I cant believe it. We have reached the final phase of melvins 6 month workout program. I must say it was a very, very, very (i jus want to emphasize this part) long road. I can truely say that Melvin has put me as well as himself through workout hell. The types of workouts both weights and cardio mixed all around was very intense. We were working out like athletes would.
I am happy with the results that have come about, but not completely satisfied. I definitely have LOTS of room for improvement. I feel like we're at a level where we can start to maintain what we have achieved, but once your in it as deep as we have been, you get to a point where you want to go further and improve on what is already there. So after the six month program is over I want to push my body to the extreme (within reason of course) and see what I can achieve.
His program works people. Combination of weights, cardio, and DIET, and the key to the enitre program is CONFUSE the muscle; constantly shock the body. Its posssible to get the results that you want. I'm living proof (jus look at the progression). I know not everyones schedules and lifestyles aren't condusive to working out, but if one is determined, one can find ways. It's jus like anything else in life, finiding a balance with everything.
One thing new that I have added to my workout regimine is brazilian jiu jitsu. I am truely enjoying this aspect of my training. Just like my teacher says, BJJ is like a chess match, always constantly thinking ahead, reacting to your opponents every move. I'm hoping I can take BJJ as far as I can and earn my black belt. The last class I went to, I saw a 6 year old boy training. It was amazing. The boy was so fluid with his moves and to top it all off he was rolling with someone three times his size. It would be great if Jayden would take to it, but I definitely will not push it on him. We'll see...hehehe!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Catch-UP
Wow, it's been awhile since i've updated my blog. It's funny, when i first started this thing I thought I'd be up on it like everyday....sorry different story. It's hard with everything else to keep this thing update. Oh well, I'm here now so here it goes.
We just finished hell month with the workout program. It was slightly extended with the holidays, but we finaly got through it. The workout consisted of 9 exercises, 30 seconds in duration with 30 seconds rest in between exercises. Do the math...it equals up to HELL. And it was two rounds of all that mess. Regular pull ups, Dips, squat jumps, hanging leg lifts, reverse pull ups, single leg step ups while holding 45lb plate, pushups (legs elevated; balanceing on a balance ball), standing shoulder press with 45lb bar, end it off with variations of ab exercises.
Even though i dreaded this phase, and I complained everytime we went....it was worth the pain. I saw alot of development. My endurance has gotten better, and recovery time has shortened dramatically.
Now we are in phase 5...back to the weights. This time around we are focusing on form and peaking the muscle with every rep, 12 reps to be exact. Our sprinting exercises are back...woohoo! So that's pretty much it with the workout program. Slowly but surely getting there. The diet thing is still the hardest, but it is getting alot easier.
We also started Brazialian Jiu Jitsu training. I got Melvin to try out a class yesterday. I think he's hooked. Its an awsome workout, and fun. One draw back, I'm sore as hell. Muscles that I didn't know would hurt....HURTS, like my neck muscles, my chin...hehehe, and pretty much my entire body. Call me crazy, but it's worth the pain. So hopefully we can continue with that along with our original program.
La Boxing gym is having there next Fight night in mid march. I was thinking of finally fighting, but we'll see. I'm gonna train like I'm gonna fight, but whether I'll actually do it will be a last minute decision. The whole possibility of getting knocked out puts a damper on things...hehehe!
We just finished hell month with the workout program. It was slightly extended with the holidays, but we finaly got through it. The workout consisted of 9 exercises, 30 seconds in duration with 30 seconds rest in between exercises. Do the math...it equals up to HELL. And it was two rounds of all that mess. Regular pull ups, Dips, squat jumps, hanging leg lifts, reverse pull ups, single leg step ups while holding 45lb plate, pushups (legs elevated; balanceing on a balance ball), standing shoulder press with 45lb bar, end it off with variations of ab exercises.
Even though i dreaded this phase, and I complained everytime we went....it was worth the pain. I saw alot of development. My endurance has gotten better, and recovery time has shortened dramatically.
Now we are in phase 5...back to the weights. This time around we are focusing on form and peaking the muscle with every rep, 12 reps to be exact. Our sprinting exercises are back...woohoo! So that's pretty much it with the workout program. Slowly but surely getting there. The diet thing is still the hardest, but it is getting alot easier.
