Report: Day 21 [27-12-2011]

I'm getting a wee bit frustrated now due the lack of exercise. I've not done shite for the past 8 days. Deep down inside, I'm terrified of losing steam on the Fight to Fitness. Then all I have done, this Fitness Blog, everything, would have been in vain.

I've just been too bloody busy. Good thing is, I've got photography jobs coming up. It's also been totally frustrating that my photography is at a standstill. I know I've been hitting the gym hard for 2 weeks running but at home I'm still chilling with other stuff, not photo editing. I got to get back on that horse as well.

For anyone who came across this Fitness Blog, please help me out with some encouragement. It would be mighty comforting to know that I'm not struggling alone.

Once this damned holiday season is over, I'm gonna go postal on my health and fitness. Meanwhile, I'll have to carefully watch what I eat and go running whenever I can. I'm planning to do so at night like midnight sorta run. I need to sweat and I need it badly.

Pray for me.

Thanks for viewing!

Disclaimer: The views published in the above Fight to Fitness Blog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorize usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Report: Day 14 [20-12-2011]

Today marks the second week of my Fight to Fitness. Although 14 days may not seem like much to you lot, it is a fairly commendable feat for the Average Dom (who has not been involved in any physical activity for years, besides dancing). 2 weeks after I started the Fight, what challenges have I faced so far?

1. BoreDom - Sometimes it feels like such a chore to get my ass to the gym. Although, this is a familiar feeling for many, this is something we Average Doms need to get around if we are to gain any measure of success in the Fight. Find ways to make things interesting - start talking to muscular women, find other forms of exercise instead if gymming all the time, etc.

2. Temptations of the Flesh - I'm talking about livestock here, so don't get the wrong idea. Sometimes, we feel we've already lost some weight so we binge eat to celebrate. Don't do that. You'll regret it. I promise you this. I'm still eating half a sausage bun at 1pm and the other half at 4pm. I'm eating as often as I can but I'm still cutting down on overall intake. Damn you food.

3. Busy Little Bees - I know we all have varying busy schedules. When we first sign up for the gym, we're all inspired to drop everything and go work-out 8-days a week. After the initial burst of inspiration, we settle back into our old routines - along with our old excuses. You're going to have to find away around that and ACTIVELY make time for your work-outs. Make time, not excuses. After all, commercial gyms open at strange hours. Stranger than your work hours (probably).

4. My Sacrifice - Arguably the toughest thing for anyone to do. In order to achieve rapid results in the shortest span of time, we need to be consistent in our exercise routine, and more than that, we need a change in our lifestyle. Never falter! However, the degree of consistency often results in us having to cancel other things. The challenge here is to maintain my efforts so far, and yet to not totally leave my old life behind. Do bear in mind that a lifestyle change for the better would still be a change nevertheless. A healthier lifestyle would most likely mean, less alcohol, less cigarettes, and less late nights, less skanky hoes, etc., but how is that a bad thing?

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For the readers of my simple blog, any other challenges you face in your personal fight to fitness?
Today is a designated Rest Day for me. Plus my stiff neck is not doing me any favours. I hope to be better in time for tomorrows session. As such, I refuse to sit on my buttocks to watch TV or anything. I'm going swimming instead. Bulla! 

Thanks for viewing!

Disclaimer: The views published in the above Fight to Fitness Blog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorize usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Report: Day 13 [19-12-2011]

Today is Monday, and I find that one of the best ways to combat the Monday Blues is to sweat it out!

Today is a routine work-out session. After resting for both Saturday and Sunday, I'm ready to hit the big time again tonight. Another immediate target of mine tonight is to improve on the efficiency of my work-out. During the last session on Friday (Day 10) I arrived late at the gym and barely had 1.5 hours to get everything (including showering) done before I had to rush off. I actually managed to hit that target, at the cost of cutting down on the cardio time by more than half. However, I made-up for it by increasing the intensity of the run. Why not try to match, or top that tonight?

That being said, not much time was wasted. I hit the free weights almost exclusively and I didn't wait too long in-between sets. I feel that the efficiency of my work-out has improved but I'm still far not hitting the original 30 minute resistance plan. Practically speaking, it may be a while until I'm able to do so. After about 10 minutes of brisk cardio (5 on the treadmill and 5 on the cross-trainer), I proceeded to hit the weights with a vengeance.

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1. Leg Press

65 pounds
2 Sets of 15 reps
2 -4 Second Rule

I know it may not be all that necessary but I did increase the resistance of the leg press from 55 pounds to 65 pounds. Mind you, I still maintain that the actual weight itself is not paramount. One should lift in accordance to one's capability, and not to over-train or over-lift.

2. Bench Press with the Olympic Bar - Chest

44 pounds / 20kg

2 Sets of 15 reps

2 -4 Second Rule

I really do enjoy bench-pressing with the Oly Bar. Eventually I might look at adding an additional 5kg to 10kg (2.5kg or 5kg on each side). Baby steps.

3. Lateral Pull Back - Free Weights 

40 pounds

2 Sets of 15 reps

2 -4 Second Rule

No comments for this exercise but as mentioned in the earlier post, this is the preferred mode of exercise for my upper back. Might want to increase this eventually as well, although I am currently strugggling in the last few reps for Set 2.

