NOVEMBER HOUSE ARREST

WORDS: ASH MAHINAY ACHIEVE OLYMP IC GREATNESS!

The athletic greats train for their medal quest, like all others. Why can’t you do what they do? Here we plan out an A-level physical regimen—if you work your body down to ground long enough, maybe our future in gold is with you!

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SPEE d MENTAL

2016 O LYMPIC 100M QuALI fYING TIME: 10.16 seconds AVERAGE PERSON’S SPRINT TIME: around 15 seconds PHILIPPINE 100M R ECOR d: Eric Shaun Cray’s 10.25

Now, you probably don’t have your 100m sprint time lying around, so how about something you may have tried? Like a 10km run, which is a popular weekend warrior activity. According to Jeff Lo, owner of Pinoy Fitness, sixty percent of the field makes it under the hour mark in their SUB1 10k Challenge, but the average speed ends up at one hour. The single fastest runner did it in 35. Olympic qualifying time? 28. Luh! How do you get to Flash-level speed?

THE BASIC BRO’S WORKOUT

“All training programs follow a periodization. There are two types: linear and undulating,” explains Jose Gemora, certified strength and conditioning specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and associate head coach of 360 Fitness Club. “Those who are new to workouts will likely respond to a linear type of periodization where you peak after 12-14 weeks...an average joe will most likely respond to a linear type of training because they can recover easily and it’s not that taxing on the body.”

H ERE’S A SAMPLE O f A LINEAR wORKO uT Endurance Strength training (week 1-4) 1 week rest Strength Hypertrophy training (week 5-9) 1 week rest Power training (week 11-14)

In comparison, athletes compress it into a compressed time and peak faster: Week 1-2 (a day’s rest in between training days) Day 1-Endurance, Day 2- Power, Day 3-Strength Week 3-4 Day 1- Endurance, 2- Strength, 3- Rest, 4- Endurance Hypertrophy 5-Strength, 6- Rest

ROAD TO RIO?

SO HOw GOO d ARE fILIPINOS AT BEING fAST? According to Gemora, “There is always one dominant muscle fiber type for each person. People with Type IIx fibers will have the ability to run faster. Training can help you, even though you’re Type I dominant, but Type II’s will respond more, even if they undergo the same training protocol.” How does that affect our Pinoy sprinters? “Filipinos are fast, but, we look slower than foreign athletes because of height limitations. When you sprint there are two keys to running faster: stride rate and stride length. We have no problem with stride rate but because they are taller than us, their stride length is longer. Sometimes a stride rate ratio of 2:1 where we need two steps to reach the length of their first step is observed when competing at a higher level,” says Gemora.

LONGEST EVER OLYMPIC MATCH - 2012 M EN’S TENNIS SINGLES fINAL: 4 hours and 26 minutes

How can we possibly stay focused for that long? Marcus Jarwin Manalo, sport psychology specialist of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (responsible for our national boxing team) and assistant professor at the College of Human Kinetics, University of the Philippines Diliman, says that the secret to coming out of the gates at 100 percent is identifying your optimal activation or arousal level. “This is highly individualized, and dependent on the sport and individual. A good way to identify your optimal level is by going back to your psychological state during your best performance”

PREPARING YOUR MIND FOR GAMES

According to sports psychologist Marcus Manalo “If there is a certain routine that has been working well for you, then it is wise to stick with it. Nonetheless, here is a general pre-game routine that our national boxers do and that I can also suggest to other athletes...”

01 ENGAGE IN RO uTINE “Upon arrival at the venue, you may engage in your preferred routine. You could listen to music, read books, watch videos, chat with teammates, etc. The key here is it should be in line with achieving your optimal psychological state. For example, the type of music you listen to depends on whether you want a high level (upbeat music) or low level of activation (relaxing music).”

02 TAKE d EEP BREATHS “Taking deep, slow, and rhythmic breaths will help you achieve a relaxed and focused state. By focusing solely on your inhalation and exhalation, you will be able to stay in the present and clear your thoughts of distractions.”

03 CREATE IMAGERY “After getting into a relaxed state, it is now best to do imagery of the skills you will execute and the strategies you will use in competition. It’s like playing movies in your head. It is important to imagine the potential challenges that you will face and see yourself being able to handle those challenges well.”

ROAD TO RIO?

dOES THE PINOY uNdERdOG MENTALITY GIVE AN EdGE? We asked Manalo whether relying on #puso mentality is a good thing: “When Filipino athletes are considered ‘underdogs,’ the potential advantage is that they compete with less pressure. In addition, the focus is put more on the process [execution of strategies and game plans, playing with all-out effort] rather than the outcome/winning. This type of focus is actually ideal since you focus on the things under your control. The disadvantage? “It might be easier to get intimidated, distracted and to succumb to negative thoughts.”

ACHIEVE OLYMP IC GREATNESS!

