Yesterday at Sweat! I...
Started off with a warm-up which ended with Turkish Get-up. It was more challenging than I expected.
And then the circuit. Squats with medicine ball, resistance band row, lunges, insane push-ups, Vipr jumping jacks. It ended off with 4 sets of 20 second sprints, for me, on the TRX.
Repeat, two more times.
Before cool down, we did ab exercises on the medicine ball.
Needless to say, today, my legs hurt badly. My stomach is cramping up every time I cough or sneeze. I feel the need to stretch it out every five minutes. My body's kind of in sleep mode.
Basically, now, I should be hiding in bed for the entire weekend.
Ouch.
Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Working out at Sweat!
I’ve been going to Sweat! since late June (21st to be precise) and people have been asking me about it. If you're interested you can check out their facebook page. The first introductory session for newbies is free so make a date and I could go down with you if you want!
I've waited till now to blog because I wanted to go through enough to gain something from it and see some results before sharing here. Anyway, the place is situated at Cantonment, relatively far from my work place and also far from home, but I keep going back because Sweat! has made working out fun for me and I enjoy the experience.
Working with the trainer and boss, Wai Yee, is great! She's professional, knowledgeable and passionate. The motivation she provides is also priceless. A large part of my improvement in fitness is due to her cheering me on when I thought I was done! The best part about going through the session is knowing that you’re going to get something intense but you can give it your all and you won’t get injured. She'll make sure that you'll be doing it right. For those who have injuries or unable to do the exercises, she can tweak it! So no worries about that.
I remember trying a kettlebell exercise at home and injured my back, causing it to be wonky for awhile. After a couple of sessions back at Sweat! doing the exercises properly, strengthening the smaller muscles around the area that hurt, stretching out the pain, now I’m as good as new.
There’s more than one type of session, the most common being circuit training. With minimal rest after each station, you’re pushed to keep your heart rate up. At the end of it all you feel like you've done a crazy cardio session but at the same time, your muscles are aching like you've lifted an elephant. Amazing. Exercising to the music and hearing the *beep beep beep* signalling the end of each set before counting down the rest time to the start of the next, it’s a cycle that keeps you on your toes and out of breath!
No two sessions are ever the same. That’s the cool part. I’m never bored. I’m always challenged. Every time I step through the door, I don’t know how hard I have to push or what we're going to do. But I know I've to give it my best to make the best of the one hour! There's a lot of co-ordination and balancing work for each station. It’s tough but also fun. It’s FUNctional training, not strength for strength’s sake, or for bulking up. It's what I want for myself and what I believe in. It's what makes me committed.
And that leads me to the next thing, which is learning something new. When faced with something different really refreshing to see what your body can do! I learn to do new variations of exercises, like the push-up, I learn the limits of my endurance, I learn how to move my body in different ways, I learn new stretching techniques, I learn how to have good form, I learn how to balance, I learn to “enjoy the pain”. That keeps me going back for more, the opportunity to train and to learn.
Learning with "classmates" boosts my motivation as well. When the exercises are announced, you can always expect to see someone who, like you, has his eyes wide in shock! I like the feeling of working out in a group – there’s a lot of motivation, people to follow, and the feeling that you’re all in it together. Seeing people who are able to handle it makes you able to handle it. And that’s how I manage to push myself. It’s one big family there, full of familiar faces and it’s nice knowing that you’re not alone.
After going to Sweat! I'm more knowledgeable about how my body works. My approach to fitness has changed. I challenge myself. I've never worked out so hard, even during army. I take it really seriously but it's also a lot of fun.
I feel fitter. Maybe I'll see some improvement in my scores when I take my IPPT next Saturday. I do feel like I'm ready to climb a mountain or something though!
I look fitter. For that, you'll just have to take my word for it!
I've waited till now to blog because I wanted to go through enough to gain something from it and see some results before sharing here. Anyway, the place is situated at Cantonment, relatively far from my work place and also far from home, but I keep going back because Sweat! has made working out fun for me and I enjoy the experience.
Working with the trainer and boss, Wai Yee, is great! She's professional, knowledgeable and passionate. The motivation she provides is also priceless. A large part of my improvement in fitness is due to her cheering me on when I thought I was done! The best part about going through the session is knowing that you’re going to get something intense but you can give it your all and you won’t get injured. She'll make sure that you'll be doing it right. For those who have injuries or unable to do the exercises, she can tweak it! So no worries about that.
