Showing posts with label genesis gym. Show all posts
Showing posts with label genesis gym. Show all posts

Friday, November 10, 2017

One-on-One Personal Training - Finally, I Have My Visible Abs!! | Operation 健康アップ

It's been about 10+ months since I started training one-on-one with my personal trainer, Superman and sorry I haven't been updating much on the blog {more so on Instagram and Facebook so do follow my progress there if interested}.

But then I recently had my progress measurements and felt insanely happy that I finally have some visible abs that I just had to put it down in my blog for memories' sake hehe. Oh man, you have NO idea how long I've wanted this!! Having a strong and ripped core is like.. my #forevergoal haha.

Even at my leanest in Genesis Gym, I never saw my abs like this. There's still a long way for me to get leaner and hopefully be able to get my stubborn lower abs to come out of hiding and see them even more visibly. From the above pics, you can see how I've progressed from the first day I started with Superman on 3 Jan 2017 at 23% body fat, to how I can see parts of my upper 2 or 4-packs, and obliques on 3 Nov 2017 at 16.9% body fat.

{However, do note that from my training with Superman, I've learnt that measurement numbers.. even body fat percentage numbers, don't always give a true picture of your health, body composition and fitness. I'll touch more on that in a later blog post.}

I want to show you though that the most significant change came after 12 Sep 2017, when I became even more committed to keeping to my food calories at 1,450 calories/day. I'd say I was 98% committed and exceeded my daily calorie intake slightly less than 10x {??} during that 8 weeks period. And in that period, I lost about 2% body fat just by making a change in my diet, with no change to my workouts.

Before that, I was maybe 80-90% committed and exceeded my daily calorie intake almost weekly, especially during the weekends, and sometimes by more than 1,000 calories!! #eeks

So my point is even with minimal lower body work {because of chronic back/knee injuries}, non-existent met-cons, a little cardio {stair-climbs}, the better quality food intake and painful 98% adherence to my daily calorie intake really made a huge difference in getting me much leaner. The truth is, if you want to lose fat, your nutrition should be your number one focus. What you do in the gym takes second place.

Yes, building muscles to lose fat is important, but if your nutrition is not on point, all that is moot too.

Yesterday I reached a happy milestone 🤗 I finally hit 55kg! This was the FIRST fitness goal I set out for myself {before I knew more about building muscles & body fat composition etc} when I first started training regularly in Jul 2015 but even at my leanest & strongest in Genesis gym, I never hit this weight 🙊🙈 It was ok too, since in the grand scheme of health & fitness, the numbers on the scale don't matter.. but honestly at the back of my mind, there's always a nagging thought of wanting to reach this goal... It's been a long and hard road {not only because of the tedious workouts, but mainly because I'm such a foodie and controlling what I eat can be quite painful!} so I'm really glad.. no, ECSTATIC actually! to finally reach this milestone at my current strength and leanness. Even if it took me nearly 2.5 years!! 🎊 Many thanks to my family and trainer Superman for the support, motivation and sometimes tough love they gave me all this time. And also to my blog readers and friends who drop me messages of encouragement too. Thank you all!! 🙌🏻🌸 #sakuraharuka #aifitnessdiary #trngwithb #fitfam #dontgiveup #finallydone
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Having visible abs is a superficial goal, no doubt, but it signifies a lot of the work and endurance that went into it. It's not just about working hard, but working smart too.

During my time with Superman, there has been a number of ups and downs. Sometimes as I'm getting stronger and nearer to my fitness goals, something unexpected happens and sets me back. There are periods where I'm one step forward, and then two steps backwards so as much as I am happy with my achievements in the gym, there have been many frustrations too which kind of put me off writing about it.

Case in point - since end September, my left wrist and right shoulder got injured at the same time and that really limited the number of exercises I can do to a very, very small pool especially since I've a chronic back problem. Since then, I haven't been able to do a single pull-up, push-up or even pronated shoulder press and Superman has to help me lift the weights up for certain exercises because I can't even support them on my own.   

