It's been a while

Holy crap.  It's been about half a year since my last post.

Nope, it doesn't mean I have given up training and let myself go.  Far from it.

It's just that training-wise, everything is being taken care of.  I've stopped overthinking things, stopped being obsessed over which exercise is best, stopped confusing myself.  In short, I've stopped majoring in minutiae.

I follow whatever programme is featured (I follow Jason Ferruggia's programmes) and try to stick to it to the letter.

In the event I can't do a certain exercise due to lack of equipment or physical limitations, I just substitute it with an exercise that has a similar movement pattern or targets the same set of muscles.

Easy peasy.  No need to fret.

And over the past 6 months, I've buried myself deep into research on health related stuff.

As you may know, I have suffered from eczema since my late teens.  And I have also heavily depended on antibiotics and steroid creams to keep it under control.

Bad move.

It took a nasty infection to make me realize that while I have always thought that I took care of my body by exercising regularly, I was in fact abusing it by popping pills and slathering drugs and other dangerous chemicals on my skin.

So yeah.  My blog may be active again.  But it won't be centered around training much after this.  It'll serve to record my journey in countering my auto-immune disease.

I'd love it if you'd stick around.  But I understand if you won't.

Embracing Minimalism

Being the nerd that I am, I read a lot of fitness and training-related articles when I first started my gym rat journey.  And while I caught on fairly quickly about the philosophy of training, nutrition has always left me dumbfounded.

....Drink a protein shake post workout.

Eat 6 times a day....

....More protein, less carbs.

Anabolic window....

....You're a hardgainer, you can eat junk food to get more calories in.

And so many others I don't even bother to mention here.  The irony is, I made my biggest and healthiest gains when I tuned out all but the most basic of information.  All I do is:

....Drink a vegetable juice post workout

Eat only 3 square meals per day...

....Cut out soy drinks and reduce dairy intake

Follow a basic, natural supplement regime (probiotics and olive oil)...

To sum everything up, I am at my healthiest and at my 'biggest' when I:

1. Follow a good training programme
2. Eat clean as best as possible (although I am not nearly as stringent as most people)
3. Cook my own meals

Goes to show too much information can be counterproductive.  You're more likely to suffer from analysis paralysis.  

Back Squats revisited

I think I have not done any back squats for more than a year.  After the hiatus I have finally decided to incorporate them once again into my training albeit with much lighter weights than before; which is saying something because I never was good at back squats and  the best I could muster was 55kg for 5 reps.

I'm up to 40kg for 4 reps now.  Feeling steady and sturdy.  Knees aren't hurting.  That's a good sign.

One tip that I've started to follow is to do a few sets of leg curls first to get those hammies warmed up and pumped before I hit the squats.  It has worked like a charm so far.

Simple

So... it's been a while since I last updated this blog eh?  When I first started this blog, it was to write about my learning experience in my journey as a fitness junkie wannabe.  Initially I learnt a lot of stuff and was excited to share it with whoever that cares.

As my go forward with my journey, this particular quote from Bruce Lee came to mind:

"Before I learned the art, a punch was just a punch, and a kick, just a kick.
After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick, no longer a kick.
Now that I understand the art, a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick."

Not to say that I have learnt everything that needs to be learnt.  Far from it.  But I have come to realize that we often tend to overcomplicate things.  Life should be so much simpler.  If I were to summarize what matters to me (fitness-wise) in a nutshell, they are:

1. Incorporate some kind of squat, deadlift, pressing and mobility work in your programme and you're golden
2. Eat (or drink) your greens.  Raw is better.
3. Cook your own meals.
4. Spend less on unnecessary materialistic stuff and spend more on good quality food
5. Read a lot
6. Try not to take any sort of modern medicine.  Natural is best.  Refer to #2
7. Discipline

Using straps when front squatting

I'm not the biggest fan of front squats.  Heck, I'm not the biggest fan of squatting.  But it's an integral part in any training programme so squat I must.

The latest programme I'm following requires quite frequent front squatting.  And recently I've stumbled upon a pretty cool way to ensure that I keep the bar racked properly without having the resort to breaking my wrists (due to inflexibility) or rounding my upper back, as is the case if I use the cross arm technique.

Instead, I use lifting straps to act as a pair of handles.  This way I can keep my elbows up in place without hurting my wrists.  I've tried it last night and while it does work better than the traditional or the cross armed hold, I still find it a bit difficult to hold the bar in place.

My straps setup.  Any pair of old lifting straps will do.

It's probably to be expected since I have a small frame anyway.  It's hard to rack the bar snugly in the first place.  I find it easier to keep the bar static if I flare up my elbows a little bit.  Does look a bit funny though. But all in all, I kind of like this setup.  Will keep at it and practice keeping the bar in position.

