Well, its been just past a month since the new year, and I have been progressing pretty well in my New Years resolutions.
Juggling Work and School
School began on 3 Jan, and I have never been so enthusiastic about studying in my life! Ive been going to really learn rather than just go through the motions and try to pass exams. Of course, its no easy feat working and studying at the same time. I work shifts, so although I do 24 hour shifts, I have 2 to 3 days off in between them which is definitely more conducive to study as compared to 8 to 5 jobs! I admire my girlfriend, she works 5 days a week and still manages to go for classes! Might seem like the norm to some people, but shes doing a Degree course, and it really takes some mental strength and capacity to be able to do that 5 days in a row every week!
However, the 24 hour shifts have really taken its toll on my sleep cycle. I find it very hard to wake up in the mornings, especially on the days after a duty and often wake up late, like 12pm! This results in me sleeping later too. Being a bodybuilder does not help with this, as I need more sleep than a normal person to fully recover from training. So its really a good thing that I'm enthusiastic about classes. I have yet to nod off in any of the classes thus far as I put in my full concentration to absorb. During my younger days, I often thought that I won't be able to study when I get older. I guess its maturity and enthusiasm that determines your learning curve rather than age. Trust me on this one. Of course, the pain of saving up for years to pay the school fees also gives me that extra sense of responsibility.
Something new!
Well, I decided to take a break from competitive bodybuilding till 2012 to focus on my ROM, studies and bulking up. I decided to keep lean while bulking up, so I had been semi-dieting and doing cadio regularly. Since Muscle Explosion 3 on 16 Oct. I gained 13 kg slowly and steadily. However, I kept my bodyfat in check, so this was 13kg of quality mass gain. Thank goodness I kept lean, because I got a chance to be featured on TV and was given only a short notice! I did the shoot and it turned out great! The only problem was, my Tamil was horrendous, and it was a Tamil show. Here is a video of the telecast, recorded by a digicam off a television set by my Sweetheart!
Prior to this, I never really had much of media exposure, with the exception of being featured in 2 newspaper articles and some website interviews. However, this was the 3rd time I got featured on Vasantham Central channel in the span of only a few months. First, they featured Muscle Explosion 3 in their Naam show, and I was interviewed backstage. That was back in October. Then I was invited for a Talk show/Game show called Enna Nadukkuthu. It was the Hunks Special, featuring sportspeople who represented Singapore before and was aired on New Years day! The last, and most memorable was the Taalam show which I mentioned about above. It was aired on 2 Feb 11, and this one is really a dream come true for me!
Screenshot from the Naam show
Video from the Enna Nadukkuthu episode. This shoot was really fun! Couldn't help but notice how similar we sportspeople think and behave although we d completely different sports!
Well, thus far, the going is good for me, but I have been experiencing some setbacks too. For one, I haven't been going for driving classes, have been just too busy! Also, my lower back problems have gotten to me lately. The pains are worse now more frequent too! This has really affected my leg training. I have been skipping leg training and runs due to the pains, and haven't been able to add much mass to them! I'm currently doing rehabilitation training, and I just hope I can recover from this. I need to add a few inches more to my legs if I want to win something big in 2012!
Well, thanks for reading. Wish all you guys all the best for your endeavors!
Video from the Enna Nadukkuthu episode. This shoot was really fun! Couldn't help but notice how similar we sportspeople think and behave although we d completely different sports!
Well, thus far, the going is good for me, but I have been experiencing some setbacks too. For one, I haven't been going for driving classes, have been just too busy! Also, my lower back problems have gotten to me lately. The pains are worse now more frequent too! This has really affected my leg training. I have been skipping leg training and runs due to the pains, and haven't been able to add much mass to them! I'm currently doing rehabilitation training, and I just hope I can recover from this. I need to add a few inches more to my legs if I want to win something big in 2012!
Well, thanks for reading. Wish all you guys all the best for your endeavors!