Round 2: P90X

ok, so i stumbled to the finish in round 1. so, after 2 months off. i think its time for round 2. who's with me?

P90X: Week 12

Ok, so week 11 totally sucked (in terms of consistency). busy at work and an aching knee contributed. so, after a spotty weeks 10 and 11, started up again on week 12. i did back and bicep tonight at the gym...and worked out pretty well. i jumped around a bit on the workouts, because i had to keep going back and forth from the free weights area to the lat pull down machine. only 2 weeks left to go, i need to finish this off strong!!! its interesting to note that i ate like complete CRAP over the weekend, and have been pretty inconsistent with the routines, yet it still looks like my body is still getting more toned....haha, or maybe its what my mind wants to believe to justify the way i ate.

but ok!! 2 more weeks, 2 more weeks....

did i mention i haven't done ab ripper x in forever? ugh. should get back on that.

P90X (Somewhere between week 11 and 13...)

ok, so its been very on and off due to a busy schedule, and my knee issues. but the knee has gotten a lot better, but still need to get back on the boat. even so, just wanted to report i weighed in at 219.4 this morning. havent measured my waist again in a while, but pants are definitely fitting well, and the third hole on my belt is progressively getting more confortable. i would really like to finish this off STRONG!

and i believe i'm going to purchase 10 minute trainer (for my mom...haha). but i will give it a go as well, to get rid of some extra pounds. then its back to the X, in say, October? we'll see.

P90X: Week 11

alright, 3 weeks left, the end is in sight!

unfortunately, i've developed some pain in my left knee. it hurts when i bend it about 30 deg, but then if i bend/squat further, its fine, and can come back up pretty pain free. its kinda odd. but i'm pretty bummed out, because i'm going to need to modify these last 3 weeks. i'm supposed to Plyo tonight, which most likely isnt going to happen. i have an appt with a doctor of physical medicine and rehab on Aug 14th (the earliest date he had!!). i should be just about done by then, i hope it holds up. for the time being, i'm doing a regular routine of stretching, taking MoveFree (Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM supplement) and icing. hopefully this will carry me through.

on a more positive note, i did Shoulder & Arms (for the last time!!!) last night, at the gym. and man oh man, what an improvement! i was doing more weight, and was able to last through each workout and keep up with the reps. i was amazed. especially my biceps, which i feel are one of the hardest parts of my body to develop. i had energy throughout the routine, and i didnt feel tired or wasted at all. it was great. and can i just say, i really liked what i saw in the mirror while working out, all pumped up and stuff....haha. and i even did some cardio (interval training) afterwards, for 15min. solid, solid day yesterday.

i'm wondering if i can do the remaining resistance days at the gym....

P90X: Phase III

Phase III, (week 9, day 57) started for me last night, revisiting Chest & Back, and Ab Ripper X. I can confidently say I completely "crushed" this workout last night! ok, maybe not, but let me just say how much i've improved since the last time I did this exercise, which was back in week 3. 2 significant improvements- 1) i did ALL the push ups, NOT on my knees. compared to phase I, where i did the majority of the workout ON my knees.
2) I was able to do the Dive Bomber push-ups, BOTH rounds. In phase I, i was barely able to do 1, in the FIRST round...

Still struggling to do pull ups tho (probably due to my weight...), and can still only achieve 1 unassisted. the rest were chair assisted, but i do have the chair further away and am making a conscious effort to not step on the chair TOO much. Diamond push-ups are still a struggle as well, so i do have my hands a little further apart.

Still hovering around 221-223 pounds (depending on the day and what i ate the night before), and fat percentage is in the 23-25% range (again, previous night's dinner dependent).
I'm satified with those numbers so far, remember, i started at 230.8 @ 27.5% fat. i have not followed the prescribed meal plan, but have been trying to limit my carb intake and eat every 3-4 hours, and not eat as much.

Oh, and i've also decided i'll replace Kenpo with Core Synergistics, since i am not a huge fan of Kenpo X.

P90X Update

Well, it feels like its been a long while since i've updated. maybe because it has. but Phase II has taken a little longer than scheduled due to my schedule. so what i did in week 7, was i strayed a bit from the routine and doubled up on the strength portion. so it went something like this:

Chest, Shoulders Tri's; Ab ripper X
Back & Biceps
Yoga
rest
Chest, Shoulders Tri's
Back & Biceps
rest

I can do a ton more push-ups than i could when i started. and i'm accomplishing more reps in the bicep exercises, meaning i can probably start upping the weight. Ab ripper X is still a pain in the, err...hip flexor? haha....but again, it is still slowly progressing.

Going to take another rest day tonight (due to schedule) and then start on week 8, which is the Phase II recovery week. Yoga kicks things off tomorrow.

I weighed in at a feathery 221.8 lbs this morning, making it 9 pounds in a little more than 7 weeks. definition in the arms is definitely coming through, and my gut is almost completely gone. still a long ways to go, in terms of fat %, but its getting there.

