Round 5: Day 33: Diamond Delts

This is the first Day 5 since I modified the Round 5 schedule. The modifications were to intensify the Day 5 workouts and to tweak Recovery Week. To accomplish that, I have made Day 5 a resistance day, and thus have a full rotation of P90X resistance workouts and One on One resistance workouts liberally sprinkled throughout the schedule. The change in Recovery Week was to put P90X Plyometrics on Day 2, whereas before there was a slightly less intensive routine in place. I'm not particularly worried about Plyometrics during a Recovery Week, having done it previously during the P90X+ cycle in Round 2, and I don't really find Plyometrics to be a more intensive workout than Core Synergistics, which is typically scheduled twice during a regular P90X Recovery Week. I'm a little tired of Core Synergistics, which is why I've eliminated it from the schedule this Round. Perhaps I'll pick it up again during the next round.

The addition of another resistance day means that Legs have been eliminated from this Round. While I was somewhat concerned about that, I'm not terribly worried, as I think that Insanity workouts twice a week should take care of Legs, in addition to beating me up with cardio. Further, I still have Kenpo Cardio Plus in the schedule, albeit not frequently, which will give some attention to the legs as well. I'll monitor my progress to check that my legs aren't subject to atrophy, and make further adjustments as required.

Today's workout was Diamond Delts, which I find both challenging and enjoyable. I like Tony's wackiness at the beginning of the workout as he's naming the shout-outs and, even though I've heard him before on this routine, I still laugh out loud. Laughter is a great way to relax and loosen up, both of which are required prior to engaging in this workout.

What I like about this workout, and resistance workouts in general, is that they're grunt routines. Just get down, do the work, try to burn out doing the task, pick yourself up off the ground, mark down your progress, and move on to the next item on the list. It's basic, it's simple, there's not much thought involved, and it's satisfying. I try to clear my head of any interference, focus on my objective, watch my form, and execute to the best of my abilities. Time passes, the sheet fills up with numbers and notes, and then: it's over. I really like this routine because it focusses on just one body part (similar to Just Arms). It doesn't get much simpler than that.

I throw in 6 extra bonus moves at the end, as I find that the workout doesn't fatigue me completely (3 moves times 2 repetitions). By the time those are over, I'm really wiped. What a great feeling. I'd say that making Day 5 a resistance day has been, so far, a success. On the other hand, I may not be so thrilled tomorrow, when I can't raise my arms to put on my shirt. But then, tomorrow is Insanity: no shirt required (or recommended). We'll see how things pan out.