Day 569: Making it count

Day 569

I was tempted this evening to make a quick non-committed workout, as I am distracted a bit planning my upcoming weekend trip.  But I thought, why waste my time?  Better make it count!

Today’s training plan was:

1. Barbell hang muscle snatches  (4X3)
2. Single-leg Romanian deadlifts (10, 8, 8, 6)
3. Cable rope face pulls (10, 8, 8, 6)
4. Single-arm pulldowns (10, 8, 8, 6)
5. Seated Russian twists (4X10)
6. Side planks (4X45s)

As I was feeling a bit good while doing the muscle snatches, I opted to go over my initial target and went for a fifth set, adding 2.5 kg to the bar over my planned max.

The single-arm pulldowns were also a challenge, and I really had to pull hard to get the handle down to my shoulders as well as try to keep my grip intact without much pain.

Eat right, train hard, expect success!

Day 568: Planning a weekend trip

Day 568

I started this week’s training schedule one day early (on Sunday), as I have planned to go to Krakow this coming Friday weekend with my project partners from Manila, getting back to Gdynia on Monday morning.  Both journeys will be by overnight train.  That means a lot of planning has been going on making reservations and planning what to do in that historic city.  I’m really looking forward to the trip!

I did not allow myself to be distracted from training though.  Tonight’s training was as follows:

1. Narrow-grip barbell hang snatch (4X3)
2. Front squats (10, 8, 8, 6)
3. Dumbbell flat bench presses (10, 8, 8, 6)
4. Barbell push presses (10, 8, 8, 6)
5. Woodchops (4X10)
6. Planks (30/35/40/45s)

I tried to go as heavy as I can on the hang snatches while trying to maintain proper form.  Though I was able to bring the barbell up on all reps (up to 50kg), I wasn’t too satisfied with the form so I am keeping that weight for next time.

No such problems with front squats, where I was able to push myself to better my previous cycle.  The dumbbell flat bench presses were more difficult for me.  The remaining exercises went to plan, being able to add weight on the push press and keeping good form on the core exercises.

Day 566: Clean pulls

Day 566

Today the weather hovered around 0 to 2 °C during the daytime and a little bit cooler as evening fell, so it was quite refreshing and comfortable to walk out at night toward the gym.

Today’s training was as follows:

1. Barbell clean pulls (4X3)
2. Good mornings (10, 8, 8, 6)
3. Single-arm cable rows (10, 8, 8, 6)
4. Wide-grip pullups (10, 8, 8, 6)
5. Horizontal cable parallel rotations (4X10)
6. Side planks + Reaches (30s, 35s, 40s, 45s)

With the barbell clean pulls, I decided not to go for maximum load but instead focus on getting the movement right.  I realized that I have not been doing a proper pull especially if I try to do it with very heavy weights.  So after some build-up sets, I got to a heavy weight and focused on driving my feet into the ground and pushing my hips forward while keeping the bar quite closed to my legs.  I found that this allowed me to pull with a smooth movement without straining my back as much as I have been doing during my past sessions.

The next two exercises went to plan, where I was able to add some weight relative to my last training session.  That is until the wide-grip pullups.  I was able to do the first set of 10, but could not yet complete the other sets after around a minute of rest in between, falling short by a few reps.  I guess I do not recover that quickly with pullups, especially after doing several pull exercises beforehand.

Eat right, train hard, and expect success!

Day 565: A little bit of (almost) warmth

Day 565

Saturday the 30th was forecast to be a little warmer (0 °C) with just a little chance of snow, so it was a good opportunity for my colleagues from Manila and I to go see the Old Town (Stare Miasto) of Gdańsk, the main city in the region.  Though we started a bit late (after a night of bowling and drinking Friday night with our business partners), we were able to see quite a bit.  Though the temperature reached as high as 3 °C (positive at last) just past midday, it quickly got much colder as the sun began to hide behind clouds in the afternoon.  By the time we finished, it was as chilly as -6 °C.

Today Sunday the 31st, we then went to see Sopot, the third town in the “Tricity” (with Gdynia, where I am staying).  It is a seaside resort/spa town, the most famous in Poland, so there were many people walking about on this sunny day.  However, the temperature stayed at -6 °C.  I was able to get some interesting pictures though.

Right after we got back from our visit to Sopot, I went to the gym to do a mostly “push” routine:

1. Barbell jump shrugs (4X3)
2. Bulgarian split squats (10, 8, 8, 6)
3. Reverse-grip barbell bench presses (10, 8, 8, 6)
4. Dumbbell push presses (10, 8, 8, 6)
5. Corkscrews (4X10)
6. Planks (30s, 35s, 40s, 45s)

I finished just as the gym closed at 17:00, and walked back out into the chilly night air.

