A Typical Workout Week

With the traffic and all the big and small problems in the country not going away any time soon, having a routine that de-stresses you is becoming more and more important. Without physical exertion, all that pressure inside you will slowly crush you until you get sick. 

As October gets closer and closer, making sure that I'm in peak form is a priority. Good thing I can rely on the U.P. Mountaineers for some motivation. My typical week is segmented into a) domestic duties and taking care of the dog; b) work and trying not to get fired, and c) physical training.

Tuesdays. Mountain rockstar training (MRT) is going well. Master Thumbie celebrated (in advance) his birthday with us with a lung- and gut-busting workout. Two days after the workout, I could still feel the burn on my obliques, which I hope would translate to a stronger core. 

There's a nagging pain that's preventing me from doing push-ups, which I suspect is from the injury I got ten years ago, which didn't really heal correctly. 

Wednesdays and Fridays are still dedicated to climbing. I'm stoked because I could still rally a few guys and girls to climb with me. Otherwise, it's hard to get motivated to go to the gym when you're not sure if there's someone to belay you or not.

Doing outdoorsy things indoors #PowerUp #TS

A photo posted by Dennis Lopez (@dencius) on Aug 21, 2015 at 8:07am PDT

I have been feeling off for a few weeks now. As mentioned earlier, my rotator cuff is acting up. I'm a bit torn (quite possibly literally) between slowing down or carrying on with training. On one hand, I'm afraid that by stopping, I'd lose the progress I've gained, and on the other, while it's not really painful during the actual climbing, there's a chance that I could injure myself further. I chose a middle ground of sorts, doing endurance training (pyramids) instead of working on more difficult routes. The rest of the guys seem to enjoy the pyramids because it's a high volume workout. But we do inject some challenges in between, for the needed "oomph" in the session. What I really want is for us to go into actual crags (Atimonan or Wawa), but the weather has other plans for us.

Patty and Tasha at it on the Samson route.

I usually skip the Thursday MRT because of domestic duties. But this is also my usual bike commute day (28 kilometers total), so it's not a total loss. If I'm early, I might squeeze in a few laps in the pool before needing to distract Ein from eating all our furniture.

Weekends are open. No fixed plans. Normally doing laundry and house work. Sometimes I get to climb the crags or hike.

Last Sunday was spent at the applicants orientation of the U.P. Mountaineers. The venue was packed with members and potential trainees. It had a festive, market-like atmosphere, thanks to the pop-up gear sale of Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, and other Primer brands.

I couldn't help buying an item. I justified my purchase as a necessity for the October trip and handed the sales guy my credit card. I almost bought a pair of trail runners, but stopped myself because I was over budget (I only have money for a good pair of hiking boots that can survive the Himalayas). 

awesome sale items

Those who came were very lucky, indeed. Tons of prizes were raffled off, and they haven't even started with the actual training! It made me want to apply again, just to get the chance at the prizes.

Packed house at the Museum of Filipino Architecture

Ein was a definite star in the event. No one could resist her adorable presence. Definitely a chick magnet if I was single. By the time we got home, the poor pooch was all spent. Couldn't even bring herself to eat dinner. At least we had a quiet evening. hehe.

follow this dorky dog at https://instagram.com/eintheadventuredog/

So with a weekly schedule like this, it's not surprising that the days seem to whiz on by; and now we're entering into the -ber months. One thing I've learned over the past half-year is the importance of focusing my efforts to more important things. Because, as much as I would hate to admit it, I cannot do everything I want now because there's not enough time. So far, it's been great. Less Facebook time, but I don't think I miss it that much.

For those who still want to join the U.P. Mountaineers. There's still time! Just pay the application fee and attend the first BMC sessions either on Wednesday (26 August, 6:30PM) or Saturday (29 August, 1PM). For more information, email info@upmountaineers.org