Round 4: Day 75: Bun Shaper

The only negative about this workout is the name, which sounds more like it should be released by a woman trainer than a man. Tony never uses this title during the workout; he titles it Bun Blaster, or something like that. His workout sheet has a title and a handwritten title extension beside it, but neither of them is Bun Shaper. While I'm not crazy about the title, I am big on the workout.

I don't know if I mentioned this already (perhaps I should read what I've previously written), but this workout consists of a series of 9 moves, repeated twice. The first round moves slowly, due to instructions and Tony taking his time to demonstrate proper form; the second round moves quickly, due to time constraints and Tony's assumption that once proper form has been demonstrated, the second round can move faster. This is, in my opinion, a successful approach. I like Tony's comments about form, because they help me understand the intent of the exercise and will make each exercise more focussed and (hopefully) successful. It's also one of the rare DVDs where more time is spent discussing proper form and the reason for it. It's really like Tony is there to train you. I also like the speedier second half because while the slower pace of the first round isn't enough to exhaust you, the speed of the second round is going to make you sweat. That's what makes this workout worthwhile.

Kicks are not really my thing. I have a tightness in my hip flexors which, while improved through persistent yoga and stretching, doesn't allow me to really extend my legs high into the air while doing side kicks. Realizing that this is a personal weakness is half the answer to my problem; actually getting my legs higher is the other half. I've been doing deep lunges during the warmup to loosen up my hips, which is helpful; I've also been focussing on a target for each kick, which is also helpful. Thirdly, I've been focussing on really leaning over, and sliding my heel in the direction of my kick, keeping my eyes on my target. While my leg is up, I'm noticing a slight pull on the hamstring of the stationary leg. Memo to self: make sure to stretch out your hamstrings before leg kicks. Slowly, I'm seeing some improvement.

I'm glad this is part of my workout routine. It helps to break up the sequence of workouts in order to keep things interesting. Keeping things interesting is a key ingredient to fitness success. I bet more people get off their routines for no other reason than they're bored. Variety is the spice of life and helps to maintain muscle confusion. Keep your body guessing, keep mixing it up, keep at it, and change will come.

Round 4: Day 74: Yoga

Am I ever glad today was Yoga day. I felt that my back was a little tense yesterday evening, likely from the Back & Bicep workout from yesterday, and I was looking forward to some yoga to stretch out my back and ease any tension and stress in my shoulders. To top it off, I'm going for a massage in an hour (my wife has terrific health and medical coverage through her office, and I'm planning on taking full advantage of what's available to us) and I'm going to instruct the masseuse to go deep, to release any remaining tightness in my body.

I did yoga in my cramped, low-ceilinged basement this morning, a departure from my usual location of my living room. I don't particularly mind the space, but I have come to resent the low ceiling, which limits a full range of motion. Obviously, any movement where my arms have to be fully raised is out of the question. With yoga, there are several times where my hands have to be raised fully above my head. The best I could do with my restricted ceiling height is fan my arms out in a modified Y-shape. Not ideal, and a little frustrating, but one makes do with what one has available.

I believe that I was rather successful in emptying my mind (no jokes, here, please). As I write this, I can't recall having any particular thoughts running through my mind during the session, other than trying to keep really low in my lunges. That was a requirement, because I can't fully raise my arms over my head during Crescent pose or Warrior 1, unless my front knee was deeply bent. In fact, I believe that I was much lower than Tony was during those poses. I guess that in one respect, there was a benefit to having a low ceiling.

The leg raise during Side Arm Balance is proving to be somewhat difficult for me. I tend to lose my balance a little, not falling over, but just teetering, and I don't extent my leg too high into the air. That's a move I'd like to improve. I'd also like to improve my form during the Half-Moon and Reverse-Half-Moon sequences. I'd like to extend my rear leg higher into the air, to more closely approach parallel to the floor. I don't think I'm too far from that at present, it's just that there's room for improvement. As always, the closer you get to your objective, the more work you seem to have to do.

Namaste.

Round 4: Day 73: Back and Biceps

I had a different approach to Back and Biceps today, as this was the first time I've done this workout using dumbbells instead of resistance bands. Some of the exercises are the same or similar to others found in other workouts, so I was able to get a decent basic idea of appropriate weight levels from those experiences and transfer them to the B&B workout. Other times, I completely miscalculated. For the first time, I noticed Tony saying that if you picked the wrong weight, switch it for a weight which will do the trick. I never noticed some of those comments when I was using resistance bands.

I tried to pick weight levels which would really challenge me. I wasn't really interested in 12-15 reps, just 8-10. If I got to 12 reps, I made a note on my worksheet to increase the weight. There seemed to be more of those notes than I'm typically used to seeing. The next time I do this workout, I'll really be better prepared for it.

This is a much more enjoyable workout for me using dumbbells. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it before when using resistance bands. Now, it's even better. I like the pacing, I like the subtle differences in form between free weights and bands, I like being able to compare my weightlifting abilities to Tony and the kids. It makes me more competitive, and made me realize that I'm a little lower in capability than I'd like to be. It got me excited to see that I'm capable of lifting more, and that the ceiling has been raised. Using bands, I felt I had pretty much gone as far as I could have with this workout. Now, it's like starting all over again from scratch.

I was reasonably well prepared to do the workout by having done Just Arms, Diamond Delts, and Upper Body Plus. All of those routines have exercises which are applicable to Back and Biceps. This workout, like the others, revealed that my left arm is still weaker than my right, although I do feel that some gains are being made by the left arm. It still surprises me when my left arm becomes incapable of doing a bicep curl, when my right arm can keep going. There's no pain; just the inability to lift. It's almost like you're not part of the experience, just a viewer of something happening. One thing I'm definitely conscious of is not trying to do too much and risking an injury. When my arm fails, I know it's time to stop.

I'm really looking forward to doing this workout again. Perhaps it will make a more frequent appearance in the next round.

Round 4: Day 72: Kenpo Cardio Plus

I attended a wedding last night, which ran late, and I was unable to get a decent night's sleep. I was all worked up after arriving home from the wedding, and it made it hard for me to sleep. That, along with having to wake up early this morning, made it difficult to get motivated to work out this morning. We had to bid our out-of-town guest good-bye this morning, so I wasn't able to work out at my normal time. So, I had the combination of lack of sleep and disrupted schedule facing me as I tried to work out.

I actually contemplated not working out today, but giving my body a rest. I had originally scheduled Interval X Plus for today, but didn't feel up to it. Instead, I decided to substitute Kenpo Cardio Plus, which was to have taken place this Friday. I didn't see the harm in switching out one cardio workout for another. Besides, I felt that Kenpo Cardio Plus is not as challenging as Interval X Plus, and, given my state of mind and body, felt that would be an equitable trade-off, considering that the alternative was not to work out altogether.

I believe I made a sound planning decision. Having committed to working out, I really committed to Bringing It during the workout. I had some personal issues eating away at me and used them to channel my aggression into working out. There's a healthy solution to dealing with one's psychological issues. The workout was tremendous. Speed Side Kicks, which usually gives me timing issues, were no problem. Neither did Gladiator. Perhaps the One on One workouts are giving me extra flexibility, which translates into greater success with Kenpo Cardio Plus.

I was so pleased with the workout on two levels: firstly, that I actually committed to the workout and, secondly, that the workout went so well. Today, I really learned the value of pushing play.

Round 4: Day 71: Chest & Back

The last time I did this workout, it was near the end of the day, and I didn't have very much energy. So little, that I was only able to do the first half of the workout and ran out of gas for the second round. So, I was looking forward to this workout again to prove to myself that I was, indeed, capable and that the last time was just an aberration.

I challenged myself by paying careful attention to the weights I was using, did an honest assessment of whether I was capable of lifting more, and did so when possible. I also tried to do push-ups to failure. That occurred when I was doing Diamond Push-ups during the second round, had some serious arm shake, then collapsed on the floor. No injury, just the realization and the satisfaction that I had done as many as I could.

I was really pleased with the workout. I have not been getting too much sleep over the last few evenings, as we've been entertaining an out-of-town guest and trying to do my workouts in-between attending family events and visiting various friends. In spite of my lack of sleep and general doziness, I was still able to focus and enjoy a good workout.

During the last week, I've been paying attention as well to my nutrition, making sure that I'm eating clean, getting enough to eat, and staying away from alcohol and sugary treats. I'm getting some strange looks, but it's worth it.

Round 4: Day 69: Medicine Ball Core Cardio / Cardio Intervals

Somewhere in the history of this blog lies a promise (threat?) that I wouldn't do Cardio Intervals in isolation anymore, but would pair it with another cardio workout. Today, I made good on that promise. I started off with a typical P90X warm-up, something like a Plyometric warm-up crossed with an Upper Plus warm-up. That got my heart rate up, limbered up my upper body (anticipating those torso twists) and stretched out my quads, hamstrings and calves. This was done prior to my starting the disc, as I've found that I'm not particularly enamoured with Tony's stretches. Truthfully, I'm not crazy about vinyasas and upward dogs for a cardio workout, although I do love doing that during Yoga. I did my own stretches while watching the "Plays of the decade" on the local sports station. It's nice to see baseball again, even in the winter. What can I say: I'm a hard-core baseball fan.

I used several weights for the Medicine Ball workout: 5- and 10-lb. I don't have a 6 lb medicine ball, which really looks ideal for this workout, but I have dumbbells [insert joke here] which serve the purpose. I used the 10 lb dumbbell to start, but I found it a bit too heavy after awhile, and switched to the 5 lb weight, which is a bit too light. It's like the 3 Bears: I need something in-between. I don't really see myself going off to the store to pick up an 8 lb dumbbell, so I'll likely just make do with what I have.

I don't find the Medicine Ball Core Cardio workout too exerting. There are a few moves which I enjoy, but nothing I find particularly challenging. Looking back to the P90X workouts, there are moves which I found impossible at first, then manageable; some are still impossible (airborne pushups, anyone?). This workout just breezes by in comparison. That's why I found it necessary to pair this workout with Cardio Intervals. In essence, doing Medicine Ball Core Cardio is just an extended warm-up for Cardio Intervals.

