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Day 14 with the weighted calisthenics HIT training.

Picked the JR routine and did a 6 minute circuit twice followed by a 3 minute Kettlebell circuit. The experts claim that the jump rope and kettlebell are an excellent set of tools individually to shed fat. I figured I might as well give them both a try, combined. So I did the following circuit.

Jump Rope – 1 minute Kettlebell Swings – 1 minute Jump Rope – 1 minute Kettlebell core rowers – 1 minute Jump Rope – 1 minute Kettlebell Clean and press – 1 minute

I did this circuit twice with a minute's break after each round. This was followed by a small 3 minute circuit of just the kettlebell exercises. The routine went like this:

Kettlebell Swings – 1 minute Kettlebell Cleans and press – 1 minute Kettlebell Core Rowers – 1 minute

The total calories burnt were close to 520 calories. This figure was determined based on my training intensity with the jump rope and the kettlebells separately and then added up.

Now after the first session all I can really say is that the kettlebell only routine was more taxing in those three minutes than the routine with the Jump Rope routine. So in order to keep going for longer durations the Jump Rope routine would be ideal. But if you’re looking to make get with your workout quickly; then the kettlebell only workout is a much better idea.

#circuit #Kettlebell circuit #jump rope #kettlebell #Kettlebell Swings #Kettlebell core rowers #Kettlebell Clean and press #Jump Rope routine

Day 13 with the weighted calisthenics HIT training.

Hit my first road block today. The WO1 was scheduled and I saw the workout through. However, while I was doing the arm swings to warm up my shoulder, I felt a little discomfort in the right shoulder. Not to be undone by a little snag like that, I continued with the workout as it was planned. BIG MISTAKE!!!!

When your body tells you that you need to take it easy, then take it easy. I wish I had. Now after the first set of wide grip chins, I knew I was in trouble but I wasn’t expecting the trouble to be of this magnitude. Its 10 hours since I finished my workout and now my shoulders are screaming with agony. Adding to this is my sedentary job where I need to extend my arm out to type into a keyboard. This I am sure is what had worsened the case.

Anyway, this means I need to make sure I get good rest and do not over use my right shoulder. Also, this is not the first time it is happening but hopefully is the last time. So the remedy is as follows:

1. Allow maximum idle time to the right shoulder and ensure inactivity.

2. Thankfully the next three days are cardio and lower body days. This means the shoulder gets as much rest as possible.

3. Even during the next WO1 workout, I shall replace the wide grip pull-ups with the close grip chins. This completely eliminates the pain.

If there is any reason you shouldn’t be doing any particular exercise or you feel you might be risking injury, then its smarter to avoid the exercise or the workout altogether than to face a loss of several days recuperating from an avoidable injury.

#workout #cardio #exercise #wide grip chins #wide grip pull-ups

Day 12 with the weighted calisthenics HIT training.

Today was the WO2 again. Last week I escalated the number of rep in the jump squats to 100 and split them across 4 sets. But this session, I mixed things up further by escalating the number of reps per set. As a result, I was able to go up to 40 reps and the quality of the reps decreased due my diminishing endurance during that set. As a result, I did 2 sets of 40 reps and my legs were screaming. This I coupled with 36 reps of the Kettlebell Sit-Ups. The result was a thoroughly torched core and lower body.

However, I didn’t add the Hindu squats this week as I felt drained after this workout. The Hindu squats are supposed to be a major challenge to the respiratory system and mine were fatigued after the 40 jumps.

During this session, my focus was already on making sure that each jump was propelled by the thighs and not the calves. I also aimed executing the form that I use during the deep squats, where my butt goes down really low and my knees track my feet and stay in line with my ankles (the idea was to not let them go further than the feet). The result was that my thighs instantly felt the deep tissues activating and the entire leg console was actively participating in the jumping action. I made sure that each jump was as high as I could go, so when I did begin failing to maintain the air time with each jump, I knew my muscles were giving away.