4. Dumbbell Shoulder Press - Shoulders

4kg / each arm
2 Sets of 15 reps
2 -4 Second Rule

Also went without a hitch. I must admit though, that the last few reps in each set was a deep, deep burn. I'm getting used to it, but not soon enough. I can feel I need to work on my shoulders more in future.

5. Dumbbell Bicep Curls

6kg / each arm
2 Sets of 15 reps
2 -4 Second Rule

I was not getting the effect I wanted with 4kg bicep curls. So I 'upgraded' to 6kg and now it feels much better

6. Tricep Pushdown w/rope

19 pounds
2 Sets of 15 reps
2 -4 Second Rule

I also raised the weight of this one from 12 pounds to 19 pounds. While some of you may say that 12/19 pounds is child's play, I can assure you, my triceps are far from there. Baby steps.

7. Abdominal Crunches

45 pounds
2 Sets of 15 reps
2 -4 Second Rule

Ahh, I made a mistake on this one, and I'm paying the price. I pushed the envelop too far with 45 pounds on me, and now I've pulled the left-side of my neck. I can barely turn my neck to the right. I feel like Batman (Michael Keaton) now. Note to self: Reduce weight to maximum 35 pounds. For now.

8. Cardio Run (Treadmill)

Warm-Up:

2 minutes - Fast walk @ 5.5 kmph
1 minute - Slow Jog @ 6.0 kmph

Cardio:

1 minute - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

1 minute - Medium Sprint @ 9.0 kmph

1 minute - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph 

1 minute - Medium Sprint @ 9.0 kmph

1 minute - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph
1 minute - Medium Sprint @ 9.0 kmph
1 minute - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph
1 minute - Medium Sprint @ 9.0 kmph

1 minute - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

1 minute - Medium Sprint @ 9.0 kmph
1 minute - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

1 minute - Medium Sprint @ 9.0 kmph
1 minute - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

Warm-Down:

2 minutes - Slow Jog @ 6.0 kmph to End

======================================================================

So there we go. I kinda injured myself on Day 13 thanks to some over-eager-beaver antics on my part. Oh well, you live and you learn. I may need to seek some physicial assistance on my neck if I'm going for a quicker path of relief.

On a side note, I'm feeling rather exhausted lately. I fear what Raj has warned me about before - over-training and the symptoms of it. Nevertheless, I have also been sleeping terribly for the past week so that may well be a contributing, if not sole factor for this condition of mine. After all, I have been feeling great everytime I'm done with the work-out and step out of the showers. I'll need to improve on my sleeping habits ASAP as I am sure it will affect my already fragile consitution. Over and out.

Thanks for viewing!

Disclaimer: The views published in the above Fight to Fitness Blog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorize usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Report: Day 12 [18-12-2011]

After last Friday's work-out (Day 10) I'm raring to go again but I'm mindful of Master Raj's advice on sufficient rest. I decided that I will need to go for alternative forms of exercise besides lifting weights on the 'off' days ('off' meaning I'm not going through the full scheduled routine) - such as swimming and running outdoors. The importance is to keep on moving and not get rusty and lazy.

Today I've got a spot of dinner and home movie planned at my place, with a small group of tight friends. But I do have a little time before dinner, so... Since I've always got my gym bag + clothes + shoes with me in my car at all times, I decided to get some fresh air at the Kiara Park. I actually forgot how difficult it was to run outdoors!

Make no mistake, running on a treadmill, no matter how fast, cannot compare to the kind of resistance you're going to face when running outdoors. Holy crap! I started out terrible really. I was insufficiently warmed-up, thinking, "No problem, I'll just do a medium jog. No problem, right?" Wrong.

I struggled from 'Go'. I could feel my legs slow down almost immediately. I have a theory that my Adidas track pants contributed to the tremendous wind resistance. Of course, that could merely have been the weakness in my legs. Anyways. The first lap around the lower circuit around the park took me approximately 9.5 minutes. My lungs were set to burst and my sides ached like a mofo. Crazy right? I walked for about 2 minutes before running again. For Lap 2, I felt much better and my pace almost doubled. The warm-up would have made a world of difference but I was foolhardy earlier on. However, I think the damage was done. Lap 2 took me approximately 7.5 minutes but I faltered halfway, with the burning lungs and the aching sides. It took great effort to finish the damned lap. I decided to stop after 2 laps.

Back when I was running regularly (4 times a week at least) I always did some weight lifting after my runs. It was always with my own weight (chin-ups, push-ups, etc.). Looking back now, I certainly did not do it correctly or efficiently. I sought to rectify that. I found plenty of exercise bars and such and chose a horizontal bar with a height slightly below my chest level. I grabed the bar and suspended myself underneath (supported by my feet). With the slight leg support I was pulling about 40 pounds (estimated). I straightened my body and did Lateral 'Pull-Ups', 2 Sets of 10 reps each. Following that I found a low bar for balance-walking which I used for push-ups. This was rather painful but I completed 2 Sets of 10 reps.

I stopped to leave for a shower at Calvin's place and dinner sunsequently but I left very motivated and eager for my next visit to Kiara park. An observation I made is that I was sweating profusely. Like really really drenched. There was so much sweat it wasn't funny at all! Could it be due to the humidity of the weather, or a serious lack of fitness technique?

Thanks for viewing!

Disclaimer: The views published in the above Fight to Fitness Blog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorize usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Report: Day 10 [16-12-2011]

I'm back in the gym today. First session of the 2nd week.