We also started Brazialian Jiu Jitsu training. I got Melvin to try out a class yesterday. I think he's hooked. Its an awsome workout, and fun. One draw back, I'm sore as hell. Muscles that I didn't know would hurt....HURTS, like my neck muscles, my chin...hehehe, and pretty much my entire body. Call me crazy, but it's worth the pain. So hopefully we can continue with that along with our original program.
La Boxing gym is having there next Fight night in mid march. I was thinking of finally fighting, but we'll see. I'm gonna train like I'm gonna fight, but whether I'll actually do it will be a last minute decision. The whole possibility of getting knocked out puts a damper on things...hehehe!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Rude Awakening...continued...Phase III
OMG....2 weeks into phase three and you would think it would get easier.....NO!!! I'll be honest I kinda dread going to the gym just because i get my ass handed to me every time. At first, hearing what the workout regimen would be, I felt that it wouldn't be that bad. Boy was I ever wrong!!!
The workout is a total body workout that consists of 9 different exercise. Each exercise is 30 seconds in duration with a 30 second rest period in between. So the way it works out is Melvin starts...does his 30 seconds and than i jump in and do my 30 seconds, while he rests until I'm finished. This goes on for 9 exercises.
Exercises (30 second exercise...30 second rest):
1) regular pull ups
2) Dips
3) Squat jumps
4) Hanging Knee raises
5) reverse grip pull ups
6) single legged step ups on a medium height platform
7) push-ups with legs elevated on a bench
8) shoulder presses with 45lb bar
9) variations of sit ups on a 90 degree sit-up bench
1st round not so bad...you feel like you are going to die. After the 1st round we have a 5 minute rest period. Once that is over with we jump right into round 2, which mind you is pretty sad on my part because I'm pretty much done and I'm running on empty.
It's ridiculous how fast my heart is beating, how much I am sweating, and how hard I am trying to catch my breathe. The entire two rounds is done within 40 to 45 mins depending on the transition time between exercises which usually consists of 5-10 (this is dependent on how tired I am...hehehe).
So we do this routine 3 days out of our 4 day workout week. the 4th day consists of concentrated weight workouts. Focusing on form, and trying to really target that muscle group. Mind you we are using pretty decent amount of weights with each concentrated repetition.
I kid you not, I have come close to puking each time. It's a great workout, but OMG it hurts...hehehe!
I must admit though, after finishing the second week of hell, I do feel a difference, at least in the 1st round of each day. I feel a tad bit stronger each time.
The workout is a total body workout that consists of 9 different exercise. Each exercise is 30 seconds in duration with a 30 second rest period in between. So the way it works out is Melvin starts...does his 30 seconds and than i jump in and do my 30 seconds, while he rests until I'm finished. This goes on for 9 exercises.
Exercises (30 second exercise...30 second rest):
1) regular pull ups
2) Dips
3) Squat jumps
4) Hanging Knee raises
5) reverse grip pull ups
6) single legged step ups on a medium height platform
7) push-ups with legs elevated on a bench
8) shoulder presses with 45lb bar
9) variations of sit ups on a 90 degree sit-up bench
1st round not so bad...you feel like you are going to die. After the 1st round we have a 5 minute rest period. Once that is over with we jump right into round 2, which mind you is pretty sad on my part because I'm pretty much done and I'm running on empty.
It's ridiculous how fast my heart is beating, how much I am sweating, and how hard I am trying to catch my breathe. The entire two rounds is done within 40 to 45 mins depending on the transition time between exercises which usually consists of 5-10 (this is dependent on how tired I am...hehehe).
So we do this routine 3 days out of our 4 day workout week. the 4th day consists of concentrated weight workouts. Focusing on form, and trying to really target that muscle group. Mind you we are using pretty decent amount of weights with each concentrated repetition.
I kid you not, I have come close to puking each time. It's a great workout, but OMG it hurts...hehehe!
I must admit though, after finishing the second week of hell, I do feel a difference, at least in the 1st round of each day. I feel a tad bit stronger each time.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thanksgiving tears...
Tonight, nov. 26, 2008 is the beginning of 3 shifts in a row, which normally isn't that bad. The reason why it sucks this time is Mae-Mae, Jayden, and Ella are down in VA beach. It makes if harder knowing that they are 3 hours away from me. At least they won't be gone too long. They we'll drive back and be home on friday, so I'm counting down the hours!!! I miss you guys so much. LOVE YOU!!!
Rude Awakening continue...