It been close to 12 hours since I began my workout this evening and my calves are still a little pumped. Or maybe they have begun gaining muscle and volume. Either way I know the progress I desire is underway.

#HIT #Squats #kettlebell sit-ups #sit-ups #jump squats #core

Day 11 with the weighted calisthenics HIT training

Today was a cardio day and I did the jump rope for 25 minutes. The goal was to do 15 minutes of the rope. But with my skills getting better though slower, I figured doing more of it would help me stay jumping on the rope longer than readjusting the rope and beginning the series of jumps.

I observed a mild strain on my knee. I figured that keeping my knee stiff may be causing this. The floor surface I jump on is hard. So it must be adding to the strain. Anyway, I’ll just get a pair of shoes with softer soles. Also I’ve observed that when I jump with my feet closer I tend to not trip on the rope thus halting the set abruptly. Also, I came across this chart where I figured that the appropriate length of the rope according to my height is 11 feet. I measure 6’1”.

I am going to keep this going for another couple of weeks before I switch to higher intensities of the jump rope training. I am really excited and looking forward to the WO2 session tomorrow. I am thinking of adding the Hindu Squats to the routine. This shall probably stay as a finisher for higher rep and quick execution.

Day 10 with the weighted calisthenics HIT training.

The WO1 workout is always the longest and the toughest to get through as it comprises of two major muscles and all the supporting muscle groups. The workout though structured like a regular push-Pull bodybuilding routine, is definitely more productive in terms of improving overall functional capacity. This I say because the involvement of the core muscles is far greater. I now take breaks only if I need to catch my breath. If I don’t feel out of breath, I don’t take a break. Another thing to note is that I am using weights or a tough version of the exercise (except in the TRX-Inverted Row and the Wide Grip Rows)

Today again, my physique felt like it was going to explode. The blood was rushing into the muscles causing them to swell up like balloons. My delts are beginning to swell up to get bigger and rounder on every upper body workout.

But I have to accept that I was distracted. You see I am newly married and my wife is new to the area I live in. So, yesterday was the first time she ventured out into the city alone. She was out giving an interview for a new job. I did show her the place once before but was still a little apprehensive until she called and confirmed that she was okay. I was tempted to just drop everything and go to the venue of her interview but I refrained as I needed to trust her to be able to take care of herself and also let her learn her way around the city. BTW, the company she interview for is about 10 minutes’ drive from home.

That is the beauty of being a working class man who is newly married in Mumbai, India. You can’t always be fully focused on one thing at a time. There are concerns that get to you like the safety of your wife. But all said and done, it is no excuse to shirk a workout. You need to get something done. At the very least, a small 15 minute set of the jumping rope can do the trick. But do something.

Well, obstacle or not, I did finish my workout by at least focusing on the set while I was doing it and worrying about my wife in the break in-between sets (there were over 6 missed calls to her in the entire duration of the workout). What I am trying to say is, don’t quit a workout unless your body really needs the break. Else work on yourself as planned and you will see great results coming your way.

Exercises || Best

Weighted Push-Ups || 12 reps Wide Grips Pull-Ups || 10 reps || 4 strict

Dips || 10 reps TRX-Inverted Rows || 10 reps

Pike Press || 10 reps Rear Delt Rows || 10 reps

TRX-Bicep Pulls || 10 reps Rear Tricep Dips || 10 reps

#TRX-Rows #dips #push-ups #pull-ups #inverted rows #TRX-Inverted Rows #pike press

Day 9 with the weighted calisthenics HIT training

I began this week with the WO2 routine – the lower body workout. The workout was good, in that I have a pleasant soreness in my legs. Nothing very bad, just a light lagging stiffness and ache. The routine was slightly altered to accommodate the lack of time. But it wasn’t made any easier. In fact the primary component was the squat and the secondary component was the abs.