It's never fun getting injured and after training my upper body for the past year or so since my back injury started to be more intense..it's a wonder that my upper body didn't break down even earlier. The first day I went in with these fresh injuries, there was a moment with Superman and I just stared blankly at one another when we realised that there's so much less that I can do now.. BUT even when I felt so low, he stayed positive, redesigned my programs AGAIN and we trudged through as best as we could.

I really did feel pretty low and frustrated, especially since I was progressing in my pull-ups and shoulder presses. I can't do deadlifts or back squats anymore, and then it just felt like even those exercises were "taken away" from me. Sigh.

Anyway this year has been pretty tough mentally and emotionally with all my injury setbacks that hampered progress in most of my fitness goals. However, when I can't train as hard or as often as I want to, there had to be a shift in mindset to training smarter, focusing more on recovery, getting my nutritional diet in check, and overall being more positive and stronger mentally.

When your gym progress has stalled or is stalling, you tend to want to work harder in the gym to get it moving again.

However, it's actually more beneficial to not do that, and instead focus on what you're doing outside the gym. It took me a while to understand and practice what Superman and the boy have been trying to tell me the past year to slow down, sleep more and eat better... and I do think I'm in a much better place now than when I first started, thanks to their support and guidance.

These abs were built this year not with insane, heart-pumping killer metcon workouts or heavy weights {both of which I'm unable to do at the moment}, but with smart workout programming, diligence in keeping to my nutritional diet calories with more quality food, and making an effort to rest more. Factors which also help me in rebuilding my body and recovering from my injuries.

For now, I'm looking forward to ending 2017 on a high note, and starting 2018 all fresh & injury-free! ❤ 

Follow my Fitness Diary posts here or on Instagram {#AiFitnessDiary}.

One-on-On Personal Training Updates:

Genesis Gym Personal Training Updates:
The Beginning - Signing Up for Personal Training



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Friday, July 21, 2017

One-on-One Personal Training - Girls Can Pull-Up Too! | Operation 健康アップ

I think there's a common misconception that girls can't or don't have the strength to do pull-ups.. but that is totally not true!! Girls can pull-up too!

Yes, it is a fact that women have less muscle mass in their upper bodies {up to 40%} compared to guys, but with proper strength training and technique, we are fully capable and can be just as competent as guys in doing pull-ups..

In fact, regardless of muscle distribution, since girls tend to be lighter, pull-ups should be relatively easier for us because it is also a fact that the lower your body weight & the leaner you are, the easier the pull-up will be.

But of course, strength and technique matters..

Every time I share something about my pull-ups on my social media platforms as a way to note my progress, there are usually many positive comments and sometimes people are literally in awe...

It's not a humble brag, really, but I ponder, aww really? Thank you so much.. but it's nothing much to hype about really, because GIRLS CAN PULL-UP TOO!! I am not the only one!!

Anyway, I thought of consolidating my pull-ups progress thus far in one post since I recently made my personal record in 1) max bodyweight pull-up reps, and 2) max weighted chin-up rep *grin*

FYI, although as long as you can pull yourself up most people say that's a "pull-up", technically "pull-ups" refer to a pronated or overhand grip, "chin-ups" refer to a supinated or underhand grip. Pull-ups might be harder for most people as you'll have to use more back muscles {that are harder to activate} compared to chin-ups that uses more biceps and arms... but both are just as useful and both should be trained well.

Hopefully if you ever thought of doing a pull-up but never really tried because you thought "you can't do it", you will be inspired to actually get down and train for it after seeing how I've progressed the past 1.5 years in it to get to where I am now.

In Feb 2016, while I was still training at Genesis Gym, Superman randomly asked if I could do a pull-up.

I knew I could as a kid when I was still swimming competitively, but I never bothered to do it once I stopped... so I honestly didn't know and was pleasantly surprised when I realised I could! #yayme

Pull-ups / chin-ups are excellent full-body exercises and once Jen knew I could do pull-ups, he added them into my workouts.

I started doing the Fighter Pull-up program to improve on them.