Day 562: Deep in snow

Day 562

It was a trudge through thick fresh snow as I walked my way to the gym tonight.  It has been snowing here in northern Poland for two days straight, and by now all the pedestrian walkways are covered in snow, in some areas around where I am staying, up to mid-calf.  It was still snowing quite heavily as I walked with my gym bag.  Remarkably, after almost two and a half weeks here in Poland, this is the first time the thermometer has hit 0 °C outside.

Today was a pull workout consisting of the following:

1. Barbell hang cleans (4X3)
2. Single-leg back extensions (10/8/8/6)
3. Horizontal pullups(10/8/8/6)
4. Side-to-side pullups(10/8/8/6)
5. Medicine ball 1-2-3-throws (4X10)
6. Dynamic planks (4X30-45s)

I did not push to get a PB on the hang cleans today, but instead tried to focus on the proper catch.  I feel that my catch could be a lot better, especially as I clean heavier weights.  I tend to either catch it too high and the knurled center part of the bar scrapes my neck, or a bit too low that my hands have to work to roll the bar down to the crook of my shoulder and arm.  This session allowed me to experiment with my technique.

For the side-to-side pullups, it is still a challenge for me to do the 3rd and 4th sets to completion, but I just tried to do the best I could.  I also could not find any medicine balls at the gym (they’re probably hidden away in the group exercise room where the foam rollers are, so I could not get to either), so I just used a small weight plate and held on to it as I tried to “throw” it on the 4th count.  I know how much damage those plates can do if I let them fly!

By this time, I am really aching to start another body transformation mission; I just have to plan it out well.  It’s really difficult to do this on the road when I am staying in a hotel, so hopefully my next work project will be a bit more conducive to fitness missions.

Day 560: Not business as usual

Day 560

Today I went to the gym for my “push” workout.  It wasn’t as cold (-6 °C) this evening compared to yesterday (-11 °C), so the walk to the gym was relatively pleasant.  The gym wasn’t as packed as it was yesterday, so I set about my exercises.

1. Dumbbell snatches (4X3)
2. Split squats (10/8/8/6)
3. Side-to-side pushups (10/8/8/6)
4. Jackknife pushups (10/8/8/6)
5. Push-pull cable twist (4X10)
6. Side planks (4X30-45s)

I tried to beat my personal best on the dumbbell snatches, but I wasn’t able to do the three reps on my last two sets.  I think this is because I was still a bit fatigued from yesterday’s training.

The other exercises went okay.  However, I encountered a snag when I was to do the cable twist exercise.  I needed the two sides of the cable crossover apparatus, but there was one woman who was doing endless sets of overhead rope triceps presses and upright rows on one side of the machine.  I must have waited more than 15 minutes for her to finish, staying right beside her as she completely ignored me while I waited.  In frustration, I decided to do the side planks first, just right beside the machine.  I did one side facing away (30 seconds), then switched to the other side.  Lo and behold!  The woman had finished her sets, and two men had quickly replaced her on the cable machine, doing wrist curls!  Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait too long for them to finish their exercises once I finished my sets of side planks.

After completing my workout and drinking my protein shake, I walked back to my hotel, planning to have my dinner in the hotel restaurant as I usually do, right after I took my pictures.  Unfortunately, the main water pipe at the hotel got damaged, flooding the kitchen and part of the reception area, so the restaurant was closed!  I decided to try my luck at the McDonald’s just a small distance from the gym, as it was the only restaurant open in the area at the late hour (around 21:30).  So I walked another two-something kilometres to dinner and back.  I did skip the fries and ordered salad instead, so it shouldn’t be too bad.

Day 559: Keeping warm

Day 559

The temperature has not gone above minus 2 degrees Celsius since I arrived here in Gdynia. These past few days (including the weekend) has been even colder, with temperatures staying between -8 to -16 degrees. I wanted to get out and see the sights here over the weekend, but it was just too cold so I just went to the biggest mall here in the region (in Gdansk) to keep warm and entertained.

Today, it was more of the same. The kilometre-long walk to the gym in the evening wasn’t as bad as it could have been as the wind thankfully stayed away. Upon arriving at the gym, it was again packed and so I had to wait even to get an available locker.

Today’s workout was a “pull” routine:

1. Narrow-grip hang barbell snatches (4X3)
2. Romanian deadlifts (10/8/8/6)
3. Dumbbell row + twist (10/8/8/6)
4. Chinups (10/8/8/6)
5. Reverse woodchops (4X10)
6. Two-point planks (4X30s each side)

The pullups were very tough for me to do, and I could not complete the 2nd to 4th sets straight without resting, so I just tried to do negatives for the balance. The way the workouts are structured always seem to put the pullups/chinups as the 4th exercise, by which time my muscles are already quite fatigued. How can I try to improve on my current performance without moving the exercise earlier in the program?

