A little motivation

Never thought it would happen to me, after all the countless times I read up about haters and people putting down someone working towards a goal, it happened to me.

I always thought, if I got shot down, made fun of whilst working to build up my physique, it would most likely be from people who don't know me. Acquaintances, people you weren't on that good terms with or strangers - those were the people whom I thought would be the ones to put me down, to laugh at my "obsession".

The "obsession" of spending those hours, days, months and years at the gym, the cardio and especially the diet that I try hard to stick to.

But it struck me so hard the first time it happened, despite all the motivational quotes and videos I've watched - telling me to show the people who put you down how all your hard work isn't an obsession but a dedication and to use it as a motivation for yourself - the words that came out of their mouth still hurt.

I guess the worst part is that they are people whom you called friends, relatives or loved ones, people whom you trust that they got your back. It's like if the people whom you trust say such things about you, what more the people who don't know you that well, what worse things will they be saying about you.

For the rest of that day I was pretty moody but then I thought about it and those motivational posts I've seen and read came to me and I understood what it really meant.

People are going to put you down, be it out of jealousy or spite or just for "fun", only you can take those words and turn it as a source of motivation and encouragement or even strength. It just means that you have got to work harder and smarter. At the end of the day, it's you who reap the benefits of your hard work, it is you who will be accountable for your actions, no one else. Sure there might be spill over effects - your efforts and success motivating others or just creating more jealousy - but the only one to truly enjoy the fruits of labor is YOU!

Personally, I did take it negatively at that instance but then I turned it around and those words helped me break through my 6 month long plateau, where I just couldn't gain any progress in terms of my physique. In just 1 month, I saw myself making progress again and instilled in me a new found passion/motivation for what I'm working towards.

I would like to dedicate this post to all of you out there who are working hard for that dream and goal in your life, be it in fitness, career or your studies, whatever it is you are striving for... don't give up when others put you down, mock you or try to crush your hopes. Keep up the effort and in due time you will enjoy the results of your dedication.


p.s I'm not mad or angry at those who tries to put me down or make fun of me. I just wish that they'll understand what it is like to actually have a goal in life, something you're dedicated and passionate about. After all they are my friends and people I care about, so I definitely will not put down people I call my friends and loved ones. If not why call them friend?

The video can get quite crude and vulgar but I enjoy watching their videos because they are brutally honest with their advice, the Hodge Twins have been very helpful in guiding and motivating me in my workouts. I hope they can help you as much as they have helped me.

Till the next post!

Strength Gains

I think I've been training in my comfort zone too much. I'm still lifting weights that I've been lifting for the past 3-4months. Haven't actually increased it, so I've been thinking that I should have a week or two to work on my strength.

I recently came across an article on 5x5 workout, sounds good for strength gains.
Let's see how it works out in the next couple of weeks.
Hopefully I'll see myself gain a little more mass.

One for the Ladies.

Inspiration for the ladies!

I know some of them are a little too bulky for your liking, but just like how I get motivated by the male bodybuilders, I definitely don't want to be their size.

It's the motivation and dedication I see from them, their hard work and results that in turn makes me want to achieve half of what they are.

I think that this one of the better female body building videos I've come across, so enjoy!


Till the next post!

Reboot Workout

I was away from the 15-20th June for my University's Faculty Camp.

Got a good tan, made many new friends and had loads of fun :)

However during these 5 days, I didn't have the time to hit the gym. Adding on to it, the intense games we played and the lack of sleep resulted in me losing more than 2kg of muscle mass. I also fell sick which further prevented me from hitting the gym.

Currently I'm still stuck at 60kg, down from 62kg before my camp.

I thought I'll like to share with you guys a workout which I do whenever I take a break off of training, usually a week or more. It could be for many reasons (i.e holiday, falling ill, too busy).

You can also follow this workout if you're a beginner and want to do a full upper body workout.

I like to call it the "Reboot Workout".

Just warming up your muscles for the week's routine.

I would suggest adding a legs day after this "Reboot Workout" to make it a total body workout, especially for beginners or anyone who is looking to use this as their weekly routine.

If you were to do it as your weekly full body workout, I suggest doing the upper body twice and lower body once or twice depending on your schedule. (per week)

Completed this workout in 45mins, so no excuses that you don't have time to do it.  :)

Hope I can gain back my loss mass soon and put on some more.


