As I go through my journey to become more physically fit and healthy, I post the workouts and techniques I use so that others may be able to use/critique them as well.
Before and After Pictures are at the bottom.
What's up everybody, I haven't updated this blog in a while but here goes.
This past month, I've been focusing on increasing my strength and bulk and trying creatine because of everything I've been hearing about creatine. In terms of creatine supplement, this is what I did:
Week 1 (loading phase): 20-25g of creatine of per day for 6 days
Week 2-5 (maintenance phase): 5g of creatine per day, taken after workout mixed with protein shake. This is what I'm currently on right now, week 3 specifically.
After this, I will be doing the recovery phase for a month during which I will not take any creatine.
For nutrition, I focused on increasing my protein intake and my calorie intake slightly.
For fitness, this is what my workout schedule looks like:
Monday: High Weight Training- Triceps and Chest + 2 mile run
Tuesday: High Weight Training - Legs
Wednesday: High Weight Training - Biceps and Shoulders
Thursday: Rest + Yoga
Friday: High Weight Training - Core (Abs + Back)
Saturday: 8-10 mile run
Sunday: 1 hour long P90X stretch session
Having been doing this for 3 weeks, I am now about to start the Beachbody Insanity program for the second time. Here is a picture of me right now after 3 weeks of HARD work, creatine and right before the beginning of Insanity. SO PUMPED for Insanity! Will posting updates on a weekly basis, with pictures.
In case you didn't already know, keeping the same fitness regime is not the most productive thing for you. As Tony Horton pointed out very clearly in his P90X workout series, muscle confusion produces results. And if you stick with a routine for too long, you start to plateau, your muscles get used to the exercises and the routine, and you begin wasting your time. Therefore, I have decided to switch things up a bit away from the traditional "K program". Here's my new workout routine I've been doing for the past two weeks:
Note: I always start each workout day with a 5 min. warm-up run and about 30 minutes of stretching and finish it with 5 min of slow jog for warm-down and about 10-15 minutes of stretching.
Monday
Abdominal strengthening workout
40 min on treadmill (finish at least 4.5 miles)
Warm-up for 5 min (gradually increasing speed)
Perform a pyramid (sometimes also called a "ladder") with gradually increasing then gradually decreasing speeds for 10 min (this means starting at for instance 7 mph, then going progressively up to 8 mph then back down to 7 mph all in the span of the 10 min)
Small break - reduce to slower jogging speed for 1 min (just enough to give your heart a small break - if you really need to reduce to walking, go ahead but do your absolute best to not stop)
Perform a pyramid/ladder with increasing incline for 9 min
Small break - slower jog for 1 min
Perform an increasing pyramid (no decrease this time) with larger speed increments for 4 min [You should be going faster than during the first pyramid; and you will be exhausted after these 4 min]
Small break - slow jog for 1 min
Perform an increasing pyramid (no decrease here either) with larger incline increments.
Small break - slow jog for 1 min
Finish the last 4 min at increasing speeds and steady incline, with the last minute ALL OUT!
Tuesday
Weights workout: Biceps, Chest and Triceps
Wednesday
Abdominal strengthening workout
20 min run on treadmill HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
Alternate between a jog speed (e.g. 5.5 mph for me) and run speed (e.g. 9 mph for me) for about 5 min, then increase either jogging speed or running speed for the next quarter
Continue to increase either jogging or running speed for the remaining two quarters, then finish off the last minute ALL OUT!!
Thursday
Weights workout: Legs and Shoulders
Friday
Timed long distance run (time = 1 hour, distance = at least 6.5 - 7 miles)
This is a good run to do outside because the change of scenery keeps my mind active and prevents me from getting bored. If I do it indoors, I usually change the speed and intervals at random to continue challenging myself throughout the hour and keep things interesting.
If running outside, you can always use Google Maps to map out the distance and route beforehand if you're unsure of the distance.
Saturday
Weights workout: Core (Abs + Back)
Rest on Sunday
That's my workout for now. I will begin actively training for a mud run in about two weeks and will post my training workout once I have that finalized. That's all for now.
