Endorphin Addict

Archive for December, 2008

Have an AWESOME 2009 !!!

endorphin December 31st, 2008

Make a Smilebox greeting

It’s Christmas !!

endorphin December 25th, 2008

We are at the tailend of 2008. And it’s Christmas day.

To all rpmers & cyclists, I hope you have had a great year of riding, improving & reaching your fitness & health milestones. Now it’s a time to celebrate your achievements while pondering on new year resolution.

Make a Smilebox greeting

The Massive Hard Cocktail for the Hardcore : RPM 41 :)

endorphin December 23rd, 2008

Track 1 - American Boy - Kanye West & Estelle - 4.36min

Track 2 - Into The Nite - Santana Feat Chad Kroeger - 4.57min

Track 3 - A Never Ending Dream - Cascada - 6.11min

Track 4 - Viva La Vida - Cold Play - 4.04min

Track 5 - Take My Hand - Simple Plan - 5.42min

Track 6 - L’bby Habba - DJ Sammy - 5.44min

Track 7 - Send Me An Angel - Slinkee Minx - 7.10min

Track 8 - Umbrella feat. Jay-Z - Rihana - 4.22min

Track 9 - Stop & Stare - OneRepublic - 3.44min

New Release being launched this week. It will be played for three weeks in FF from Dec 29 - Jan 18. TF will be Dec 24 - Jan 13 (3rd week is a fade out of 4 songs from RPM 41)

Les Mills Quarterly Launch Week

endorphin December 23rd, 2008

It’s Christmas week. It is also Les Mills Quarterly launch week for most clubs. Oh well, at least for FF & TF.

FF will be launching the various programs at various clubs from today onwards till this Fri. Please refer to the time table for launch classes. TF will be doing the launch tonite at Hartamas. RPM is by our regional master presenter - Tracy.

I must say that Les Mills has done a tremendous job in choreographing its program. It is gradually closing the gap between leisure workout & athletic training. Excellent work there.

There is so much variation in RPM 41. Excellent work on the RPM choreo team to bring RPM as close to outdoor ride as possible. It is an awesome idea to start the work out early in track one (1) itself. It doesn’t resemble any of the sunday social coffee ride style of old track one at all. Instead, workout starts in about one (1) minute to ”ride the beat”. This is superb because the earlier you get your body warm & break sweat, heart rate up to workout level, the better prepared your body is for the intense intervals work ahead and you will do better in the whole workout.

As we move into track 2 - pace, the key is resistant (gear) & riding the beat (cadence). I can’t emphasize enough the need to ride the beat (the cadence) with resistant (gear). It is not free spinninng. One has to feel the tension on the leg muscles to be really riding track two (2). RPM is bringing the outdoor into indoor. In outdoor ride, without the gear that brings about the road tension (ie. resistant for indoor), the bike will not move and one is no better than standstill. Flat road is in fact harder than climb my dear friend.

Track three (3), the 1st efforts of the day. This track resemble the outdoor climb well. It is like a winding up hill climb.The new move introduced in this release : power climb is infact how one will do a steep climb outdoor. Come on, non of us are pro-athletes like Lance Armstrong who can execute standing climb all the way. Big majority of us do it in the saddle. So, one will reap the benefit of training strength by having climbing tension on the rpm bike. If one doesn’t have a shift of heart rate, increase of breathing, the core muscles tighten to work the load / climb, the fight of the paddles….it basically says one thing —- CHEATING !!…So, this is probably the biggest reason of why some people commented that riding RPM for sometime but still never loose weight or never get fitter with improved stamina. It is not the program not working, it is you CHEATING yourself. Duhhhh….;)

Track four (4) is the nice haunting song from Cold play. It is not as leisure as the previous track four. It has aero work in here :) and it brings back the 2 sprints 1 climb version of the older release.

