The Reason Why I Workout

First of all, I just want to thank you guys for viewing my blog and encouraging me.  I saw a lot of comments on the link of the blog I shared on facebook.  I would actually really appreciate it if you guys can post the comment on the blog instead of facebook, because first, it's hard to find those comments in the future, and second, it shows that there are people who actually read my blog and give me feedback lol.

The reason why I workout ......  I get this question asked a lot.  One of the most common misconception is that guys workout just to get girls.  This is NOT why I workout, as well as a lot of my friends and coworkers who are just as dedicated and passionate about fitness as me, like John, C-Lo, Greg, Anthony, Nick, Brandon, Martin ......

I started working out when I was a sophomore in high school, about 5 years ago.  I was literally a twig weighing 120 and 5'11'' tall.  I had a pretty bad relationship with my abusive step - father.  So I thought if I could work really hard and get big, one day I'll be able to overcome him physically.  At school, because I was a immigrant and skinny, some kids would always pick on me and push me around.  I was also thinking if I get more muscular, first I won't get picked on, second, it'll help me to be more popular and get more girls.  Due those "wrong" reasons, I started working out.  I also joined the Varsity Weightlifting team and the Track team (running 800m and 1 mile).  It did help me to gain popularity, but as I grew up, I realized two thing.  First, you don't need brutal physical force to resist someone or protect yourself and I learnt to forgive.  How strong you are inside is actually more important.  Second, girls don't just look for muscle, they look into your heart and personality.  So why did I keep working out then?

1. I want to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  This includes pretty much everything, my schedule (what time I go to bed and wake up, usually 10 - 11 pm to 6 - 7 am), diet, regular exercise routine, appearance, activities, value, priority, and so on.
2. Working out is like a disciplined practice, similar to martial art.  I constantly push myself and reach my limit.  Once I do reach my limit, I'll push the boundary even further.  Since working out is such a pain in the butt, it actually develops your discipline, dedication, mental toughness, endurance and a lot of other good characters.
3. It's a habit.  I've been doing it for so long that I'm already used to it.  If I don't workout for more than two weeks, I feel super uncomfortable.
4. It feels good and relieves stress.  Being a Berkeley Civil Engineering major, life could be really stressful.  Whenever I feel beaten down by my low midterm score, bad grade, or just any sort of issue and trouble, I go the to gym get refreshed and ready to get back up.  Proven by scientific research, exercise actually decreases "stress hormone" and increase endorphin, which is the "feel good" chemicals.   Like our former governator Arnold said in Pump Iron, "A good pump is as satisfying to me as the feeling of coming." lol

This is exactly what's on my mind when I run,

running through a screen of water, 

getting refreshed and filtering out all of my stress and frustration, nice Asics commercial 

5. It increase your self-esteem.  Wouldn't anyone feel more confident if he or she has a nice and fit body?
6. It prevents aging.  If you eat well and workout, I bet you in ten years, you will look a lot younger than people at your own age.

These are all the reasons I can think of right now.  I'm pretty sure there are more, but the first two reasons are the most important ones to me.

Bulking Phase

Day 1, Saturday
Back Attack
warm up:
3x10 pull up
2x10 deadlift (light)
work set:
10, 10, 8, 8, 6 deadlift (pyramid)
10x10 pull up
abs & stretch

Day 2, Sunday
Sick Chest
warm up:
2x10 DB Bench (light)
work set:
10, 10, 8, 8, 6 DB Bench (pyramid)
5x10 DB Bench (medium)
5x10 Incline Barbell Bench
5x10 Flyes
abs & stretch

Day 3, Monday
Rest

Day 4, Tuesday
Legs
warm up:
2x10 Squat (light)
work set:
10, 10, 8, 8, 6 Squat (pyramid)
3x10 RDL
5x10 Quad Curl
3x10 Hamstring Curl
3x10 Calf Raise
abs & stretch

Day 5, Wednesday
rest

Day 6, Thursday
Shoulders & Arms
warm up:
3x10 pull up
work set:
5x10 Shoulder Press
5x10 Front Raise
5x10 Lateral Raise
5x10 Rear Raise
3x10 Dips
3x10 DB Bicep Curl
3x10 Rope Pulldown
3x10 Bar Bicep Curl
Light Cardio:
Cable Push & Pull
Cable Wood Chops low-high & high-low

Day 7, Friday
rest

This is my typical bulking phase workout.  It's inspired by Frank AKA ice1cube lol.  I tried this workout during winter break.  It was extremely successfully.  I packed on about 5-7 lbs of solid muscles, from 154 lbs to 160 lbs.  When I went back home after finals, I looked like a twig.  Mostly because I got sick after Thanksgiving and lost my appetite.  And my winter workout was so successfully because this good hard workout, as well as the stress-free environment, good food, and enough time to rest and sleep.  Hopefully, my one month and half vacation in China will be a good time for another successful workout.
I'm planning on doing this workout for 5 weeks.  I'm on my third week now, so it's almost done!  I'm thinking about doing a strength phase next, two days for upper body and two days for lower body.  I'll post the details later.
Let me know what you guys think.  :)

The Beginning......

So guys, I'm going to start my own workout blog.  I'll be posting my workout plans, diet, progress photos, and just some of my thoughts about fitness in general.  I hope this will be a good place for me to share and exchange ideas with those of you who are also into fitness.  For a while, I thought I could just use facebook, but like Hanhchampion said, "Posting your progress on social networking sites wont help.. all you get is regular retards who hate because you're making gains."  
Those progress photos are not for showing off, but for keeping record of my own progress as well as sharing my progress with other people who are actually interested in fitness.  So if you are going to post some fitness unrelated criticism, leave your crap somewhere else.  This is MY workout blog.