2nd week of heavy completed. The workouts have gotten more intense and the both of us seem more hyped. I think it's because we are seeing results and getting closer to our goal. I weighed myself at the end of the 2nd week of heavy, and I was pleased with what I saw. I have lost 10lbs. I've gone from a flabby 185lbs to a halfway decent 175, and doing it the healthy way. I'm close to my fighting weight of probably 168-170. Hopefully I'll get there at the end of the 6month program (we'll see!!!).
The strict diet is working. Strictly salad with protein. At times its getting old eating the same thing over and over again, but it's working and it will be worth it at the end!!!
The strict diet is working. Strictly salad with protein. At times its getting old eating the same thing over and over again, but it's working and it will be worth it at the end!!!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Rude Awakening: Shredded
Alright it is time to buckle down and get focused. We just finished the 3rd week out of 4 where we are going "heavy" at the gym, and I must say it's been an experience. The kinda of weight I've been putting up is mind boggling, well, at least to me.
But what I am going to focus on is the dreaded "DIET". My diet now compared to before I started the program is definitely better, but it isn't the type of diet that will shred and cut me up. My diet for the next two months/8 weeks will hopefully consist of 6 out of the 7 days of the week being "VERY" strict, and have one day were I can "cheat" and eat what I'm not supposed to eat. I will attempt to just eat chicken breast, tuna fish, lettuce, steamed vegetables, fresh fruits, hard boiled eggs and protein shakes from costco. I am going to cut out rice, except for the cheat days.
So we will see how this will pan out. Wish me luck, because I will definitely need it!!!!
But what I am going to focus on is the dreaded "DIET". My diet now compared to before I started the program is definitely better, but it isn't the type of diet that will shred and cut me up. My diet for the next two months/8 weeks will hopefully consist of 6 out of the 7 days of the week being "VERY" strict, and have one day were I can "cheat" and eat what I'm not supposed to eat. I will attempt to just eat chicken breast, tuna fish, lettuce, steamed vegetables, fresh fruits, hard boiled eggs and protein shakes from costco. I am going to cut out rice, except for the cheat days.
So we will see how this will pan out. Wish me luck, because I will definitely need it!!!!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Rude Awakening continued...
I'm in trouble people. Sensei is back, well according to him...hehehe. If you ask me he never left. We are in the 3rd week of 4 of going heavy. Heavy is an understatement. Yesterday we worked on legs....I swear I can not walk today...hehehe. We reached two 45plates on each side for squats, leg press we racked up eight 45plates on each side. I need a wheel chair after that. Melvin made it look like it was nothing. It's a good and bad thing for me. Good because it will push me even more, bad becasue I know the pain will follow.
I figured I'd touch on the diet aspect. Everyone knows that food/diet is the hardest thing when tyring to loose weight or get into shape. I've learned quickly that it is hard to break bad habits. Eating, eating eating...I love it, which makes it even harder. Not only is sensei a trainer, he is a chef. He's been stirring me in the right direction in regards to what to eat. The big thing is portions. I've gotten accoustomed to eating very big portions for 3 meals a day. This is an example of what one meal used to be for me...hehehe. Boy doesn't that look so good!!!
Now I'm trying to eat 6 small meals a day. With working night shift it's a bit hard but so far so good. I'm staying away from alot of carbs, which for me includes RICE RICE RICE. Sugar, sweets, junk food are no-nos. I've substitued all that with fresh fruits, which replace the bad sugars...apples, bannanas, grapes, pineapples, etc. Main focus is protein, which includes chicken breast and tuna fish. Eating alot of salads, which really acts as a filler...hehehe. Hard boiled eggs is another source of protein. All in all, small portions and just eating right. I do have one day where I can cheat and eat what I want. One would think I would just binge, but surprisingly enough that isn't the case. I do eat the things I normally can't but in reasonable portions. So that is my diet plan, nothing to hard, no weird diets, just smart eating.
I figured I'd touch on the diet aspect. Everyone knows that food/diet is the hardest thing when tyring to loose weight or get into shape. I've learned quickly that it is hard to break bad habits. Eating, eating eating...I love it, which makes it even harder. Not only is sensei a trainer, he is a chef. He's been stirring me in the right direction in regards to what to eat. The big thing is portions. I've gotten accoustomed to eating very big portions for 3 meals a day. This is an example of what one meal used to be for me...hehehe. Boy doesn't that look so good!!!