Another day of Yoga X

I did the full 90 min of Yoga X again yesterday, and man, it felt great. i am still AMAZED at how much i sweat during the first half of it. i think i sweat as much as plyo. crazy. but some of the moves are getting easier, partly due to the fact that my belly is getting smaller, so it allows for easier twisting and what not. and the 90 minutes go by pretty quickly now.

Up next: Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X.

One more thing....

How did i forget? i've lost an inch off my waist!! whoo hoo!

P90X Day 31: Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X

Lets just get this out of the way: I'm weak.

Back, bicep, bicep. Back bicep bicep. thats pretty much how this workout goes. 24 different exercises, 1 set each- almost to failure, ideally. i struggled with this cuz i still can't do a "real" pull up. so they are chair assisted. but even so, my form is suspect. i might go back to the bands for a while. i was down to 10 lbs on the dumbells toward the end for the bicep exercises. and the last one, the strip set curls? forget it!! hah....i was done. workout did not go as well as i would have liked (becuase i'm a weakling). will need to work up the strength and endurance.

i realized what i struggle with most in Ab Ripper X now is not in my abs, but my hip flexors and abductors, which get super sore right from the start. Fifer scissors are the hardest because of that. but overall, still seeing progress!

Up Next: Day 32- Yoga X

P90X Day 29: Chest, Shoulders and Triceps (and Ab Ripper X)

So, after slacking off during recovery week, I am into Phase 2! kicking things off with chest, shoulders and triceps. This was very tricep intensive, and i was very, very fatigued by the end, so much so that i was using 5 and 10 pound weights. it was a good workout tho, got everything going. i felt like such a wussy cuz i couldnt keep up with the "kids". trying not to let that get to me. push ups are still a bit of a struggle, but i can DEFINITELY do more than i could 2 weeks ago. the craziest move was the ONE ARMED pushups. i saw that and was like, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME??" so i did normal pushups while they all went nuts on the video doing one armed ones.

and of course, this was all followed up by Ab Ripper X. i can get through more of it, little by little. the oblique v-ups definitely. i can do about 15 on each side now. when i first started? ZEROOOOO.

up next: Day 30, Plyometrics.

P90X Day 23: Core Synergistics

first of all, highly unadvised to do P90X during a heat wave. second of all, also as highly unadvised to do P90X after having all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ. with that, onto my summary.

Core Synergistics is just that, working the core, and working it all at once. given my above preface, i was unable to finish the entire video. stopped with a little more than 20 min remaining (a 55 min workout, after warm-up). it has some pretty intense holds and moves. includes some push ups and lunges, etc. this one pretty much wraps everything together into one. it really does get your core (everything between your chest and knees) fired up. i was sad i couldnt do the rest of the video, as there were some pretty challenging moves (which looked like a lot of fun, and which i probably could have done, given more favorable conditions). you'll sweat a ton from it, at least i did. and i love working the core.

i think its pretty deceiving that this is done during the "recovery week". there is nothing "recovery" about Core Synergistics. BRING IT.

Week 4: Phase 1 Recovery Week

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, i have completed Phase 1 (well, the bulk of phase 1 at least)! so far, i've dropped about 4 pounds, a % of fat or 2 and i'm feeling good. here are some notes:

-Kenpo X: yea, i tried it, and yea, corny as heck. Plyo is gonna replace this from now on.
-i'm slowly able to keep up better in Ab Ripper X. i can now do the "mason twists" for 10 second spurts. remember i couldnt even do it AT ALL in the beginning. i anticipate this progression to continue, but in NO WAY do i feel this will be "easy" by the end.
-i need some SEEEEERIOUS chest work. i think i might throw some bench presses in during this recovery week.
-i've started to do Yoga X in 2 parts (since the video itself has 2 parts).
-i'm starting to see some tone in my arms (i can start wearing sleeveless t's again....), and my stomach is DEF. smaller. its flatter in the upper portion, tho the inner tube around the lower abs and obliques is still there.

So, week 4 will consist of: Core Synergistics, Stretching, Yoga and some Kempo (plyo for me). Then its the start of Phase 2 and all new workouts.

Week 2 (and 3 also)

I'm into week 2!! only 12 more to go....weeks 2 & 3 are the same as week 1. So, i'll check back at week 4.

P90X Day 8 - X Stretch

Finally took the rest day today, one day late. instead of doing nothing, i decided to keep the drive going and did X Stretch. it was alright. a few notes:

- i noticed a bunch of the stretches were not held for too long. i've always understood that its best to hold a stretch anywhere from 15-30 seconds. some were nowhere NEAR 15 seconds.
- there didnt seem to be too many stretches for the upper body (chest, shoulders, arms). being that i worked the chest and back (which worked the tri's and bi's as well) the night before, that would have been nice.
-ironically, there were a number of hamstring stretches. but in the legs and back workout, as well as Plyo X, there didnt seem to be many (if any) exercises for your hammies. hmmm...

but all in all, it was good, relaxing, and you actually work a little of a sweat doing it all. got the body to relax, and is very welcomed after 6 (7, in my case) days of intense workouts.

