One for the Ladies.

Watching her video, I felt that she summarised really well the various aspects of keeping fit for the ladies.
I know many girls don't want to lift weights because they are afraid to become bulky. However, contrary to that belief, women don't bulk or build muscles like guys(you can if you want to but it'll take way more effort). In fact, lifting weights can actually help lose those fats all ladies complain about. It isn't all about cardio or running on the treadmill, especially so in Singapore where you see the ladies at the gym and all they do is run on the treadmill or cycle on the stationary bicycle.

Trust me ladies, pick up the weights the next time you go to the gym and leave your treadmill runs for after the weights workout. You'll see better results in lesser time as compared to the hours spent on those cardio machines. :)

Not too sure what's your goal body, girls, but here's one that'll hopefully be motivational to you  :)


Till the next post!

Supplementation.

I'm going to talk about some of the supplements I take to help with my nutrition, diet and work outs.

Let's start with one of the most important supplement, Whey Protein. The brand I am currently using is Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein Gold Standard and the flavour I have is Cookies and Cream. I really enjoy the taste of Cookies and Cream, it smells great to me and it tastes very much like the name suggests. I've only yet tried it with water, have not with milk. I think the texture when mixed with water is really smooth, Optimum Nutrition's Whey mixes really well with water and milk. It doesn't get clumped up easily. The other flavour I've tried before is Strawberry, which tastes great too though towards the end I got quite sick of the taste. Mixes well with milk and water as well, tastes great with either. Although sometimes my tummy feels weird after drinking Strawberry with milk, but those are on rare occasions which I think is my stomach reacting to the milk.
It's good to invest in Protein powder as it serves as a cheap source of protein. It helps me to meet my daily protein intake of about 130g. The ON Gold Standard also provides 5g of Branch Chain Amino Acids(BCAAs) which aid with muscle growth and recovery as well, it is beneficial as some of these protein can't be synthesised by the human body. [Protein breaks down to various amino acids but not all that the body requires]
Whey protein is said to be a fast acting protein, where breaking down time is about 30-40mins. The slower acting protein can come in the form of Casein which metabolise slower, approximately 3-4hours.
I have yet to try casein. But I'll write a review on it when I do start taking it, don't really feel like I need it at this stage.
Oh! By the whey, it's a by-product of cheese production :).





Next up we have, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, which is an acetylated form of L-carnitine.(you don't say!) It is a dietary supplement and naturally occurs in plants and animals. Humans produce it within the body as well! However I believe that our body will benefit from supplementing on to whatever amount it produces. Acetyl-L-Carnitine(ALC) helps our body to facilitate fatty acid utilization, apparently helping to form fatty acids into chains which make it easier for them pass through Mitochondria's membrane. Some of the benefits of ALC are the improvement of both Short-Term Memory and Long-Term Memory, improvements in Athletic Performance, Eye to Hand coordination, Mental Function, Attention Span. ALC facilitates the production of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) which is used to transport energy within our body for metabolism.
Ideally from what I understand about ALC is that it helps boost energy within us, prioritise the use of fats as energy (i.e helps to burn fats!) and make us more alert and active. Do research on the other benefits of supplementing ALC, you'll be amazed at what awesomeness it does for your health and body. (it extends to slowing down aging and deterring other illnesses)



Now let's talk about Creatine! Well, creatine is produced naturally by the body from amino acids. It too is found in meat sources, like beef (red meat) and salmon. Creatine helps to supply energy to all cells in the body, primarily the muscle. Basically it readily helps to reform the ATPs(body's energy), a simple illustration would be that your body uses ATP (adenosine triphosphate) as energy when you work out, it breaks down to ADP (adenosine diphosphate) so creatine comes into play and reforms it from ADP to ATP. This supplement aids in providing bursts of energy especially useful when doing high intensity workouts, as it enhances the production of energy. However we must note that creatine is not a fast acting supplement like protein shakes, it takes a few days for it to get saturated into your muscles. Other benefits of creatine is that it allows the user to workout longer and in the case of lifting weights, allow for more reps. I can talk a whole lot more about creatine, but basically this is what it is used for. Maybe I'll talk about it in detail in a future post, things like creatine cycling, how to consume creatine and perhaps some extra information about creatine and its variations.
Do note: Drink loads of water when supplementing with creatine! at least 8-10 glasses a day. Another thing is that creatine helps retain water in the muscles to help with energy production, so you'll tend to bulk when using creatine, most of which is water mass.




