Training to be Better
Since a couple of you guys have been asking me about my training regime, I guess there is no harm in sharing it. However, I still have to throw caution to the wind. I am not a trainer and most of the time it’s experimenting, trial and error. I will adopt new training methods whenever I feel I hit a plateau. So I am just sharing my personal experience here.
Well, obviously I can’t start without giving you all some background,LOL. I have been training for a full year and the gain is modest. But way before that, I was struggling with health issues, i.e. ACL, slipped discs, overweight. I don’t feel good at all. Lethargic, slow, clumsy and all. At 1.77 cm, my weight was hovering around 86 kg. I'm not in the obese range and I didn't plan to either.
And not that I do not want to do something about it. I tried. But procrastination always wants a stake in everything. I tried jogging, falters after a few rounds. Basketball. Well,it seems to rain every time I picked up that ball. Wobbly knee cap, gunpla, worn out shoes, no time, no mood, no gear, Thanos got all 6 stones, we’ll die anyway etc etc.
Yes, ALL sorts of excuses. Most of the time, I stayed uninspired, lazy.
Well, all that changed when I signed up for the gym under the influence of my wife. I did not like the gym culture initially but to my surprise, I totally embraced it after my first official tryout. I didn't look back. I guess it was one of the best things that happened to me in my life.
The first thing I changed was my mindset. Then the lifestyle part. Nothing is going to happen if I do not commit myself to the cause. It’s not about paying lip service and putting things off indefinitely. It’s about doing it, right here, right now. Nobody’s going to help me. I just had to make up my damn mind and do it!
I like to reiterate that training and diet goes hand in hand. It's more like 20% training and 80% diet. And when I say diet, I'm not saying to starve yourself to death but to be more aware of what you eat and cutting down or zero all those junk food. Alas, it's good to indulge yourself once in awhile but why tempt yourself?
There are hundreds of theories and methodologies out there. It’s impossible to know what works for you unless you engage a personal trainer. I didn’t have that luxury so I spent the first few months groping in the dark. Sustained a wrist injury in the process and that literally took me months to heal.
Initially, I went with the machines which were easier to train with. And also because I felt that I am not strong enough to do free weights. But come to think of it, I should have start with free weights to train my core muscles and form instead.
I will probably make a fool of myself trying to explain Strength and Hypertrophy training. But I will attempt and keep it simple.
Strength training Basically, it is the body's ability to produce force to move weights. It strengthens muscles, building endurance and improving muscle function. Not to mention burning calories, improve metabolism, increase lean muscle mass. So if you want to lose weight, go for resistance type of weight training. And for people age 40 and above like me, it's good for maintenance and protect the bones.
Hypertrophy Training. Three things. Muscle tension (MT), metabolic stress (MS) and muscle damage (MD). MT is how you keep your muscles under constant tension during training. It's good to learn the eccentric and concentric process. For example, bicep curls, you tense your bicep at the peak of the lift and hold for a second, then slowly brings it down. But before your even lock your elbow, bring it up again and repeat the process. This way, you put your bicep under constant stress. Even with lighter weights, it will be busted in no time. MS is the "pump" you achieved after a hard workout. That swell. It is the "switch" that turns on the cells for growth, causing swelling as the body pulls more water into the cells. MD is lifting weights that damage the muscles (in a good way). This forces the body to repair itself by patching those micro tears and making the muscles denser and hence, increase in size.
Well, it's easy to come up with theories but all of these only matters if you hit the gym regularly and consistently. And also having the right nutrition and supplements (if necessary). This has proven to be a stumbling block for me up until now as I can't get that right mix and not eating enough.
OK, back to my training schedule. This will be a typical three week training, I split them to one week strength followed by two weeks hypertrophy. I start with a 5 minutes warm up on the treadmill with 2-4 mins rest in between sets for Strength and 30s rest for hypertrophy. I tend to lift heavier weight furing strength training and hence the lesser reps.
Strength
Monday
Chest - 4 sets, 10,8,6,4 reps Barbell Bench Press
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Standing Cable Flyes
Incline Cable Flyes
Incline Svend Press
Heel Taps - 3/20 per side
Reverse Crunches - 3/15
Floor Wipers - 3/10 per side
Tuesday
Back - 4 sets, 10,8,6,4 reps Lat Pull-down
Standing Iso DB Row
Wide Grip Lat Pull-down
T-bar Low Rows
Dumbell Pullovers
HIT Cardio - 15 mins
Wednesday
Legs - 4 sets, 10,8,6,4 reps
Barbell Squats
Deadlifts
Leg Press (SS)
Leg Extensions (SS)
Prone Leg Curls
Standing Calf Raises - 4/16,12,10,8
Calf Press - 4/16,12,10,8
Thursday
Arms - 4 sets, 10,8,6,4 reps Barbell Curls
EZ Bar Curls
Rope Hammer Curls
Close Grip Bench Press
EZ Bar Skull Crushers
Rope Triceps Extensions
Dumbbell V Ups - 3/10
Oblique Roll Down - 3/15 per side
Hanging Leg Raises weight - 3/10
Friday
Shoulders - 4 sets, 10,8,6,4 reps
Dumbbell Shoulder Press (SS)
Dumbbell Lateral Raises (SS)
Rear Delt Flyes
Dumbbell Front Raise (SS)
Dumbbell Shrugs (SS)
HIT Cardio - 15 mins
Saturday (Rest)
Designated rest day.
