Week 7: Sleeping at 3am & The Workout STRUGGLE!

Hi guys,

This week has been HECTIC. I slept at 3am on Tuesday, 3am on Wednesday, 2am on Thursday… and UGH. It’s been a busy ugly week. It was so ugly that I only got in ONE decent work out. In other words… I have to pay $5 in the pot this week. BOO!

Anyway, here’s the fun part of the blog… WHAT I DID THIS WEEK! Enjoy!!

Saturday, March 15, 2014 (Gym)

Since it was Spring Break for highschoolers, guess who took up half of the gym? Righty-oh! You guessed it! Tons of kids from the local school across the streets. I don’t know how often my youngest sister goes to the gym but I will introduce her to some weights soon. She’s already pretty active playing ultimate frisbee, volleyball, and basketball at her school, but I want her to be able to do more push-ups and more squat reps than her so-called “manly” friends.

All right, so here’s what I did at the gym…

Warm-up Cardio
Treadmill
5.5 incline / 5.5 speed – 10 minutes
5.5 incline / 4.5 speed – 2 minutes
5.5 incline / 3.5 speed – 1 minute

Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
1st set – 45 lbs x 9
2nd set – 45 lbs x 9
3rd set – 65 lbs x 9
4th set – 65 lbs x 9

Bent Over Rows
1st set – 35 lbs x 9
2nd set – 35 lbs x 9
3rd set – 45 lbs x 9
4th set – 45 lbs x 9

Squats
1st set – 45 lbs x 9 (bar only)
2nd set – 45 lbs + 10 lbs on each side x 9
3rd set – 45 lbs + 25 lbs on each side x 9
4th set – 45 lbs + 30 lbs on each side x 4 .. then another 4 (struggled!)

THREE MAIN TAKEWAYS

1. Make sure you read the fine print before starting to lift!

Something I was doing totally wrong (and nobody corrected me when I blogged earlier!)  was that I was doing FOUR sets with the SAME amount of weights. I didn’t read in the fine print that we were suppose to do TWO warm-up sets and TWO actual sets (heavier weights). Doh! After adjusting to this new routine, I’ve been liking weights a lot more. I used to struggle with a few exercises and not want to continue working out but now I understand why I was giving up so easily…  I was working my muscles out to the max! This only applies for the particular work out I was doing… not every work out is like this so make sure to read the fine print!

2. I love to sweat.

This is a given. The more I sweat, the happier I am. It means I’m actually working hard! Many people are afraid to sweat at the gym, but I could care less if I looked like a sticky hippo on a hot summer day.

3. Don’t forget to thank your supporters!

One of the main reasons I continue to keep myself on track is because I know there are people out there who watch my progress and help me keep accountable! Just wanted to give those fellahs a shout out for their ongoing support! KS, for pushing me to get my butt at the gym + educating me about form and discipline; TL, for challenging me to squat + deadlift more; NA, for being my drop-in class buddy; and of course, TeamWGF, for sending a gazillion Whatsapp messages about healthy living + fitness which motivate me to be fit 24-7. 😉

So that’s my update for the week! Thanks for reading and hopefully more Weaklings begin to blog, otherwise it will be another post about my life, ha!

OH! ALSO! Not sure if you were following my weight numbers but I could squat 105 lbs now! Remember when I celebrated the 50 lb squat milestone?! Well, here’s a new celebration!! Big thanks to Shen for standing next to me while I struggled to do this, haha!

Kickboxing, Zumba, and Cardio Combo!

Photo Credit: RecSports

It’s been a while since I last posted, but to be fair… it’s been a while since a lot of the other Weaklings have written a blog as well! Thanks Lynn for breaking the WGF blog hiatus recently.

To all the other Weaklings: I challenge you to BLOG BEFORE SUNDAY. It’s about half way through the challenge and your fans are waiting to hear about your awesome adventures! Seriously, this site needs more content, haha.

