Cheat Meals

Many say that "cheating" is an illegal method which is being used to achieve a certain objective or being rewarded for an ability by dishonest means.

I say that a "cheat" is the reward that you get for all the consistent hardwork and discipline that you have applied to achieve your goals. Hence, "cheating" is good for you IF it is being applied the right way. 

People may argue...."If we are doing everything right and everything 'clean', then, why do we have to cheat?" This concept DOES NOT apply to muscle building and dieting guys. It is all about shocking your system. You know how people say that you have to always change your workout routine in order to keep your muscle and body guessing? The exact same thing applies to dieting. You must have a "Cheat Meal"!

Let me clarify here that when I say you must have a Cheat Meal, I don't mean that you go out and eat 6,000 over calories of junk in a day. All I'm saying is that you should have ONE meal where you eat foods that you love. Indulge yourself. Throw in some sugars, chocolates, cakes, carbs...anything that you love in that ONE meal. You have got to reward yourself for a better gain.

So, whats the rationale of having a Cheat Meal? Your body is much more intelligent than you think it is. When you eat clean foods all the time (i.e. high protein, low carbs, no sugar, etc), your body will get use to it and they'll know what food that will go into them everyday. This will allow them to be in the comfort zone and "seat back and relax" and do the 'normal' things that they do every time (i.e. accept and digest chicken, fish, egg whites, lean beef, fat-free yogurt, etc). They'll be able to find the most efficient way how to break those foods down. Hence, your body will reach a plateau state and your metabolism will get lower and lower. That's not what we want guys. We want our metabolism rate to stay high all the time.

So, when you put in some "Evil Delicacies" (i.e. ice creams, extra cheese pizza, fried chicken, etc)  into your body once in a while...your body will go, "Holy sh**t! What the hell is this?! What do we do?! What do we have to do to get these foods out of us?! This is MADNESS!!". Hence, what will your body do? They'll have to work extra extra hard to digest and burn all your cheat meals. This increases your metabolism which is good for the fat-burning process. 

So guys, choose a day in a week and make it a day where you'll be having your cheat meal. Eat anything you want, anything that you've been craving for during the other 6 days of the week in that one meal, with a motive to shock your system, NOT TO SATISFY YOUR APPETITE! Personally, I would recommend you to do it early in the day so that you have ample of time to burn those calories throughout the day. 

Last point to remember guys, you must only have your cheat meal ONCE a week! All your other meals must consists of clean and healthy foods. Otherwise, a Cheat Meal will not benefit you as well as your body and muscles. 

All the best! Thanks for reading. 

Correlation Between Sports and Weightlifting

Good evening fellow readers!

There's a purpose for everything that we do. You must have a clear picture of what you want to achieve ultimately and then develop a program which will map the journey towards achieving those goals.

So, how do we relate this to sports and weightlifting? You have got to train your muscles the right way so that it is able to perform at its maximum capacity and deliver the end results that you are aiming for. At the end of the day, it falls back down to what you want to do.

A good friend of mine asked me the other day...basically his question was how can weight training help to complement different type of sports (i.e. high intensity sports and low intensity sports) and how does this apply to individuals who are active in 2 or 3 types of such sports.

Well, to start off, let me clarify to those who are unsure as to what is a high-intensity sport and a low-intensity sport. High-intensity sport or training is basically one which pushes your heart rate up to 75% of its maximum capability whereas low-intensity sport is one which pushes your heart rate up to 50% of its maximum capability.

Sports like football (soccer), rugby and basketball are considered as high-intensity as it involves speed, sprints and strength. However, these sports demand different type of weight training for each and every one of them as the body and muscles are being used in a different way. For the purpose of this post, lets take a look at football and rugby in particular.....

Football or soccer is a sport which requires high level of agility. And to be agile, you have to be light and not carry too much of muscle mass. Muscle mass will make you bulkier and heavier which will consequently affect your speed and agility as a football player. As such, if you are serious in this sport, your weight training will have to be light weight & high reps. This builds up lactic acids in your body, increase your heart rate and gives the 'cut' factor which will make you leaner.

Having said that, strength training should not be totally discounted, as the sport also involves 'body contacts' of which your upper and lower body need to be relatively strong to give you a better balance. Therefore, I'd suggest that you include at least one weight training session in a week where you focus on building muscle strength rather than muscle endurance i.e. low reps & heavy weight. We're talking about 3-4 reps max here guys.

Supersets, trisets and giant sets are great techniques which you can incorporate into your training program for these kind of sports. Bear in mind, aside from weight training you must also not forget to incorporate agility training into your training program (i.e. short sprints, zig zag runs, sidesteps practice, agility ladder, etc).

