Ten Things that I will miss most about Fitness First Cebu

I am about to start a new chapter of my battle against the bulge as my home gym for a couple of years is closing down.  Fitness First Cebu has been a big part of my life in the past couple of years and I am really sad that it is closing down.  The gym is going to close this Saturday and all I can do is look back on the many good things that I will miss about my beloved gym:

10. Trainers and Staff

I will definitely miss the friendly trainers and Staff like Josh, Sherman, Vince, Cha, Wela, Aiza, Janice, Nita, Rane, Johnson, etc.  I am so used to see them everyday that February 1, 2015 will really be like starting over.

9. FF Lounge

The lounge has been a place that I met new friends.  I have talked about business here.  We even have several parties here. I used to enjoy drinking coffee or tea here while cooling down a bit before taking a shower.

8. Body Pump and Hardcore

Can you imagine yourself pumping weights for 1 hour with minimal rest or have you tried a 30-minute high intensity interval training the focuses on the core. These 2 classes have been a staple to me last year. The class is intense and I really enjoy the instructors. 

7. The Squat Rack

I used to hate squats but since it is one of the most important weights exercises I forced myself to do it. The more I did squats, my feelings towards it changed.  It became my favorite exercise.  I do heavy squats almost everyday. I am probably one of the very few who spends a lot of time in the Squat Rack among Fitness First Cebu members.  I will surely miss this spot. 

6. RPM

Fitness First Cebu also boast off one of the best spinning classes in Cebu. The tracks are current and the instructors are very dedicated to their craft. I may not have done much spinning lately but the RPM class has been one of the reasons why I lost a lot of weight last year.

5. Body Combat

One of the most intense work outs that I ever had was in doing body combat. It is a total body workout that incorporate moves from different martial arts. I always enjoy the Muay Thai tracks.  

4. Body Balance

Personally, the hardest group exercise workout for me is the Les Mill's Body Balance.  The workout challenges my body but my mind as well.  It made me more flexible and it also showed me that I can do things that I thought I cannot do. I always love the last part which is meditation.  Body Balance is not all yoga. It involves Sun Salutations and Pilates. The soundtrack of a Body Balance workout is just amazing.

3. Group X Instructors

I have been a big fan of Group Exercise. A lot of people go to the gym to work out on their own but I am one of those who go to Fitness First because of the group classes. Fitness First has the best lineup of group classes and all their instructors are competent, fun, and friendly.  Someday, I might join another gym but in the end the instructors in my new gym will always be compared to my Fitness First Instructors. They are the gold standard and they have set the bar quite high.

2. Dance Classes (Body Jam, Sh'Bam, Zumba)

I am one of the guys who loves to dance at the gym.  There were many times that I am the only guy in class save for the Dance Instructor. In the last few months, dancing is the only reason that I go to the gym. These dance classes are the reason why I wake up early and drive faster to get to Ayala in the morning.  I do not know if there is a gym that can match the dance line-up of Fitness First Cebu.

1. My gym buddies aka FRIENDS

I made a lot of friends at the gym. I practically see and talk to them everyday.  We come to class together. We joke. We laugh. We won't be seeing each other as often anymore. January 31, 2015 is like a high school graduation. Friendships may not end but it is gonna be different. 

The situation is tough but life has to go on.  My struggle to attain a better body will continue. A big change is coming and it is also a great time to try out new things.  I always told my friends that to be the best that we can be, we have to venture out of our comfort zone.  The gym was my comfort zone for quite a while and the Fitness First closure will force me to grow and show a different kind of passion and commitment towards my physical goals in life.  I pray that this turning point is for the better! Kia Kaha!!!

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• Fitness First Cebu to launch the New Release of Les Mills Programs
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• The night that I danced....
• Some perks of being a fitness first member

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

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