor ankle. It is much better but after doing a little jumping I still felt some pain.

Back to week 4. It was like workout out on steroids. I basically tried to catch up with my week 3 workout and I did. I probably worked out 4 times last week instead of the normal 3. It feels great though to finish 4 weeks on a good note.

Hopefully, I can keep it up. Today I weighed myself at the gym and I was at 166lbs.

Week 3 - Summary

Week 3 of working out was pretty bad. Here's why:

1) I had no real cardio due to my ankle injury. At the most I have been doing light biking on the stationary bikes at the gym for maybe 5 minutes (it's even more boring than jogging).

2) After my Wednesday - Leg and Back workout I felt horrible and had to quit halfway. The good news is that I got a decent leg workout. The bad - I didn't get to work out my back.

Therefore, week 3 was a fiasco. I got 1.5 full workouts and no cardio. Week 4 is going great so far but I am really playing catchup.

On the bright side, I think I gained some weight. Hopefully, it is more muscle than fat but I seem to be weighing 165lbs or more at the gym (measured before and after my workouts). That means I gained 2 lbs and maybe by the end of my 8 week program I would have gained 8 lbs of muscle.

Week 3 - Chest & Shoulders

I must say I was in the zone today!!

Warmup
My warm-ups usually consist of a 5 minute jog but my ankle is still hurt. So what I did was a short 5 minute bike warm-up. It didn't get my hear-rate has high has my jogging but it was good enough I would say.


Chest
I started my chest workout as usual with my bench press including my 2 warm-up sets. I did 4 sets and I actually did my 10 reps pretty easily with 45lbs on each side so I did increase my weight by 5 lbs on each side on my 2nd and 3rd set. I tried increasing on my 4th set but after 2 reps I had to bring it down again. this was my first weight increase... after 2 weeks - not bad! I continued with my other 3 sets for which I think I also increased my weights!!

Shoulders
I had a pretty good shoulder workout too. Overall, I also increased my weights on all sets.

Overall, I had a great workout. I was definitely in the zone and felt a great pump at the end of the workou.

Week 2 - Arms

Today I worked out my arms instead of my legs and back due to my ankle injury. Hopefully, I'll be able to workout my legs on Friday.

The arms workout was decent. It started off with the dips, then the extensions and close bench press. I think that this workout is actually pretty easy on the tricep even though we normally do only 2  exercises whenever it is combined with a chest workout. Anyways, the bicep workout is probably my favorite. Towards the end of the the 3rd exercise, my veins on my forearms were popping which felt really good.

Tomorrow is supposed to be cardio day but I might be skipping as I can't run yet.

Week 2 - Chest and Shoulders, HIIT

Week 2 of 8 started on Monday with my chest and shoulders workout.

My weights didn't change from last week but I was having a sore shoulder after my first set of bench presses. I did do my bench press warm-ups but I didn't really get a full body warm-up as I usually do (5 minute jog) because I have an injured ankle.

The rest of the chest and shoulders workout went well. I am still pumped about working out and hope to see results really soon as it helps with motivation.

Yesterday was also my cardio day but I actually just did light cardio because of my ankle. Let's see how it goes today. Today is supposed to be legs and back, but I might switch it out with Friday until my ankle gets better.

Week 1 - HIIT

Even though I did my HIIT training last week, I forgot to write about it.

So this time around I only did 5 intervals of HIIT instead of 6 like last time. Why? Because it was a Friday and that is when I get lazy. I know, it is no excuse but I am a weak human :D.

Overall I did burn about 250-300 calories which is not bad at all for a 30 minute workout. The best thing is also I am not exhausted like I normally would be from doing a 1 hour run at a slow pace. Also, my legs are as tired, my muscles aren't as tight and I don't have to worry about being bored after running 30 minutes.

My HIIT Workout
5 minutes warmup

9.5 mph for 1 minute followed by 3.5 mph for 3 minutes
repeat 4 more times

5 minute cooldown

Week 1 - Arms

I completed my tricep/bicep workout yesterday. It technically should have been done today but I got an early start to the workouts this week.

To be honest, this is the first time where my workout is purely focused on the smaller muscle groups such as the biceps and triceps. Normally, other workouts would recommend working larger muscles first and then workout the smaller muscles. Also, working out larger muscles will indirectly work the smaller muscles. However, I can't complain as I am really feeling the soreness this morning. Maybe it will help my arms get much bigger :D.

I kind of like working arms on my last day of the week too because you finish on a good note since it is a lot of peoples favorite workout.

I am almost done with week 1 of my 8 week program - just have to do a HIIT session today and I am all set.

Week 1 - HIIT

Today was my cardio day so I decided to do a HIIT workout. Essentially, if you read any article online it will tell you that HIIT is a great way to burn the calories without muscle loss. Apparently, there is a longer fat burning effect. Or in other words, you will continue to burn calories even a few hours after completing the cardio workout.

Here is a summary: http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Reasons-Why-HIIT-%28High-Intensity-Interval-Training%29-is-Smarter-Cardio&id=1327656

All in all my workout was 31 minutes long. I started off with a 5 minute warm-up at 5mph. Right after, I shot it up to 9mph and jogged for a minute. It actually takes about 10 seconds to change speeds on the treadmill. I repeated this 6 times and did 10mph in the end. Here is my workout summary:

5 minute warmup at 5mph
9mph for 1 minute followed by 3.5mph for 3 minutes

9mph for 1 minute followed by 3.5mph for 3 minutes
9mph for 1 minute followed by 3.5mph for 3 minutes
9mph for 1 minute followed by 3.5mph for 3 minutes
10mph for 1 minute followed by 3.5mph for 3 minutes
10mph for 1 minute followed by 3.5mph for 5-10 minutes (cool down)

Ab workout
3 sets of 20 situps, and 20 leg raises

Week 1 - Legs & Back

Legs
Working out my legs are my least favorite workout because they are really intense and very tiring. The legs are such huge muscle group. If you think about it, it is basically your entire lower body. It probably isn't 50% of your muscles - it could be more or less, but it is definitely a large % of body muscle.