Training does help keep my mind de-stressed and body energised, perfect during the cold cold weather.

Day 555: Training, and then a walk by the sea

Day 555

Today I went to the gym to do a push-type training session. My exercises were:

• Dumbbell hang snatch (5X3)
• Step up (10/8/8/6)
• Close-grip bench press (10/8/8/6)
• Supported 1-arm dumbbell press (10/8/8/6)
• Windshield wipers (4X10)
• Plank walkups (4X30s)

The gym was back to crowded again, so I had to wait for some time in order to get a bench to do my bench presses with. Still I did get a good workout, where I was able to do dumbbell snatches up to 35 kg, windshield wipers with the legs fully extended.

When I finished, I checked my mobile and found that I had a missed phone call. It was from the engineering director from the company I am working with here, inviting me to walk his dog with him. Since I had already had my protein shake, I obliged him, and we walked his dog by the promenade by the beach. It was more than a bit cold (-8 °C with some wind), but I did enjoy his company and the chance to breath some fresh sea air.

Day 554: Snowy walk to the gym

Day 554

It’s been snowing on and off all day today.  As I was walking the 1 kilometer to the gym, it was snowing again, which was my first time to walk a significant distance while snowing.  Good thing I was able to get a nice warm  tracksuit to layer with my existing clothing.

Tonight the gym wasn’t as packed as it was the other day.  I didn’t have to wait at all for any equipment, and so I was able to perform my “pull” workout quickly.  The exercises were:

• Muscle snatches (4X3)
• Single-leg Romanian deadlifts (10/8/8/6)
• Rope face pulls (10/8/8/6)  (10/8/8/6)
• Seated Russian twists (4X10)
• Side planks with reach (4X30s)

Day 552: A week off, and now I’m back!

Day 552

I arrived in Gdansk, Poland, on Monday, just past lunchtime local.  Snow had been falling heavily in central northern Europe, and so it was my first time to step in thick snow as I stepped out of the airport in Gdansk, with still some snow falling.  Needless to say, it was cold!  I think it was -6 degrees Celsius when I arrived, which was a big change for me coming from Manila where it was about 28 degrees Celsius when I left.  I was picked up at the airport and driven straight to my hotel in Gdynia, where I tried to sleep to adjust to the time difference.

The next day it was straight to work.  I got to know a little bit about the city care of one of the directors at our client office who picked me up (and sometimes dropped me off) everyday.  One of the things I asked was where I could go to train, and luckily, there was a gym almost exactly a kilometer away.  I visited it one evening and saw that it was okay, nothing fancy, but had all the basics.  After work though it was a bit crowded.  I asked in my very limited Polish how much it would cost me to use the facilities.  Luckily, the receptionist that day could speak and understand some English, and was able to show me their prices.   I resolved to start training the next week, in order for my body to acclimatize and get over the cold and cough that I had been feeling even before I arrived in Poland.

So today, I went to the gym after work.  I wasn’t as cold as some of the previous nights, but snow had been falling the whole day so the long walk was all snowy and slushy the whole way.  The gym was even more crowded than I anticipated, but I had time and there was no rush.  The receptionist today didn’t speak any English, but I was still able to get my one-month membership.  When they asked me for my name to put on the membership card, I gave my full first name (Ronaldo), and they lightened up.  Seems like football is a big thing in Poland!

It looked like I was the only Asian there in the gym.  There were lots of big men and fit women, just as I imagined a Polish gym would be!  There was one lady who asked me in perfect English if I was working for big Reuters office in town.  I said no, I wasn’t, but I was working on a project at the port.  I tried to do one of my “push” workouts from the Power Training program I have been following, but as the gym was busy, I had to wait for equipment to be available, and I had to rearrange my exercises to take advantage of what was available.  Thankfully, the locals were quite friendly and it was not too difficult for them to let me “work in” on some of the equipment.

As I am staying in a hotel, I can only eat what is available in the limited menu for dinner and breakfast.  I just try to get as much protein as I can when I eat, and try to get some vegetables and fruit with my meals.  Same goes for lunch at the company cafeteria, where the menu is in Polish.  The food’s not bad at all, and I was able to sample a few Polish staples like pierogi and barszt (borscht), as well as the local beer and some warm wine (flavored with cinammon and cloves), perfect for the cold winter weather!  As I have been “off” for the past week, I haven’t been watching what I eat too much (and I had sampled some very good apple pie!), but I’ll be backing off a bit on the dessert starting this week.

Tomorrow I plan to be back at the gym for my “pull” workout.

Day 543: Awesome sendoff

Day 543

<Text to follow> … family is about to go out to watch Avatar! Last chance for me to watch it in 3D before I go.

