November 5 2013 fitness log

It's been over a week since I visited the gym, so I am going ease back myself to my usual training phase. Here's what I did today :

Warm up - 10 minute treadmill run including 1 kilometer at 10 kph.

Bench press - 6 reps at 60 kg X 3 sets
Squats - 6 reps at 100 kg X 3 sets
Pull ups - 8 reps X 3 (different grips)
Lunges - 6 reps at 70 kg X 3 sets per leg
Crunches - 100 reps

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Fun Runs: Run for SugBohol

I joined a fun run last week. I ran the 5k in the Run for Sugbohol which was organized by the Run for Sight Foundation headed Dr. Yong Larrazabal.  The run was organized to raise funds for relief efforts for the victim of the Oct. 15, 2013 earthquake that struck Bohol.  I joined the fun run along with my wife and her parents.My intene

I finished the 5k at 35 minutes.  It is not fast but I know I was improving a lot because before I really hate running.  I used to just walk the whole way.  This time, I was able to run in stretches.  The nice thing about the run is that they have water stations in every kilometer. I also like the route because it was different from the normal route.  The run started in Cebu Doctor's Hospital gym then going to Escario then Gorordo. I even ran with my cellphone with me.

I am hoping to improve my time in the next few weeks as I am planning to join at least 2 fun runs in November.

Links:

My Intense Fitness Weekend

Focusing on Mobile Photography with Xperia Z1

Fun raises 275,000 for Bohol Quake victims

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Nutrition: Carbo loading at La Tegola

I've been joining some fun runs lately and I read in some medical books that a high carb diet is a big factor in performance. Carbohydrates are the best source of glycogen. Glycogen acts as the fuel of our body. Because of the importance of glycogen, many athletes carbo load before an intense competition.

I am not yet a super athlete but nevertheless, I need the energy to finish strong in the fun run and not get too drained the days after. For this week, I discovered a very nice place to load up on carbs. It's not cheap but the quality is way up there. La Tegola is an Italian restaurant at the Ayala Terraces. The restaurant specializes in pasta and pizza which is perfect for carbo loading. When I went there, I was with my friend Hamilton and his friend Xhai. Since they asked me what to order, I decided to choose the Caruso. The Caruso is made up of 5 different pastas with 5 different sauces. With the Caruso, you can practically taste many of the pasta specialties of La Tegola. Another good thing about the dish is that it could be either for 3 or 5 people.

When our order arrived, I was quite happy. By just looking at it, I know that I'm going to have a filling lunch. And I was right. One, the food is so delicious. Two, it does not contain so much fat because the dishes uses the best ingredients and it does not have fatty meat. Three, it's a perfect carbohydrates feast because the carb to protein to fat ratio is quite high around 5-2-.5 in my estimate. Four, the bill was not that high. Five, the ambiance was amazing, you know place is special based on the attention to detail  of the owners, staff and management.

All in all, my experience at La Tegola Ayala was memorable. I will surely go back there to carbo load or to have a romantic dinner with my wife. For someone who is trying to be fit, I would rate the place 5 spoons.

Links:

My Intense Fitness Weekend

Food Trip in Pizzarea Michelangelo

Shakey's Delivery Cebu

Eating at Dong Juan with officemates

Xperia Z1 photos ate ARCH Con

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Magnitude 7.2 Earthquake hit our area

A week ago, a strong earthquake struck the Bohol-Cebu area.  The 7.2 magnitude shock caused severe damage in many towns of Bohol destroying several houses, roads, bridges, buildings, and churches.  Intensity VII was felt in Cebu City where I am currently based. 

I was supposed to be in the gym when the earthquake happened.  The night before I was intending to go to the gym at 6 am but since it was a holiday I figured that Fitness First Cebu will open at 8 am, so I change my plans. I was still at home lying in bed when I heard a loud noise and then everything was shaking.  It took me a few seconds before realizing it was an earthquake.  We slowly made our way to exit our house and the tremor lasted a couple more seconds. Most of neighbors are also out of their houses.  Power was cut off and cellphone signals were erratic. It took almost an hour for the power to come back and things to somewhat normalize. 

By the time I was able to be online, I found out that it was a 7.2 magnitude quake.  It was the strongest that I've ever experienced.  News of damage and death was all over the internet. It was quiet tough.  So for a week, I am setting aside fitness goals and exercise.  I have felt several strong aftershocks in the past few days.  When I went back to the gym, I noticed fewer people attending classes or doing weights.  Many are afraid to go out of their houses and some were also busy in helping the relief operations.  