While I really enjoy Tony hamming it up at the start of the Cardio Intervals DVD, I didn't want my body to become too cool, so I fast-forwarded immediately to the workout. Again, like Medicine Ball Core Cardio, I don't find this workout to be a killer. There are a couple of moves I find challenging. In the half-moon sequence, I find it difficult to raise my free leg parallel to the floor in the time allocated. The jumping side-kicks are difficult for me due to balance issues. I'm just not the greatest kicker around, and although I can certainly Bring It during Kenpo Cardio Plus, I wouldn't say that I'm a strong candidate for Mr. Miyagi's dojo any time soon.

It's a good thing that the entire workout sequence is repeated, because I needed the extra work. By the time the entire workout is over, I had a pleasant, warm feeling. I wasn't exhausted, I wasn't sweating buckets, I wasn't huffing and puffing or grabbing my knees. I just felt that I had enjoyed a reasonable cardio workout which offered a good full body range of motion. It was a good, fairly light cardio combination to end Week 10.

Bring on Week 11!

Round 4: Day 68: Plyo Legs

Like yesterday, discipline is becoming a bit of an issue. I took the day off, so I slept in well past the time I would be up and exercising. Following a long sleep-in, the last thing I'd like to do is exercise. Also, I like to exercise when the house is quiet and no-one's awake, or if the house is empty. This morning, because of poor timing, both my wife and son were up. My wife was preparing tomorrow night's meal in the kitchen. It's tough to exercise in the adjacent room with the smells of cooking emanating from around the corner. Also, were those tears in my eyes due to Tony crushing my body, or was it the scent of ground garlic?

I really enjoy the Plyo Legs workout. Again, like so many times during the past week or so, I didn't really feel like working out. These have been tough times, but I'm pleased to say that exercise is now so ingrained into my daily routine that I'm committed to doing it regardless of whether I feel like it or not. Today, I decided to push through my lousy attitude and Bring It.

This is a well-constructed workout. It's challenging, and could be even more challenging if Tony didn't take extended breaks between exercises. The workout, consisting of 20 exercises, is a combination of plyometric moves, specifically targeting the legs. Because many of the moves are plyometric, the heart and lungs get involved. At some points, I found myself grabbing my knees. I don't know whether that was a result of Bringing It, or my somewhat lacklustre attitude.

I finished up strong, completing the Egan Bros. jumps (think of doing a mogul run, or jumping back and forth over a bench). I felt really good at the end of the workout. Bagged, but good. It's the reward you get for pushing play.

Round 4: Day 67: Yoga

I am a creature of habit. I find comfort in pursuing a daily routine. That routine starts when I wake up at 6:00AM and exercise for an hour. This week, and likely next week, life will be thrown into a bit of turmoil, because my daily schedule is going to change. I'm taking a little time away from the office, which is a good thing, but it generally messes up my workout schedule. For the past year, I've been rather dogmatic about working out. When I miss a workout, I get cranky and try to make it up. Sometimes there's not much to be done about it, such as when I'm out of town (although there are certainly workouts you can do on the road). When I took a week at a cottage last summer, I pencilled down a workout which I pursued outdoors by the lake, without the benefit of DVDs, and it was one of the most challenging and beautiful workouts I've ever done. Alternatively, I've even gone jogging occasionally, although I don't particularly like running. The next 2 weeks pose a different kind of challenge: sleeping in, then finding the motivation to exercise. Today, I was up at 7:00AM, pondering skipping my workout, but finally convinced myself to get up and practice yoga. After all, practice makes perfect.

My body is still sore from Sunday's Upper Plus workout. I might have strained some back muscles, because I feel a slight twinge running vertically up my back, left of my spine. The solution? Yoga. It has been true over the last year that yoga works out my kinks and soreness from daily exercise. In addition, it has helped tremendously in developing the mental toughness that's required to persist with a daily workout regimen. I credit yoga for giving me the flexibility necessary for all the other workouts I pursue. I credit yoga for helping my body mend when the other workouts beat me up. I credit yoga for calming my mind and helping to restore mental balance. I credit yoga for improving my coordination and strength. So, today was no day to skip yoga.

I'm really glad I did this workout. I've been really focussed lately on the basic poses: cresent pose and the warrior poses. That focus is starting to pay off, because I've never been deeper into those poses than today. I also felt really strong during the vinyasa sequences. My flexibility was great. My breathing was deep and regular. My back is no longer bothering me. I feel supple, relaxed, and ready for a great day.

Namaste.

Round 4: Day 66: Diamond Delts

It soon became evident this morning that there was very little gas in the tank. It's a shame, too, because I was really looking forward to this workout. I noticed fatigue during the first three exercises, which obviously is not a good sign. I really felt it during the exercises where you press the dumbbells over your head. My numbers today were not matching those of a few weeks ago, so I made an adjustment and decreased the weight, in order to squeeze out a few more repetitions. At least I'm learning something. If you can't do the weight, do more repetitions.

The workout actually went pretty well overall. I was not up to completing the bonus round I had established for myself the last time out, but I did manage to complete the basic workout. It's probably going to take a few more times before I really establish myself with this workout, feel comfortable, and really focus.

One thing that's abundantly clear is that my left shoulder is weaker than my right. On several exercises, I was barely able to lift the dumbbell over my head using my left arm, while my right arm felt strong and capable of pumping away. I don't want to employ unbalanced weights (lighter on the left, heavier on the right), so I stopped the exercise when my left shoulder was done. I'll make an enquiry on the P90X board to see whether that's a reasonable approach, or whether I should explore using unbalanced weights.

Clearly, I have some work to do on my shoulders. I'm glad I've got this workout in the regimen.

Round 4: Day 65: Plyometrics

As I was preparing mentally for Plyometrics this morning, I thought about the prospect of doing an Insanity workout instead of Plyo, and was really pleased that, as I don't have Insanity, that option was unavailable. There's something about doing Plyo (or any tough cardio workout) on the shortest day of the year, when it's pitch black outside first thing in the morning, that turns you off exercising. As I mentioned to my wife just before the workout (note to self: wife doesn't like human interaction first thing in the morning, so don't pontificate about exercising to her at that time), the key to being successful in working out is Doing It, even when you don't feel like it. That's been a key factor in my motivation over the last year, and it stems from Tony's "just push play" attitude. Work out according to schedule, even if you don't particularly feel like it. There will be days (like today) when you're not in the mood, but I've found that I always feel better after a workout, moreso when a workout is completed on a day when you're not in the mood.

Today's workout was surprisingly easy. I was expecting each moment to be difficult and was ready to be a clock watcher, but I found myself with a good amount of energy and pretty much breezed through the workout. I sweated, to be sure, and huffed and puffed a little, but I never ran out of gas and finished the workout strong and energized. That makes me think that I should be picking up Insanity. Obviously, I've been waffling on this point for a number of weeks, and will likely to continue waffling for a few more.

It amazes me how far my personal level of fitness has come since I started a year ago, especially with Plyometrics. It's been a long journey, and it's not over yet, but I didn't think that I'd be saying that Plyo was a breeze. Nice job - so far.

Round 4: Day 64: Upper Plus

I haven't been to a gym in over 25 years - until yesterday. My wife cajoled me into working out at her office gym. The gym is in the basement of her building and is extremely well laid out and well-equipped. There are all sorts of different machines, most of which I didn't understand (it has been 25 years, after all) but it also had the familiar: dumbbells, mats, skipping ropes, rowing machines, pull-up bars and so on. I was a little psyched out at the thought of working out in a gym, because for the last year, all I've known is my tiny little low-ceilinged basement space or my living room, and the only workout partners I've had are Tony and the kids. So I felt intimidated by being seen working out in a room with seasoned gym rats.

I decided to prepare by sticking to my routine. My wife was encouraging me to try different machines, but I am a devotee of the X, and wanted to stick to my schedule. So, I brought my push-up stands (the one piece of equipment that the gym didn't have), my Upper Plus worksheets, a towel and a container of water. I started by doing an extended stretch and warm-up, then jumped into the workout.

I wasn't on the clock, so I decided to take a slightly different approach to the workout. Instead of trying to do as many reps for a specific duration of time, I did 8 - 10 reps using heavier weights than normal. Alternatively, when that wasn't a possibility, I tried to exceed the numbers posted the last time I did the workout. For the most part, this approach succeeded. I forgot about the other people working out, focussed on my goals and objectives, and had a tremendous workout.

The only humbling experience was pull-ups. I've never done pull-ups before because the space in my house doesn't permit the installation of a pull-up bar. So, I've substituted pull-ups on a bar with resistance bands. While I've been successful with the bands, they are not equal to pull-ups. I was able to do several unassisted pull-ups, which felt pretty good, but they were really tough after that. My wife introduced me to a machine which allows you to do assisted pull-ups. While I felt that was a bit of a letdown, I recalled Tony advising that when you're bagged, use assistance. Sound advice. I'd rather pursue that route and do some pull-ups than none. It was a good experience, because it let me know that my shoulders and back could still benefit from extra work.

The workout went slower than normal, because of my revised approach, and my body was much more tired from having done the pull-ups. My wife and I will try to get back to the gym a few more times over the next few weeks. I'm looking forward to improving my pull-ups (assisted or otherwise).

Round 4: Day 62: Super Cardio

My glutes are still killing me from yesterday's Legs & Back workout. When I woke up this morning, I could barely creak my way downstairs to get to the DVD player. A special gold star goes to me today for simply pressing PLAY. Even leaning down to load the DVD player was painful. So, I took an extra long time warming up and put on my game face, realizing that this was going to be one of those workouts where every move would be excruciating and each move would be crossed off a mental check-list, making the end of the workout ever closer.

