Sad.

Excitement quickly turned into disappointment earlier today. I was looking forward to buy myself a pair of 10kg weight plates but it was not meant to be. I asked the sales guy at my friendly neighbourhood Fitness Concept that I want a pair of 10kg weight plates. He checked in the computer and brightly exclaimed, "Yes, we have it!" but it quickly followed with "but it's only gonna arrive here next Friday."

What a way to break the news, huh?

And so it is that I can't test my squat strength. And so it is I have to make do for another week without my pair of 10kg weight plates. And by that time it's gonna be Ramadhan already.

Bummer.

The Looming Ramadhan and Losing Muscle Mass

Would I be struck by lightning if I say that the month of Ramadhan is the bane of my existence? Okay, before you report me to a cleric and a fatwa is issued on me being an apostate or what not, I'd just like to clarify that while Ramadhan is one of the most enjoyable months, it is also the most challenging.

Challenging because I try so hard to gain weight all year long only to lose what I've achieved during the fasting month. How do I maintain or at least minimize muscle loss during that month-long period? What kinds of food should I take during sahur? What about when breaking fast?

Should I exercise or should I not? I'm pretty much addicted to weight lifting, a month going by without it is pure torture for me.

Your feedbacks/opinions/sharing of gripes (also known as bitching) are very much appreciated.

What a JOKE!

This is a b*tching session about meal replacement powders. The ones that you're supposed to take in replace of a meal so that you can lose weight. Whoever was the person who invented the crap should be hanged and lynched. Why? Because it just teaches people to be lazier than they already are and gives the illusion that there's a shortcut to being slim.

What's the point of being slim if you're not fit, anyway? Do you really think being a twig is sexy? I have a colleague who religiously took MRPs for several months in preparation of the company's version of the biggest loser. She goes to the gym. But she doesn't take much proper food. She took the MRPs.

She won the contest. Then gained 6 kilos. Surprised? Nope.

Look, the only way you can lose and MAINTAIN a healthy weight is by having good eating habits. Not by cheating. Taking MRPs is just plain ridiculous and not to mention unnecessarily expensive.

There was another case of one of my blog readers who was approached by a lady who claimed that she can help him lose weight. The woman was selling Herbalife supplements. I did visit the link the blog reader gave me. I wanted to guffaw when I saw that she herself had some weight to lose. Talk about the blind leading the blind.

Wanna lose weight? Wanna be healthy? It's simple:

Good diet. Exercise.

No slimming pills, supplements, slimming centres necessary. I might get hate mail after this. But I couldn't care less. I stand by my convictions.

Trekking @ Bukit Gasing

Being a tomboy doesn't mean I don't mind the rain...

Wanting something different, I joined a few friends and went up Bukit Gasing for a bit of jungle trekking. Nothing interesting, right? Well firstly it was raining rather heavily. And secondly, try trekking up a hill with an open umbrella in your hand. Yup, you read right. I trekked up a hill holding an umbrella.

At least I'm not the only one who trekked with an open umbrella...

I can't help it. I'm a city chick through and through. I can't live without hot showers, a comfortable bed, and Astro. It was a miracle I even went up there in the rain in the first place. We're going up there again next Sunday. Hopefully we'll have better luck with the weather. Perhaps I'd trek with high heels then. That'll be interesting, eh?

My Diet and Workout Routine

My fellow fitness junkie Adeline dropped a comment in my last entry that she was curious about my diet and workout routine. First and foremost I would like to confess that I am no saint and I'm far from disciplined when it comes to my diet. But my training regime is pretty okay i.e. regular and consistent workout days.

A typical week for me goes like this:

Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays: Training days

Breakfast: Ranges from scrambled eggs, baked beans and toast to mihun goreng with eggs sunny side up to tuna sandwiches.

I sip green tea all day

Lunch: Grilled chicken with mashed potatoes and loads of salad

I usually come home at about 6.30pm (if I manage to cabut from the office on the dot). I'll start lifting weights between 7.30pm and 8.00pm. My training typically lasts about 30 - 45 minutes. I take a protein shake after that. Have a rest for about 30 minutes then hit the shower, get dressed and go get myself dinner.

I don't really care that my dinner is very close to bed time as I know my body well. Eating close to bedtime doesn't make me bloated or fat or whatnot. In fact, I typically wake up with a growling stomach the next morning.