On my end, I bought some relief goods like water, and canned goods and delivered it to relief centers.  I also give out some old clothes.  For the past week, I only went twice to the gym.  I joined the Pink October Run and some of its proceeds will be used to help relief efforts in Bohol.  

Hopefully this week, things will be beck to normal.  I intend to go to the gym regularly and probably join another run this weekend to help the victims of the massive quake.

Links:

Massive Quake in Bohol: Intensity VII in Cebu

Earthquake Readiness Tips

Where was I during the Earthquake

My last visit : Chocolate Hills, Bohol

Fitness First Cebu Successfully Launch the New Releases of Les Mills Programs

Last week was a hyper week for the gym regulars in Fitness First Cebu as the group exercise routines were updated for the new quarter.  Although the Philippines are like one month late compared to other Les Mills gyms worldwide, the new releases was the definitely the wait. The new programs are making me more interested in joining more group exercise classes in the future.  I joined every launch last week.  Here are some of the pictures taken the different classes last week.

Edcel Seniedo leading the warm-up for BodyJam

BodyJammers before the start of the class

Specially printed BodyCombat 67 launch shirts

Sh'Bam afterclass

BodyPumpers posing after an excellent work out

Wacky time after an amazing BodyBalance class

Challenging but doable poses

RPM 60 Launch participants

Jump Kicks at BodyCombat

The amazing lunge track of BodyPump

Links:

Fitness First Launch schedules
Dancing to lose weight
Junmar Fajardo enters first ever PBA finals
Les Mills website

Fitness First Cebu to launch the New Release of Les Mills Programs

It is a new quarter and Fitness First Cebu will once again launch the new release of the different Les Mills Group Exercise Programs.  The Les Mills programs has helped me a lot in making my gym experience more enjoyable. The different group exercise programs has its own fun and difficulty factors.

Here is the schedule for those interested to join any of the program launches:

That programs that will be launched tomorrow will be Zumba, Body Balance, Body Pump, and Sh'Bam. Zumba is not a Les Mills program but it is one of the most popular dance workouts.  Body Balance combines Taichi, Pilates, and Yoga into a challenging workout. Body Pump is a 1 hour total body workout using weights aided by the latest pop hits. Sh'Bam is a dance workout similar to Zumba with a hippier vibe.
On Friday, three additional programs will have its launch.  BodyJam 66 will be launched in the morning. BodyJam is a challenging dance workout that will help someone to lose weight and rule the dance floor. BodyCombat is mixed-martial arts inspired workout that has moves taken from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Boxing and other forms of martial arts. RPM is a spinning class designed by Les Mills.
I will be joining all the launches and will write a review on the things I love and not love with the new releases. The Les Mills programs is standard in countless of gyms worldwide and it is updated quarterly. Normally when the programs are launched, our gym will have an open house of sorts. For those interested in joining these Les Mills programs in Cebu, check out Fitness First Cebu in Ayala Center.

Links:
The Night I Danced
Dancing to lose weight
Zumba fever in Cebu
International Fitness Week
Run with Venus Fun Run

Tracking my Progress: Body Composition Analyzer (10-02-2013)

Fitness First Cebu has a body composition analyzer that helps those trying to lose weight monitor progress and track  the changes in their body. I was quiet hesitant to check myself in the past few months because when I first tested it, the machine gave me a metabolic age of 62.  I knew I had a long way to go to a healthier body and I did not want to be discouraged so I did not test often.

I found the weighing scale in the men's locker to be unreliable so I decided today to have a go on the Body Composition machine (Tanita) just to check how much do I actually weight.  Last year, I weighed around 107 kilos. I have diligently going to the gym for 10 months now.  Here are my latest figures:

Body Type: STANDARD

Age: 37

Gender: MALE

Height: 170 cm

Weight: 89.2 kg

Fat %: 28.8%

Fat Mass: 25.7 Kg

Fat-Free Mass: 63.5 Kg

Muscle Mass: 60.2 Kg

Total Body Water: 46.6 Kg

TBW%: 52.2%

Bone Mass: 3.3 Kg

Basal Metabolic Rate: 7594 kJ / 1815 cal

Metabolic Age: 52

Visceral Fat Rating: 15

BMI: 30.9

Ideal Body Weight: 63.6 Kg

Degree of Obesity: 40.3%

Target Body Fat% for the Quarter: 22%

Fat to lose: 7.8 Kg

I am a long way to go to my desired fat % level but at least I have improved since I last checked.   I have to continue my exercise program and improve my diet.  It's still a big challenge but I will go on and keep on improving. 

