Tabata Intervals today with some KB swings using a 70 lb KB. Intense.
Anyway, last night I was watching the Chargers/Cowboys game on DVR (10-3 baby!)...as I finished re-watching the game, I started flipping through some channels and came across this Beachbody Infomercial that advertises Tony Horton's "P90X" and Shaun T's 60 day "Insanity Workout".
It's ironic as I am doing a Bodyweight routine this month as it is...so I wanted to see comparisons.
It looks awfully tough...
I'm not a big fan of P90X but I was pretty intrigued with this Insanity Workout Program involving only bodyweight only routines.
I'm currently doing a pretty good BW Program currently by Craig Ballantyne but this program really intrigued me so I thought of sharing this video with all and wanting to know what some people's ideas are about it. Feel free to chime in by posting some comments below.
Looking at some of these *results* on this video I'm linking to this post of mine (Some say it may be the program that works. I say it's the one using the program and believing in the system. I use an asterisk because I'm sure any program can offer varied results based on the users who use a program)- I was very impressed with it.
Here's the video:
What are your thoughts? Looks pretty gimmicky with the nice looking covers and all that but I do believe it has some credibility in this program. I've used all sorts of programs and this one looks pretty intriguingly fun in alot of ways...
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
BW circuits...OMG!
So it's been 4 days without workouts. Felt a little guilt there for a bit as we had a few Christmas Parties to go to. So I let a few days slide to give the body sometime to chill and rest.
So I like I said, I started a brand new BW routine last week. The routine I did today was supposed to be an end of the week routine last week but deciced on doing it on a Monday to make up for lost time I haven't exercised. So I managed to finish the 4 rounds of a BW circuit in under 42 minutes. The 4th circuit round was optional (you only really had to do 3) but I said screw it - I'm going to do this. Very tough...
Lots of leg work here...which is good. But being very careful not to screw up my knees.
Knees feeling better as I've been doing foam rolling almost everyday and less pounding on it over the past few days helped alot. The better for me.
Stay strong...
Andy
So I like I said, I started a brand new BW routine last week. The routine I did today was supposed to be an end of the week routine last week but deciced on doing it on a Monday to make up for lost time I haven't exercised. So I managed to finish the 4 rounds of a BW circuit in under 42 minutes. The 4th circuit round was optional (you only really had to do 3) but I said screw it - I'm going to do this. Very tough...
Lots of leg work here...which is good. But being very careful not to screw up my knees.
Knees feeling better as I've been doing foam rolling almost everyday and less pounding on it over the past few days helped alot. The better for me.
Stay strong...
Andy
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
BodyWeight Training...yipeee!
Ok...will try body weight training again these next 3 weeks. Should be fun these next 3 weeks with little to no equipment needed. May modify a few here and there but essentially bodyweight stuff til the end of the year.
Last year at around this time, I was doing 3 weeks of Turbulence Training BW stuff before entering the TT Transformation Contest (#4) - and really got some good results - and got even better results as that contest ended...did some rosstraining stuff also back in 08 and got wonderful results there too.
Now it's 2k9 - and it's time to get nasty with it. Bodyweight training - don't ever underestimate it!
Was hoping to finish off a full months of Cosgrove's stuff - but I need to give complexes a break. Altough there still is lower body exercises with the bodyweight stuff - at least it won't be as bad as trying to squat heavy with loads on my shoulders - and less stress for my knees too! Will wear my 20 lb vest though when desired!
Will do KB routines, ab circuits for conditioning in conjunction with this. Mostly swings and cleans though....
So here goes!!!
Last year at around this time, I was doing 3 weeks of Turbulence Training BW stuff before entering the TT Transformation Contest (#4) - and really got some good results - and got even better results as that contest ended...did some rosstraining stuff also back in 08 and got wonderful results there too.
Now it's 2k9 - and it's time to get nasty with it. Bodyweight training - don't ever underestimate it!
Was hoping to finish off a full months of Cosgrove's stuff - but I need to give complexes a break. Altough there still is lower body exercises with the bodyweight stuff - at least it won't be as bad as trying to squat heavy with loads on my shoulders - and less stress for my knees too! Will wear my 20 lb vest though when desired!
Will do KB routines, ab circuits for conditioning in conjunction with this. Mostly swings and cleans though....
So here goes!!!
Monday, December 7, 2009
How to fix knee pain
Wow...cold and wet out here today.
Knees are starting to act up again. Need to get back into more corrective stretching. I don't know why, but the knees are definitely hurting once again. Age. Wear and tear. Who knows. But I do know foam rolling does help...have to do them more often than how I've been doing them the past few weeks. Plus yoga helped me tremendously in the past. Need to get back into that as well here.
It's probably from all that needless running I've been trying to do lately especially in the cold mornings downtown over here. For those who haven't done them before - I highly suggest you start doing them soon.
All that wear and tear can really wear you down! My knees have never been 100%.
But here's a great video that I've kept on my youtube account that might want you to give foam rolling a try.
Knees are starting to act up again. Need to get back into more corrective stretching. I don't know why, but the knees are definitely hurting once again. Age. Wear and tear. Who knows. But I do know foam rolling does help...have to do them more often than how I've been doing them the past few weeks. Plus yoga helped me tremendously in the past. Need to get back into that as well here.