The routine was as is given below:

1. Squats – 100 Reps

2. Kettlebell Sit-ups – 50 Reps

3. Side Lunges – 20 Reps

The squats again weren’t the regular ones where I just squat down and then rise back up. These were jump squats and my aim was to go all out with 30 reps for two sets initially. But I altered that and did 100 reps of jump squats within 4 sets. The rep apportion was -30/30/30/10. Each of these sets was a super set with weighted sit-ups. The rep apportion was – 20/10/10/10. The feeling in the abs was incredible at the end of each set and even though it was a comparatively passive exercise compared the jump squat, I was feeling the taxation on my body.

One thing to note with the Jump squat was that as the reps progress and you are focusing on completing your reps, you tend to lose focus on the quality if each rep. Your eagerness to compete the rep lets you overlook the fact that the jump is being propelled by your feet and ankle instead of the quads, hamstring and calves working as the primary propellers. The fix for this is to instead focus on the quality of the rep by jumping as high as possible on each rep until you can’t jump anymore. The feet were anchored under a cupboard.

When doing the weighted sit-ups with the Kettlebell, remember to keep a check on the position of the arm holding the KBell. It needs to stay extended straight out and stays perpendicular to the floor at all times. So, as your shoulders raise off the floor, to come towards your knees, the position if the kbell must change, bringing it above your head…okay, a little away from your head for safety. But not too far, or you’ll stress your rotator cuff too much.

I finished the workout with a couple of sets of the side lunges. I aimed to complete a total of 10 reps per side on both sets. I did achieve the goal but I have to be honest, the quality of the reps needs to improve, in that the strength of the muscles in my inner thighs needs to improve. They lack strength owing to a lack of direct stimulation in that area since ever.

#squats #kettlebell #kettlebell sit-ups

Day 8 with the weighted calisthenics HIT training.

After skipping day 5 due to ill-health and due to this day being a festival, which means I couldn’t get any protein in the animal form and rest due to it being a busy day and night shift that was to follow. Day 6 and day 7 being off days, I arrived at day 8. I weighted myself and had gained 4 lbs. This means my net result so far is a 3lbs. loss.

Today, I just jumped the rope. I was able to do it very well today. The “in motion” spells were much longer than usual. So this means, now I can graduate to a jump rope/calisthenics circuit routine. But it will have to wait for now. I want to get better at jumping. So I guess, I can continue with a pure jumping routine for another couple of weeks.

Anyway, I have begun seeing what the effects of a good jump rope routine can do to the body and the plyometric capacity of the lower body. Just so I don’t forget to mention it, I love my jump rope workout

Day 4 with the weighted calisthenics HIT training.

This was, in terms of completing the “On Paper” task in practice, the most successful workout. I managed to complete all the exercises and also was able to do all three sets of the circuit. The areas of opportunities, however, were as below:

· I wasn’t moving for the entire duration of the circuit

· I took breaks after completing each set of the circuit

· The total target time was supposed to be 13.5 minutes but I took 20 minutes to complete the circuit.

· I failed to record the reps of each exercise in each set

The reason was my lack of cardiovascular conditioning. I kept losing my breath and had to take breaks in between set and also within my sets. But that is ok I guess, so long as I completed the workout and managed to do so within 20 minutes.

Note to self: Start keeping a track of the reps and make a note of it. Track your progress and growth in cardiovascular endurance and strength.

Today’s Routine:

Exercise || Set 1 || Set 2 || Set 3

Jumping Jack || 45 Sec || 45 Sec || 45 Sec

Burpees || 45 Sec || 45 Sec || 45 Sec

Sit-Ups || 45 Sec || 45 Sec || 45 Sec

Jumping Jack || 45 Sec || 45 Sec || 45 Sec

Sit-Ups || 45 Sec || 45 Sec || 45 Sec

Burpees || 45 Sec || 45 Sec || 45 Sec

Goal for next workout for the entire workout: Keep a track of the reps and aim at improving by 10% per workout

Day 3 with the weighted calisthenics HIT training.