Links: 

Breaking the 210 lbs. barrier

Dance to lose weight

How I look a year ago

Fitness and Lifestyles goals for Year 37

I turned 37 a few days ago.  As I get closer to 40, I think I have to adjust and customize my fitness goals and activities. I cannot become a super athlete anymore.  It probably be so hard to achieve 6 pack at my age. It is now time to set some goals and make some plans on achieving it.

1. Lose Weight - I have to be realistic. I do not think I could possibly lose 30 lbs. over the next year.    I have to make a goal that is achievable and something that would allow me to have a "life".  I am currently around 205 lbs. My goal is to lose 10% of weight for the year. I will just round it off to 21 pounds. 205 - 21 = 184 lbs.  I have to lose an average of 1 - 2 lbs a month.  
2. Start Running - The moment I go down below 200 lbs., I intend to start running again.  Running is probably the best work out because it is practically free and you can run anywhere. Run in the rain, run at night, run at the beach, anything is possible. It is also one of the measurable aerobic exercise.  It is just difficult to run if one is too overweight. Running puts too much strain on the knees and joints. To be able to run effectively and healthily, I have to be in a weight that will not put me at risk of a knee injury. I believe at 200 lbs, I can start slowly running.  I expect to start running by next month.
3. Diet - I will try to modify my diet.  I do not believe on cheat days because cheat days will just lead to more cheat days. If cheat days are good, wouldn't be weird if your husband/wife tells you that he/she wants a cheat day on your marriage once a week? I will try to adjust my diet to my activity level.  I will try to make some personals in the coming days for my year 37 diet.
4. Monitor Body Fat % - After losing around 30 lbs. in the past 10 months, I do not subscribe much on BMI. If BMI is the main measurement, I am obese. I don't look obese. My waistline is now down to around 34 from 40. I grew some muscles. I lost a lot of fat.  If I use this Body Fat Calculator, I intend to have a waistline of 32 and a neck size of 16. I will monitor more my measurements.
5. Supplementation -  I will be trying some stuff this year like new weight loss pills, protein, and energy supplements.  I will monitor the results as well as the cost effectiveness of supplements. I need to check if they indeed deliver on the promised results. The food supplement industry is a billion dollar industry and there are countless of products that are just like placebo.
6. Blogging - I was not as active lately in writing but I was pretty much spending at least 2 hours a day at the gym. I will be more present here in the web by giving constant updates on my activities. 

Here some pictures of me in the past couple of months:

Watching the Cobra Ironman 70.3

Celebrating 9 years of marriage

Fitness First Zumba

STC Venus Run

Eating out

Links:

Summer Fitness Review

Compare me a year ago....

Turning 37

Cobra Ironman pictures

June 2013 Goals and Summer Review

It's the middle of the year and I have been going to the gym for around 7 months already.  I could somehow say that I was able to shed a lot of inches and excess poundage.  I am still a long way to go from my ideal body weight but I am still enjoying the quest. 

One of the major breakthroughs that I made in the past couple of months is having a waistline below my age.  I am 36 years old right now and my waistline was about 39 inches when I started going back to the gym. Now, I am wearing size 34 pants with a belt.  I am quiet happy with that achievement.  The only drawback is that I might be shopping again for new pants next month because I could probably drop down to 32 inches.

I am so glad that I am able to sustain my work out routine over the summer. I was not able to write a lot because I was so busy with work and I have been going to places. I was able to go to places like Bantayan, Alcoy, and Argao. My plans of visiting my mom in Sydney did not push though but I have no regrets because I could be going there during Christmas time and I could probably show off my chiseled body then (hehehe). Here are some of my summer escapades:

Posing with my wife in Antig Tingko Beach, Alcoy

Papa Kit's zipline

Showing off my 2013 beach body ;)

Jumping at Sugar Beach, Bantayan

Bantayan with my Rainmakers Barkada

For June, my intention is to maintain my fitness routine.  I have to intensify my workouts this week so that I can be leaner when my nephew and nieces arrive from Australia for a vacation.  I will probably do morning and evening sessions of exercise in some days. I intend to join PM Les Mills RPM classes in the evening to increase my aerobic load. I will also try to regularly join, Body Pump and Hard Core classes. For supplements, I am starting to include Whey Protein (Twin Labs 100% Whey Fuel).  Excellent surprises are in store I guess, so wish me luck!!!