What can I say about track five (5) ? Climax :p. I am always amazed at how some people can still smile after track five. Some can even drink right away. It is a breathless throughout track. It is a track where your heart rate will be at the longest sustain maximum heart rate in the whole class. Oh ya, don’t fake your beathelessness. You won’t fool instructors & cyclists. The different is OBVIOUS. If you think you can fake it, the only person you make a fool of is yourself

Track six (6) has a nice balance of recovery & sprint work on the flat. Again it is not free spinninng. It is engaging fairly big gear in riding the team’s cadence to keep pace with the team / paleton. If you help yourself in having a social sunday coffee ride in track six, your track seven (7) will be harder as your heart rate has drop too far.

The final mountain climb, track seven (7). 3 rounds of approximately 2 minutes climb each, shifting from seated > power climb > standing climb > pull back climb > standing attack > power climb. The ultimate making of a cyclist butt without being an outdoor cyclist. How about that ? Good deal ? Wanna look good in your spandex in 2009 ? heheehehe

Les Mills sets out to provide the best possible choreography to bring the outdoor into indoor and the best fitness training. Instructors train hard to role model & show you where to go. It is over to you now. So, take responsibility for your workout.

Body Types

endorphin December 17th, 2008

A little discussion after RPM class went into the topic of same workout regime but slightly different results for different people and why. My 2 cents worth of opinion was, apart from life style, workout regime & diet, body types has an influence on the result too. That obviously sparked off a series of questions…..to share a little on my puny knowledge, here is some info for you.

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People come in all shapes, but most can be placed into a particular category of body type, mesomorph, ectomorph, or endomorph. These body types have different characteristics. Here’s the skinny on the different types of bodies:

A mesomorph (or meso, for short) can be defined in one word: muscular. If you’re a meso, your body type is usually the envy of all gym rats because you can increase your muscle size quickly and easily. The well-developed, rectangular shapes of mesomorphs are representative of their thick bones and muscles. (Before you get too excited about this perfect form, keep in mind that being a meso may also mean you have poor flexibility.) If you are a characteristic mesomorph, you have a well-defined chest and shoulders that are both larger and broader than your waistline. Your abdomen is taut and your hips are generally the same width as your shoulders. Your buttocks, thighs, and calves are all toned and defined.

As muscularly defined, athletic-looking individuals, mesomorphs are full of energy, are physically capable of a lot of activity, and tend to be aggressive athletically. (Usually no couch potatoes in this group.) Although mesomorphs generally store fat evenly all over their bodies, they can become overweight if they are sedentary and consume a high-fat and/or high-calorie diet.

Cardiovascular disease can be a primary threat to an overweight meso, so if you fit into that category, your best method of prevention is to maintain a healthy diet and a balanced exercise regime. Remember that your heart is a muscle, too, and the best way to keep it fit is to perform cardiovascular activities.

When you think “mesomorph,” think of Sylvester Stallone and Demi Moore.

Craving physical activity and constantly seeking action, the mesomorph makes a great athlete. As a meso, you excel in sports that require great strength, short bursts of energy, and lots of power. Mesos are always popular in gym class and at the playground, because people want mesos on their teams. If you’re scouting for body types at your local gym (and who isn’t?), you will most likely find your fellow mesos lifting weights and avoiding the cardio equipment like step machines or treadmills.

A one-word description for the ectomorph body type (or ecto, for short) is slim. If you’re an ecto, mesomorphs and endomorphs usually don’t want to stand next to you. It’s not that ectomorphs aren’t personable, it’s just that you’re probably a tall, slender individual who has trouble gaining weight (oh darn!). As you may have guessed, the perfect example of an ecto is a fashion model.

An ectomorph is relatively linear in shape with a delicate build, narrow hips and pelvis, and long arms and legs. As an ecto, your muscle and bone outlines are usually visible (especially if you are an extremely thin ecto), and you normally have less fat and muscle mass than people with other body types. Remember, though, that you probably don’t have all the features of a characteristic endomorph, but a blend of features from more than one body type.

Although willowy ectomorphs cover the majority of fashion magazines, nobody’s perfect, and ectos do have health concerns. Your primary concern as an ectomorph is your frail stature consisting of small bones and joints that have a tendency to be injured easily during sporting activities.