Why, pray tell, do I make such a fuss over how many times I hit the gym? No, it's not for bragging rights. I haven't got that right as of yet. It's because for beginners, or those starting out in the whole fitness routine, the biggest obstacle you might face is your arch-enemy, consistency. With it, you can achieve swift results. Without it, you're doomed to failure. Trust me on this.

Therefore, after a 3 day lay-off, I'm pretty eager to hit the weights again. My Fitness Report is as follows:-

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1. Leg Press

55 pounds @ 2 Sets of 15 reps. I'm starting to find a rhythm in my movement. The entire 2 sets went of without a hitch. I should consider raising the weight.

2. Dumbbell Shoulder Press - Shoulders

Once again, 4kg dumbbells on each hand. It was smoother this time as I settled into a steady pump and release. 2 Sets of 15 reps each was not a walk in the park, but doable.

3. Bench Press with the Olympic Bar - Chest

As mentioned before, I'm also getting into the rhythm of bench pressing the Oly Bar. 44 pounds for 2 Sets of 15 reps went off well .

4. Seated Rower Pull - Back

I found the Seated Rower much more difficult as compared to the Lateral Pull Down. But I did it anyway at 40 pounds. I almost died after 2 Sets of 15 reps and my form was terrible. I'll remember to go with the Lateral Pull Down in future.

5. Dumbbell Bicep Curls

My form for this one was pretty decent. I stuck with 4kg weights on each arm, and the 2 Sets of 15 reps each gave me a nice buzz afterwards.

6. Tricep Pushdown w/rope

Today I did 12 pounds throughout the 2 Sets of 15 reps each. It's getting easier. I guess I'm starting to build a little strength here. 

7. Abdominal Crunches

I stayed with 35 pounds for this one. I tried to make each and every crunch count. And it hurt like a mother... 2 Sets of 15 reps each - Done!

8. Cardio Run (Treadmill)

I couldn't stay for long so I rush this one yet again. Nevertheless, I think the revised cardio segment has been more and more intense and I think this makes some difference.

Warm-Up:

2 minutes - Fast walk @ 5.5 kmph

Cardio:

1 minutes - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

1 minutes - Medium Sprint @ 9.0 kmph

1 minutes - Run like Hell @ 11.0 kmph

2 minutes - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

2 minutes - Uphill Run @ 4.0 incline and 7.0 kmph

1 minutes - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

Warm-Down:

0.5 minute - Medium Sprint @ 9.0 kmph

0.5 minutes - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

1 minute - Brisk jog to slow walk to stop

======================================================================

Any difference so far?

For one, I'm getting into the rhythm of the work-outs. Another is that my form is improving all the time. And lastly, the speed of my work-outs is improving. Hopefully, I can achieve Master Raj's proposed 1/2 hour resistance training target by the 4th or 6th week. That would be an achievement of some sort. Now, besides the gym, I gotta find some other forms of exercise outside. Looking forward to be able to run with Fatty again.

Thanks for viewing!

Disclaimer: The views published in the above Fight to Fitness Blog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorize usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Fat Dom Thinks...

The toughest thing about making a committment to fitness and working out? The consistency. It's easy to go crazy for a couple of days and feel totally pumped about it. Then the feeling dies down, your schedule gets packed, you start feeling tired or lazy to even get off your buttocks to do anything, you stop eating properly, and suddenly - wait - you're back exactly where you started. You start blaming your busy schedule, blame your fat genes from your dad's side of the family, blame your dog, your boss, your wife/girlfriend/mistress, blame the sun, the moon, the stars, blame your chinese zodiac sign, blame God, blame Barisan Nasional, etc.

Don't be a right twat.

In a perfect world I could drop everything and go to the gym on time every single day. In a perfect world I could alway ensure that I eat properly and at the right times, all the time. In a perfect world, the weather would always be perfect for me to get out to exercise. In a perfect world, I would never get injured, tired or hurt.

But it's not a perfect world.

I can't make it to the gym on scheduled days sometimes due to work committments. I'm sometimes late so I can't have a leisurely work-out. I sometimes have dinners with top management, so I can't refuse a seafood meal without looking out of place. The weather has been shite lately, so I have to plan ahead. The resulting traffic jam is worse so I pack my bags in advance every single day before I leave the house. I make sure my work-out form and technique is correct and proper to avoid injuries, among others.

The only thing I don't do, is - I don't complain.

One of the things you can try to do in order to keep up the spirit of fitness is to vary your work-outs. Personally, I used to refused to hit gyms. I was a runner of sorts a number of years ago. It's hard to believe now that, beneath this well-fed exterior, there once was an athlete. Instead of just hitting gyms, try swimming, or running. Sports are always a great fitness option. The quoted options may not be the best is building strength, but nevertheless, it provides a great work-out!

Critics of gyms have a point though. Who wants to run towards a miniture LCD tv? The pungent smell of disinfectant stinging the nostrils instead of a cool morning/evening air? Today, I find that gyms are a perfect in its imperfections. Of course you would like to run with the wind in your face and grass between your toes. Nevertheless, gyms provide a controlled and reasonably safe environment for you to work-out in. Some say it has a sterile feel to it. I think the sterility of it all is still better than getting butt-raped by some hopped-up hobo in the park at 11.30pm. Further, with the odd opening times of commercial gyms, you can always drop by after work, even if you finish late, and safely at that.

