P90X: Round 2: Day 55: Yoga X

Up at 6:00AM, bounded downstairs and plunked in the Yoga disc. I was looking forward to yoga today because I felt a little stiffness in my right shoulder and the right side of my back. I may have been a little too intense yesterday on some of the core exercises where weights are involved, and perhaps gave my back and shoulder a small tweak. I felt that yoga might stretch that out.

The upward dog and plank positions felt really good today. I felt that my arms and trunk were really strong. It's been more difficult to recognize changes in my body during this round of P90X, as change has not been nearly as dramatic as during Round 1, but I think that overall, my body is still losing some fat, gaining some muscle and becoming more toned. I'm noticing that my clothes are hanging rather loosely, a sign that, although the scale may not indicate change, change is still there, nevertheless.

Again, I was surprised at how quickly the workout went. I worked up a tremendous sweat during the moving options, depositing drips all over my mat (how disgusting!) and my back was soaked. I diligently observed form during Yoga Belly 7, and felt an abdominal crunch that I haven't felt in awhile.

Another minor success story: I managed to hold Wheel for 27 seconds. A new record. I'm hoping that by the end of Round 2, I can hold Wheel for the entire 1:05. There's still room for improvement.

Favourite move today: right-angle pose with grab. Held my fingers tight, breathed and felt great.

Toughest move today: half-moon / twisting half-moon. I lost my balance when I looked up at the ceiling. That's unusual.

Tony line of the day: "The thing about yoga is, it focusses on your weak spots." How true that is, especially today.

End of week 8. Next up: Phase 3, starting Sunday, with a new set of photos. Bring It!

P90X: Round 2: Day 54: Core Synergistics

I brought a new and improved attitude to this workout today. I was determined to really focussing on engaging the core on every exercise. I've noticed that I haven't lost much weight during Round 2 (only 4 lbs to date, in almost 8 weeks) and I think that some of the weight that I still want to lose is hiding around my mid-section. So, focus on the core (and the nutrition plan) and hopefully, I can shed what remains of my little belly and expose my 6-pack to the world. Well, it's good to have dreams and to pursue them.

I tried to be really intense on each exercise and, for the most part, succeeded today. I did 40 stack leg/staggered hand pushups (could have done more, but the timer ran out) and on exercises which I found really exerting, I kept going at my own pace until the time ran out. Perhaps I didn't match the reps the kids did, but I didn't quit, either. There's a small victory in perseverance; it's part of the "do your best and forget the rest" philosophy, but in this case, doing your best means (for me): keep going, don't quit, don't give up, don't let your mind tell you that your body's had enough. It was a bit of "dig down and see what you're made of" time. To me, P90X isn't just about physical improvements; a significant part of the program is about developing mental toughness.

Having said that, I had to pause the tape a couple of times to catch my breath between exercises. So much for mental toughness. The order of the exercises, and the intensity of exercises makes for a taxing overall workout. The combination of plank to chatarunga run and walking pushups is particularly difficult. That really burns me to the core (pun intended).

Favourite move today: stack leg/staggered hand pushups. First move, lots of energy. All day long.

Toughest move today: plank to chatarunga run. Wow. (What's that upside down? Mom.) Sweat dripping off my face. Just like Pam the Blam.

Tony line of the day: "It'll make you more durable, and less vulnerable." That's how I'd like to be.

P90X: Round 2: Day 53: X Stretch

Today's workout is akin to the recovery day in the middle of recovery week. The entire workout is like an expanded warm-up exercise, consisting of yoga moves (minus yoga belly 7), arm moves, leg stretches, spinal twists, head rolls, and deep breathing. There's no sweat involved here.

During my shower following the workout, I was thinking about how well designed this workout is. It deals with every part of the body in a slow, methodical way. I couldn't think of one body element that was omitted. There are several stretches for everything: neck, shoulder, tricep, forearm, fingers, sides, back, spine, quads, hamstrings, calves and ankles. It felt as though I had just had a total body massage. I only do this workout when scheduled during a recovery week; I don't do it on day 7 of a standard week. As a result, I only do this workout 3 times during an entire round of P90X. Although I find it to be a really easy workout, it still felt great.

Favourite move today: split leg hamstring stretch.

Toughest move today: shoulder stand to plough. Tough on the spine. I can do this in yoga, after I've done a number of poses for awhile; doing this pose during this workout was difficult, because my body wasn't really sufficiently warmed up.