Today's leg workout consisted of the squat (yay! ~sarcastically), the leg press, deadlift and calf raises. The squats did not ask for increasing weight but I somehow did increase my weight but after the 2nd time of increment I realized I didn't have to. I was still able to complete my sets so this really shows I didn't have enough weight for my first set of 10 reps. I know, I am such a cheater! The rest were pretty good I must say. I did really enjoy the calf raises. It was asking for 6 sets to failure. I used a 25lb dumbbell to decrease the number of reps and hopefully build more muscle. I have really small calves genetically so hopefully this will help.

After my leg workout I was pretty much sweating and panting. But this time around I felt really good about my leg workout. But I think I didn't work out as hard as I could have but it still felt like a good workout. I also then decided to try to change my mentality and hopefully it will help in future workouts. I am no longer going to say it is my least favorite workout instead, I am going to say I enjoy the workout because I actually did!

Back
After 40 minutes of doing my leg workout it was time to workout the back. I must say, it was not nearly as tough as it was for the legs but that is how this routine seems to be. It is more of an intensive workout for the first muscle group and then a lesser intense workout for the 2nd half of the workout. Its fine by me as long as it shows results. The routine consisted of wide pullups, seated cable pull, one arm rows and extensions. None of these were too bad but I always find myself limited by the strength of my bicep and sometimes I don't feel as good as a workout because of that.

Week 1 - Chest and Shoulders

Yesterday I worked out my legs and shoulders following my new workout program. I like the fact that the first muscle group exercise uses increasing weights and that there are 4 sets. This is a little more of an intermediate workout and hopefully it will push me to having a better body within 8 weeks.

It was also the first day of working in the gym after being out doing cardio for over 2 months. It initially felt great being back at the gym. For the first 30 minutes I felt pumped. I did my 5 minute warmup in the elliptical (light walking). I then did a little bit of stretching and then did 2 warmup sets at the bench press.

Afterwards, I went ahead and started my bench press sets. Per the workout, I am supposed to increase the weight after every set, but I was unable to do it after every set because it was just way to heavy after the 2nd set so I was hesitant. Which is ok because the sets weren't easy (that is the main idea, if you complete a set too easily, you need to increase weights).

I continued the workout as normal and once I finished my chest workout I moved on to my shoulder workout. By that time I felt a little burned and really just wanted to go home. It would have been very typical of me to do that but as it was my first day, I forced myself to stay. In the end I did all of the shoulder workout sets! yay!

In the end of the workout I wanted to do some cardio and abs (I added them myself) but I found it really hard to do HIIT training for 10 minutes. Instead, I did 6mph jogging for about 3.5 minutes and walked the rest. I think I am just not in that good of a cardio shape. I then did my ab workout which felt great.

Overall, I think it was a good first day :D.

8-Week Weight Lifting Routine

Cardio Kickboxing doesn't seem like it is going to happen yet due to scheduling problems so I got tired of being inactive and am now starting my 8 week weight lifting program.

One of the main problems I have is being consistent going to the gym. It was a lot easier to do Beachbody Insanity at home because I had no excuse - the gym was right in the garage! However, going to an actual gym is different. Going to the gym means, I need to manage my time better, I might be getting home later, dinner will be much later than normal, so on and so forth.

How can I stay motivated and stick to the 8 week program?
I honestly don't know but I hope writing about it will keep me physched about it :D.

8-Week Workout Program (from www.muscleandstrength.com)

What's next?

I am currently taking it easy - sort of. I still keep active with outdoor activities at least once a week but I have cut down on jogging.

Next week I will be engaging in some cardio kickboxing!

End of my Cardio Challenge - start of Cardio Kickboxing!

Miles-to-date: 70
Goal: 100 miles 


As you may all see, I did not reach my goal of 100 miles. My cardio challenge ran for about 3 weeks and perhaps I was overly optimistic just like any other workout you start off.


Overall, I think this was a great way to get myself into jogging. Amazingly, I can now do 4-5 mile jogs non-stop (quite an accomplishment). However, there are a few things I still need to improve on which will come as I run more and start doing more HIIT training sessions.


What's next? I keep saying I will come back and do another round of Insanity but I don't think I am ready for it mentally. I really do miss weight lifting so I will definitely be doing some of that for sure but this coming month I actually signed up for Cardio Kick Boxing which should be High-intensity. So this means I will be writing about cardio kickboxing for the next month!!!!!


Here is a youtube clip about cardio kickboxing from MerleLeonard:



I will be sure to take before and after pictures!!!!

Days 10 through 15 of the Cardio Challenge

Miles-to-date: 42.9
Goal: 100 miles 


Day 10: 5.6 miles
Day 11: 2.2 miles
Day 12: 0.5 miles
Day 13: 0.5 miles
Day 14: 2.0 miles
Day 15: 3.0 miles


5 Day total = 13.9


These last few days weren't really great jogging days as you can see. I am not sure I can reach my 100 mile goals anymore as I will be out the following weekend. Unless, I get in 6 miles in per day. :(. so sad...

Days 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the Cardio Challenge

Miles-to-date: 29.0
Goal: 100 miles 


Day 6: I jogged another 5.6 miles on Day 6. I followed the same path I did the previous day and pushed myself to jog 40 minutes, walk 5 minutes and jog another continuous 20 minutes. For cool down, I walked for 10 minutes.


Days 7 & 8: Did no exercise at all! There was minimal walking on the weekend.


Day 9: Today was day number 9. I also jogged my same route but this time I didn't really time myself. I kind of looked at the time after about 5 minutes of jogging and just kept going and going and pushing and pushing. I think probably jogged non-stop for about 50 minutes and walked for 10-15 minutes. In summary, I jogged/walked 5.6 miles again plus another mile I walked during the day running an errand.


Now, I am all tired :(. I should probably be taking my multivitamins daily to make sure I am doing ok in the vitamins department.

