Squats, Cycling and Cramping

Last Thursday I did some leg workout in the gym.

Barbell squat: 1x8 (60kg); 1x5 (70kg); 5x5 (80kg); 1x8(60kg)

Front barbell squat: 3x8 (60kg)

Single-leg squat: 3x8 (30kg)

Usually, my legs soreness will last for 2 days; 3 days maximum. However, my recovery seems a little bit slower this time. It’s already Monday (fourth day) and my hamstrings are still very tight and sore. It’s probably due to aging and lack of supplement such as Ensure :D

It’s Monday and it’s bike day to work. I went on with my usual preparations and gave Lab-lab a kiss and text that I’m already going-off while she's asleep. After 1 km I felt a shooting pain in my hamstring and knee. I just ignored it as I already know that it’s probably because my legs haven’t fully recovered yet. As I’m past Boon Keng/Lavender, I was having severe cramps on my hamstring and inner thighs. I stopped at a gasoline station and parked my bike in front of the convenience store to buy Vitamin-water. I was sweating profusely and my vision is a bit blur due to my body is fighting the cramps it’s going through. I sat on a box at the gasoline station and rested for 20 minutes.

I started pushing my bike after I felt better. I decided to walk my bike for a bit just to feel my legs and straighten it. Then I ride the rest of the way back home when I felt that I can pedal again lightly.

Lesson learned: listen to your body.

Reward...later

I always see this bicycle parked near our office building and honestly I have high praise to the person who ride this. That guy ride his bike even if the handlebar is just a piece of wood. Compared to other people that buy a lot of things that are not necessary ‘yet’ when they start a hobby, sport or activity. Note, I said ‘yet’.

For example, a person that signed-up for a gym membership; starts buying sporty clothes, latest model of rubber shoes, arm straps, support belt, shoe bag, water bottle, compression shorts, supplements and the list goes on. Some of these are probably necessary but honestly you can just workout using any plain, old, comfortable clothes that you already have. Ninety-nine point nine percent of those gym members already have some old lycra shirt and rubber shoes. So why buy new ones? --- Because they think that buying new things related to their activity will make them motivated. But when they realized that they have to put extra work to this new activity, they give up. They stop.

The same thing applies with cycling. If you’re just an ordinary bicycle commuter why do you need to buy the fastest gear, expensive panniers, carbon parts etc.? Don’t get me wrong, if you have the money then go for it. But for majority of people that are average earner why bother with unnecessary upgrades and gadgets. It’s not about the gadgets that you put into your toy. The important thing is if you were able to attain your goal: TO COMMUTE by BICYCLE.

Do it. Commit to it. Then you can reward yourself...later.

Dunearn - Mandai loop 50km

This morning I did the Dunearn - Mandai loop that I saw at Togoparts.com. Started riding at 7:16 AM and completed around 11:30AM. I got lost when I missed the turn to Mandai road and ended all the way to Sembawang & Woodlands. I managed to get back to Upper Bukit Timah but it was a long detour.

It was very tiring but definitely a great experience and an eye-opener that cycling requires different kind of fitness especially when you're climbing hills / incline road.

At Casuarina, Old Upper Thompson.
Lots of cyclist here: resting and eating at Casuarina Curry.
I sat on a curb for a 10 minute rest.

St. Michaels to Old Upper Thompson

After 10 minutes of rest at Old Upper Thompson I got back on the road again. Unfortunately, I missed turning to Mandai road and ended-up further at the end of Sembawang.

Lost!

Figured-out how to get to Upper Bukit Timah by Woodlands.

I had a hard time along Dunearn road's incline. It wasn't that steep but fatigue has gotten to me. My legs were burning at the peak of the incline that I got off the bike twice and walked for a bit.

Finish Line at Whampoa Drive.

Lunch at Loy Kee, Whampoa

Loy Kee

Char siew & roast pork rice.

Know your Bike by riding it Hard.

I did a 13 kilometer ride today on the same route with incline at Thompson road, Chancery lane, Balmoral road and Goodwill road.

This time I tried to push the pace harder but I suddenly felt that the handlebar was shaking. A slight turn will wobble the entire front of the bike. I was a bit worried and had to stop to check what's wrong. I tightened the stem bar clamp. It did eliminate the shaking but the ride is still a bit shaky everytime I pushed it hard on incline. I'm still not sure if the stem bar is really the cause or if this is a known problem/issue on folding bikes. I'll try to ask around and do some research and will update this entry if I get any good findings.

06-27-2012 Ride

Update: I've been following a guy on Instagram and he's a bike enthusiast and we both have the same Dahon Speed P8. I asked him about this problem and confirmed that he experienced the same thing. He advised to tighten the bolt on the handlebar. He even provided a picture to show which bolt to tighten. Awesome guy! It did fix the problem!

Hydroxycut?

Warning: This post was written while the author is suffering from a major vanity seizure.

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Okay…go ahead.