Till the next post!

                     




Special thanks to my camera man and best friend Anthony :)

My Fitness Goals.

This post is in lieu of my previous one about my 6 months progress. In fact I wrote this post first but kept in my drafts because I was still editing it. A little follow up to my personal fitness goals, serving as a comparison as to how far I've come and how close I am to reaching them.

Weight
My goal weight would be approximately 65-67kg. I'm currently at 62kg and have been so for 2 months, it's my diet to blame, I don't have the habit of eating much. But recently I've been trying to stuff myself with (clean)food as often as I can. However, I've just started a temporary job, thus my meals are getting irregular and I'm not able to eat as much or as often. Hopefully I can better focus on this goal when I'm in university.


Bodyfat
I've never actually measured my body fat percentage, but by 'guestimate' I would say I'm at about 10-11% body fat. My ideal body fat would be at 8-9% where the 6 pack abs would be obvious even without flexing.


Build
I've mentioned it before, my ideal build is that of Nick Auger. Fitness model-ish but not to that extreme. Something approachable and not daunting.


Strength
To bench 1.5x my body weight for Flat Bench Press.
Deadlift 120-150kg.


Cardio
For most Singaporean guys, I suppose my aim would have to be below 9.45 for 2.4km run. But ideally I'll like to be able to finish 10km run in 45mins. Though I'm not really training my cardio in any way as of now.


Lagging body part
For many alike, the rear deltoids. I feel that it's the most neglected body part.

Most Important body part to train
Chest! All guys should have a well defined chest. Chest > Abs.

So motivational! :)

Till the next post! 

My 6th Month Progress

Well, I thought I'll do a post on my progress so far since Nov 2011. It's been just over 6 months since I started working out and the pictures in this post are the results I have gained in this 6 months.

In terms of weight, I was approx. 57kg in Nov 2011. Currently I am maintaining my weight at 62.5kg which is almost a 6kg gain, mostly lean muscle mass. I've yet to accurately measure my body fat %, but by ''guestimate'' I think that I was at 12-13% in Nov 2011 and about 10% now? 

One of the most obvious gains are those little finger-like muscles at the rib cage area just below the chest muscles, inter-costal muscles they're called from what I know. Very good gauge for body fat %, if you can see it you're probably at 10% and below. Likewise one of my happiest gain is my abdominal region, though I probably need to lose another 1-2% body fat to see my lower 2 abs.

Arms wise, definitely had gains, never did measure it (regrettably). If I were to estimate, probably an inch? Hitting the triceps hard really did show, arms look so much bigger and it makes one especially happy when your arms fit your t-shirt sleeves.

Next body part would be my legs, biggest biggest growth by far. My girlfriend used to say I had lady thighs cause my legs were really skinny. I started legs routine about 4 months ago but the progress far exceeds my other body parts. Haven't really targeted the calf region but will keep that as one of the main goals in time to come.

As for my chest, much more developed. Of all the muscle groups, I favour the chest muscles most. I think that it's a must have for all men. You can have nice arms, 6 pack, monster legs, sick back muscles or rock solid shoulders but if your chest is not developed, you just look weird. I'll rather have chest muscles over 6 pack abs.

I really put a lot of work into the lower chest muscles to attain the fuller look. Currently working on the upper region now so there'll be the "3D effect"(as my friend termed it).

Finally, my back and shoulder muscle group.

The back is the "hardest" muscle to train, because you can't see it! haha, it's really hard to focus on it in the gym because you have to imagine engaging your back muscles without the ability to see it with your own eyes. But it's my favourite of all the gains I've had, 'cobra head' back as the bodybuilders like to call it. I don't know about you but I feel that the back muscles have so many different groups that all the definitions just makes it look so kick ass.

My shoulders have seen it's fair share of growth as well, especially the rear delts. Never knew that I had to work it till like 3-4months ago. Since then I've been focusing on the rear delts to complete the full shoulders look. My traps have also grown significantly, personally I don't like too big traps cause it makes your neck look short, so I think as of now it's just about the right size for me.

Okay! So what am I looking forward to now would be to put on another 3kg. I plan to work on my calf muscles, getting the upper chest to be more developed and continue maintaining the other muscle groups. Also I'll hope to start a cutting phase if I get to 65/66kg and perhaps drop my body fat % to 8-9%.