The first three moves weren't pretty, but I got them done. The second set went a little smoother; the third was just ugly. Duck and Cover the third time around had my thighs burning and my heart pumping. I suppose I could have modified a bit, inserting a step move instead of a jump, but that's not the kind of person I am. I'll admit that this was a very tough workout today (Kenpo moves notwithstanding) and I was really happy when it was over. I'm still feeling gluteal discomfort as I write this blog.

The only relief came with the third round of moves, the Kenpo moves. I've been quite critical of this section in the past, but extremely grateful for it today. And to think that I once scoffed at the notion of doing the One on One videos in isolation, suggesting that the workouts be doubled up. Silly me. Obviously, those lofty thoughts did not come a day after Legs & Back.

I missed a few ab workouts this week, due to a more hectic business schedule and a lack of energy (or was it a lack of enthusiasm?). I have three additional ab workouts now to make up. I'll get to it, I promise.

That's the painful end of Week 9. Bring on Week 10.

Round 4: Day 61: Legs & Back

I was thinking last night that I should make a greater effort during my workouts. They've been a little bit stale lately, with weights and reps not moving too much in a good direction, so I think it's time for a little extra effort on my part to keep my body changing.

With that in mind, I tackled Legs and Back this morning. My added intensity allowed me to breeze through the program without any pause, and it was one of the better workouts I've had in awhile. Don't get me wrong: when I say "breeze", I meant that I managed to complete the entire workout successfully, satisfying my objectives. By no means did I find it easy. In fact, I had a tremendous leg shake afterwards, clearly indicating that I had hit the target area.

I still find wall squats (of any variety) difficult. It's strange that I can survive the 3-minute wall squat during Plyo Legs, but find the 1.5-minute wall squat during Legs and Back a greater challenge. It must be due to the order of the exercises, because I can't see any other compelling reason for the greater challenger during the shorter time span.

There is still room to ratchet up the intensity of this workout: I can increase my weights. I used 15 lb dumbbells during calf raises and really felt it; 20 lbs would be better. I'm going to do that the next time I pursue this workout.

Round 4: Day 60: Yoga

Hey, Day 60 already. That's a nice round number, and, not-so-coincidentally, two-thirds of the way through this Round. Nice job - so far.

Considering that my arms were still sore from yesterday's workout, and even typing is now a painful experience, I was extremely grateful for yoga this morning. To say that I needed to work out the kinks is a serious understatement. The upward and downward dogs and the gentle swaying motion between them went some way to soothing me. What really got me were the Crescent poses, specifically in stretching out my hip flexors. It seems odd to me that the seemingly benign Crescent pose, which is probably one of the most basic poses that's in the routine, is so therapeutic for me. I never really took it too seriously during Yoga X, but Tony puts a certain emphasis on it in the Fountain of Youth workout which has me looking at it in a completely different light. I feel the same about the Warrior poses: Warrior 1 stretches the hips, Warrior 2 the inner thighs, and I get a terrific side stretch out of Warrior 3.

As always, an excellent workout today. As previously mentioned, I immediately stopped the DVD after the workout, turned off the tele, and did Shavasana for about a minute or so. It's a great way to complete the workout.

Namaste.

Round 4: Day 59: Just Arms

At some point during the workout, Tony winces "Sleeves of pain", and you know exactly what he' talking about. This is a fantastic workout which works just the arms (hence, the moniker) and by the end of the workout, even brushing my teeth was a difficult task.

This workout exposes my weaknesses, specifically, my left arm. There's no doubt that my left arm is weaker than my right. It's noticeable on both the curl and tricep exercises. Perhaps my two forearms are of equal strength, but not the other arm muscles. I'm almost at the point where I'd use dumbbells of two different weights during the same exercise, but I'm a fan of symmetry during workouts, so I don't. This is where using dumbbells is distinctly different from using resistance bands. The bands generally gave me the feeling that both arms were essentially of the same strength. The dumbbells show otherwise. My left arm falls behind. I'm starting to notice that during pushups as well. I'm going to focus a little more on form to see whether I can rectify this situation.

I really enjoy this workout. It's fun, challenging and engaging. Tony is in good humour and it's nice to see what kind of weight he's using during the various exercises. I get a tremendous pump in my arms, and my body feels nice and tired (in a good way) by the end of the session.

Round 4: Day 58: Cardio Intervals

I know, I know. I said the last time I did this exercise that I would not do it again without pairing it with another cardio workout. Well, I woke up this morning and didn't feel like pairing it with another cardio workout, so I did Cardio Intervals in isolation. And you know what? I should have paired it with another cardio workout. The only upside to not doing so is that the workout ran (no pun intended) for only 40 minutes. And that's a beautiful thing.

There's not much to be said here that hasn't been mentioned before. I don't get much of a heart pump from this workout. Tony seems to be huffing and puffing, but cardio isn't really his thing. As I was doing the workout, I was thinking ahead to next summer (and it's not even officially winter yet!) mentally assembling a cardio workout to do by the lake, without any equipment. That's the beauty of this workout: no equipment necessary. Between this workout, Plyo Legs, Super Cardio and Plyometrics, I could put together a killer leg/cardio workout without the need for any equipment. That would be a nice thing to bring lakeside during a cool early summer morning.

My son had a fever yesterday, and we all fear that it could be H1N1. We're not too worried about him as he is in good shape, but we're keeping an eye on him to make sure that he gets plenty of rest and fluids and keeps his immune system charged. Personally, I'm a little nervous about getting sick, but I hope that healthy eating and regular exercise will stand me in good stead. We'll see over the course of the next week.

Round 4: Day 57: 30-15 / Killer Abs

30 - 15

I love this workout. It's similar to Chest and Back in P90X, but ramped up in intensity. It's so simple and straightforward: just pushing and pulling, every exercise using body weight. I start out strong, then slowly deplete in energy throughout the course of the workout until, at the end, I can't lift my body up anymore. Even washing up after the workout was tough. I couldn't really move my arms. I had to soap up, and move my head to my hands. Not pretty, but rewarding in its own right.

I think I might have it in me to do a few more repetitions of the staggered hands chataranga pushups. I'll make sure to leave a note to self for the next workout.

Killer Abs

I busted out Killer Abs around 5:30PM. I'm still finding the Ab Ripper moves more difficult than the ARX moves, but I am starting to become accustomed to Ab Ripper. Still, during the 2nd and 3rd moves, my obliques are really crunched, unlike oblique V-ups. I've heard negative things about crunches over the past few months with respect to toning abs, but I'm Old School: I still like to feel the burn.

It's a great start to Week 9 - so far.

Round 4: Day 55: Yoga

Yoga is a nice way to wrap up Recovery Week. There's not much to be said about the benefits of yoga that hasn't already been cheerfully related in previous entries. My daughter noticed that today's workout (Fountain of Youth from the One on One with Tony Horton series) didn't finish up with Shavasana. True enough, and an egregious oversight, in my humble opinion. From now on, whenever I happen to be doing this workout, I will finish up with Shavasana. There's something about that pose (lying on the back, completely relaxed, mind empty, enjoying the present moment) that mentally and physically wraps up a good yoga session. I suppose that Tony didn't include it in the workout because he was running a little behind the clock, already having extended a 40-minute session into a 47-minute session. I guess he felt that one more minute would have been too much.

I still have one more abdominal workout to make up from last week; perhaps I'll be able to do it later this afternoon.

This ends Recovery Week. I'll get my son to take the traditional photos of me on Sunday, being a poser. I'm looking forward to pounding the weights again next week, when Week 9 commences.

Namaste.

Round 4: Day 54: Mammoth UML

Not being in the mood for either Core Synergistics or Medicine Ball Core Cardio, I decided that the time was right for an overall body workout and selected Mammoth UML (from the One on One with Tony Horton series) to do the job.

I've only done this workout once before, and recall losing energy towards the end, especially when Tony does jump-knee-tucks as the last move and spontaneously decides to throw in an additional 10 leaps, just for fun, of course.

Today's workout was not as exerting as before, and I had no problems keeping up with Tony (although I did fall behind during oblique V-ups for some reason - likely the added weight of wearing shoes). I had a good overall workout, although I didn't get too sweaty, and would rate this as a reasonable workout to pursue during a Recovery Week. I like the range of exercises that Tony employs, and enjoy the variety of upper-middle-lower exercises during each set. There's no chance for boredom during this workout as a result.

The most challenging moves for me remain the "middle" moves: those that specifically target the abdominal region. I'm not used to doing these types of exercises wearing shoes, and I found the additional weight made a slight difference. Also, mostly 30 reps were done, which is more than I'm used to. On the other hand, my abdominal region could use the extra hit.

The upper (arm) and lower (leg) exercises were varied and interesting. Most of the upper moves consist of some variety of push-up, but there are enough styles of push-up in Tony's repetoire to keep things moving along nicely, without completely burning out the shoulders or arms.

Overall, a satisfying experience, and Tony was relaxed, informative and in good humour. It's also nice seeing him in another environment (the workout takes place in a hotel room adjacent to a ski hill) and he's forced to use his imagination to provide a workout routine which doesn't employ any specialized equipment: only what's immediately on hand is used (chair, sofa, boots), demonstrating that one can pursue a decent workout wherever one happens to be. That's important information to have, because you don't always find yourself in a fully equipped gym. Sometimes, it will be just you and gravity.

Round 4: Day 53: X Stretch

While definitely not my favourite workout, X Stretch is nevertheless an important component of Recovery Week. I never break a sweat, which is a nice break in itself, and I do admire the organized way in which stretches are employed: you stretch all your body parts (use your imagination) starting from the head and moving downward to the toes.

For some reason, Phil, standing to the rear in the video, is not my favourite participant. He's very limber, but Tony has him modifying many of the moves. Also, he seems to have attitude. Perhaps I just have an attitude about him.

Also, the music during this workout reminds me of an outdoor skating rink during the 1960s. The use of light, pop-like organ tunes is a combination of amusing and annoying. I didn't check to see whether there is the option of playing the DVD without the music, but I'll definitely be looking for that option the next time I use this workout.