How to stay fit while at home with limited resources
If you're one of those people that have always wondered how to get your body moving when you're at home without needing a gym or expensive equipment, this post is for you. Here are a few methods that I've used to stay fit when I have limited resources, and I've attached a link to a more extensive list for you to read on if you're interested.
Walking/Running outdoors: I love going outside and exploring various neighborhoods of the city, taking new paths and seeing what I discover. I personally love jogging/running and taking new trails. But remember, proper running form is VERY important! (See my post about running form below if interested more)
Jump rope: I have bad coordination, so jump roping is a very good exercise for me to get my cardio in, work out A LOT of muscle groups and work on my coordination.
Walking/Running in place indoors: If you don't feel comfortable going outside and exploring, that's fine, you can do it by walking and/or running in place. Do it to music or while watching your favorite TV show to make it even more interesting.
Strength exercises:
Push-ups
Squats
Lunges
Calf-raises
Biceps and back exercises with resistance bands (you can get a really affordable pair of good quality on ebay for $10-$15)
The list goes on and on, and if you'd like to check out more, go to: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=629
Fitness Journey Update
I was in training for my job for 4 weeks during which, I worked out through Boot Camp and Yoga sessions, but recently, since I've been back on a standard summer schedule, I've been spending time working out 3-5 times a week. I have been working on increasing my endurance through the following workout:
Day 1: Run 6 miles, long stretch session
Day 2: Chest + Biceps strength workout, short stretch
Day 3: Run 7 miles, long stretch session
Day 4: Abs + Back workout, short stretch
Day 5: Run 3 miles, short stretch
Day 6: Legs workout, short stretch
Day 7: Rest + long stretch session
I am now at 177 lbs, I've lost more fat weight and gained muscle. I'm working on increasing my endurance to hopefully run a half-marathon or a full marathon in the spring. Here are recent pictures:
That's all for this post. Will be posting my new workout by the end of this month once I've designed it.
I apologize for the delay in posting anything in so long, but I promise this long and extensive post will make up for it. I have been following what I have called the “K program” to help me lose more fat weight, become stronger (gain muscle mass) and become faster. Weighing now 175 lbs, here are recent pictures:
Before I explain what the K program has entailed, I will explain a little something about body types. Using comic book characters, I’m going to illustrate the 3 types of body types out there:
-The Flash: Very lean and fast body type, not a great deal of strength but great speed and endurance. Nutrition usually involves less protein than the other types and workouts involve high repetition low weight sets.
-The Juggernaut: Larger-body type, the strongest of the three types, but with not as much endurance. Nutrition involves the most protein and workouts involve more high weight and low repetition sets.
-The Batman: (that’s what I’m going for) It’s in between the two; it is significantly stronger than the flash and with greater speed and agility than the Juggernaut. Nutrition involves a “moderate” amount of protein and either a combination of high rep and high weight sets, or “medium” sets.
The key points to making progress are adjusting nutrition, working all muscle groups but varying the focus group day to day. I do a 6-day workout week and my daily routine consists of breakfast (high in protein - scrambled egg whites, bowl of oatmeal, glass of skim milk), followed by my cardio workout, then a more balanced lunch with still higher protein, but some carbs too, and ideally reduced fat foods. 30 minutes after lunch (enough time for food to process, but early enough to supply energy for the workout), I do my weights workout. At the end of my weights workout, I drink a whey protein shake. To finish off the day, I eat a vegetable-heavy dinner, and if I have a late-night craving, I try to stick to low-calorie, low fat foods. Vegetables and some low-sugar fruits are a great late snack (i.e. I love celery for this!). A very important fact to remember is to drink A LOT of water throughout the day, especially during cardio and the weights workout.