That being said, this is not an official Report (not yet) since I'll be heading to the gym later tonight. Just a few thoughts by the Average Dom in trying to achieve something meaningful. 

If there is anyone else out there who wants to try out some form of exercise but is looking for company, please do not hesitate to look me up. I'll try almost anything at least once! Of course, since I don't publicize this Fitness Blog, most will not be aware of this...

Important Note: As with my Photoblog, this Fitness Blog is not meant for the Fitness Pros. There are too many pros out there with even more great advice and differing techniques. I'm writing on behalf of the Average Joes and Janes of the world.

Thanks for viewing!

Disclaimer: The views published in the above Fight to Fitness Blog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorize usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Report: Day 9 [15-12-2011]

Master Raj has been asking me to take a 'Before' photo of myself. Unfortunately I have delayed this. The only thing I've delayed in this effort, I believe. I will remember to take a 'After 1-week' photo once I get back home. I'll probably not post it until I achieve some visible results. I don't want to jinx my efforts so far.

Nevertheless, I have dug in and around my possessions and I managed to find a suitable 'Before' picture of myself for comparisons sake. Here it is:-



Dominique Kee before beginning his fitness regime.



OK, seriously folks. Don't judge. The lighting really doesn't flatter me at all.

Thanks for viewing!

Disclaimer: The views published in the above Fight to Fitness Blog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorize usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Report: Day 7 [13-12-2011]

Today marks the 1-Week checkpoint of my recent Fight to Fitness. Although I feel that there are some physical changes in me, unfortunately, they are not that visible currently. Mood-wise I am very upbeat. The past week has been very encouraging and I am very enthusiastic about my next session. In fact, I am also looking into different kinds of exercise in between gym days.

Tonight, since I am resting from the gym, I agreed to go running with The Fat One (Calvinus). Fat-Stuff is currently going through some High Intensity Training (HIT). Apparently running is a part of it, so he asked me. I was told it would take no more than 30 minutes of intensive running at my old stomping ground (Kiara Park, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail). Of course I said yes!

Once I picked him up and brought him to Kiara Park, that is when he revealed the nature of HIT: Proponents are to do a fast walk for a measure of time before suddenly sprinting for 30 seconds. This will be considered to be One (1) Set. The idea is have extreme varying of the heart rate for cardio and weight loss purposes. I told him of my reservations in doing this, i.e. due to the high impact nature of walking and running suddenly, but I decided to give it a try any ways. After some streching warm-up we set off.

The First Set took me totally off guard. I was more used to doing a fast run before sprinting for an extended period of time. But walking to sprinting? The Usain Bolt's Fat Counterpart demonstrated his powerful sprinting capabilities once again, shooting off way in front during the sprint segment. I on the other hand managed to maintain a speed of approximately 11.0 to 12.0 kmph but was far back.

By the Third Set, I was finally wamed up and my body adapted to the sprinting, to the point where I was able to pick up speed midway through the 30-second sprint. I maintained the same stride and speed of 11 to 12 kmph for the most part and probably ran as fast as 13 kmph for short bursts but I could see Fatty Crab visibly slowing down due to lack of conditioning. I managed to overtake him for short periods even.

By the Sixth Set my body was primed to go on. I was still maintaining a minimum speed of 11 to 12 kmph and I was still able to produce short bursts of additional speed. I could have gone another 6 sets if I wanted to push myself. Fats needed to stop. He hasn't been running this course for 4 months and he was already pushing his fat envelope. We agreed that we would do this at least once every week. I told him we'd train some form in his running as I noticed his sprints were powerful but terribly inefficient - hence the inability to maintain the sprint speed. Also I noticed he was breathing using his mouth excessively. A big no-no for runners, as far as I know.

I was glad to be able to push him towards the Sixth Set as he wanted to stop at the Fifth Set. That's what (training) friends are for. I would have liked to go on, but we're in this together and... he ain't heavy, he's my brother.

======================================================================

There, i've reached the 1-Week Checkpoint. what have I achieved so far?

Weight loss? Slightly perhaps.

Physical differences? Slightly if none at all.

Fitness levels? Tremendous change - the past week of consistent conditioning has made a world of change, as shown on Day 7 with Fats.

My biggest achievement so far? My eating habits have improved and I'm exercising consistently - 3 days in the gym, another day of running, another day of hardcore dancing. That leaves only 2 days of inactivity. Even so, it's not like I don't do anything on those days which I don't exercise!

The only thing which has not markedly improved is my sleeping habits. I'll need more rest when the work-outs get more hardcore. And that will be happening sooner rather than later. 

Thanks for viewing!

Disclaimer: The views published in the above Fight to Fitness Blog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorize usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Report: Day 6 [12-12-2011]

After yesterday, today feels great! All the aches and pains ('D.O.M.S' as its called) are gone. In its place I have a renewed sense of achievement. I need more. MORE!

I'm actually planning to go for resistance training again today. I plan to lighten it if necessary. I don't want to overwork it but I feel I need to continue the Fight to Fitness. I hope its not far wrong. I want to ask Raj but he's been so so helpful, I'm a little reluctant to bother him for something so minor. Or should I? Thinking aloud here... The importance of today is that I plan to incorporate the extensive stretching process to my routine. I hope I can recall it correctly and in totality.