In all, the workout was effective: I got a good stretch and I now feel relaxed.

Round 4: Day 52: Super Cardio

This being Recovery Week, I decided not to up the ante by doubling up Super Cardio with another cardio workout. At first, that seemed like a good idea; following the workout, I realized that I didn't push myself hard enough. I'm still suffering from the last round of this workout comprising Kenpo moves, which allow my heart rate to drop and my body to cool off prior to completing the workout. That is the great shortcoming of this workout.

I should probably use Interval X Plus more frequently. The problem with that is that I've come to enjoy the variety that my current program offers and don't really want to do some workouts more frequently. That's starting to drive a decision to purchase the Insanity workout. I'm afraid of Insanity; I hear that it's about the toughest cardio workout around. I'm afraid that I won't be able to do it. On the other hand, I was also afraid of the P90X videos, then the P90X Plus workouts, then the One on One workouts. It's probably just fear of the unknown. If I want to take my fitness to the next level, perhaps I should be giving Insanity further investigation and eventually take the plunge. I have a number of weeks left in this Round to ponder my decision.

Round 4: Day 51: Core Synergystics

Core Synergystics is usually a difficult workout for me. There are a number of exercises which are relatively easy, but there are some combinations which are very challenging.

I blew through the exercises today and felt strong during most of them. The most challenging sequence begins with Prison Cell Push-ups and ends with Walking Push-ups. Specifically, my nemesis is Chataranga Run followed by Walking Push-ups. I did both without pause and, although the walking pushups were a challenge, I continually told myself that anything can be done for 30 seconds, and persevered. The sweat dripped from my forehead onto the wooden floor (I hope that's not too much information) and my core was tight and on fire, but I survived the ordeal and emerged stronger for having pushed through it. After that sequence, the rest of the workout is relatively easy.

I don't recall Core Synergystics being quite this easy before. It's another sign that my body (and core) is becoming stronger. It's nice to compare and contrast my current experiences with those of a year ago and enjoy the satisfaction of how far I've progressed.

Round 4: Day 50: Yoga / Ab Ripper X

Day 50 has a nice sound to it. After a week of mediocre performance, I was looking forward to a stronger attitude this week. Unfortunately, this week is Recovery Week, and, although the DVDs have the "Bring It" reminder, yoga doesn't really fall into that category, as I am mostly contemplative, and focussed on stretching, clearing my mind and breathing. Nevertheless, it was a good workout. I felt a little tight in my lower back on my left side yesterday, and, as a result, was looking forward to today's stretches, hoping for some small measure of relief. Wish granted. Following yoga, and to this point in the day, my back feels completely fine, with no traces of residual soreness or pain remaining.

Since I missed my ab workouts last week, I decided to make them up this week, in spite of Recovery Week. Last Friday (Day 48) I did Killer Abs upon my return home from the office; today, I just completed Ab Ripper X, done in concert to classic rock tunes playing from my nearby computer. There's a great way to take your mind off your stomach. With two make-up workouts now complete, I only have one remaining, which I'll take care of on Tuesday.

Namaste.

Round 4: Day 48: Kenpo Cardio Plus

It's about the half-way point in the program, and a good time for some self-evaluation.

I've been enjoying the hybrid program. At first, I was a little concerned that it wasn't going to give me the results I was looking for, but I've noticed a change in my body over the last few weeks, and have come to an early conclusion that perhaps things are working out (no pun intended) well after all.

I know that the scale isn't my friend, but recently it has been. My weight is down about 6 lbs so far from the end of the last round. P90X+ didn't result in too much weight loss, which was a little disappointing, but it did deliver additional body firmness, leanness and increased endurance. This round seems to be a little more balanced, by re-introducing more focussed resistance workouts, and the switch from resistance bands to dumbbells has, I believe, spurred my body on to more positive changes. I've noticed that my arms are firmer, biceps larger, stomach tighter, and overall energy level is higher than ever before. In short, I'm in the best shape of my life and am enjoying what may be the best health I've ever had. Thanks to Tony and to Beachbody.

The workout today, Kenpo Cardio Plus, went well. Although I broke a pretty good sweat, this workout just isn't as challenging for me as it used to be. When I have a day like this, when the cardio workout isn't enough, I start to daydream about purchasing Insanity. I'll be thinking about that over the next half of this program, and may eventually decide to add Insanity into the mix. Right now, the only cardio workout which gives me some issues is Interval X Plus, where I've been pausing the DVD at half-time to catch my breath after Carlito Push-Ups. I'm fine with all the other cardio DVDs, including Plyometrics. Some are more challenging than others, but nothing really slays me. I could use more intensity in my cardio workouts, and doubling up Tony's One on One workouts isn't really the best solution, as it results in a pretty long cardio session. I'd prefer to have a shorter, more intensive cardio workout than a longer, less intense one.

This ends Week 7; next comes Week 8, Recovery Week. I'm going to break the rules a bit here, and add three ab routines over the course of the next week, to make up for the three I've missed this week. It was an uneven and somewhat dissatisfactory week from an exercise viewpoint, due to a death in the family. I'm happy for the exercise I did, however. It acted as an outlet to channel some emotion, and an opportunity to focus on life and health, rather than death and sickness.

Round 4: Day 47: Shoulders and Arms

What a fantastic workout this is. I had forgotten how much I enjoy this because I believe I've only done it once this Round and will only see it again one more time before the Round is over. I enjoyed it so much, that I'm seriously considering revamping the workout schedule to make sure that it gets included more frequently.

The difference: free weights. I've only ever done this workout using resistance bands. The resistance bands were great, and I not only got a good burn and satisfactory results, but it's really a different ballgame using dumbbells. Again, my weaknesses were illuminated, specifically, my left arm and left shoulder. I started out a bit in the dark, unsure of what weight I should be selecting. The design of this workout (3 exercises; repeat; 3 more exercises; repeat, and so on) was good, because I could estimate a weight to use for a particular exercise, then try it, evaluate, and adjust the weight upwards or downwards for the repeat exercise. Basically, there was a process of information gathering to be done, because I had never used dumbbells for this workout before.

When using resistance bands, I typically used a fairly heavy band for each exercise, and attempted to maximize the number of repetitions. That usually placed me in the 12-15 range, or sometimes even higher, for repetitions. Today, I took a different tack: increase the weights, and keep the repetitions in the 8-12 range. If I felt that I was capable of doing more repetitions, I increased the weight for the repeat exercise, and wrote in the appropriate number in the adjacent column to remind me that, next time, I should start out with a higher weight level.

It was an interesting experience to see the difference between dumbbells and resistance bands. It was really satisfying hearing the light clanging of the dumbbell plates as I hoisted them over my head or curled them up to my face. OK, I felt like a minor bad-ass. But hey, I'm 49, and in the best shape of my life. I'm entitled to a little enjoyment after all this hard work. I'm really worn out now and can still feel the unbelievable pump I got from the workout. It's really exciting to know that I've just opened the door to further improvements. Today's workout completely justified my purchasing the adjustable dumbbells. Now, let's see what this old body is capable of.

Round 4: Day 46: Yoga

I was really in the mood for Yoga today. Yesterday, following a funeral, I sat around the house all day. I'm not really used to spending an entire day interacting with people, and I found it really drained me of energy. By the time 9:00 PM rolled by, I was completely exhausted. I ended up going to bed early, in order to get plenty of sleep and try to recoup my energy for today, to get back into my normal routine and cycle of eating properly and drinking regularly.

Yoga whipped by quickly. I initially felt a bit weak during the early upward dog / downward dog sequences, but that feeling soon dissipated as I became consumed by the rhythm of the movements and focussed on stretching and clearing my mind. My initial stretches were also a bit short of where I would have liked them to be: my hands not flat on the floor, and a bit of a kink in my lower back and some extra stiffness in my hamstrings. Clearly, there was some work to be done. Halfway through the program, most of my problems (physical, that is) had been rectified: my hands were reaching the floor with straight legs, my back felt fine, and I was feeling particularly strong during the upward dog series. I had a minor balance issue during reverse half-moon whilst standing on my right leg, but all I needed was a little more focus, additional concentration, and a reminder to move a little slower and with greater fluidity.

I really enjoyed the stomach sequences, the spinal stretches and the hamstring stretches. Now, I'm nice and relaxed, limber and peaceful.

Namaste.

Round 4: Day 45: Bun Shaper

Things are starting to get back on track. I think the exhaustion I felt yesterday during Chest and Back was due to a lack of adequate food and liquid intake; hence, the body bonked. I got a decent amount of sleep last night (secure in the knowledge that the Saints had beaten the hated and despised Patriots) and, well rested, was ready to shape my buns.

This is only the second time I've done this workout, but really enjoyed it the last time, so I was looking forward to a repeat performance. I did a 5-minute warm-up prior to starting the workout, as I recalled that the taped warm-up was insufficient for me. The 9 exercises are reasonably diverse. Tony takes his time during the first round and, due to self-imposed time constraints, rushes a bit during the repeat round. That's OK with me, as it makes the repeat round more intense work. There's little time to rest, and I really started to feel the burn in my glutes as the workout drew to a close.

I was pleased with my effort today, considering that I was unhappy with what had happened yesterday, and was happy to see that I hadn't suffered some sort of lasting problem. It was also a great way to work out some stress, immediately prior to attending a funeral.

I'm skipping the ab workout today, as time won't permit. I'll endeavour to make it up.

Round 4: Day 43/44: Interval X Plus / Chest & Back

Week 7 has not commenced as planned; on the other hand, sometimes life doesn't move as planned. Due to a death in the family, I was unable to do Chest & Back on Day 43, instead, circumstances dictated that I take another day off. The back-up plan was to do doubles today, making up Chest & Back and Intervals X Plus. This morning went as planned: up bright and early for Intervals X Plus. The workout was acceptable, but not spectacular. I was a bit drained from a stressful Sunday, and just happy to push play and grind out the workout.

