Round 4: Day 8: Upper Plus; Killer Abs

Upper Plus

I was still(!) stiff in the legs and butt from Thursday's and Friday's workouts. Rest day did my body some good, but it seems to be taking some time for the old limbs to recover these days. For a short time, I was of the mind that perhaps my body was trying to tell me to take some time off, but I decided not to listen. After all, today was an upper body workout, so the legs get an extra day's rest. Besides, it felt good to be sore again, like in the good old days of P90X. That soreness was missing from P90X+, not due to a lack of intensity on my part, but due to a lack of a butt-kicking legs and glutes workout. The soreness is good. It reminds you that you're alive.

I blew away some of the recent numbers from Upper Plus today. I really surprised myself, improving in Double Dip'll Do Ya, Spiderman Pushups, Lean-back Curls and Pumper Curls. I don't know whether that's due to the new workout regimen or a Bring It mentality, but it was a pleasant surprise. At this point in the workouts, I sometimes feel that I've reached a maximum in terms of repetitions or in weights, but it's always nice to exceed expectations. I think that the next time, I'll change the resistance level and start over again. Plateau is the enemy, after all, and one should always challenge one's body (respecting limits, of course).

Ab Killer

I really enjoy this workout. I love the relaxed attitude Tony has in the One on One discs, and this workout has moves from Ab Ripper (the original, from P90, I believe) that I've never seen before. This disc is like a recording of a live concert. If P90X is the studio recording, Ab Killer is the "live" version. It's slightly different, there are fewer reps, but it's nicely paced, still familiar, and feels like you're getting something extra. The opening sequence, Ab Ripper, is, for me, the killer portion of the workout, especially the oblique moves. My son did this portion of the workout with me, and was groaning with pain. I can hardly wait to do this workout again. I only have it scheduled once a week, but I'm thinking of increasing its frequency.