P90X+: Round 3: Day 20: Kenpo/Cardio Plus

There's no other way to describe my current feelings but disgust and letdown. Yesterday, I was looking forward to Abs/Core Plus upon my return home, but, upon opening the front door, completely forgot about it. I've neglected to do ARX a couple of times in the past, but these memory lapses have been extremely rare. I'm definitely going to make up the missed session of Abs/Core Plus today when I get back home. Also, the past two days have not been particularly good with nutrition. I've not been eating sufficiently throughout the day, so I eat more than I ought to at dinnertime and, sometimes, a bit into the evening as well. Not unhealthy snacks, but just too much additional snacking going on after 8:00PM. I'm going to have to take steps to cut that out.

Today was Kenpo/Cardio Plus. My coordination is starting to improve, although sometimes I find it confusing which arm should be punching and which leg should be kicking. I MUST take the time to view the video and straighten out those issues, because the time to do it is NOT during the workout itself. Once those arm/leg problems are sorted out, I should be able to Bring It. Most of the moves are feeling more comfortable, and I'm working up a good sweat. This is a more consistent workout than Kenpo X, where my heart rate would drop during the block sequences, then rise. I also like that during the breaks, Tony has you focussing on cardio throughout, so even the breaks keep your heart rate up somewhat.

This workout moves very quickly and, before you know it, it's over. There's no need for me to pause the tape and I don't feel like taking additional rest. I find it difficult keeping up during the initial kick sequences, because my kicks are particularly weak due to a bit of tightness in my hip flexors, but I manage to keep pace during the second round of kicks. I get the feeling that this workout is a bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing: a cardio workout, with some Kenpo draped over it. So, I'm not particularly concerned whether my form is really good. I do try to engage my core muscles whenever possible, but my principal objective is to ensure that I'm constantly moving and working, keeping my heart rate up, and working up a sweat. This workout does give me a terrific sweat.

One move which I don't particularly care for is Spinning Swords. It makes me dizzy; however, I try to tighten up my cage, move my feet, and swivel my upper body. I just don't like the feeling in my head when I finish.

Other than making up Abs/Core Plus, this ends week 3. Next: Recovery Week. I've previewed what's in store for Recovery Week, and it doesn't look like there's much in the way of recovering. It looks pretty much like a standard P90X week to me. Perhaps that will be like a trip down Memory Lane. We'll see. At least it won't feel like a P90X recovery week, where I was concerned that I was losing my edge between phases. This week will definitely be an opportunity to Bring It.

P90X+: Round 3: Day 19: Upper Plus/Abs-Core Plus

Upper Plus

I keep toying with the idea of modifying the P90X Plus workout routine, as Upper Plus appears twice weekly. I find that a bit strange from a muscle confusion point of view, as P90X had different routines daily (with the exception of Ab Ripper X). I don't understand why Upper Plus is a twice-weekly routine. But, I'm not that brilliant regarding what's good for your body, and I'm not a personal trainer. At any rate, I was considering today doing Upper Plus once weekly (on Day 1 or Day 5) and substituting the other Upper Plus workout with a rotation of Chest and Back, Shoulders and Arms, Chest Shoulders & Triceps, Back and Biceps, and Legs and Back. That should still result in muscle confusion, and add a bit more variety to the program. We'll see whether that plan comes to fruition following Recovery Week.

Today's workout (now for the 6th time) was good. I'm now pretty conversant with the various moves and don't need much prompting from Tony. I mashed through the first 10 moves, then paused the DVD prior to Spiderman push-ups, which take a little more effort and mind-straightening. Then, ran through the next 9 moves, and paused before combat push-ups. I'd like to delete those pauses. That will probably happen within my next few workouts.

Again, my favourite moves are the push-ups. I'm really focussed on form, which is resulting in a rep or two fewer, but I'm feeling it in all the right places. The hand grips on my PowerStands get sweaty and a bit slippery. Tony probably didn't count on my palms being so sweaty when he designed these things. I'd like to see how they fare during Chest and Back. I'm substituting 10 lb dumbbells for some of the exercises where I was having difficulty using the maroon resistance band: 2-direction fly circles, shoulders everything, biceps everything. I'm not increasing the numbers of reps, like I thought I would, but my form is much better. I'm concentrating on improving the strength in my left shoulder, which these exercises soon identified as a weak part in my body. I'm looking forward to improvements.

Abs/Core Plus

Later.

P90X+: Round 3: Day 18: Yoga

You know how I said I'd be doing Ab Ripper X yesterday, because I miss it, and feel that I need the extra work? Didn't get there. I cycled home yesterday in the rain, in sub-normal temperature, uphill all the way, into a head wind. By the time I reached home, I was drenched, exhausted, and in no mood for ARX. I wanted to sit beside a warm fire, wrap myself in a blanket, and eat comfort food. Well, 0-3. I had veggie burgers, which didn't turn out, so it became more of a faux burger melange-in-a-bowl-sandwiched-between-pita, and salad. No fire, no blanket, no comfort food, no ARX. It became an evening of relaxation with the family, playing Tiger Woods '10 on the Wii, watching the Blue Jays throw a game away in the top of the 9th inning to the lowly Cleveland Indians, and generally hanging out.