With pull-ups, one of the most important way to get better with them, is to just keep doing them. With the Fighter Pull-up program, I was literally doing them 4 out of 5 times I was training in a week and  the volume got too high, unfortunately, and I injured my biceps.

It wasn't like the usual soreness or muscle aches.. but really felt like throbbing, debilitating pain that kept me awake at night sometimes. So much so that I had to take painkillers.

Anyway things got really bad until I had to stop doing pull-ups / chin-ups for a period of time as I wasn't recovering fast enough.

When I started again, I had to start slow and from a low weight again... and this time, I really tried to focus more on using my lats/ back muscles when pulling, instead of my bicep and arms by changing my grip {using more pronated grips} and grip width {going wider}.

When I started doing more pull-ups again around late Sep / Oct 2016, I was actually training more of my upper body because I had my first major back injury and my lower back was messed up.. so I couldn't do my usual deadlifts and squats.

Getting the right technique and motor skill for pull-ups is important, and that's why you have to keep practising it..

But you also have to train for the strength to pull yourself up so that's why I do accessory work like lats pull-down, rows and bicep curls to help me improve my pull-ups.

Really stoked I managed to push 130kg on the prowler today!! 😅💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 The gym has always been my respite for many things. My home away from home. To me, it wasn't just a place to pump weights.. it was my sanctuary when life outside got overwhelming, a haven where I found a fitter/ stronger me, and a place where I met some of the sweetest and most loving people. I may not show it much during my time there {sorry for my b*tchy resting gym face!!}, but I do appreciate each person I met there that taught me something about health, something about strength, something about life, and something about love. As this chapter closes, and a new chapter in my fitness journey starts.. I can only count my blessings for the opportunity to have spent 1.5 years here & all the precious memories will stay with me forever 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🌸 #sakuraharuka #aifitnessdiary #nevergoodatgoodbyes #newyear #newbeginnings #trngwithB
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Like I mentioned in the beginning, getting lean is also very important so I always did finishers after my workout.

Superman loved to give me prowler pushes haha as it is really good at aerobic conditioning {and also strength training for my legs too since I'm not doing much lower body work}... so most of the time, I had to push a heavy prowler for 20 mins...

When I left Genesis in Jan 2017, I started to climb stairs with weights instead of pushing prowlers to get my cardio work in.

It's terribly mundane and boring.. and very tiring too as sometimes I've to climb for up to 45 minutes, but I do feel that it helps with my overall weight loss and leg strength. I used to be really terrible at unilateral leg exercises but now I feel like I'm not that bad? haha..  

A post shared by Ai Sakura  (@aisakuraharuka) on
Superman is very cautious with my injuries and even up to now, I have not done a single barbell squat. Even with the deadlifts, I am increasing my weights per session extremely slowly or once I feel a tinge of backache, we stop immediately.

Most of my training still revolves around upper body work with a big focus on pull-ups, {seated} shoulder press and bench press.

In Feb 2017, I tested my weighted chin-up max for the first time and managed to hit 15kg {or maybe 16.5kg if you count the pin weight...}! It's been a long time since I tested my PR in anything so it was certainly a happy milestone.

After that, Superman gave me a target of 20kg to hit.

Once you can do a pull-up, there are a few ways you can progress with it. You can train to do max reps.. or you can train to do max weight.. or you can also train to do max weighted reps.

For some time, most of my gym workouts involved weighted pull-ups / chin-ups so in June 2017, Superman gave me "homework" to do 1 set of max bodyweight pull-up reps at home whenever I could.

The first time I did it, I managed 11 reps which I thought was.. just ok haha. Superman was pretty surprised and pleased though as when I first started out, I could only do 3 reps. He really didn't expect me to do 11 reps of strict pull-ups.

So yup, 11 bodyweight pull-ups became my PR and baseline to improve upon.

Actually, I thought I could and was aiming for 15 reps.. That's why you can see in my video I rested after 5 reps; I know I can probably do 6-7 reps straight without resting but I wanted to bring it up in 3 sets of 5 reps heh.

In early July 2017, I tested my max weighted chin-up and managed to hit 20kg. Not bad considering that my right shoulder was aching and it was done in the evening after a hard day at work...