A relevant observation: After working-out on Day 5, my entire body felt light. No soreness, nothing. In fact, besides some obvious endorphins, I didn't really feel like I did any work at all. On Day 6 I set out to change that. As I was warned before, when I stop having the D.O.M.S, I might miss it. I totally understand that now!

I read that one well known body-fitness athlete, Ava Cowan (hot stuff!) practices changing reps, weights and forms of exercise constantly. This is to ensure that her muscles do not ever adapt to any work-out, forcing the muscles to always improve. With that in mind, I quickly consulted Master Trainer Raj and proceeded to go out and kill myself. This is what happened:

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1. Leg Press

I went with 55 pounds today (from 45 pounds). 2 sets went of without a hitch, only slight difficulty towards the end of Set 2. Gold star for me!

2. Bench Press with the Olympic Bar - Chest

I'm starting to like the Olympic Bar. Getting used to it. But its not helpful to show off to the ladies currently since I bench press the Oly Bar without any weights. The 44 pound / 20kg bar is good enough practice for now.

3. Lateral Pull-Down - Back

I went all hardcore with the Lateral Pull-Downs. 2 sets of 15 reps @ 40 pounds (from 33 pounds) was inspiring. Although the last 2-3 reps of Set 2 I was already dying and broke my form slightly.

4. Dumbbell Bicep Curls

I switched this one today. Instead of Shoulders first, I decided to do biceps first. No reason for this change other than the outright fear of the shoulder press. Again, as before I went with 4kg dumbbells on each arm and went for 2 Sets of 15 reps each. By itself, the weights were reasonably light. However, when pumping to the 2-4 Second Rule, the burn starts to come in after about 8-10 reps for each Set. I did the best I could to consciously maintain my form throughout. Oh, and I was consciously keeping my knees slightly bent. Interesting what a trusted friend tells you that you keep remembering.

5. Dumbbell Shoulder Press - Shoulders

I struggled the most with this one, I think. Again, I kept the 4kg dumbbells on each arm and did 2 Sets of 15 reps each. The difference is the incredible burn. By rep no.10 for each Set, my arms were burning so bad, I virtually rushed the remaining reps, ignoring the 2-4 Second Rule. I didn't go all 'Energizer Bunny' on it, but it was still faster than the accepted practice thus far. I gotta check with Master Raj on what he thinks of that.

6. Tricep Pushdown w/rope

I was also terribly afraid of this tricep pushdown. Yesterday I did this exercise second to last as well, and I stopped HALFWAY the FIRST SET on 12 pounds. I couldn't do it! I reduced it to 5 pounds for the remainder 1.5 Sets. Today was better though. I went with 12 pounds all the way for 2 Sets of 15 reps. I can try for more soon. But perhaps not yet. 

7. Abdominal Crunches

I went for 35 pounds today (from 25 pounds) with the full intention of working that fat gut of mine to feel the pain of ab crunches the next day. 2 Sets of 15 reps each was doable, but I tell you, I almost died after hitting the 10th or 11th rep for each Set. The burn in my belly caused my eyes to water!

8. Cardio Run (Treadmill)

Once again, I arrived at the gym late, about 10pm. Plus I am yet to be particularly efficient in my exercises. I'm still taking about 2 hours, slightly longer maybe? As such, I had reduce my running time again, which I hate doing. I do love my running, but the resistance training is more important for now.

Warm-Up:

2 minutes - Fast walk @ 5.5 kmph

Cardio:

2 minutes - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

1.5 minutes - Medium Sprint @ 9.0 kmph

0.5 minutes - Run like Hell @ 11.0 kmph

2 minutes - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

2 minutes - Uphill Run @ 4.0 incline and 6.0 kmph

2 minutes - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

Warm-Down:

0.5 minute - Medium Sprint @ 9.0 kmph

0.5 minutes - Run like Hell @ 11.0 kmph

1 minute - Brisk jog to slow walk to stop

9. Warm-Down Stretches

I hope I hit all the major required stretches. Calves, Hams and Quads (3 for the legs), biceps and tricepes, the chest and back streches, as well as a side twist. Gotta go back and ask Raj about it!

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My rewards for all this? This morning, until right now, I've got slightly sore arms. There is a slight tightness in my chest but not much. My abs feel slightly numb but nothing much in particular. There is also slight soreness in my calves and quads, but not enough to slow me down, only enough to remind me of what I did yesterday.

Thanks for viewing!

Disclaimer: The views published in the above Fight to Fitness Blog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorize usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Report: Day 5 [11-12-2011]

Today i make my long awaited return to the gym. I know it sound dramatic considering Day 1 was my first gym outing, but drastic changes require drastic action.

My muscles have been broken down and are rebuilding itself (painfully, I might add) for the past few days. Precisely on-schedule, the aches in my body have receded tremendously on Day 4. Initially I planned to quickly drop-by on Day 4 (Saturday) for a 30 minute run (cardio) but I decided against it. Primarily because I intended to go dancing on Saturday night. Not only that, Sam called for a Rueda Jam at 8pm. The tight schedule due to the Rueda Jam @ 8pm, dinner with Munning @ 10pm and salsa at Modesto's Capsquare @ about 12am made my Saturday a little too tight. So I saved it for Sunday (Day 5) instead.

Day 5 was pretty good. I met Emily and Raj in the afternoon and I brought Raj in as a 'friend'. Raj wore the biggest t-shirt he had and tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. He endured about 20 minutes of the required introduction for newcomers to the gym and he got a 7-day pass I think. Then the work began.