It's probably from all that needless running I've been trying to do lately especially in the cold mornings downtown over here. For those who haven't done them before - I highly suggest you start doing them soon.
All that wear and tear can really wear you down! My knees have never been 100%.
But here's a great video that I've kept on my youtube account that might want you to give foam rolling a try.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Early Bird Thursdays
Got up early this morning. Well I always do for the most part but morning workouts rule!
Did a nice cool jog downtown with my gym backpack on. Nothing fairly heavy on it - just my scrubs, a water bottle and some snacks to munch on throughout the day. Nike Frees on - it was on like the break of dawn, Baby. Did a couple rounds around the downtown area which was good. Haven't done that in ages!
Good warm up. But that could get boring really fast.
Wasn't intending to do any weights today but I felt like doing something a bit more dynamic and more fun than running. Plus it definitely would help some sore muscles I'm having right now. So after a nice BW warm up, here it is...
Circuit
a) One arm DB OH Snatches
b) 2 handed DB Swings
c) Speed rope
d) Hanging Leg raises fast tempo
More Core work
Stab ball rollout
Plank hands on ball
Side Planks
Spiderman Climbs
Saxxon side bends
Nice and efficient. More of a cardio/core workout than anything here. I'm such a nutbag. Not trying to hit any specific muscle group except for my core and a power move with the one handed dumbell snatches...wasn't that bad of a deal. Not running myself out either.
Weighed myself again today. 5 lb weight lost in just a month or so of cleaner eating and exercise. BF down by 2% as well.
Happy Thursday!
Did a nice cool jog downtown with my gym backpack on. Nothing fairly heavy on it - just my scrubs, a water bottle and some snacks to munch on throughout the day. Nike Frees on - it was on like the break of dawn, Baby. Did a couple rounds around the downtown area which was good. Haven't done that in ages!
Good warm up. But that could get boring really fast.
Wasn't intending to do any weights today but I felt like doing something a bit more dynamic and more fun than running. Plus it definitely would help some sore muscles I'm having right now. So after a nice BW warm up, here it is...
Circuit
a) One arm DB OH Snatches
b) 2 handed DB Swings
c) Speed rope
d) Hanging Leg raises fast tempo
More Core work
Stab ball rollout
Plank hands on ball
Side Planks
Spiderman Climbs
Saxxon side bends
Nice and efficient. More of a cardio/core workout than anything here. I'm such a nutbag. Not trying to hit any specific muscle group except for my core and a power move with the one handed dumbell snatches...wasn't that bad of a deal. Not running myself out either.
Weighed myself again today. 5 lb weight lost in just a month or so of cleaner eating and exercise. BF down by 2% as well.
Happy Thursday!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
My Own Fat Loss Tips based on Experience...
Dark, cloudy day today. Definitely the Fall is among us! Got up early today and really did a good workout (well from my standards at least), so tomorrow is definitely an off day - so no weight training. May hit the gym or hit the streets of downtown San Diego for a nice little morning run in the brisk, cool weather before work which I haven't been doing much of, and then maybe some core strengthening work at the work gym and some nice foam rolling at home tomorrow night.
Somethings always better than nothing. I think!
December...lots of parties, lots of treats, lots of temptations. Phew! But I think we can all resist the temptations that awaits as long as we can keep things in perspective.
How much can I eat and when? I guess the "justifying" norm is that as long as we exercise - nothing can stop us in our way of achieving our fitness goals. WRONG! And it's only a matter of time that if we continue thinking like this - there goes 1, 3, 4 or maybe even 6 months of hard work for mindless eating.
And then here come the New Years Resolutioners in January...
I think that's where alot of us folks falter - at the table. And that's just it. In fat loss - that's 90% of the solution. Eat right - things look and feel right. That's just the way our body works. It's very scientific - but if you understand what the body does in response to intake (food) and stressors we put on it (exercise, work) - then it will respond in mind boggling ways you won't believe until it happens.
A coworker asked me, "What is your secret, Andy? For 3 years, you've continued on the path of fat loss and while many others have lost weight either through surgery, fad diets - only to get it back in a few months - and you still look great. I know you have a secret! Tell me what it is!". The answer is simple yet to take action is probably the hardest thing to do.
Making an honest effort to make it a lifestyle change as best you can is what matters most!
For 3 years, I have never tipped over 220 lbs. For 2 years I've never tipped over 180 lbs...I've been pretty much on cruise control for quite sometime and the challenge I've faced has always been: "How can I keep myself motivated?".
I find it through others and then find it in myself to take action.
Nothing's perfect...yes, there will be days, weeks, months of bad eating (hey, I'm one of them. PUT ME IN THAT MIX!! Hell yeah. I am no trainer, or expert here. I just had a Corona last night) - but I learned over time - it all starts with mindset and genuine motivation to succeed.
Another co-worker who asked me about a workout program I was using. He was very much interested in looking into it but his first response to me was: "Andy I know you're body is a temple but getting the program isn't the problem but I don't think I can even finish 4 weeks after seeing what you've been doing. I mean, I like the results you're getting but I don't know if I can do it. It looks hard."