Most of the time as working adults, we do not get to train in the "optimum" environment or state, but we do what we gotta do, and train as best as we can to get the work done.

There are still improvements to be made, of course, and I'm aiming for 15 pull-up reps and 25kg weighted chin-up next. Hopefully both by the end of this year ❤

P.S. There are many resources online on how to train for a pull-up which you can refer to - How to Do Pull-Ups with Proper Form, The 4 Levels of Pull-Up Power, The Secret to Pull-Up Success and Bar Pull-Up Progression {video tutorial} are some I recommend if you don't even know how to do a single pull-up. Or... you can just hire my personal trainer, Superman, to coach you hahaha.. #notsponsoredplease

Follow my Fitness Diary posts here or on Instagram {#AiFitnessDiary}.

One-on-On Personal Training Updates:

Genesis Gym Personal Training Updates:
The Beginning - Signing Up for Personal Training


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Friday, April 28, 2017

One-on-One Personal Training - The Beginning | Operation 健康アップ

Been 4 months since I left Genesis Gym and started one-on-one personal training with Superman. In the last 4 months, I've lost the 5kg I gained during my HK trip where I went crazy over 鸡蛋仔 hehe and nearly 3% body fat #yay

But not only that, I've made improvements in my upper body strength and the last time I tested in February, I was able to pull at least 15kg for my 1 rep max weighted pull-up ( ᐛ )و Maybe even more now since I managed to pull 5x2 13kg pull-ups on Tuesday..

It's pretty amazing because I haven't been able to train as intensely as I did last year due to old... and new injuries {I had a freak fall in March which hurt my left wrist & temporarily dislocated my already weak knee so I couldn't work out on my right leg for a while}. Also, my job's workload has increased and traveling to/from the new gym takes a longer time so I can't train as often too.

The recent results really just reinforce the fact that for any fitness-related goal, not just for fat loss, what you do outside the gym matters as much as what you do in the gym. Since I can't train as hard in the gym now, Superman has been making sure that I focus more on my nutritional diet and sleep to maximise my post-workout recovery and gains.

Gym Workouts
I haven't been following any of the popular strength training programs like Wendler's 5/3/1 or StrongLifts 5x5. Basically, I've been doing what Boon used to call my "hospital programs" where I train mainly my upper body because I can't do much lower body or compound exercises like deadlift or squat due to my lower back injury.

Actually my back got better for a while around February and we started doing really light Hybrid Deadlifts.. but then I injured my knee and we had to stop that. Again ( ˃̣̣̥ω˂̣̣̥ )

When that happened I was pretty sad and frustrated as we just started getting back on track with my deadlifts and Superman was coaching me on a new stance {slightly wider, more Sumo-ish}, which I was just getting the hang of. Sigh. But then, sh*t happens and if there's anything I've learnt from the past few months of being injured.. it's that we mustn't give up and we can train around our injuries to come back fiercer, stronger, better.

Over the past 4 months, I think I've changed my workout programmes 2-3 times before I even completed one full cycle {8 sessions per workout programme} whenever I couldn't follow-through with most of the exercises due to my injuries that came back on and off.

Thank goodness Superman is patient, thoughtful and professional enough to make constant adjustments and design new programs that are customised to my needs at those moments. He could always take the easy way out and make me finish the programs even if they weren't helping me to maximise my full potential... but he didn't. #thankyou

In the latest programme that I just completed, I was doing a 2-day workout rotation where I trained 3 times a week with Superman, and once on my own in the club gym or climbed stairs.

