Robin Chee

65 years old. Certified calisthenics trainer (WSWCF), Kettlebells (HKC1), Strong First Body Weight (SFB).

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

How an Enhanced "Japanese Slope Walk and Slope Sub Sprint” Transformed My Cardio

For most of my life, cardio was never my strong suit. Because of scoliosis that distorts my rib cage, my lungs and heart simply have less physical space to expand and work. Long runs were never an option—the repetitive pounding quickly flares up my back and left knee wear and tear.

Years ago, I tried traditional Sprint Interval Training (SIT)—the classic protocol of multiple, repeated all-out sprints (e.g., 4 to 6 rounds of 20–30s sprints). While it pushed my fitness numbers up back then, grinding through multiple punishing rounds took a massive physical toll. The extreme joint impact, high systemic fatigue, and exhaustion made it impossible to sustain. Eventually, I had to stop. Over the years without it, my cardio steadily declined until it hit rock bottom, dropping to a low of below 20 VO2max.

What Didn’t Work:
10,000+ Daily Steps: I tried for many months to hit 10,000 steps daily or more without fail. While great for general movement, my VO2max did not budge an inch.

Flat Japanese Interval Walking: Alternating 3 minutes brisk and 3 minutes slow on flat ground improved things slightly, but my heart rate peaked at only around 135 bpm, and progress quickly stagnated at 24.8 by late June.

The Breakthrough: Japanese Slope Walking + 1 Sub-Sprint Finish
Everything changed when I took the Japanese walking concept to the slopes:

The Slope Advantage: Doing 5 steady rounds up steep slopes uses gravity to elevate the cardiovascular demand—bringing my heart rate up to 152 bpm and strengthening the legs while drastically cutting down joint impact on my knee and spine.

The 1 Sub-Sprint Capstone: Instead of grinding through 4–6 exhausting sprint repeats like traditional SIT, I finish the session with just 1 single 60-second uphill "sub-sprint" to push my heart rate to 178 bpm.

The Progress (Tracked via Apple Watch):
- Rock Bottom: Below 20 VO2 max
- Late June 2026 (Flat Walking Plateau): 24.8
- Late August 2026: 32.7 (Above Average / High)
- Today (1 Sep 2026): Scored 36.3 (Elite tier), peaking at 178 bpm on the final uphill sprint with a rapid 28 bpm heart rate drop in the first 60 seconds of recovery.

(Note: Tracked via Apple Watch algorithms—not a clinical metabolic cart gold standard, but the upward trend and real-world stamina gains are clear enough for my purposes!)

Is 178 bpm Dangerous at 65?
Generic formulas like (220−age) are statistical population averages, not biological limits for conditioned individuals. Hitting 178 bpm here is safe because it is held only for a brief 15–30 seconds, performed uphill with zero joint impact shock, and followed by a rapid 28 bpm recovery drop in 1 minute—a strong clinical sign of healthy arterial compliance and vagal tone.

(Precaution: Anyone attempting high-intensity efforts should always get medical clearance first, build a steady aerobic walking base for several weeks, and ramp up incline speeds gradually.)

Why It’s Sustainable:
I have no ambitions of running marathons or chasing triathlons. I just want strong cardiovascular resilience and health as I age, without joint pain, while preserving energy for heavy strength and calisthenics training.

This protocol captures ~80–85% of total heart adaptations (maximizing stroke volume and lung capacity) with just one peak effort, leaving zero joint pain and zero nervous system burnout. It is so sustainable that my weekly routine feels effortless to maintain:

2 days/week: Japanese Slope Walks + 1 Hill Sub-Sprint
2 days/week: Steady Japanese Slope Walks (no sprint)
2 days/week: Chill Rogue bike + light skipping & kettlebell swings

For real lifelong health, the best workout is the one your body can comfortably sustain.

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

@shizuku_spark_ I've sent you an early birthday gift ..

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

25 AUG 2026 HOME TRAINING - Front levers, Pullups and Dips. OMG I had to do 10 sets of pull-ups, total 78 pull-ups. Speeded up 4x as its quite long.

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

SIDE SPLIT

Still far from Jean-Claude Van Damme's (of Kickboxer fame) standard for side splits, but slowly working on it. Trying to develop the inner thigh strength to hold in position without the hands, better still go down and come up without hands.

Just to get to this level took me more than 2 years of consistent practice, almost daily. Though now I am in maintenance and some slow progression so I only practice twice a week. I really should do more if I hope to be at little of Van Damme level, who incidentally is the same age as me (65).