I remember trying a kettlebell exercise at home and injured my back, causing it to be wonky for awhile. After a couple of sessions back at Sweat! doing the exercises properly, strengthening the smaller muscles around the area that hurt, stretching out the pain, now I’m as good as new.
There’s more than one type of session, the most common being circuit training. With minimal rest after each station, you’re pushed to keep your heart rate up. At the end of it all you feel like you've done a crazy cardio session but at the same time, your muscles are aching like you've lifted an elephant. Amazing. Exercising to the music and hearing the *beep beep beep* signalling the end of each set before counting down the rest time to the start of the next, it’s a cycle that keeps you on your toes and out of breath!
No two sessions are ever the same. That’s the cool part. I’m never bored. I’m always challenged. Every time I step through the door, I don’t know how hard I have to push or what we're going to do. But I know I've to give it my best to make the best of the one hour! There's a lot of co-ordination and balancing work for each station. It’s tough but also fun. It’s FUNctional training, not strength for strength’s sake, or for bulking up. It's what I want for myself and what I believe in. It's what makes me committed.
And that leads me to the next thing, which is learning something new. When faced with something different really refreshing to see what your body can do! I learn to do new variations of exercises, like the push-up, I learn the limits of my endurance, I learn how to move my body in different ways, I learn new stretching techniques, I learn how to have good form, I learn how to balance, I learn to “enjoy the pain”. That keeps me going back for more, the opportunity to train and to learn.
Learning with "classmates" boosts my motivation as well. When the exercises are announced, you can always expect to see someone who, like you, has his eyes wide in shock! I like the feeling of working out in a group – there’s a lot of motivation, people to follow, and the feeling that you’re all in it together. Seeing people who are able to handle it makes you able to handle it. And that’s how I manage to push myself. It’s one big family there, full of familiar faces and it’s nice knowing that you’re not alone.
After going to Sweat! I'm more knowledgeable about how my body works. My approach to fitness has changed. I challenge myself. I've never worked out so hard, even during army. I take it really seriously but it's also a lot of fun.
I feel fitter. Maybe I'll see some improvement in my scores when I take my IPPT next Saturday. I do feel like I'm ready to climb a mountain or something though!
I look fitter. For that, you'll just have to take my word for it!
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Silver, Finally
I had a rude shock when I realised that I had two weeks left to take my IPPT. The horrible, horrible rule, where you had to take it three months before your birthday, just kicked in. I've never had to book sessions or do anything for it. I've always done it during ICT. This time it was different. Scary even. I went online to book the test at Khatib, a camp that I have never been to before!
Thankfully it turned out well. My nemesis, the standing board jump, was swiftly defeated. In fact, it was my first station. I just might have left for home if I lost the battle instead, but thankfully, things went my way. Even the slightly faulty censor chin-up bar couldn't get me down. No count? I'll do another. And another. I'll do it till I get 5 points because I've been getting 5 points since I've taken IPPT do you hear?! Sit-ups were a bit nonsense though. I did 30 in 30 seconds and spent the next 30 doing 10. How lame is that?
The 2.4 could have been worse. My legs were aching terribly after training on Thursday, but surprisingly, running on the track was incredibly easy. The distance felt so short! Not that I did it in a great time of course, but for someone who woke up every Saturday to run for an hour, 12 minutes is nothing!
And that's how I got my first Silver in close to half a decade. Granted, it's the first time I'm Cat Y, but I've shaved almost 30 seconds from my previous 2.4, improved on my SBJ, and consistently beat the crap out of the other 3 stations.
Huge thank you to my best supporter - James. Couldn't have done it without him. It was great to see someone familiar in such a horribly foreign environment. Glad we conquered IPPT together.
Thankfully it turned out well. My nemesis, the standing board jump, was swiftly defeated. In fact, it was my first station. I just might have left for home if I lost the battle instead, but thankfully, things went my way. Even the slightly faulty censor chin-up bar couldn't get me down. No count? I'll do another. And another. I'll do it till I get 5 points because I've been getting 5 points since I've taken IPPT do you hear?! Sit-ups were a bit nonsense though. I did 30 in 30 seconds and spent the next 30 doing 10. How lame is that?
The 2.4 could have been worse. My legs were aching terribly after training on Thursday, but surprisingly, running on the track was incredibly easy. The distance felt so short! Not that I did it in a great time of course, but for someone who woke up every Saturday to run for an hour, 12 minutes is nothing!
And that's how I got my first Silver in close to half a decade. Granted, it's the first time I'm Cat Y, but I've shaved almost 30 seconds from my previous 2.4, improved on my SBJ, and consistently beat the crap out of the other 3 stations.