Links:

March 2013 Goals
Starting a new blog on weight loss
Island hopping with Robinsons Homes' Rainmakers Group

3-11-2013: Fitness First's International Fitness Week

Fitness First is celebrating the International Fitness Week beginning today until March 17.   The nice thing about this week is that non-members will be able to enter the gym and join the exciting, weight-loss activities.  Here is a link for your free pass at Fitness First.  I hope to see you at the gym. ;)

3-4-2013: First workout of the month

I have not worked out for the past 3 days.  I was giving my job my full attention for that time. I also started shopping for food as I would be preparing most of the food that I will eat.  I do not want to be at the mercy of other people especially now that I am more watchful on what I take in. It is not going to be easy but the rewards will be great when I succeed.

Gym Work

30 mins Zumba
1 hour BodyPump
1 hour Sh'Bam

It was a Bodypump day today and it was sandwiched with 2 dance workouts.  It was fun.  I was a bit late for the Zumba class but I was able to catch up and dance the nice parts. Bodypump today was mix and match and I really had a hard time finishing the biceps and triceps routine.  The biceps routine became hard because I used heavy weights (same as my chest and legs).  Triceps were hard because I did dips which I have not done for quite a while plus it followed that hard biceps track.  All in all, it was a great day at the gym.

Food

Chorizo Sandwich
Torta + Fit 150
Pinaypay (Banana Fritters)/Almonds/Potato Chips
Roast Pork + Salsa
small cone Ice Cream (choco chip cookie flavor)

I practically skipped lunch and for dinner, I cooked Roast Pork.  It is not really fatty, it was more protein than fat. I did not eat rice but I had ice cream for dessert.

Supplements
1 Tab Ripped Fuel Extreme
1 Tab Amino Chewables
Energy Drinks

Links:

Fitness Goals for March
Plans for March 2013
Curing my Japanese food craving by giving in

3-1-2013: Fitness Goals for the New Month

It's March already and it is practically the start of summer.  I have decided to take the day off to rest and evaluate my fitness goals for the month.  Sine I have established a fairly good routine, I felt that it is time to work on specific goals.  For this month, it is also about losing weight. I have proven to myself that I can exercise for around 3 hours and I have been diligently going to the gym for months already.  I am ready to really give another serious shot to losing weight.

Weight Goal on March 31, 2013: 87.5 Kilos (192.5 lbs)

Exercise Plan:

I will focus on cardio exercises.  The classes that I can join in will be BoyJam, BodyCombat, Sh'Bam, Zumba, HardCore. I will limit BodyPump to maximum of once a week. I will start running again. My run routine will be 15 minutes of intervals.  Rotex and Bike are also possible exercises.  For weights, my cycle will be 40 X 12. I will minimize lifting heavy weights.  I may join fun runs. I could target 5k by March 16 and 6k on March 24. I could also do double gym sessions on some days probably T-Th.

Diet Plan:

For March, I will be making most of my meals.  As much as possible, I will be the one who will make my own food because if keep on eating outside, I could end up eating more than allowed.  For sure, I can also eat out sometimes but it should not be everyday. I could retain my sandwich breakfast but I will be including veggies like lettuce and tomatoes to my sandwich.  I could have some nuts or nuttela for snacks. For lunch, it can be sandwich again as I bought some chicken ham. Dinner will be my lightest meal as I will probably just be eating cereal for most of the days. I will try to avoid eating rice the whole month. I will check if indeed rice is a counter weight loss item.

Supplementation and Rehydration:

Ripped Fuel Extreme will be taken at the meal before working out.  I will take a tab before most breakfasts and probably some dinners. Amino Chewables will be taken before sleeping everyday.  It could be 2 tabs on heavy workout days.  Endurance Fuel will be mixed with Gatorade or Powerade for my drinks.  I am not so concerned flavor so most of my drinks a bit diluted.


My bottom line this month is really just about my weight.  I really want to go way below 200 lbs for me to take on higher goals like strength and muscle building. I want to lose a lot of weight because I want to do longer runs and to focus next on functional fitness. For the past few months, it has been mix and match, and I realized that it is sometimes better to just focus one goal first. Hopefully, I will hit my targets for the month and really start to get fit in the summer season of 2013.