Here is a detailed day-to-day account of what my workouts entail:
1.Monday
a.Cardio = 40 min elliptical, constant high heart rate (goal = at least 155)
b.Weights = Arms + Chest (High Reps) + Ab Ripper X (from P90X)
2.Tuesday
a.Cardio = 20 min HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout on treadmill or elliptical
b.Weights = Back + Shoulders – High Weight
3.Wednesday
a.Cardio = 40 min elliptical, constant high heart rate (goal = at least 155)
b.Weights = Legs (High Rep) + Lower Back (High Rep) + Abs (High Weight)
4.Thursday
a.Cardio = 20 min HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout on treadmill or elliptical
b.Weights = Arms + Chest (High Weight)
5.Friday
a.Cardio = 45 min elliptical, constant high heart rate (goal = at least 155)
b.Weights = Back + Shoulders (High Reps)
6.Saturday
a.Cardio = 60 min intense elliptical/treadmill/outdoor run
b.Weights = Legs (High Weight) + Ab Ripper X (from P90X)
That’s all for this post. Feel free to ask questions or make comments if you’d like.
So it's been a while since I've posted anything on this blog, but I've officially accomplished my first 5K! I came in 2nd place (out of 6) in gender and age group (Male 21-24) and 42nd place overall (out of 300) with a time of 23:01. Now my next goal is to be #1 within my age/gender group on my next 5K.
For now, I'm giving running a bit of a break and going back to my "standard" workout schedule with 3 days High Repetition, 3 days High Weight and cardio all 6 days. This time however, I am going to be doing Cardio in the morning and weights in the afternoon. I will post my workout at the end of the week, but for now, Peace!
Followed the same schedule as week 1, but with higher intensity, mileage and faster times. After week 2 though, I did not take the Sunday rest because I felt really good; instead I did 40 min of HIIT on the elliptical (to at least give my knees a rest). And, since I was celebrating my 21st birthday this past weekend, I did not do the long run on Saturday. Instead I will be doing the long run today (Sunday).
Also, I got a new PR by running my 5K outside on Friday of week 3, even though it was 47 degrees outside (that is really cold for Southern California in April). We're about to begin the hardest training week (Week 4) because the last week of training (the week I run the event) should be more of an easy-maintenance week. This week (week 4) is the week where we make the most progress and maintain that next week while preparing for the event. This is the Hardcore Week schedule:
Today (Sunday)
5 min jog warm-up on 1.0 incline
1 hour run, start at 6 mph, incline 1.0, and increase both incline and speed throughout time.
Mileage goal = 7.0 miles
5 min warm-down then stretch
Monday
5 min jog warm-up on 1.0 incline, starting at 5.6mph and go up by 0.1mph each minute
Stretch
40 min run, start at 6.5 mph, incline 1.5, and increase throughout time
5 min warm-down then stretch
Tuesday
5 min jog warm-up on 1.0 incline, starting at 5.5mph and go up by 0.1mph each minute
Stretch
20 min HIIT; Jog speed 5.5mph, Run speed 9.8-10.5mph; incline 1.0
5 min warm-down, stretch
Ab Ripper X program, from P90X
Wednesday
Part A - in the morning
5 min jog warm-up on 1.0 incline, starting at 5.5mph and go up by 0.1mph each minute
Stretch
High Rep (3 x 15-20 reps) weightlifting workout - Target muscles: Arms, Chest, Shoulders
3 warm-down then stretch
Part B - in the afternoon
5 min jog warm-up on 1.0 incline, starting at 5.5mph and go up by 0.1mph each minute
Stretch
High Rep (3 x 15-20 reps) weightlifting workout - Target muscles: Legs, Abs, Back
Thursday
Rest/Stretch Day - P90X stretch program
Friday
5 min jog warm-up on 1.0 incline, starting at 5.5mph and go up by 0.1mph each minute
Stretch
Run 5K auto training program on treadmill, starting speed 6.0mph (or run 5K outdoors)
5 min warm-down, stretch
Ab ripper X program from P90X
Saturday
5 min jog warm-up on 1.0 incline, starting at 5.5mph and go up by 0.1mph each minute
Stretch
Run for an hour non-stop, start at 6.0 mph, 1.0 incline and increase throughout
We finished the first of 5 weeks of training for the 5K we have coming up on April 23rd.