P90X Day 7: Rest or X Stretch

first things first, WEEK ONE COMPLETED!!!!!! whoo hoo!!!...haha...ok.

now the title says rest or x stretch, i did neither. i actually went ahead and started week 2 (which is a repeat of week 1), chest and back. i was going to be busier tomorrow, so i took the opportunity of being home early with nothing to do and start week 2's workout. so, really its:

P90X Day 7: Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X
still struggling mightily with the chest exercises (push-ups). and i used the pull up bar (most of the way), instead of just the bands. i need some serious chest work. Good news tho, the first 2 times i did ab ripper x, i was ENTIRELY unable to do the final exercise (mason twists). today, my friends, i was able to do it! albeit for little 5 second spurts (it lasts for about 90 seconds). but hey, every little bit counts. 1 week down, 12 to go, BRING IT!!

Up Next: Day 8 - Rest or X Stretch (for real this time)

P90X Day 6: Plyo X (sub for Kenpo X)

well, it was basically a cardio day, so i substituted the Kenpo X with Plyo X, because i read some places that the Kenpo X was a little corny. and i liked the Plyo. so, why not?? and good news boys and girls because i made it through this time!! whoo hoo! i did pace myself a little better, and i took slightly longer breaks (30 secs on the video, i did 60 seconds). and that made all the difference. and this time it came on the heels of doing LEGS and back the day before.

and i know its probably psychological, but i think i can already see a difference....hmmm...

Up Next: Day 7 - Rest or Stretch X

P90X Day 5: Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X

well well well, THAT, was a workout. some serious leg burning exercises in this one. a lot of squats and lunges. some may argue there's not enough work for the hammies, and they might be right. i feel it all in my quads and gluts (aka, yer butt, tushy, bottom, derier...you get the idea). i worked up a really nice sweat. included a couple calf raise workouts as well. my legs did some serious shaking on the wall squats. good thing it threw in a back routine for every third exercise, to rest the legs a bit. i'm going to have to start using the pull up bar, tho i'm getting to fatigue on the bands, it just doesnt feel like i'm getting the full work out, as its not sore.

aaaand, all of this was followed up again, by ab ripper X. the creator of that must be a sadist. or something. still very, very, very hard to keep up. its 25 reps of each exercise, i'm trying to do 10 for now. i'm ok in the beginning, of course.

Up Next: Day 6 - Kenpo X (tho i might substitute with Plyo X).

P90X Day 4: Yoga

Alright, i know what you're all thinking, YOGA?!?!?! haha....well, yea, thats what i thought too. but i gave it a shot. first off, the workout is a whopping 90+ minutes long. i dont have that kind of attention span, so i did 40 min. but not only that, ITS HARD!!! i realized how little flexibility i have in my body. so it wasn't only cuz i was, "bored", but i had a hard time keeping up past 40 min! i was sweating. doing yoga. who knew!? haha....well worth it. i had thoughts of skipping it, but thankful i did not.

Up Next: Day 5 - Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X!!!!

P90X Day 3: Shoulders and Arms

This workout, was surprisingly "easy". Perhaps i didnt use enough tension on my resistance bands. but i walked away from this workout not feeling sore at all. This one worked a combination of shoulders, biceps and triceps. It was one exercise for each muscle group, after the third one, you repeat. i liked this one for the lower itensity, and the fact that i didnt feel like i needed to puke afterwards. oh, thats probably also due to the fact that i skipped Ab Ripper X at the end, for the simple fact that my abs were still significantly sore from doing Ab Ripper X on day 1.

Note to self: Crank up the tension next time.

Up Next: Day 4 - Yoga

P90X Day 2: Plyometrics X

i thoroughly enjoyed this workout, as it had me moving and SWEATING. and i mean, SWEATING. fyi- plyometrics is also known as "jump training", learn more here: http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/conditioning/a/aa062701a.htm

my only issue was not that my muscles couldnt keep up, but that my conditioning was crap. i was completely out of breath with 20 min remaining in the workout. i also found out my core muscles were lacking tho, especially around the hip area. but this, just like chest & back, was INTENSE. have not sweat like this in a long time. it felt REALLY good. hopefully i can make it through the entire workout next time.

P90X Day 1: Chest & Back

Alright, so i've decided to try P90X (www.P90X.com, for those of you who do not know what it is) to get my body back into shape. The "X" apparently stands for "extreme", which i will say, this program is exactly that so far. This blog is a little late, since i'm day 4 already, but just wanted to track my progress. Oh, and depending on how it goes, i may or may not post before and after pictures...haha.

Starting Stats:
Weight: 230.8 lbs
Fat % : 27.5%
Waist : 40.5" (yikes!)

Day 1: Chest and Back (~50 min)
One word describes this work out, INTENSE. workout essentially alternates chest (push-ups) and back (pull-ups). and on top of that, after you're done with that, you tackle Ab Ripper X, which is 339 reps of various ab exercises. the key to chest and back? PACE YOURSELF. you think you're all manly and do as many reps as you can in the beginning, when you repeat the set, forget it, i was down to 3 reps because i ran out of gas.