He ran through the free-weights with myself and Emily. It was totally great. He worked on technique and form (which was much more tiring that the actual weights itself, if you ask me) and you know you're doing it (kinda) right when you feel the actual burn!

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1. Leg Press

Started out with 45 pounds for Set 1 and 55 pounds for Set 2. I was struggling towards the end of Set 2 and apparently, its a good thing.

Note: Start out with you knees as close to your chest as possible. When releasing the weights, ensure that the stack of weights are not more than 1 cm apart before your next rep. Remember the 2 - 4 Second Rule!

2. Bench Press with the Olympic Bar - Chest

Now we were moving on to free weights. I pressed an empty bar (no additional weights). The Olympic Bar itself weighs about 44 pounds / 20kg. I completed the required 2 sets of 15 reps.

Note: Some balancing act required here (if you don't often bench press). When lowering the Bar to your chest, lowest point should be about 4 inches / 1 clenched-fist from your chest. Don't forget the 2-4 Second Rule.

3. Lateral Pull-Down - Back

I was told that when pumping free weights, its different from the regular machines outside. I realise now how different it is. For the Lateral Pull-Downs, I started with 19 pounds for Set 1 and got my posture and form correct. For Set 2 I went for 33 pounds.

Note: When pulling down, ensure your elbows are pointed downwards. Use the arms, NOT the shoulders. Lean back slightly, tuck in your chin, shoulders pulled back, and chest popped out, tighten your abs. It's OK if your arms are outstretched with releasing. Go for a nice stretch. 2-4 Second Rule applies (of course).

4. Dumbbell Shoulder Press - Shoulders

The form for this one was rather tricky, and in my humble opinion, was more painful than the weights itself. I started out with 6kgs on each arm, but I couldn't complete it. I later reduced to 4kgs/arm to finish the 2 sets. The illustration shows the subject sitting down. I was taught to do it standing up. The benefit of standing? You also work your legs as well as balance for a total body workout!

Note: Split your legs slightly (orthodox boxing stance - left foot in front of your right). Bend your knees (important), tighten abs (important), pop chest, back straight at all times (important - some tend to lean backwards as they tire out) extend arms near-full when pumping, elbows should be about 90 degrees when releasing. Another crucial detail is to ensure your arms pump and release slightly in front of your head, NOT aligned with your head as many think.

5. Dumbbell Bicep Curls

This is one of the most common, popular dumbbell workouts. Nevertheless, many don't do it properly. I completed the required 2 sets of 15 reps with 4kg/arm.

Notes: Stand straight, feet slightly apart. Knees bent slightly (important). Keep your upper arms riveted to your side (like it was stuck there). Only the lower arm should be moving. The usual form - shoulders pulled back, chest popped, tighten abs (all important). As you pump it, keep both lower arms aligned and pointing in the same direction (as in the above picture). Do I still have to remind you about the 2-4 Second Rule?

6. Tricep Pushdown w/rope

This is another exercise where the form will probably hurt you more than the exercise itself. I started out with 12 pounds. I couldn't finish the first set. The completed the remaining 1.5 sets with 5 pounds. The difference with the machines and free weights was totally obvious. With the machines I was pumping 20 pounds. With this, I couldn't even do 12 pounds.

Note: The usual - back straight, shoulders pulled back, chest popped, abs tightened (all important). Once again, rivet your upper arms to your side. As Raj puts it, not even a mosquito should fly between your armpits. Pump downwards and splits your lower arms (as illustrated above). When releasing, arms should be slightly more than 90 degrees. Legs close together with knees bent (always!).

7. Abdominal Crunches

I went back to the same machine as before. This time with Raj's supervision. I completed the required 2 sets of 15 reps with a slight difference.

Note: Avoid cheating with your hands and arms. As you crunch, focus on using your stomach muscles. This requires some concentration as you work it. Crunch and clench your stomach tight. As you release, release only as far as to straighten your back, no more. This is the only exercise which allows you to hunch your back as you're doing it. Repeat until faint.

8. Cardio Run (Treadmill)

I was short on time for this one, as the gym was closing due to their annual dinner. So I adjusted acordingly:

Warm-Up:

2 minutes - Fast walk @ 5.0 kmph

3 minutes - Medium jog @ 6.0 kmph

Cardio:

2 minutes - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

2 minutes - Medium Sprint @ 9.0 kmph

2 minutes - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

2 minutes - Uphill Run @ 4.0 incline and 6.0 kmph

2 minutes - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

Warm-Down:

2 minutes - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

1 minute - Medium Sprint @ 9.0 kmph

1 minute - Fast jog @ 7.0 kmph

1 minute - Brisk to slow walk to stop

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Today's work-out had an additional segment: Core Strengthening and Warm-Down.

Raj showed me the proper way to 'plank' or 'bridge'. Besides the required legs, back, neck and head aligned straight, we also have to keep our lower arms close together and parallel. That actually makes a huge difference! Try it for 60 seconds. According to Raj that is STAGE 1 of some fitness test. Crazy shit. This exercise strengthens core muscles around your waist. Vital for sportspeople.

The last segment was actual stretching. I'll need pictures for more accurate representation of the proper stretches for each of the core muscle groups but in summary, 3 for the legs, 1 for the chest, 1 for the back, 1 for the biceps, 1 for the triceps. I hope its all there.

