Got cream cheese in my belly

Last year, I hit the gym as a birthday gift to myself. But I stopped to go to the gym after it was razed by fire. Even there are many fitness gyms in CDO, I did not bother to enroll again for many reasons. One reason is I was worn-out going to it especially that my work demands me to travel to other parts of Northern Mindanao. I am sometimes away for a week. Though often there are fitness gyms in these places, I am fully dog-tired when I reached the hotel after the field work.

On the other hand, I am a very frugal person and this penny-pinching attitude sometimes gets in the way in my decision of buying additional food supplement. When you do fitness exercises, you also need to give yourself more protein, amino acids, etc. I have a lean body and have faster body metabolism so I need those. And a pound of whey protein, which can be consumed for 10 days if I’ll follow the serving suggestion, will cost me P1,400.00 or more.

More importantly, I was disappointed on the progress of my exercise regimen. I had to carry it out five times a week in the first month and four times weekly in the succeeding months with a different regimen. I like the second program because it allows me to finish all the exercises in lesser time. I could also feel its effect on the targeted muscle group; however, it was more of strength and endurance training. Thus, I didn’t gain more muscle but my agility was perfect.

Months came and passed. Then I felt that my endurance and immunity to illness has diminished. When I was still in the training program, I hardly catch cold. This prompted me, last August, to enroll again but in a different gym, the one near my boarding house. As of this writing, my old gym is not still open and is undergoing renovation after the inopportune fire incident.

I was given a different program – the usual three sets and 12, ten and eight repetitions, targeting various muscle groups. It includes nine to ten different exercises in a day, thrice a week. This schedule allows my muscle to rest and grow. But I applied the Barbarian Exercise principle instead of the usual regimen. I used the Barbarian-style principle in my last year’s training but I didn’t gain much. My objective, then and now, is to gain muscle and weight.

I see an improvement in my latest fitness training. When I have measured my progress the other day, the only part of my body which didn’t see improvement is my thigh. The rest had improved. And I am six pounds heavier today since I started my work-out. But I have to work on my abs this time because it gained 1.5 inches when it should not.

Perhaps, I had overworked my muscles before but with the present system and schedule, I had given my targeted muscle group to rest for a week. And the result is promising. I used to let them rest for two days only.

With a good exercise routine every week and good food (less pork, more fish and vegetables), I am in for a good life. A good life with a good wife in the near future; hope she’s reading this.