Now I'm trying to eat 6 small meals a day. With working night shift it's a bit hard but so far so good. I'm staying away from alot of carbs, which for me includes RICE RICE RICE. Sugar, sweets, junk food are no-nos. I've substitued all that with fresh fruits, which replace the bad sugars...apples, bannanas, grapes, pineapples, etc. Main focus is protein, which includes chicken breast and tuna fish. Eating alot of salads, which really acts as a filler...hehehe. Hard boiled eggs is another source of protein. All in all, small portions and just eating right. I do have one day where I can cheat and eat what I want. One would think I would just binge, but surprisingly enough that isn't the case. I do eat the things I normally can't but in reasonable portions. So that is my diet plan, nothing to hard, no weird diets, just smart eating.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Relaxing Weekend
We finally had a relaxing weekend, where it was just us and the kids. All we did was relax and be lazy on saturday, which was awsome. Granted the house was a disaster site from the previous week, it didn't matter because we were relaxing...hehehe. Sunday was the day where the entire family buckled down and did some hard nose cleaning. The house as a result of all that elbow grease is looking nice. The big task now is to maintain the house and make sure it stays that way...hehee!
PICU gathering
Novemeber 14th, 2008
We had our second PICU gathering with our old co-workers. Thanks to Jenny, who hooked it up, we ended up meeting at La Sandia. It was great seeing everyone again. There were a couple of new heads that came as well, which was nice. Seeing everyone made me a bit home sick. Even though we are doind what we are doing at children's it will never be the same as it was in Fairfax. That is home for me.
What more can you ask for, we had good company, good food, and awsome drinks...hehehe. Yes drinks, we threw some down that day. I had my usual captin and coke, Melvin had bourdon and ginger, and the girls had Margaritas galore. But wait that's not all, Melvin and I got everyone a round of shots. The choice of alcohol was...hmmmmmm...Mexican resturant....what do you think?!...Yes good ole TEQUILA. We had everyone take one...hehehe...even Emily (you go girl, stick with us and we will corrupt you, in a good way of course).
We spent the entire time eating, drinking, and catching up which was very fun. Unfortunately, the day had to end and everyone parted ways. We definitely have to set up the next gathering. Can't wait!!!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Rude Awakening (This blog will be updated periocally)
I honestly let myself go in terms of physical fitness. I had to get back into shape. Well I am with the help of a good friend, Melvin. He was a personal trainer back in the day, and several people have sworn by his workout routines, and I have seen proof showing that his workout routine works. So I figured, why not. I have nothing to loose.
I am going to take advantage of this blog site and document each step of the way. Melvin said that he can get us in tip-top shape within 6 months, 24 weeks. To be honest with you, I was a bit skeptical. It sounded like those infomercials you see on TV..."Buy my video and you can get the body of your dreams in only 7 days"....hehehe. Well i bought into it, and boy am I glad I did. No lie, after 1 month, 4 weeks, I have seen dramatic changes. We are currently working on our 3 month, working our way up to 12 weeks, and I am very pleased with what I see. The results alone have motivated me more to work even harder.
We started this "journey"...hehehe on the week of august 25th. We started off by weighing ourselves in, which made me cry inside..hehehe. For a very very very long time, I struggled to maintain 140lbs. I was able to eat everything and anything in site and didn't gain a pound or get fat. But somewhere in my lifetime, my body decided to stop while i continued to eat everything that wasn't healthy for you. I started to gain weight and look fat. My stomach was not a six pack, which mind you I never had before. It was a "keg". I also had "love handles"/"spare tire". I weighed in at a disappointing 185 lbs. That is 45 more pounds that i have packed on since the good old days. FAT that until now I have not been able to get rid of.
Than we took before pictures of ourselves. Yes, you read that right. We took before pictures of ourselves...gay huh...hehehe. That right there really motivated me to push hard and give this workout routine of Melvin's a chance. I thought to myself, I couldn't get any worse than I looked and felt on Day 1. (don't worry I will eventually post the pictures probably after week 12 of workingout..so stay tunned ...hehehe) One thing we did not do was measure ourselves, which would have been nice.
Day 1 pictures (all before workout routine started...brace yourselves it's not pretty!!!)
WEEK 1/1st MONTH: Hell Week (Focus: Diet...Diet...Diet...Burn Fat)/1 Month
Talk about PAIN. One piece of advice...if you are already working out...do not stop and for those who have stopped and are starting up again...watch out...you will hurt like you have never hurt before. One thing I have learned this go around...To get results one must combine Diet and strict working out to get healthy results.