And oh... the video below demonstrates the different ways you can hold the bar up in place on a front squat. Enjoy!

Lucky/Selfish: Another Rambling Rant

My dad is a lucky man.

He has diabetes, heart problems, and goes for dialysis 3 times a week.  But heck, he's a lucky man.

He's lucky because he has a family that takes care of him despite the fact that he could've easily avoided all these diseases if he would just take care of himself better.

When he was younger he's a multiple packs a day smoker.  Stays up late into the night.  Doesn't take care of his diet.

He was such a hardcore smoker that after having had bypass surgery, he solemnly promised not to smoke cigarettes again.  He didn't.  He graduated to cigars instead.

So yeah, he's a lucky man.

Lately I've been going through a healthy living phase.  I've always been a bit paranoid about my health since I know I've always been a weakling with a shot immune system.  Not to mention the fact that genetics-wise I'm fighting an uphill battle.

But I owe it to myself to take care of me.  Besides, I won't know if I would be as lucky as my dad.  He has people to fall back on when he's not feeling all too well.  I on the other hand have a higher probability of ending up dying alone.

And even if I have people who would take care of me, I owe it to them not to be selfish in the sense that they deserve better than to spend their days taking care of a sickly being.  People who take care of sick people are highly stressed individuals who need a support system of their own.

Of course, if you fall sick even though you've taken care of yourself decently enough that's just plain bad luck.  But the fact of the matter is most sick people have been selfish pricks for having been abusing their body for years and then depending on others to take care of them.

If you really love your wife/husband/children/brothers/sisters... you OWE it to them to take care of yourself.

Deload Week

It's been a great couple of months of training.  I particularly love the last 5 weeks of it as the programme incorporates more explosive movements like the clean and press and also more bodyweight iso hold stuff e.g. front lever and frog stands.

I've been seeing a lot of progress and am back at 50kg.  I don't feel sluggish at all but the training has left me a bit beat up.  Made it a point to have a massage session.  Now my body feels a bit better.  And I'll have a deload week before embarking on a brand new programme.

A cursory view sees Mr. Ferruggia concentrating more on building strength with a day per week dedicated on power and strongman stuff.

Looks promising.

Current Hip Thrust Personal Best

About a month actively incorporating barbell hip thrusts and I'm at 50kg for 12 reps.

This is far from impressive as some other ladies that I know START hip thrusting at 60kg and are now hip starting 110kg for reps.

I feel like I should be a able to hip thrust much bigger weights.  Most likely it's a confidence issue.  Or maybe I'm just weak.

Anyhow I'll just trudge through and hopefully I'll be joining the >100kg club some time in the near future.

Fitness Reads: David Dellanave's Off The Floor

My favourite lift by far is the deadlift.  There's something so satisfying about lifting heavy shit off the floor.  So when I learned about a new e-book making its rounds about how to deadift more frequently, I didn't hesitate on making the purchase (despite the fact that I had crazy bills to pay this month).

Off The Floor is a 90-page manual on all things deadlift-oriented. In the manual, Dellanave naturally reveals the more popular deadlift variations.  But he also highlights the less popular, quirkier deadlift variations that is actually more 'body-friendly' that we could incorporate into our training programmes.

But what I find most mindblowing was Biofeedback Testing.

I'm quite sure all of us in our training history have felt that certain lifts felt especially shitty on certain days. And not wanting to feel like a loser, we plough through the lifts only to feel shittier still.  The thing is... our body is actually telling us that that particular exercise is not a good idea for that particular day.  So the next best thing is to use another variant of the exercise instead.

It could be something as simple as changing your stance slightly or change the lift altogether e.g. from conventional deadlifts to sumo deadlifts.  So how do you know when a lift is not suitable on a given day?

Enter Biofeedback Testing whereby you test your CNS readiness for a particular lift with something as simple as monitoring your ROM.  I believe Dellanave himself could provide a better explanation on this.  So head over here for a video on how to execute biofeedback testing.

Disclaimer:
I won't earn a single dime if you purchase the e-book.  I'm just excited about this new-found knowledge and just had to share.

Weight... regained!

So I checked my weight on two different scales and they both read 50kg which is a pleasant surprise.  I somewhat knew I have regained most of the size that I've lost during my high fever episode and the fasting month, particularly on my upper body as my clothes fit me better now.

My lower body has always been a bit of a laggard so it doesn't really bother me much.  I know it'll eventually catch up.  I am however pretty happy with the progress in my glutes area.  Hip thrusts have become a staple exercise on leg day (at present I can hip thrust 40kg for 20 reps... and something tells me it's time to load on the weight).  On upper body days I make it a point to include single leg hip thrusts after the main training session.