The last supplement I'm currently taking is the multi-vitamins. The brand i'm using is Now: Daily Vits. We all grew up knowing that vitamins is good for you, same reason we're still taking it. When we workout, our body uses more of everything, including vitamins, that's one reason for supplementing with multi-v. Another reason is that when dieting, we miss out on certain kinds of vitamin as we don't consume it's source, so we ensure our body has it by taking a multi-v. However, to be honest I bought it without much research and I would say I regretted buying multi-vitamins because I'm usually able to get most of my vitamins from the food I eat everyday, taking the extra multi-v only results in my body flushing it out of my body (waste of money). Still, I would recommend it for those who are sticking to a certain diet or exercise a lot.





Till the next post!

Random Tip of the Week

Good Form over Heavy Weight.

Random Tip of the Week.

When you just started working out, whatever you do works and will have results, just as long as you do something.

Disclaimer.

I wanted to let you guys know that I'm not a trained professional, neither do I have a diploma or degree in sports science.
Whatever I share on this blog is solely based on personal experiences and information I have read or viewed, with some knowledge coming from friends/others.
I've been researching for the past 5-6months and I still am continuing this research.
This blog serves as a platform from which I can share the info/knowledge I have gained through my research and compress it into smaller, bite-size, more layman terms for you guys.
So feel free to share with me your thoughts and opinions whenever you are in doubt or think that I have the wrong idea/opinion on certain issues which I have posted.
I hope that through this channel, I can not just share my experiences but also learn more from the community.

The stuff I share on this site is mainly for the average Joe and Jane, who just wants to maintain a toned physique and to lead a healthier lifestyle.
I'm definitely not working towards a bodybuilder physique, not intending on getting too bulky but to have a lean and.. what I like to call "approachable" physique.
Hopefully my personal goals are something many out there can relate to and work towards it with me :)

Till the next post! 

Burn Fats and Build Muscles at the same time?!

Hello! I wanted to do a short a post on burning fats while building muscles, because lately my group of friends have been asking me questions on it.
Just thought it'll be easier for everyone if I posted something on it to help them understand the process of how to do it and what goes on when doing it.
Keep the information out there for anyone to refer to :)

Here are some of the FAQs.

1. Can I burn fat and build muscles at the same time?
The answer to the question is, YES! You can build muscles and burn fat at the same time, I feel that it is the most efficient way instead of doing it one at a time.
In fact I like to call this process "a trade off". Trading fats for muscle, what better deal could one ask for :P .
I'll go into detail as to how the building/repairing of muscles help to burn the fats in your body in a later post :)

2.How do I burn fat and build muscles at the same time?
Hit the gym, do compound exercises such as Bench Press, Rows, Pull Ups, Squats, Shoulder Press. Movements that require a few muscle groups to work at the same time, unlike isolated exercises like Bicep Curls or Triceps Extension where only one muscle group is working at a time. If you don't want to gym, do bodyweight squats/pull ups/push ups. Limit your rest time to no more than 1 min, keep your heart rate up, but don't overtrain/overexert!

3.Can I just burn tummy fat?
Sadly no you can't just choose one area of your body to burn fat. Losing fats is a full body process, in fact the tummy is one of the last areas that fat is burned by the body. This is especially so for guys. So stop doing those 1000 crunches a day hoping for your 6packs to appear or belly fats to vapourise. Only through proper diet and exercise will you eventually burn the fats off.

4.What kind of diet should I have?
Diet is the most important part of burning and building. Not taking into consideration sleep/supplements/water/other factors, just between diet and exercise, diet would take up ~60-70% of the fat burning process and exercise ~30-40%. However you must understand that diet and exercise goes hand-in-hand, doing one without the other is ineffective. I would suggest switching simple carbohydrates for complex carbs food sources. Add lean meat to your diet like chicken breast meat which is a good source of protein, you can also have fish in your diet for the high protein. Protein helps with muscle repair and recovery. Try to avoid food which contains Trans Fat and Saturated Fat, go for Polyunsaturated or Monounsaturated fat sources usually in plant sources/nuts/fish.