Days 3, 4 and 5 of Cardio Challenge

Total miles: 16.8
Goal: 100 miles 


These past few days were super tiring! On Day 3, I only jogged / walked for 2.7 miles. I got home around 530 and had an hour to get ready for dinner so I went out for a short jog. I probably only burned about 100-200 calories which isn't much at all.


On Day 4, I had my weekly outdoor sports activity day. So this is why it was a low mileage day. The league is going to end in mid-September once summer is really over so I won't be able to do many miles on these days until then. But by then my cardio challenge would be over! I got only 2 miles this day probably burning less than 100 calories.


Yesterday was Day 5. I kind of had an idea of what my route would be but I also felt it wasn't long enough so I jogged a little extra. My goal was to do 6 miles of jogging and walking but I wouldn't know until I got home to map it out so I kept going at it as long as possible. I jogged for 30 minutes before I needed a break. I then walked for 10 minutes and jogged for another 30 minutes. I never knew I had it in me! I then cooled down for 5 minutes. So in total I jogged for an hour and walked for 15 minutes - amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was starving by the time I was done so I had a protein shake right after. I checked my miles and I was ecstatic - I completed 5.6 miles! This is now my new bar. By the way, I was jogging pretty slow - probably at 5mph. LOL.


What is the Cardio Challenge?
It is my 3 week period where I focus mainly cardio. More specifically, on walking and jogging as I can track the number of miles done over the 3 week period. The goal? To burn fat!! And I set a numerical goal of 100 miles which is equivalent of about 4.75 miles per day.

Days 1 and 2 of Cardio Challenge

Total miles: 8.5
Goal: 100 miles

A couple of days ago I jogged about 4 miles. However, all that time I thought I had planned my route such that it was 5 miles of jogging. I was totally wrong :(. It was a bummer, because by the end of the jog I felt soooo proud of myself.

Yesterday I followed the same route nearby where I live and added a little more and that made my jog to be 4.5 miles. I definitely need to find a 5 mile route. On my route, there is a sandy track. I jogged there for a bit but I just can't stand the dust (if there is wind), so I won't be going there anymore.

How do I keep myself motivated?
To be honest, I used to hate jogging. I jogged at the treadmill and I used to quit after 20 minutes. Tip #1: go jog outside if the weather is nice. By jogging outside, you will jog at your more "natural" pace and you will be a lot more distracted by people you see, trees, cars and even the change in sidewalk!

New Workout Routine! Cardio Challenge

After last nights workout I decided I need to focus on ONE goal at a time. I feel like I don't have enough time to complete anything with good results.

For example, a couple of months ago I tried doing weight lifting and cardio - Did NOT work. This month I tried doing cardio, insanity and weightlifting - it is NOT working. I am only fooling myself by making a workout plan that is this challenging.

I have decided for the rest of August I will start up my own CARDIO CHALLENGE. Now that I have completed 1 cycle of Insanity, I feel I can run more. So what I am goign to do is dedicate the month of August to Jogging and cutting some fat (my goal is of 6-9% body fat).

Also this morning I got up and measured my waist. It is down to 33 inches. It was only last week that it was measuring 33.5 inches!!! yahoo!

NEW GOAL: Jog 30 miles a week

Gym Day: Back and Tricep

Today I went to the gym fairly motivated. I did a half-mile jog as a warm up and later hit the weights. I must say I am really liking this new weight lifting workout especially the wide grip pull-ups. Every time I do pull-ups I feel great. Why? Because I can feel a lot of muscles working together to make it happen.

After my weight lifting, I went back to the treadmill and did a little bit of jogging. However, I didn't last long. I jogged for about .25 miles and I was feeling tired so I walked a bit and then jogged a little more until I reached another mile.

Why am I jogging after weight lifting? I don't remember, but I think I watched a youtube clip from Vince Del Monte saying to burn more fat you should jog right after your gym workout.

However, for me, this type of workout is too challenging. I hate to say this, but I am going to change my workout. Read my next post!

Day 5: Plyometric Cardio Circuit

It has been a number of days since I did an Insanity workout but that doesn't mean I haven't been working out at all. Let's see, on Thursday and Friday I did cardio but that was just jogging. I jogged/walked about 5 miles a day burning about 700 calories each day. That is not too bad - that is about the amount of calories I burn with Insanity too so it is a good substitute. On the weekend I took a break. Then on Monday I went weight lifting (my first day and I am still sore today).

Yesterday was the day. I started working on the Plyo Cardio Circuit from Insanity. I was able to do the first round and a half of Insanity without a problem but I was not focused at all. After 20 minutes I decided to go jogging instead. It was a great idea. I ended up jogging / walking about 3.5 miles and I think I probably burned just as much as doing the full Insanity workout.

So far I think Insanity has changed my life. I can jog longer for sure and I feel more fit. I am going to continue mixing it up but the basics to my workout these next 60 days is basically working out 5-6 times a week, having a mix of Insanity, jogging, and weight lifting. Hopefully this works out.

NEW Weightlifting Routine

I'll be following this Gym Weightlifting routine by Shaun McEwan and will use free weights whenever possible.

Description of Workout:

The goal of this workout is to build muscle. All rep timings are 2-1-2 unless stated in the notes and all rest times are 1 min between sets and 2 mins between exercises. As always, perform a warmup by doing 5-10 mins cardio followed by stretching and some warmup sets on the first exercise.
Work the Abs on a Monday and/or Friday if desired.

