Round 4: Day 69: Medicine Ball Core Cardio / Cardio Intervals

Somewhere in the history of this blog lies a promise (threat?) that I wouldn't do Cardio Intervals in isolation anymore, but would pair it with another cardio workout. Today, I made good on that promise. I started off with a typical P90X warm-up, something like a Plyometric warm-up crossed with an Upper Plus warm-up. That got my heart rate up, limbered up my upper body (anticipating those torso twists) and stretched out my quads, hamstrings and calves. This was done prior to my starting the disc, as I've found that I'm not particularly enamoured with Tony's stretches. Truthfully, I'm not crazy about vinyasas and upward dogs for a cardio workout, although I do love doing that during Yoga. I did my own stretches while watching the "Plays of the decade" on the local sports station. It's nice to see baseball again, even in the winter. What can I say: I'm a hard-core baseball fan.

I used several weights for the Medicine Ball workout: 5- and 10-lb. I don't have a 6 lb medicine ball, which really looks ideal for this workout, but I have dumbbells [insert joke here] which serve the purpose. I used the 10 lb dumbbell to start, but I found it a bit too heavy after awhile, and switched to the 5 lb weight, which is a bit too light. It's like the 3 Bears: I need something in-between. I don't really see myself going off to the store to pick up an 8 lb dumbbell, so I'll likely just make do with what I have.

I don't find the Medicine Ball Core Cardio workout too exerting. There are a few moves which I enjoy, but nothing I find particularly challenging. Looking back to the P90X workouts, there are moves which I found impossible at first, then manageable; some are still impossible (airborne pushups, anyone?). This workout just breezes by in comparison. That's why I found it necessary to pair this workout with Cardio Intervals. In essence, doing Medicine Ball Core Cardio is just an extended warm-up for Cardio Intervals.

While I really enjoy Tony hamming it up at the start of the Cardio Intervals DVD, I didn't want my body to become too cool, so I fast-forwarded immediately to the workout. Again, like Medicine Ball Core Cardio, I don't find this workout to be a killer. There are a couple of moves I find challenging. In the half-moon sequence, I find it difficult to raise my free leg parallel to the floor in the time allocated. The jumping side-kicks are difficult for me due to balance issues. I'm just not the greatest kicker around, and although I can certainly Bring It during Kenpo Cardio Plus, I wouldn't say that I'm a strong candidate for Mr. Miyagi's dojo any time soon.

It's a good thing that the entire workout sequence is repeated, because I needed the extra work. By the time the entire workout is over, I had a pleasant, warm feeling. I wasn't exhausted, I wasn't sweating buckets, I wasn't huffing and puffing or grabbing my knees. I just felt that I had enjoyed a reasonable cardio workout which offered a good full body range of motion. It was a good, fairly light cardio combination to end Week 10.

Bring on Week 11!

Round 4: Day 68: Plyo Legs

Like yesterday, discipline is becoming a bit of an issue. I took the day off, so I slept in well past the time I would be up and exercising. Following a long sleep-in, the last thing I'd like to do is exercise. Also, I like to exercise when the house is quiet and no-one's awake, or if the house is empty. This morning, because of poor timing, both my wife and son were up. My wife was preparing tomorrow night's meal in the kitchen. It's tough to exercise in the adjacent room with the smells of cooking emanating from around the corner. Also, were those tears in my eyes due to Tony crushing my body, or was it the scent of ground garlic?

I really enjoy the Plyo Legs workout. Again, like so many times during the past week or so, I didn't really feel like working out. These have been tough times, but I'm pleased to say that exercise is now so ingrained into my daily routine that I'm committed to doing it regardless of whether I feel like it or not. Today, I decided to push through my lousy attitude and Bring It.

This is a well-constructed workout. It's challenging, and could be even more challenging if Tony didn't take extended breaks between exercises. The workout, consisting of 20 exercises, is a combination of plyometric moves, specifically targeting the legs. Because many of the moves are plyometric, the heart and lungs get involved. At some points, I found myself grabbing my knees. I don't know whether that was a result of Bringing It, or my somewhat lacklustre attitude.

I finished up strong, completing the Egan Bros. jumps (think of doing a mogul run, or jumping back and forth over a bench). I felt really good at the end of the workout. Bagged, but good. It's the reward you get for pushing play.

Round 4: Day 67: Yoga

I am a creature of habit. I find comfort in pursuing a daily routine. That routine starts when I wake up at 6:00AM and exercise for an hour. This week, and likely next week, life will be thrown into a bit of turmoil, because my daily schedule is going to change. I'm taking a little time away from the office, which is a good thing, but it generally messes up my workout schedule. For the past year, I've been rather dogmatic about working out. When I miss a workout, I get cranky and try to make it up. Sometimes there's not much to be done about it, such as when I'm out of town (although there are certainly workouts you can do on the road). When I took a week at a cottage last summer, I pencilled down a workout which I pursued outdoors by the lake, without the benefit of DVDs, and it was one of the most challenging and beautiful workouts I've ever done. Alternatively, I've even gone jogging occasionally, although I don't particularly like running. The next 2 weeks pose a different kind of challenge: sleeping in, then finding the motivation to exercise. Today, I was up at 7:00AM, pondering skipping my workout, but finally convinced myself to get up and practice yoga. After all, practice makes perfect.