Update: 10 Jan 2010

Today’s workout was squeezed in after breakfast.  I did a pull workout today: clean pulls, good mornings, single-arm cable rows, wide-grip pullups, cable trunk rotations, and side planks with reach.  All in all a good workout before my going off on another business trip.

After my training, I then had to do the various errands that come with going away for one of my business trips.  My entire afternoon was filled with errands, then I went with my family to see Avatar, as I wanted to catch it in 3D.  It was awesome!

Right now I’m in transit in Hong Kong, waiting for my midnight flight to Frankfurt, where I will then catch my connection to Gdansk, Poland.  My morning has been another hectic one of packing my bags and making sure that I had everything I need for the forecasted cold weather in Europe.

Day 542: Return to Bulgarian Split Squats

Day 542

Why is it that exercises attributed to Eastern Europeans are almost always hard? Take for example, Russian Twists, Romanian Deadlifts, and especially Bulgarian split squats (BSS). I had been doing regular split squats for the past few weeks and it’s been a long time since I went Bulgarian. Today I remembered how difficult those could be! The key difference for today with my BSS was that I used an Olympic bar instead of two dumbbells, so the load was much higher up my body, requiring much better overall coordination.

My exercises today were as follows:

• Hang jump shrugs (4X3)
• Bulgarian split squats (10, 8, 8, 6)
• Reverse-grip bench presses (10, 8, 8, 6)
• Dumbbell push presses (10, 8, 8, 6)
• Corkscrews (4X10)
• Planks (30s, 35s, 40s, 45s)

Tomorrow would be my last training day before I set off on another business trip, this time to (currently) freezing cold Gdynia (near Gdansk) in Poland. This would be my first time to be somewhere where it’s the middle of winter, and it would also probably be the first time I’ll experience snow. This season in the Philippines we’ve been averaging 23 to 30 degrees Celsius; in Gdynia it’s been -10 to -2 degrees Celsius. I’m trying my best to plan my travelling clothes properly as there’s only so much I can fit into the 20kg luggage allowance and 7kg hand luggage allowance. I hope I am able to bring enough cold weather gear as it will be a big shock to my system.

Day 540: Pullups, and more pullups

Day 540

Just as yesterday was a push day with two types of pushups on the agenda, today was a pull day with two types of pullups. Still feeling a bit tired from yesterday’s training, I woke up early again today and rode my bicycle to the gym.

The following were on my plan:

• Hang power cleans (4X3)
• Single-leg back extensions, (10, 8, 8, 6)
• Horizontal pullups (10, 8, 8, 6)
• Side-to-side pullups (10, 8, 8, 6)
• Medicine ball 1-2-3-throw (4X10)
• Dynamic planks (4×10)

New for me were the last two exercises. The medicine ball exercise was like a Russian twist, but ending with throwing a medicine ball against the wall beside you.  The dynamic planks were like a mix between a planks and jackknifes.  Both were interesting and challenging exercises!

I’m really liking this foray into the Men’s Health Power Training exercises.  I think this will form the core of my training plan for my next mission.

Day 539: Pushups and more pushups

Day 539

I woke up early again today to do my training, as I had a client at visiting our office in the late morning.  Today’s session was another “push” session, and appropriately, there were two types of pushups included.  The training plan called for dumbbell snatches (4X3), split squats (10, 8, 8, 6), side-to-side pushups(10, 8, 8, 6), jackknife pushups(10, 8, 8, 6), cable push-pull rotations (4X10), and finally side planks (30/35/40/45 s each side).  It was my first time to do the two pushup variations as well as the cable push-pull rotations.  Though at first it took me a few reps to get the proper form, by the end I was doing them as well as I could.  I especially pushed myself with the dumbbell snatches (which is among my favorite exercises); unfortunately, I had a failed final rep on my last two sets with my left arm as I snatched 75lbs (my personal record with my right/dominant arm is 80kg for 1 rep).  My right arm wasn’t as shaky.  I know a little more practice should get me to 80 lbs for the required number of reps!

Eat right, train hard, and expect success!

Day 537: A quick squeeze

Day 537

It was a busy day for me: sleep (had to recover from a tough workout yesterday), a visit to the dentist, going to Sunday mass. Right after mass in the early evening I ate a little snack, drank a mug of coffee, then it was off on my bike to the gym for a pull-type training session.

There were a few interesting things on my training plan today: close-grip barbell snatches (my first time), Romanian deadlifts, dumbbell rows with twist (my first time), pullups, reverse woodchops, and finally, 2-point planks (those were hard!).

I intended to do a little bit of shopping to catch the tail end of the post-holiday sale, but by the time I finished, shops were already closing. I had wanted to get some stuff to prepare for my upcoming business trip next weekend. That’s another thing I’ll have to plan around in order to get my training done. That is why I am doing two days in a row (push then pull) followed by one day of rest until I go on Sunday.