Daily Workout Schedule:

Day 1 - Chest & Biceps
Chest
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Incline Smith Machine Press	4	10
Flat Bench Barbell Press	4	10
Chest Dips	3	10
Pec Dec	3	12
Biceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
EZ Bar Curls	3	8-10
Concentration Curls	3	10
Reverse Barbell Curls	3	12
Workout Notes:
Use 3-1-3 timing on Incline Smith Machine Press

Tuesday - Rest Day

Day 2 - Legs & Shoulders
Legs
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Squat	5	10
Leg Press	4	10-12
Stiff Leg Deadlifts	4	8-10
Seated Calf Raise	3	8-10
Standing Calf Raise	3	12-15
Shoulders
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Dumbbell Shoulder Press	4	8-10
Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise	3	10
Rear Delt Machine	3	10
Dumbbell Shrugs	4	10-12
Workout Notes:
Try some deep squats with 3-2 rep timing (use lighter weight) for some variation Use a drop set on the leg press machine to give the quads a shock If your gym doesn't have a Rear Delt Machine substitute Reverse Dumbbell Flyes Use 3-1-3 rep timing on the seated lat raises

Thursday - Rest Day

Day 3 - Back & Triceps
Back
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Wide Grip Pullups	4	8-12
Lat Pull Downs	4	10
One Arm Dumbbell Row	4	10
T-Bar Rows	4	10
Triceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Lying Tricep Extension	3	10
Rope Pulldowns	3	12
Reverse Single Arm Extension	3	12
Workout Notes:
3-1-3 rep timing on Lat pulldown machine

Taken from:
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/shaun--s-3-day-muscle-building-split.html

NEW Beachbody Insanity Round 2 Hybrid Workout Routine

I have started Round 2 of the Beachbody Insanity workout program and decided to mix it up a bit. I don't want to do 100% Insanity as I do love my gym and love the feeling of lifting weights. This is what I am proposing.

I will basically be following the Insanity Calendar and the workouts there, but throughout the week I will be doing weight lifting and cardio at the gym. On average I expect to do 3 Insanity workouts and 3 Gym workouts per week (and 1 rest day on Sunday). For the sake of time I will also be skipping the "Cardio Recovery" workout. This workout will probably last for about 120 days - 4 months total.

In terms of writing blog entries, I will be writing the titles as "Day X of 63" for all of the Insanity workouts. For gym workouts I will write a title like "Back Workout" without any numbering.

Workout Calendar (to be finalized):
Mondays - Weight Lifting
Tuesdays - Insanity Workout
Wednesdays - Outdoor day (sub for Cardio Recovery)
Thursdays - Weight Lifting
Fridays - Weight Lifting
Saturdays - Insanity Workout
Sundays - Rest / Make-up day

Let's hope this works out. I'll post pictures every 30 days to track my progress.

Day 3 of 63: Cardio Power & Resistance (Round 2)

I completed the 3rd day of Insanity. Woohoo!!!

If you are planning to start the Insanity workout there is one thing you need to understand. There is a love / hate relationship you will build with Insanity. You will love to hate it and hate to love it. That is exactly how I felt today.

As I was doing the workout, I felt exhausted, out of breath and wanted to quit and thought, "This is totally Insane. What a torture!" After I finished the workout I said to myself, "Hey, not too bad, right? I am sweaty and feeling great :D."

Overall, I think I probably completed about 40% of the workout. I was definitely able to get through the first round of the warmup something I was not able to do in the past so I know I have gotten a little bit better.

Short clip from ISeeFitPeopleCom:

Day 2 of 63: Plyometric Cardio Circuit (Round 2)

I completed the Plyometric Cardio Circuit last week but forgot to write about it. I was actually sick but still made myself do the workout. It was actually pretty tough and in the end I skipped a lot of it. However, I felt like crap again getting tired really fast. It could have been the cold I had or it just was because I was out of shape. Who knows?

Day 1 of 63: The Fit Test (Round 2)

Today I completed my first Fit Test after a 2 month break. Overall I think my results weren't too good. I am totally out of shape after not doing any cardio for 2 months. It is unbelievable how quickly your body gets lazy without exercise.

Today's Fit Test Result:
1. Switch Kicks:   90
2. Power Jacks:   51
3. Power Knees:   71
4. Power Jumps:   31
5. Globe Jumps:   6
6. Suicide Jumps:   10
7. Push-up Jacks:   25
8. Low Plank Oblique:   31

These are my OLD fit test results:
OLD Fit Test Results:
1. Switch Kicks:   88  105  117  120  130     (beat Chris and Tania)
2. Power Jacks:   31  57  60  60  64
3. Power Knees:   52  58  80  80  88             (beat Chris)
4. Power Jumps:   20  21  35  40  50            (beat Chris, tied Tania)
5. Globe Jumps:   5   8  10  8  10
6. Suicide Jumps:   7   14  11  17  18
7. Push-up Jacks:   16  22  24  31  37          (beat Tania)
8. Low Plank Oblique:   30  36  44  50  55 (beat Chris)

As you can see, I did slightly better today than on my very first Fit Test.

How did I feel? I felt like crap. I was totally exhausted and felt dizzy afterwards. Maybe my sugar level just dropped.

Day 0 Pictures

A New Beginning.. Insanity Part 2

I am finally back. I took 2 weeks off + 1 additional week because I was sick which totally screwed up my gym routine.

I am now about to start a hybrid workout program because I need to pick up cardio again. It is going to be a mix of Insanity and weight lifting. I still haven't decided how to do it exactly, but I am going to start off with the fit test today :D.

a Break...

It has been 3 weeks since I restarted my gym routine and it has been going very well. Unfortunately, I am going to have a take a 2 week forced break because my gym has closed done for renovations :(.

That really sucks. I might just need to do some light cardio in the mean time. Hopefully, it will have new and better equipment for more possible weight exercises.

I'll be back in 2 weeks and will continue the workout for another 3 weeks before I restart my Insanity (2) in August.

Day 19 (post Insanity): Shoulders & Triceps

The shoulder and tricep workout routine is another simple routine. It only involves 3 exercises each for a total of 6 exercises of 4 sets each. Friday workouts go by pretty quickly and they are also very rewarding because you can feel the pump right away :D.

Here is a clip of how to do a military barbell shoulder press. At the moment I am doing 17.5 lbs on each side and hoping to get up to 25 lbs one day.


Overall, I had a very good Friday workout and I even added a small calve workout kind of to test some calve exercises for next week.

That's it for now. Whatever you are doing, keep pushing.