Surprisingly enough, the diet was and is the hardest part of this entire routine. For those who don't know me, I love to eat. You name it, I will pretty much eat it. Especailly rice. C'mon now I am filipino. I went from, and I kid you not, eating the equivalency of 3 cups of uncooked rice in 1 to 2 sittings to eating 1 cup of cooked rice in a 24 hour period. Focusing on staying away from lots of carbs, bad sugars, and focusing on eating good protein like chicken breast, fish, protein shakes. We are allowed one cheat day out of the 7 day week, and boy do I look foward to that day...hehehe.
So back to the workout. In the first 2 months, 8 weeks, Melvin's routine in the gym was foucused on burning the fat, constantly keeping our heart rate up. Boy did we ever. We flew through our workouts. Normally I would have 2-5 minutes of rest in between exercises, not this time. We had at best 30 seconds of rest. Not only were we strength training we were incorporating cardio workout at the same time.
Melvin warned me. The first week will be hell. He said that every muscle in my body will be hurting. It did. Almost to a point where I could barely move. I fought through that first week. That was the first big hump we had to get over. After that the muscle memory started kicking in. The pain that I initially felt started to turn in to normal soarness after working out. Strength started to come back, and I started to get in the groove of things. As corney as it may sound, I started to feel more alive. I wasn't as tired all the time. I had more energy and I was alot easier to be around.
We stuck with the routine for the first 4 weeks.
Each muscle group consisted of 4-5 different exercises. Each consisting of 3 sets and each set conssited of 10 reps.
1st day: Chest and Biceps and Abs
2nd day: Back Triceps and Abs
3rd day: Legs and Abs
4th day: Shoulders and Biceps and Abs
At the start of the 3rd week Melvin incorparated more cardio. sprinting, high knees, twisting, crab walking. We did this two days out of the week. Mainly during Leg and shoulder workout days.
Fourth week finally came and surprisingly enough I was feeling more energetic/alive. More importantly, just within one month, 4 weeks of strict diet and intense workouts, the results were showing. It is a far cry from where we want to be in 6 months, but definitely better than Day 1.
4 week/1 month pictures
2nd MONTH
Beginning of the 2nd month. Working off the high of the 1st month. I had the mindset that I can do this thing, that Melvin's program is truely legit. For those who have worked out before, having a workout partner, especailly one who used to be a trainer makes things so much easier. I found myself more motivated, pushing harder and doint thins in the gym I thought my body could not ever do before. My satmina and strength have reached levels that I have not ever reached before.
Well things seemed to be moving along well...NOT. The very first bump in the road. I believe it was the beginning of the 6th week. We were working on our legs. It was after the leg press maching, we at that time got up to a total of five 45-plates on that maching. I swear after pushing that up I seriously broke blood vessels in my head. It felt like I had some sort of bleed up there...hehehe. I was "broke" for the rest of the day. Top it all off we were working that night and boy was I dead. I ended up getting sick with chills and a fever. I thought I was gonna pass out that night at work. I was able to make it through the night but I called it quits for working out the rest of the week.
Just a day or two of not working out makes a big difference. Not to mention an entire week. Melvin ended up geting sick the following week. So he was out of comission, trying ot get better. That was two weekes we didn't work out. I was not looking foward to getting back to the gym after that long layoff, but we did. We got over our illnesses, aches, and pains, and started all over again. We pushed it that week and it seemed like we got back on track. We completed week 6 of the program. We both pushed ahead. Hyping each other up. Finally 8th week was done/2nd month. Picture time again...oh boy lets see what kinda damage we did with those little set backs. Did we improve or digressesed. You guys make that decision.
2nd month./8th week pictures.
3rd month Heavy time!!!
Melvin switched things up for the 3rd month. He wanted to go heavy and work on our strength. We did pyramids, increasing the weight each set and decreasing repitions each time we increase the weight. Normally you would rest at least one minute to 2minu tes in between rest when going heavy. Not for us. WE still ket the fast cardio pace we did during the 1st two months. It actually seems like wer are resting even less this time around. It seriously seems like 30 seconds at most for rest. Our rest period consists of one person finishing his set getting out for the next person to do his set. All that movement and transition takes all of 30 seconds tops...wow. What are we thinking!!! Strength and still trying to burn that fat. Awsome.