2-27-2013: Breaking the 210 lbs barrier

I think I have finally broken through my 210 lbs resistance level.  I had myself weighed in the official Fitness First Cebu weighing scale and my weight was 94.3 kilos (207.5).   Hopefully, I will still weight around that level when I weigh myself tomorrow but I am quite confident that I am going to be blow 210 lbs.  My next target will be below 200 lbs. It could take me from 2 weeks to 1 month to achieve this.  It all depends on my exercise pace, activities, diet, stress, and job related events. 

I am also planning to increase my Ripped Fuel dosage to the maximum 2 caps a day starting March.  I will probably do it every other day before I make it the regular dose. 

Gym Work

10 mins BodyCombat
30 mins HardCore
1 session SH'Bam
10 mins stretching and massage
I came to the gym around 8:15 and I was able to catch the last track of the BodyCombat led by Maricar "Cai" Durano.  I finished the track and completed the abs track and the cool down. Afterwards, I joined the HardCore class. HardCore is an intense 30 minutes session that involves plyometrics and other exercise routines  which focus on strengthening the core and its supporting muscles like the shoulders and the hips.  It involves some running, skipping, floor ab work, and some balancing.  I barely survived the class but still managed to pull it off. I still need to have the stamina to execute many of its moves. After the class, I joined the Sh'Bam dance class. Sh'Bam is fun as it uses popular tracks and the moves are easy to imitate. I ended up sweating really hard at the end my day.  I capped the work out day with a stretch and I did some massage moves using rollers.


Food

Spam + Fried Egg Sandwich
Hainenese Fried Chicken + Rice + Kuchay Dumplings
Pistachios /Almonds / Shrimp Crackers
Ramen + Tuna Sahimi

Well, I still made sandwich for breakfast since I still have bread in the ref.  My sandwich was made of 2 slices of Spam with a sunny side up egg with 3 loaves. I went back to Hainanese Delight in Robinsons Cybergate for lunch. I tried their other entrees. I enjoyed lunch after a somewhat draining work out. For dinner, I basically had instant noodles and sashimi.


Other Activities
90 minute Massage at Ming Thai Spa.
I had an oil massage plus foot massage in one of my favorite spas in Cebu. The masseuse was quiet strong so I really enjoyed it.


Supplements
1 Tab Ripped Fuel Extreme before breakfast
1 Tab Amino Chewables at bedtime
1 Scoop Endurance Fuel
1 Powerade
I practically used Powerade and Endurance Fuel as mid and post exercise drinks. 

Links:
Info on Endurance Fuel by Twinlab
My journey to a fit body
Fitness First Cebu Club Info

2-26-2013 Fitness Journal Entry: My First Entry

Today marked the first time I worked out since reviving this blog.  I started to take Ripped Fuel Extreme yesterday.  I just took 1 tab before breakfast.  Yesterday, it felt weird for a while as I felt my heart beat a bit faster after breakfast specially after I took down a cup of native chocolate drink from tableya I bought from Argao. Today tough, I felt good and I really had a great time at the gym.  The only surprise that I got is that I seem to lost a couple of pounds in the past 3 days.  I was like weighing around 212-215 lbs last week and when I weighed myself today after working out I am below 210 lbs.  I was like in the 206.5-207 range. I do not know if it is the effect the supplement or the weighing scale is rigged.  When I got home in the evening, I weighed myself again fully clothed this time (in the gym I am only in my jockeys). My weight was below 97 kilos (213.4 lbs).  The last time I weighed in that weighing scale in my shorts, I was like 97.1. I got reading 96.8 or just 213 while wearing leather shoes, office polo and undershirt, and slacks.

Tomorrow, I will weigh myself in the digital weighing scale in our gym to verify my results. I really do not like the idea of suddenly losing like 5 pounds in just 3 days to think that I did not go to the gym  from Saturday to Monday.  I did go swimming last Saturday but I also ate a generous amount in our company outing in Woodruff Beach, Argao.

Gym Work

1 Caloy Dumbell Circuit (at 40 lbs - 12 reps). My circuit includes Goblet Squats, Deadlifts, rows, pullover and press.

1 Hour BodyCombat 

1 Hour BodyBalance

My circuit routine is my warm-up.  It is 60 reps of activating my main muscles like legs, back, chest, core, shoulders, and arms. BodyCombat is a program develop by Les Mills which is being offered as a group exercise at Fitness First Cebu. It involves moves from boxing, karate, muay thai, and some pilates that is rolled into an intense 1 hour cardio workout. Bodybalance combines yoga, tai-chi, pilates, balancing, and meditation for relaxing yet challenging workout that will improve flexibility as well as strength specially in the core. 