I was more optimistic for Chest and Back, planned for the mid- to late afternoon. I got to the workout around 5:15PM, and recognized that I was in for some trouble when my body gave me some resistance during the first set of 30 standard pushups. I'm not sure whether it was a factor of not having eaten sufficiently over the past two days, stress, the time of day, or my mind getting the better of my body, but the workout ended in disaster. Not an injury, but I retired after one round. I really struggled with the workout during the first round, posting numbers which were well below my expectations. I just didn't have sufficient energy to do this workout. I took a brief pause before starting the second round, but when I started to do the pullups, I knew that my body wasn't up to it. Rather than push through and risk injury, I decided to stop. I'm going to ensure that over the course of the next week, I'm eating properly, getting sufficient rest (I'm one to talk, as it's 12:08AM as I'm writing this post) and try to recentre and refocus.

Tomorrow, instead of pursuing an upper body exercise, I'm going to make a switch and do Bun Shaper, originally scheduled for Thursday (Day 5). Shoulders and Arms will now move to Day 5, with Yoga as a separator. Hopefully, that will help me get back on track. I've missed my ab workout this week as well, and will try to make that up. What a mess. Sometimes, life is like that. I'm going to try to maintain my discipline and continue to work out during this week. It should help dispel stress and assist in maintaining some sense of mental balance. Let's hope it all works out.

Round 4: Day 41: Medicine Ball Core Cardio / Cardio Intervals

Another double header with Tony today, this time going One on One starting with Medicine Ball Core Cardio, immediately followed by Cardio Intervals.

I was psyched up last night, looking forward to doing this for the first time. I recall that my last few posts regarding Cardio Intervals stated something to the effect that this workout wasn't tough enough, and something similar for Medicine Ball Core Cardio, and was musing about doing these back-to-back to try to get the burn I was looking for. So, this morning, I popped in Medicine Ball Core Cardio, picked up a 5 lb weight (the handle only from the newly purchased PowerBlocks) and away I went. The workout went well, and I developed a reasonable sweat. In the future, it might be worth exploring using a 10 lb weight, at least for some of the exercises.

Following the completion of Medicine Ball Core Cardio, I immediately started Cardio Intervals, skipping the warm-up. I actually didn't find the workout to be too tough, although some of the moves are a bit awkward for me (half-moons and jumping side kicks come to mind). One move consisting of a side leap to a single leg squat followed by a front kick with the free leg gave me balance issues at first, but by contracting my core, I was able to control my tendency to fall off to one side and really improved my form. That was satisfying. From then on, I focussed on what my core was doing during all exercises, and it made a difference in the overall intensity of the workout.

When I completed the workout, I was sweating profusely. My knees had a slight soreness (nothing particularly uncomfortable or concerning) and my legs were rather tired. I'd say that these two workouts should be combined again in the future. In general: success!

That ends Week 6; looking forward to more intensity during Week 7.

Round 4: Day 40: Plyo Legs / Killer Abs

Plyo Legs

It's the One on One with Tony Horton double-header today, commencing with Plyo Legs. That was hard work. There are 20 exercises, all targeting the legs. There are no pull-ups to break up the sequences like in P90X's Legs & Back. You only get brief breaks between the various exercises to grab your knees and breathe.

Working out is difficult. You need to be dedicated to achieve results. Results cannot be achieved by working out casually, for short periods of time, a few days a week. You need to work hard, 5 or 6 days a week, for a good length of time. After months of hard work, results start to come. This was my mindset last night, before today's workout. I was mentally prepared to really push myself today. That was worthwhile preparation, because I pretty much hit my limits during the workout.

There was one exercise (the particular name escapes me) where I quit before Tony did. My body told me that it had had enough, and I fell 10 reps short of Tony. No matter. I made up for it with added intensity during the other exercises. I really squatted low during leapfrog squats, and my legs paid the price for it. I hung in for the 3-minute wall squat, although my body was telling me to stop. I willed myself through it, allowing my mind to drift elsewhere, took deep breaths, and managed to conquer it. Same thing for single leg wall squats. I battled through the one-legged speed squats during move #19, which I found to be the most difficult and challenging exercise in the entire workout. I was actually happy to do the Egan Bros. hops to end the workout.

I'm really enjoying this workout. It's a nice combination between legs and cardio. I'd like to find a way to do it more frequently. I'm pretty sure the glutes will be thanking me tomorrow.

Killer Abs

As has happened before, it's amazing what you can accomplish when you're under a time constraint. I returned home from the office a bit early, as I had to complete my workout, eat dinner, and race off to Parent/Teacher interviews at my daughter's school. When the workout has to be completed by a certain time, I seem to develop a slightly higher energy level to ensure that I'm able to meet my goals. That's what happened with Killer Abs. I really pushed through the first half, which I still find difficult and still get a huge abdominal burn; then, without pause, launched immediately into ARX, which was executed quickly and efficiently. It still amazes me that I find the first half of the workout more difficult than the second half. It makes me thankful that I have this DVD, to help to further create muscle confusion in my abdomen. Modifying the workout schedule to include Killer Abs twice weekly has been a good move, so far.

Round 4: Day 39: Yoga

Ahhh, yoga. My shoulders weren't too sore this morning from yesterday's workout, but there were still some moments during Downward Dog where I was sincerely glad that I was doing yoga.

Great workout today. Great energy, great vibes.

Namaste.

Round 4: Day 38: Diamond Delts / Ab Ripper X

Diamond Delts

Today was the first time I did this workout. Thanks to Lee Lichlyter on the P90X Facebook site, who set me up with workout log sheets for the One on One series. I found the log sheets to be invaluable during P90X, as they show the number of repetitions completed with a particular weight or resistance band. There's nothing more effective than tracking your progress. Otherwise, you won't remember what you did, so you won't know what adjustments to make to improve the quality of your workout.

As with Just Arms, I was excited to do this workout because it meant using the new dumbbell kit again. My shoulders, and particularly my left shoulder, are about the weakest part of my body. It seems that during Shoulders and Arms, and Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, the shoulder exercises are the ones which give me the most trouble. So, I was grateful for the opportunity to focus exclusively on a weakness today.

The workout is structured as circuit training: 3 groups of 3 exercises. Do one set of three, then repeat. One exercise, Pike Presses, is part of the first two groups. Pike Presses don't really bother me. I initially found them to be tremendously difficult during CST, but now I'm more used to them and enjoyed the variety introduced on this DVD. Tony slings his legs up high on the top rail of his dumbbell rack, then proceeds to drop his head between the PowerStands, so his head is going almost vertically, up and down. I used a fairly high chair for the first round. In the second round, I dropped down to a lower level of elevation, using a couch. These exercises really bring it to the shoulders.

Other exercises I enjoyed were the Shoulder Presses (seated position, pressing the dumbbells straight up), Arnold presses (a half-curl leading to a press, while corkscrewing the dumbbell), Side Presses (lying down on one side and lifting the dumbbell). Overall, it's a nice workout and, although I felt my arms and shoulders grow tired, I never really sweated that much. Lee left three blank spaces at the bottom of the page to encourage the user to do a bonus round and, as I wasn't completely exhausted, I did another set of three exercises (and repeated). After the final set of Pike Presses, I was pretty worn out.

As I write this, my shoulders feel a little tired, and I'm pretty sure I'll feel it in my neck later on. It's difficult to keep the neck relaxed when pressing weights. We'll see how things go over the next few days.

Ab Ripper X

Ripped out ARX after work. Great workout. I'm almost back to where I want to be with this workout.

Round 4: Day 37: Plyometrics

Where does a year go? Almost 1 year ago, I started P90X, and had heard nightmare stories about Plyometrics. I'd have to say that the stories are all true. The first day I did Plyo, I was bagged for the entire day. I took numerous breaks, sweated like a pig, huffed and puffed, and basically, couldn't really come close to keeping up. Today, everything has changed.

Plyometrics breezed by this morning. I was well-rested, in a good frame of mind and was ready to tackle the challenge head-on. I didn't even really work up a sweat until after the second break and broke out the Jump Knee Tucks and Mary Katherine Lunges. Everything was working well for me today, almost like I was able to step outside my body, focus on breathing, concentrate on form, squat lower, jump higher and push harder. Afterwards, I took a nice, hot shower, and enjoyed the sensation of being tired, yet invigorated. Great workout.

Round 4: Day 36: Upper Plus / Killer Abs

Upper Plus

Upper Plus was a completely different ballgame today, because of the introduction of dumbbells (present company excluded, of course) to the various exercises. There was a bit of trial and error happening, because I wasn't sure what I was capable of lifting, having employed resistance bands to this point, but it all seemed to work out (no pun intended) reasonably well. I had to pause the DVD occasionally, to set the desired weight level, whereas before, I would just grab the appropriately-coloured band and jump right into the exercise. I found the exercises harder with the dumbbells, and my repetition numbers dropped like a stone. On the other hand, I was really fatigued after the exercises and, in some cases, had quite a bit of difficulty even finishing. There will be some time of adjustment before the correct weights are picked for the exercises.

It was almost like doing this workout for the first time. The dumbbells were fantastic. I'm now really excited about making some gains in my fitness level because I've switched from the resistance bands. I'm looking forward to the P90X workouts where I can add some serious weight and go for 8-10 reps. This workout deals more with time, rather than reps, so it is incumbent on you to select the correct weight which permits you to perform the exercise for the full time duration allocated. I don't mind that approach; it's just that I end up picking up a slightly lighter weight than I'd like to, to ensure that I can continue lifting the weight for the full time period. I'm getting anxious about cranking out some heavy weights to build some muscle.

Even though I found myself pausing the DVD more frequently than in the past, it's still a great way to start Week 6.

