Yoga classes October 29, 2011

Been going to yoga classes for the a month now. Once a week. Feel great about it. Though at the first time, it is very hard. The moves are new and hard. Though I have tried yoga on my own before, but this is different. This is the real deal. Berpeluh menitik bila buat tu. Hari pertama tu sakit pinggang seminggu. Lepas tu takde dah.

Now I know that someone might say that Yoga has been declared haram by certain quarters. But according to Dr. Asri, it is not wrong if there’s no mention of any other deity’s name during the exercise. So I take this is okay.

Craig Ballantyne bodyweight exercise August 21, 2011

I’m back to doing bodyweight exercise at home. It really is amazing. It pumps my heart-rate sky-high. I’m taking it slow though. I’m not an athlete and I’m not that young anymore. So even though the exercise calls for no rest in between, I do take the liberty to take it. If you’d like, you can also get into the fun. Here’s the exercise: http://db.tt/p6caoyu

Working out July 18, 2011

Got to know that the gym near my office closes at 1AM. Awesome! Now no excuse for me to not working out.

Been reading Gabriel Method book. About non-diet weight loss program. Now every night i try to hear his Visualization CD. Fell asleep with it.

Bootcamp on iPhone June 12, 2011

Though generally my workout involves a lot of weight lifting at the gym these days, i try to incorporate cardio exercise at home. I like interval training compared to a boring jogging for example. I need guidance for this, thus the app Bootcamp helps a lot.
Generally bootcamp exercise is done in group, involving a fierce trainer and early morning workout. In this case, i got only a puny iphone that tells me what to do and i chiose when i do the workout. It also gives encouragement to me.

Usually the workouts is around 23 minutes with high intensity workout. Not for the weak at heart. This is where you are supposed to push yourself to the limit. A lot of sweats are inevitable.

Great app. Just hope that they would update their workouts soon. Getting bored with these ones.

The TRUTH About Empty Stomach Cardio Posted by Joel Marion December 11, 2010

Copy paste article sikit. I always thought that it would be good to workout without eating anything. but this article proves otherwise. just like to share

Over the weekend I hit the gym with my buddy Mikey for a morning cardio workout.

Now, I say “cardio”, but really it was a metabolic resistance training session.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, the simple definition for metabolic resistance training is “cardio with weights”. We’ll cover this more in detail in another update so as not to get too off topic.

So we’re about 10 minutes into the workout and Mikey looks like he’s in pretty bad shape (despite being in really GOOD shape). So I asked him what the deal was.

“I didn’t eat anything for breakfast.”

Me: Why the heck not?

“I thought that’s what you’re supposed to do if you want to burn the most fat from your morning workouts.”

Uh oh.

Perhaps you’re still believing this old myth just like good ol’ Mikey, so allow me to take a moment to dispel it.

The theory behind empty stomach is cardio is simple: supposedly, by doing cardio on a empty stomach, you tap directly into fat stores since glycogen (carbohydrate) stores are somewhat depleted after an overnight fast.

Seems to make sense, but research has proven this to be wrong.

Several studies have shown no difference in substrate utilization (glycogen vs. fat) for those working out on an empty stomach vs. those who eat a small meal prior to their morning workouts.

In fact, one study showed the exact opposite—those who had a small meal first burned more calories and more fat than the empty stomach group.

How can this be?

The reason is rather simple if you think about it. I was kicking butt and taking names with my workout, and Mikey was barely able to get through his. Even if not eating beforehand allowed you to burn more fat (which it doesn’t), the major trade off is performance.

And why does performance matter? Well, if you can’t perform at an optimal level and put forth maximal effort, then you are not going to be burning an optimal amount of calories–period.

The truth is, empty stomach cardio is an outdated philosophy whose theory was proven incorrect by research. Still, there are plenty of people who hold on to the theory despite the available research. Perhaps they’re not aware of it, perhaps they just go by what the fitness and bodybuilding magazines tell them (bad idea); I’m not sure.

Whatever the reason, popular philosophy doesn’t always mean correct philosophy, and this is one such instance.

So I’ll leave you with some practical recommendations:

At the very minimum, have a couple scoops of whey before any morning “cardio” workout.

That said, if it’s still negatively affecting your performance, you need to go a bit further. The meal doesn’t have to be large, but it should contain some complex carbs (oatmeal, etc) along with a small serving of protein.

Give it about a half hour to begin digesting and then hit your workout.

Better performance = more calories burned = more fat loss = improved cardiovascular functioning = even better performance = even more calories burned = even more fat loss.

Don’t be like my friend Mikey and have a crappy workout because you didn’t eat. As I shared with you, the research shows that’s not going to make a difference anyway. Instead, eat your Wheaties (figuratively speaking) and then dominate your workout!

Ab Roller – Killing Exercise December 4, 2010

Two months back I bought an Ab roller. Mostly because the uncle who sold it was very believable, what he eing in a good shape himself.

This is killing me. Guess some muscle in my ab broken or something, but it’s hard for me to do it fully. I tried to do five sets of this with 10 repetitions every other day. But sometimes, I can’t finish it. And mostly I can’t make it all the way down.

If you don’t know an ab roller exercise it, here it is. Done by a 71 year old man!

That’s how I try to do it. With my knees on the floor. A crazier way to do it is like this:

I’ll get there. I will.

Back to Home July 23, 2010

So i’ve tried to maintain working out at The gym, but i have to reconsider. Its too much hassle for me and i can’t keep up. Too time consuming. I don’t think that i can have much Progress there.

So i’ll be working out from home. That way, i could be home where it matters and go to The gym to do those exercises that i can’t do it without proper equipment. Thats when i want to work My lower body Parts.

And here’s an update. I’m turning a bit hardcore now. Bought myself whey protein for building muscle and repair tissues.

The game’s afoot! February 28, 2010

Selepas beberapa tahun tinggal kat rumah Sg buloh ni, aku berjaya menggunakan court badminton kat rumah. Dah lama aku plan dan aku telah jayakan hari ni. Beli raket and The stuff and get on with IT. Ajak bebudak kat kampung main sekali. Yeahoo. A New Era has begun. Cheh! Macam penting jer.

Tapi aku suka satu game yang senang dan memuaskan. It’s also challenging physical game. Jangan tak ingat pulak. Sorang Pak Menteri sampai boleh mati masa main badminton tau? Susah game ni woi. Membahayakan nyawa beb! He He.

i’m back February 8, 2010

I’m back to workout again. been in a rut a while back. it is hard to get back on the saddle after a hiatus. a word of advise: if you’re working out, try your best not to skip. expert says not to skip more than three days. it is a habit that you need to cultivate and try to stay on track. may the force be with you.

core muscle workout June 12, 2009

this is to work the core of the muscles:

1. wide grip deadlift -
2. dumbell overhead reverse lunge – this is like the usual lunge but this time, hold the dumbbell overhead
3. YTWLI Raise on a Swiss Ball – this is super workout for the upper back muscle. lying with your belly on the swiss ball, first you make a Y, then T, then W, then L, then like an I.
4. Swiss ball hip extension and leg curl
5. alternating dumbbell bench press – bench press but instead of normal, you push the dumbbell one by one.

cool workout.