I didn't get around to doing ARX yesterday. I returned home from a meeting at a late hour, and was just too tired to start. So, I'll make it up today, instead.
Yoga was good today. I popped in Fountain of Youth, because I didn't have time this morning for a full Yoga X workout, as I had to attend an early morning meeting. What a great way to start the day: stretching and clearing the mind. It's all good. I paid specific attention to my posture during the Crescent and Warrior 1 poses, obtaining a good stretch through my upper body and shoulders as well as my legs. I also tried to go deep into my lunge posture in those poses, and tried to maintain my hips square so that my torso faced forward. Also, watch out for the front knee collapsing inwards. I find myself making numerous minor adjustments during the poses, and have noticed that as my form improves, so does my strength and flexibility.
I really look forward to Yoga days, not only as a break from the cardio and resistance workouts, but as a terrific workout in its own right.
Ab Ripper X
Make-up time for ARX. Again, I was on the clock, so there was little time for getting your mind right. I skipped the intro and moved right into the workout. I was energetic and pumped. For the first time, I raised my hands in the air during the In and Outs, and for 20 of the 25 Forward Bicycles. After 20, I had balance issues, so I reverted to the familiar and more comfortable hands-on-the-floor position. I was excited to have done some of the exercises with hands up, though, and will try to make that part of the regimen in the future.
I've been reading internet posts recently about the timing and pacing of ARX. There is an opinion that the slower the exercises are done, the better burn you get in your abs. With this in mind, I tried to slow down the pace a bit and really focus on tightening up my abdominal area during the workout. With some exceptions (my mind tends to wander during particularly painful portions) I found this approach to be fairly successful in developing a good burn. I'll try this approach again.
The workout was good, perhaps with the exception of Mason Twists, where I experienced some balance issues between 40 and 50. I still managed to crank out all the repetitions, but the last 10 were somewhat ugly. This will improve over time. Already, I've noticed a nice improvement this week over last week. The abs are coming along. I'm optimistic. If only I could be a little more disciplined in the kitchen.
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