So in effect I am targeting the glutes at least 4 days a week and the results have been encouraging.

Natural Healing... 1 year on

I've written a few times about my suffering from atopic eczema i.e. allergy-induced eczema.

My condition was severe enough to warrant a course of antibiotics every few months and taking allergy jabs as well.

Around Ramadhan last year I started juicing.  The funny thing was I started juicing because it was recommended by ex schoolmate who sold me collagen drinks (don't ask).

She said before I start drinking the collagen drinks I should detox my body first.  Or else it doesn't matter how many supplements I consume because my body won't be able to absorb it.  I realized she was spot on about this when I did some research on my own.

So I detoxed by juicing apple and celery.  Pretty tame stuff compared to what I juice now. Even back then I was impressed that I could feel some positive changes to how I was feeling and how my body reacts to juicing.

And one year on...

1. I have yet to take any antibiotics (for eczema or any other kind of illness)
2. I still get skin inflammation but it's definitely controllable without having to resort to medication and steroid creams
3. I recover quickly from the flu

Just like training, juicing has become a lifestyle for me.  I've a feeling I'll be sticking to my juicing regiment throughout my lifetime.

1st week of the 30-day thrusting challenge

I've completed 6 days of the 30-day thrusting challenge last night.

Last night was also legs session.

Positive development:  I can definitely feel my glutes firing when performing zercher squats and sumo deads. Those lifts also felt more solid.

Weird observation:  Also did glute bridges last night... but didn't feel my glutes firing quite as much.

Glute size-wise (which is the whole reason I'm embarking on this challenge - yeah I'm shallow sue me), it's too early to tell whether I've made any progress.

Pants do feel a bit more snug... but it could just be my head playing tricks on me.

And the quest continues...

...for a rounder butt.

I found this at the Glute Guy's blog.  30 Days of Thrusting Challenge.  Did day 1 yesterday. 29 more days to go.

Source:  "30 Days of Thrusting Challenge", Bret Contreras
You can view the original post here

Comments on my training programme

I just started on the second phase of the current training programme and it does look promising.  Personal favourites like iso holds (e.g. front lever, planche progressions and L-sits) and power movements (e.g. hang clean and press) have been re-introduced.

They're personal favourites because I've always great progress in terms of size and strength with these kinds of exercises despite the fact I'm not really good at them.

To be honest I was starting to feel a little jaded with the programmes I've been following since it has not resulted in the kind of size and strength gains I've been expecting.

I reviewed the programmes that gave me the best results and what I've discovered is that:

1.  It always includes iso-holds
2.  Always includes power movements
3.  Includes various kinds of jumps (e.g. vertical, hurdle)
4.  Knee-friendly exercises (read: little or no back squats)

I was actually planning to use a couple of the older programmes but then Phase 2 was introduced and since does have the characteristics of my past favourites I've decided to give it a chance.  Hopefully I'll be able to see some much needed gains.

Raya Observations

Back from Raya hols at last an back to my routine of juicing greens, training and eating.  Ironically I didn't get to eat that much during Raya celebrations despite being stationed at the kitchen most of the time.  Was too busy manning the fort to be thinking of food.

Anyway, I didn't do any structured training at all throughout the holidays.  But I guess I did plenty of lifting e.g. nephews, cartons of soft drinks, bags of beras, and a plethora of meat and vegetables from the local wet market.

These are the movements I often used throughout the hectic holiday season:

1.  The deadlift
2.  Farmer's walk
3.  Zercher's squat/Front squat

Tips for tight hips and a more effective way to perform glute bridges

I've tried the tips from both videos below and it really works.  Feeling amazing.



My hips have been feeling especially tight lately so this vid (check out the original site here) came up at just the right time.  I've always incorporated cossack squats in my leg day warmup but the inside leg lift was something new that I haven't tried before.

The exercise looks a bit weird but it does wonders for my tight hips.  Give it a try.




I've come to a point where doing a 20-reps of 40kg barbell glute bridges doesn't give me the desired burn anymore.  After reading this and this, I realized it was due to anterior pelvic tilt.  So in this video Bret Contreras shows how barbell glute bridges could become more effective when you flatten out your lumbar spine when doing them.

I gave it a go last night and oooo yeahhh... the burn's back, baby.  It's back!

Ramadhan, Training and the Butt Conundrum

As I'm writing this, I'm already half way through my 13th day of  fasting.

Training wise, things are going along fine.  I have hit a plateau in certain lifts, but to be honest I think it's more to do with my ability to digest food than my true strength level.  What the heck do I mean by that, exactly?