Day 18 (post Insanity): Back

Today I was pretty energetic at the gym. Could it be that I am eating better? Possibly, but I also think that it is also because I am sleeping better. These past few days I am already kind of awake before my alarm goes off - hopefully because I had enough sleep and not because I am stressing out about something else.

At the gym I worked my back and my abs. Back workout days are usually pretty short and sweet so don't over do it and make sure you get your ab workout in 2-3 times a week. They are still muscles and even though they are not showing because you are not below 10% body fat, they still need to be worked out for when you do get lower body fat to show them off.

The bent over barbell row is my favorite. Here is how to do it from MaximuscleUk:


Also, throughout the day I still felt my legs a little sore. It was that pleasurable pain you get after a good workout. I was also thinking about my skinny calves and might change change my calf workout a little after some research.

Day 16 (post Insanity): Legs

Yes, today was my most dreaded workout - LEGS! It is just a very tiring workout and at the end of the workout I was sweating more than the usual. The exercise that takes up the most energy is definitely the squat exercise. It uses the largest muscle group in your legs and requires a big range of motion. After doing squats my heart is definitely pounding and 60 seconds rest between reps does not seem enough for me at times.

This is a clip from Scott Herman on how to do Squats. I use the machine as I don't have the proper tools to use a free standing barbell.


This is my updated workout routine:

Tuesday - Legs
Hamstrings
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Stiff-Leg Deadlifts	4	8
One-Leg Leg Curls	4	8
Quads
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Squats	4	10
Leg Presses	4	8
Leg Extension	4	8
Calves
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Standing Calf Raise	4	15,12,10,8 (with a 30 lb dumbell)

Day 14 (post Insanity): Chest and Biceps

I can't believe I have been on the weight lifting for 2 weeks already - well, it is actually more like 4 weeks but the first 2 weeks were not real workouts as I wasn't on track.

Today was Chest and Bicep days. As usual, I did a 4-5 minute jog for warm-up and a 5 minute stretch. After that I went to the bench press and did 4 sets for 8 reps. Then I moved on to my incline exercises and also did 4 sets!

On my biceps workout I did 4 sets on the barbell curl but only 3 on the other 2 exercises as I felt I had a really good workout and was really pushing my muscles.

I haven't really noticed any change with my body so I am really hoping I am doing my workouts properly. I am also going to change my lunch meals but will still have about 500 calories with about 30 grams of protein. It should be posted sometime this week in an updated meal plan post.

Days 9-12 (post Insanity)

I totally forgot to update my blog entries regarding my workouts.

Day 9: Legs
Day10: Outdoor / Light cardio
Day 11: Back
Day 12: Shoulders and Triceps

These days have been great. As of now I still feel some muscle soreness from Day 9's workout which really means I pushed it. For all of my sets, I increased it to 4 from 3 for at least 50% of the exercises. It actually isn't that bad since I am pushing myself more.

After today's workout I took a look at myself at the mirror and I was totally pumped! Ofcourse, that was because it was right after my workout but I do think my body is changing. Being strict with the eating regime and workout is pretty hard but I WILL do it for at least another 6 weeks.

I have 2 more weeks and then I will be taking a week off and then continuing on for 4 more weeks.

Hydrostatic Testing - Body Fat Testing RESULTS

As I mentioned in my previous post, I did my first Hydrostatic Test this morning. It was great as it showed my hard work had actually paid off. I also made a mistake and I fasted for 8 hours - maybe it wasn't a mistake actually but I should keep this in mind the next time I do the test in order to keep the constants the same.

Results:
Body Fat: 15.7% (ideal for men my age is 15%)
Lean Body Mass: 84.3%
Maximum Exercising Pulse: 168 bpm
Daily Caloric Intake to Maintain Weight: 2711.5 calories
Weight: 159.5 lbs

Results Interpretation
I am pretty happy that my body fat % was at 15%. I did a test a while ago with electrodes and it tested about 19% but that was like 5 years ago and I know I had more fat. I was actually hoping to have less fat but this gives me a better idea of my body.

Now, the weight shown says 159.5 lbs. I am not sure this scale is accurate - a lot of scales give me different readings. I went back to weigh myself at the gym with my gym clothes and meals in my stomach and I weighed about 165 lbs give or take. Would my clothes and food make up for 6 lbs of weight? I don't really care actually as now I am focusing more on how I look and feel than on my weight as well as on my percent body fat.

I also did some research online and it seems like once I reach 10% body fat I should be able to see my six-pack!

http://www.ironmagazine.com/article12.html
http://www.diet-blog.com/05/six_pack_abs_reality_check.php

Day 8 (post Insanity): Chest and Triceps

Summary: Increase in Sets


I had my hydrostatic test done early this morning which lead to my increase in motivation on today's workout. In addition to that it is one of my favorite workouts - the chest and bicep workout.

This workout routine for chest and biceps is great because you can feel it working out our muscles instantly. However, I was pumped and not feeling it as much as I should so I ended up challenging myself. I firstly increased my bench press by 10 lbs (total) which really did make a difference. I also increased the sets to 4 on all of my chest exercises. Which brings me to my next point

Workout modification: I am going to modify the workout such that for the first half (usually first 3 exercises), I will increase the sets to 4. An addition of sets will help me keep myself challenge and it is still within the muscle building range which is usually 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps.

Tip: Once you can complete 12 reps without a problem it means it is time to add some more weight

Keep pushing.

Hydrostatic Testing - Body Fat Testing

I'll be getting my hydrostatic testing done this week. I have never done this before but hopefully the numbers are good.

More info:
http://www.getdunked.com/home/default.asp

Days 6 & 7 (Post Insanity)

My Day 6 usually consists of going out and doing some outdoor sports or cardio. I actually was outdoor playing ball for over 3 hours so I would say I had a pretty good cardio workout althought it is not as intense as any Insanity workout, it was a long workout which is probably equally as good. To keep myself fueled I had a couple of Cliff bars (approx. 250 calories with 10 grams of protein each).