5.Does cardio help burn fat and build muscles?
I like to see cardio as a supplement to your workout. Like how we can build muscles without taking protein shakes, we can lose fats without cardio as well. However, taking protein shakes will help build muscles better, just like how cardio can help burn fats better. So if you really want to add cardio to your fat burning workout, in my opinion it's best to do it after your gym or calisthenic workout for that extra burn.Use Low intensity steady state(LISS) cardio - i.e brisk walk on the treadmill for 20-30mins, slow jog(5km max.) If it's purely a cardio day, go for High Intensity Interval Training(HITT) like interval sprints or try fartlek though not exactly HIIT it is similar in nature.


These are just a few of the more common questions asked by my friends.
If you have any other questions related to losing fats and gaining muscles, feel free to ask me by leaving a comment :)

It's a short post nothing too detailed, I'll elaborate further in another post when I get the time to explain things in detail.
There's much more to it for each point mentioned so do stay tuned to find out more :)

Till the next post! 

People That Inspire Me.

Greg Plit     

    
Greg Plitt has appeared on the covers of more than 100 fitness magazines. He is undisputedly America's No. 1 male fitness model.
Plitt is an all rounder - he was from the Military(Officer/Airborne Ranger), Skydiving pro, Actor, Fitness Model, Athlete, All-American Wrestler and to me he's a superb motivational speaker. The starting few months of my fitness journey was mainly motivated by him, by his videos on Youtube, where he speaks to his viewers not with sugar coated words but with the hard truth. You can learn more about him on his website, www.gregplitt.com .

These are just a couple of his videos. Do check out the rest of them if you're looking for a good dose of motivation.
Sadly his workouts require paid membership to be viewed, nonetheless still a great source of motivation when you're feeling lazy or weak.
Do note that his videos can get quite crude as he like using vulgarities as motivation, its very military style.

Rob Riches       

      
2009 World fitness model champion, he appears on many magazine covers and in numerous publications. I like his approach to fitness, where he shares training videos with the community and mixes it up by having workouts at the park or in the streets and not just in the gym. He also does many forms of exercises and helps to promote them (i.e Crossfit, TRX suspension training, MMA training). He has many videos on nutrition and diet as well, sharing his meal plans and how he prepares his various meals. You can learn more about him on his website, www.robriches.com .

His videos are more informational than motivational.  Do check out his other videos on workout and diets(preparation and grocery shopping).

Nick Auger 

               
My goal body. When I saw his photo shoot pictures, I felt that his physique was similar to my body type and was something I could work towards and achieve.
However there is not much to share about him as I believe that he is currently serving US in the Marine Corps.

These guys are my top 3 inspirational people
It's always good to find inspiration through many sources including other people, so go ahead and look for those who inspires you, so that you may have the drive to work towards your goal.

Till the next post! 

Dorian Yates.

The above video shows the high intensity training endorsed by Dorian Yates, which I have adopted as my routine for the past 5-6weeks. The workouts and splits have been modified to suit my preference.

Here is another example of high intensity training for the back.

Words of wisdom and experience from Dorian himself. It's like all the knowledge of bodybuilding/working out compressed into a 15minute video. :)

High intensity training be it with weights, cardio or calisthenics is to me one of the best ways to lose fats and gain muscles.
Do check out the other videos covering shoulder,triceps and legs high intensity training.

Till the next post!

My workout routine.

For the past 5-6weeks, I have been doing a routine similar to that of Dorian Yates blood & guts as seen on Bodybuilding.com's youtube channel.
Ideally, the routine is about training with high intensity and to failure. Both training methods are two of the most effective and efficient ways of building muscles.

A rough guide on how my workout looks like, with a 3 day split.
Note: 1 minute rest between each set,2-3mins rest between each exercise and 5mins rest before doing the next body part workout.