Oh... dinner is usually rice with chicken as lauk...

Yep, rice close to bedtime.

And I STILL find it hard to gain weight.

For non-training days, the diet is still the same but without the protein shake.

And yep, that's pretty much how my week is. Of course, if it's close to the time of the month my appetite would be through the roof and just last week I had nasi lemak for breakfast, nasi campur for lunch, maggi goreng at tea and lasagna for dinner.

:P

See... I told you I'm no saint when it comes to my diet.

Improvise

Admit it. Most of us have monetary limitations. Myself included. If I had the cash I'd get myself an olympic bar with as many weight plates as I desire. I'd get myself a power rack. A prowler. An array of kettlebells. The works.

Alas, cash is a constraint and we all have to improvise and/or make do with the stuff that we have. As I've written in an earlier post, I have recently bought myself a barbell. And while it is undoubtedly a fabulous addition to my modest home gym equipment, the lack of support equipment such as a weight bench and a squat stand makes it tough for me to use the barbell to its full potential.


Doing squats for example, is pretty dangerous when you can't place the barbell somewhere at shoulder level. Doing a heavy squat is almost impossible if you have to lift the weights from floor level. And because of this predicament I decided to look for alternatives to squat stand. And hence the dinner chairs as substitute.

I know, I know. There's only so much weight my pair of dinner chairs can handle. But until I can save RM1,600 for a squat stand or find a sturdier DIY squat stand, the chairs will have to do.

Oh, did I mention my trusted pair of dinner chairs also serve as my dip station? Talk about economical, eh>

Hey guys and gals. As you know, I'm pretty much a hardgainer. And while the training part is not much of a problem, the eating part is what gets me. I stumbled across the article below about how to gain muscle mass on a 3 meals a day diet. Which is what a regular office worker like me would most likely have. I hope you enjoyed the write up as much as I did!

How to Gain Muscle Mass on 3 Meals a Day

By Nick Nilsson

For those who work for a living, it can be extremely tough to get
the 5 or 6 meals a day often recommended. I've got a plan that
can help you get the calories you need on
limited time (and appetite!).

Three square meals a day...breakfast, lunch and dinner. Can a person achieve great muscle-building results with just three meals a day?

Absolutely...and I'll tell you how.

It's all about meal timing and quantity.

Before I get started, please note it IS very true that you're better off eating smaller, more frequent meals, both for muscle building and fat loss. I'm not going to argue with that.

The problem arises because many people simply CAN'T get more than 3 meals day.

Here's my solution...

1. Plan to train in the late afternoon/early evening, if you can. For our meal timing, this will be the best option.

2. Have a moderately large breakfast...eggs, oatmeal, broccoli...whatever else you normally eat. Breakfast is the second most important meal of the day (for our purposes here, at least) and it's not going to be your biggest.

3. Have a medium-sized lunch...at this point, you're looking to not overload your digestive system with food (you already did that with breakfast) because you'll be training fairly soon.

4. Do your workout and have your post-workout shake.

5. DINNER is going to be your biggest meal of the day. Because your body is primed to take full advantage of whatever you eat after training THIS is the time to load up. You should get at least half your days calories or more in this meal...overloading calories like this is extremely anabolic and your body will thrive on it.

6. Next day, repeat.

That's the plan! It's nothing complicated, of course, but I've been using this type of eating and training schedule for a long time and it's been extremely effective for me.

If you can squeeze in a few small snacks during the day, go for it! But if you don't have time for 5 or 6 meals a day, don't stress about it. Your body can cope and you can definitely still make great progress!

------------------

Nick Nilsson has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been innovating new training techniques for more than 18 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding books including "Muscle Explosion! 28 Days To Maximum Mass", "Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of", all designed to maximize the results you get for the hard work you put into your training.

Be sure to grab your FREE copy of Nick's 30-day "Dirty Little Secret Program for Building Muscle and Burning Fat FAST," available at Fitness e-books.com!