Killer Abs

I didn't eat or drink well today. I was a little undernourished and didn't have sufficient hydration. As a result, I didn't have my best effort during Killer Abs, which I undertook around 4:15 today (right after the Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the lowly Kansas City Chiefs - or Chefs - as my son is fond of saying). I still find the first half (Ab Ripper) really challenging. I'm looking forward to the time when the opening sequences become easy. I took a short pause between Ab Ripper and Ab Ripper X for an extended breather, then jumped into ARX. These sequences passed quickly and without incident. Oddly, I find the shorter, Ab Ripper exercises more difficult. At any rate, the workout is great. I've just heard that the new One on One workout, Butt and Belly, is a killer ab workout. I'll have to investigate further when I have the opportunity. I'm always on the lookout for another way to punish my abs.

Round 4: Day 34: Super Cardio

I like the way Super Cardio starts: Tony states that he's not particularly in the mood and that his right hamstring is a bit questionable. I'll bet that's the way many of the participants feel. I also wasn't particularly in the mood, especially after having completed Legs & Back yesterday. There's something about Legs & Back which always gets me in the hamstrings and glutes the next day, no matter how much I stretch before and afterwards. It's just a beast of a workout.

So Super Cardio is usually particularly tough when it follows Legs & Back. The first exercise, something akin to a duck and dodge, which would normally be a fairly light plyometric move, becomes a serious thigh burner by the third repetition. In the second series, the squat-leap-180° turn-squat move also becomes difficult by the third repetition. By the end of the second round, I was really breathing hard and grateful for the third round, the Kenpo moves, which gave my heart rate a break. Although I was grateful for the break, in retrospect I wish the third round was a bit tougher, which would have brought up the intensity level of the workout; however, I suspect that cardio is not really Tony's thing.

This has been a fantastic week. There's been a lot of muscle confusion, starting with 30-15, continuing with Just Arms, and ramping it up with Legs & Back. My body has been continually sore this week, something I haven't really felt in quite some time. This week has been a great assembly of workouts. Perhaps inserting Plyometrics on Day 2 would have been an improvement. I'm looking forward to repeating this again.

End of Week 5. Next: Week 6.

Round 4: Day 33: Legs & Back / Killer Abs

Legs & Back

This is still the best legs workout that I have. Plyo Legs is good, but not as grinding as Legs & Back. I was up early this morning (5:35 AM) trying to will myself to get into the workout. I had to be out of the house early today to attend a seminar, and was on the clock to complete the workout and get out of the house. The alternative, working out after work, wasn't too appealing, as I also have Killer Abs scheduled for later in the day, and I don't like doing the ab routine immediately following the resistance workout. I don't usually have the energy to satisfactorily complete the ab routine after resistance training, and I really want abs to count this round. So, up early, complete Legs & Back, and get on with the day.

My Legs & Back DVD is slightly malfunctioning; the disc stops after about 3 minutes of the warmup. It does function, however, if I skip past the warmup to the first exercise, Balance Lunges. So, I fashioned my own, customized warmup for about 10 minutes, including shoulders and some light running (3 different styles, because, you know, Tony's a fan of different) and, of course, stretching out the legs. My ad hoc warmup was satisfactory, because I never felt any problems during the workout.

This workout is still challenging. I tweaked my form on the side lunges, making sure that my toes were pointing directly in the direction of the lunge, which actually made the lunges easier and more pleasant for me, especially when "exploding up" into an upright position. The most difficult move remains Single Leg Wall Squats, which won't likely ever improve. I did use slightly heavier weights than usual (15 lbs) during Calf Raises, taking advantage of my newly purchased adjustable dumbbells. I'll consider increasing the weights on some of the other exercises in the future, but today, I was a little timid to do so.

It was a great workout, and so far, my glutes aren't killing me. Wait until tomorrow.

Killer Abs

I got to this workout, as usual, upon my return home from work. I still find the first half really challenging (the Ab Ripper portion) and the Ab Ripper X part a bit of a break. My body is slowly getting used to the Ab Ripper moves, although I find them as challenging as the ARX moves, moreso in some cases. This is fast becoming one of my favourite workouts. I really like how relaxed Tony is, joking around, but he takes the moves seriously and pays attention to form. Also, some of the moves are done a little slower, giving me time to focus on contracting my abdominal muscles and concentrate on how the exercise is designed to benefit me. I think that it was a good move to do this workout twice weekly, instead of once, and am looking forward to seeing some positive results.

Round 4: Day 32: Yoga

My body wasn't as sore upon awakening this morning as I thought it would be. My forearms were a little stiff, no doubt due to all the forearm exercises undertaken yesterday, but overall, I wasn't in bad shape. I found that I was a little more flexible this morning than usual: the first bend at the waist found my hands and fingers lower to the floor than I had expected. I was focussing on bending in half, like an envelope (a good image, as Tony suggests), and his recommendation of staring at your knees, or try to get your nose to touch your knees, are also tips I find helpful.

I was encouraged by my good start to yoga. Having a good frame of mind when starting the workout is so important to the success of the workout. Most of working out is really a mental game: win that, and you'll meet with success. I'd say it's about 90% mental and 10% physical. Convince your mind that you can do something, and you'll do it. If you quit in your mind, your body will quit. You are capable of doing more than you think. There are lots of success stories on the internet demonstrating that.

The workout breezed by today. I felt strong, focussed on my stretches, turned off my mind and enjoyed the moment. Afterwards, I felt refreshed and relaxed. I love yoga, and it comes at the perfect time of the week.

Round 4: Day 31: Just Arms / Ab Ripper X

Just Arms

I purchased a set of PowerBlocks the other day, and today was the first opportunity I had to use them. This was also the inauguration of the Just Arms DVD from the One on One with Tony Horton series, so I was twice as pumped for this workout.

I don't think that you can really successfully do this workout using resistance bands. It might technically be possible, but you'd have to be pretty creative in positioning the bands for some of the exercises. It really helped to have a set of dumbbells. An adjustable bench would have been a bonus, but I managed to get by without using one. Tony advises that it's possible to use a chair in lieu of a bench, and that's what I did.

The structure of this workout is a little strange. It starts with a series of exercises, all of which are repeated; however, the last 5 exercises are not. I don't know whether this is due to poor time management, or Tony becoming fatigued, bad planning, or a combination of those, but it seemed to me that something was a bit off. At any rate, the focus of the workout is exclusively on the arms: biceps, forearms and triceps. Nothing else is exercised: not chest, shoulders or deltoids. And, it is a fabulous workout.

It's been years since I worked out with weights. I don't think I've done any weightlifting for over 20 years. All of the muscular gains I've achieved over the last year have been achieved using resistance bands and, in limited situations, a pair of 10 lb dumbbells. It was interesting, informative and humbling to use heavier dumbbells today, to see exactly what my body was capable of lifting and to realize that parts of my body aren't as strong as I thought they were (I'm talking to you, left arm!).

Tony starts out with simple curls, using 55 lbs in each hand. That's more than the entire stack of my PowerBlocks. I started with 30 lbs, and found that manageable. Each exercise broke new ground, because I wasn't sure which weight to use, so there was a lot of trial and error going on in weight selection, along with a bit of pausing the DVD to view form and to listen to instruction. Next time, this workout will go faster and smoother. I'd also like to try doubling up on the last 5 exercises so that they match the format of the initial exercises.

It was a reasonably good start today, and I at least managed to establish a benchmark for future workouts and for other workouts where similar exercises are done. I definitely think that dumbbells will make a big difference for me, and I'm really looking forward to incorporating them more fully into my overall fitness routine. I can still feel a bit of soreness in my arms and some overall tiredness. It feels great.

Ab Ripper X

My arms were still sore when I settled in to do ARX after work. I'm not looking forward to seeing what they'll feel like tomorrow, but I'm already thankful in advance that tomorrow is Yoga.

I did ARX in a different setting today. Normally, I work out in my little space in the basement, but upon my return home from the office, my son was occupying my space, and I was advised, in no uncertain terms, that my presence was not wanted. He was in the midst of playing a computer game and, if you know anything about teenage children, did not want to be displaced. So, I grabbed my discs and my mat and headed into another room where, thankfully, we have another DVD player.

It feels a little strange doing a workout in a different place. I had the volume down low, because recently, I've been doing ARX to my iTunes music. I'm just no longer in the mood to hear the chatter during this workout. My wife had the radio volume turned up, so I was reasonably distracted; she was also cooking, so there was an olefactory distraction in addition to an auditory one. And, dinner smelled great.

I had pretty good energy during the workout; nothing posed any particular difficulty for me. I'm getting used to ARX all over again, and enjoying it. Rotating this workout with Killer Abs seems to be just enough to keep things reasonably fresh, for now. I heard that there's a new One on One workout, Butt and Belly, which might be worth investigating as well. For now, I'm going to stick with my ab sandwich: Killer Abs twice a week, with ARX thrown in the middle.

Round 4: Day 30: Cardio Intervals

Yesterday officially kicked off Phase 2 of Round 4, and I had my son take the traditional 30 day photos. These weren't as impressive to me as those taken 30 days ago; perhaps the difference is that the official photographer was standing farther away from his impressive subject, making the subject appear smaller and less developed than in true life. No matter. The next photo shoot will take subject distance into account which will, no doubt, lead to more pleasing results.

I've now done Cardio Intervals three times, and I think you get out of it what you put into it. It's not a bad workout, but it doesn't really kick my butt. It's certainly not Plyometrics nor Intervals X Plus. It's just a decent, fairly light cardio routine. I tried really hard to be extra intense today, but still managed to work up only a mild sweat and never really found myself huffing and puffing. Perhaps I should be pairing this routine with Medicine Ball Core Cardio, to find that little extra burn. On the other hand, I wasn't particularly in the mood for exercising this morning, as it is Monday morning, and my body was asking for a bit of extra sleep. However, as it is the start of Phase 2, I think it's time for a serious program review, and, judging from my posts over the last 30 days, some revisions are in order. This week, I'll make the necessary adjustments and try to push myself a little bit harder and see whether I can obtain some improved results.