Cliff bars are great. They taste kind of like the protein bars I used to make at home. I am not sure if they changed their recipes recently but I first tried the Cliff bar about 2 years ago and I felt they were horrible. I can't recall exactly what it was - maybe I felt they were too sweet. It was a totally different experience this time around, they were completely exquisite and satisfying. I'll definitely be getting more of these whenever I need some sort of meal replacement / snack on days out.

Day 7 was today. I was actually pretty bored and technically it is supposed to be my rest day. However, since I had time in my hands and felt kind of restless, I took a walk around the park for about 40 minutes and slow jogged for about 20 more minutes. It was a good and easy way to relax and get my heart rate up just a tiny bit. I must say that jogging feels like a breeze now after completing BeachBody Insanity. But, it is still tough keeping your concentration. All I could think of was "this is so boring - darn it, stop thinking about it and just jog."

Days 4 & 5 (Post Insanity)

Day 3 was a rest / cardio day.

Day 4 and 5 were pretty good. I kept up with the same motivation and really pushed myself to lifting more and making sure I was not being too lazy.

I think the problem with weight lifting is that I don't have a buddy to spot me or to make sure I am pushing myself. Typically, for muscle gain, you want to make sure you struggle on your last 1 or 2 reps on each set. Without a buddy, I tend to go easy and just complete my 8 reps without going further. But this will not happen anymore - I will keep pushing.

Bring it!

I came across this youtube video for a pretty good recipe for a tasty protein sandwich from HardBodySuccess:

Day 2 (post Insanity): Legs

Leg workouts are my least favorite because I feel week afterwards. I also feel like they just drain your energy out by the end of the workout.

Regardless, today I gave it 90% because I am still motivated from yesterday. Why do I say 90%? Because I know I could have done a little more weights at the squats but I wanted to play safe as it is a lot of weight to drop!


Tomorrow will be my outdoor sports day - more like a rest day :D.

Day 1 (Post Insanity):

This is totally frustrating. I feel that I am having a really hard time keeping up with my gym schedule. Last week I only worked out on Tuesday and the rest of the week I didn't. This is why I have decided to start with a clean slate and call today DAY 1!

Today I worked out my chest and bicep and had a great workout because my mind was in it. I had a bad day and was pretty much frustrated with my no-progress at the gym so I channeled my energy at the weights.

I also made sure I ate something healthy an hour before my workout so that I wouldn't be hungry. My next step will be to update my meal plan.

Also, I want to point out that I need to keep writing entries to this blog daily - even if no one is reading it, it helps me keep myself motivated.

The Plan:
- Complete 8-10 full weeks of weight lifting
- Do Round 2 of Insanity or Round 1 of P90x (TBD)
- Repeat

Day 14 (Post Insanity): Catching up

Last week I completed my 2nd week of weight lifting. The day count in my post titles are going to be off as I don't count weeks I take off but only weeks I follow my workout. Hopefully this doesn't act as a tricking agent for myself.

As I was saying, I completed my second week of workout last week. This included chest, bicep, legs, back, shoulders and tricep workouts. It also included outdoor sports on my cardio days.

This week my schedule is going to be a little messed up. Because of Memorial Day, I took a day off so I completed my "Monday" workout instead of my "Tuesday" workout. Also, on Thursday I won't have time to workout because of an event in the afternoon / evening. What do I do in these cases? Keep going with the workout without skipping any. I will also try to put some weight lifting into the weekend to try to re-balance the schedule is possible.

Have I seen any drastic changes to my body? Not really but I am certainly continuing my diet plan on weekdays.

Back on track

I took a 2 week break (although my original plan was only to take 1) but I have started back on my 4-day/week gym routine this past Monday.

I'll start writing again now that I am back into the workout mode.

Day 5 (post Insanity): Shoulders and Triceps

According to Troy's 4-day Split workout this routine was meant for Saturday. However, I like to do cardio / outdoor activities on the weekend instead of spending my time at the gym so I swapped it with Friday.

By far, this is my 2nd favorite workout routine with chest/bicep being my favorite so far. It is not challenging as there are only 3 exercises per muscle groups - the standard. Even if you push yourself on every set, you won't feet overly exhausted. I certainly do hope that I am still building muscle and am not doing a workout that is too easy for me. I'll re-evaluate after working out for a month.

Overall, my body is pretty sore. My biceps are sore probably because I worked my back yesterday. My hamstrings and calves are also sore. My chests have pretty much recovered.

I am also drinking my protein shakes religiously - not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing. There haven't been any dramatic results either as I have only started my workout routine on Monday - 1 week down!

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/7-intermediate-4-day-split-workout.html

Saturday - Shoulders and Triceps
Shoulders
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Dumbbell Press	2	Warmup
Military Press	3	8
Front Raise	3	8
Bent Over Dumbbell Laterals	3	8
Triceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Cable Pushdowns ("V" Bar)	3	8
Close-Grip Bench Presses	3	8
Overhead Dumbbell Extensions	3	8

Day 4 (post Insanity): Back

Today's workout was relatively simple. It only focused on the back so the entire workout routine (including warmup) only lasted for about 45 minutes. It is nice to be able to go into the gym get a good workout and come out in such a short period of time.

As for the warmup, I went ahead and did 15 reps to get my muscles going. Out of these exercises, the barbell row as always been my favorite. It really works the back and also the biceps. I think the back being one of the bigger muscle groups, is a hard part of the body to work out. It is highly dependent on the strength of your arms as well.

However, the back is one of the most important muscle groups to workout because it helps your posture on all other weightlifting moves.

Thursday - Back
Back
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Pullups	2	Warmup
Barbell Row	3	8
Seated Row	3	8
One-Arm Dumbbell Row	3	8
Deadlifts	3	6

1750-2000 Calorie Menu

Now that I am in my weight lifting phase I probably won't be burning as many calories but I definitely need to make sure I have enough calories and enough protein for my muscles. This is the menu I will be following for the next 8-12 weeks. As you can see there isn't much of a difference between the old one. However, I am adding casein protein in the mornings and in the late evening (right before going to bed).