Until the next report.

Thanks for viewing!

Disclaimer: The views published in the above Fight to Fitness Blog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorize usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Report: Day 3 [9-12-2011]

Nothing much to report here, except for several observations I might want to remember in the months to come.

I initially planned to work-out every alternate day. This is important to ensure that your body has time to heal itself, for lack of better medical terms. According to Fitness Guru Raj, this may be the most effective method for me currently (at least). However, I may need a little bit more time to recover from Day One.

After working-out at Day One, I woke up on Day 2 feeling extremely tired and sore - like I spent the night getting beaten-up by a team of pissed-off rugby players. Interestingly enough, I spent Day One working the 7 major muscle groups (please do feel free to correct me if I use the incorrect terms) and on Day Two, I was starting to feel the soreness in specific areas. In a geeky sort of way it's exciting when you start to feel what you set-out to work on:

1. The most obvious soreness right now is in the quads, hamstrings, and the calves. I suspect it is from the 20 minutes of varied resistance and speed running, and not so much from the leg presses I did. Surprisingly, I am still able to walk on the morning of Day Two. As a side note, this is a very familiar soreness to me, since the days when I still ran short to middle distance.

2. The next obvious soreness comes from the traps, to the shoulders, to the upper arms, the biceps and triceps. I definitely know where these came from! I felt it burning like a fiery harpy in Day One! My arms are fairly numb still and I can't straighten them (left arm is far worse than the right). Because of the tightness of my upper back and my upper arms , I walked around the whole day with my shoulders pulled back, chest popped and arms bent, like I'm expecting a fight with someone. 

3. I didn't really feel any soreness in the chest and abdominal area during Day Two, until the end of Day Two, where the soreness slowly but surely build momentum.

Interesting random fact, Raj tells me this condition of soreness is coincidentaly known as D.O.M.S or Delayed On-set Muscle Soreness. How cool is that? Raj tells me to enjoy this feeling while I am able to have it. Once my body is conditioned accordingly, I'll miss it, he says.

As mentioned earlier, it is most likely that I'll not go exercise today in light of the soreness of my body. I'll make up for it during the weekend.

One last interesting thing to note though - this morning (Day Three) I woke up late for work and proceeded to rush like a mad-dog to get to work on time. I barely realised that the second day of soreness after exercise was supposed to be the worse. Besides a slight difficulty in walking which developed later in Day Two, everything was totally fine, if not better than last night. Day Three is turning out pretty good then.

A good sign?

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Disclaimer: The views published in the above Fight to Fitness Blog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorize usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Report: Day 1 [7-12-2011]

I finally made it to the gym. Time is 9.30pm yesterday. I failed miserably in Raj ji's proposed One Hour Plan. It ended up taking about 2 hours (not including showering time). But I did complete the required exercise which is a huge plus. I forsee if I continue on this path, I'll soon be able to hit the required efficiency levels, hopefully sooner, rather than later.

As mentioned earlier, in the proposed One Hour Plan, is supposed to encompass 30 minutes of resistance training (weights and whatnot) followed by 30 minutes of cardio of my choice. The killer part is the resistance training. The 30 minutes ended taking 1.5 hours instead. The tough part is that I diligently followed Raj ji's instructions on the 2,4 Second Rule when doing reps: 2 seconds to pump-it, followed by a 4 second slow release. Mother f... I almost died.

Another important thing that I had to find out was the correct weight in which I was supposed to work out in. Raj ji mentioned something along the lines of 75% of my maximum load. I don't even know my maximum load! An indication is when we struggle with a particular weight halfway through the routine. Then we know that we should at least reduce the weight. I brought a notepad to the gym and I noted the various weights I used throughout the resistance exercise.

My report of last night is as follows:-

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1. Leg Presses - 2 sets of 15 reps each @ 45 pounds

The machine looks a little something like this:-

The 2 sets went of without a hitch. 45 pounds appear more than doable.

2. Seated Rower (pulling) - 2 sets of 15 reps each @ 40 pounds

The machine looks a little something like this:-


The 2 sets went of without a hitch. However, 40 pounds appear to be too heavy as it affect the remaining of my workout. Propose to reduce the weight to 25 the next time.

3. Chest Press Machine (pushing) - 2 sets of 15 reps each @ 40 pounds/33 pounds

The machine looks a little something like this:-



Right at the beginning of the required 2 sets, I started to realised that I was over-ambitious with the weight. I had to reduce the weight from 40 pounds to 33 pounds. Halfway through the First Set until the end of the 2 sets. Propose to reduce the weight to 25 the next time.

4. Seated Bicep Curls (pulling) - 2 sets of 15 reps each @ 25 pounds/20 pounds

The machine looks a little something like this:-

I was more realistic with the weights on this one. By now, my arms were suitably numb due to over-exertion. I started out with 25 pounds which was fine until towards the end of the second set when I reduced the weight to 20 pounds to avoid hurting myself further. I think 25 pounds is a good starting weight.

5. Seated Tricep Extension (pushing) - 2 sets of 15 reps each @ 20 pounds

The machine looks a little something like this:-



I didn't expect to survive this one as I didn't think my triceps were in shape at all. I set it at 20 pounds and survived for 2 sets. Perhaps if my arms were not so numb I could have done 25 pounds.

