Here is simple switch on how I make my workout more fun. Use this variety when you feel boring..

Car pushing
Looks simple? but wait until you push and move the car 20 meters forward. I don't know how to describe this workout, but each step you take to push the car forward, you'll feel the muscles is firing from your calves, then up to your thighs, moving up to your shoulder and upper back via your core, especially the lower back in one single fluid motion. Guess what? It's a perfect total body workout ever. It could be more taxing than a Deadlift, or maybe on par with..

If you're advance lifter and fit enough to handle this drill, find a fit partner and drive to an empty parking space. Place the transmission to neutral, push the car 15 to 20 meters (depend on your stamina) while your friend take the wheel job. Then switch.

It's fun, but are you sure to complete the 3rd round?



Stair climbing
Climbing those steps required effort and deep determination, but the effort paid off. Turns out there are few approaches to training that we can learn from a pro-boxer's workout routine - think Sylvester Stallone in Rocky screen movie? One simple approach is stair climbing. This is somewhat brutal workout, which is designed to increase muscle definition, power and stamina in the thighs, hamstrings and calves.

To try this workout, select a 5 or 10 pounds om dumbbell for each hand. This may seem light at first, but after starting the exercise, I'm sure you won't be to wait to put them down. Locate a stair set that has a least 5 flight with around 10 steps/flight. Grab the dumbbells and explode all the way up. Don't rest at the top; turn around and come down the steps with controlled pace. Then active rest once you hit the bottom. Repeat for 4-5 sets. Don't forget to warm up your knees thoroughly and do some stretching before climbing.

Swimming
Enough said. One of the great low impact fat burner cardiovascular and a total body workout, if you know how to. Swimming does burn calories at a rate of about 3 calories a mile per pound of bodyweight. It can serve as a cross-training element to your regular workouts.

If you to lose fat faster, and we're not talking about swimming for a leisure activity, think interval training, or superset with Pushup each time after crossing the pool? It could be great workout.


Wall climbing
Fears of falling motivates us. Hence, it's a great adrenalin workout. And, if you think climbing only works your upper body, you're wrong. Actually wall climbing gym's expert claims, climbing emphasize your lower body more than the upper body. That's why I choose this activity sometimes during my weekend. Find wall climbing gym nearby and try this. Thank me later if you get addicted.

If you're staying around Subang Jaya, there is Indoor climbing gym called Nomad Adventure. Pay per entry and rent all safety equipment at very cheap rate, is a good option for first timer. Logon to their website for more info at http://www.nomadadventure.com


p/s: Tarzan's lean and athletic physique is made in the jungle. So, for those who don't have access to this gym, you might want to try climb up any tree, but make sure to take safety measures - and at your own risk, of course..

more information about indoor climbing here.

If there is any new thing to try, I would love to hear from you.

One of the common method used to measure our success of weight loss program is by judging how much weight you lose over a certain period of time. Say, a guy lost 40 pounds of his weight over 5 months of period, sounds quite successful to us, right?

Now, have you ever heard about ROI? It's a short form of Return-of-Investment, a common term for business decision makers to evaluate their investment by comparing the magnitude and timing of expected gains to the investment costs. I use this term very often throughout my prospecting and marketing program.

If let say, there are two guys, "A" and "B" started their weight loss program, with the same starting weight, and then they lost the same amount of 40 pounds fat over 5 months. Guy "A" invested 100 dollars for running shoes for his initial investment, and the other one, guy "B" invested 1000 dollars for his running shoes and treadmill machine. Now, which one is more successful?

If money is one of your concern, then I think you'll need to understand a bit about ROI and payback period, but don't worry: you don't need to be a math expert. Here I will outline the simple way to calculate ROI,

Fat Loss ROI = (Fat Loss - Investment Costs) / Investment Costs

Before that, we have to convert fat into term of dollars. If let say, to lose just one pound of fat you will have to burn up 3500 calories. How much is that? Well if you are on a diet such as the 2000 calories weight loss diet, you are eating 2000 calories a day. So, 3500 calories is about nearly two full days worth of food. Convert 3500 calories in term of dollars spent of two days of food.

Let's do the math based on my weight loss experience and payback period is one year..

Initial weight = 194 pounds (30% Body Fat)
Initial fat mass = 58.2 pounds
Current weight = 151 pounds (13% Body Fat)
Current fat mass = 19.6 pounds
Total fat loss = 58.2 - 19.6 = 38.6 pounds

Gross investment costs so far..
Dumbbell set = $90
Chin-up bar = $50
Running shoes = $140
Gym ball = $60
Flex tube = $25
Gym fee costs (accumulated - 3 months) = $120
Total investment costs = $485

Converting pound into dollar...

