Saturday, August 18, 2012

A Battle Worth Fighting For

AUGUST 17, 2012

…and I start spitting on the floor like an old geezer. At this point, I didn’t give a damn about the aunties staring at me… I just wanted to live through this.

*It was an hour pass my usual dinner time. When I don’t dive straight for the food like a hungry seagull, its that time again. I know it. My mum knows it too.

No… It wasn’t menstrual cramps.

That’s once a month. This happens almost every other day. But its necessary sacrifice. A sacrifice for a greater good.

Enter Fitcamp©.

A few months ago, I would never have fathomed myself doing these kind of workouts. I was happy forking out exorbitant amounts of cash so I can run on a piece of moving leather at 21 degrees celcius.

This was the workout of the day (WOD):



It wasn’t the hardest I’ve attempted. But there was something fishy about the workout. I’ll elaborate more later.

How would I described fitcamp?

Its all about being flexible. Adapting to your environment fully using your mind and body. Sometimes it requires you to jump around like a monkey. It didn’t require a gym. I could do it all at home and at the park outside my house.

I took a sneak peak at dinner and stole a chunk of meat before heading off to my room to begin the workout. My park didn’t have a pull-up bar so I had to do that part at home. In Fitcamp, it’s all about speed. I laid out my socks, shoes and water, ready to dash out of the house as soon as my pull-ups were done.

So I began.

For the initial sets I felt like a spartan as I had previously fueled my body with tons of water and nutritious food throughout the day. Whenever there’s a Fitcamp session I always prepare my body for it. I sleep early the night before, I drink like a camel and I make sure that I have a healthy dose of carbs a few hours before my workout.

But I knew I had to control my pace. If i go too fast now, I will fail mid-way. I know this too well because it has happened before.




But the clock was ticking. As soon as I was done, I grabbed my stuff and dashed out to the park.

Fitcamp is also all about strategy. Doing 50 pullups atone go is insane. You have to mixup your sets with other workouts which use different muscles to optimize your recovery time. By the time I was down to the park I was left with 30 pushups, 20 box jumps and 70 burpees.

I decided to ignore strategy and leave the 70 burpees to the last. And this was the fishy thing I was talking about.

After completing the whole circuit but the last workout, I knew that it was going to be a final sprint to the finishing line. And in the case of burpees, it was no easy feat.

As a plow through the reps I noticed by body getting weaker and weaker. Jumps became lower and lower. My heartbeat fell through the roof. Sets of 10 became sets of 3 out of a sudden.

But I knew I had to go on. At that point of time, every second counted. The longer I rest, the longer it would take. Sweat and saliva dripped from my face as I could no longer control my facial muscles.

In my mind I just wanted to finish the damn workout.

It was down to the final 20 burpees. I decided to give it all I got. Push through. Tear my legs apart.

I suddenly felt grateful for the little things in life. A gulp of water. A breath of fresh air. Comfortable shoes.

As I finished my last burpee I collapsed to the ground, and as I look into the dark sky, everything was silent. All I could hear was the sound of me panting. All I could feel was the feeling of dipping your knees into a bucket of seemingly innocent looking hydrochloric acid.

I knew that my legs were gonna hurt the next day. But it didn’t matter anymore. I finished the workout. I won the battle. I set a new record for myself.

*

Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through so much pain and anguish. Perhaps it was the immense feeling of euphoria upon completing a tiring workout. Perhaps it was to prove to myself that I can accomplish any task I set my mind to. Or maybe I’m just a masochist.

But whatever it is, something about Fitcamp makes me wanna come back for more.

Rest up Khaiyong, because in less than 48 hours, it’s time to fight again.

P.S. If you’d like to have a go, visit Fitcamp.

Source: http://www.khaiyong.com/health-and-fitness/a-battle-worth-fighting-for/