My body is still sore from Sunday's Upper Plus workout. I might have strained some back muscles, because I feel a slight twinge running vertically up my back, left of my spine. The solution? Yoga. It has been true over the last year that yoga works out my kinks and soreness from daily exercise. In addition, it has helped tremendously in developing the mental toughness that's required to persist with a daily workout regimen. I credit yoga for giving me the flexibility necessary for all the other workouts I pursue. I credit yoga for helping my body mend when the other workouts beat me up. I credit yoga for calming my mind and helping to restore mental balance. I credit yoga for improving my coordination and strength. So, today was no day to skip yoga.

I'm really glad I did this workout. I've been really focussed lately on the basic poses: cresent pose and the warrior poses. That focus is starting to pay off, because I've never been deeper into those poses than today. I also felt really strong during the vinyasa sequences. My flexibility was great. My breathing was deep and regular. My back is no longer bothering me. I feel supple, relaxed, and ready for a great day.

Namaste.

Round 4: Day 66: Diamond Delts

It soon became evident this morning that there was very little gas in the tank. It's a shame, too, because I was really looking forward to this workout. I noticed fatigue during the first three exercises, which obviously is not a good sign. I really felt it during the exercises where you press the dumbbells over your head. My numbers today were not matching those of a few weeks ago, so I made an adjustment and decreased the weight, in order to squeeze out a few more repetitions. At least I'm learning something. If you can't do the weight, do more repetitions.

The workout actually went pretty well overall. I was not up to completing the bonus round I had established for myself the last time out, but I did manage to complete the basic workout. It's probably going to take a few more times before I really establish myself with this workout, feel comfortable, and really focus.

One thing that's abundantly clear is that my left shoulder is weaker than my right. On several exercises, I was barely able to lift the dumbbell over my head using my left arm, while my right arm felt strong and capable of pumping away. I don't want to employ unbalanced weights (lighter on the left, heavier on the right), so I stopped the exercise when my left shoulder was done. I'll make an enquiry on the P90X board to see whether that's a reasonable approach, or whether I should explore using unbalanced weights.

Clearly, I have some work to do on my shoulders. I'm glad I've got this workout in the regimen.

Round 4: Day 65: Plyometrics

As I was preparing mentally for Plyometrics this morning, I thought about the prospect of doing an Insanity workout instead of Plyo, and was really pleased that, as I don't have Insanity, that option was unavailable. There's something about doing Plyo (or any tough cardio workout) on the shortest day of the year, when it's pitch black outside first thing in the morning, that turns you off exercising. As I mentioned to my wife just before the workout (note to self: wife doesn't like human interaction first thing in the morning, so don't pontificate about exercising to her at that time), the key to being successful in working out is Doing It, even when you don't feel like it. That's been a key factor in my motivation over the last year, and it stems from Tony's "just push play" attitude. Work out according to schedule, even if you don't particularly feel like it. There will be days (like today) when you're not in the mood, but I've found that I always feel better after a workout, moreso when a workout is completed on a day when you're not in the mood.

Today's workout was surprisingly easy. I was expecting each moment to be difficult and was ready to be a clock watcher, but I found myself with a good amount of energy and pretty much breezed through the workout. I sweated, to be sure, and huffed and puffed a little, but I never ran out of gas and finished the workout strong and energized. That makes me think that I should be picking up Insanity. Obviously, I've been waffling on this point for a number of weeks, and will likely to continue waffling for a few more.

It amazes me how far my personal level of fitness has come since I started a year ago, especially with Plyometrics. It's been a long journey, and it's not over yet, but I didn't think that I'd be saying that Plyo was a breeze. Nice job - so far.

Round 4: Day 64: Upper Plus

I haven't been to a gym in over 25 years - until yesterday. My wife cajoled me into working out at her office gym. The gym is in the basement of her building and is extremely well laid out and well-equipped. There are all sorts of different machines, most of which I didn't understand (it has been 25 years, after all) but it also had the familiar: dumbbells, mats, skipping ropes, rowing machines, pull-up bars and so on. I was a little psyched out at the thought of working out in a gym, because for the last year, all I've known is my tiny little low-ceilinged basement space or my living room, and the only workout partners I've had are Tony and the kids. So I felt intimidated by being seen working out in a room with seasoned gym rats.

I decided to prepare by sticking to my routine. My wife was encouraging me to try different machines, but I am a devotee of the X, and wanted to stick to my schedule. So, I brought my push-up stands (the one piece of equipment that the gym didn't have), my Upper Plus worksheets, a towel and a container of water. I started by doing an extended stretch and warm-up, then jumped into the workout.

I wasn't on the clock, so I decided to take a slightly different approach to the workout. Instead of trying to do as many reps for a specific duration of time, I did 8 - 10 reps using heavier weights than normal. Alternatively, when that wasn't a possibility, I tried to exceed the numbers posted the last time I did the workout. For the most part, this approach succeeded. I forgot about the other people working out, focussed on my goals and objectives, and had a tremendous workout.

The only humbling experience was pull-ups. I've never done pull-ups before because the space in my house doesn't permit the installation of a pull-up bar. So, I've substituted pull-ups on a bar with resistance bands. While I've been successful with the bands, they are not equal to pull-ups. I was able to do several unassisted pull-ups, which felt pretty good, but they were really tough after that. My wife introduced me to a machine which allows you to do assisted pull-ups. While I felt that was a bit of a letdown, I recalled Tony advising that when you're bagged, use assistance. Sound advice. I'd rather pursue that route and do some pull-ups than none. It was a good experience, because it let me know that my shoulders and back could still benefit from extra work.

The workout went slower than normal, because of my revised approach, and my body was much more tired from having done the pull-ups. My wife and I will try to get back to the gym a few more times over the next few weeks. I'm looking forward to improving my pull-ups (assisted or otherwise).