A good legs workout is always challenging and fulfilling. So was yesterday’s workout. I did the workout as it was scheduled and was very happy with the way I executed it. The squats are a staple in all my leg workouts and I always make space for it on the legs day. Today I did the ballistic version of the squats by adding the jump to it. In short I did the jump squats. The routine was as given below:

Exercise | Sets | Reps Squats | 2 | 30 Weighted Sit-Ups | 2 | 20 Split Lunges | 2 | 12 Leg Levers | 2 | 20 Side Lunges | 2 | 12 Rev. HyperExtensions | 2 | 20

The Reps were supposed to be done until failure. So, the squats were done until I could jump squat anymore, though I feel I would have been able to churn out another 10 regular squats if I’d continued. That would be another point to remember for the next workout (Note to Self).

The weighted sit-ups didn’t make my core as sore as I’d expected. I feel this is because of all the workouts and sit-ups I have been doing during the last few weeks. My body has developed the conditioning required to handle the demands of such workouts. Anyway, overall the workout was great, because my gluteal muscles are sore from the jumping. Another note to self would be to improve my strength in the side lunge. I had to take support or breaks within my sets in order to finish them.

Day 2 of the Weighted Calisthenics HIT routine - cardio.

Performed a complete jump rope routine with yesterday’s calisthenics cardio thrown in. It was challenging and I did not finish the Calisthenics cardio circuit for the complete 3 rounds. The Jump rope was frustrating sometimes as I kept stumbling on the rope. But it simply means that I need to place more focus on it and continue practicing.

Anyway, the overall effect on my cardiovascular system wasn’t as challenging as expected. I guess I need to add more of sprinting and jumping in the routine to challenge myself and get my heart racing. But my body felt warm…. Really warm when I was done and dropped like a sack of potatoes just relax before I freshened up for my meal.

The routine was as given below:

Exercise || Set Actuals || Done || Seconds/Set

KB Swings || 3 || 2 || 45

Pull-Ups || 3 || 2 || 45

KB Circles || 3 || 2 || 45

Push-Ups || 3 || 2 || 45

KB Windmills || 3 || 2 || 45

Rev. Hyperxtensions || 3 || 2 || 45

Anyway, I have to do this again on Thursday; I’ll substitute the Pull-Ups & Push-Ups with Climbers & Jumping respectively. The Rev. Hyperextension can be replaced with burpees. Hopefully this will be very challenging. Not that today was not challenging. It didn’t leave me gasping for my breath as I’d have liked.

A new Week a new Day

Day 1 with the weighted calisthenics HIT training.

Man what a workout! When I was dome, I looked like a bull and felt like one too. The muscles of my torso were bulging and had become full bodied with the blood rushing into them. I felt the fullness of all the major muscles groups in the torso. This was the experience of working the calisthenics movements with weighted resistance. The aim was to perform two supersets of Chest and back, one super set of two compound movements for the shoulder and finish the routine with a superset of the biceps and triceps.

The total time taken was under 30 minutes without the warm-up. It must have taken me about 40 minutes with the warm up though. However, I am not worried about that. I just forgot to keep a track of the reps per set and that is going to be difficult to top as I do not have a benchmark from this workout. Anyway, I’ll just go for the maximum the next time keep that as the benchmark. But from the top of my head let me recollect my best stats for today’s workout.

Exercise || Resistance || Set || Max Reps || Specifics Weighted Push-Ups || 12 kgs || 2 || 10 || 4 reps without weights Pull-Ups || 2 || 8 || 3 strict reps Parallel Bar Dips || 2 || 8 || All strict TRX-Rows || 2 || 10 || All strict HS Push-Ups || 2 || 10 || All strict TRX-Rear Delt || 2 || 10 || All strict TRX -Bicep Pulls || 2 || 10 || All strict Tricep Dips || 2 || 10 || Knee bent, feet on floor

I guess I’ll have a pre-set rep scheme for the next workout, exercise and superset combos being the same. This will ensure I go beyond failure and yet continue to keep moving from one movement to another.

