Round 5: Day 34: Insanity: Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Small improvements are coming in this workout, but they're painfully small and, being extremely competitive with myself, I really want to push, push, push to make it through this monster non-stop. The improvements are that although I'm still pausing the tape twice, I'm extending myself longer into the workout before taking those pauses. I'm optimistic that soon I'll be able to eliminate first one pause, then the second.

There's a series of exercises during the circuit that have a body-numbing cumulative effect on me: the core exercises consisting of Level 1 drills (pushups, plank run, stand up, repeat), side to side ski jumping whilst in plank position, followed by in-and-out in plank position. Any single exercise is manageable; the totality is really difficult for me. Level 1 drills are never a problem. Towards the 2/3 mark of the side to side moves, I'm feeling it. Following up with in-and-outs is just cruel. Then, do that at a medium intensity. Then, do that at high intensity. Then, shavasana (corpse pose).

Much of this is actually physical. My body just feels too tired to complete the full range of exercises without stopping. Most of the kids in the video stop periodically, so I don't feel too bad about my own limited abilities, but I don't really care about the kids in the video; I care about my own progress. Some of this is mental. If I can get a little tougher mentally, I can probably push through to eliminate one pause in the DVD. That's the approach I'm going to adopt next time.

This, and all Insanity workouts, have been really challenging to date. I'm glad that I took the leap and included them in this Round.

Thankfully, this is the end of Week 5. It's been a pretty tough, yet rewarding week. I'm looking forward to training with greater intensity next week.

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.

Round 5: Day 32: Yoga

With all the kinks and aches in my muscles upon awakening this morning, yoga was most welcome. I decided to do Patience "Hummingbird" Yoga, from the One on One with Tony Horton series. I have been doing the Fountain of Youth from the same series for awhile, and I didn't have sufficient time to do Yoga X from P90X, so I thought I would mix things up a bit with today's routine.

I stumbled onto the meaning of the title a little while ago when I mentioned that some of the poses are held for a longer time than I'm used to; hence, the title "Patience". I now get it. You don't have to hit me over the head with a hammer.

There are several things I like about this workout. Holding the poses for a longer period of time gives me the chance to really check on form and make all necessary adjustments; I have the challenge of holding a pose and focussing on breathing; I achieve a deeper sense of well-being and overall relaxation; and I enjoy the slower pace of the workout. These all combine to make this workout distinctly different from the other yoga workouts in my collection.

I felt that my hamstrings were particularly tight today, as I felt some discomfort when bending over with straight legs touching the floor and during the split leg hamstring stretches. I'm paying more attention to my hamstrings now as I'm doing the Insanity workouts, which is imparting more stress on my legs and, to a lesser extent, my back and spine. Insanity workouts are giving my yoga day a greater importance, as ensuring that I have a strong, flexible body is an important element towards success with Insanity. As my workout routines become more challenging and more intensive, yoga becomes correspondingly more important. It's a crucial part of the whole picture.

Namaste.

Round 5: Day 31: Just Arms

I must have done something right over the past few days, because my body is sore from working out. My chest and back are still a bit sore from Sunday's 30-15 routine, and I'm feeling my calves from yesterday's Insanity workout. No doubt, the new shoes are also working to strengthen my ankles and calves as well.

I had a good sleep last night, which was critical, considering I didn't sleep well or long on Sunday evening following the Academy Awards broadcast. I actually overslept today by about 15 minutes, which doesn't happen often, so I was a little slow in getting to today's workout, Just Arms.

As Tony mentions in the DVD, this workout has no shoulders, no chest, no back, just arms. It specifically targets the biceps, triceps and forearms in rotating, repeated exercises that, if done with some intensity, leave you as a quivering pile of jelly at the end of the workout. This is one of those workouts where afterwards, you'll be lucky if you can raise your arms to wash your face.

I've been keeping track of my progress for this workout by completing a worksheet. I mark down the number of repetitions and the weight used for each exercise and, like P90X, make notes to myself, advising whether I should increase or decrease weight, or to note tips on form. It's worked well for me, as I don't do this workout frequently enough for me to remember what I've done from one workout to the next.

I'm still feeling the effects of this workout as I type this blog. My arms are really toasty-toast, and I'm glad I have a broad desk space in front of me to rest my weary arms on as I type. It's a really good workout, provided you push yourself.

Looking forward to a bit of a break with yoga tomorrow.

Round 5: Day 30: Insanity: Pure Cardio

Note to self: never wake up early on a Monday morning following the Academy Award broadcast to do Pure Cardio. Now THAT's insanity. But that's exactly what I did. I stayed up late, listening to Sandra Bullock's wonderful speech, and Jeff Bridges' rambling incoherent mumblings, saw Kathryn Bigelow stick it to James Cameron (who says politics has any play at the Oscars) and enjoyed the moments when the presenters announced, "...and the winner is..." instead of the politically correct and tired phrase, "...and the Oscar goes to...", because we're all winners, don't you know.

But I digress. I was talking about Insanity, and today's workout, Pure Cardio. I improved slightly over the last time I did this workout, but still paused the tape once when I realized that my form was rapidly deteriorating. Now that I'm becoming more familiar with the moves, I'm optimistic that I'll be able to complete this entire workout without pausing, hopefully before this Round is completed. It's a great workout, with decent variety. The moves never stop coming, and it's a real mental challenge to will your body to complete the exercises. Thankfully, there are some push-ups, which are almost like a break for me. If it weren't for the destruction of my body during yesterday's 30-15 workout, today's push-ups would have been really easy for me. As it was, I was feeling a little tight in the chest and shoulders, and push-ups were a little more strenuous than normal.

I've modified my workout schedule to make Day 5 a resistance day. We'll see how that works out over the next few weeks, and whether that modification will hold, or whether further changes should be made. So far, it's been a good start to Phase 2.

Today is Day 30! A small milestone, but that's how I mark my fitness journey. It's nice to see that this Round is moving along nicely. Train hard, everyone!

Round 5: Day 29: 30-15

Hard, hard workout today. I was really looking forward to doing this workout, as it's one of my favourites, but at the same time, I'm always somewhat nervous about it as it's scheduled the first day following a Recovery Week. I look at Recovery Week in two ways: one, it's an opportunity to ease back on the weekly pounding; on the other hand, I get concerned about regression.

I wouldn't exactly say I've regressed over the past week; however, I didn't exactly crush the workout, either. I noticed during Military Push-ups that I didn't feel as fluid or as strong as I'd normally like to be, especially near the start of the workout. That was a sign that I'd be challenged during this workout. And I was. This is a workout that never gets easier as you make your way to the end. It only gets harder. I had to really focus on my numbers, put everything else out of my head, and go for my goal. I managed to achieve my objectives, although the Chataranga pushups at the end of the routine still kill me, and my numbers drop from 30 to 20 at that point. It's all I can do at the end of this workout to even push myself up from the prone position.

In spite of my griping, I still really look forward to this workout, and still rank it amongst the most enjoyable for me.