Life in a circuit (well also like a cycle)

I've been going to Body Express for a month now, trying out the different classes offered.
So far every1 of them is highly enjoyable but also very energy sapping!
If you look at the schedule and think, "Tsk! 30 mins only? Easy peasy..."
You are dead wrong, each class is super high intensity, and you will for sure hit your max heart rate within 10 minutes of the class.

Let me explain one of the classes which I like very much at Body Express.
It's called Circuit Training.



Circuit training, as explained by Wikipedia, " a form of conditioning combining resistance training and high-intensity aerobics. It is designed to be easy to follow and target strength building as well as muscular endurance. An exercise "circuit" is one completion of all prescribed exercises in the program. When one circuit is complete, one begins the first exercise again for another circuit. Traditionally, the time between exercises in circuit training is short, often with rapid movement to the next exercise."

The Advantages of circuit training is :

• An effective means of improving strength endurance (or muscular endurance).
• May be easily structured to provide a whole body workout.
• May not require expensive gym equipment.
• Participants normally work in small groups, allowing beginners to be guided by more experienced individuals, as well as benefiting from the supervision of the instructor.
• Can be adapted for any size workout area.
• Can be customized for specificity; easy to adapt to your sport.
• Has the potential to burn more calories than conventional aerobic exercise or strength training, both during and post-workout (increase in post workout metabolism), thus beneficial for those attempting to lose body fat.

At Body Express, there are about 15 stations set up in a circular manner. Each participant will start at a station. And each station has a different workout. When we start we will do that workout for 60 seconds before moving on to the next station, then continuing. This will go on until we have completed 1 full circle. And once we have completed a whole cycle, we would have had a very very good full body workout.

Below is a very good and simple example of a circuit training. Do come to the gym and give the class a try! Leaves you soaked in sweat, tired, gasping for breath, but wanting more!



Boodyboy, out!!

Working out, like a boss!

Over the past few year since I have joined the workforce, I have joined a couple of gyms to fight the bulge. Its not easy especially when we are stuck in an 9 to 5 office job that doesn't require to move a lot in the office. Its even more difficult to try and look like one of the 299 extras in the movie 300.

But right now I am going to this new gym in Subang Avenue (yes, the 1 beside Carrefour Subang) called Body Express. The location is pretty convenient for me as its right between my work place and home.



After being taken around the gym, I have to say the gym goers here all kinda know each other. This is something I like, where there is a community feeling in the gym, rather than the 'everybody minds their own business' type of gym. The trainers are also very friendly and they dont try to hard sell you some PT (personal training sessions). So thats a plus point for me.

The place is pretty well equipped with all your usual machines and free weights but with a few extras. They have some Kettlebells (which I have been trying to buy on the cheap in Malaysia, but very unsuccessful), horizontal bars (for chin ups, pull ups, knee to elbows and etc) and gymnastic rings as well. These extras are the very few items that I wanna buy if ever I plan to build my own home gym.

That being said, I have tried out a few of their classes and they are well, breath taking (literally)!
More about it soon as I hit the gym more often. Main aim is now to register for KL Towerthon this year and I hope this place can give me the extra help I need!


Boodyboy out!!!

100 day Burpee Challenge

I've decided to take up the 100 Day Burpee Challenge organised by my gym, REV Fitness.
So what is a burpee? Is it a person who listen to a burp? (A person who burps is called a burper?)

Of course its not! The definition of a burpee, according to Wikipedia, is is a full body exercise used in strength training and as aerobic exercise. It is performed in four steps:

- Begin in a standing position.
- Drop into a squat position with your hands on the floor in front of you.
- Kick your feet back, while simultaneously lowering yourself into a pushup
- Immediately return your feet to the squat position, while simultaneously pushing up with your arms.
- Leap up as high as possible from the squat position with your arms overhead (you may also clap your hands above your head at the peak of your jump).

The exercise was named in the 1930s for American psychologist Royal H. Burpee, who developed the Burpee test. Consisting of a series of the exercises performed in rapid succession, the test was meant to measure agility and coordination.[1] It is not clear whether the exercise itself was invented by Burpee, or if his test merely popularized it.

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I've included a Youtube instructional video on how to do a burpee as per below:




So what is the 100 day challenge? From day 1 of the challenge, I will do 1 burpee. Day 2, 2 burpees, Day 3, 3 burpees until Day 100; where I will do a hundred burpees.

If lets say you skipped Day 8 and Day 9, you continue it on Day 10, you would have to do 8+9+10 burpees. That would be 27 burpees. So there ain't no skipping, if you do, you still have to make up for the lost days when you decide to continue it again.

So I just started the challenge today, and in my gym, its already Day 8 of the challenge. That meant that I had to do a total of 36 burpees (1+2+3+4...+8) tonight. Tomorrow i'm back on schedule, doing just 9 only.

Anyone, wants to take up this challenge with me?


Boodyboy, out!!!