P90X: Round 2: Day 41: Kenpo X

Kenpo X closes out Round 2, Week 6. I think that taking the homemade recovery brew is working, as I didn't feel too stiff this morning. That means that I didn't push myself too hard yesterday during Legs and Back, I'm in better shape than I used to be, the recovery drink is working, or some combination of the three. I'd like to believe that it's items 2 and 3, rather than item 1. I'm pretty sure I brought it yesterday during Legs and Back.

I've been reading a lot of negative comments about Wesley Idol recently on a P90X Facebook group site, in that he's uninspiring, doesn't work hard, doesn't take the workout seriously, and so on. I have to admit, that I don't like the smirk on his face during some of the exercises and I find him a bit off-putting, but having seen him on the "Making of P90X" videos, I'm sure he's an expert instructor in his field. Nevertheless, I do feel that he's dogging it a bit in Kenpo X. To maintain my focus, I'm watching the others on the tape: Tony, Tony 2 and Vanessa. Tony Lattimore, in particular, has tremendous intensity and uses great form for me to emulate. I also love the look on Tony Horton's face during the vertical punch sequence. He's totally absorbed. So am I.

Favourite move today: Claw/Hammer. I just like the mechanics of this move. And I like clawing the air.

Toughest move today: front knee/back leg kick combination. A bit sloppy on the back leg kicks.

Tony line of the day: "This isn't a horse stance. This is just standing up." (blocks)

Looking forward to week 7. I'm almost halfway through the program, can't believe how quickly it's gone, and how much the daily workouts have become integrated in to my life. Good times, good times.

P90X: Round 2: Day 40: Ab Ripper X

I was somewhat tired when I returned from the office for a round of ARX. I actually had a moment of hesitation and personal weakness heading up the stairs to my front porch where I considered skipping the workout and making it up later. Fortunately, the moment of temporary insanity passed, allowing me to slip into another moment of temporary insanity, aka, ARX.

Sometimes, it takes a few exercises to get my head into the game. Today, it wasn't until I did the cross-legged sit-ups that I really got into the swing of things. It's not as though I was dogging it on the first few moves (I wasn't), it's just that I didn't really catch my wind and gather momentum until those sit-ups. I've been doing the cross-leg version for quite some time now, in an attempt to make things harder for myself. I'm trying the more advanced position on most of the moves: cross-leg sit-ups, knees up in the air on leg climbs, bonus reps on mason twists; just about everything, except putting my hands in the air on in-and-outs and bicycles. I tried that a few times, but really lost my form and balance. It's a challenge I still want to meet. Imagine: all this time doing ARX, and I have yet to master it. That's what I really like about P90X; even as you improve, there's yet more you can do to improve.

Favourite move today: mason twists. Had my legs straight out for awhile, before bending my knees a bit.

Toughest move today: backward bicycles. Felt the burn, yet again.

Tony line of the day: "Oh, and a bonus. He's a madman." (VF rollups)

P90X: Round 2: Day 40: Legs and Back

I've been watching The Biggest Loser show where seriously overweight, out-of-shape contestants go through boot camp hell with a couple of trainers and lose a ridiculous amount of weight (100+ lbs) in an equally ridiculous short period of time (16 weeks). Although I think that this approach to fitness and weight loss is not particularly sound, it does make for inspiring success stories. This week, a contestant named Filipe was voted off the show and left with one of the most incredible personal messages, which I paraphrase here: "I can't inspire everyone, everywhere; but maybe I can inspire someone, somewhere." His whole monologue is worth copying down and posting up on the wall to consult daily. When I heard him speak, I stood up, cheered, and clapped.

I'm beginning to understand that the pursuit of P90X is essentially a selfish one: It's all about ME. I want to lose weight; I want to lose fat; I want to look better; I want to feel younger; I want diamonds of gold...you get the idea. If I happen to inspire others, fine. To be honest, no-one has really noticed much change in me, except perhaps for my family, although that's probably because I'm in their collective faces about Tony and X-ing it up all the time. Perhaps it's my loose shirts, covering up those guns and diamonds of gold, concealing earth-shattering personal results. At any rate, I continue, bruised ego notwithstanding. That's the thing about the X: we keep pushing play regardless.

Today was no exception. I was really looking forward to Legs and Back, especially since I've started cycling into the office. I was interested in seeing whether my legs would be beaten up from the additional extracurricular work or whether they would be raring to go. Today, it was the latter. I couldn't wait to complete one exercise and move on to the next. I wasn't waiting for the pauses between exercises to listen to instruction; I knew what to do and immediately attacked with vigour, using the precious extra seconds to bang out some additional reps.

I had so much energy today. Perhaps it's the cycling, perhaps the recovery drink, perhaps just a state of mind. No matter. I really left it all out on the floor today. I was even seriously considering cycling into the office following the workout, but I've heard there will be a serious rainshower today. Just the thing to dampen (pun intended) my enthusiasm for a little additional push on the legs.

Usually, I pause the tape several times during this workout. Not today. It all just flowed smoothly and beautifully. Great workout. Great sweat.

Favourite move today: rocking toe iso lunges. Used 10lb weights, got really low in the lunge, straight back leg, great burn.

