/ˈfərvəd/ Fitness

I hit my abs three times a week, after my usual workout. Two out of three, I do a 20-minute ab routine; the remainder, Ab Ripper X from P90X. I also slip in a core session of Pilates on Saturdays. Now, I've heard different things about working abs daily versus alternate days - there are so many contradicting thoughts on the internet. And to be honest, I don't know who's right and who's wrong. At the end of the day, I choose to do what's best for me - including designing my own ab routine. For a long time, I relied on the ab regime that came with whatever workout program I'm on. But I soon realised that some of them quickly lose their effectiveness (on me). So to have an effective workout, I needed to create my own. And by creating my own, I simply mean sourcing from YouTube - specifically Athlean X. My 20-minute ab routine consists of ten moves. Eight of which are from Jeff Cavaliere's videos - credit goes to Mr Knight. You'll find them listed bel

I've always noticed how I experience DOMS whenever I start a new workout program. It starts the day after and lasts for a few days. I've also experienced soreness the day after a workout, that disappears on day two . But oddly enough, I've never experienced pain on day two itself - with no pain on day one - until recently. So, what's with these different sore experiences? I decided to do some research to uncover the source behind these variations. WHAT IS 'DOMS'? DOMS stands for delayed-onset muscle soreness. The soreness is caused by the inflammation of muscles due to broken tissues. Pain intensifies in the rebuilding stage - the rebuilding results in muscle growth. WHEN DOES IT KICK IN? Delayed-onset muscle soreness kicks in 24 hours post-workout. Hence, feeling pain on day two means growth is happening. WHAT SPURS DOMS? Eccentric training - eccentric training involves the lengthening of muscles. With extension, your muscles are more prone to tea

Disclaimer: This isn't a sponsored post. I'm not a Beachbody coach. And in no way was I coaxed into writing this. I just wanted to share my thoughts on Body Beast - its pros and cons. Before I begin my 'review', I should state that I'm someone who does home workout programs. As I don't have the time to hit the gym, I opt to workout at home. It's much more convenient for me. This also means I've cycled through a handful of Beachbody programs, including the entire Insanity series, P90X, P90X2, The Master's Hammer & Chisel, 21 Day Fix Extreme, and as of this moment, Body Beast. Now with this mentioned, let's get to the topic at hand. I began including weights in my workout middle of last year. It was, without a doubt, a great decision. I discovered how much I loved weight-training, and saw change quicker than ever before. So, when I was done with The Master's Hammer & Chisel, I sourced for my next weight-centered program. Lo and b

I started intermittent fasting on the third of March. It has been a little over a month since. Due to a few hiccups - me falling ill the past 2 weeks - I was unable to track my one-month result. I didn't lift a single weight, and couldn't visit the gym to get my readings. It's unfortunate, I know. Having proof that it works would be a wonderful way to start this post, alas I'll call it a miss opportunity. So to spare you the excessive word count, I'll just get to why and how I started IF . WHY The science. I love researching, especially about health and fitness, and I found the science behind intermittent fasting legit. It makes sense. In layman's terms, our body is meant to use the food we consume. And for it to use the said food, we need to give it time. Hence, the fast. Allow me to get a little science-y; it takes approximately 12 hours before our bodies stop processing our last meal. After which, our bodies use what has been digested to power itself