If 1 pound = 3500 calories,
then, 38.6 pounds = 135,100 calories

If 2000 calories = one day worth of food,
then, 135,100 calories = 67.55 days worth of food (Let's take it as 68 days)
If 1 day food spent = $20,
then, 68 days = $1,360

Fat loss ROI = ( Fat Loss $$$ - Investment Costs ) / Investment Costs * 100(%)
= (1,360 - 485) / 485 * 100 (%)
= 180 %

From the calculation, I think the best way to getting better ROI is creating exercise plan using bodyweight training eg: Turbulence Training, and next is Dumbbell home-gym training, followed by commercial fitness gym and so forth.

The dumbest ever solution to your fat loss, which yield to worst ROI is liposuction method - If you think you will go for this method, you better stop reading this. Try googling the nearest clinic that have such expertise and call their hotline number for appointment. We're not talking about "Extreme Makeover" TV program, aren't we?

Personally, I don't recommend such surgery as it does not adding value to your inner self. Exercise hard, you'll learn how to love yourself more.

The above calculation is a very basic calculation ROI over your fat loss. But, I understand that some of us will probably don't agree with the calculation. No matter how much you saved (or gained), how much direct or indirect costs involved in detail, by stripping away the excessive fat, you will get a lot of health benefits that help you live longer, which is indirect.

And don't forget the fat dominoes, by reducing your body fat percentage, you will significantly cut the risk factors associated with many diseases, not just diabetes, heart disease etc. Certainly, it doesn't guarantee you a get-out-of-the-hospital free license, but you will save thousand bucks for your medical bills...

I've been subsribing newsletter from Men's Health mag since April 2007, to keep me updated about latest health news, research, workout, etc.

Somewhere on January this year, I received a great article that changed my perspective on weight training. The America's top strength & conditioning coach shares his golden rules to gain explosive strength, and it works for everyone.

Before you step in to any gym in town, I really recommend you to read this article first. This is fundamentals of what does it mean to train hard. Watch the video clip below, or view the articles about strength training principles from Mens Health here.



If you understand these golden rules, I bet you will find bodybuilding exercise which targets on specific muscle group using isolation movement is not really applicable to real world's life.

Think about the legendary Bruce Lee, small, hard and lean physique, but his punch? Could send you to hospital for days. That's the strength I'm talking about. Anyway, we don't have to be like him, but certainly, other than in sports, the strength and functional fitness could benefit us in our real life.

As for me, a non-athlete nor martial arts practitioner, just an average Joe, I'm now building my strength and functional fitness, so that I could be well prepared in the event of emergencies, if any.. What does it feel if there is a critical situation, say about saving one's life, but you don't have that capability to take right action over the situation? Think about it..

Time goes by so fast, and it's been more than a year since I started my new lifestyle. I realized my lifestyle has changed a lot. Firstly, I gave up McD, and also the other fast food, and only spare them for emergency.

Asian people have bigger and over-expanded stomach because they primarily eat rice, according to Japanese research. That's why they rule eating competition. I used to eat a lot, but now I only eat merely half and feel full. So I think my caloric partitioning strategy especially when dealing with rice done great on shrinking my stomach size. Your stomach; they are only muscle and have their own memory – call it muscle memory, unlike a spring which pulls back to original position, I believe stomach muscle need longer time to forget it origin size too. We have to consistently cheat them.



People surrounds me think I am on diet, which I do not agree, at least for this past six month. I don't the feel the stress now, and happy with what I'm eating now.

Sticking to your right meal plan and workout requires motivation, determination, mind control and they are all interconnected to each other. Lose one of these, you will probably have a hard time to reach your goal. But the biggest one is motivation.

People surround me especially my friend and family members always popped me with the same question, and the most frequent question is “how you lose weight?” – This is my favorite question; I love to share with them the way I lose weight. I can tell them about the tips, how to, nutrition in hours non-stop. But I hate to tell them, what keep me so motivated to my diet and workout. It's all started from an interest, interest become motivation, then motivation creates persistence that eventually help you gets the job done.

Ask me what motivates me to stick to my workout and my diet.. Although I am not sure what drives me to get this far, but the only I know is I keep finding my goals and challenge them along the way. Yes, my answer is “GOAL”. Without any goal, you won’t be sticking to what you are doing. My main goal is generally to improve my overall fitness and health. General goal doesn’t sound compelling enough to us? So I put them as my long term goal.

Then I put my weight loss goal as my mini goal along with the main goal path. I keep finding these so called "short term goals" to be accomplished, and persistently challenging them. For example, I promised to myself to lose that extra fat from my belly last year. I'm so determined towards achieving my goal and finally did it. Then, what next? If you stop there, then you're out..

So, I created another goal, as simple as that.. which is to improve my functional fitness, gain strength and power. I mean really this need strength and power - to keep up with my growing hyperactive kids.. I wish I could have their energy :)

Now I try to follow CrossFit way of improving athletic fitness. I say I'm trying, but I'm still far beyond their radar. Ouchh. I mean they are really total crazy fitness elites in the world. Well at least this is my new goal, to get into their radar..

