Training at home in the Philippines: the Fit Bud blog
Practical articles for people training in a sala, a condo gym or a covered court: the heat, the rice, the commute, and what a coach actually does when they turn up.
All articles
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A chest workout for home and for the gym, with the form that makes it work
The chest is trained by pushing things away from you at different angles. A push-up, a floor press and a band press cover it at home; a bench, a cable and a dip handle cover it at the gym.
October 9, 2026 · about 8 minutes
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A dumbbell workout at home: one pair, six moves, the whole body
One pair of dumbbells, a sturdy chair and the living room floor. Six moves that cover legs, back, chest and shoulders, and a simple way to know when to go heavier.
September 26, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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A free workout plan for the week, and how to build your own
Most workout plans fail in week two because they were never built around the person's week. Here is a free one that fits three evenings, and the five rules a coach uses to write one.
October 9, 2026 · about 8 minutes
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A kettlebell workout at home for beginners, with one bell
Five moves, one bell, twenty-five minutes. How to pick the weight, the order to learn them in, and why the swing comes last.
September 25, 2026 · about 7 minutes
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A triceps workout for home and for the gym, and why the elbows must not move
The triceps make up most of the upper arm and straighten the elbow in every push. A bench dip, a close push-up and a band extension cover them at home; cables and a dip handle cover them at the gym.
October 9, 2026 · about 7 minutes
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Average weight and height of Filipino adults, by age and sex
What the national nutrition survey measured for Filipino men and women of every age, and what to do with the number on your own scale.
October 1, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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Basketball conditioning drills you can run on a barangay court
Most games are lost in the fourth quarter, when legs go and shots fall short. These drills need nothing but a court, a ball and a watch.
October 1, 2026 · about 7 minutes
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Cool down exercises: what to do in the last five minutes of a workout
A cool down is the last five minutes of a session, done slowly on purpose. Here is what it does, what it does not do, ten exercises to use, and a routine that fits after anything.
October 12, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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Diastasis recti exercises after birth: how to check the gap and what to do first
Most tummy gaps close on their own in the weeks after birth. How to check yours at home, the quiet exercises that help, and the popular ones to leave for later.
September 26, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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Exercise for pregnant women at home: what is safe, and what to skip
The amount most pregnancies can safely handle, six moves that need only a ball, a chair and a wall, and the signs that mean stop and call your doctor.
September 25, 2026 · about 7 minutes
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Farmers carry: how to do it, how heavy, and how far
Pick up something heavy in each hand and walk. The farmers carry trains grip, posture and legs at once, and it copies the carrying you already do every day.
October 5, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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Filipino breakfast ideas: 20 healthy ones that keep you full until lunch
Silog, lugaw, pandesal and champorado are all on the table. Twenty breakfasts from the Filipino kitchen, and the small changes that make them last until noon.
September 26, 2026 · about 8 minutes
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Filipino meal plan for a week: seven days of simple meals for weight loss
Seven days of breakfast, lunch, merienda and dinner built from sinigang, tinola, grilled fish and pinakbet, with one market trip and one Sunday of cooking.
October 1, 2026 · about 8 minutes
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Going to the gym for the first time: a beginner's first month
The gym is intimidating for about two weeks and then it is just a room with weights in it. What to look for in one, what to do on day one, and a routine that gets you through the first month.
October 9, 2026 · about 9 minutes
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Healthy baon ideas for work and school, built on Filipino food
One box, four parts: rice, protein, vegetables and something fresh. Twelve combinations from the Filipino kitchen, and the food-safety habits that matter in a hot jeepney.
September 26, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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Healthy ulam ideas: a week of Filipino dishes that are good for you
Fourteen healthy ulam, arranged as a week of lunches and dinners, so the question of what to cook tonight has an answer before you are hungry.
September 26, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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High-protein breakfast ideas from the Filipino kitchen
Eggs, tinapa, tuyo, chicken, tokwa and monggo. Fifteen breakfasts that put protein first, built from what is already in a Filipino kitchen.
October 1, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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High-protein Filipino food: the ulam that builds a stronger body
Protein helps muscle recover from training and keeps you full between meals. The Filipino table already has plenty of it; the aim is to put some on every plate.
September 26, 2026 · about 8 minutes
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How much does a personal trainer cost in the Philippines
There is no single price for a trainer. Here are the choices that move it, from session length and group size to travel distance and packages, with no numbers.
September 19, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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How to lose weight on a rice-based diet without giving up rice
Rice can stay on the plate. Weight comes down when the cup is measured, the ulam does more of the work, and merienda becomes a choice instead of a habit.
September 19, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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How to start strength training at home with no equipment
Five moves, a two by two meter patch of floor and three short sessions a week are enough to start strength training at home, even in a studio unit with no equipment.