It is hard.
To do nothing is easy...to do something takes effort.
Mindset --- that's where it should start first. Get the mindset, everything works pretty much in unison from balancing family, work and workouts. One of my mottos in life is to never impose anything on anyone. If they're not interested, "screw it." It may sound selfish here - but there's only one reason why I'm doing all of this - for my own good health. So I gave him a bit of advice and I told him to work on some goals and work on a plan of action. So we shall see!
Nothing's impossible to achieve unless you put your mind into it. Slip, fall...but always get back up.
Andy
Somethings always better than nothing. I think!
December...lots of parties, lots of treats, lots of temptations. Phew! But I think we can all resist the temptations that awaits as long as we can keep things in perspective.
How much can I eat and when? I guess the "justifying" norm is that as long as we exercise - nothing can stop us in our way of achieving our fitness goals. WRONG! And it's only a matter of time that if we continue thinking like this - there goes 1, 3, 4 or maybe even 6 months of hard work for mindless eating.
And then here come the New Years Resolutioners in January...
I think that's where alot of us folks falter - at the table. And that's just it. In fat loss - that's 90% of the solution. Eat right - things look and feel right. That's just the way our body works. It's very scientific - but if you understand what the body does in response to intake (food) and stressors we put on it (exercise, work) - then it will respond in mind boggling ways you won't believe until it happens.
A coworker asked me, "What is your secret, Andy? For 3 years, you've continued on the path of fat loss and while many others have lost weight either through surgery, fad diets - only to get it back in a few months - and you still look great. I know you have a secret! Tell me what it is!". The answer is simple yet to take action is probably the hardest thing to do.
Making an honest effort to make it a lifestyle change as best you can is what matters most!
For 3 years, I have never tipped over 220 lbs. For 2 years I've never tipped over 180 lbs...I've been pretty much on cruise control for quite sometime and the challenge I've faced has always been: "How can I keep myself motivated?".
I find it through others and then find it in myself to take action.
Nothing's perfect...yes, there will be days, weeks, months of bad eating (hey, I'm one of them. PUT ME IN THAT MIX!! Hell yeah. I am no trainer, or expert here. I just had a Corona last night) - but I learned over time - it all starts with mindset and genuine motivation to succeed.
Another co-worker who asked me about a workout program I was using. He was very much interested in looking into it but his first response to me was: "Andy I know you're body is a temple but getting the program isn't the problem but I don't think I can even finish 4 weeks after seeing what you've been doing. I mean, I like the results you're getting but I don't know if I can do it. It looks hard."
It is hard.
To do nothing is easy...to do something takes effort.
Mindset --- that's where it should start first. Get the mindset, everything works pretty much in unison from balancing family, work and workouts. One of my mottos in life is to never impose anything on anyone. If they're not interested, "screw it." It may sound selfish here - but there's only one reason why I'm doing all of this - for my own good health. So I gave him a bit of advice and I told him to work on some goals and work on a plan of action. So we shall see!
Nothing's impossible to achieve unless you put your mind into it. Slip, fall...but always get back up.
Andy
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Combination/Hybrid Lift Video
Here's a video I did just a few minutes ago (after a workout early this morning)...just wanted to demonstrate a great workout that uses minimal space and just a barbell if you're crunched for time. Lots of people can benefit from this as it can really save alot of time in busy gyms. It's also a great fat burning routine you can do at home if you have a home gym.
Exercises involved:
Deadlift
Clean
Front Squat
Overhead press
Look and watch how the bar stays at certain plane and does not veer away from the start point. Too much rocking, too much unnecessary movement - form suffers as well as quality of the routine. So start conservatively and work your way up when you can apply good form. This is with a 95 lb load here (Bar + 2 25 lb plates).
Much like complexes and circuit training, hybrid/combination lifting is a very metabolic and highly effective approach to fat loss. Got introduced and learned this from Chris Lopez from fitandbusydads and have enjoyed this approach to lifting from time to time ever since. I actually used the camera I won from his website last year. Many thanks again, Chris....
Anyway, sorry if the lighting sucks - as it was in the confines of home...but check it out. I actually did a few takes before this one so yes, you can say my form is a bit beat up here.
Anyway, happy viewing...til next time.
Exercises involved:
Deadlift
Clean
Front Squat
Overhead press
Look and watch how the bar stays at certain plane and does not veer away from the start point. Too much rocking, too much unnecessary movement - form suffers as well as quality of the routine. So start conservatively and work your way up when you can apply good form. This is with a 95 lb load here (Bar + 2 25 lb plates).
Much like complexes and circuit training, hybrid/combination lifting is a very metabolic and highly effective approach to fat loss. Got introduced and learned this from Chris Lopez from fitandbusydads and have enjoyed this approach to lifting from time to time ever since. I actually used the camera I won from his website last year. Many thanks again, Chris....
Anyway, sorry if the lighting sucks - as it was in the confines of home...but check it out. I actually did a few takes before this one so yes, you can say my form is a bit beat up here.
Anyway, happy viewing...til next time.
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