As opposed to Rugby, Rugby is a sport which generally requires you to have the speed, strength and size. Strength and size are 2 crucial factors which a rugby player should have. As such, different weight training approach need to be tailored to this sport. Our objective here is to build size and strength rather than heavily focusing on endurance. Our reps per exercise should range from 6-8 reps per set, focusing on compound exercises.

Let me clarify here that I am talking about rugby in GENERAL and not into the specific position that you play. For example, 'Forward' rugby players will need to have more muscle mass, therefore your training technique will have to be as described above. Whereas, for the 'Backline' rugby players, you will need to also focus on agility, stability and flexibility, therefore, light weight & high reps (12-15 reps per set) exercises would do you justice.

Low-intensity sports on the other hand, like long distance running, would require you to be extremely lean and focuses more on stamina and endurance. Therefore if you are an avid long distance runner, cardio is KEY here. Your weight lifting program should consist of exercises that utilizes your body weight and free weights. You have to include "cardio-related" exercises into your routine such as step-ups, single leg squats, jumping rope, box jumps, single leg hops and also split lunge jumps.

To sum up, its back to what you want to be guys. With the focus, time and dedication that you invest in achieving your fitness goals, result will DEFINITELY come along the way. Be focused and work towards achieving them.

Hope this helps....thanks for reading.

Protein Bar vs Energy Bar

Some of us may have confusions on what is a protein bar and how does it differ from an energy bar. Well, I used to have those confusions too.

For me, from the way I look at it, its basically the timing and purpose of you taking such 'supplements'. Well, lets start from the definition of it...what is a protein? Generally, protein is what your body needs to recover the torn muscles as a result of an intense workout as well as to build muscles. And to maintain the muscles, our body needs at least 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. Simple rule guys..NO PROTEIN = NO MUSCLE!!

Now, what is an energy bar? It simply means a supplement consumed to provide you with energy. And what is one of the fastest source of energy? Yes...SUGAR! Sugar can be a useful ingredient if and only if our body utilizes it immediately as a source of energy. So, for you guys serious dieters out there, watch out for the sugar content and I strongly recommend you to take energy bars only when you need them to provide you with the energy which you will be using during your workouts. And I suggest that you consume them before your workout.

Whereas for protein bars, you can consume them at any time of the day whenever you feel hungry or you feel like munching on something. However, make sure you go for protein bars with high content of protein and low in carbs and sugar. I personally have tried the CarbRite LowCarb Diet Bar, Cookie Dough, 12 Bars, From Universal Nutrition. It is a sugar-free protein bar and therefore would really benefit you guys who are on a strict diet. Another protein bar which I've tried is Train Fortifx Nutritional Bar, Triple Choc Deluxe, 2.95 Pound (Pack of 12) . This is a SUPER-DELICIOUS protein bar and let me warn you that the Train Fortifx Nutritional Bar, Caramel Peanut, 2.95 Pound (Pack of 12) really really taste like Snickers man! So, it can be quite addictive guys! Good luck! Haha. It contains 30g of protein per bar and 6g of sugar.

I do not consume any energy bar, simply because I prefer to go for something liquid which can provide me with the instant (solid food takes longer to digest) amount of sugar which I'll use as a source of energy during my workouts or football games (i.e. Redbull energy drink). But I'll only consume them if I needed to. Most of the time, I'll just take my pre-workout drink before I head over to the gym.

So, I hope this to some extent will help to clear up the confusion that some of you might have on what is a protein bar and what is an energy bar.

Thanks for reading.

Everything you need to know......

Howdy! I'd like to share with you guys a book which I refer to as the "Encyclopedia of Muscle Building". Everything that you need to know from the types of muscles, exercises, diets, nutrition, meal plans and even workout programs catered for all levels i.e. beginner, intermediate and advanced programs......you can get it all in this book.

This book is called the Book of Muscle: The World's Most Authoritative Guide to Building Your Body, written by Ian King and Lou Schuler. This book has been my point of reference ever since I started working out back in 2005 up till today. I was given this book as a birthday present and this is one of the presents which I treasure the most.

The Perfect Gift

For all of you guys out there, whether you are a newbie to the fitness world, a regular gym-goer who just like to stay fit and healthy or whether you are an advanced bodybuilder who is always willing to learn something new to improve yourself, I totally recommend you this book. If you think that you know a lot about building muscle, you know which curl is the best for your biceps, you do every exercise for your abs, and you do a 20-set bench press routine in the gym...but you still haven't achieve the result you wanted, then this book has the answer!

Give it a shot guys, you won't regret it! (at least not for me.....). You can obtain a copy and further detailed information of this incredible piece of "art" by clicking on this link.
Men's Health: The Book of Muscle : The World's Most Authoritative Guide to Building Your Body

Enjoy guys!

Looking Back.....

I'm sure everyone in this world have gone through a period of their lives of which they wish they would not have even been apart of it. Come to think of it...history are made to be remembered.