Food

Tocino + Egg Sandwich

Hainenese Chicken + Noodles + Rice + Dumplings

Pistachios 

Grilled Pork + Rice

I made a sandwich for breakfast that included 3 slices of bread with a few slices of pork tocino and 1 hard-boiled egg. I wanted some carbs and pretty much protein for breakfast. My lunch was a bit as I had a lunch meeting in a newly opened food establishment so I practically ordered some interesting dishes. I ate some pistachios for snacks then had a light dinner with a little rice and some slices of grilled pork.

Supplements

1 Tab Ripped Fuel Extreme before breakfast

1 Tab Amino Chewables at bedtime

Links:

Goblet Squats

Products of Argao, Cebu

Info on Les Mills programs

2013 Revival

I haven't been writing in this blog as I became preoccupied with other things like work, studies, and business in the past couple of years.   I realized that I have ignored this blog for quiet sometime. Well, the new year has come and I am able to revisit this elusive goal once again.  The goal to be in the best physical shape in my life.

You see, I am already 36 and turning 37 in September.  I felt that the years of eating delicious foods like lechon, humba, rosquillos, dugo-dugo, kinuposan, chicharon, ginabot, etc. has slowly taken its tool in my body.  It shows in my belly and I could feel it in my knees, back, teeth, etc.

I realized it is time to recommit to a goal. Elusive, yes. Noble, perhaps.  Impossible, definitely not! I am dreaming of 6 pack abs, 32 inch waistline, V-shaped body, and having the strength and stamina of a 20 year old. I am declaring a fight against obesity... once again. ;)

Actually, I started renewing myself a couple of months ago.  It started when I wanted to cut my dormant membership in Fitness First Cebu gym. Well, when I visited Fitness First I somehow decided to give myself a month of working out and see what happens. Now it has been almost 4 months that I have been diligently going to the gym.  

I am starting to see some nice results.  I sure lost pounds. From around 234 lbs (106 kilos), I am now around 212 lbs (96 kilos). Twenty pounds or Ten Kilos lost.  Not bad.  I am just practically just getting started. My waistline has gone down from almost 40 inches to just 36.  I was able to wear some clothes that I have not tried on for 2 years. It really feels good but I know that I can lose more pounds and inches.

What have I done so far in the past 4 months?

1. For Cardio, I mainly danced.  I dance practically everyday.  I join Zumba classes, and some of Les Mill's Bodyjam and Sh'Bam.  It is quite nice that my gym offers such programs.  It might be a bit embarrassing for a guy to join these classes but dancing is a pretty effective and fun way to lose weight. When I started to go back, I felt that I was too heavy to fully exert in running. At 36, I don't think my knees and tendons was fit enough to run.  I also get bored with treadmills.  Dancing somehow develops  your coordination and in a way, memory. A few weeks of dancing made me up and running again and slowly, I was able to incorporate activities like spinning and even some running. 

2. My weight training program is all about developing stamina.  It is mostly high reps with light weights. I also joined another Les Mill's program called Bodypump. Bodypump is high rep work out that is equivalent to around 800 reps per session. A whole Bodypump session will have tracks for legs, chest, back, triceps, biceps, shoulders, and abs.  It is a complete workout that will surely improve stamina while toning your muscles at same time.  By joining this program, you will also learn how to properly execute moves like squats, presses, lounges, and lifts.  This practically preps you to tackle heavier weights in the free weights section in the gym.  I also sometimes use weight machines and work with materials like stability balls, kettle bells, and VIPr.

3.  For abs, I am doing mostly planks and modified planks like stir the pot and mountain climber. Core strength for me is more important that just having 6-pack abs.  A stronger core allows you to train better and perform better not only in the gym but also in the real world. 

4. I also started supplementing myself after 2 months.  I used Ripped Fuel Extreme. I just basically use half of the maximum dosage which is 4 capsules a day. I just use 2 because I do not want to have caffeine overdose.  I am quite happy with it so far but I am switching to Ripped Fuel 5X for the next month just to mix it up. I have not used protein supplementation yet but I will probably do it soon once I increase my weights workload.

I am practically resolving to write more in this blog and hopefully I will be able share my experience towards achieving a nice body even my mid-30's.

Here some of my pics in the last couple months. ;)

Downing a beer on my 36h birthday last September...;)

Walked at the Pink Run in October ;)

Travelled to Tagaytay in November

Joining a dance presentation at the gym in December

Island Hopping in January

Doing some effort in Philhealth Fun Run in February.... ;)