My Plan for the Summer

Life has not been going so well for me as of late, but I've still been going to the gym. My goal was to be "ho-ready" for a summer in China, in the words of YouTube's Chris Jones of Physiques of Greatness, but it looks like I'm stuck in America for the foreseeable future. This does not stop me from trying to improve my body and increase my strength.

While I am here in my hometown with access to a cheap, but effective gym membership, I plan to lift at least five times a week. So far, I have been accomplishing this goal. I have been doing more dropsets, lifting heavy and constantly trying to increase the amount of weight that I move each week. I am shooting to do three to five reps with heavy weight, then drop down and do six to eight reps right after with the usual weight that I'd move for maintenance. I am seeing great results with muscular growth and definition so far, and psychologically it feels great to know that I am increasing my strength.

Aside from lifting, I have continued with my heavy bag workouts for cardio, and I will be getting back into boxing soon. Also, while I was apprehensive to do so at first due to its feminized nature, I have begun taking Zumba classes once a week. This has been helping me with my flexibility to a degree, provides a great full-body workout, is good cardio, and it gives me something new to learn that I might be able to teach abroad if I master it. If I were into Latinas I'd certainly enjoy the eye candy there too.

If anything exciting comes up, I'll be sure to blog about it here, but for the time being it's business as usual.

Gym Experiences in China Part 1

I'm back in America, and one of the things that I missed about being in the States is my local gym. I've been back at it for about two weeks now, and I'm getting much of my strength and muscle mass back. For the time being, I am on a four-day split, but I hope to get back to a five-day split by the end of next month if my schedule allows it.

Of the three cities that I went to in China, Guangzhou probably has the best gym culture. I visited three different gyms in the Panyu District of Guangzhou, and they all had decent rates and equipment. Unfortunately, the names were all in Chinese or Chinglish, and I didn't note the addresses (I just memorized landmarks in the areas to walk there).

The first gym was about five minutes away from the hotel that I was staying at (assuming lulls in traffic which would allow me to cross the street). It was on the fifth floor of a shopping complex that included a grocery store, so one could effectively pick up their post-workout meals right after lifting. This facility was easily the best of the three, and had redundant weight machines, dumbbells up to 70 kg (that's a bit over 150 pounds), loads of treadmills and other cardio machines, heavy bags, and a boxing ring. This gym really appealed to me because I wanted to get into boxing overseas. Unfortunately, I seemed to be the only person into boxing when I was there, so that didn't become a reality. This gym was the most expensive to purchase a weekly membership at, but had I stayed for a year, I could have gotten in on a special which would have made it the cheapest.

The other two gyms that I visited were in the Panyu Friendship Square shopping center. Both of these gyms were smaller, but had an atmosphere that would appeal to people that are in the gym to do some serious lifting. Dumbbells went up to 100 kg (about 220 pounds; nobody touched these), and the machines, while old, were efficient. one of these gyms was about twice as expensive as the other, and all that they had on the cheaper gym was more treadmills and a single heavy bag. I opted for the cheaper gym at 200 RMB per week (yes, I know, your boy probably got cheated on that one).

This gym did not have air conditioning, so it was almost like working out in a sauna. The humid Guangzhou air made me sweat bullets after the first set. The atmosphere was almost like a dungeon as well due to the dim lights. Some people like dim lights at the gym, but I am used to having a brighter lighting scheme. This doesn't really bother me either way, as long as I can see what I'm doing, but it was a change.

Next time I will talk about some of the characters that I encountered and interacted with at the gym. Stay tuned!

Fitness Goals for 2014

Another year has passed, and it is time to reflect upon last year's goals, and prepare for the goals of the next.

My goals for 2013 were a bit lofty, but I did accomplish some of them. I succeeded in working two muscle groups per workout at the gym, and I did increase my intensity and make strength gains in numerous exercises, particularly decline benching and T-bar rows. I also came very close to putting on the five pounds of muscle that I was looking for. It seems that I need to eat more, and I'll be tailoring a diet that allows me to do so without having to start writing for hipster magazines.

I had my share of fitness failures in 2013 as well. I did not hit my bag thirty minutes a day like I said that I would. Increasing my volume and intensity left me too sore on most days, and I did get lazy. I only stepped in the ring once all year, and that was to spar. That can count as a semi-victory, I suppose.

As for 2014, my resolutions are to be able to cable crunch 95 pounds, bench 225 on the decline for a solid three reps, and to improve my diet by the end of the year. These goals are not as lofty a last year's, but I intend to develop more goals throughout the course of 2014. Fitness is a priority in my life, but I also have other goals such as improving my social skills, garnering more income, saving more, etc.. Perhaps we will see how all of these things interconnect.

Happy New Year, and good luck accomplishing your goals in the gym!

Staying True to My Resolutions (So Far)

I have been keeping up with my resolutions for 2013 so far, although I wish that I hadn't set my goals so high. I have been in the gym five days a week working two muscle groups as I proposed, and I have also been hitting my heavy bag. This is really taking its toll on me, especially my shoulders.

Some people in the fitness community say that there is no such thing as over-training, and that one should always bear through the pain. I am of the belief that one does have to workout through pain to reach their goals, but that over-training can occur. I'm going to keep it up, but I may have to break my promises and take a rest from the heavy bag on some days. I will say this though: hitting the heavy bag has been keeping me sane and keeping me lean!

How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions? I hope that you are fulfilling them and exceeding your expectations!