Workout A with the latest weights I lifted:
A1. Semi-Supinated Chin Up, 5 sets, 5 reps - 12.75kg
A2. Romanian Deadlift, 5 sets, 8 reps - 51kg
B1. Wide Grip Pull Up, 5 sets, 2 reps - 2.75kg
B2. DB Low Incline Bench Press {Pronated}, 4 sets, 6 reps - 19.3kg
C1. Seated Cable Row, 4 sets, 12 reps - 27kg
C2. BB Flat Bench Press, 4 sets, 12 reps - 25kg
D1. Pronated Lat Pulldown, 8 sets, 8 reps -  28kg

Workout B with the latest weights I lifted:
A1. DB Seated Supported Shoulder Press, 5 sets, 5 reps - 17kg
A2. Elevated Skater Squat, 4 sets, 8 reps - Body weight
B1. BB Shoulder Press, 4 sets, 8 reps - 12.7kg
B2. Glute Hip Thrust, 4 sets, 15 reps - 35kg
C1. Incline DB Supinated Bicep Curl, 4 sets, 12 reps - 6.1kg
C2. Banded Lateral Raise, 4 sets, 12 reps - 2 red
D1. Lying DB Neutral Tricep Extension, 4 sets, 10 reps - 7.8kg
D2. Lying Rear Delt Raise, 4 sets, 12 reps - 3kg

Workout B {club} with the latest weights I lifted:
A1. DB Seated Supported Shoulder Press, 5 sets, 5 reps - 17.5kg
A2. Elevated Skater Squat, 4 sets, 15 reps - Body weight
B1. Seated Arnold Press, 4 sets, 11 reps - 12.5kg
B2. Hip Thrust, 4 sets, 12 reps - 60kg
C1. Inclined Dumbbell Neutral Bicep Curl, 4 sets, 12 reps - 7kg
C2. Dumbbell Lateral Raise, 4 sets, 14 reps - 5kg
D1. Lying Neutral Tricep Extension, 4 sets, 10 reps - 9kg
D2. Lying Rear Delt Raise, 4 sets, 12 reps, 5kg

Food Nutrition
Because I can't go as hard as I usually can in the gym, Superman has been anal about my food nutrition. Like, hardcore anal haha.. but of course, if I didn't believe in the process and want to work on this myself he can't make me do anything.. 

In Genesis Gym last time, although Jen checked every now and then that I kept to my recommended calorie intake, because I worked my butt off in the gym and still got results, he didn't keep that close an eye on my nutritional diet. I also thought that I was kinda ok in keeping to my recommended calorie intake most of the time too but boy oh boy... I know now that I must have been pretty off in eyeballing my portions and tracking calories haha.

Since training with Superman, I've made major changes to my food nutrition that has shocked even hubby hehe. For the past 4 months, I've been,
  • weighing my food with a scale {yes, I bring a cute Hello Kitty one around with me!}
  • paying more attention to food nutrition labels 
  • meal-planning and meal-prepping every week  
  • eating much more vegetables and fibre
  • tracking my calories on MyFitnessPal every day
  • hitting my protein count every day
I'm actually pretty proud of myself that I've managed to keep at it for the past few months *grins* Previously at Genesis, after a while, I'd kinda slack at my food tracking and meal-prepping as it was just too much effort haha.

Of course, there are days when I succumb to my inner foodie {usually happens 1-2x a week #oops} and eat wayyy over my daily calorie intake, but I dare say that I'm on track for 85-90% of the time.

It definitely helps when you have family support and a trainer that holds you accountable and checks to see what you're eating and what's your weight every freaking day. Yup, every day, Superman will ask me what's my weight and if it rises he'll then ask if I kept to my intake the day before haha.. there's no bluffing him!

Oh, I know I've mentioned before that we shouldn't be obsessed with the number on the scale, and I did ask Superman why I had to weigh myself daily. I mean, in Genesis I only weighed myself when it was measurement time. He explained that since it's not practical to measure my body fat composition daily, for now it's still useful to track body weight to regularly check that I'm losing fat and eating well as my body fat composition is still high-ish. 

Anyway, I know for a fact that he actually "friends" some of his clients on MyFitnessPal to check that they are tracking their food and eating properly. I refuse to do that because there are times when I sneak in a little too much unhealthy treats or rely a little too much on protein bars and supplements to help me stay within my limits and hit my protein count, and he frowns upon that. I know that isn't ideal as well but sometimes as a busy mum who can't prep food daily and need a fast, healthy snack.. you gotta do what you gotta do.