September 19, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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Hyrox workout: how to train for it at home in the Philippines
Hyrox is eight runs and eight stations, the same everywhere. Most of it can be trained with a court, a backpack and a pair of kettlebells.
October 5, 2026 · about 8 minutes
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Kegel exercise: how to find the right muscles and do it properly
The exercise nobody can see you doing, and the one most people do wrong. How to find the muscles, a routine to start with, and the signs it is working.
September 26, 2026 · about 5 minutes
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Low-calorie Filipino food: the dishes that fill you up for less
Sabaw dishes, grilled fish and a plate that is half vegetables. The Filipino table already has plenty of lighter food; the trick is choosing it most days.
September 26, 2026 · about 8 minutes
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Lunges: how to do the exercise properly, and which kind to use
A lunge is a single-leg squat with the other foot there for balance. Start with the reverse lunge, watch the front knee, and leave the jumping version for later.
October 9, 2026 · about 7 minutes
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Mat Pilates at home: a beginner's guide with six moves
Mat Pilates needs a mat and a bit of floor. Six beginner moves, done slowly with the breath, build the core strength every other workout leans on.
October 5, 2026 · about 7 minutes
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Meal prep for weight loss, with Filipino food and rice
Two hours on a Sunday, a cup of rice per box, and ulam that reheats well. How to plan the week's food so the smaller portion is the easy one.
September 26, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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Mountain climbers: how to do the exercise properly, and what it works
Mountain climbers are a plank with running legs. They need a mat and two metres of floor, they work the shoulders, trunk and hips at once, and most people do them with their hips in the wrong place.
October 12, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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Personal trainer vs gym membership in the Philippines: which fits you
A membership buys access and a trainer buys attention. Which one works for you in the Philippines depends far more on your commute and your habits than on the price.
September 19, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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Plank benefits, and how to do a plank properly at home
A plank trains the muscles that keep your trunk still while your arms and legs move. What that does for daily life, the form that makes it work, and why ten good seconds beat a sagging minute.
September 25, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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Postpartum belly: what is normal, what helps, and when to ask your doctor
Still looking pregnant weeks after the birth is common. What is going on under the skin, the quiet exercises that come first, and the ones to save for later.
September 26, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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Progressive overload: how to keep getting stronger at home
Your body adapts to whatever you ask of it, then stops changing. Progressive overload is the habit of asking for a little more, on purpose, and writing it down.
October 1, 2026 · about 7 minutes
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Reformer Pilates: what it is, what a class is like, and whether you need the machine
The reformer is the sliding bed with springs that most studio Pilates classes are built around. Here is what it does, what a first class feels like, and how much of it a mat at home can cover.
October 12, 2026 · about 7 minutes
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Small group training with family: how to make it work
Two to four relatives, one coach, one sala. How to pick the group, protect the slot, share the coach's attention fairly and keep going past the second week.
September 19, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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Strength and balance training for seniors at home
Five gentle moves using a chair and a kitchen counter, how to set up a safe corner of the sala, and who should get a doctor's go-ahead before starting.
September 19, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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Stretching before a workout: what to do in the first ten minutes
Holding long stretches before training is a habit most of us learned at school. A short moving warm-up usually prepares the body better, and the long stretches fit at the end.
September 26, 2026 · about 5 minutes
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The bird dog exercise: how to do it, what it trains, and how to progress
On hands and knees, reach one arm forward and the opposite leg back, and keep the back so still that a glass of water would stay on it. That is the bird dog, and it is harder than it looks.
October 12, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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The dead bug exercise: how to do it, the mistakes to avoid, and how to progress
Lie on your back, arms and legs in the air, and lower one opposite pair at a time. It looks silly and it is one of the most useful core exercises there is.
September 26, 2026 · about 5 minutes
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The glute bridge: how to do it, what it trains, and how to progress
Lie on your back, lift your hips, lower them. The glute bridge is simple enough for a first session and useful enough to stay in a program for years.
September 26, 2026 · about 5 minutes
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The types of exercise, what each one does, and how much you need
Walking, lifting, standing on one leg and reaching for your toes are four different kinds of exercise, and each does something the others cannot. What they are, how much you need, and where to begin.
October 9, 2026 · about 8 minutes
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Training in the Philippine heat: timing, water and what to wear
When to train, how much to drink, what to wear and how to keep a session going through fans, brownouts and the rainy season without making yourself ill.
September 19, 2026 · about 6 minutes
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Visceral fat: what it is, how to check yours at home, and how to lose it
The fat you can pinch is not the one doctors worry about. The one wrapped around your organs is, and it is the easier of the two to lose.
September 30, 2026 · about 7 minutes
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What a first session with a home personal trainer looks like
The first session is mostly talking and slow movement: a consultation, a movement screen, a goals chat and a written plan. Here is what to expect and what to prepare.
September 19, 2026 · about 6 minutes
The photographs on this page are generated illustrations.
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