For 20 years I've lived being the person who don't want to be. Rejections and limitations have always disappointed me ever since I was a small kid. And the only friend I had at that time who I could turn to and provide me with all the comfort and satisfaction was food, chocolates and all the other junk foods. There was no resentment at that time cause disappointment had overshadowed my own personal strength which I could have used to bring out the better person in me back then.

At the age of 16, I was weighing approximately 90kg. As you might have noticed when reading my previous blogs, I have always been in love with football and have always wanted to take up the sport seriously. I can still remember clearly....every year, I would show up for the selection to represent the school in football, and as usual...yeah you guessed it right, I did mot make it into the team. Which coach who is in the right mind will want to take a 90kg liability into the team. Since then, I've only played in social friendly games...and believe it or not, I was only a substitute in the team!

That's a picture of me in one of the team photos which was taken back in 1999.

 

At 20, just before I flew off to London to further my studies in Accountancy, I was weighing at approximately 108kg. Below are some of the pictures taken during my college days....

 

London was where everything started to change. I was playing football very very often back then and walking to the tube station and then to college everyday had helped me to some extent to reduce my weight. And also probably cause I really missed my mum's cooking.

With my dad few days after we've arrived in London

When I saw my weight reduced bit by bit...I started saying to myself, "Hey, this is possible and if I discipline myself well enough to exercise well and reduce my food intake, I can actually reduce my weight". Now, notice my 1st mistake - REDUCE MY FOOD INTAKE.

After 20 years being labelled a "Fat-Boy", I finally said to myself, "Ok, enough is enough!" Its time for a change and I'd do whatever it took to reduce my weight. And when I said that I reduced my food intake, I almost starved myself guys. There were days where I only ate ONE bar of Snickers. Let me emphasize here that this IS NOT THE RIGHT WAY of dieting and to lose your weight (I'll explain to you the proper diet and how to lose weight in my other post). Not to mention that I was on Xenadrine fat burner too at that time. Even though yes, I may have achieved the result I wanted but there were times where I nearly fainted when I was exercising. Yes, you read that correctly! Even though I was starving myself from food, I still continued to exercise like how I usually did. That was how dedicated and determined I was in losing my weight.

Within 3 MONTHS, sometime in June 2003, my body weight was down to 74kg. 30kg in 3 months huh....some people might think that it's impossible but hey I've proved it, and I'm still standing here right now...ALIVE!



Taken at Edgware Road, London in June 2003



Taken at Sheffield, United Kingdom, during one of the football tournaments in November 2004

I got back from London in June 2005 and was maintaining the weight of 74kg until I started hitting the gym. I signed up at a gym in Kuala Lumpur in July 2005 and have been working out there religiously ever since. Now at 29 years of age, I weigh at 82kg with single digit bodyfat.

Below are few of my recent photos which were taken at Kuala Sepetang, Taiping, Malaysia....
 

As you can see, I've been through it all...from a chubby fat teenager, to a scrawny skinny young man and to the man I am today. All that I'm saying guys, everything is achievable and nothing is impossible IF and only IF you put you mind, soul and focus into it. You've got to give your 130% in everything you do guys. And remember, to achieve your fitness goals, you have to stay motivated and mentally focused at all times. And please please be patient. Stay disciplined and result will come along the way. I promise you!

That's a little history of myself which I hope can to some extent help to inspire and motivate you guys in achieving your fitness and personal goals.

Thanks for reading.....
 

Do I Look Like I Need Them?

There are few things that I've learned in life. One of them is that nothing comes easy in this world, PERIOD!! Achievement is the satisfaction that you get when you know that you have worked every single sweat that dropped out from your body after going through all the hardship and dedication supported by one core factor called DISCIPLINE. 

Result and achievement only comes with pure discipline and dedication (now referred to as the "2Ds"). There's no 2-way about it.  Another thing that I've learned in life is that you deserve every right to determine your own destiny and how you want to achieve your goals. You can either choose the easy way, and live a fake life, enjoying the short term satisfaction and pride which you TOTALLY DON'T DESERVE or build a strong character through the 2Ds, taking things one step at a time, and then enjoy every bit of your achievements which you have earned through hard work, patience and perseverance.

Let's just cut the chase...I often get asked, be it at the gym, restaurants when I'm ordering my food or even in the office, "So, do you take steroids?" or "Are you on Anabol?". And when I say, "No, never", I'll often get response like, "Yeah right, stop lying....I'm not a rookie who you want to kid". For you guys out there who have such an undeveloped mentality, let me tell you this, I have one thing that you don't and that is DISCIPLINE! You don't deserve the right to make such a comment or even ask me that question if you had not gone through what I had gone through for the past 5+ years. If you had put in all the discipline, efforts, dedication and hardship just like how I did, you shouldn't even think of putting in that junk (steroids) into your body.

