Round 7: Day 40: Cardio Intervals

Looking for a little more fat burning, I decided to stick with cardio this week, and selected Cardio Intervals. That was a bit of a mistake, as I think I really was looking for Super Cardio, which is more of a leg burner. Anyhow, I suppose that some movement is better than no movement, and once I put a DVD in the player, I tend to stick with it. It's been so long since I did either workout, that I figured that it's all good, regardless.

Truthfully, this workout is a bit of a lightweight, but as I've been doing so much running as my cardio component over the last few months, moving in an unfamiliar way was good to shake up my body and add a bit of variety to my routine. Normally, I don't find this workout to be particularly exerting, but the leg kicks and the moderate jumping exercises did cause my heart rate to elevate, and I did find myself a bit worn out by the end. It's obviously not the same as running, where my heart rate elevates quite high; on the other hand, it has sufficient irregular movements to keep things interesting and to hit muscle groups that aren't stressed over the course of a run.

Round 6: Day 51: Cardio Intervals

It's been a really long time since I did this workout. I'm still holding back on doing intense cardio work like Insanity, or even Interval X Plus, because of my left calf and now, my right achilles. It may be getting to the point where my tentativeness is becoming mental and I need a little push to get off my duff and onto the cardio wagon, but considering this is Recovery Week, I'm going to give myself the benefit of the doubt and a little extra time for healing. Cardio Intervals is a fairly light cardio routine without much hopping or jumping, so I felt it was an appropriate selection for the day. It should raise my heart rate a little and provide a fairly low impact workout.

And the workout provided exactly what I was looking for: a decent sweat, an increased heart-rate, good range of motion, lots of twisting exercises, squats, knee bending, balance moves, some shoulders, core and leg work. It's not Insanity by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a reasonable workout which is of similar (40 minute) length. I'll continue to baby myself this week, then ratchet up the intensity commencing Week 9.

Round 4: Day 79: Cardio Intervals

So much for my Bring It attitude. The last time I did this workout, I crowed about how I needed to double up with another cardio workout to feel any benefit. Unfortunately, due to illnesses in the family which have finally reached me, I was lucky to get in a workout at all today, nevermind doubling it up. Last week, my son got sick with a cold, and somehow never managed to keep more than 1m away from me all week. Yesterday, my wife and daughter came down with matching stomach flu. And me? I've got the title of Sole Survivor, and I intend to keep it that way. Yesterday, I felt slightly sluggish. That may have had something to do with parking in front of the tele to watch numerous NFL games, but my guess is that I may be in for a bit of a head cold. In anticipation, I loaded up on vitamin C and other goods, attempting to stave off ill health. This morning, I woke up slightly congested. I recall reading somewhere that if it's in you head, continue to work out. If it's in you chest, take a day off. Well, so far, it's in my head, so I decided to work out. But, I don't want to press my luck; hence, no doubling up today.

The workout went fine. I don't really find this workout too challenging. OK, it's pretty much the easiest cardio workout I own. So, I managed to raise my heart rate a bit, got my body moving around, and sort of phoned it in. But at least I showed up and pushed play. Tonight, I'm going to get plenty of sleep and rest my body. Tomorrow's workout should tell whether I've beaten these sniffles or not.

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 58: Cardio Intervals

I know, I know. I said the last time I did this exercise that I would not do it again without pairing it with another cardio workout. Well, I woke up this morning and didn't feel like pairing it with another cardio workout, so I did Cardio Intervals in isolation. And you know what? I should have paired it with another cardio workout. The only upside to not doing so is that the workout ran (no pun intended) for only 40 minutes. And that's a beautiful thing.

There's not much to be said here that hasn't been mentioned before. I don't get much of a heart pump from this workout. Tony seems to be huffing and puffing, but cardio isn't really his thing. As I was doing the workout, I was thinking ahead to next summer (and it's not even officially winter yet!) mentally assembling a cardio workout to do by the lake, without any equipment. That's the beauty of this workout: no equipment necessary. Between this workout, Plyo Legs, Super Cardio and Plyometrics, I could put together a killer leg/cardio workout without the need for any equipment. That would be a nice thing to bring lakeside during a cool early summer morning.

My son had a fever yesterday, and we all fear that it could be H1N1. We're not too worried about him as he is in good shape, but we're keeping an eye on him to make sure that he gets plenty of rest and fluids and keeps his immune system charged. Personally, I'm a little nervous about getting sick, but I hope that healthy eating and regular exercise will stand me in good stead. We'll see over the course of the next week.

Round 4: Day 41: Medicine Ball Core Cardio / Cardio Intervals

Another double header with Tony today, this time going One on One starting with Medicine Ball Core Cardio, immediately followed by Cardio Intervals.

I was psyched up last night, looking forward to doing this for the first time. I recall that my last few posts regarding Cardio Intervals stated something to the effect that this workout wasn't tough enough, and something similar for Medicine Ball Core Cardio, and was musing about doing these back-to-back to try to get the burn I was looking for. So, this morning, I popped in Medicine Ball Core Cardio, picked up a 5 lb weight (the handle only from the newly purchased PowerBlocks) and away I went. The workout went well, and I developed a reasonable sweat. In the future, it might be worth exploring using a 10 lb weight, at least for some of the exercises.