You probably won’t be the star of your football team or the next champion gladiator. Don’t worry — your body type is naturally suited to perform wonderfully in endurance activities. Just remember: Balancing your activities is the key. Like mesomorphs, ectos have a tendency to stick with what they do best, and ectos excel at cardiovascular training. You find balance in your workouts when you do both aerobic and muscle training.

When you think “ectomorph,” think of Tom Hanks and Courtney Cox.

A one-word description of the endomorph body type (or endo, for short) is curvy. The soft, flowing curves of an endo are similar to that of an hourglass in more ways than one. And wouldn’t you know it; the sands of an hourglass tend to settle in its bottom half just like the fat in the body. Comparatively, if you’re an endomorph, your body fat may have a tendency to settle into the lower regions of your body, predominantly the lower abdomen, hips, and thighs, rather than being distributed evenly throughout your body. Keep in mind, though, that most endomorphs don’t have all the features of characteristic endomorph, but a blend of features from other body types as well.

An endomorph body typically has the capacity for high fat storage, and unfortunately puts fat on pretty easily. Although all body types are susceptible to excessive weight gain, as an endomorph, you are more inclined to become obese. The majority of your body weight is either centered in the middle of your body or in your hip and buttocks regions. A metaphor frequently used to describe an endomorph body type is pear-shaped. A pear resembles a body that has more weight in the lower region, like the hips and thighs, than the upper portion of the body. Structurally, as an endo, you have small to medium bones, limbs that are shorter in relation to your trunk, and musculature that is not well defined.

Now for the good news. From top to bottom, your soft swelling curves create full, rounded shoulders, limbs, and a full trunk. Voluptuous and sensual are the descriptions given to many endomorph females whose soft body contours and deep curves create an allure like that of Marilyn Monroe.

A male endomorph (known as an android) tends to have a different fat distribution pattern from a female endomorph (known as a gynoid). Female endos usually collect fat in their butts, legs, and hips, while most males collect fat in their abdomen (the “spare tire” or “love handle” look). Many research studies have shown that abdominal fat deposition is much more dangerous than fat in the leg and butt area. This is primarily due to the danger of heart disease and an increased risk of diabetes, stroke, some cancers, and high blood pressure.

The key to taking the bad with the good and finding happiness with your body type is by balancing all aspects of your life. Your first concern is your health, and your major health concern as an endo is maintaining a healthy body weight. Excessive amounts of body fat can place you in jeopardy of cardiovascular disease. Remember that the risk of such disease is increased if the majority of the fat is carried in the center of your body surrounding your heart. This danger can easily be avoided by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising. The joints of your lower body may be another health concern. Because these joints are already highly susceptible to injury, high-impact sports or activities may be damaging to them, especially if you carry excess body weight.

When you think “endomorph,” think of Robin Williams and Oprah Winfrey.

Info extract from Dummies and Bodybuilding.

For Xmas Cheer

endorphin December 17th, 2008

Christmas is a week away !!!

And Christmas week will be the launch of Les Mills New Releases. Since I am not launching this time round, I decided to do pre-xmas ride for all my RPM classes this week just for the christmas mood and have some fun.

I set out to do a little do shopping for xmas goodie bag, christmas hat, etc last weekend. And then it was the sitting down with the factory production line to prepare the 80+ packs of little goodie bags and a little note. It was an enjoyable & therapeutic exercise i must say

Then, it was time to ride the xmas class & giving time. It is fun to ride the class with the xmas hat with blinkers. The look on the members face when they saw me in the xmas hat. Some gave me the “are u kidding me?”, some “ay, that’s nice”. Then the smile on the members face when I distribute the little goodie bags

A little update : I won’t be doing Maxis RPMC Next Tues (23/12), RPM Maxis Next Wed (24/12) and RPM MJH Next Thurs (25/12 & 1/1/2009).

For FF RPMers, I’ll see you when we start riding new release : RPM 41. I will be back for Maxis RPMC Tues (30/12), Maxis Wed RPM (31/12) & MJH Thurs RPM (8/1/09). Can’t wait for that massive hard cocktail