Sick Day Leg Day

Usually I don't hit the gym on Saturdays with my current split, but I had planned to work legs with my friend. Unfortunately, I woke up dreadfully sick in a puddle of my own drool this morning (I ended up sleeping with my mouth open since my nose was too clogged to breathe).

I was still determined, however, since I didn't want to break my promise and I have a personal goal of hitting the gym at least five times (four times remaining) before the end of the year. After breakfast, I went a couple of rounds on the heavy bag to try to clear my congestion. Although I was unable to give it my all, my plan worked, and I was able to clear myself up somewhat and loosen up my stiff joints. i gave my friend a call, but he was busy. That's understandable, and there is no love loss between him and I.

I came into this world alone, and I go to the gym alone most of the time, so I still worked the legs. My illness took some of my breath away, so I had to take longer rest periods, but I am still satisfied with today's workout. I even threw in a few pullups for good measure. I actually feel much better after my workout, but I know that I'm going to need plenty of bed rest and fluid.

Speaking of fluid, I've decided to start taking whey supplements again. Instead of using them to replace a post-workout meal, however, I'm going to be using them to increase my caloric intake. I'll take them post-workout, then an hour later, I'll have my post-workout meal. Depending on how my body (digestive tract, most importantly) reacts to them, I might stagger my intake of whey protein.

One day down, four to go. Making gainz into 2013 and beyond!

A Change in Plans for the Week of 11/26/2012

I've been off of supplements for about a month and a half now. I'm eating lots more and working out harder, which is working better for me than using whey, at least for now. Most of my gains have been muscular, but eating lots of food will undoubtedly cause me to gain some fat too. This can be expected when going through a bulking phase, but I'd still like to keep some of the fat off. It follows that I will have to add cardio back into my weekly routine, which will cause me to change my weekly schedule for the time being.

I hit legs on Sunday. Rather than doing a full regimen as I typically do, I did a "super pyramid" of ten sets, with each set consisting of a set of squats followed immediately by a set of standing calf raises. This super pyramid consisted of 3 sets of 15 with 45 pounds on each side, 3 sets of 12 with 50 pounds on each side, 3 sets of 10 with 55 on each side, and one set of 8 with 60 pounds on each side for good measure. This workout was just as effective as my typical leg day routine if not more so (my legs seemed to bulge out more after yesterday's workout than they typically do).

Today (Monday), I hit my pecs. I focused more on doing decline bench presses than I usually do. I did 3 sets of 10 with 35 pounds on each side, then from there, I did a pyramid consisting of one set of 10 with 35 pounds on each side, one set of 8 with 40 on each side, and one set of 6 with 45 on each side. I realized that my left shoulder was still a bit sore from hitting the heavy bag on Saturday, but I pushed myself to do 2 sets of flat bench presses with 45 pounds on each side, 3 sets of incline bench presses with 25 pounds on each side, 4 sets of body weight dips, and 3 sets of 8 on the iso-lateral machine with 60 pounds on each side. I ended my workout by doing a super set of 30 leg raises in the "captain's chair" for my lower abs.

As for the remainder of the week, I intend to hit my lats and do cardio tomorrow (Tuesday), hit my core on Wednesday or Thursday, then hit my shoulders and arms on Friday. I'll end the week by taking a jog and hitting my heavy bag on Saturday for cardio. I will take either Wednesday or Thursday off to rest and run errands; I'm running low on food supplies and I'll need my fuel after all.

Gainz Report: 10/16/2012

This week is going to be very busy for me, but I still plan on getting my four days at the gym in; two days have been completed so far.

All of my hard work has paid off, even if it is to a very small extent. I have gained a pound over the past two weeks. I am a very hard gainer, especially since I don't like to eat much. It's going to take hard work to reach my goals (and beyond), but my time spent in the gym certainly is not in vain.

Is it OK to Compare Yourself to Others?

Many bodybuilders and fitness gurus will tell you that you shouldn't compare yourself to others. I'm not an authority in the field, but I must say that I disagree (to an extent, at least).

Personally, I do like to compare myself to others at times since it gives me a benchmark to strive for. In some cases, it also helps me to feel comfortable about myself. Seeing that not every professional wrestler, boxer, or MMA fighter has rock-hard abs makes me feel more comfortable with the fact that I don't have a defined six-pack abs yet.

Do not be ashamed if you make comparisons between yourself and others, as long as you retain focus on your goals. If comparing yourself to others diverts from your progress, then you should avoid doing it. Do not feel guilty if you don't have another person's physique (yet), and don't get too cocky thinking that you are better than the next person. Remember that you are exercising to get your body into the shape that you want it to be in, not to be a carbon copy of someone else. Comparing myself to others gives me an extra drive to pursue my goals at times, but I always make sure to pursue my own goals that I set for myself.

Until next time, keep pushing yourselves.

Staying Focused

When you commit to an exercise regimen (or just about anything in life), it is best to stay focused on your goals. If you are beginning, you may search the Web far and wide, talk to personal trainers, or seek friends for advice. This is all well and good, but if their suggestions cause you to divert from your own personal fitness goals, you may just find yourself discarding some of their advice.

As you progress, you may also find yourself distracted by some of the "byproducts" of getting into shape. Attention from the opposite sex, compliments, and so on are great, but you should not get sidetracked by them either. Focus on your own goals, keep them in mind at all times when you are working out, and you will be better able to give it your all. Now if your goal was to attract a mate or get compliments, then I guess that you should focus on these things; more power to you!