The plan is to go heavy for 4 weeks. All of the entire 3rd month. Well we had a minor set back. Let me rephrase that. I had a minor set back. I'm not as strong as Melvin is. I'm surprised that I am keeping up with the weigth his putting up. There are certain excersise where i have to go down on weight jus because I know i won't be able to put it up.
It was our first day of going heavy. I was excieted because it was chest and bicep day. I was able to handle the chest workout...barely. I was seriously done after all the chest exercises. But we still had biceps to do. In the past biceps have been my more stronger muscle groups, and have shown the most results. So I figured i would be able to handle going heavy with biceps. We were putting up rediculous weight on the curl bar and the long 45bar used for bench press.
I seriously had to cheat to get that weight up. I think that is were the problems for me came about. After that day of wokring out I started to have headaches. It seemed like tension headaches. My neck and my back started to hurt as well. I thought to myself, oh no here we go again. I thought I was gonna be sick once again. Luckily it didn't end up that way. It was just the headaches I had to deal with. So instead of pushing it and taking the chane of being out of the gym any longer than needed, I took another week off. I hate the breaks in the workout. I finally grew balls...hehehe...and got over the headach and got back on track. November 14th, 2008, thursday morning was the end of the 2nd week of going heavy. That brings me up to date on this "Rude awakening workout program".
To be continued....
I am going to take advantage of this blog site and document each step of the way. Melvin said that he can get us in tip-top shape within 6 months, 24 weeks. To be honest with you, I was a bit skeptical. It sounded like those infomercials you see on TV..."Buy my video and you can get the body of your dreams in only 7 days"....hehehe. Well i bought into it, and boy am I glad I did. No lie, after 1 month, 4 weeks, I have seen dramatic changes. We are currently working on our 3 month, working our way up to 12 weeks, and I am very pleased with what I see. The results alone have motivated me more to work even harder.
We started this "journey"...hehehe on the week of august 25th. We started off by weighing ourselves in, which made me cry inside..hehehe. For a very very very long time, I struggled to maintain 140lbs. I was able to eat everything and anything in site and didn't gain a pound or get fat. But somewhere in my lifetime, my body decided to stop while i continued to eat everything that wasn't healthy for you. I started to gain weight and look fat. My stomach was not a six pack, which mind you I never had before. It was a "keg". I also had "love handles"/"spare tire". I weighed in at a disappointing 185 lbs. That is 45 more pounds that i have packed on since the good old days. FAT that until now I have not been able to get rid of.
Than we took before pictures of ourselves. Yes, you read that right. We took before pictures of ourselves...gay huh...hehehe. That right there really motivated me to push hard and give this workout routine of Melvin's a chance. I thought to myself, I couldn't get any worse than I looked and felt on Day 1. (don't worry I will eventually post the pictures probably after week 12 of workingout..so stay tunned ...hehehe) One thing we did not do was measure ourselves, which would have been nice.
Day 1 pictures (all before workout routine started...brace yourselves it's not pretty!!!)
WEEK 1/1st MONTH: Hell Week (Focus: Diet...Diet...Diet...Burn Fat)/1 Month
Talk about PAIN. One piece of advice...if you are already working out...do not stop and for those who have stopped and are starting up again...watch out...you will hurt like you have never hurt before. One thing I have learned this go around...To get results one must combine Diet and strict working out to get healthy results.
Surprisingly enough, the diet was and is the hardest part of this entire routine. For those who don't know me, I love to eat. You name it, I will pretty much eat it. Especailly rice. C'mon now I am filipino. I went from, and I kid you not, eating the equivalency of 3 cups of uncooked rice in 1 to 2 sittings to eating 1 cup of cooked rice in a 24 hour period. Focusing on staying away from lots of carbs, bad sugars, and focusing on eating good protein like chicken breast, fish, protein shakes. We are allowed one cheat day out of the 7 day week, and boy do I look foward to that day...hehehe.
So back to the workout. In the first 2 months, 8 weeks, Melvin's routine in the gym was foucused on burning the fat, constantly keeping our heart rate up. Boy did we ever. We flew through our workouts. Normally I would have 2-5 minutes of rest in between exercises, not this time. We had at best 30 seconds of rest. Not only were we strength training we were incorporating cardio workout at the same time.
Melvin warned me. The first week will be hell. He said that every muscle in my body will be hurting. It did. Almost to a point where I could barely move. I fought through that first week. That was the first big hump we had to get over. After that the muscle memory started kicking in. The pain that I initially felt started to turn in to normal soarness after working out. Strength started to come back, and I started to get in the groove of things. As corney as it may sound, I started to feel more alive. I wasn't as tired all the time. I had more energy and I was alot easier to be around.