The point here is make yourself busy finding something to achieve, just like you are chasing your number quarterly, you will exactly do the same towards your goals. Learn how to create the interests. Learn how to dig information by your own, instead of depending on other's knowledge which support the habit of procrastination. Then, keep increasing knowledges about health and fitness that inspires eg; subscribing to health & fitness magazines. I think it will help.

I heard lot of excuses not having time to workout. Busy with work, meeting with clients, dinner with office mates etc.. Now how much time you spent on TV after work, say you got back at 7 pm, you probably take a shower, have dinner, have conversation with your wife and kids, and then nail your butt on the couch with remote control in your hands.. you end up sleeping there with TV watching you.

You know watching TV more than 2 hours can put you on risk of obesity, because the moment you sit down on the sofa, you body will stop the fat burning hormone. Studies show you tend to eat 71 percent more food when watching TV than when you aren't glued to the tube. Google it, you will find lot of articles about TV and obesity risk.

Here are some facts - the health toll of too much TV..

• If you watch 14 hours per week, you're 48 percent likely to suffer Metabolic syndrome and 140 percent risk on type-2 diabetes.
• If more than 17 hours per week, you increase the risk of obesity by 98 percent.
• If more than 20 hours per week, the risk of getting erectile dysfunction is 30 percent.
• And if more than 21 hours, you increase all the risks above and risk yourself to insomnia by 105 percent.

Scary enough to reduce the number of hours you spend on the tube each week? Now, find only 90 minutes a week to exercise. By saying you have no time is bogus, because it assumes that everything else in your life is more important than staying in good shape.

When I started my workout, I allocated two quick session of weight training and a session of cardio on weekend. The weight training was funny, because I didn't know much about lifting, tempo, breathing, technique etc. But still managed to shed some pounds of weight after few months.

The motivation drive me to learn more from fitness magazine, internet website and forum to update my knowledge. I was too embarrassed to go to gym and felt that I don't belong there. You may have the same feeling too. So the fix? Don't go to gym, keep away from distraction from those chicks on the treadmill, really lose your belly and build some muscle in-house. Just invest a pair of dumbells and a chinup bar.

I lost almost 26 pounds in 5 months! That was big numbers for a beginner who exercise alone at home and without personal trainer from Fitness First Gym. Within 5 months, I did a lot of exercise movements, and here is no joke, the shortcut for faster fat loss.

They are Squat, Pushup, Chinup and Situp, 2 times a week, more than enough to work your entire body and revving up your metabolism for the entire week. They are very traditional way, yet effective workout.

The only problem you'll be facing here is not able to do a chinup. Substitute jumping chinup. At the same time, aim to do your first chinup with full form using Negative Chinup exercise - hop up to the bar, slowly lower yourself for a count of 5 seconds. Then hop back up to the bar and repeat. Do 5 or 6 reps each set. If it still too hard for you, then lower down the bar just about your waist height, and do inverted row exercise, crack out as many reps you can.

These are combination of simple movements, great total body workout, and good balance by doing a pair of pushing and pulling type of upper body workout.

You don't have to worry about other muscles, these 4 exercise are your main dishes, already covered your legs, chest, upper back and your core muscles. Just give a variety to your dumbbell weight in your squat and grip width in your pushup every week.

If time is not an issue, and you want more challenges, add some side dishes with other compound movement like shoulder press, dumbbell deadlift, lunges, dumbbell row or maybe core stabilization exercise such as plank and side bridge into your workout. Make sure to put your rest time between each set to minimal count for fastest fat loss.

Good luck!

Not enough reason to get back in shape and maintain your healthy lifestyle?

Here are some facts about being overweight (or obese)..

• 50 percent more likely to develop heart disease (obese: Up to 100%)
• Up to 360 percent more likely to develop diabetes (obese: Up to 1,020%)
• 16 percent more likely to die of a first heart attack (obese: 49%)
• Roughly 50 percent more likely to have total cholesterol above 250 (obese: Up to 122%)
• 50 percent more likely to have erectile dysfunction (obese: 200%)
• 14 percent less attractive to the opposite sex (obese: 43%)
• Likely to spend 37 percent more a year at the pharmacy (obese: 105%)
• Likely to stay 19 percent longer in the hospital (obese: 49%)
• 20 percent more likely to have asthma (obese: 50%)
• Up to 31 percent more likely to die of any cause (obese: 62%)
• 19 percent more likely to die in a car crash (obese: 37%)
• 120 percent more likely to develop stomach cancer (obese: 330%)
• Up to 90 percent more likely to develop gallstones (obese: Up to 150%)
• 590 percent more likely to develop esophageal cancer (obese: 1,520%)
• 35 percent more likely to develop kidney cancer (obese: 70%)
• 14 percent more likely to have osteoarthritis (obese: 34%)
• 70 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure (obese: Up to 170%)

source: Men's Health

I can't exactly remember when did I purchased my running shoes, but somewhere in May last year. I also don't know how far I have ran with this shoes either.