All right! So what was I up to in the past weeks? Well… I was experimenting with a lot of different work outs, but here’s a quick summary:

• Cardio Kickboxing (1 hour)
• Zumba (1 hour)
• Cardio Combo (1 hour)
• Walking a friend’s dog (40 minutes)
• Squats – 45 lb (bar) + 25 lb x 2 (on each side) = 95 lbs!
• Stiff-legged dead lift – 50-60 lbs

I won’t bore you with the details of my usual weight workouts so I’m going to highlight my drop-in experiences for this week! Since I needed to add in more cardio into my schedule, I decided to attend some of the classes available at my recreation centre. Trying out different types of classes at your local recreation centre is less risky than committing to a whole year of a specific workout at a private company. How do you know if you will like the exercise or not? Might as well test it out before you commit, so I would HIGHLY recommend joining a group whenever you have some time!

The stories below only highlight MY experiences and do not represent every other class in these particular categories. I just wanted to give you my perspective and some information about these workouts!

Cardio Kickboxing

One of my favourite drop-in classes to attend. Not gonna lie – it’s pretty intense. Especially when they make you squat for an extreeeeemely long time. The instructor for this particular class at my local recreation centre is a hardcore military-style African man who isn’t afraid to yell at you when he sees you losing balance or out of sync. He singles you out in front of the class and publicly addresses your mistakes. It is slightly embarrassing sometimes (yes, I got yelled out a few times) but you know deep down, he yells because he cares. The downfall of “making mistakes” in his class forces the ENTIRE class to redo a set together until everyone is perfectly synchronized. A bit demanding sometimes, but it scares you into doing the correct moves.

Zumba

It was my first time doing Zumba and boy was it fun! I felt like I was reliving my grade 7 hip hop club days where I danced to Missy Elliot and Eminem (wasn’t everyone in the hip hop club back in the day?). On top of dancing like a gangster, a large portion of the Zumba class was doing sexy salsa moves  – lots of hip twirling, hip thrusting, and spinning ’round and ’round. I felt quite feminine being able to “twerk” in a comfortable setting. The instructor looked like someone from S Club 7 – she was wearing a bright neon tank and neon track pants; was dancing with 150% effort; and had the hugest grin on her face the ENTIRE time. I couldn’t NOT smile when I watched her teach the moves. The only bad thing about the class was that the speakers seemed like they were about to break any minute. The volume was abnormally louder than usual and the music was cutting in and out a few times (probably due to the high level of volume). Highly recommended if you need a good laugh while you work out.

Cardio Combo

This class consisted of 9 (?) circuits with 3 different types of exercises at each station. Many people who attended this class were FIT and knew their stuff – what’s an angry slam throw? Anyway, imagine 27 (9×3) different types of exercises that involves equipment such as medicine balls, exercise balls, rope ladders, skipping ropes, and more! It was a bit overwhelming at first but I got used to switching to each station and figuring out what the heck I had to do with certain items. You do each exercise for one-minute, get a 15 second break, and then continue to the next exercise for another minute. OH MY GOSH. That 15 second break did no justice – I was out of breath for most of the time and ended up leaving the facility sweating like a warthog. Did I mention this workout made my body sore for 3 days after?! Well, it did.

In Summary

All in all, drop-in classes are entertaining and WILL make you sore. Don’t be the person standing in the back looking lost and unaware of what to do. If you don’t know something, ASK. If you don’t know something at the kickboxing session I attended, GOOD LUCK. Hahaha, I’m kidding. It’s not thaaat bad. I actually enjoyed all of these classes. Zumba didn’t make me sweat as much as I wanted to so I might just stick to the other two!

Thanks for reading this post. Let me know if there are any other classes that you would recommend!

Week 3: 100 Squats x 5 Days

In my last post, I mentioned how I should increase weights because I was comfortable with the current amount I was lifting, but with the tight schedule this week, I was only able to do quick at-home work outs that used NO WEIGHTS.

Usually I would be able to fit in driving to the gym, having a good work out, and driving back home, but I was starting a new job this week (yay!) so each day consisted of 8.5 hours of work + 2 hours of transit + X hours of school related activities and events. I didn’t want to risk being late for work if I were to head to the gym beforehand so I chose to do quick work outs before leaving the house. Once I get adjusted with my schedule (hopefully this week), I will add more time for exercise into my schedule.

Here are the workouts for the week:

Monday, February 10 – 100 squats
Tuesday, February 11 – 100 squats
Wednesday, February 12 – 100 squats
Thursday, February 13 – 100 squats
Friday, February 14 – 100 squats
Saturday, February 15 – Weaklings Hiking Trip around North Vancouver (another Weakling can blog about this!)