First week felt amazing and really sore! I have to say the mid-week stretch/rest was definitely necessary and very helpful. On Saturday, we also got the opportunity to actually go outside and run a 5K; the only challenging part was a small problem with our route: we had to make two stops at traffic lights, hence slowing down our rhythm. So here's a few pieces of advice that I want to give you all regarding running in general and also apply to running outdoors too:
Guidelines for Running
Always run with good form and proper shoes! Running with a bad form or improper shoes can injure you either immediately or in the long run, or just put unnecessary strain on some of your joins (i.e. knees, ankles). Keep in mind that in order for you to run with good form, you may not be able to run a full mile non-stop (I couldn't 2 years ago!) so you may have to start building the muscles and endurance for it by using a bike, elliptical or weight training before you attempt to run across the world. Here's three good videos to checkout about running form:
Running with someone can not only help you push each other, but is strongly recommended if running outside at late hours. Having a running partner can motivate both of you and help you encourage each other when you really need to push yourselves. Also, your partner can help you adjust your form (and you can do the same for them) by seeing things from a third-person perspective.
Music can help motivate you. Listening to music helps me to stay focused on pushing myself while at the same time kind of distracting myself from the oncoming exhaustion. So if you really want to be able to push yourself, get the right playlist that just gets you pumped and rock on while you get your run on. Granted some people don't like the music idea, I'm just telling you all what works for me and what may work for you.
Choose your outdoor route wisely. Try and avoid busy intersections that stop your rhythm and of course, always stay safe. You can even set up your route using Google Maps, like I did.
So that's about it for this post. Week 2 starts tomorrow with the same schedule as last week. At the end of this week, I will post some numbers so you can see the progress that we will hopefully make.
Having now graduated from the insanity program and after running several miles a day the past week of spring break, I recently started training for the 5K I am running on April 23rd in West Covina that Rotary Club is putting together to in support of the fight against obesity and diabetes.
Most of my training is on a treadmill with 2 friends of mine since we can all go at our own paces while remaining next to each other. This is essentially the training schedule I put together for us for the next 2-3 weeks
Monday
5 min jog warm-up on 1.0 incline, starting at 5.5mph and go up by 0.1mph each minute
Stretch
40 min run, start at 6 mph, incline 1.5, and increase throughout time
5 min warm-down then stretch
Tuesday
5 min jog warm-up on 1.0 incline, starting at 5.5mph and go up by 0.1mph each minute
Stretch
20 min hard pace; start at 7.0 mph and incline 7.5 and increase throughout time
5 min warm-down, stretch
Ab Ripper X program, from P90X
Wednesday
Part A - in the morning
5 min jog warm-up on 1.0 incline, starting at 5.5mph and go up by 0.1mph each minute
Stretch
High Weight (3 x 6-8 reps) weightlifting workout - Target muscles: Arms, Chest, Shoulders
3 warm-down then stretch
Part B - in the afternoon
5 min jog warm-up on 1.0 incline, starting at 5.5mph and go up by 0.1mph each minute
Stretch
High Weight (3 x 6-8 reps) weightlifting workout - Target muscles: Legs, Abs, Back
Thursday
Stretch Day - P90X stretch program
Friday
5 min jog warm-up on 1.0 incline, starting at 5.5mph and go up by 0.1mph each minute
Stretch
Run 5K auto training program on treadmill, starting speed 6.0mph
5 min warm-down, stretch
Ab ripper X program from P90X
Saturday
5 min jog warm-up outdoors, if weather permits
5+ miles outdoor run if weather permits (or on treadmill if not)
5 min warm-down, stretch
Although I have not posted my times or distances for this week, I will make sure to do so for next week when we really go all out.
Keep following, commenting and ask questions if you want!
If you enjoy running and like going outdoors like me, then you have to go running outside in sunny California. The past few days, I've been going running outside, doing between 3 and 5 miles everyday and it's such a good feeling to be outside when it's 70-something degrees sunny.
If only I weren't so close to LA, I'd have fresh air too. But hey you can't have everything. So bottom-line, if you want to try something new and haven't run much before, go outside!
