This week, my mindset was to keep myself committed to my health goals. What helps keep me in line is giving myself positive affirmation when I see myself in the mirror, and establishing routines that makes it easier for me to go for the healthier choice. One of the routines was to prepare my meals for the whole week so I wouldn’t bother ordering anything else and indulge in my cravings too much. I would just get what I prepared in the fridge, heat it in the microwave and eat not worrying too much about how many calories I’ve already consumed.
I think when we want to change something, we must understand that the process for that change to happen is where we should focus our energy on. It’s the process in the middle that makes the change happen. We need to be consistent and committed to it until we finally reach our desired goals. If the process isn’t working, adjust it to make it work well for you and not the other way around.
Submit to your process, keep at it until you reach your goal.
Monday
Warm-up: 10 min. Stationary Bike
Workout Target Areas: Back & Cardio/Core
Back:
12 Assisted Pull-ups (3 sets)
12 Deadlifts (3 sets)
12 Bent-Over Barbell Row (3 sets)
12 Seated Row (3 sets)
12 Wide-Grip Lat Pull-Down (3 sets)
12 Behind-the-Neck Lat Pull-Down (3 sets)
12 T Bar Row (3 sets)
12 Dumbbell Row (3 sets)
Cardio & Core:
5 min. Sprint
2 min. Plank
Notes:
- I forgot to charge my fitness tracker so I wasn’t able to record my active calories.
- We upped the weights again this week.
- I find it difficult to engage the right back muscles when doing the movements. I believe I’ll nail them down after a while.
- I still don’t like the T Bar Row! haha! Engaging those back muscles in the right posture really takes a lot out of me.
Tuesday
Warm-up: 10 min. Stationary Bike
Workout Target Areas: Chest & Shoulders
Chest:
12 Lying Bench Press (3 sets) *last set 10 reps
12 Incline Barbell Press (3 sets)
12 Decline Dumbbell Bench Press (3 sets) *last set 10 reps
12 Dumbbell Pullover (3 sets)
12 Pec Deck (3 sets)
12 Cable Crossover (3 sets)
Shoulders:
12 Dumbbell Shoulder Press (3 sets)
12 Lateral Raise (3 sets)
12 Plate Raise (3 sets)
12 Bent-Over Rear Deltoids(3 sets) *new
12 Face Pull (3 sets)
12 Upright Row (3 sets)
Cardio (3 sets of):
30 Battle Rope Jacks
30 Climbers
15 Burpees
30 Leg Raise
30 Ankle Touches
Notes:
- My left wrist hurts a bit but the supports are doing a good job.
- I still find doing the shoulders challenging but I can feel the improvement when I touch them.
- Doing the Bent-Over Rear Deltoids in the proper form took me a little getting used to. It hits those shoulder muscles differently from what I’m used to.
- The cardio session at the end was killer! I’m happy though that I can now do 10 burpees and 30 leg raises straight.
Thursday
Warm-up: 10 min. Stationary Bike
Cardio (4 sets of):
30 Sprint
15 Burpees
30 Battle Rope
15 Slam Ball
15 Plyo Box
Target Areas: Weak Point Training
Lower Back
12 Behind-the-Neck Lat Pull-Down (4 sets)
Middle Back
12 Middle Back Row (4 sets)
Lower Abs
20 Advance Leg Raise (4 sets)
Saddle Bags
20 Plate Bends(4 sets)
Notes:
- The cardio this day was so intense! It took me an hour to finish all four sets.
- I can now jump higher on the plyo box which means my body is also getting lighter.
- I’m happy that I was able to finish all the routines.
- I hope my skin would still have elasticity to go back especially on my stomach area. I guess having loose skin once I finally reach my goals would be a happy problem.
- It always helps that my coach would drop encouraging words every now and then during my workout. Much needed affirmation goes a long way.
Friday
Warm-up: 10 min. Stationary Bike
Workout Target Areas: Legs & Arms
Legs:
12 Weighted Hip Thrust (3 sets)
12 Dead Squats (3 sets)
12 Lying Hamstring Curl (3 sets)
12 Lunges (3 sets)
12 Calf Raise (3 sets)
12 Leg Extension (3 sets)
Biceps:
12 Seated Dumbbell Curl (3 sets)
12 Seated Preacher Curl (3 sets)
12 Hammer Curl (3 sets)
12 Wrist Curl (3 sets)
Triceps:
12 Triceps Press Down (3 sets)
12 Triceps Cable Extension (3 sets)
12 Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension (3 sets)
Core (3 sets of):
30 Mat Ab Crunches
30 Leg Raises
30 Figure of 4 Crunches (per side)
2 min Plank (Finisher)
Notes:
- Doing legs is so tiring. It engages many muscles.
- I’m still getting used to doing the hip thrusts. Good thing I’m alternating doing them with another person so I can see how it’s to be executed.
- There was a kind lady in her senior years who’s still going to gym making her body fit. She is a huge inspiration because at her age she strives to keep herself healthy and strong. She even got me beat in the muscle territory! Amazing!
- One of my fellow gym-goers celebrated their birthday today as well and bought some food in. I wouldn’t refuse such a great offer! I had a slice of pizza, a cup of spaghetti, and a piece of roast chicken after finishing the sets for my core.
Nutrition
I did do my meal prep for the week. Each prepared meal amounts to more or less 500 calories. I try to hit at most 1800 calories per day. The remaining calories I use for snacking on some healthy or unhealthy cravings. The difference from last week with regard to my nutrition is that whenever I eat a snack, I would look at the nutrition facts at the back and check the serving size guide so I can adjust the amount I consume.
On the left is what I would have for dinner, some zucchini and pork belly. What you see in the middle is the treat I rewarded myself with midweek, an ice scramble with all the naughty toppings, that cup replaced my dinner. On the right is my meal prep of baked chicken breast with bacon, hard boiled eggs, stir fried ground beef, and some stir fried veggies.
Two consecutive weeks of eating prepared chicken breasts and hard boiled eggs is getting boring but it helps me stay committed. Always try to find something new you can incorporate in your routine to mix things up and keep your drive going especially if you’re just forming a new habit. Make the process work for you and not against you.
Oh and please, do you have any recommended low carb recipes you want me to try?
Until next time,
Kalvin
Photo by Gordon Cowie on Unsplash
Kalvin Five 