Meal 2 is also optional for me (that is about 300 calories off) but there are times when I just prefer eating a smaller snack maybe 100-200 calorie like a couple of eggs as they feel a little lighter. Sometimes I will save the yogurt for my 4pm snack.


It is important not to increase your caloric intake or decrease it drastically (ie. a difference of 500 calories). If you do calorie adjustments in your meals do it by increasing or decreasing it by 200-300 every time and run with it for 3-4 weeks and then re-ass it. Don't make my mistake where I just overate and gained weight during my Insanity workout.

Meal 1: 730am and 900am
- 1 scoop casein protein (120 cal, 1g fat, 3g carb, 24g protein)
- 1 cup of fat free milk (90 cal, 0g fat, 13g carb, 9g protein)
- 1/2 cup of dry oatmeal with water (150 cal, 3g fat, 27g carb, 5g protein)
Totals: 360 cal, 4g fat, 43g carb, 38g protein

Meal 2: 10am (or 200 cal snack) - optional
- 1 cup (8oz) of fat free yogurt (110 cal, 0 fat, 17g carb, 9g protein)
- 2 table spoons of craisins (130 cal, 0 fat, 33 carb, 0 protein)
- 2 table spoons of almonds (82 cal, 7.2g fat, 3g carb, 3g protein)
Totals: 322 cal, 7.2g fat, 53g carb, 11g protein

Meal 3: 12pm
3 oz of ground beef (85%)(230 cal, 15.1g fat, 0g carb, 21.9g protein)
2/3 cup cooked brown rice (145 cal, 1.1g fat, 30g carb, 3.3g protein)
1 cup cooked vegetables (50 cal)
Totals: 425 cal, 16.2g fat, 30g carb, 25.2g protein

Meal 4: 4pm (100-200 cal snack) - NOT optional, important to fuel your workout
- Low Sodium Cottage Cheese (80 cal, 1.5g fat, 4g carb, 14g protein)
- 1 wheat bread (100 cal, 1g fat, 18g carb, 4g protein)
Totals: 180 cal, 2.5g fat, 24g carb, 18g protein

Meal 5 (post-workout): 630pm
- 1 scoop whey protein (120 cal, 1g fat, 3g carb, 24g protein)
- 1 cup of fat free milk (90 cal, 0g fat, 13g carb, 9g protein)
Totals: 210 cal, 1g fat, 16g carb, 33 g protein

Meal 6: 8pm
- 3oz of chicken breast (128 cal, 0 fat, 0 carb, 24g protein)
- 3/4 cup of wheat pasta (190 cal, 1 fat, 33 carb, 8 protein)
1 cup cooked vegetables (50 cal)
Totals: 368 cal, 1g fat, 33g carb, 32g protein

Meal 7: 11pm
- 1 scoop casein protein (120 cal, 1g fat, 3g carb, 24g protein)
- 1 cup of fat free milk (90 cal, 0g fat, 13g carb, 9g protein)
Totals: 210 cal, 1g fat, 16g carb, 33 g protein

Day 2 (post Insanity): Legs

I worked on my legs yesterday - my least favorite workout routine.  It was actually not too bad at the beginning. Usually the first time I do the workouts I try to figure out what is the correct weight to use so if a set feels too easy, increase the weight and finish the set off.

I did come across one problem. At my small gym, the one station where I could do the squats was being hogged by this idiot who would do a set for 30 seconds and take 2 minutes break. He was there while I did my leg presses, leg extension and calf raises - so I got annoyed, impatient and left without doing my squats - just the excuse I needed.

Today I feel sore - in fact, my entire body feels sore including the muscles I worked out on Monday. My body is adjusting. Let's hope for good results

Tuesday - Legs
Hamstrings
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Stiff-Leg Deadlifts	3	8
One-Leg Leg Curls	3	8
Quads
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Squats	3	10
Leg Presses	3	8
Leg Extension	3	8
Calves
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Standing Calf Raise	4	15,12,10,8 (with a 20 lb dumbell)

Day 1 (post Insanity): Chest/Bicep

For those of you just reading this blog, I am taking a 8-12 weeks off Insanity (as I have completed it) and mixing in some weight lifting for toning and building muscles.

My first day of being at the gym after been away for so long wasn't too bad. the workout was very doable. I actually finished it in 45 minutes. The chest workout didn't seem to be too hard - which means I should be adding weights. The bicep workout was good. My biceps were really pushing at the last 2 reps. Here is the summary, I also jotted down how much weight I lifted on each.

The weights actually seem pretty low and wimpy but oh well. Hopefully there will be improvements after 60 days.

Chest
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bench Presses (2 x warmup sets)	2	15
Bar bell Bench Presses (45lbs on each side)	3	8
Incline Dumbbell Bench Presses (40 lbs each side)	3	8
Incline Flys (30 lbs each side)	3	8
Biceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Curls (just the bar)	3	8
Dumbbell Curls (20 lbs)	3	8
Concentration Curls (15 lbs)	3	8

Weight Lifting Plan

I tried looking online for muscle building workout plans that are for 8-12 weeks. So I jumped on to the web and landed on MuscleAndStrength.com and bodybuilding.com which have a ton of different workout routines submitted by users (I think).

They all looked pretty similar for Intermediate weight lifters and 3 to 4 day workouts. I skimmed through a lot of them and came to do liking this one http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/7-intermediate-4-day-split-workout.html. Mostly because it seems easy enough for me to complete, but definitely still a challenge with those reps. The exercises were those I could easily do at my small gym and they were also familiar. Another challenge would be doing the exercises 4 times a week.

Here is a summary (and you can see the details from the link above but in a different order):

Mondays: Chest/Biceps
Tuesdays: Legs
Wednesdays: Personal outdoor activity / Cardio
Thursdays: Shoulders/Triceps
Fridays: Back
Saturdays: Cardio
Sundays: Off

On Cardio days I plan to do Insanity - Basically start with Day 2 and go forward. Of course, I won't be including the fit tests and recovery workouts.