Day 5 of the HIT Freeletics based training routine.

Weighed myself on my home weighing scale and I HAVE LOST 6.67 LBS since the last time I weighed myself. The last time I stepped on the scales was two weeks ago and I was at 233.33 lbs. I had then, gained 4.44 lbs due to some dieting errors (included tofu in my diet). However, the last two weeks have also been rather grueling when it comes to the working out part. The routine has been rewarding as far as weightloss goes. But the muscle conditioning and building part seems to be lagging. I don’t think I lost muscle mass but I definitely didn’t gain much. Hence, I have decided to, based on the results of my past workout experience and my increased strength; re-introduce weighted resistance in my calisthenics exercises.

I began by including the weighted Push-Ups. This was however, a trial as far as working out on a time based system is concerned. So, the inference is that where weighted bodyweight exercises are concerned, go with a repetition based formula instead of a time based formula. The reason is that, in order to make sure I keep moving for the entire 100 seconds, I detached the weights and continued. It didn’t matter that my muscles hadn’t been pushed as hard. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to last the 100 seconds duration of the set. I didn’t find it as effective if muscle stimulation is to be gauged based on muscle soreness. Honestly, I do not know of any other way I can gauge my muscle soreness. Meaning, my muscles did not feel sore the way they do when I adopt the repetition based formula. In this method the idea is to keep going as much as I can with the weight and when I can’t push anymore, I detach the weight and continue until failure.

This gave me good muscle gains without the need of heavy barbells and dumbbells. Also, given the nature of the exercises like the push-Ups, I found the impact on the core muscles to be extremely profound.

kalisofitness

Day 3 of the HIT Freeletics based training routine.

08/20/2014

This was day 3 with the WO 2 workout. The routine was simple to look at but the execution wasn’t easy. IT was challenging throughout. The focus was on the lower body with a calisthenics and Kettlebell cardio workout. As per the plan, the total time for the workout was supposed to be 25 minutes. I am sure I exceeded it by over 5 minutes and wasn’t able to complete the second round of the calisthenics and Kettlebell cardio. I loved the Squat MAX, the Sit-Up MAX and the burpees MAX. I couldn’t complete the Burpees MAX though. It was tough to do after the Squats MAX. Anyway, my goal for the next WO2 is to finish the entire workout irrespective of the time it takes. This means I am gonna have to start early and keep going until I finish. I guess 45 mins might be the time taken. Let’s see.

The routine was like this:

MAX workout

Squat MAX – 300 Seconds - actuals

Sit-Ups MAX – 300 seconds - actuals

Burpees MAX – 300 Seconds – 170 seconds actual

Calisthenics and Kettlebell Cardio

KB Swing

Lunge Jump

KB Windmill

Climbers

KB Get-Ups

Leg Levers

KB Front Circles

Jump Rope

The Cardio routine was supposed to be for 30 seconds each and two sets. But it was far too much time wise. I have a job to go to and a time schedule to keep. So on from the next WO2 workout I aim to tackle the entire workout by planning and giving myself a complete 60 minutes including the time to warm-up and finish the workout. Like I said earlier, my stamina and endurance need to skyrocket. Definitely a major part of my fitness goals. But for now, am excited and looking forward to my JR 2 workout tomorrow.

#kettlebell #kettlebell swings #calisthenics #bodyweight training #squats #sit-ups #burpees #kettlebell windmills

kalisofitness

Day 3 of the HIT Freeletics based training routine.