Chest/Triceps (I always start this workout as the first routine usually on Mondays)
Flat Bench Press
- 1st warm up set : easy weight 45kg, 10-12reps
- 2nd warm up set: moderate weight 50kg, 10-12reps
- 1st work set: heavy weight 65kg-70kg, 6-8reps to failure(if a spotter is available)

Incline Bench Press/Dumbbell Press
- 1st warm up set: easy weight 40kg, 10-12reps
- 2nd warm up set: moderate weight 45kg, 10-12reps
- 1st work set: heavy weight 50kg, 6-8reps

Decline Bench Press/Dumbbell Press
- 1st warm up set: moderate weight 45kg, 10-12reps
- 1st workset: heavy weight 50-55kg, 6-8reps to failure(I usually like doing decline with DBs so I don't need a spotter and can just drop the weights when at failure)

Cable Crossovers(I like to call this the finishing touch, same for chest flys)
- 1st warm up set: 6.25kg on each side, 10-12reps
- 1st work set: 8.75kg on each side, 10-12reps

I alternate each week,
Triceps Pushdown/reverse grip pulldowns
- 1st warm up set: moderate weight 30lbs/13-14kg, 10-12reps
- 1st work set: heavy weight 40lbs/18kg, 10-12reps

I alternate each week,
Triceps rope extensions/Triceps cable kickbacks
- 1st warm up set: moderate weight 30lbs/13-14kg, 10-12reps
- 1st work set: heavy weight 40lbs/18kg, 10-12reps

If I have the time I'll usually hit my back and biceps the next day if not I'll give myself 1 rest day.

Back and Biceps
Weighted Pull Ups w 7.5kg weight
- 3 sets all to failure, for me its usually 15reps/10-12reps/8-10reps

Lat Pulldown Machine(wide grip)
- 1st warm up set: easy weight 100lbs/45kg, 10-12reps
- 2nd warm up set: moderate weight 110lbs/50kg, 10-12reps
- 1st work set: heavy weight 130lbs/~60kg, 6-8reps to failure

I alternate each week,
Barbell rows/T-bar rows/Seated cable rows
-1st warm up set: easy weight 35-40kg, 10-12reps
-2nd warm up set: moderate weight 45-50kg, 10-12reps
-1st work set: heavy weight 55-60kg, 6-8reps to failure

Single arm bent over dumbbell rows
- 1st warm up set: easy weight 15kg, 10-15reps each side
- 2nd warm up set: moderate weight 20kg, 10-15reps each side
- 1st work set: heavy weight 25kg, 10-12reps each side

Bicep curls (dumbbell/barbell)
- 1st work set: heavy weight 7.5-8kg, 10-12reps
- 2nd work set: heavy weight 7.6-8kg, 10-12reps

Hammer curls
- 1st work set: heavy weight 7.5-8kg, 10-12reps
- 2nd work set: heavy weight 7.6-8kg, 10-12reps

I like to throw in every alternate week something I learnt from Rob Riches "surfing the rack" where I start with 10kg dumbbells(bicep full curls to failure) drop the weights, 7.5kg (hammer curls to failure) drop the weights, 5kg (side bicep hammer to failure)
1 day rest

Legs/Shoulders

I like to start with Squats

Barbell Squats(Quadriceps)
- 1st warm up set: easy weight 40kg, 12reps
- 2nd warm up set: moderate weight 50kg, 10-12reps
- 1st work set: heavy weight 60-65kg, 8-10reps
- 2nd work set: heavy weight 60-65kg, 8-10reps

Deadlifts (Hamstring/Lower back. Romanian/Barbell)
- 1st warm up set: easy weight 40kg, 12reps
- 2nd warm up set: moderate weight 50kg, 10-12reps
- 1st work set: heavy weight 60-65kg, 8-10reps
- 2nd work set: heavy weight 60-65kg, 8-10reps

Leg Extensions (Quadriceps) - 1st warm up set: easy weight about 7plates, 12 reps
- 2nd warm up set: moderate weight about 8plates, 12reps
- 1st work set: heavy weight 10plates , 10reps
- 2nd work set: heavy weight 10plates, 10reps

Rear deltoid flys(cable/dumbbell)
- 1st warm up set: easy weight 5kg, 12reps
- 1st work set: heavy weight 6-7.5kg, 10-12reps
- 2nd work set: heavy weight 6-7.5kg, 10-12reps

Shoulder Press barbell/dumbbell(seated/standing)
- 1st warm up set: easy weight 25kg, 10-12reps
- 1st work set: moderate weight 30kg, 10-12reps
- 2nd work set: heavy weight 35kg, 8-10reps

Side lateral raises
- 1st warm up set: easy weight 5kg, 12reps
- 1st work set: heavy weight 6-7.5kg, 10-12reps
- 2nd work set: heavy weight 6-7.5kg, 10-12reps

Total time taken for each routine: 45mins - 1hour

I'll throw in abs workout on random days, usually twice a week.

