Some Nights

 

Fun.

Most nights tiring,

but some nights are fun.

That’s what life is all about.

I went to the gym consistently last month and doing small food changes such as eating less processed food and eating more fruits and vegetable. I am seeing and feeling some results. It feels great going to the gym in the morning. It gets my blood flowing. However, I think I can get better results if I program my workouts better.

I have been listening to TheFitCast Podcast with Kevin Larrabee during work. It got me thinking about fitness in a different light. Fitness and nutrition is very cool stuff and it is something that I am very interested in learning more and pursuing. The podcast gave me many ideas on how I can make my workout better.

Instead of doing cardio to warm up everyday other day, I can do some stretching and foam rolling. I hear this is good for massaging away tension in the muscle. In addition, I can do more weight lifting. Maybe an upper body and lower body split. It is going to take a toil on my body but I think I am ready for a challenge.

In order to reach my goals, I need to have goals that are measurable and reachable. Here are some of my fitness goals:

1. Gain muscle mass — I need to find a way to measure this. I read that gaining 1 lb of muscle a week is very difficult but possible with the perfect storm. Maybe I can gain 2 lbs of muscle in one month. That would be the goal.

2. 30 Pull Ups — This goal is more straightforward and might a part to reach goal 1. I need a progression to reach the magic number 30.

3. Squats, Bench Press — Learn the right forms to heavy lifting exercises.

More on these goals later this week.

Best,

Zhen

Side Effects

 

-We all make Sacrifices.

On the drive back from the gym,

I slowly opened the window.

“Close the window, it is cold outside”Alan said.

pfffft…

Silence…

Laughter.

One of the many side effects of going to the gym.

Swim day is good, I looked forward to it at the weekend. I practiced my breaststroke and backstroke almost the whole time because it is mentally and physically challenging for me to do the front crawl. I swallowed a lot of water trying to practice the breathing. Hm… need some help. Let’s see what advice I can get from a Google search.

20 Laps

3 sets of 10 Pull Ups

Best,

Zhen

Day 100: Wake Up Call

-On my way!

My sister called me at the morning.

She asked me if I am going to the gym.

I said, ” I am too weak, cannot feel my body.”

“You can do it!”, she yelled.

“On my way…”, I mumbled.

60 minutes of Cycling

Best,

Zhen

Day 99: The Next Challenge

-Pull Ups

At the gym class, I was scared of doing pull ups. I could only do a few.  I think it is both physical and mental. I do not have the upper body strength and psychological I am afraid to do them. I got this pull up bar but did not make much progress with it. However, I think I am finally ready to tackle this challenge.

30 Pull Ups

This is going to be tough. One pull up does not equal one push up. I do not think I can increase the pull ups by one each day. Maybe I can do sets of pull ups. Do the number of pulls ups I am comfortable with. Do 3 sets of them with breaks in between.. 

I did 10 Pull Ups (Better than I thought)

Starting tomorrow, I will do 3 sets of 10 Pull Ups. After 3 days, I will try to increase the repetition by 1. I will try to do 30 pull ups in 3 months. I can do it! Mind over matter.

Here are the numbers for the days ahead:

10 Minutes Elliptical

Vertical Press 120 lbs 3 x 10

Compound Row 110 lbs 3 x 10

Isolateral Wide Chest 90 lbs 3 x 10

Leg Press 160 lbs 3 x 10

Ab Bench 100

Best,

Zhen

Day 98: Bicycle

-Collecting dust and need replace tire.

Friday is cycling at the gym day, to wrap up the weekdays. Get the heart beat going before work. Before I have the luxury of driving to work, I took the bus and and biked to work. It was a journey, took about a hour to get there. Sometimes it is freezing cold and windy. So I would take cycling at the gym any day. Muscles are pretty sore from the weights. But it feels nice to just sit down and pedal away.

45 minutes of Cycling

Best,

Zhen

Day 97: Why?

– The deconstruction

Thursday is weights day.

Why go to the gym?