Huge thank you to my best supporter - James. Couldn't have done it without him. It was great to see someone familiar in such a horribly foreign environment. Glad we conquered IPPT together.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
A Regime
It's hard getting back on the horse. The 18th of October just passed. That marks my third month in my first job. I haven't got any one to compare with really so I'm not really sure where my performance lies.
But this is not about that. A different lifestyle, transitioning from student to working adult, takes some getting used to. I stopped going to the gym altogether and have gotten a little pudgy. I've spent time socialising, having rich dinners, wonderful talks, chilling out, hour after hour just sitting around.
I've started on a slightly healthier routine. I'll eat at home more often. I'll be more active whenever I can. I think it's the small things. As I was telling another friend, some people look like the jobs they do. It's what you do daily that contributes most to who you are, how you look.
Another friend made the effort to look better and get into tighter clothes. Firming up, slimming down - it's lots of hard work, resisting temptation, eating differently. But it works! And seeing him take charge of his appearance and body was very inspiring.
And so I've been making some effort. Eating lesser of the unhealthy stuff. Pounding the pavement - the new route is awesome and exciting. Up from 3km to 5.2. Getting back to the basics - chin-ups, sit-ups and dips. I feel tired but it allows me to sleep easy at night.
Especially a night like tonight. Will Young's making me emo.
But this is not about that. A different lifestyle, transitioning from student to working adult, takes some getting used to. I stopped going to the gym altogether and have gotten a little pudgy. I've spent time socialising, having rich dinners, wonderful talks, chilling out, hour after hour just sitting around.
I've started on a slightly healthier routine. I'll eat at home more often. I'll be more active whenever I can. I think it's the small things. As I was telling another friend, some people look like the jobs they do. It's what you do daily that contributes most to who you are, how you look.
Another friend made the effort to look better and get into tighter clothes. Firming up, slimming down - it's lots of hard work, resisting temptation, eating differently. But it works! And seeing him take charge of his appearance and body was very inspiring.
And so I've been making some effort. Eating lesser of the unhealthy stuff. Pounding the pavement - the new route is awesome and exciting. Up from 3km to 5.2. Getting back to the basics - chin-ups, sit-ups and dips. I feel tired but it allows me to sleep easy at night.
Especially a night like tonight. Will Young's making me emo.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Bad Minton
And this is a photo of me and my crazy/awesome colleagues during our badminton session at Tampines (which is so far from Woodlands) on Friday.
I have bin workin' on mah fidness to the extent that I am quite surprised at how non-skinny I look now!
My work place is awesome because there is a gym and I abuse it as frequently as I can, which is about twice a week. Also, I've been playing tonnes of badminton thanks to my badminton-crazy colleagues. We have a lot of fun because of all the terrible antics that we get up to - mimicking each other, making funny sounds and ridiculous badminton tricks (like hitting the shuttlecock with the wrong end of the racket).
And I'm thinking of joining the Standard Chartered half-marathon later this year. Or maybe the 10km. I'm not sure who I'm going to grab along with me but I'm really excited about going. I can't remember the last time I went for a run like this. Really looking forward to it.
I have never felt fitter after leaving the army. I'm not sure about IPPT in July though. That's a rather shitty test of what I've achieved so far but I think it's time I train for 2.4. Haven't ran in ages!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Abs
If there's thing I gained from the army, it would be looking after my health. Or at least they do it for me! I get (more than) sufficient sleep, devour lots of (unpalatable) food, and plenty of exercise. Especially running. But when I have lots of spare time on my hands, I find it hard to look after myself, or uproot myself from the place commonly known as "in front of the computer". I can't be bothered to have my meals on time, I watched Typhoon last night till 1AM, and I don't exercise much. I lack the discipline despite the fact that I do enjoy running and swimming.
I'm getting fat. So it doesn't seem very obvious right now, but if I continue on this way, I'm sure to get them to become the UN without even knowing it! I can't even remember when was the last time I did any cardio, until yesterday when I was sweating it out on DDR. Even then, it was only intense for the first 30 minutes. After that I became tired and got Cs and Ds for all the tough ones.
The magazines you read reflect your interests in life. I used to be the guy who bought all the UK Pop mags in lower secondary school, and everyone'd either be reading my Lime, Teens, Top of the Pops and 8 Days under the table while Mr Tan was droning on about algebra. Nowadays though the only magazine I get is Men's Health, so much so that my platoonmates would alert me to the release of every new issue every time it hits the magazine stands (because I'd buy it and they'd borrow it to read!). It was sort of like my bible for awhile, but nowdays I hardly finish reading even!