6. Abdominal Crunches (pushing) - 2 sets of 15 reps each @ 25 pounds

The machine looks a little something like this:-

I set the weight resistance at 25 pounds and I found it rather pleasing. I might increase the weight to 33 pounds if I feel up to it.

7. Seated Shoulder Press (pushing) - 2 sets of 15 reps each @ 20 pounds/ 15 pounds/10 pounds

The machine looks a little something like this:-

This was an absolute nightmare. By now, both my arms were completely numb. I couldn't complete my first set @ 20 pounds so I reduced it to 15 pounds. For the second set, I had to drop it to 10 pounds as my arms were giving away.

8. 30 Minutes of Cardio

Warm-up: 5 Minutes Fast Walk (4.8 kmph)

Cardio: 20 Minutes, alternating between a medium run (7.1 kmph), slow run (6.1 kmph) and uphill slow run (4.0 incline, 5.8 kmph)

Warm-down: 5 Minutes Fast Walk, gradually decreasing speed until stop (4.8kmph - 3.4 kmph)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I enjoyed the run at the end of it all, probably because I'm much more familiar with it. And I totally love showering in gyms! Hmmm.... that didn't come out right.

By working the core muscle groups I am trying to achieve a suitable balance between weight loss and developing strength. The pain tomorrow and day after, will tell me if I managed to tickle the right areas of my pathetic body.

Thanks for viewing!

Disclaimer: The views published in the above Fight to Fitness Blog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorize usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

The Mission: Fight to Fitness

I'm fat. I won't lie about that.

My weight has increased exponentially over the past 10 years. I've seen myself grow from a portly size 31 (at about 15 years of age) and today, I should be about a size 34.5 (in consideration that pants-size 34 is tight and 35 is slightly loose). My weight has regularly see-sawed depending on my state of mind. I don't comfort-binge but I do enjoy my food. A lot. A LOT.

I measure approximately 167cm in height. Approximately meaning I last measured my height in 1995 and I measured 165.5cm. This is assuming I did not grow shorter, and I did not get much taller.

My weight has see-sawed depressingly from 60kg in 1995 to almost 70kg today. Although 10kg is generally not THAT significant, my lack of height causes me to appear pudgy and multiply in chins, among other deformities.

Fitness-wise, I was in reasonable shape a couple of years back. I played footy regularly. Although I was never invited by my football-playing friends, I found other people willing to play with a mug like me. I liked running. I used to run every other day diligently for about 5km-8km at a time.

However, today, I don't think I'm at that level anymore. These days I dance very often but as I have found out, excessive dancing does not help anyone lose weight. It's probably light cardio at best considering we dance vigorously for 4-5 minutes at a time and we rest in between songs. Plus it is a social event, not all out exercise.

OK. That's my current fitness profile. The Mission, if I choose to accept it, is to turn my sad life around. I've taken the first positive step by signing-up for a gym. My logic is - I'm going to pay good money, and if I don't follow-up, I'll be wasting money I don't have. So I better make the best out of it (Chinaman Logic #264). I've done this yesterday and later tonight I intend to visit for the first time. Which gym I signd up with is irrelevant since I'm not joining for the reputation, but instead for the free towels and secrecy.

I also want to thank Mr. Raj, a dear friend and salsero, and fitness instructor extraordinaire, for proposing a simple regime for the Stage One of my development of self. It goes a little something like this:-

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1 Hour solid session at the gym (no chit-chatting and time-wasting) which is composed of:-

30 minutes of resistance training, consisting of exercising all the major muscle groups in 2 sets of 15 reps each, with less than 1 minutes rest between sets. The bracket indicates a rough description of the form of exercise for each of the muscle groups:

- Leg extensions (pushing motion)

- Chest (pushing motion - forward)

- Back (pulling motion - backwards)

- Shoulders (pushing motion - upwards)

- Biceps and Triceps (pumps)

- Abdominals (crunches, or other abs exercise)

Other relevant details are:

Speed of workout - 2 seconds to lift, 4 seconds to lower

Weightage - Start with 75% of maximum load. May need to test until such weight is determined.

To also note details of workout for future reference.

30 minutes of Cardio work, which includes:-

5 minutes of warm-up;

20 minutes of Cardio; and

5 minutes of warm-down.

Cardio here includes running, cycling, cross-trainers, etc.

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Raj has also proposed a tracking progress for me. I'll need to get some details of myself including:-

1. A before and after picture. This may be embarassing but necessary to track my progress.

2. Waistline measurement from the navel.

3. Weight.

4. Body fat.

5. A detailed list of my eating habit for the next 2 weeks.

I'll also be tracking my progress in near-real time using the Fight to Fitness Blog to inspire me to victory.

More importantly though - what is my GOAL in all this? I don't want to have a Calvin Klein sexy bod just yet. For now, my short term goal is:-

LOSE WEIGHT AND FIT BACK INTO MY SIZE 32 PANTS. WITHIN 3 MONTHS OR LESS.

There we go. Realistic, specific and practical. The time-frame may be adjusted slightly but thats just a technicality.

Thanks for everything Raj i'll definitely continue to need your help but thus far, your dedicated advice was imperative to give me something to work for. If I achieve my target(s) and people like what they see, I won't forget that all this could not have been possible without your help!

Thanks for viewing!

Disclaimer: The views published in the above Fight to Fitness Blog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorize usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.