Probably do another update of my progress in 3-6months time :).

Till the next post!

Legs and Core, Don't Neglect Them!

Legs
Benefits of doing legs:
for upper body growth (works the whole body/ allows it to grow proportionately as your upper body can't grow bigger if your base is small),
fat burn/metabolism increase, stability, explosiveness,
increase muscle growth hormones throughout the entire body (anabolic)

Leg exercises: squats, lunges or split squats(walking/stationary), deadlifts, leg extension, lying leg curls, calf raises(seated/standing)

a sample leg routine:

Barbell Squats

(Variations: Dumbbell Squats, Front Barbell Squats)

Leg Extension Machine

Both the above exercises targets the thighs, also know as quadriceps
another good exercise is the leg press machine.
Squats also help with the gluteus, also known as the butt muscles, allowing you to build a firmer buttock.

Deadlifts

(Variations: Stiff-leg deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts)

A

B

Lying Hamstring Curls

(Variations: Seated Hamstring Curls)


The above two exercises works the hamstrings.
While deadlifts hits the hamstrings,
 it also emphasises a lot on the lower back and core to keep the body flexed and stable.

Standing Calf/Calves Raise

Do 3-4 sets of each exercise, 15-20 reps with no more than 2mins rest between sets.
Feel free to rearrange the order each session or vary the exercises/reps/weights.

Core

Benefits of doing core:
stability, strength, it's the centre of all our movements/center of gravity, prevent injuries (lower back, spine, pelvis, shoulders) with strong core muscles.

Core exercises: planks, deadlifts, squats, mountain climbers, crunch/reverse crunch, tucked L-seat/L-seat, tucked lever, oblique twists

a sample core routine:
         

          Start with

• Planks - 60 to 90secs

Side planks - 60 to 90secs for each side



         Do this

• Crunches - 15 reps
• Mountain Climbers - 20 secs
• Reverse Crunch - 15 reps
• Mountain Climbers - 20 secs
• Oblique twists/bicycle crunches - 20 reps(10 reps each side)
  Repeat 3 times as a circuit with 90-120secs rest.
  
  
  End off with
• Planks - 60 to 90secs
• Side planks - 60 to 90secs for each side

Mountain Climbers

Side Plank

Reverse Crunches

as always remember that these are all just template workouts, you can alter them according to what works best for you :)


















Girl power!  :)

Special mention to Val! who requested a post on core and legs routine.



Till the next post!

Calisthenics Circuit - Video

Spent half my Saturday doing up this video.
It'll show you how to do the Calisthenics Routine that I talked about and shared in my previous post.
Hopefully it can guide you with your workouts!

Till the next post! 

My Calisthenic Routine.

I began my body building journey with calisthenics (bodyweight exercises).
Some of the key exercises I always have in every routine are push ups and pull ups.
When available my other favourite exercise is doing dips on the parallel bars.
So here is a sample routine that I would recommend, effective for a good pump and getting your heart rate up.

1. Pull ups - 10 reps (you'll need to invest in a pull up bar if you're planning to do this at home)
2. Squats - 20 reps
3. Push ups - 20 reps
4. Crunches - 20 reps

Do this total body workout as a circuit in the order above with 2 mins rest between each circuit.
Go through the entire circuit for 5 times, 3-4 days a week for the first week. ( I used to do it 5 days a week)
For the second week, go through the circuit 8 times, 3-4 days a week.
From the third or fourth week onwards, go through the circuit 10 times, 3-4 days a week.

You can do this workout at a fitness corner near your home, if not you can do it as a home workout.
If you find difficulty increasing the number of circuits, you can take 2 - 3 weeks before you start on the next level.
This workout can be completed in 20-30mins, that's all you need in a day, just 30mins of committed hard work and I can most certainly assure you a good toned body in 2-3months.

Note: if you are unable to do pull ups, you can do it assisted if not hang from the pull up bar for 20-30secs each circuit or step up onto a chair and do negatives pull ups (i.e lowering yourself slowly from the pulled up position)
Also feel free to do variations of pull ups, push ups, abs exercises and trade squats for lunges.

Hope this helps and that you'll see positive results in no time :)

Till the next post!  

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.

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.