Thoughts of the Weeks
Even though I've trained with Superman for 1.5 years at Genesis Gym, at first when I started one-on-one training with him... it still needed a bit getting used to. At Genesis Gym {sorry if I keep comparing to my time there, but that's where I got my first taste of personal training..}, it is the norm for the trainers not to be around all the time, especially if you've been training for some time and know how to get your own weights and keep to your tempo/ rest times etc. They are there to guide and support you during the exercises, but they will also move about in the gym and keep an eye on a few clients at a go too. Also, since they work as a team, at different points in time of your workout session, you will probably get coached by a few different trainers.

However, now with my one-on-one training, Superman is constantly there.. not in a freaky, stalkish way haha but like by my side to coach, look at my form, make sure I'm really keeping to my rest time, helping me to change the weights, reminding me to breathe and drink water etc.

Even outside the gym, he takes his job seriously and is also constantly there {or seems like it} to monitor my nutrition, quality of sleep and injury conditions.

This is how I imagined a personal trainer to be when I first thought of having one. For someone committed to living a healthy lifestyle and keeping fit, it is great to have such constant and strong support from an experienced trainer who is easily reachable to talk to you and act as your guide as you transform your body, lose fat and build muscle. Especially when you're still a "noob" in getting yourself lean and strong.

Of course sometimes it can be a tad stressful too, and we have butted head over certain training issues, especially over me doing CrossFit & my poor sleep schedule, but I respect his experience and knowledge and appreciate his concern on my training and well-being. As time passed by, I do feel more and more confident that I made the right decision to leave Genesis Gym and start my training with Superman as I believe under his guidance, I can reach my fitness goals more efficiently and effectively.

I'll definitely try to update on my training progress more often so please stay tuned! 

P.S. I've been getting a number of enquiries over Superman's freelance PT services and rates. So glad that some of you are encouraged by my fitness journey and are keen to find out more! （＾ｖ＾） I'm happy to provide his contact for you to discuss it in detail with him so just drop me an email at sakuraharuka {at} live {dot} com. All the best in your own fitness journey too! ❤

Follow my Fitness Diary posts here or on Instagram {#AiFitnessDiary}.

One-on-On Personal Training Updates:

Genesis Gym Personal Training Updates:
The Beginning - Signing Up for Personal Training


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Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Good Bye Genesis Gym | Operation 健康アップ

One for the memories!! Managed to break PR for prowler push {is there such a thing??!} and pushed 130kg for 40m... yay!!! I was really glad to have done it before I left Genesis Gym on 31 Dec 2016. 

It's been exactly one month since I left... a sad decision for me to make but one which I knew I had to.

Superman was leaving Genesis Gym to be a freelance personal trainer. For the past year, even though Genesis Gym trainers work as a team, Jen was the one who helped me with my nutrition and planned my programs, while I trained under Superman most of the time since Jen does more management stuff and isn't on the floor much.

Especially since I injured my back in September last year and my chronic back problem escalated. Superman became my "main coach" of sorts and when other trainers like Boon took me, they would also usually check back with him if there were any major changes to be made too since he knew my injury conditions {weak back, bad knees, tight left forearm etc.} the best. He also took over from Jen to helping me plan my workout programs and monitoring my sleep and health...

{My fave squat rack at the gym}
I've said this before but I think when you have personal training, there should be a good relationship between you & your trainer and the right trainer matters. If you and him/ her don't click or have affinity, it is very hard for you to listen & learn new things, get motivated and push yourself through the pain, whether mentally or physically, during a workout. After all, that's why you want to have a personal trainer right?

I find Superman to be an awesome trainer. He is attentive, able to explain difficult concepts / exercise techniques easily, and knows how to push my right buttons to get me to motivated during a challenging workout session. He even goes the extra mile to help me think of additional exercises or drills outside of my programs to help me get better and reach my goals faster... or encourage me when I was really, really dejected for having to take a step back from my usual heavy training for my back rehab.

I trust him to give me solid, consistent and non-judgemental support with my best interest in mind.. and he is also not afraid to tell me as it is and even chides me when I do things that may worsen my injuries.