So I think it's about time I get my fitness back on track. Enough of the boozing (I still think there's going to be Irish Cream at Jie Yu's house) and late nights (did I mention I'm going to a stayover tonight). At least I need to try to make it happen! I know that maybe I'm placing too much emphasis on working on my physical appearance, but surely it's in your youth where it's the most valuable - just like wisdom is in old age. I'm not going to dress older (no, I don't need the credibility) because you realise that when you're old, you would never be able to look like you're 20 again.
Excuses are easy to make though. I want to swim. But I think it's going to rain.
I'm getting fat. So it doesn't seem very obvious right now, but if I continue on this way, I'm sure to get them to become the UN without even knowing it! I can't even remember when was the last time I did any cardio, until yesterday when I was sweating it out on DDR. Even then, it was only intense for the first 30 minutes. After that I became tired and got Cs and Ds for all the tough ones.
The magazines you read reflect your interests in life. I used to be the guy who bought all the UK Pop mags in lower secondary school, and everyone'd either be reading my Lime, Teens, Top of the Pops and 8 Days under the table while Mr Tan was droning on about algebra. Nowadays though the only magazine I get is Men's Health, so much so that my platoonmates would alert me to the release of every new issue every time it hits the magazine stands (because I'd buy it and they'd borrow it to read!). It was sort of like my bible for awhile, but nowdays I hardly finish reading even!
So I think it's about time I get my fitness back on track. Enough of the boozing (I still think there's going to be Irish Cream at Jie Yu's house) and late nights (did I mention I'm going to a stayover tonight). At least I need to try to make it happen! I know that maybe I'm placing too much emphasis on working on my physical appearance, but surely it's in your youth where it's the most valuable - just like wisdom is in old age. I'm not going to dress older (no, I don't need the credibility) because you realise that when you're old, you would never be able to look like you're 20 again.
Excuses are easy to make though. I want to swim. But I think it's going to rain.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
AHM 2006
I enjoyed the 21km today.
I know that sounds terribly wrong, especially because it's suppose to be some sort of torture, but after completing it under 2 hours and 15 mins (2hr14mins40secs to be exact) and getting an extra day off, I felt that overwhelming sense of achievement. I also did much better than last year. I guess it's because the pacing was much better and that I didn't push myself too hard, unnecessarily. Last year I committed the mistake of going too fast at the beginning and at the end I stopped every 5 metres to stretch my cramped-up muscles. That was pure torture.
Come to think of it, why I am one of the few weirdos to have done AHM for 2 consecutive years?
Nothing eventful happened except the fantastic view. And this guy who was running without his shirt and his Renoma undies sticking out. I was so damn keen on proving myself better than him (I have no idea why), but he sort of paced me for the entire first half, for which I am grateful. I lost him after the 14km mark though. He bloody managed to speed up and I just couldn't!
Oh, and there was this retarded moment that this man offered me the isotonic drink. I turned it down at first but he insisted and so I accepted. After that I didn't know how to open the damn drink. Hey, I was tired and feeling dumb! In the end I used my teeth to rip open the side and about half of it splashed over the front of my singlet, and there was this loud sound of the thing bursting open. Embarrassing. As if that wasn't enough, the same man came up to me and told me that I could actually tear a strip of it to reveal and opening from which I was supposed to drink from.
And that made me feel real stupid.
My face was extra flushed (from the running and then the embarrassment) as I replied that I was too shagged to think. He replied that it was okay.
I just ran as fast as I could to get away.
It was a great experience and I was real glad to finish better than expected. When I was finally able to see the clock at the finishing line, I was really euphoric. I was this close to hugging a stranger and crying. *exaggerates*
Yay for my second AHM medal!
I know that sounds terribly wrong, especially because it's suppose to be some sort of torture, but after completing it under 2 hours and 15 mins (2hr14mins40secs to be exact) and getting an extra day off, I felt that overwhelming sense of achievement. I also did much better than last year. I guess it's because the pacing was much better and that I didn't push myself too hard, unnecessarily. Last year I committed the mistake of going too fast at the beginning and at the end I stopped every 5 metres to stretch my cramped-up muscles. That was pure torture.
Come to think of it, why I am one of the few weirdos to have done AHM for 2 consecutive years?