During this fasting month, I have made it a practice to eat light first (light is pretty much a few pieces of bread with eggs/corned beef or a few pieces of kuih) then perform my Maghrib prayers and then start training. This is usually around 8.30pm.  So I actually have more or less a 45-minute window to let the food settle in my stomach.

Sometimes this works well.  Other times I feel like I'd start regurgitating what I've eaten earlier.  So during times when my stomach feels a little weird more often than not my lifts start to suffer a bit.

But overall, progress has been okay.

***

My quest to re-inflate my deflated butt has had its ups and downs.  So determined was I to improve the state of my glutes that I read a lot of articles posted by Bret Contreras (the Glute Guy, as he is known) on glute development and activation and even bought one of his e-books to satiate the nerdier side of me.

So far I have been including barbell glute bridges on leg days and have faithfully performed Jason Ferruggia-prescribed bodyweight buttsercises daily but with a single modification.  The original prescription was this:

Glute bridges 4 x 25

Clam shells 4 x 25

Bird/Dog 4 x 25

Lying side abduction 4 x 25

I discovered performing donkey kicks (see vid below) activates my glutes much better than performing Bird/Dogs.  So I switched.  So far I can see some slight improvements on my butt and I am pretty encouraged because I've only been seriously sticking to this regiment for a couple of weeks.  Hopefully the state of glutes would improve soon.

And the fasting month comes again

The good news is I've regained some of the weight I've lost when I was sick the other day.  The gains were noticeable not only to me but to one of my colleagues as well.  She was actually quite surprised I put back the weight fairly quickly.

I'm pleased as well but less surprised than she was.  All I did was shove food down my throat as much as possible and made sure I don't miss a single training day.  Training's gone really well too.  I've just embarked on a new programme and I'm loving every bit of it.  It's turning out to be one of my favourite programmes so far.

The bad news is my butt is still as flat as a bloody pancake.  I'm doing extra glute exercises on training days although I know I should be doing it on a daily basis.  I get lazy sometimes.

The fasting month is here so I do expect some weight loss yet again but I don't foresee any big problems.  I'd still train but perhaps lay off the conditioning.  Perhaps.

I haven't trained for the first few days of the fasting month since I was at my hometown.  Today will be the start of the first Ramadhan training session.  I plan to eat light, and then train.  And only then settle down with a bigger meal.  Which is actually what I've been doing this whole while anyway.  So yeah, we'll see how that goes.

I apologize for the long silence.  To be honest I didn't feel like writing much of late.  And it's not just the blog.  I make a living writing research papers and even that has grinded to a halt.  Talk about a massive writer's block, huh?

Anyway, some updates:

1. Had high fever and severe migraine which has caused to be on MC for one whole week.  I didn't know what the heck happened.  I had a good weekend and on Monday my body ached like mad and on Monday night I had high fever.
2. Due to the fever I lost my appetite which caused my weight to drop to 46kg.  I haven't hit a weight this low since 2007.  It made me upset that all the hard work I've put in goes down the drain in just one week.
3. I have now recovered fully and am throwing myself into training.  And of course, shoving food down my throat like nobody's business.
4. Recently had a medical checkup for the company insurance.  Had an ECG done and apparently I have an "extra heartbeat".  Doc said it could be a thyroid thing and he said I may need medication.  Screw medication.  I don't believe in popping pills.  Not anymore.

Yeah so that's my update.  Hopefully I can bust through this writer's block and write more often going forward.

You have NO right (Rant mode)

I was having a chat with a friend a few weeks back and he commented that my precious home gym will be lying in my living room collecting dust sooner or later.

If he would have said that a few years back I would have given him a snide remark as a reply and we will no longer be friends.

But I just looked at him square in the eyes and told him I have been training consistently for about 5 years now.  Having shared that little detail with him, does he think that my barbell would collect dust?

He changed the subject after that.  Rightfully so.  I have enough ammo to put bullets the size of a bowling ball through his body if he so choose to continue with the conversation.

You see, people who do not train consistently do not have the right to make any kind of statements about my training lifestyle.

People whose idea of training revolves around a few sets of benchpress and bicep curls do not have the right to make any kind of statements about my training lifestyle.

People who have the audacity to say they don't need to train legs because it could grow big too easily (seriously... you gotta be shitting me!) do not have the right to make any kind of statements about my training lifestyle.

You do not deserve to make any kind of condescending statements about my training when you:

Do not bust your ass each day trying to achieve some kind of PR (be it reps or weight).

Do not have the discipline and self control to not go overboard when you have your nights out.

Do not have the discipline and self control to stick to a schedule.

Do not spend a bit of time and/or cash to gain some knowledge about training and nutrition.

So until you walk the talk, you can shut your stinking trap and leave me be.