Mundo in HK

Lipo-6, day 4

2009-11-06T14:10:00.003+08:00

9.30am - 2 caps lipo-6.

10am - breakfast cereal + protein shake.

Had a huge lunch today which pretty much kept me full until the gym. Ate a banana before working out.

5pm - 2 caps lipo-6.

Workout: Clean and press, and dumbbell snatches. Worked up a lot of sweat. 30 mins on the elliptical.

9.30pm supper, grilled chicken dinner.

Lipo-6 Day 3

2009-11-05T11:48:00.002+08:00

Breaking in phase is over, and I've started to take 2 caps once in the AM, and 2 more caps in the afternoon.

9.30am - 2 lipo-6 caps
10am - cereal + protein shake

1pm lunch

5pm - 2 caps of lipo-6 caps

5.30 - egg salad sandwich + corn

7pm - gym - worked quads, hamstrings, abs. 30 mins on the elliptical.

Supper - couple pieces of chicken.

Overall, I wasn't very hungry in the evening. Had much energy for cardio.

Lipo-6, day 2

2009-11-04T14:05:00.002+08:00

Same as yesterday. One cap of Nutrex Lipo-6 in the AM, half an hour before breakfast cereal and protein shake. The second cap I took at 5pm. Did not get to go to the gym though because I got off work late.

Tomorrow I start taking 2 caps twice a day, and I'll see how my energy levels go. Also, the weather in Hong Kong has cooled considerably in the past 2 days, so I have also added a 2500mg cap of Echinamax echinacea extract which I got my friend to bring back from Canada for me.

Nutrex Lipo-6, day 1

2009-11-02T13:08:00.006+08:00

It's been over 7 months since my last post! But I'm back now because I have just started using a fat-burner that I want to document daily. I've been trying to lose that final 10 lbs or so of ab-flab for the past few months, but anyone who's ever been there knows that this is one of the hardest things to do. So I ordered a bottle of Nutrex Lipo-6 from Vitacost.com, which is supposedly the top rated fat burner for 4 years straight. I'm supposed to take one capsule in the morning, a half hour before break fast, and then another one in the afternoon, no later than 6 hours before I plan to go to bed, for the first two days. Then starting on the third day, I start taking 2 caps in the morning, and 2 caps in the afternoon.

So this is my documentation of day 1 on Nutrex lipo-6:

Height: 5'7"
Weight: 158 lbs
BMI: 24.7
Bodyfat percentage: last time I measured, it was 15% or so. Looking to go down to 10-12%.

Woke up at 9.40am. Took One cap of Nutrex Lipo-6.

10.15am, breakfast (cereal + protein shake)

1.15pm, Lunch

5pm, took a second cap of Nutres Lipo-6

5.30pm, egg salad sandwich

7pm work out (core stability exercises, plus half hour on the elliptical).

9pm post workout protein shake

9.30pm dinner (steak with brussel sprouts and carrots)

Overall, I felt slightly more energetic throughout the day. I did not need a morning coffee or tea to wake myself up for work. I had more energy doing cardio. I've read that it's supposed to suppress my appetite somewhat, but I was OK with eating. Perhaps it was because I only took 2 caps as it was the first day.

Hello again!

2009-03-25T12:22:00.003+08:00

Wow... I've really been slacking in my blog posts these few months! Well, that is because I have been basically following the same routine at the gym for the past few months. But recently, there has been a surge in new members at the gym because of a special promotion which offers new members 6 months membership at a very low price. So much new members in fact that the gym gets so crowded during peak hours (after work) that I spend a lot of time just waiting for equipment! I was never able to get a good workout as I would get warmed up, and then cool down while I have to wait to do the next exercise.

So, this week on monday, I started hitting the gym in the AM. Before I start my day at the office. Now, I work one muscle group each morning, followed by 16 minutes of HIIT, and finish up with core and stretching exercises. All packed in one intense hour.

I am already feeling the difference! A change in routine also helps break any plateaus you may currently be experiencing. So, if you feel like you are stuck in a training rut... try changing the time of your workout, from PM to AM. Or from AM to PM. The idea is to make some significant changes every 3 or 4 months and you will be able to overcome any plateau.

Happy lifting y'all!

Happy Lunar New Year!

2009-01-26T16:00:00.003+08:00

Happy New Year of the Bull!