I awoke today, extremely tired (should've had some protein powder and recovery drink yesterday when I returned home) and stiff. It's a good thing that Yoga was on the agenda. I've been promising for some time that I'll get back to Yoga X. I lied again. I reached for Fountain of Youth (45 minutes in length). The opening vinyasas were painful. My body was really stiff and resistant to stretching. Eventually, things got stretched out more or less satisfactorily, and I was able to push my way through the video. Today was one of those days where, despite your body complaining and not particularly being in the mood, you press play and just do your work.

The FOY workout is really nice. I work up a great sweat by the end of the video, and feel relaxed afterwards. In spite of the fact that it's only 45 minutes long, I do feel that it contributes to my overall level of fitness, and it works strength, balance, coordination and the mind. I hope to get back to Yoga X soon, perhaps next week, during Recovery Week.

P90X+: Round 3: Day 17: Total Body Plus

Well, I had to open a mouth about the quality of the Plus workouts yesterday. I take it back, at least for Total Body Plus. I had to pause the DVD multiple times today (about 5 times!), to gather enough strength to Bring It for the next exercise. Some of these exercises are intense, or perhaps I'm just competitive with myself. I'm trying to make adjustments to form, weight, resistance or repetition to make the exercises as difficult as possible. Judging by the sweat and fatigue I felt today, I'm meeting with some success. On the other hand, some of the fatigue may be due to the late night tennis match I had with my son last night. I'd like to think that I was able to survive tennis, and really burned up on the exercises.

I really enjoy the push-up exercises during this workout. In fact, I think I enjoy just about all push-up exercises on the P90X series. I've found that in Total Body, I run out of time before I run out of push-ups inside me. Perhaps next time I'll try to continue in the exercise until I hit my maximum reps, then reset the DVD to the appropriate spot, and carry on.

Some of the exercises don't really do it for me: Lara Lunge Crunch, Lunge Squat Lunge, Kid Play (although they do involve push-ups). Perhaps if I had dumbbells, it might be a different story. I'm not sure. A higher ceiling (living with 1.9m!) would also be a benefit. Do your best and...you know.

Overall, still a good workout, I'd say. I'm going to stick it out in the name of muscle confusion.

P90X+: Round 3: Day 16: Interval X Plus

I'm settling into a routine for this workout: grind out the first half, take a bit of an extended break, then grind out the second half. I spent my extended break outside this morning in the fresh summer air. There's something I really missed doing when I was agonizing with Plyometrics last winter. I look forward to the day when I can do an entire workout outside, with Tony instructing on the laptop computer.

I enjoy this workout, although I have some difficulty increasing the intensity level from level 2 to level 3 (full blast) on some of the exercises. Specifically, the kick exercises give me some difficulty, in both height and timing, because I don't have the most flexible hamstrings and my hip flexors are a little bit tight. I've been working on stretching out both of those body parts during stretch and yoga days, but it doesn't seem to help too much when pursuing this workout. I've noticed improvements during Kenpo, but the Kenpo workouts incorporate many more kicks than Intervals, so there's a greater opportunity to really open up the hips during Kenpo than in Intervals.

I find the most difficult exercises, kicks aside, involve bending down: loading dock and squat jumps. There's something about bending right down, touching the ground, and then uncoiling in one motion to leap up which my leg muscles find particularly offensive. Also, my nemesis: 3-way Carlito push-ups. The most intense form of this exercise is likely what they make you do in hell. It's a tough way to both end the first round and begin the second round. This routine is well designed, and will likely continue to challenge me throughout this Round. Nicely done, Tony.

P90X+: Round 3: Day 15: Upper Plus/Abs-Core Plus

Upper Plus

I woke up extra early today to ensure that I got in my workout prior to leaving to pick up my son at camp. The stress to complete the workout by a particular time provided plenty of motivation, and I only paused the disc twice: once just before Spiderman push-ups, and once just before combat push-ups.

I'm starting to enjoy most of the exercises comprising this workout, but overall, I don't always feel as though my body is being pounded to extinction the way some of the P90X strength workouts did. This isn't because I'm not Bringing It; it's because of the emphasis on time, rather than repetitions. In P90X, you could focus on increasing either weight (bulk) or repetitions (leanness), or both. I liked to pursue both: increase the weight and the number of repetitions. That option doesn't really seem to be available in this workout. As a result, I don't feel the burn I think I should be feeling. When I had completed Chest and Back in P90X, I was incapable of doing any more pushups. I couldn't even lift my arms above my head. I couldn't even wash up in the shower. That's not happening with P90X Plus, or at least Upper Plus. I still get a good sweat from the Plus workouts; just not the ridiculous body fatigue I'm used to.

Regardless, I still enjoy the workout. My favourites are the push-up moves; my least favourites are the 2 direction circle flys and the shoulder everything. Obviously, this has pointed out a deficiency in my shoulder strength, and that will be something to focus upon for improvement.

Abs/Core Plus

I enjoy this workout more than Ab Ripper X, likely for the sole reason that I find it easier than ARX. I would be happier if Tony instituted a fixed number of repetitions for each move, like ARX, as there isn't really sufficient time dedicated to each exercise to do more than what the kids are doing on-screen. That would also dispense with the requirement to write everything down, which is becoming a bit of an annoyance. That said, I enjoy the workout. Starting Day 3 of this week, I've decided to include good ol' ARX into the routine. I've been doing some Fifer Scissors in place of one of the pull-up bar moves, and felt some tightness in my hamstrings and some strain on my gut. I'm concerned that I'm losing some of the gains made during my last round of P90X. Adding ARX should (hopefully) ensure that I'm getting the ab workout I need.