I was at the gym today doing my usual workout. I trained my arms and chest by doing the following:

Dips: 1 x 8 bodyweight; 1 x 8 (10kg); 1 x 8 (20kg); 5 x 5 (30kg); 5 x 1 (40kg)

Dumbbell bench: 5 x 3 (25kg)

Chin-ups: from bodyweight – 20kg - 30kg

Anyway, while I was doing my chin-ups one of my usual nod-gym-mates approached me and asked if I was using Hydroxycut, a supplement used to burn fat. It is usually taken by bodybuilders, models, celebrities or anyone that wants to shed those stubborn belly fats to rip-out their 6 pack abs. I said no and told him that I just started commuting by bicycle for more than a month now. He’s actually the third guy in the gym that told me that I got lean. I lost around 3 kilos in a span of 1 month. My current weight is 68kg. Not sure if that’s a good thing as I wanted to increase my weight so that I’m atleast 10% body fat at 75kg. Well, I’ll just keep on drinking milk/milk chocolate as much as I can. Yay, more food!

Hydorxycut

Another thing, some guys in the gym are asking me about what supplement do I take. I’m not an expert but I believe that supplement shouldn't be a lifter’s first priority neither any workout program. You can have all the program and supplement but if you are not doing compound lift and heavy sets then everything will just go to waste. I’ve been visiting EliteFTS and I read an article that if you train to achieve ‘strength’, everything else will be easier to achieve such as physique. This is the same advice given to me by John, a very strong guy that I met in the gym. He told me to even lower my reps from 5 down to 3 in certain set. I applied this in my squat, deadlift, weighted dips, chip-ups and pull-ups. The thing that impressed me about John is that he had a knee injury that made his left leg paralyzed. After doing a lot of rehabilitation, strengthening and foam-rolling he got back to squatting. For my case, I have herniated disc with sciatica and since I started doing heavier deadlift I was able to strengthen my back. Ofcourse, this is after 1 year and half of therapy, foam-rolling and gradual increase of deadlift weight.

Since we are talking about working out I’m planning to buy an indoor cycling for Lab-lab and a satchel + sunnies. I hope that everything goes well next week at work. Please, please, please!

Here are the supplements that I take in case anyone is interested.

ON Whey protein - 1 scoop morning, 2 scoops after workout, 1 scoop before bed.

Controlled Labs Creatine - 1 scoop 30 minutes before workout. When budget is tight, I don't buy for a month or two. Yes, I'm a stingy person.

Nordic Naturals Fish Oil Omega 3-6-9 - this is a must even for a couch potato!

Multi-vitamins.

The Adobo Workout

There are tons of fad workouts flying around: Insane workout, P90X, Cross-Fit. You name it, they have it.

Well I have my own version of working out that is definitely fun and delicious. It's called 'The Adobo Workout'

I took my bike out tonight to buy some vinegar as I'm planning to cook pork adobo for dinner. Guess what? As I'm about to reach the grocery store I continued to pedal all the way to Thompson Road -> Chancery Lane -> Balmoral Road -> Stevens Rd -> Goodwill Rd.

I ended up riding for an hour with lots of uphill road at Chancery Lane, Balmoral and Goodwill. Yay! On my way home I finally bought the precious vinegar and got in some good workout at the same time.

Variety of vinegar

Pinakurat
Rice Vinegar
Chinkiang (vinegar used for dumplings)

Pork adobo

Fast pace = Attentiveness + Agility

After working-out in the gym I went back to the office to get my bicycle. My normal bike ride is 33 - 35 minutes. But this time I pushed the pace faster; I was able to hit 21 minutes. I don’t think I’ll always do this since speed requires more attentiveness and agility. It’s still better to ride at a normal speed which will allow you to enjoy the view.

Based on Endomondo I'm burning around 120 - 155 calories per ride. This is an estimated total of 300 calories per day by bike. I don't think it matters as I eat a lot. :D

Another lesson that I learned from riding for a short time is to buy a lighter helmet that allows more air-flow. My helmet is really hot and heavy which is like a skateboarder’s lid. I'm saving money for GIRO helmet. I read a lot of good reviews about this helmet from both road and off-road bike riders.

Giro Aeon

Burnt back and shocked

I asked Lab-lab to take a picture of my sunburnt back and I was shocked when I saw how big I am right now. I was skinny back in year 2007 and just decided to get bigger around 2011 after nursing my injury, herniated disc + sciatica.

For two months, I drank 2-3 liters of full cream milk everyday. I gained 12 kilos in two months, ofcourse most of it are fat. But, the additional weight helped me to lift heavier weight. I changed my work-set/reps from 8 reps to 5, even as low as 3 reps. I did a lot of chin-ups, pull-ups & dips with additional weight hanging down my waist.

I'm satisfied with my current weight and will start lowering my body fat. I read in an article that 10% body fat is not difficult to achieve. Goodluck!

Skinny circa 2007

2007 - 2008

Sunburnt back April 2012