But I know something has changed with the ride and I can feel the shock absorption is getting poorer. Maybe its time to change it. But to toss it? - I don't think I have the heart of doing it now.

This shoes have been with me and watching my transformation since the day I started my weight loss program. So I have decided to keep it and use it on my gym workout. Thank you buddy.

Here is your award - One year service of Excellence!

Now you have a new friend, my new running shoes - Mr Brooks!

Let's talk about meal replacement shakes.. a tools that are designed to promote weight loss and due to the formula that rich in protein, fiber, other essential vitamins and minerals, it's widely used to replace one or two of your daily meals - maybe breakfast or dinner. By using meal replacement diet strategy, you will probably lose weight quickly and safely..

However, I didn't use this tactic during my weight loss program just for couple of reasons.

Firstly I think this product is definitely not for men. I'll probably feel somewhat guilty to myself if I succeed using this strategy - not man enough. Secondly, it could cause a limitation to your foods, which means a frustration. Thirdly, I just think I couldn't stay on meal replacement diet for the whole of my life. Even if I did, the transitioning process to normal diet could be so risky. And the most killing reason is, I was ripped on budget, always.. lol

But don't get me wrong, meal replacement shakes will really help us losing weight, if we know how to. My wife is on shakes diet, and by combining the diet with resistance training and cardio, I'm witnessing a very good result on her and she really happy with the result.

Okay, whatever it is, let us lose weight in happy way. Either way would be fine.

Sometimes you have to travel for business trip, and long trip might kill your weight loss plan. Make sure you allocate some time to exercise. I normally bring along my chin-up bar and resistance tube if I'm outstation. but wait, I found some video from YouTube below, one of the good hotel workout sample using no weight at all. So you will save your luggage's space.

From the video, you will find out the squat and push-up is done on the mattress not on the floor, creating instability and force you to work more on core muscle. If the hotel provide no gym facility, or you don't have enough time to go gym, I think this is great yet simple to follow if you are outstation. Now, you have no reason not to workout. Just do your best to maintain your weight loss program on the road.



The video is demonstrated by one of my favorite Men's health trainer, Craig Ballantyne. He is the author of Turbulence Training workout, and also the one who shaped up King Leonidas in 300 movie! (I watched them more than 5 times already)..

Learn more details on www.TurbulenceTraining.com

When I start resolved to lose weight, I switched my diet, running on weekend, and weight training twice a week. That was quite a drastic change, and I ended up with knee injury- that was bad idea. I was running on extra weight – and I traded my knees for that running impact.. I should have cut down my fat to certain degrees, strengthened my quad muscle to better ability absorbing those impact, before really incorporating running in my exercise regime.

Well, it's not necessary to make mistake as I did, but you can learn from other's mistake. Here is my suggestion if you are beginner to weight loss and new to exercise. First of all, invest in a good pair of running shoe – make sure it has a good cushioning. Then invest in a pair of dumbells – the adjustable one. If you have extra money, buy the chin up bar. Save your money on gym, start your workout at home.


Start with healthy diet plan by understanding your metabolism and caloric partitioning, you don't have to significantly cut down your your calories intake in first month, and make sure your you take moderately low glycemic index carb, high protein food, and good fats from dairy product. Try to avoid the fast food – if you have no other choice than fast food, then follow this guide > “Eat this, Not that” guide.

Then for the exercise, plan your weight training workout twice a week, eg: Monday & Thursday and instead of running, get out for a brisk walk on your weekend. Save your knees first, you will thank later. You can switch your brisk walking into cardio varying your intensity as you become more experienced.

As for the weight lifting exercise, do some total body workout - work your large amount of muscles, your back, chest, legs muscle first, to rev up your metabolism.

I have been tracking my result on how much fat I lose by doing various kind of exercise, and I had to say that circuit set works best in this area. Choose a total of 5-6 movements in a set, make sure each exercise works your legs, chest, upper back, lower back, shoulder and core, with almost no rest in between. You can also mix your circuit set with maximum effort cardio such as sprinting or cycling for 30secs for best result.

Be physically more active everyday, especially if you are on desk job. Double up your walking speed and distance to burn more calories, climb up the stairs instead of using elevator or do something active etc. I always take an elevator to 8th floor then take stairs to my office at 11th floor, and I seldom use the washroom at 11th but 10th or 9th floor by using the stairs. These are just an examples of mine, and you may think yours too.

The key is to be consistent in first month, I'm quite sure you will get the result, so you can plan your next month's weight loss plan.