Nothing eventful happened except the fantastic view. And this guy who was running without his shirt and his Renoma undies sticking out. I was so damn keen on proving myself better than him (I have no idea why), but he sort of paced me for the entire first half, for which I am grateful. I lost him after the 14km mark though. He bloody managed to speed up and I just couldn't!
Oh, and there was this retarded moment that this man offered me the isotonic drink. I turned it down at first but he insisted and so I accepted. After that I didn't know how to open the damn drink. Hey, I was tired and feeling dumb! In the end I used my teeth to rip open the side and about half of it splashed over the front of my singlet, and there was this loud sound of the thing bursting open. Embarrassing. As if that wasn't enough, the same man came up to me and told me that I could actually tear a strip of it to reveal and opening from which I was supposed to drink from.
And that made me feel real stupid.
My face was extra flushed (from the running and then the embarrassment) as I replied that I was too shagged to think. He replied that it was okay.
I just ran as fast as I could to get away.
It was a great experience and I was real glad to finish better than expected. When I was finally able to see the clock at the finishing line, I was really euphoric. I was this close to hugging a stranger and crying. *exaggerates*
Yay for my second AHM medal!
Sunday, August 20, 2006
New Balance Real Run
Oh yeah, I had a hell lot of fun today. You can either tell from the pictures, or enjoy my long, tiresome description of it.
I woke up damn early in the morning, and my dad drove his cab to pick up Guo Fei from his house before letting us alight at Jurong East. We were supposed to take this bus that would send us straight to Sentosa. However, I forgot to bring my number tag and the chip that came with it. GF volunteered to go with me back to my house to take it. I'm very grateful for that. He sacrificed his sleep (on the bus), which was a big deal to him! My sister also helped by slotting the thing under the door such that it made it very convenient to go up, grab it and flag another cab to take us to Sentosa. Total cab fare was about 30 bucks.
We walked over the Sentosa. That was kind of cool. It did look like it was going to rain though! We waited for everyone to arrive and by that time the run had started! It was off to a rather slow walk at the beginning, but after awhile my adrenaline was pumped high as I overtook quite a lot of people along with my platoonmates. Alright, it was kind of dumb of me because most of them were civilians, while I the most meaningful thing I do in camp is probably run. However it did give me that rush from being able to speed past people. The run on the beach was probably the hardest part. No doubt the escalating roads did make me feel as if I was using the gym's stair-trainer, running on the sloping sand (from right to left!) was insane. I spent most of my energy trying to keep my balance. I'm just glad I didn't walk. I was damn motivated when I managed to see Samuel and Charles during the last stretch. However, I didn't expect myself to be able to sprint all the way to the finishing line. I just couldn't contain it. If only I could do it during my IPPT on Wednesday...
The ice-cold 100 Plus tasted fantastic. I had about 2 and a half cans myself after the run!
I met an ancient friend of mine, from way back in RVHS. I was kind of stunned when this guy came up to me and stuck his hand out. I had this horribly awkward feeling that he might've got the wrong guy, but instinct told me to just shake it. It was then that I realised that it was Jia Hui! Probably my best friend during my lower Sec days. We lost contact for about 4 years already - the last time I saw him properly (and talked) was when I crashed NJC during the first 3 months. We chatted for awhile and I think that I might take the initiative to meet up with him one of these days. It was a pleasant surprise.
I also met Chon Hoong who gave me a huge slap on the back as a greeting. It was really cool to see him too. He's in school already, and I bet he's enjoying it!
We took a long walk to the beach. Actually we gave up about half-way and took the bus instead. We were soaking ourselves in the sea until Samuel started throwing sand. That's when WWIII broke out. We might be ganging up on someone, or backstabbing each other. It was terrible, in a good way. I've realised that sand is bloody painful, but not bad enough to be injured by. I'm just happy I didn't get hit by the wet singlet! There were moments where we very nearly played out Infernal Affairs! YC wanted to throw sand at me, while GF wanted to throw sand at him, and I was going to throw it at GF. I got a cramp from all that running and swimming! It was very havoc.
GF wanted to get buried in the sand, and they actually made boobs and a big...err.. shlong for him, which I deem too R(A) to be posted. After that Charles got buried. Jeff then left early because he had to meet up with his friends. We continued sand warring, before taking a lot of photos and washing up.
After that we went to PS to have lunch at Manhattan-sth-sth. I can't remember the name. Ivan came to meet us. The food was rather ex and not too good for my sorethroat. It was tasted real good though. I went home, while Samuel, Ivan and GF went to play LAN.
It's been an extremely tiring but fulfilling day. I had a lot of fun.
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