I have to confess that prior to my transformation, I would be afraid of running outside because of my chubbiness in fear of being judged. So let me tell a few things that you should keep in mind so that you have a better experience than I did when I first started running:
1. Whether you are 50+ lbs overweight or at your "ideal" weight, you should feel comfortable with your body!Don't let your body stop you from going running outside if it's what you want to do. Just being outside and proud of yourself is already something significant.
2. Make sure you have good form! If you don't know what good running form is, ask someone that you know who runs a lot, or just ask me :)
3. Wear the right shoes. The wrong shoes or the wrong size of the even the right shoes can put a lot of strain on your knees. And you don't want to mess your knees up this early in the game.
4. Push yourself, but know your limits! Most often, a fair amount of our limits are mental; overcoming them is a matter of determination and ambition. However, although you should push yourself to the max, don't hurt yourself. Learn what your physical limits are and don't hurt yourself.
I'm gonna check back in later in the week, but if you have topics you would like me to address, please feel free to comment and let me know.
We finished week 8 of insanity pretty hard on Friday with Cardio Conditioning and Insane Abs; we modified the schedule a bit to accommodate for my two iCrew (that's what we call ourselves) going on a trip on Saturday.
To accommodate further for our spring break, we modified the schedule to push Week 9 back until they return. So yesterday today, I did non-insanity workouts. Although today would have normally been my break down, I felt energized to push myself since I had been recovering at the beginning of this past week (week 8).
Yesterday, I did Ab Ripper X from P90X in addition to the Chest, Triceps and Shoulders workout from P90X. It felt amazing; entire upper body was sore this morning from me pushing myself.
Today, I did my own strength workout I designed which involved lunges, squats, biceps curls heel raises and weighted wall-sitting, all done in my dorm hallway with the music blasting and my adjustable 25 lb dumbbells. With mostly everyone else gone for spring break, I can use the entire hallways for my lunges. After my back, biceps and legs workout, I went on a 3.20 mile run outdoors and used RunKeeper (iPhone app) to track my distance and progress throughout the run. It was my first time using RunKeeper and it seems really cool for running outdoors; I will definitely be using it more often, especially throughout the week as I do my own personalized workouts and run outdoors.
I'll try to update every day or two to tell y'all what workouts I'm designing and using to stay fit for the final week of insanity.
Following my minor knee injury, I spent Monday and Tuesday icing and elevating the knee and only doing the Max Recovery workout from Insanity coupled with Ab Ripper X from P90X on Tuesday. Today, my knee felt completely healed, so I came back in the game with Max Interval Circuit!
It was AMAZING! It felt really awesome to be back and working hard again. Also, a couple weeks back, GNC gave me a sample bottle of Oxy Elite Pro, a thermogenic, which helped a lot and energized me even more. So I ordered a bottle when it went on sale, and took my first pill today. My energy was definitely up there today. Maybe it's real or maybe it's the placebo effect. Either way, something energized me today and it felt amazing.
To compensate for my having missed a few days and because my workout partners will be out of town next week, we will be doing a bonus week. But for now, I'll be checking back in at the end of the week.
I finished Week 7 of Insanity with Max Interval Sports Training; amazing workout!! Definitely was one of my favorite ever. Unfortunately, I hit a small speed bump when I sprained my knee on Saturday. It's a minor sprain so hopefully I'll be better by tomorrow to begin week 8 with Max Interval Circuit. But as I mentioned before, safety first! So we'll see.
So we took a mid-week break today because one of my two Insanity buddies is sick and the other just did not have the time today. Since my knees were also a little sore, I saw this as an opportunity to take a break from Insanity and go lift and run for a bit. So this is what I did today:
5 min cycling warm-up
Stretch (ALWAYS warm-up and stretch, it's very important!)
