P90X+: Round 3: Day 3: Total Body Plus

In retrospect, Interval Plus was a better workout than I gave credit for. I'm feeling the affects of this program: my arms and shoulders are a bit sore, and my legs felt the impact (no pun intended) of having done the intervals. Today, time for total body. I've done some total body work with 10 Minute Trainer, but it's nothing compared to Total Body Plus. I found the 9-minute warmup moved too quickly for me (reminiscent of 10 Minute Trainer), so I just went at my own pace, listening to what my body wanted. I was also hampered somewhat by the low ceiling in my basement (1.9m high!) so I can't get my arms fully extended above my head.

The workout is, like other workouts in P90X Plus, sprinkled with colourful names for the individual exercises. If exercise names were a revenue source, the company would be rolling in dough based on that factor alone. I personally don't find the names particularly memorable, nor do they help in defining what the objective of the exercise is. I found myself yearning for the simplicity of P90X -- push-ups, pull-ups -- just plain and simple good old hard work. No "Plank-o-crunch-twisting-moon-spiderman" stuff. Sounds like some kid's breakfast cereal.

Regardless of the titles, the workout was a killer. I had to pause the tape several times, taking numerous breaks, and sweated bucketsful. Muscle confusion reigns here. I was a bit slow in the uptake during the exercises, and found myself watching, then rewinding, then working out with the kids, but my form was lacking somewhat due to unfamiliarity, even though I had previewed the DVD. I also found that there was insufficient time to write down my information following each exercise, so again, I was forced to pause the disc.

Overall, a great workout, with lots of room for improvement. I'm looking forward to it.