Like Christmas in the west, Chinese New Year is the time when you are somewhat allowed to stray away from whatever strict diet plan you are currently on. I have to make the rounds today, collect some "lai see" (red envelope money) and eat customary Chinese new year dishes such as Law Bahk Go (turnip cakes) and steamed fish. Not that bad afterall... I LOVE fish, which is a great source of protein and Omega 3 fatty acids.

So have a happy and prosperous year of the Bull to everyone. My gym is closed until thursday, so until then I'll just relax and eat lots of fish!

Gong Hei Phat Choy! (literally this means "congratulations and prosperity")

Sun Leen Fai Lok! (Happy New Year)

Euro-Training (humour)

2009-01-25T13:12:00.003+08:00

Hilarious! LOL

Leg day

2009-01-24T16:14:00.002+08:00

Ball squats 2 x 15
Romanian deadlifts 3 x 12
Single leg leg press 3 x 12
Supine hip extension w/ leg curl 3 x 12
Single hand dumbbell snatch 3 x 20 (each side)
Roman chair leg raises 2 x 20
Plank, side plank, ball bridge (2 x 30 secs each)
20 minutes HIIT on bike

Upper body day

2009-01-23T00:54:00.002+08:00

After a day off yesterday, today's upper body workout looked like this:

Deadlift 3 x 12
Flat bench press 3 x 12
Neutral grip pulldowns 3 x 12
Seated dumbbell press 3 x 12
EZ bar curls 3 x 12
Close grip bench press 3 x 12
Hanging leg raises 2 x 20

22 minutes HIIT on stationary bike
Core: plank, side plank, ball bridge (2 x 30s)

Lower body routine with a bad knee

2009-01-20T22:16:00.002+08:00

With tendonitis in my left hamstring, I am unable to perform a variety of lower body exercises such as lunging and twisting movements, full squats, and running. Therefore, when designing a lower body program for myself, I have to keep that in mind so as to not reinjure my leg.

Moreover, 2 months of inactivity left me a little spare tire around my waist. So I have some work to do from now until May (just a deadline I'm giving myself). By then, I hope to have a trim waist while not losing any muscle mass.

My lower body routine today looked like this:

1. Stretch calves, hips, pecs
2. 10 minute warm up on the stationary bike
3. Ball squats 2 x 15
4. Overhead squat with barbell 3 x 12
5. Barbell squats 3 x 12
6. Romanian deadlift 3 x 12
7. Hanging leg raises 2 x 20
8. Back extensions 2 x 20
9. 22 minutes HIIT on stationary bike
10. Stretch calves, hamstrings, quads, hips, lats, low back, pecs
11. Leg raise with rotation from sitting
12.Plank, side blank, ball bridge (twice each for 30 seconds)

I had a good workout and my knee felt fine after. I think I will stick with this for the month :)

Happy New Year!

2009-01-19T23:19:00.003+08:00

OK, so I am a little late... but hey, Chinese New Year is next week, so I'm still on time, technically.

Anyways, just an update for 2009. I have pretty much been inactive for about 2 months. Working a new job and going through physiotherapy for my whacky knee. It's a bummer but I need to rest and heal. Since my last post, I have switched gyms... from a leisure-type gym for executives (Seasons Fitness) to a musclehead gym (Physical) close to where I work and live. So far, I have been doing mostly full-body routines and rehab exercises for my bad knee. Deep squats and lunges are out of the question. I did lunges last week and felt pain in my knee for the next few days.

Starting today, I will be switcing to an upper-body/lower-body split. With the lower-body day focussing mainly on rehab exercises and cardio. See how that pans out for the next month or so. I will be posting my routines for my own reference.

Today's workout:

Decline bench press, 5 x 5
Bentover row, 5 x 5
Standing military press, 5 x 5
Underhand grip lat pulldown, 5 x 5
Dips, 5 x 5
Hammerstrength rows, 5 x 5
Hanging leg raises, 2 x 20

Stationary bike - 20 minutes HIIT

I will post my knee rehab routine later.

Dumbbell/Kettlebell Snatches and Swings

2008-10-22T21:20:00.004+08:00

It seems that I have a case of Hamstring Tendonitis. It gets worse whenever I run or walk, especially on uneven surfaces, for a prolonged period of time. This means that for me to rehabilitate, I need to lay off most cardio machines like treadmills. Sometimes when I reinjure the tendon from exercise, I have to give any and all leg exercises a break.