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

18 AUG 2026 HOME TRAINING

My staple of front levers, pull-ups, hanging knee raises and dips. Not weighted today, just a lot of volume. Pull-ups was 1st set 10 reps, followed by 9 sets of 7 reps, total 73 reps. Dips was 4 sets of 20 reps, total 80 reps.

So some days would be heavier weighted pull-ups and dips but less reps, while some days would be body weight only but higher reps and sets.

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

2026 PERSONAL BEST 35kg DIP

As I have a torn right rotator cuff, I am happy to have achieved my personal best for dips - 35kg x 1 rep. It's better than all my previous competitions (25kg in Cebu 2024, 31.25kg in Singapore 2025). Its just a test we do once in a few long weeks just to see how well I am progressing.

For safety, I have been doing much lower weight during training, ranging from 15-20kg at most with reps around 6-10. If I do any weight beyond that with more than 1 rep,, my right shoulder might feel something the next day. So the lower weight with higher rep training works well for me with no issues with my shoulder and yet it does improve the maximum weight I can do on the dip without specifically training for it.

My Sports Medicine Doctor and TCM will tell me, "You are no longer young, don't train so hard". I believe we just need to find a smarter and more suitable training for ourselves to either maintain or better still, improve ourselves. So I don't take fully what my doctors tell me to heart, just with a pinch of salt.

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

20KG PULLUPS 4 REPS

To progress in pull-ups (pull) is alot hard for me than to progress in dips and pushups (push). I only recently managed to do this last Jul 2026. But at least better than it was back in March 2026 where I could only do one rep. Coach target is 10 reps pull-ups with this 20kg weight (2 x 5kg with 1 x 10kg).

7 years ago (2019) I could do 20kg 5 reps, but I was also much lighter at 55kg, whereas now I am around 60kg. While I am trying to cut weight back to 55kg, I also feel that when I was 55kg I was quite skinny. So maybe a target of 58kg is better.

[ゆな🎀パリオン @yuna_partyon]

@Samurai_656 ありがとうございます😊

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

KNEELING WALL QUAD STRETCH

I really like this stretch for the quads and hip flexors, really very intense. Initially when you try it, get something for the knees. This place is padded already so I don't need extra padding.

Version 1 (more for quads)
1. Kneel the left knee all the way back to the wall and the whole shin touching the wall. Slightly shift the left foot to the left so its beside your bum.

2. Put your hands on your right knee for support and push yourself as far back as you can. The eventual goal is to have your lower back on the wall.

Version 2 (more for hip flexors)
3. From position in step 2, now shift your hips as far forward as you can and concurrently shift your shoulders back.

Do for the other leg.

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

PANCAKE STRETCH

I find the pancake stretch one of the most useful of all stretches.

One of the things I learnt the hard way was that trying to get lower to the floor by rounding the back, shifts the stretch from the legs to the lower back, and can result in a strained back.

The other point is that rest your hands or body on the floor, while it will help with flexibility, that is passive flexibility meaning flexibility without strength. By not using the hands on the floor, I am forced to use my muscles to control the range of movement and thus developing BOTH strength and flexibility in the range. This helps have more lasting flexibility, reduce chances of injuries and is much more functional.

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

HOW I GOT CONFIDENT IN ONE ARM PUSHUP

Back in 2024, when I first took my StrongFirst Bodyweight Trainer certification I only had a very shaky 1 rep of a one arm pushup, which I was not confident even to replicate that when I needed to demo. Fast forward to 2026, to re-certify it was a bit better but still did not feel confident to do it anytime, anywhere.

In May 2026 I was on holiday in Tokyo. So as part of my holiday exercise homework, most mornings I would go to Hibiya Park and workout. The routine was simple but brutal - a total of 1,000 reps of pull-ups and band assisted one arm push-ups. So roughly around 75-100 reps per session, split over multiple sets.

Upon returning from holiday, I could do the one arm pushups unassisted with multiple reps and any time, any where. That the power of focused training.

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

@misaki_spark_ 😔

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

ONE ARM PUSHUP - LOWER (4.5CM)

Going lower in the one arm pushup is exponentially more difficult. Normally my target is about 10cm from the ground where I can do best at 25 reps. But just a bit lower at 4.5cm I can do only 10 reps, maybe if I really push 12-15. The goal is to get to 25 reps at this depth. Once I can do that, then I will start placing the feet closer which is also exponentially more difficult.

Going by the strict StrongFirst standards (for Bodyweight Trainer certification), my previous 25 reps might have failed, but I am quite sure these 10 will pass. Though I only need 1 clean rep to pass.