Toughest move today: single leg wall squats. Will this ever be easy?

Tony line of the day: "These are HARD." (single leg wall squats) No kidding.

Later: Ab Ripper X

P90X Round 2, Day 39: Yoga X

What a great day for yoga, arising at 6:00AM and settling into mountain pose shortly thereafter. Clearing the mind, focussing on the present, getting rid of all the garbage and the junk cluttering up my thoughts, stretching, breathing, twisting, bending, getting carried away by the tranquility of the music and the soft cadence of Tony's instructive voice.

I spent most of my time in the moving exercises with my eyes shut, or turned away from the TV. By now, I am so familiar with the moves, I don't bother watching the screen for form. I just shut my eyes, listen to the music and the instruction, strike a pose, and breathe through any discomfort. Now, most of the moves just flow into one another: chatarunga to upward dog, back to plank, push-up to downward dog, float the right heel...

It eventually forms one long, sweeping (hopefully graceful) motion of bending, moving and breathing. And sweating like hell.

There were some small moments of victory today: I balanced in Crane for the full 60 seconds, and felt I could have gone on much longer. My mind was clear, forearms really strong, and I just hung out, rock-solid. I went for toe-lock on standing leg extensions, and managed to get it on both legs. Now, I need to focus on standing up straighter during toe-lock. Also, I managed to do Wheel for 10 seconds. My arms weren't as straight or locked out as they should be, which may be the reason I came out of it. Anyhow, I know I am capable of getting into that position. Next, I'll try to hold the pose a bit longer, with the goal of eventually staying in Wheel for the entire 60 seconds. While I was in the position, I felt a great stretch (compression?) along my spine. It felt wonderful. I can hardly wait for Yoga to come around again next week.

I read a P90X Facebook post that said that if you're not sure that you're bringing it, you're not bringing it. I couldn't agree more. My attitude is to leave everything on the floor after each exercise. Go for the maximum reps. Go to failure. Can you do one more push-up? Then do it. Then, move on to the next exercise. That's why this program has so many success stories.

Favourite move today: Crane. Full 60 seconds of perfect balance. No shake, no wobble, no toe touch. Statuesque.

Toughest move today: Wheel. 10 seconds out of 60, but it's a start. Improvements will come with time and patience.

Tony line of the day: "Pinch your sides with your elbows when you go into Chatarunga..."

P90X: Round 2: Day 38: Ab Ripper X

I don't know how effective a recovery drink is. I do know that I've taken it for a couple of days in a row, and I feel like I have more energy than I did earlier this cycle. Whether that's a real difference in my body or a placebo doesn't matter to me. The point is that I'm feeling pretty good right now, so I'll continue on this path.

I did ARX upon returning home from the office, right before supper. "Is there time for 16:07 of pain before supper?" I ask. "Sure" is the welcomed response, so I get down to it.

My mind was definitely right for this workout. I was very motivated and was focussed on form. Even when I finished, I still felt strong. Great workout.

Favourite move today: Fifer Scissors. Straight legs, pushing my toes to the back wall each time.

Toughest move today: Crunchy Frog. Felt it in my thighs and hip flexors. Still got through it pretty well.

Tony line of the day: "This isn't Ab Ripper 100 or 200. It's 339."

P90X Round 2, Day 38: Back and Biceps

First, a word about diet. I felt I was low in energy the last couple of days, so I decided to review my diet. Thinking that perhaps I wasn't consuming enough, I ate more yesterday and took my home-made recovery drink (glass of skim chocolate milk with 35mg of whey protein isolate). Today, not only do I not have any significant soreness, I also feel much better in terms of energy level. Tip of the day: if you feel you're "bonking" on the workouts, check your diet, and keep drinking water.

Also, more on energy: I rode my bike into the office yesterday after doing Plyometrics. The ride home was all uphill with a stiff wind in my face. I felt great throughout the ride and barely broke a sweat by the time I reached home. Then, after dinner, I did a 10 Minute Trainer workout (Total Body) with my daughter. I haven't done these workouts since mid-December 2008 and thought they'd be a joke after doing the X, but found the workout to be rather challenging. They move at a much faster pace than P90X workouts (they are, after all, only 10 minutes) so they get their reps in quickly and don't give any rest time between exercises. I sweated quite a bit. The point is, however, that in one day I did Plyo, rode to and from the office and did a 10 Minute Trainer workout. Obviously, my energy level has increased. That would never have happened last fall. Thanks, Tony (and the kids).

Today's workout: the only energy issue I can't successfully address is my wife's snoring, which woke me up at 1:15AM and kept me up until around 2AM. I wish there was some kind of recovery drink for that.

The Back and Biceps workout is basically the opposite of Chest, Shoulders and Triceps. With CST, the intent is to push everything away; with Back and Biceps, it's pulling everything towards you. Many of the exercises are variations of curls and, as it can be easy to cheat on curls by kipping with your back or dropping your elbows a bit to get the weight up, it's doubly important to watch form throughout this workout. I really tried to focus on just using my elbow as a fulcrum, isolating the bicep and forcing the weight to move upwards. It makes a big difference. Even so, I found myself rock and rolling a bit with the weights. I've made a note on my workout sheet (write everything down; information is knowledge, knowledge is power) to sustain an isometric hold during my exercises. Perhaps the number of reps will decrease, but I'll bet there will be an increase in intensity and better results.