Stretching, brisk walk or light jogging
Sunday
Arms - 4 sets, 10,8,6,4 reps Barbell Curls
EZ Bar Curls
Rope Hammer Curls
Close Grip Bench Press
EZ Bar Skull Crushers
Rope Triceps Extensions
Heel Taps - 3/20 per side
Reverse Crunches - 3/15
Floor Wipers - 3/10 per side
Hydrotropy
Monday
Chest - 3/20,16,12 Barbell Bench Press
Flat Dumbbell Bench Press
Incline Cable Flyes
Dumbbell Flyes
Heel Taps - 3/20 per side
Reverse Crunches - 3/15
Floor Wipers -3/10 per side
Tuesday
Back - 3/20,16,12 Lat Pulldowns
Bent Over Barbell Row
V-Grip Lat Pulldowns
Straight Arm Pulldowns
Wide Grip Cable Row
HIT Cardio - 15 mins
Wednesday
Legs - 3/15,12,10
Barbell Squats
Deadlifts
Leg Press (SS)
Bulgarian Split Squat (SS)
Prone Leg Curls
Single Leg Extensions
Standing Calf Raises - 3/20,16,12
Calf Press - 3/20,16,12
Thursday
Arms - 3/20,16,12 Incline Bench Alt Curls
Cross Body Hammer Curls
Pronated EZ Bar Curls
Incline Skull Crushers
Rope Triceps Extensions
Dumbbell V Ups - 3/15
Oblique Roll Down - 3/15 per side
Hanging Leg Raises weight -3/10
Friday
Shoulders - 3/20,16,12
Arnold Press
Rear Delt Flyes
Angled Lateral Raise
Dumbbell Front Raise
Dumbbell Shrugs
HIT Cardio - 15 mins
Saturday (Rest)
Designated rest day.
Stretching, brisk walk or light jogging
Sunday
Arms - 3/20,16,12 Barbell Curls
EZ Bar Curls (SS)
EZ Bar Skull Crushers (SS)
Rope Hammer Curls (SS)
Close Grip Bench Press (SS)
Rope Triceps Extensions
Heel Taps - 3/20 per side
Reverse Crunches - 3/15
Floor Wipers - 3/10 per side
Points to note:-
1. I am not a pro-trainer and the above program is catered to my training goals. So it may not be suitable for you. I'm just putting up for your reference since some of you have been asking me about it. Be mindful and do your homework before starting a training regime.
2. Mindset. If you don't change your mindset, you can't change anything. Don't take this as punishment. Learn to enjoy the process. Take it as if you’re embarking on a journey of self discovery. Integrate it into your lifestyle. Only then will you able to sustain in the long run.
3. Consistency. Once you start, don't stop. Stick to the regime, do not deviate. There will be days you feel like shit and just switch off. DON'T! Get up and train. Cast all that thoughts out. It's easy when you practice it all in your head. Visualize yourself in the gym the day before. It helps.
4. Time-out. Know your body, learn to heed your body. Look out for warning signs. If you need to rest, rest. Try to keep your workouts under an hour excluding warm-ups and cool-downs. I know some folks who train up to 2 hours in one session. But I have no idea if it is a good thing but my schedule doesn’t allow that. And of course, drink lots of water. Wear appropriate gear. And I'm not referring to loafers!
5. Ego comes knocking. Leave your ego at the door. It’s not about who can lift the heaviest or whose biceps are bigger. Start light and slow to prevent injuries which will hamper progress even further. Lift within your capability and slowly work your way up. Of course unless you want to star in some Fail Army Utube video. By all means :)
6. Form and Posture. To fully maximize and reap in the benefits of your weight training, learn the proper posture/form and execution. Don’t simply go through the motion. Make every rep count. Otherwise you are just wasting time (and money) in the gym.
7. Mind to Muscle connection. It’s good to learn about the anatomy of the body. How the muscles and joints are connected. Engaging and utilizing the muscles efficiently stresses the hell out of them. These cause micro tears in the muscle fibers thus promoting growth.
8. You are what you eat. It is true that working out only accounts for approx 10% of your overall conditioning. Do not expect to lose weight or fat if you continue to put rubbish into your mouth. A well balanced diet is the key and out goes the junk food and sugar loaded drinks. If you can’t stop the craving, you can’t lose the spare tire.
9. Goals. Set small, realistic goals. You are not going to be a hulk by the end of the year (or ever for that matter!). People train for years to get to where they are now. Set attainable short term goals. Being ambitious is good unless you are ultra focused and supremely motivated. Otherwise it will just stifled your interest, kill your drive and ultimately your passion.
10. Change. Alternate your training schedule every now and then. Add in a set or two, switch your training days. Mix and match. Catch your body off-guard when it's cruising. The body is a very efficient machine and can acclimatize to stress rather quickly. So you must always be looking for ways to up the ante. Alternating training programs or upping the intensity works for me. Sometimes I change my morning sessions to the evening. This actually shocks the body as I woke up sore the following day. Your body is pretty cunning if you hasn’t notice already. So you need to be a step ahead of it every time.
11. Genetics. Yeah, it sucks. Some of us are genetically predisposition to a body type and probably not so well endowed in the muscle department. I don't know if you believe genetics plays a part but my dad is skinny and I am in that frame more or less. Although I gained mass compared to a year ago, I know realistically I can't be like the big hulkish folks you see in the gym. Not that I want to be frankly.
So that's it! I can go on and on as there are so many areas to cover. I'm learning as I go as you can see. Hope this gives you an inkling what I do in the gym. And WHY I strayed from Gunpla to Gyming. Because ultimately health is everything you need. Can't do shit if you're weak, sick or both. Keeping a fresh mind and constantly challenging the body gives me the energy I need to push myself everyday. These days, I am more focused, stronger, more confident.
So what more can I ask for?
It will be great if my gym operates 24 hours of course!