Steroid is a great substance given the right place, the right time and taken with the right doctor's recommendation. Without these circumstances, just forget about taking it guys. They are good for people who are sick, who are suffering from some sort of illness or people with physical limitations but PLEASE PLEASE bear in mind that they will have tremendous adverse side effects if they're not taken in the right way.

Many people that I know who uses steroids will continue to use them until they start abusing them. There's a weakness in themselves which they can't fight against due to lack of will power and mental strength. On top of that, they also have this huge ego in them which blinds them from admitting their weaknesses. This is the point when steroids comes into play and say, "Hey, why must you work so hard? I'm always here to give you a short cut and help you achieve your goals almost immediately". That's what steroid does. Greg Plitt once said, "excessive use of steroids, collide with ego = DISASTER!"

Who are you trying to cheat here? Yes, you may have fooled everyone with your "great" physique and how you look....but imagine this, you go back home everyday and you see yourself in the mirror, ask yourself, "Are you able to fool that guy whom you are staring at in the mirror?" That's not who you are man...that's not you! Nothing comes easy guys.....easy come easy go. There's more to life than just impressing people. Are you willing to give up all the respect and reputation that you have earned from your friends, family, loved ones? Are you willing to forego all the credibility that you may have built all these while? Are you willing to spend your hard earned money on steroids just for a temporary pride?

You know, life gets harder with more responsibility, and when disaster hits you at some point of your life, you'll lose your sense of direction cause you wouldn't know what to do. You wouldn't know what is the right path to take, cause before you have always been taking the easy way out and you have not learned the integrity and morality to build the character of who you really are. At the end of the day, who will pay the price? YOU will pay the price! Your family will pay the price! Your career will pay the price!

A point to remember guys, life gets more valuable through the failures and hardships that you go through. Standing up from every fall and learning what is it that made you fell will make you a stronger person both mentally and physically. Taking steroids is NOT the path leading to strong character.

I bought a T-Shirt from a friend of mine, Amir, at the gym a couple of weeks ago, and I really think that all fitness freak in this world should own this T-Shirt! Cheers Amir!!

Push-Pull-Tabata-Superset Workout Part 1

Let me finish where I left off previously on the workout which will incinerate the stubborn layer of fats underneath your skin....

Push-Pull-Tabata-Superset workout! As I mentioned in my previous post, this workout is meant for those who wants to reduce bodyfat (and to some extent their bodyweight) so that they are able to increase their agility in any running sport that they play, be it soccer, basketball, football or even martial arts for that matter. As simple as this....the lighter you are, the more agile you'll be (you dont need a rocket scientist to figure that out).

A point to remember guys, DIET is extremely important here. As our mission here is to reduce body fat and body weight, we dont need those extra calories stored in our bodies if we are not going burn them during the day. Rule #1 - Fuel Our Body, Burn Them, Sleep With Zero Calories. Remember, I once again emphasize, only take extra intake of food, if you know you're going to burn them later during the day. Otherwise, don't bother. When I say this, don't starve yourselves guys, just eat the necessary amount of food which can last you for the day (as opposed to the traditional "6 small meals a day" diet. Will explain this to you guys in my future blogs). For now, lets just focus on the workout routine.

Depending on how often in a week you play your primary sport (i.e. football, basketball, etc), you may want to tailor your workout frequency in a way that it gives your body enough rest for it to perform at its optimum level during your matches. Having said that, your core (abs) which is the most important part of body in these sports need to be worked out most days of the week (6 times a week). Remember, abs are muscles which recovers easily and can be worked out everyday.

Let me give you myself as an example, as you would have probably noticed in my previous post, I'm an active footballer who plays football competitively on every weekends (Saturday & Sunday). On top of that, I'll have my football training 2-3 times a week during weekdays. Therefore, I've arranged my workout programme in such a way that I'll be doing weight training 2-3 times a week. And the training programme will be a Push-Pull programme where training day #1 will be all the push exercises (i.e. chest, shoulder and triceps) and training day #2 are all the push pull exercises (i.e. back and biceps). You can add in training day #3 for your legs workout to increase strength but this is optional as you might have done this during your sport training (for example, I get my legs trained during my 2-3 football training sessions in a week, so to have a separate legs workout at the gym for me is totally unnecessary. And plus, my legs will be so exhausted and fatigue that it will affect my speed and agility during football matches).

The remaining 4-5 days will be abs workout days for me. You'll still see me at the gym but will purely be working out my abs. If you feel that you need to do more cardio to increase your stamina and endurance, you may do so during these training days (i.e. treadmill, etc).

That'll be your training split for the week. So what is Tabata and how does this "Tabata Superset" thing work? That'll be further explained in "Push-Pull-Tabata-Superset Workout Part 2". Stay tuned.....