Yesterday, I took the plunge and purchased a set of PowerBlocks, model Sport 5.0. They range from 5-50 lbs in 5 lb increments. I've seen them in stores before, but had forgotten how large the full 50 lb set is. They're really rather sizeable. However, per the ads, when I placed the 10 lb stack beside my 10 lb dumbbell, the solid dumbbell was, in fact, larger than the PowerBlock stack. That was impressive. I'm looking forward to using the new dumbbells in the appropriate exercises. There will be a bit of a learning curve, because I'm not sure which weights are the equivalents of the resistance bands I've been using to date, but that will likely occur only once; after that, I'll be using the new weights as a revised benchmark for future reference.

Round 4: Day 29: 30-15 / Killer Abs

30-15

After Recovery Week, I was really looking forward to this workout. I had really enjoyed it the first day of Round 4 and was looking forward to repeating it. But today, it was really tough for me. I increased the number of pull-ups using the black resistance band from 20 to 22, but doubt that doing that had much impact on my ability to do push-ups. The first few rounds of push-ups were fine. By the time I got to the second round of military push-ups, my strength was starting to flag a bit, and I became a bit concerned that this was shaping up to be a long and arduous workout.

I managed to dig deep, took mid-set breaks, and kept up with the pace of 30 push-ups each round. It was difficult, and once I had to actually take a break (diamond push-ups) after 20, then completed the set with an additional 10. The last push-ups, the chataranga staggered hand style, are killers, coming at the end of the set. I only managed to squeak out 20 in each of the last 2 rounds.

I love this workout. It's really challenging and enjoyable. I got an enormous pump from doing it, and it really tired me out.

Killer Abs

The first half of the workout, the Power 90 Abs, is very tough for me, especially the oblique crunches. I feel them all up and down the sides of my body and they usually leave my body sore for the next day. I actually find this workout more difficult than ARX, even though it's shorter. Perhaps it's also due to the fact that I've done ARX so many times, compared to Power 90 Abs.

I took a small break between the two workouts, watched the NFL score updates, then launched into the ARX portion of the disc. This went smoother and easier than the first half, which wasn't surprising. This week, I'm going to increase the frequency of Killer Abs, doing it twice a week instead of once, with ARX sandwiched between.

Round 4: Day 27: Yoga

I was looking forward to Yoga today to deal with the week's aches and pains. Actually, I was surprised how many aches and pains I had this week, especially near the end of the week. This is supposed to be Recovery Week, after all. Perhaps it's a sign that I've been working hard during Phase 1 of this Round; perhaps I'm just aging; perhaps it's just been a bit of an off-week. Who knows. What I do know is that Yoga was the perfect tonic to deal with my minor pain issues. I really took my time, focussed, and pressed deep into my poses today. Things felt pretty good from the first vinyasa. That's usually a telltale sign. If the first vinyasa is really uncomfortable, or hard to hold, it usually means a long, tough workout. If I feel strong (with a minimal amount of popping and cracking), then the workout usually flows smoothly and well. Today, the latter ensued.

I'm still concentrating on form; I guess I always will. I've been making minor adjustments since my live yoga class last week, and have been feeling some additional stretch in my legs, hips and groin during the Crescent and Warrior poses. I've been finding that clasping my hands and pointing my index fingers skyward during Crescent and Warrior 1 helps to work out the kinks in my shoulders. Also, concentrating on the upward arm and hand position during Right Angle pose really works out the strains in my shoulders.

I'm still really enjoying yoga and wouldn't consider missing this workout. It's definitely an essential part of my program. Namaste.

End of Recovery Week and end of Phase 1. Looking forward to pounding the weights again as Phase 2 commences.

Round 4: Day 26: Medicine Ball Core Cardio

Today was the first time for this workout. I don't have any medicine balls, but did investigate purchasing one or two. They're expensive: about $29 for a 4 lb ball and $36 for a 6 lb ball. Due to cost, I decided to forego purchasing the balls. A few weeks ago, I dropped into a local sports store and found dumbbells covered with some kind of soft coating. They were much less expensive than the medicine balls and I was going to purchase one or two (at a cost of about $4.50), but couldn't find the appropriate weights. Recently, my next-door neighbour left a milk carton full of steel plate weights at the curbside for trash pick-up. I dipped in and picked out a couple of 5 and 3 lb weights. Instant medicine balls.

The steel plates aren't the ideal shape for this workout (the coated dumbbells would have been fine; medicine ball ideal) but they are certainly an acceptable substitute. The workout starts with a fairly brief warmup; actually, a bit too brief for my liking. I should remember to do some extra lunges and warrior 1 poses to open up my hips and stretch out my legs a bit more. Also, I could benefit from some shoulder stretches, side stretches and shoulder rolls. A modified combination of upper and lower body stretching would suffice.

The workout consists of 4 moves done in rapid successions without pause, then repeated, followed by a brief break. Then, another 4 moves, repeat, and break. There are (I believe) 4 sets of these moves. Tony accidentally missed repeating one of the moves, and repeated the first set 3 times. I'm not really sure what was going on with that, as he is usually rather organized about a workout sequence and keeps a list of moves in front of him. Perhaps he was just a bit tired, or had an off-day.

Most of the exercises involve using a weight; one exercise has you jumping over a medicine ball, Heisman-style. I used the 5 lb weight for all exercises. I could probably increase that to 10 lbs on most of the exercises. After a while, the weight feels a bit heavy, even though it's light. It's the result of keeping it up in the air or swinging it around for so long. The workout didn't feel particularly strenuous in that it didn't have me huffing and puffing, or bending over reaching for my knees, but I did work up a really good sweat and felt limber and good afterwards.

I was surprised that the workout was over quickly and I didn't feel gassed. This is one of the few times that I felt that the workout wasn't challenging enough. For a moment, I contemplated starting the disc from the beginning and doing the entire workout twice; alternatively, I think that an increase in weight will help to adjust the intensity of the workout.

This workout might still have a place in this modified program, but I'll either have to do it twice, increase the weight, or do the workout in combination with another workout. As it stands, it's not really sufficient on its own, even in a Recovery Week.

Round 4: Day 25: X Stretch

I woke up this morning with a slight ache in the middle of my back. I can't think of what might caused it, as this week has been Recovery Week, and there's no strenuous lifting involved in the workouts. Perhaps it was just that I slept in a strange position. At any rate, I felt that X Stretch would work out the kinks and leave me feeling vigorous and refreshed.

I'm not really a huge fan of this workout. It's long, slow paced, and not challenging. I suppose it does exactly what it's designed to do: focus on each individual part of the body and stretch it out. It's hard to make that particularly interesting. One thing I really don't care for is the music accompanying this workout. It's largely organ music (which I actually like, just not the tunes or the way they are rendered here), or perhaps it's specifically the organ music to which I take exception; at other times, it's music from the Yoga X workout copied and pasted over a stretching exercise. Sometimes, I'm reminded of the music played when I was a kid skating outdoors at the rink on a weekend in the mid-1960s. The gist is that the music is not inspirational or relaxing or even particularly appropriate for the activity being undertaken. Someone on the P90X Facebook site once mentioned that the music seems lifted from a porn film. Nicely put.

The stretches are fine. I'm not really a fan of Shoulder Stand; I felt a slight tweak in my back when rolling out of it. I don't have any problem with this move during Yoga, but during X Stretch, I find it difficult, likely because my body isn't sufficiently stretched in the right directions prior to undertaking the move. I'll be more conscious of that in the future.

Overally, a decent workout. I did feel pretty mellow when showering after the workout; however, as I write this, my back is still sore in the same spot as when I woke up. Hopefully, a good night's rest will take care of that.

Round 4: Day 24: Super Cardio

This workout is starting to catch on with me. The warm-up is great, approximately 11 minutes long, which is just what my body needed this morning. I wasn't particularly in the mood for a cardio workout today, and it's nice to see that Tony occasionally feels similarly, as he notes on this disc. Later, I realize that he's done a 3 hour Sunday workout, which is why he's a bit bagged. All of a sudden, I no longer felt so smug.

The workout, consisting of three rounds of three moves each, is 2/3 of an intense workout. The first two rounds eventually got to me. If the third round consisted of anything other than Kenpo, I'm sure that we'd be making a call to 911. I'm happy that the Kenpo round comes last; on the other hand, because I find it so easy, it's a disappointing way to finish what would otherwise be a butt-kicking workout. So, it's a love-hate relationship. I'm happy for the break, but I wish I could work harder. I know, I could turn off the dvd at the end of the second round and insert my own destroy-your-body moves, then catch up with Tony for the cool-down. But that would require motivation, which is scarce at 6:15AM. And, this is Recovery Week. I still ended up with jelly legs and tingly butt, which is a sure sign that I've been a busy boy. So far, I still think this workout has a place in this program, so I'm sticking with it.

Round 4: Day 23: Core Synergistics

Why is it that Recovery Week is so tough? Because workouts like Core Synergistics are included. I'm always slightly self-delusional about how easy Recovery Week is going to be because the week starts out with Yoga (which wasn't so easy yesterday), but immediately becomes more challenging the following two days with core and cardio work. I'll chalk it up to muscle confusion. The muscles used for resistance training get a break, but others are employed in the meantime. I'll trust the program and assume that the rest is necessary for the repair of micro-tears in muscle tissue related to resistance training, but there's no mercy for other muscle groups. So far, it seems to have worked, so I won't complain. I'd like to, but I won't.

Core Synergistics is still difficult. I worked through the entire workout today without needing to pause the tape, but there were times when I felt that a pause would have been beneficial. This workout moves at a fairly rapid pace, and the design of the order of the moves is rather unrelenting. My usual rant about having Plank to Chataranga Run followed immediately by Walking Push-ups still holds here. During Walking Push-ups, I kept reminding myself that you can do anything for 30 seconds. Unfortunately, the exercise lasts 60 seconds so, I had to convince myself twice. This combination of moves is still the most difficult I've encountered in any disc of P90X, P90X+ or One on One. I did manage to soldier through it, completing all of the Chataranga Runs, a move which I find particularly tough.