The athletic greats train for their medal quest, like all others. Why can’t you do what they do? Here we plan out an A-level physical regimen—if you work your body down to ground long enough, maybe our future in gold is with you! 3 rmx jC b5

STAMINA STRENGT H

3-4 TIMES A dAY, 6 dAYS A wEEK wEEKLY LOAd: SwIM: 25km; Ru N: 100km; B IKE: 400km

You’re supposed to be proud of your 10km finisher medal, but it’s hard when you’re quietly dying at your office desk the next day. It’s not enough to be able to run fast if you want to be the best: you need to be able to run for a long, long time–and there are few bigger stamina beasts than triathletes. If the above training goals of George Vilog, high performance coach of the Triathlon Association of the Philippines, already give you cramps; here’s what you need to do to stiffen up

THE BASIC BRO’S WORKOUT

“A good basic workout to build endurance is to perform aerobic exercises like swimming, cycling or running, or perform circuit training in the gym, wherein you perform exercises one after another like a series connection of an electrical circuit. Another way to build stamina that is currently catching a lot of attention is high intensity interval training or HIIT. Tabata is one of the first and well-known interval training protocols out there,” Saul Sibayan, faculty member of the Sports Science Department of the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Santo Tomas and a Certified Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, says. Here’s how it goes:

Perform an activity for 10 seconds at all-out intensity, for example, the burpee begin in a standing position drop into a squat with hands pressed on the ground kick out into a push-up position, do not touch the ground or move your hands immediately return to squat position jump up into standing position and repeat Rest for 20 seconds Repeat steps 1 and 2 for a total of four minutes Try not to throw up

“The well-known benefits of HIIT is improved endurance, decreased body fat and at the same time increasing muscle mass compared with steady-state cardio.

ROAD TO RIO?

CAN wE OuTLAST THE LEGENdARILY HARdY AfRICANS? “Certainly, genetics play a huge role. Other factors include the environment where they live and train–low vs. high altitude–as well as the local culture and food that they take in. I personally believe that Filipinos can compete if they are given the appropriate funding to join qualifying events, as well as holistic support from family and coaches, equipment, nutrition, biomechanics, strength and conditioning, and physical therapy. We have produced world class athletes–from Elma Muros-Posadas (track and field) to Victor Espiritu (cycling). BASIC POwER d IET: 50-60% carbohydrates; 20-25% fat; 15% protein

Strength is the most glamorous aspect of athletics because you can brag about being able to deadlift a million pounds and compare pricy supplements with extreme names. We consulted with Jim Saret, training director of the Philippine Olympic Committee/Philippine Sports Commission High Performance Training Center–and who you may have seen on The Biggest Loser Philippines–for what you really need to eat for the #gains, and how to make that food work for you.

THE BASIC BRO’S WORKOUT

“To develop raw strength, you need to go back to the basics and create a solid foundation. Most people focus on equipment—wrong. Everyone needs to start with their own body first. You might be surprised at how difficult it can be to do bodyweight exercises. Once you have built up enough strength, then you can start adding the use of equipment to supplement or add more challenge to your body,” Saret says. Here’s his “simple” bodyweight workout that he makes our national athletes sweat through:

4-minute MetaFIT workout (Metabolic Fitness) 01 10 Jumping Jacks 02 10 Squats 03 10 Push ups 04 10 lunges per leg

Repeat the sequence from the start and perform for 4 minutes. Stop at 4 minutes sharp. Rest for up to 10 seconds max anytime you need to during the workout but never for more than 10 seconds.

ROAD TO RIO?

IS THERE A TRAINING GAP? OR dO wE NEEd TO fINd GIfTEd ATHLETES? Here’s Saret’s take: “At the Olympic level, sports super power countries have already experimented in creating the strongest athletes with all the science, nutrition, and other performance enhancement training possible. However, every now and then a regular athlete that wasn’t trained as hard and not given as much support will suddenly pop up and beat the most scientifically enhanced athlete. A genetically gifted athlete with minimal training and support can beat a not-so genetically gifted athlete with all the support in the world–it will be hard as the other one is well trained, but it can happen…with regards to Filipinos, we are also genetically gifted, however, our genetics could be focused more on skill rather than strength. If you notice we excel in ‘skill’- related sports such as billiards, bowling and boxing…boxing isn’t just about strength but also speed, stamina, and skill. Filipinos might not be gifted with strength unlike other nationalities, but we do have talent in skills, which is equally important.

WAYS To bAnISH ‘bER MonTH GLooM!

‘Tis supposed to be time for outdoor merry, but you’d rather hole up in your cave, cold and miserable. And what about that terrible, crushing boredom that comes with being trapped within four walls, you ask? Well, we’ve taken care of that…

PHOTOGRAPHY: DAIRY DARILAG WORDS: TOM WARD, FHM PHILIPPINES

PRODUCTION DESIGN: GENIE RANADA-BABISTA GROOMING/MAKEUP: ANNE CASTAÑO ILLUSTRATIONS: AEUS KEVIN REYES

01 MASTER boARd And

When tumbang preso outdoors isn’t an option, consider these old school indoor interactive fun

GET FLIRTY ON TWISTER

Functions as a group game, but two on the floor could be better. Expect the two of you to look like this. Having WiFi is still the best, but there will be touching.

BRUSH UP ON REAL ESTATE MATH WITH MONOPOLY

Also called living vicariously through tiny box houses, fake money, and a singlespectacled, moustached banker man.

LEAVE YOUR FATE ON THE DICE WITH SNAKES AND LADDER

One minute you’re climbing up ladders and winning, next minute you’ve snaked yourself several blocks far down. It’s just a roll of the dice.

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Fight the T-Rex in Tomb Raider

Not necessary to progress through the game, but still very simple.

Choose your first Pokémon on Pokémon Red and Blue

All the emotions.

Storm Omaha Beach on Medal of Honor: Allied Assault

Makes Saving Private Ryan look like a picnic.

Hardcore History Forget the snoozefest that was your high school history class. Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History takes a theatrical approach to the past you’ll want to pay attention to. Disclaimer: the “hardcore” part: some episodes run more than three-hours long Must listen ep: The Wrath of Khans The Joe Rogan Experience Listen to the UFC commentator/former Fear Factor host shoot the shit with a slew of interesting personalities from stand-up comics and MMA fighters to scientists. Rogan’s insights are worth a listen. Must listen ep: Any ep with Vice honcho, Shane Smith