I want to makes goals and reach them.

Why?

I want to get fit and be healthy.

Why?

I want to live longer?

Why?

I think this will make me happy.

Why?

Because I just want to.

Here are the numbers for the days ahead:

Morning –                                                                              Afternoon –

10 Minutes Elliptical                                                            102 Push Ups

Lat Pulldown 155 lbs 10 x 3                                               28 of 12 Ab Exercises

Shoulder Press 85 lbs 8 8 6

Overhead Press 120 lbs 10 10 8

Vertical  Chest 120 lbs 8 x 3

Leg Press 245 lbs 10 x 3

Seated Row 85 lbs 8 x 3

Assisted Sit Ups 3 x 25

Preacher Curl 60 lbs 3 x 10

 

Best,

Zhen

Day 96: Running

– It would be great to run outside and enjoy the view.

Wednesday is running day at the gym because I hear that you are not suppose to do weights two days in a row because I have to let my body recover. It is funny I am just running at the same place on the treadmill, can be very tedious. Running is a simple body motion if you think about it, just one foot forward follow by the other with the hands going the other way. But I can get quite a workout and burn a lot of calories with running. I noticed that I burn about 150 calories in 15 minutes. That is about 10 calories per minute. Even though it is not a lot if I compare it to the donuts that I ate in morning. It does add up quickly. Running is also a great way to release stress. And when I am running, I usually let mind wander off and plan the days ahead. It is a great use of time. I think my goal for Wednesday is to run at a faster speed and maybe do some ab exercises afterward. Something to think about for next week.

45 minutes on the treadmill

Best,

Zhen

Day 95: Weights

– Target 6-8 reps

Tuesday is hit the weights day. I got a set of $25 weights last year thinking I can do some exercises at home. But it is difficult the find the right time and space to do it. And after the exercise, the room always smells funky. It is much better to do weights in the gym. There are many equipment available targeting all the muscle groups. A gym membership is the best investment for your body.

I read if you want to lose weight, you should do 10-12 repetitions. However if I want to gain muscle mass, I should find a weight that I can do 6-8 repetitions. This is what I will aim for next week, find that weight.

Here are the numbers for the days ahead:

Morning –                                                                                          Afternoon –

10 Minutes Elliptical                                                                        101 Push Ups

Lat Pulldown 140 lbs 10 x 3                                                           27 of 12 Ab Exercises

Shoulder Press 65 lbs 10 x 3

Overhead Press 110 lbs 10 x 3

Chest Chest 85 lbs 10 x 3

Leg Press 230 lbs 10 x 3

Seated Row 70 lbs 10 x 3

Assisted Sit Ups 3 x 25

Preacher Curl 40 lbs 3 x 10

Best,

Zhen

Day 94: Roar!

-Be a Polar Bear, strong and Swift.

Monday is swim day. Feels great to get into the water in the morning. Got the whole lane all to myself because there are not many people in the pool. There are four main swimming strokes: front crawl, breaststroke, backstroke, and the butterfly. My goal is swim longer and learn and improve all of the strokes. Need more practice, practice makes perfect.

15 Laps

101 Push Ups

26 x 12 Abs Exercises

Best,

Zhen

Day 93: Sucess!

-100 Push Ups!

25 of 12 Ab Exercises

45 minutes Elliptical

No push ups tomorrow, going to savor the moment.

Success like many things in life is relative and subjective. In order to define success, we need two points, where we are now and where success is located. However, everybody define success a little differently. Success might be earning a lot of money for some, but some might just want to have a family. Whatever it is, I think the most important thing is knowing what you want and setting a goal and a plan to reach it.

After going to the gym last week, I feel more energetic and sleeping better. I fall immediately to sleep when I reach the bed. I think this is going to be my exercise routine for the mean time:

Monday – Swimming

Tuesday – Weights

Wednesday – Running and Ab Exercises

Thursday – Weights

Friday – Cycling

Saturday – Free Day

Sunday – Free Day

Best,

Zhen