We'll see how this goes.

What's Next?

Now that I have finished the Beachbody Insanity program (1) and have taken 2 weeks off from working out, I decided to start planning my next phase.

Beachbody Insanity was only the beginning of my journey to obtaining a better body and for the next year I plan to do a rotation between Insanity and weightlifting. This is my own plan but it should work as long as I keep my focus and don't get sidetracked too often.

1) 60 days of Beachbody Insanity (Round 1) - Check
2) 60 days of Weight Lifting - Next

Diet?
I will be eating in the same manner as have been. I'll post a detailed version soon.

Weight Lifting?
It is important to keep your workouts varied and doing Insanity after Insanity would be impossible. Towards the end of Insanity I was definitely worn out and tired of doing cardio. Also, I am looking to tone up and pack a little bit of muscle so weight lifting will do the magic. At the same time, your body burns more fat with muscle - another plus!

Final Results

The results are in - look to the left of the page.

Overall I lost 2.5 inches off my waist! I don't know how much weight I lost but I think it should be at least 3 lbs.

Great progress. I'll write a formal review about the workout later. Right now, I need a break from insanity

Day 63! Fit Test #5 - Before & After Pictures

Workout Time: 25 minutes
Calories Burned: 288

Yahoo!!!!!!!!! Finally, I have graduated from BeachBody Insanity! This is the first Beachbody program I actually completed. In the past I tried P90x but it was just too complicated and I didn't want to buy any of their equipment.

Back to my fit test. Today was my Day 63 - my last day of Insanity. I gave 110% during this fit test because it was kind of like the achievement milestone and I wanted to make sure they looked good. For motivation I used my previous numbers - this really was a good motivation as it helped me push myself harder.

Fit Test Results:
1. Switch Kicks:   88  105  117  120  130     (beat Chris and Tania)
2. Power Jacks:   31  57  60  60  64
3. Power Knees:   52  58  80  80  88             (beat Chris)
4. Power Jumps:   20  21  35  40  50            (beat Chris, tied Tania)
5. Globe Jumps:   5   8  10  8  10
6. Suicide Jumps:   7   14  11  17  18
7. Push-up Jacks:   16  22  24  31  37          (beat Tania)
8. Low Plank Oblique:   30  36  44  50  55 (beat Chris)

It's amazing! I even beat Chris and Tania on half of these moves! I will definitely keep these numbers and will beat them on my 2nd round of Beachbody Insanity.

Before & After
Day 0:

Day 11 (with weight increase due to overeating):

Day 63:

Day 62 of 63: Cardio Abs

Workout Time: 15 minutes
Calories Burned: 185

I actually did this workout today right after my fit test but I wanted to dedicate one full posting for my fit test :D. So when I did this workout I was already tired from the fit test as I gave it 110% since it was my last fit test.

Overall, I think this is a very good ab workout and I will definitely keep this workout in my next routine. I really like the last set of moves. It is funny, but they really work your abs and shoulders!

Here is a youtube clip from GetFitReedman.

Day 62 of 63: Max Cardio Conditioning

Workout Time: 46 minutes
Calories Burned: 6xx

I can't remember off the top of my head how many calories I burned today. Today was definitely one of my worst workout days as I did not have enough sleep last night - all week actually. It just has really been busy at work and I have even been working at home at least 2 hours a night. But, it will be over soon, projects will be delivered soon.

I guess Beachbody Insanity will be over soon too. Well, not really - the first round of insanity is over.

Tomorrow is going to be my fit test and my Cardio Abs as I did not do that today. After that I will take a week off and start of again with a new workout program that integrates weight training and cardio. I post that and my diet as well once I figure it out.

Day 60 & 61 of 63

I kind of forgot to write about my workout yesterday so I am clubbing it with today's. There isn't much to write about but I do have pictures :D.

Day 60: Max Interval Sports Training
Workout Time: 55 minutes
Calories Burned: 654

I had an excellent Day 60 workout. I was definitely bringing it and was super pumped. It is probably the most calories I burned with Max Interval Sports Training. I just realized my favorite section is the track & field segment when you are doing those slow jogs and sprints - it just really works your heart and abs!!!!

Day 61: Max Interval Plyo
Workout Time: 57 minutes
Calories Burned: 671

Today was definitely not as fun as yesterday. I was kind of dragging myself through this workout but I made it through in the end. The problem with this workout is that it is just very intense on the quads and that is just such a big muscle group that it tires you down easily.

Review found on Youtube.com

Day 59 of 63: Max Interval Circuit

Workout Time: 60 minutes
Calories Burned: 701

Wow! I am back after another break from Insanity. This time around I took an unplanned 4 day break. Originally I was planning to take 1 day off because it has been pretty busy around here but the end I was just exhausted and took 4 days off instead.

Today I decided to jump back right where I left off and continued with the Max Interval Circuit. I was still out of breath as usual and I didn't really see any degradation in performance. It is important to keep focused during the workout and stop thinking about "How much longer is the workout?"

4 more workouts to go!

Day 58 of 63: Max Cardio Conditioning & Cardio Abs

Workout Time: 65 minutes
Calories Burned: 756

Today's workout was good. The Max Cardio Conditioning working is slightly different than the other 2 workouts in Phase 2. It really does focus more on "Conditioning" as it does workout the quads more and it tries to work on strengthening. It is also probably less cardio intensive than the other workouts. My weak spot are my quads so I don't quit like this workout :P

I also decided to do the Cardio Abs instead of Insane Abs due to time constraints - I didn't want to spend an hour an a half workout out. Insane abs runs about 30-35 minutes while Cardio Abs runs about 15 minutes. Even though Cardio Abs is 15 minutes shorter, I actually felt like I did a pretty good workout because I was able to keep up with this video more than I could with Insane Abs. So my tip to you is, don't try Insane Abs unless you feel Cardio Abs is starting to feel easy.

Here is a clip from Jason Croxford doing Cardio Abs