As usual, I skipped the Dreya Rolls, as I'm always a bit nervous that the move will injure my neck and I don't feel that's worth the trouble, so I fast-forward to the final three moves. Overall, still a great and challenging workout.

Round 4: Day 22: Yoga

Yesterday was beautiful: sunny and 14°. I figured that it would be the last time I'd get an opportunity to play some tennis this year, so I cajoled my son into dusting off our equipment and we headed over to the local public court to hit it around. I employed some of the P90X stretching techniques prior to starting our match, but my left hip flexor felt a little stiff. I believed that after some gentle warm-up, my leg and hip would come around, but they never really did. I played stiffly for about 45 minutes before retiring. What a let-down. I was so enthusiastic heading into the match, but my Plyometrics training didn't come through for me. Of course, my son was particularly jubilant, having beaten the old man into submission. Me? Well, it was one of those tail between the legs days; one of those days where I just didn't have it. Hopefully those days will be few and far between.

This morning, I was up bright and early (no extra points in my house for that) to commence Day 1 of Recovery Week. I slipped in the yoga disc (Fountain of Youth), and still felt sore and energy-depleted from yesterday. Perhaps my diet is a bit off, or perhaps I wasn't sufficiently hydrated. I felt like I was fighting with my body and with the workout the whole time. There was definite stiffness still in my left hip. This eased somewhat over the course of the workout, but I can still feel it now, as I write. I'm sure that this will pass over the next few days. I guess it's a good thing this is Recovery Week.

Round 4: Day 20: Kenpo Cardio Plus

I got plenty of rest last night and was really ready to Bring It this morning. Initially, upon completing Bun Shaper yesterday, I wasn't sure whether I would be in a suitable condition to do this workout, but following a good evening of rest, I felt I was ready to attack this workout.

Usually, Fridays aren't great for me. I usually find that my butt cheeks are really sore, my hamstrings are tight, and my hip flexors just don't want to flex. Perhaps that's due to the intensity of the Legs and Back workout. I felt that Bun Shaper was a sufficiently difficult workout which would tax my buns and legs. There are three possibilities for the way I felt this morning:

1. I didn't work as hard during Bun Shaper as I should have.

2. Bun Shaper isn't as difficult or as taxing as I thought it was.

3. I'm in better shape than I think.

My ego is going to opt for item 3.

I breezed through this workout today (working up a fabulous sweat in the process). I don't recall the workout ever being quite this easy before. Perhaps it was all the side kicks and back kicks that I did yesterday, perhaps it was some pent-up frustration from the office being expelled. I'm not really sure, but I felt focusses and really coordinated. My balance was better on back kicks than in recent memory and, although side kicks are not my specialty, I almost managed to keep up with the kids, falling only 1 kick short in the rapid-fire side kick sequences. Now I'm starting to think that I should be increasing the intensity of my cardio workouts. I feel that my body has hit a bit of a plateau: my shape doesn't really seem to be changing and my weight has been steady, only fluctuating up and down a few pounds here and there. Following this morning's workout, I was actually pondering purchasing Insanity, and working those workouts into my hybrid schedule on cardio days. Today, when I felt energetic, that seems like a good idea; we'll see whether I'm still so enthusiastic on a cold Monday morning in deep, dark December.

This is the end of Week 3. Time for a Recovery Week.

Round 4: Day 19: Bun Shaper / Ab Ripper X

Bun Shaper

Bun Shaper is from the One on One series. I previewed the DVD yesterday to determine what props or equipment I would need, and found the workout somewhat intimidating. I usually get that feeling prior to doing a workout for the first time. This workout consists of a series of 9 moves, repeated for two rounds. Some of the individual exercises are found elsewhere in the P90X or P90X+ series; others are new to me. Some of the moves are Plyo-like, some Kenpo-like, some Yoga-like, but they are reasonably varied and sufficiently well-paced to keep the workout interesting and challenging.

The warm-up is insufficient. We find Tony at the start of the DVD completing 5 minutes of skipping rope out on his porch. He stops his skipping, hangs up the rope on a purpose-made peg, enters the workout studio and does a very short series of limited stretches. This is one of the few DVDs where I felt that the warmup stretch wasn't enough for me. Having previewed the tape, I was prepared in advance to do my own stretching, so I did so for about 6 minutes (running in place, jacks, lunges, bent-over stretches, hamstring stretches, etc.). Then, on to the individual exercises.

The first exercise, a side-to-side squat, was challenging, as my legs weren't quite warm enough to really get into the squat. Note to self to lunge more during the warm-up. The exercises moved a bit slowly, which I liked, because it offered an opportunity to watch for form and to ensure that the buttocks are being effectively targeted. The repeat round moved much faster, due to the time consumed during the first round and Tony was in danger of running out the clock. This made the second round even more challenging, as a fair amount of energy was expended during the first round. There are some leg extensions done when bracing against a chair, which drained my energy and zapped my glutes. That hit the spot.

Overall, I enjoyed this workout and, as I'm writing this, don't feel immobilized due to gluteal pain; however, we'll see what tomorrow brings. My initial reaction following the workout was that I was rubber-legged. That brought thoughts of not doing Kenpo Cardio tomorrow, but substituting Medicine Ball Core Cardio instead. I'll see how I feel tomorrow morning. I am pleased to have this workout in my collection, and look forward to doing it again.

Ab Ripper X

Again, I did this workout to my own musical selections. The workout didn't go as well today as it did yesterday; perhaps due to some fatigue because I had done the workout two days in a row. In the future, I'll be more conscious of doing this workout on schedule, so I have the necessary day's rest between ab days. I managed to survive the workout, and actually had a pretty strong showing throughout the exercises, but flagged during Mason Twists. Funny thing, though, I noticed that The Four Seasons' "Rag Doll" has almost the perfect beat for doing Mason Twists, nearly matching Tony's moves.

Round 4: Day 18: Yoga / Ab Ripper X

Yoga

A brief aside before getting into yoga: I had the opportunity to attend a real, live yoga class on Monday evening. My daughter attends a weekly class and had to skip a week and was unable to attend a make-up class; I was fortunate to be considered a stand-in for her. The instructor grilled me over the phone for about 10 minutes, inquiring into my yoga background, concerned that I had insufficient training to participate in the advanced class and might suffer an injury or hold up the class, or both. I advised her that I've been doing yoga for about 10 months, and reluctantly revealed to her that I've been practising using P90X. She had heard of it! When I advised her that I could complete the entire 90 minutes of Yoga X, she told me that I would have no problem with her class.

I really enjoyed the yoga class. The practise is Iyengar yoga, which is markedly different from the Astanga yoga demonstrated in Yoga X. Iyengar focuses more on holding a pose and breathing through it, rather than the constant flow of vinyasas. It was a really pleasant change for me, and I found it was much easier to clear my mind and maintain focus, because there was no constant changing of positions. Just you, with your leg in some strange position, and your mind. Some of the poses were initially difficult, but suddenly balance would come and I felt a strange sense of inner peace. No shaking, no movement, just perfect balance of the body and a clear mind. What a wonderful moment. I was also introduced to the yoga belt, which was employed on a number of moves to get a greater stretch. By the end of the class, I was really relaxed and mellow.

The other participants in the class were not in very good shape, and I was surprised how relatively inflexible they were, considering the class was advanced. Yoga X was very reasonable preparation for this class. I might consider taking the class in the future. I enjoyed the lengthy relaxation prior to the start of the class, lying with a bolster under my spine to open my chest, followed by ohms in a seated meditation pose. It was the mind trip that I enjoyed the most.

Yoga this morning was a bit of a contrast. I found Tony to be unusually chatty (more than normal!). The moves were quick, and I found myself thinking that perhaps a live yoga class would be better. On the other hand, I was able to focus more on my form, having received some tips from the class instructor this week, and was able to Bring It more effectively. The session flew by, and I realized in retrospect that I did actually manage to clear my mind. It's all positive.

Namaste.

Ab Ripper X

Well, another day of ARX. Today, I tried something new: I made an ARX playlist and played tunes at random from iTunes (yes, I'm a Mac fanboy). Nice variations, from Baba O'Reily to Tammy Wynette. I was starting to get a bit tired of listening to Tony count and the music drone on. I've done this workout over 60 times and have pretty much memorized every single nuance there could possibly be. Time for a change.

The music worked. I was pleasantly distracted while I cranked out the exercises, didn't miss Tony counting, didn't miss the canned muzac, didn't miss the joking, and occasionally watched the TV to make sure I was in sync on the key exercises, such as Fifer Scissors. I actually felt as though I had more energy than usual, especially in Mason Twists, which were rendered to a heartfelt Phil Collins tune (You'll Be In My Heart, the theme song from the animated movie, Tarzan). The workout was so successful, I may just have to do this again.

Round 4: Day 17: Back and Biceps

I made a pleasant discovery today: I was able to exceed my best numbers so far on this workout. I've come to the point where I think that dumbbells are the only way for me to improve on this workout, unless I pause the disc to complete more repetitions. Curls are easier for me now after having done so many during P90X+. For the last while, I've been complaining on this blog that P90X+ doesn't do enough for the arms and, due to a general decrease in resistance training, one might lose a bit of muscle. That actually may have happened, but my ability to do curls has definitely improved, likely due to the lean-back curls and the pumper curls in Upper Plus (even though those were done with a lighter weight resistance band). I will no longer put down P90X+, as it has clearly helped me in many areas of my personal fitness.

Almost every resistance exercise today was done with the blue resistance band. Most of my numbers increased. I'd now like to get a set of dumbbells so I can take this workout to the next level: heavy up the weights, decrease the number of repetitions, and build a little more bulk. I'm not crazy about running out of time, still being able to do more reps with such a heavy resistance band. Time for a change.

Don't get me wrong: I really enjoy this workout (although I do find Katie to be slightly annoying). I think there's still lots of room for improvement, but there likely has to be an equipment adjustment to facilitate that.