We stuck with the routine for the first 4 weeks.
Each muscle group consisted of 4-5 different exercises. Each consisting of 3 sets and each set conssited of 10 reps.
1st day: Chest and Biceps and Abs
2nd day: Back Triceps and Abs
3rd day: Legs and Abs
4th day: Shoulders and Biceps and Abs
At the start of the 3rd week Melvin incorparated more cardio. sprinting, high knees, twisting, crab walking. We did this two days out of the week. Mainly during Leg and shoulder workout days.
Fourth week finally came and surprisingly enough I was feeling more energetic/alive. More importantly, just within one month, 4 weeks of strict diet and intense workouts, the results were showing. It is a far cry from where we want to be in 6 months, but definitely better than Day 1.
4 week/1 month pictures
2nd MONTH
Beginning of the 2nd month. Working off the high of the 1st month. I had the mindset that I can do this thing, that Melvin's program is truely legit. For those who have worked out before, having a workout partner, especailly one who used to be a trainer makes things so much easier. I found myself more motivated, pushing harder and doint thins in the gym I thought my body could not ever do before. My satmina and strength have reached levels that I have not ever reached before.
Well things seemed to be moving along well...NOT. The very first bump in the road. I believe it was the beginning of the 6th week. We were working on our legs. It was after the leg press maching, we at that time got up to a total of five 45-plates on that maching. I swear after pushing that up I seriously broke blood vessels in my head. It felt like I had some sort of bleed up there...hehehe. I was "broke" for the rest of the day. Top it all off we were working that night and boy was I dead. I ended up getting sick with chills and a fever. I thought I was gonna pass out that night at work. I was able to make it through the night but I called it quits for working out the rest of the week.
Just a day or two of not working out makes a big difference. Not to mention an entire week. Melvin ended up geting sick the following week. So he was out of comission, trying ot get better. That was two weekes we didn't work out. I was not looking foward to getting back to the gym after that long layoff, but we did. We got over our illnesses, aches, and pains, and started all over again. We pushed it that week and it seemed like we got back on track. We completed week 6 of the program. We both pushed ahead. Hyping each other up. Finally 8th week was done/2nd month. Picture time again...oh boy lets see what kinda damage we did with those little set backs. Did we improve or digressesed. You guys make that decision.
2nd month./8th week pictures.
3rd month Heavy time!!!
Melvin switched things up for the 3rd month. He wanted to go heavy and work on our strength. We did pyramids, increasing the weight each set and decreasing repitions each time we increase the weight. Normally you would rest at least one minute to 2minu tes in between rest when going heavy. Not for us. WE still ket the fast cardio pace we did during the 1st two months. It actually seems like wer are resting even less this time around. It seriously seems like 30 seconds at most for rest. Our rest period consists of one person finishing his set getting out for the next person to do his set. All that movement and transition takes all of 30 seconds tops...wow. What are we thinking!!! Strength and still trying to burn that fat. Awsome.
The plan is to go heavy for 4 weeks. All of the entire 3rd month. Well we had a minor set back. Let me rephrase that. I had a minor set back. I'm not as strong as Melvin is. I'm surprised that I am keeping up with the weigth his putting up. There are certain excersise where i have to go down on weight jus because I know i won't be able to put it up.
It was our first day of going heavy. I was excieted because it was chest and bicep day. I was able to handle the chest workout...barely. I was seriously done after all the chest exercises. But we still had biceps to do. In the past biceps have been my more stronger muscle groups, and have shown the most results. So I figured i would be able to handle going heavy with biceps. We were putting up rediculous weight on the curl bar and the long 45bar used for bench press.
I seriously had to cheat to get that weight up. I think that is were the problems for me came about. After that day of wokring out I started to have headaches. It seemed like tension headaches. My neck and my back started to hurt as well. I thought to myself, oh no here we go again. I thought I was gonna be sick once again. Luckily it didn't end up that way. It was just the headaches I had to deal with. So instead of pushing it and taking the chane of being out of the gym any longer than needed, I took another week off. I hate the breaks in the workout. I finally grew balls...hehehe...and got over the headach and got back on track. November 14th, 2008, thursday morning was the end of the 2nd week of going heavy. That brings me up to date on this "Rude awakening workout program".
To be continued....
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