Weightlifing:
Bench press
225 lbs x 8 reps
235 lbs x 6 reps (new weight record)
235 lbs x 6 reps
Incline biceps curls
Each arm: 45 lbs x 7 reps
Each arm: 45 lbs x 6 reps
Each arm: 45 lbs x 7 reps
Squats
235 lbs x 7 reps
235 lbs x 8 reps
235 lbs x 6 reps
Series of Ab exercises
One-arm rows
Each arm: 90 lbs x 8
Each arm: 95 lbs x 6
Each arm: 95 lbs x 6
Running on Treadmilll - HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) for 25 min
Warm-up for 2 min at 6.0 mph
Alternate run (9.0 - 10 mph) and jog at 5.5 mph for 20 min while increasing run speed at each 3 interval
Warm-down for 3 min at slow jog, then walk.
Stretch
That's my midway break workout. One thing I should note is: Remember to always have a spotter when you are benching! I always had a spotter for bench but never really realized how much it was important to have one today when my wrist slipped and the bar was headed straight for my neck, had the spotter not been there. Safety always comes first!
Alright folks, I'll be checking back in at the end of the week, when we're done with week 7 of insanity.
Today, I started week 7 of Insanity, which means I am in the second week of phase II of the workout program. Kicked off the week hardcore with Max Cardio Conditionning (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOa8kEzedHc), with 40+ min of non-stop insanity! Definitely getting stronger and faster though, it's amazing!
Can't wait to finish and see all the results and begin training for my first 5K!
I'll check back in sometime in the week when it's recovery time after Insanity has kicked my ass even more.
What's up everybody, this blog is about the journey that I have gone through (and continue to go through) to lose weight, become healthier and more fit.
Throughout the existence of this blog, I will post the workouts that I am doing and let you all out there know how my progress is coming along. Feel free to take some of my advice, do what I do and make it work for you.
Although this blog is new, my journey is not. So here is a little history on where I have come from so that you may understand the place I am at, what I have done and where I'm headed. If you don't want boring history, feel free to not read and just wait for the workouts :)
If you ever have any questions about the details of my workouts, nutrition or the exact exercises I used, please feel free to ask.
So my journey really started in January 2010 when I weighed myself and realized that I weighed 225 lbs while 5'10", which for me meant that I had gained 19 lbs in that past year from bad eating habits and lack of exercise.
Realizing this, I started working out. My initial workout consisted of 10 min cardio warm-up and 1 hour of weightlifting (primarily high weight / low rep) about 4-5 days/week (Here, I committed Mistake 1: If you want to lose weight while maintaining muscle, 10 min of cardio is insufficient!)
I maintained this workout until May, making sure to alternate lower body and upper body workouts (Alternating is very important, both upper and lower body need to be worked).
When summer came around, although I had lost a fair amount of body fat, due to my muscle gains, I weighed 232 lbs). After much research and spending hours a day on www.bodybuilding.com (an excellent resource!), I designed myself a new 6-day workout plan that consisted of the following:
Monday: 2 mile run + Upper body - low weight / high rep (15-20)
Tuesday: 20 min of Interval Cardio set + Lower body - high weight / low rep (6-8)
Wednesday: 30 min of elliptical + Upper body - medium weight / medium rep (10-12)
Thursday: 2 mile run + Lower body - medium weight / medium rep (10-12)
Friday: 20 min of Interval Cardio set + Lower body - low weight / high rep (15-20)
Saturday: 4-5 mile run + Upper body - High weight / low rep (6-8)
Rest on Sunday
I followed this workout from May until December, while switching up the days and the exercises (for muscle confusion) but still keeping the same overall structure of the workout, and making sure to be careful to eat healthily and use the appropriate protein supplements (Whey after workouts, Casein at night, in my case).
After that leg of my journey, in January 2011, I weighed 193 lbs, was stronger and faster than I'd ever been.
On January 17th, 2011, I started the Beachbody Insanity 60-day fitness program (taught by Shaun T) with two of my best friends; we are in the middle of it right now. I am getting faster, stronger and slimmer and notice it more and more every day. Plus, I get the best workout of my life! It's insane, but I love the extreme intensity of it. If you're looking for something insane, it's the way to go. So anyway, I'm currently in Phase II of the program with 3 weeks left to go. I will continue to update as we go along.