Why I hate the commercial gym

1. Most of the trainers don't care about you. They just care about how much money you can shed.
2. I do not appreciate wiping off other people's sweat on the bench.
3. Some gym members think that because they pay for the membership, they are entitled to hog the machines/equipments even though all they do is just talk on their mobile phone rather than exercising.
4. The time wasted driving to the gym, change to my training gear, train, shower, and drive back home.
5. Some gym members and even personal trainers give you weird looks as you move from one floor to another to complete your training.
6. The reason why I move from one floor to another: During busy periods the equipment/machines that I want to use are already taken up, so I need to look for alternatives.
7. Personal trainers who give stupid advice and make you do moves that are useless.
8. Having to listen to the aunties who go to the gym to burn calories by socializing in the locker room while eating junk food instead of doing any kind of real exercise.
   

Do These Exercises to Get Jacked

Do These Exercises to Get Jacked

I have a dream...

Many times I have thought of quitting my job and venture into the fitness industry instead. Maybe write for a health magazine and/or offer personal training services. Of course, this is more fantasy than a possible reality at least for now. But if I do decide to actually do this, what would be the first step?

Should I get a certification? Is a certification really necessary? Where do I go to look for advice and guidance? Yes, this blog is a good start to 'get my name out there' but it is definitely not enough. What else should I do so that I can test the waters sufficiently before diving in?

Hmmm...

Post Training Pains

After doing weight training exclusively for several months now I no longer feel anymore aches and pains post-training. The worst I would feel is just mild muscular aches but nothing major. Not until I wince when I climb down a set of stairs or trying to put a shirt on.

BUT... after a two-week hiatus from any kind of training, I am now feeling the aches and pains associated after a good training session. Why no training for two weeks? Well, I was supposed to take a week off from training of completing Phase 2 of Jason Ferruggia's MGS programme. And then I went to Phuket.

So yeah, no training whatsoever for 2 weeks.

Could it be that the long absence of any kind of torture made my body err.. complacent? (for lack of a better word). Or perhaps it was because I was feeling a bit under the weather when I started training? Maybe a combination of both?

Maybe it's that new barbell. Hmmm...

Oh well, these aches and pains will go away. And tomorrow I shall continue to train. Hooyaaa!!

Supplement Suppliers

Supplements. Expensive indeed. Unfortunately, if you want to build muscle or at least maintain the weight that you've painfully gained, it is a necessary evil. The best part is, it is not easy to get supplements on the cheap. The good news is, there are suppliers out there that do offer a decent price.

But first, let's look at the more commercial suppliers out there. I'm gonna use BSN True Mass as a point of reference to compare prices. Okay... first up:

1. Egonutritions - Price per tub of True Mass: MYR273
2. GNC Live Well - Price per tub of True Mass: MYR322.90

Pricey, huh? The good news is you can use a credit card to purchase your tub of protein. But unless you're in desperate need of protein but it's not yet the time of the month... would you really want to pay a premium for your supplemental requirements?

I've discovered a few other supplement supplier in the market that offer True Mass at a much much cheaper price. And here they are:

1. Fitnutritions - MYR200 + RM10 (Shipping fee) per tub of True Mass
I've gotten hold of the guy behind Fitnutritions several times via Facebook and he's a great chap who doesn't mind sharing what he knows about supplements. In fact, he was the one who recommended True Mass to me.

2. Supplement Zero - MYR210 (Inclusive of shipping) per tub of True Mass
Haven't yet bought from this site, but would definitely go here if Fitnutritions is out of True Mass since the price is exactly the same.

3. Supplement4U - Also selling True Mass for MYR210.

Much cheaper, don't you think? But the catch is you gotta pay cash. And thus I advise you to save your money accordingly when you know your supply of protein is running low.

P/S I did this survey because I want to share with my Malaysian readers in particular where you can get your supplements on the cheap. I am not paid any commission for writing this entry. If you know of other suppliers, do share as well!

Feeling pure joy getting to swim at Phi Phi Island. The beach was so beautiful. Even the drizzle couldn't stop me from taking a dip.

And thus I am back from my trip to Phuket. It wasn't as enjoyable as my trip to Bali, I'm afraid. For a review of the Phuket trip, kindly head towards my personal ramblings over here.

Taking a pose after taking a dip

I didn't exercise at all in Phuket. But I spent my time there doing a whole lot of walking, exploring Patong town and also swimming to my heart's content.

At the shooting range...

Also tested my skills at the shooting range. But damn, my hand-eye coordination sucks big time lah. Well, at least some of the bullets manage to hit the target.