The 100 squats I did everyday took me about 7-10 minutes to complete. Each day I woke up around 6:30am and jumped out of my bed and began doing these squats. Around the 25th – 30th squat, my legs began to burn but I kept going at it. Once I started feeling my heart beat increasing, I knew I was on the right track.

Many people overlook the correct squat form, so here’s a video to show you how to squat properly.

Squats are one my favourite exercises because it works out your ENTIRE BODY. Not only does it strengthen your legs, it works out the glutes, hips, thighs, and core!

There are countless articles on the benefits of squats. One of my favourite ones to read is “Squats: 8 Reasons to Do This Misunderstood Exercise” which talks about how squats can make your daily activities much easier to do, burn more fat, and prevent injuries.

Doing solely squats isn’t my ideal workout, but with the lack of time this is the exercise I resorted to. I really need to improve my exercise regime since my body still isn’t feeling sore the next day. I will experiment on some more exercise and update you next week! I will most likely to stick to the beginner’s weight lifting work out that I originally was doing earlier!

Okay, next week my goal is to update you on how sore my body is otherwise I will put $5 in the pot! 

Challenge accepted. Here we go!

Week 2 Workouts + Squatting 50lbs (YAY!)

Hellooooo – long time no update! A few of you followers have been nagging me to post, so here goes!

This Week’s Workouts

Monday, February 3
Squats 40 lbs 8×4
Bench presses 30 lbs 4×5
Bent-over rows 30lbs 8×4
Overhead barbell presses 30lbs 8×4
Stiff-legged deadlifts 40lbs 8×4
Barbell curls 30lbs 8×4
Calf raises 8×4

Thursday, February 6
Squats 40 lbs 8×4
Bench presses 30 lbs 4×5
Bent-over rows 30lbs 8×4
Overhead barbell presses 30lbs 8×4
Stiff-legged deadlifts 40lbs 8×4
Barbell curls 30lbs 8×4
Calf raises 8×4

Saturday, February 8
Squats 45 lbs 8×4
Bench presses 35 lbs 4×5 (struggled to lift this again)
Bent-over rows 35lbs 8×4
Overhead barbell presses 30lbs 8×4
Stiff-legged deadlifts 45lbs 8×4
Barbell curls 30lbs 8×4
Calf raises 8×4

Sunday, February 9
Treadmill: incline 5; speed 5.5 – 5 min (+ 2 min slower speed)
Squats 50 lbs 8×4
Bench presses 30 lbs 8×2.5
Bent-over rows 30lbs 8×4
Overhead barbell presses 30lbs 8×4
Stiff-legged deadlifts 50lbs 8×4
Barbell curls 30lbs 8×4
Calf raises 8×4
Treadmill: incline 5; speed 5.0 – 10 min (+2 min slower speed)
+ random stretches

AND SOME BREAKING NEWS…

I can finally squat 50 lbs.

Okay, to be brutally honest … squatting 50 lbs is a pathetic goal. I recall walking to the squat machine last year and being able to squat +50 lbs. It’s a bit different this time because I am not using the squat rack to help me start my stance – I’m just picking up a barbell and lifting it over my head to begin my squat workout. I’m not too sure what’s better – using a barbell or using the bar + weight add-on’s via the squat machine, so let me know your thoughts on this!

Feeling Comfortable? Lift More!

During my Saturday workout (see above), I went to the gym with KS. He pointed out that I was underestimating myself and that I could probably lift more. At first I was too stubborn to admit he was right, but deep down I knew it was true.

After every workout, I usually anticipate feeling sore the next day but the pain never comes any more… I didn’t really question it and just assumed the stretches I did after lifting prevented me from feeling sore, so I went along with that reasoning. However, I think it’s finally time to challenge myself a bit more and INCREASE MY WEIGHTS.

Oh boy. New challenges, wabam! Things will be a bit more exciting in the next few weeks…

Wish me good luck (seriously!!!) – I will need it.

Kimbo’s First Week: Time to Pay Up!

Not gonna lie – this week was pretty hard to meet my fitness goals due to a little something called…

Tết.

Tết is the annual celebration to welcome the new year in Vietnam. Many people know this as “Lunar New Year” or “Chinese New Year”, but Vietnamese people call it “Tết”.