A long and detailed post, special thanks to my friend Jun Yong who introduced me to this particular method of training.
If you have any questions regarding the various exercises mentioned and routines I've shared, feel free to leave a comment so that I may clear your doubts to the best of my knowledge and abilities.

Till the next post!
Train hard, train smart.

Some things to look forward to.

What will I be doing with this blog..

Here are some things I had in mind, it's not everything but it'll be a good prelude for what is to appear on this page.
-I'll definitely post up some of my workout routine videos/pictures.
-A monthly article for the ladies.
-diet and nutrition posts.
-product/place reviews (i.e gyms, supplements, equipments,etc.)
-lifestyle posts.
-maybe a lil bit of fashion?
-many other fitness related articles.
(:


Till the next post! 

A little more about me.

Just wanted to share with you guys a glimpse of my 5 months of progression.
A little insight to how much I've gained and hopefully it'll serve as a source of motivation to all those trying to gain muscles be it from skinny or fat.



This is me back in June 2011 on a diving trip to Tioman
And I thought back then that I already had a nice toned body.



And that is me (in the red shorts) taken recently at Brighton Beach, Melbourne with my friends on a holiday trip. (March 2012)

It's only been 5 months since I started going to the gym consistently from Nov 2011, still a long journey to go. :)

Hope this short transformation can ignite that little spark in you to work towards a fitter physique, just as I have done.

OKAY! I'm late, rushing off for a job interview for a position as a Customer Service Officer at TrueFitness gym :)
wish me luck!

A quote that kept me going.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence therefore, is not an act, but a habit."

-ARISTOTLE 

Why I Started This.

I've been going to the gym for approximately 5 months now, since back in early November 2011.
I started off my workouts with calisthenics(the use of bodyweight exercises like push ups,pull ups and squats), doing it on and off since the start of my secondary school days around 14 years of age.

But why did I start working out?
Growing up, I used to be the skinny and scrawny boy whom my mom and relatives often nagged on for me to eat more, complaining of how thin I was for a boy.
Being my size also resulted in frequent "bullying" by my friends in school, mischievous acts for fun though sometimes irritating.

I began to get sick and tired of hearing the constant nagging and being labelled as the skinny boy so I decided to do something about it.
That's when I started with my very first workout routine at the age of 14, starting with 50 push ups a day in sets of 10.
I guess it was helpful that I was quite the sportsman since my Primary school days, joining the school soccer team at 9 years old and participating actively in other various sports, so doing 50 push ups was pretty easy to achieve.
Within a week of my first routine, I began to increase my daily reps to a 100 and by the next week 200.
I began seeing changes in my body, with slightly broader shoulders and more developed chest muscles and was feeling more confident of myself.
In fact the nagging of my mom gradually stopped when she noticed the physical growth I was achieving. My friends started to realise that I was growing bigger too.
Long story short, my push up routine went on and off through my teenage years, adding in pull ups when I was introduced to it in school at the age of 15.
But that's just the start of my little "bodybuilding" journey, there's a whole story of my introduction to the gym and various types of calisthenic exercises which I will save for another post.
(I'll try to post a picture of myself back when I was the skinny boy)

And that is the story of why I started working out.

What I really want to share from this is that no matter who you are, regardless of age/gender/race/body type/weight or height/wealth... you know where I'm getting at, you should never give yourself an excuse to not keep fit or workout.
I was 14 and all the knowledge I had of exercising was push ups, sit ups and running, I didn't even know about the gym or the many different kinds of calisthenic exercises. Yet I didn't let that stop me from working out and growing out of the skinny boy phase.

Here I am 7 years later, starting this blog to share with you some of my personal experiences and lifestyle, workouts and diet.

With a little bit of dedication and commitment I'm sure you'll be well on your way to a better, happier and healthier you.

OH! I almost forgot.
Welcome to my Fitness and Lifestyle blog :)