08/20/2014

The routine was like this:

MAX workout

Squat MAX – 300 Seconds - actuals

Sit-Ups MAX – 300 seconds - actuals

Burpees MAX – 300 Seconds – 170 seconds actual

Calisthenics and Kettlebell Cardio

KB Swing

Lunge Jump

KB Windmill

Climbers

KB Get-Ups

Leg Levers

KB Front Circles

Jump Rope

Day 2 of the HIT Freeletics based training routine.

08/19/2014

Today was supposed to be a WO day instead of the jump rope routine day. Instead I worked the jump rope for 15 minutes. This was a neat workout and I managed to work up a good sweat. I am not very proficient with the rope or my capacity to continuously jump for more than five minutes yet. But my performance with the rope was definitely better than it was when I tried my hand at the rope a couple of weeks ago. Practice has been paying off.

“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” ― Aristotle,

I aimed at keeping myself moving for most part of the 15 minutes and had taken a pause for only a minute. But each time I missed a skip; I got back right in and kept moving. This was definitely a great workout. I am going to look into ways to make this more challenging in the days to come. I’ll probably do some double jumps or single leg skips. But as of now, I aim to improve my skill and enjoy this exercise. I can’t wait to start the Jump rope routine.

Day 1 of the HIT Freeletics based training routine.

08/18/2014

This was a decent start. Before I describe the details of my workout let me outline my past training methods.

Since 2004 I’ve worked just 1 set per exercise but did it to complete failure. As a result, my muscles grew quickly but my endurance did not rise as the rep range I chose was under 10. Eventually my bodyweight was so high that a set of 5 Wide-Grip pull-ups became impossible. I haven’t done a strict set of 10 pull-us since 2005.

I did the push-Ups max and pull-up max for 5 minutes each. Unfortunately, I lost count after around 22-25 for each of these. However, I could do neither of them in their peak form for the entirety of the set duration. So I switched assisted pull-ups (jump and descend slowly) with the jackknife pull-ups and regular push-ups with push-ups on my knees. I also put in some TRX-Rows with the pull-up max as the set kept getting tougher. While it was a workout for me, I was actually testing my prowess in the movements. I loved the challenge and the way all the active muscle groups swelled up post the workout. Goal is to go to complete the set in the peak progression form for all these exercises.

Training routine was simple:

Push-Ups: Max reps within 5 minutes. Pull-Ups: Max reps within 5 minutes. Dips: 10 reps X 2 sets – superset with TRX Wide Rows: 10 reps X 2 sets Bicep Pull-Ups: 1 set X 8 Reps Triceps Dips: 1 set X 10 Reps

#Push-Up MAX #Pull-Up MAX #jackknife #TRX-Rows

Beginning the HIT Freeletics based training routine.

It’s been over a year since I switched weight training with bodyweight training. I can honestly say that the effects have been great and the results more visible than ever seen before. While my weight training days earlier were far more challenging, riskier and fun. The recent years were more focused and efficient. However, I feel that the training with weights made me very lethargic and muscle bound. Overtime, I piled on the pounds both muscle and fat…. Mostly fat.

Since, 2012 I have been looking into bodyweight training more closely but decided to adopt it fully since June 2013. The first concrete results of this training were me losing 20 lbs and also losing the uptight muscle bound look that characterized my appearance for close to a year. I feel very limber and more energetic. However, the training I have been following though a calisthenics and bodyweight routine has more of a bodybuilding styled approach than a conditioning approach. So I looked into some other routines to mix things up and make my training different and to challenge my cardiovascular capacity. Frankly, it sucks (thanks to the low volume high intensity training) and needs to really take a vertical launch.

So after much research and study, I decided to settle for the Freeletics theory of training. However, the routines outlined in the free workouts section were more than my heart could handle given its current lack of conditioning. So I have crafted my own routines to mimic the training principle, to the best of my understanding. When this gets results, which it will, I’d have to thank the founders of Freeletics to give my training system a more suitable approach.

#freeletics #bodyweight training #calisthenics #body sculpting #fat loss

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