Category Archives: Fitness

Workout logs, thoughts on fitness, etc

[Kung Fu] Rank 0 Test Essay

This is a republish of my essay that I turned into the Shaolin Wuyi Institute of Texas for my rank-up test yesterday.


 

Topic: Why do you want to learn Shaolin kung fu and what are your goals in training?

My purpose for learning Shaolin kung fu is to mentally better myself and find spiritual peace through martial arts study.

I had missed being in a martial arts school for close to 15+ years when my high school obligations unfortunately cut into my studies. Soon afterwards college studies and adult obligations further ate into my time. During my time without martial arts, I felt like a kite in a hurricane. Trying to aspire to further my mental and spiritual development, but being knocked astray by many obstacles from my life. It wasn’t until my life stabilized in the last year that I began to look into returning to martial arts.

I had talked with a dear friend about martial arts schools and he had advised me to seek the Shaolin Wuyi Institute since the school’s values closely match my personal values and may possibly be able to put me back on my path to mentally better myself and be back on track with finding spiritual peace. That was what brought me to the school in September of 2015. Ever since I stepped in the school… I have felt welcome as a student and it is a peaceful haven for me when I stop in for class after work. I acknowledge I haven’t been in the group classes lately due to my job getting a little more hectic with the end of the year… Instructor W and his private instruction has been essential in my journey.

My goal in training is to find spiritual peace through study… I have definitely found that my mind is much more settled since I have been with the school. I find that I am able to think a little more clearly through tough situations in my professional life. I feel that with studying Shaolin kung fu, I can build upon the mental foundation I have rebuilt with my short time with the school to help rebuild my mind like a fortress to help my mind be at peace in crisis and in relaxation. If there is anything I miss most, I miss the spiritual focus that martial arts gave me and to find it again now with kung fu study… It’s something I want to rebuild upon.

葉 青龍

Hundred Push-Ups: Week 2, Days 2 and 3

Day 2 was 14, 16, 12, 12, 17 was pretty harsh on me, but a challenge no less.

Day 3 was pretty brutal on me, especially counting on the fact that well… I had a brutal day at work. It was 16, 17, 14, 14, 20. By the max out at 20, my arms felt like jelly… I was finished. I plan to take a max out test today and test my progress until I can’t push anymore. It will feel rewarding to have 1 day’s worth of rest before Week 3 is in full swing.

Hundred Push-Ups: Week 2, Day 1

Set: 14, 14, 10, 10, max of 15

I have simply decided to do the Level 3 sets from this point forward. I have felt massive improvements over my form from Week 1. The posture and form are far better now than ever in my life. I hope to push the bar further and progress even harder!

Hundred Push-Ups, Day 3

I took on the Level 3 set (11, 15, 9, 9, min 13) and it was a killer. My arms and chest are officially dead and exhausted out. I also feel ready for the weekend as it will be a nice 2 day reprieve until I begin again Monday with the Week 2 set.

The Orphan: The Road to Fitness, No Longer Traveled Alone – One Hundred Push-Ups

For all those who are regular subscribers to Zero’s blog, he’s recently posted a new entry. He intends to perform the seemingly impossible One Hundred Push-Ups within six weeks. For the keen eyed, he’s also issued the challenge to me. I’m not one to post for the world all about my private life, but for the purposes of physical health, I accept the challenge. My initial test is embarrassing but honesty is paramount. My count is 2. I’m not over weight nor am i as scrawny as i make myself out to be, but I do feel as though a back story is necessary. Continue reading The Orphan: The Road to Fitness, No Longer Traveled Alone – One Hundred Push-Ups

The Road to Fitness – One Hundred Push-Ups

Fitness is something that I have been slacking on due to various circumstances… I was reading this Lifehacker post on Friday and I stumbled on to a post about One Hundred Push-Ups. The challenge has inspired me, because push-ups are one of my weakest exercises. Of course, this correlates to me being pathetic on things like bench presses when I was weight training. I did the initial fitness test and sadly belted out a pathetic 8 push-ups before my body screamed in agony. I intend to take it on and watch my improvements come in the next 6 weeks. It’s gonna be a long road, but I am gonna be stoked at the improvements when they come in time.

Meanwhile… I invite my fellow editor The Orphan to take on the challenge with me! Expect me to be updating my blog with progress notes of brutal honesty. Tomorrow’s a big day for me…

[Workout Insight] Sweet Burn, I cannot escape it!

With how much walking I do… It makes me wonder what’s the quantitative distance that I walk. All I can say is that my legs seriously burn around the calves and hamstrings. The burn rate is RIDICULOUS! Well… It’s sorta like my ex boss said… “You are going to be buff, so there’s no issue…” I gotta do some research on that!

Returning to the Lyceum and a Work Out Log Entry!

So I am back in school Monday for my first day of FULL schooling in almost 3 years at a big school and it’s quite a change from the hell that is “thirteenth grade” community college. I must say that the experience has been fun and quite a blast! To meet kind people who know nothing of your past has been spectacular! The campus is bustling with activity and and there is a very vital energy that invigorates the place.

However, my return is not without difficulty… Sure, I do live in the “crappy” dorm alone, but I did not have luck on my side as my dorm does not have a mini-fridge and family feels I can forego needing a microwave. So I have had to be resourceful with my meal plan and make do with it or use my dining cash every now and then for minor snacks when I am burnt out on my stash.

I also restarted my workouts to try to account for the matter that I have been burning intense calories running up and down 9 flights of stairs and walking to classes. Obviously, my legs are strained out so I had to pick another muscle group… Yesterday it was abdominals.

  • 100 reps of crunches
  • 100 reps of cross crunches
  • Done in sets of 20 with a 5 second break in between sets

My abs are burning, however, today… I need to look into doing upper body work. Push-ups, triangle push-ups, and the exhausting decline push ups will probably be the fare of the day after my short sprint to Wal-Mart for calculator batteries.

Expect a post later today with a “furnished” tour of my dorm room… so far, my fans Kimi and Sol have noted that my single room is quite spacious compared to others.

Late Night Squats – Punishment Game III delayed

The humidity was once again bugging me that I couldn’t take it. I tried everything and still failed to hit the hay… so I decided to try to do a round of squats and lunges in hopes of stimulating quad growth. My family had some 10 lbs dumbbells so I used those to stack more resistance than just using my own weight and gravity. Ended up just doing a set of 12 squats, 12 forward lunges (that’s per side), and then 12 reverse lunges (per side). I am pretty exhausted so whenever my dopamine response says I think you need sleep, that’ll be when I hit the hay.