Tony line of the day: "Look at Shauna...freak of nature...it's a beautiful thing."

P90X: Round 2: Day 52: Kenpo X

I woke up this morning, not feeling great. My wife has had the sniffles for a few days, and my son definitely has a cold. I'm somewhat concerned that this is working its way through the house. As a result, I'm going to bump up my consumption of vitamin C and I'll start taking some echinacea drops. I find that this approach has worked in the past, and has either staved off a cold completely, or at least diminished it. Whether this is a placebo or not, I believe it; at least it works for me.

I recalled reading somewhere on the internet that if you're feeling poorly, cutting out exercise may not do anything to prevent a cold from running through your body. So, I decided against rest, popped in the Kenpo disc, and went to work. As usual, I merely endured the Saunders cycle stretches. This is part of the Kenpo program I definitely do NOT enjoy; although, I will say that I like the leg stretches when lying on my back and the downward dog exercises to stretch out my calves. I noticed that my glutes and legs weren't sore; no doubt, due to the absence of Legs and Back yesterday. This made me more enthusiastic for today's workout, as I often feel a bit of joint and muscle tightness from Legs and Back, which inhibits my abilities during Kenpo.

Kenpo moves quickly, and I find that before I know it, I'm sweaty as hell and finished. Today was no exception. I generally like the pace of this workout and find that my heart rate is usually pretty high. By the end of the workout, beads of sweat are flinging off my elbows and fists, dotting the tv screen. Not the most pleasant image, perhaps, but definitely a sign of success.

Favourite move today: ball kicks. Good form, high leg, no hyperextension of the joint.

Toughest move today: side kicks. It's hard for an old guy like me to get the legs really high. My joints can only take so much.

Tony line of the day: "Ain't no tired...ain't no tired..." (break)

P90X: Round 2: Day 51: Core Synergistics

Core Synergistics is not my favourite workout, especially on Monday mornings. I can't quite put my finger on why I'm not crazy about this, but I put my head down, grind it out, do my best, and forget the rest.

Even though I'm not wild about the exercises, I do work hard at them and, over time, have noticed that I have improved in a number of them. My numbers have gone up in stack-leg pushups, sphinx pushups, prison cell pushups, dreya rolls, one-arm balance pushups, and walking plank. I'm pleased to see progress and success, although I'd be happier if I looked forward to the workout. Obviously, I need to work on an attitude adjustment.

I do like the design of the workout, and it does raise a good sweat in me. I especially like that plank to chaturanga run is immediately followed by walking plank pushups. That really puts a good strain on my core, and the last 30 seconds of the walking pushups are really tough for me. Overall, I get a good workout from this routine.

Favourite move today: walking plank pushups. Walked for the full minute. This was a victory of the mind over the body. I told myself I could do this, and I did.

Toughest move today: prison cell pushups. I ground this out over the entire time period, but really struggled with the last few. I didn't give up, though. Minor victory.

Tony line of the day: "I'm a fan of straight lines. You should see my closet at home."

P90X: Round 2: Day 50: Yoga X

Sundays are my first day of a workout week, which present pros and cons. On the pro side, I get to sleep in and start my workout when it's convenient; on the con side, because I sleep in, it rarely feels convenient to start a workout. The fairly strict timing of the weekday workouts gives me more motivation to Bring It than the leisurely start of a Sunday. So, today's workout did not start with a bang, especially since the Yoga workout is 92 minutes in length, rather than the usual 60. I consoled myself by considering that, with all the pausing of the tape, it usually takes me close to the same 92 minutes to complete the Chest, Shoulders and Triceps workout.

I felt rather stiff this morning, and the first few stretches didn't do much to alleviate that feeling. I settled into the workout anyway, expecting that this would be one of those workouts which you just slog your way through to completion. There was a little bit of that during the moving sequences, but eventually, I managed to find my rhythm and carry on. About the first half of the moving options were somewhat uncomfortable; after that, things smoothed out a bit. Overall, not the best workout ever, but decent, I'd say. This is the start of week 8, Recovery Week. Perhaps I really need it.

Favourite move today: Royal Dancer. Really settled into the move nicely, with a strong, straight leg supporting me.

Toughest move today: The Warrior 3 sequences. I just didn't really feel too stretchy.

Tony line of the day: "Just do your best and....what you guys? [silence for about 5 seconds from everyone else] Forget the rest."