During this time of the year, you attend a lot of family reunions and eat a LOT of food. There are lots of special dishes prepared just for the New Year, so not eating them would be rude to the chef! I’m currently typing this blog on a full stomach at my grandma’s house. We just finished a huge dinner that included braised pork belly, boiled eggs, and fried rice (oh my!). Maybe I have to learn how to say no… or maybe I just have to wait ‘til Tết is over.

Yeaaaaaah, I need a little more self-control.

On top of eating New Year’s food, I ate out a lot as well. I spent money on fried chicken, bubble tea, iced Chai tea lattes, frozen yogurt, soups, and other quick take-out meals. Ouch. Yes, this is confession time. I must tell you what I ate this week or else I would be living a lie! Most of these items were bought while I was hanging out with friends, so I think I may have to reduce the number of times I go out for dinners.

My not-so-healthy food choices for the week!

Although I met my goal of “exercising at least 3 times per week”, I totally ignored the other half of my goal which was to eat healthy 90% of the time. Therefore, I am going to be the first person to hand in $5 into the pot!

The Key is Prevention

To prevent myself from buying food from the food court or at restaurants, I am going to start buying my own groceries and cooking my own meals. I did that last year and saw a significant improvement in my health as well as my expenses. Tomorrow I will make a trip to the grocery store and stock up on some necessities like oats, spinach, eggs, tuna, lentils, and more!

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This Week’s Exercises

Monday, January 27: Gym
Treadmill (warm up) – 10 min
Squats – 45lbs 8×3
Stiff-legged deadlifts – 45lbs 8×3
Lunges – 35 lbs 8×3 (each leg)
Russian twists (w/ medicine ball) – 1 min x 3
Crunches – 10×3
Elliptical (cool down) – 5 min

Wednesday, January 29: Home
Push-ups 8×3
Tricep dips 10×3
Squats 10×3
Lunges 16×3
Crunches 12×3
Standing Leg Lifts 8×3

Thursday, January 30: Gym
Squats 45 lbs 8×4
Bench presses 35 lbs 8×2.5 (struggled to lift this)
Bent-over rows 35lbs 8×4
Overhead barbell presses 35lbs 8×4
Stiff-legged deadlifts 35lbs 8×4
Barbell curls 35lbs 8×4
Calf raises 8×4

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Conclusion & Take-aways

• Allocating set work out times > Spontaneously visiting the gym
• Sticking to a work out routine is better than doing whatever I “feel like doing” so I will be following a beginner’s work out plan suggested by KS via Bodybuilding.com
• Preparing and packing meals will help you save money and decrease your chances of eating unhealthy meals
• The gym is the place where I swear the most – sorry to anyone who has to work out near me.
• I really like doing squats and deadlifts, but I absolutely despise bench presses. Let’s hope I overcome that!

Meet Kimbo!

Hi guys! The name’s Kim.

I decided to join this strange (yet awesome) competition as an incentive to GET FIT.

A couple of years ago, I was pretty overweight and became a victim to “Freshman 15”. The allnighters, midnight snacks, and no-time-to-exercise-because-I-have-to-study-study-study-mindset overtook my life and made me gain unwanted weight!

Around third year, I decided that I didn’t want to live the life of an oompa loompa, so I began running (a lot!). I invested in a pair of comfortable pink Asics and nicely fitting gym strip and began my journey to be healthy. Since then, I lost 20 lbs (130 lbs to 110 lbs) and have taught myself the ins and outs of healthy eating and exercise (still learning!).

My exercise regime went downhill after I left for my exchange to Melbourne (July 2013 ‘til now), so I want to get back into the habit of being healthy again. Something that I have always wanted to do is to confidently wear a bright, pink sports bra at the gym. It’s an odd goal, but I swear it’s every girl’s dream.

The majestic pink bra…

By the end of this competition, I hope to be confident in my own skin and be proud of my body. I am not aiming to get abs of steel (though that would be kind of cool), but I hope to look decent enough to not scare people away when I stroll around the beach in my bikini.

My weekly goal is to get active three times a week (running outside, doing weights at the gym, or dancing in the rain – I’ll update you) and eat freakin’ healthy for 90% of the time. I want to lose my gut, tone my stomach, and be able to squat more than 50 lbs. Oh, and of course rock a pink sports bra!

Feel free to follow me on the road to getting fit. I will need the support!