Favourite move today: strip set curls. I've been able to increase the weight for this series of exercises progressively over the months. Today I used the blue band for the first two sets and the green band for the last two. After that, there was no raising my arms at all. I left it all on the floor today.

Toughest move today: hammer curls. Could barely squeeze out 10 reps using the green band. At this point in the workout, hammer curls are tough for me (even though Tony says they're a bit easier than standard curls and you should be increasing your weight).

Tony line of the day: "Bobby, you're all sweaty dude. Grab a towel. You too, Katie."

Later: Ab Ripper X

P90X Round 2, Day 37: Plyometrics

Last night I was tired. I did Ab Ripper X much later than usual, around 9:30PM and, although the workout went well, I was pretty bagged by the time I went to bed. I slept like a rock. This is unusual for me; it seems that since I started P90X last mid-December, I haven't really slept that well. I usually wake up once or twice a night, grab some water, and go back to sleep. Last night was an exception. From the time my head hit the pillow to the time I woke up, I was out like a light. Even so, when I woke up this morning, I still felt tired. I'm going to have a closer look at my diet to see why I'm crashing a bit now. I'm likely a bit short on calorie intake. I purchased some whey protein powder yesterday and will concoct my own recovery drink: 35g whey protein (31 g protein) in a glass of skim chocolate milk. We'll see how it goes.

So, getting up and pressing play for Plyometrics was a bit of a challenge. I actually found myself towelling off with Domenic after the warm-up. Not a great way to start. The first two rounds of exercises were a bit tiring. I was concerned about making it through the whole workout. That feeling hasn't happened in Plyo for quite some time. By the time the jump knee tucks were done, however, I had my second (first?) wind. The rest of the workout went really well. I was jumping higher, farther and with more energy than in recent memory. Even my daughter, who amusedly hears me grunting and groaning through the exercises as she calmly eats breakfast, remarked that I seemed to be in better form than she could recall. Love the praise from the Peanut Gallery.

Overall, the workout went really well, after picking it up following the first two rounds of exercises. I consumed my self-prescribed recovery drink (the whey gave the thin chocolate milk a milkshake-like consistency). I felt so good that I decided to ride my bike down to the office. Great ride in. As always, the real test will be returning home: all uphill. I'm cautiously optimistic.

Favourite move today: jump knee tucks. This was the turn-around exercise for me today. Got my knees up really high, and felt really energetic. I wouldn't say that I was exactly landing like a cat, but hey...doing my best and...you know.

Toughest move today: 2nd round of rock star hops. Double time will kick the wind out of you.

Tony line of the day: "Two words: RECOVERY DRINK!"

P90X: Round 2: Day 36: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps / Ab Ripper

Chest, Shoulders and Triceps

I find this to be the most difficult of all the workouts, including Plyometrics. I still find some exercises very difficult in this workout. I can do them all (except for the insanely difficult clapping pushups, where I can crank out perhaps 3, but choose to do wide hands and feet pushups instead); it's just that some of the moves are really challenging. I pause this workout more than any other, hydrate more frequently, and take longer breaks. This makes a 1h workout last about 1.25h.

Today, I didn't even feel like working out. This feeling hasn't happened too frequently during P90X, but occasionally, I feel that way. The thought of skipping a workout due to lack of motivation never crosses my mind. I always start up the disk and bravely soldier on, usually with satisfactory results. Today was no exception. I was able to improve my numbers in some small, but meaningful ways. Most of the numbers remained static from last week; however, there were some minor victories, such as in one-arm balance push-ups and pike presses. Nice improvements in those two.

Favourite move today: side-to-side pushups. I managed 15, the same as last week, but I really felt that the last 3 burned.

Toughest move today: weighted circles. Only one set in each direction, using 10lb weights, before my arms sagged and I lost all sense of form. This is a really difficult exercise for me, especially since it's near the end of the workout.

Tony line of the day: "I don't like it when Phil is funnier than me." (cool down)

Ab Ripper X

I didn't get around to working abs until around 9:30 PM, well past suppertime. I don't like working out this late, because I'm usually pretty fatigued, but with other commitments today, I wasn't able to scratch together 16 minutes in a row for myself. Too much assistance with homework, shopping, looking after household requirements. All the joys of fatherhood and married life. Then, when all has become quiet, burn those abs.

My wife suggested that I skip ARX today. WHAT?! That's the time when you have to show up and push play. I advised her that she should never suggest skipping a workout to a dedicated Xer.

The workout went pretty well, in spite of general fatigue. I still felt my meal partway up my abdomen (not a good feeling, especially during heels to heaven) but I managed to complete the entire set, matching moves with Tony and the kids.

Favourite move today: Heels to heaven. Felt strong today.

Toughest move today: VF Rollups. Form suffered a bit on the roll-up.

Tony line of the day: "Let's climb our legs."