Interestingly I saw a post talking about push-ups standards. For my age group 60+, the top tier (Superior) is 25 pushups. But I can do 25 one arm pushups. Normal pushups, not tried for some time the max, but probably around the 40 plus range.

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

MY FRIDAY PT SESSIONS WORKOUT

This is my typical Friday PT session workout where I cover pull, push, core and legs. Speed up 4x as the actual duration is 8 minutes plus.

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

65 REPS FOR 65 YEARS 💪

For my 65th birthday today (16 July), I set out to complete a total of 65 reps of:
•25 One-arm pushups (Left)
•25 One-arm pushups (Right)
•15 Pull-ups

I couldn’t come close to this capability in my younger days. It is absolute proof that you can not only maintain but actually improve your physical capability as you age.

It wasn't an easy path. My wake-up call came in late 2013 at age 52, when excruciating pain from scoliosis completely incapacitated me for weeks. I realized that if I didn't take control of my body, I’d be fully incapacitated before my 60s.

That sparked a deep dive into Yoga, Pilates, Gymnastics Strength Training, Calisthenics and Schroth therapy. These disciplines complemented my decades of professional competitive dancesport training - including representing Singapore as the sole representatives to the World Professional Ballroom Championships for three consecutive years in Moscow, the UK, and Korea. Beyond practical training, I spent years researching health and fitness topics.

Because of my scoliosis, a right torn rotator cuff, and left knee osteoarthritis, traditional gym staples like deadlifts, barbell squats, and vertical presses are completely off the table—they simply do not agree with my spine. Even running is out.

Instead, I built a system tailored for my body - and one that I believe is highly suitable for seniors looking for joint-friendly longevity:
•Strength: Strictly calisthenics (both bodyweight and weighted). This is my key focus.
•Balance: A small dose of handstands to improve balance and for fun.
•Flexibility: Distilled, highly modified, yoga-inspired stretches, tailored to what my body actually needs - though now just a small dose for maintenance
•Cardio: A low-impact mix of stationary bike work, kettlebell swings, shadow kickboxing, Japanese walking, and slope sprints. An almost daily thing, spacing out the intensity each day.

Aging doesn’t have to mean declining. Find what works for your unique biology, stay consistent, and keep building.

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

ASSISTED PISTOL SQUATS

Due to my back issues, barbell squats don't agree with my back. So I do assisted pistol squats. While I can do a small number of unassisted pistols, that at present is not enough volume, so until I can do at least 5-10 unassisted pistols, these assisted pistols are my leg work. Other than these I also do sprints up a slope and skipping. While not as intense as weighted squats, its good enough for my purposes at this point and much more back friendly.

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

INVERTED ROWS

While up for debate, I believe this to be one of the most beneficial exercises, especially for seniors. As we age, we tend to hunch over and no longer have an upright posture. This exercise helps reduce hunching and improves our posture.

I give priority to the chest touching the bar, to enable developing strength and mobility throughout the range. The exercise can be made easier by bringing the legs closer to the hands and/or bending the legs. To make it even more difficult, the legs can be raised further and/or adding weight over the chest.

The important part of this exercise is to initiate the pull from the back muscles (lats and scapulars) which I call step 1, then pull through and bend the arms (step 2) and straighten arms and return to the bottom (step 3). Steps 1 and 2 are merged sequentially and smoothly.

This is a horizontal pull exercise, while pull-ups are a vertical pull exercise. Ideally, we do both. If can't do pull-ups yet, just this inverted rows will also work well. Combined with push-ups and / or dips, most of the upper body and the elements of push / pull are covered.

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

DIP TRAINING

This is my Friday dip training, which is lighter than my Monday training. For proper warmup, I do 3 sets of body weight dips starting with very slow movements and then going to fast. Then gradually work up the weights from 10kg to 15kg.

As I have a torn right rotator cuff, I keep the weights lighter but more reps and plan to very gradually increase weights as the tendons strength catches up with the muscle strength. This is often why we get injured because tendons take 3-4 times as long as muscle to get stronger. So we have to take it slow and steady, especially at my age.

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

PULL TRAINING

This is my Friday pull up training, which is lighter than Monday training. For proper warm up, I do 2 sets of body weight pull-ups, then followed by progressively heavier weighted pull-ups and then a final set of lighter pullups but more reps.

[Robin Chee @RobinChee]

HOW I TRAINED FOR ONE ARM PUSHUP

My two main exercises to get my one arm pushup - weighted dips and band assisted one arm pushups.

For weighted dips, over time I gradually increased the weight. While the band assisted one arm pushups, over time I gradually reduced the number of bands.