So what I have found to be a good substitute for cardio machines that involve use of the legs, are Dumbbell Snatches, and Dumbbell Swings. Both can be performed with a kettlebell, but I don't have one at my gym.

For a good cardio workout, choose a weight that you can do 20 to 30 reps with. Do 4 sets of 25 reps each side. That's 100 reps per side.

Dumbbell Snatch:

Dumbbell Swing:

MOLSON MUSCLE?

2008-09-25T19:03:00.003+08:00

Do you drink? I do. I love going out, socialising and partying. But for a gym-rat, or an athlete, or just someone who wants to stay in shape, the question of how much alcohol consumption is too much always seem to arise. If you are a drinker concerned about developing a beer belly, take a look at the following article.

Alcohol and Muscle

My "Field Exposure" at Seasons Fitness

2008-09-22T13:27:00.003+08:00

I just completed a 3 day "Field Exposure Program" at my gym, Seasons Fitness here in Hong Kong. It is a unique program where they allow "trainers-to-be" a chance to work alongside a mentor-trainer for 3 shifts and at the end of it, design a program for a selected member of the gym.

The first 2 days, I had to conduct "Fitness Interviews" with 10 gym members. Some of the questions include:
- What type of exercises do you do at the gym?
- How many time a week do you come to the gym
- What are your fitness goals?
- Do you participate in any of the classes?
- Do you play any sports?
- Do you have any prior injuries that prevent you from doing certain exercises?

From this information, my mentor Henry Chan, who has been a PT for around 15 years, chose one out of the ten members interviewed for me to design a program for.

On the third day, I presented my program for a member who experiences knee pain while running on a treadmill. Both Henry and Sam, the Fitness Manager, were present to critique my program design and give me tips and advice about making it in the industry in HK. They pointed out that while my program started off very good, it progressed the client faster than I should because, well... I have to remember that physical fitness may not be the client's priority, so working them too hard may work against me as a trainer. Makes sense, especially since Seasons is located inside the Citibank building and 95% of the members are bankers!

While I won't be working at Seasons anytime soon (they are fully staffed as far as male PT's go), this experience has taught me a lot and is another entry on my CV (resume). This week I'm going to have to put in some footwork around HK and find me a gig :)

Women: "I don't lift weights because I don't want to get bulky"

2008-09-16T15:09:00.005+08:00

Too many times I have heard female friends of mine say that they don't want to lift weights because it will give them bulky muscles. This is just absurd. Women do not have testosterone levels like men which enables us to grow big muscles. Plus, it takes years of lifting HEAVY weights while following a strict diet for a man to achieve such musculature. A women, not on steroids, lifting light weights just cannot achieve the same results.

Well, here is a good article that should put this subject to rest:

Women and Bulky Muscles

Switching from treadmill to bike

2008-09-14T14:45:00.007+08:00

If you are a long time treadmill runner, it may be wise to switch to the stationary bike for a while. Reason being that running strengthens your hamstrings, and thus you may end up with strong hamstrings and weak quadriceps. This muscle imbalance can cause knee pains and/or injury.

Cycling, on the other hand, places focus on the quads and also gives your knees, ankles and feet a much needed break from the pounding it takes from running. Therefore balancing your leg muscles, front and back.

Correct form for biking: Keep your back straight and your head lifted. Look forward over the handlebars. This keeps your neck in line with your spine which will help you breathe easier. Adjust the height of the seat so that your knees do not lockout when your feet is at the lowest position, always maintain a slight bend at the knee.

Stability ball for Martial Arts

2008-09-10T18:29:00.005+08:00

I've been looking at quite a few stability ball exercises for martial arts training, and this one I find is one of the best for Jiu-Jitsu players and grapplers. Excellent video and instructional:

The Stability Ball Skier

2008-09-09T22:47:00.003+08:00

A VERY challenging core stability exercise I did today is the "Skier" on a stability ball.

Here's how you do it. Place you knees on the ball and hands on the floor, face down, as if you are about to do a knee roll-in. But instead of pulling your knees towards your chest, you twist from side to side like a pendulum. Your core gets absolutely worked as you try to keep your balance on the ball. Try to swing to each side 5 times. total of 10 per set. (btw, I can't even do that yet!!!)