And it's not just me that finds him to be a wonderful personal trainer. I see how some of the other clients {and his peers} show him the same trust and respect, and even my gym mate, Jo, has left Genesis to train with Superman too.

Superman and I have formed a rather strong trainer-client relationship and he has become a good friend too. As a person, I like him a lot too since he is loyal, trustworthy, dependable and basically the kind of guy I'd like to hang out with. So, when I knew he was leaving Genesis Gym, there was no doubt that I still wanted him as my trainer and I wanted to follow him on his new journey as a freelance personal trainer.

It would be more inconvenient in terms of rescheduling my routine and getting used to a new gym, as well as a higher cost incurred per training session, but I believe it's a worthwhile investment in my health and well-being. 

I think I've benefited from the Genesis Gym system as much as I could and towards the end, didn't really feel I could make further improvement nor train confidently there with my various injuries without my "main coach". Plus, you all know that once I find a professional I trust and am comfortable with {like my hair stylist, aesthetic doctor, tattoo artist etc.}.. I usually stick with them for life if possible hahaha.

Thus, with support from my family, I made the move to have one-on-one personal training with him starting this year. 

{My fave platform at the gym}
I will miss Genesis Gym though as I was there 5 times a week last year and it really was one of my happy places, a home away from home.

The gym had always been my respite for many things. To me, it wasn't just a place to pump weights.. it was my sanctuary  when life outside got overwhelming, a haven where I found a fitter / stronger me, and a place where I met some of the sweetest and most loving people.

I may not have shown it much during my time there {sorry for my b*tchy resting gym face!!} but I do appreciate each person I met at Genesis that has taught me something about health, something about strength... something about life. Thank you especially to the other coaches Jen, Boon, and JJ who have been pivotal in my fitness journey there too.

As this chapter closes and a new chapter in my fitness journey starts, I can only count my blessings for the opportunity to have spent 1.5 years there and all the precious memories will stay with me forever #sentimentalsook

{Last lift selfie on my last day at Genesis Gym}
I will try to update regularly on my fitness training with Superman. There were some kinks to iron out in the past month but I must say, I have never been so on point with my diet before!! Goodness.. I've even started bringing a scale around to weigh my food so that I can properly document my calorie intake haha. Since I've had to cut back on training heavy or doing compound exercises like deadlifts / squats because of my injury, I've had to focus on my diet more to be leaner and it does make a huge difference because I still managed to lose 1.7% body fat in around 2 weeks last month.

Oh, I still get some queries on training at Genesis Gym which I can assist to answer as much as possible, but I reckon it's best if you consult to them directly {suggest meeting Jon or Jen at Paya Lebar HQ}, especially regarding prices and session times. Personal training is well, very personal, and the Genesis Gym coaches will be able to assess and give you proper advice when you talk to them.

If you are looking for a freelance personal trainer, I will gladly recommend Superman to you too haha. He does one-to-one or even two-to-one training and will travel to train you at your home, condo, nearby gym etc. at your convenience. Seriously, no excuse now for having no time to exercise or not going to the gym when there's someone COMING to you!! Best option for busy parents or working adults :)

As someone that's been training under him for 1.5 years, I'm very confident Superman will keep you accountable and not only help develop your own personalised fitness goals but also develop a realistic and achievable nutritional & exercise plan to attain those goals.

Here's to a fitter, healthier and stronger new year for all of us!! ♥ 

Follow my Fitness Diary posts here or on Instagram {#AiFitnessDiary}.

One-on-On Personal Training Updates:

Genesis Gym Personal Training Updates:
The Beginning - Signing Up for Personal Training

*****
For my own special friends & blog readers, I've ONE JUMPY Plus Smartwatch in Green {worth S$278} to give away!! With JUMPY Plus, your kids can keep fit too with the inbuilt pedometer and fitness games, not to mention it is a smartphone, GPS tracker, calendar and more!


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Friday, November 18, 2016

15% Body Fat Target Reached! | Operation 健康アップ

Sorry that I haven't been updating as often on my blog for my fitness journey at the gym. I still do it frequently on my other social media accounts i.e. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and even post videos on YouTube so if you are interested, do connect with me there.