Losing that gut that never seems to go away?

2008-09-04T21:36:00.002+08:00

You've been lifting weights. You've spent hours per week doing cardio. You've been following a strict diet for the past few months. But somehow, you still have a little spare tire around your waist. What gives?

Well, if you spend most of your days sitting at work, driving, sitting at home, etc... then take a peep at this article and see if it applies to you.

Anterior Pelvic Tilt

Animation: How to do push ups

2008-09-03T18:22:00.003+08:00

Here's a fun animated video I found on how to do push-ups correctly. I see too many people looking up while they are doing push ups. Remember to look down on the floor, keeping your back and neck aligned.

Simple Protein Shake Recipe

2008-09-02T22:31:00.007+08:00

A simple protein shake recipe taken from the book "Muscle Chow" by Gregg Avedon:

Ingredients:
2 cups (16 oz) cold water
1.5 - 2 scoops of protein powder
1 tblspoon lecithin granules
1 teaspoon L-glutamine powder

Procedure:
1. Combine all ingredients in a 16 oz bottle.
2. Shake well.
3. Drink.

Stay tuned for more fat-burning, muscle-building recipes from this well acclaimed book from the editors of Men's Health magazine.

Common Technique Mistakes (articles)

2008-08-29T00:35:00.004+08:00

Here's 2 great articles about common technique mistakes. Take note. I think I am guilty of a few of these myself.

5 More Common Technique Mistakes

5 Common Technique Mistakes

Gigantic Sets

2008-08-28T23:04:00.002+08:00

I assume that you know about "supersets". Doing 2 sets of different exercises back to back with no rest in between. A "triset" would be doing 3 sets of different exercises back to back to back, no rest. For bodybuilding purposes, you will be doing exercises for the same muscle in these sets.

Now, a "Giant Set" is 4 sets of different exercises done back to back to back to back with no rest in between each set. For bodybuilding purposes, you target the same muscle for each exercise, doing 8-10 reps, starting with the exercise with which you can lift the heaviest and work your way down. for example, for back:

bentover rows
chin ups
wide grip lat pulldowns
seated cable row

For fat loss purposes, you can do 4 exercises targeting different muscles. For example:

Squats
chest press
lunges
lat pull downs

And do high reps for each set, 12-20 reps with a lighter load than what you would normally lift. This really taxes your body and you will be burning more calories for hours or even days to come.

Throw away your scales (or hide it)

2008-08-26T14:01:00.006+08:00

If you've been working out for a month or two, but see that you haven't lost as much weight as you thought you would, don't fret over it. If you've been consistent in your workouts, and following a proper nutrition plan, you should be losing FAT and gaining MUSCLE.

For example, if you were 150 lbs before you started working out last month, and now you are 148 lbs. You'd probably think you're not getting the results you want seeing as you've only lost 2 pounds. But in reality, you may have lost 6 pounds of fat, but gained 4 pounds of muscle.

Scales can be deceiving. You should not judge your progress by how many pounds you've lost (or gained). Instead, you should be checking your BODY FAT PERCENTAGE for a more accurate measure of the effectiveness of your training/nutrition program.

I just went for a fitness assessment yesterday and the BIA machine read that my body fat percentage is 17%... which is at the high end of normal for my age group. I don't know how accurate those devices are, but still... time to switch up my routine and get that down a few points!

Here's how you can calulate your Body Fat Percentage
See how much body fat is healthy for you

Farewell Beijing!

2008-08-24T23:24:00.005+08:00

What an amazing 16 days! Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt... need I say more? And as an ethnic Chinese, I am very proud of the Chinese athletes, especially the weightlifting team who almost swept the event with 8 golds and a silver. As a Canadian citizen, we exceeded expectations with 18 total medals, 6 more than what we had in Athens. And as a Hong Kong native, well, HK didn't get any medals but it was great to be in Hong Kong during these olympics and to share the spirit with its 7 million inhabitants.

Many world records were broken over the past 2 weeks (maybe the smog helped, haha), and the controversies leading up to the event are nothing but a footnote to an otherwise highly successful olympics.

Kudos to Beijing for hosting such a spectaclar event. Looking forward to London 2012! In the meantime, I think I am done with watching tv for a while and get back to normal life, LOL