Decided to post an update now because of two things. Firstly, over the past few weeks I've had various strangers reach out at my gym {!!!} or online to tell me how inspired they are by what I have achieved and shared on the blog, and how it has motivated them to start exercising more too. Thank you so much for telling me.. it really makes me so encouraged to carry on and share more of my fitness story.

Secondly, I had a measurement last weekend and finally, FINALLY... I hit my body fat composition target of 15%!! Wooohooo!!! I'd been stuck at 16% for half a year and finally had a breakthrough!! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

The amount of body fat you have is an important measurement of health. Too little fat isn't good as you need essential fat for basic physical and physiological health, while obviously too much fat isn't ideal as well. As a rough guide for women, an obese lady has 32+% body fat, an average lady has 25-31% body fat, a fit lady has 21-24% body fat, and an athletic lady has 14-20% body fat.

It's important to track body fat composition when getting lean as you need to know that you are  losing fat, and not your muscles when training. That's why the numbers on weighing scales don't really matter and how 2 people who weigh the same can look perfectly different when one person trains, while the other doesn't. Since I started training regularly, I've lost only 4kg on the scales but more than half my body fat {32.2% to 15.57%}.

Here are a few ways you can measure your body fat percentage by yourself, or go to a GP. Jen helps me to measure mine at the gym.  

In the grand scheme of health, I don't need to hit 15% body fat as I'm already considered lean at 16%. But I want to, just for kicks ੧(❛▿❛✿)੭ It gave me a goal to work towards, motivated me to stay on track with my training / diet.. and provided me with a measure on how well I was doing.

I probably could have achieved this milestone earlier as I had already hit 16.1% in May 2016. However, I went on various holidays and breaks in my training, and for the past 2 months had to nurse a back injury which disrupted my usual training quite a bit. Other than that one day at CrossFit where I hit my conventional deadlift PR, I have not been lifting heavy for the past 2 months and for a period of time, only trained my upper body.

However, thanks to Superman who conscientiously planned my rehab programs, forced encouraged me to do more heart-pumping metcon workouts & dreaded prowler pushes, and reminded me constantly to watch my diet & recovery.. at long last I reached my body fat target. Appreciate other people at Genesis like Jen and Boon who helped me to plan my nutrition plan and execute my training program, as well as my family for their constant support too (*⌒∇⌒*)

If I have only one tip for you on how to stay on a fitness journey, it is that you really need a village for support. The first few days are easy as you are powered by enthusiasm and positivity. However, after you hit a few roadblocks, feel beaten by tiredness and hunger a few times, or see no significant progress.. you tend to lose hope and willpower. And that's when you need to lean on your village for encouragement and support to just keep going.

I am beyond thankful for mine ❤

So what next after hitting this body fat composition target of mine? Well, Superman thinks I should try to go lower to show my more of my abs by June next year haha. Currently I kinda have 4-pack that plays peek-a-boo with me throughout the day... {another gym client was there when Superman was helping me to take the photos & she told me "nice abs!" though haha}  

Jen also thinks that there's still room for me to decrease my body fat percentage while building muscles and the boy is supportive of this too.

I am ok with just maintaining at 15% but I love a good challenge and if my village thinks I can and should go even lower, why not? (☆▽☆) I will work towards that.. however now I want to focus more on building back my muscles and hitting my strength targets too i.e. squatting at 1.5x body weight, deadlifting 2x body weight and doing pull-ups with 0.25x body weight.

Follow my Fitness Diary posts here or on Instagram {#AiFitnessDiary}.

One-on-On Personal Training Updates:

Genesis Gym Personal Training Updates:
The Beginning - Signing Up for Personal Training

P.S. If you want to get fit & have fun with your family, Safari Zoo Run 2017 is coming up!

There's an early bird promo until 30 Nov 2016 and just for my blog readers and friends, enjoy 10% off current rates when you register from now until 15 Jan 2017 using my promo code: SZR2017BGPSAKUHARU10 (*＾▽＾)／


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