Following the completion of Medicine Ball Core Cardio, I immediately started Cardio Intervals, skipping the warm-up. I actually didn't find the workout to be too tough, although some of the moves are a bit awkward for me (half-moons and jumping side kicks come to mind). One move consisting of a side leap to a single leg squat followed by a front kick with the free leg gave me balance issues at first, but by contracting my core, I was able to control my tendency to fall off to one side and really improved my form. That was satisfying. From then on, I focussed on what my core was doing during all exercises, and it made a difference in the overall intensity of the workout.

When I completed the workout, I was sweating profusely. My knees had a slight soreness (nothing particularly uncomfortable or concerning) and my legs were rather tired. I'd say that these two workouts should be combined again in the future. In general: success!

That ends Week 6; looking forward to more intensity during Week 7.

Round 4: Day 30: Cardio Intervals

Yesterday officially kicked off Phase 2 of Round 4, and I had my son take the traditional 30 day photos. These weren't as impressive to me as those taken 30 days ago; perhaps the difference is that the official photographer was standing farther away from his impressive subject, making the subject appear smaller and less developed than in true life. No matter. The next photo shoot will take subject distance into account which will, no doubt, lead to more pleasing results.

I've now done Cardio Intervals three times, and I think you get out of it what you put into it. It's not a bad workout, but it doesn't really kick my butt. It's certainly not Plyometrics nor Intervals X Plus. It's just a decent, fairly light cardio routine. I tried really hard to be extra intense today, but still managed to work up only a mild sweat and never really found myself huffing and puffing. Perhaps I should be pairing this routine with Medicine Ball Core Cardio, to find that little extra burn. On the other hand, I wasn't particularly in the mood for exercising this morning, as it is Monday morning, and my body was asking for a bit of extra sleep. However, as it is the start of Phase 2, I think it's time for a serious program review, and, judging from my posts over the last 30 days, some revisions are in order. This week, I'll make the necessary adjustments and try to push myself a little bit harder and see whether I can obtain some improved results.

Yesterday, I took the plunge and purchased a set of PowerBlocks, model Sport 5.0. They range from 5-50 lbs in 5 lb increments. I've seen them in stores before, but had forgotten how large the full 50 lb set is. They're really rather sizeable. However, per the ads, when I placed the 10 lb stack beside my 10 lb dumbbell, the solid dumbbell was, in fact, larger than the PowerBlock stack. That was impressive. I'm looking forward to using the new dumbbells in the appropriate exercises. There will be a bit of a learning curve, because I'm not sure which weights are the equivalents of the resistance bands I've been using to date, but that will likely occur only once; after that, I'll be using the new weights as a revised benchmark for future reference.

Round 4: Day 13: Cardio Intervals

Writing down information is important, and I'm glad I did so. I've only done Cardio Intervals once, a few weeks ago, and have pretty much forgotten the exercises. To prepare, I consulted my one previous post on the subject and realized that I was unhappy with the warmup. I love sending myself notes. This morning, I decided to forego the taped warmup and did a 6 minute warmup myself, addressing the parts of my body I knew would require special attention. Then, with a warm and reasonably happy body, I skipped the taped warmup and went directly to the workout.

The workout starts gently which, early in the morning, is most appreciated. The intensity builds steadily towards the end of the first set of 20 exercises. Then, a short break, and the entire sequence is repeated. There are a combination of moves: some plyometric, some core, some cardio. Some moves combine both core and cardio, such as plyometric lunges with a torso twist thrown in, just for fun. It's not the most intense workout I have, but I did work up a decent sweat by the end. Considering that Day 6 in the workout schedule is to be a slightly lighter cardio day, this workout fit the bill. I will review the workout schedule to see when this workout is to occur, and adjust the schedule accordingly if it's inserted too frequently. I'd like to dial up the intensity somewhat in the cardio department during this round and don't feel that objective will be achieved if this workout occurs too frequently.

End of Week 2. Looking forward to Week 3, which will see a return to many of the original P90X discs.

Round 4: Day 2: Cardio Intervals

Day 1

The day started with 30/15 (One on One with Tony Horton), a routine which involves doing 30 pushups of various types, followed by 15 pullups of various types. 30/15 is a suggestion; following those numbers depends upon you level of strength and willpower, both of which diminish towards the end of the workout. I was able to maintain the 30 pushups until the last two exercises; then, chataranga pushups hit me, and my numbers dropped precipitously to 20 pushups. These pushups seem straightforward enough: 2 on the PowerStands, 2 on the floor, and repeat. The moving back and forth from the stands to the floor, combined with the slightly different type of stress the different pushup positions put on the body seemed to drain the energy from my arms, shoulders, chest and willpower. I found that at 20, I just couldn't get my arms to lift my body any more. Pullups were a different story. Using the black resistance band for each type of pullup, I decided to try for 20 on each round. Those were successful, so I know that I can increase that number, perhaps to 24 each, next time. I really liked this workout. It was somewhat different from Chest and Back (P90X) because it omitted Decline and Divebomber pushups, but it was still really challenging and really rewarding. I think that I've never done so many pushups and pullups in one workout ever. Love it.

Later in the day, I did Killer Abs from the One on One series. This is a combination of the Abs moves from Power 90 and Ab Ripper X from P90X. I've never done the Power 90 abs exercises, and found them to be challenging, especially the move where you twist your torso and do crunches which isolate the obliques. Huffing and puffing. The ARX moves were all familiar, of course, and I found them to be fairly easy, as Tony inadvertently omitted Wide Leg/Cross Leg situps, and only did 20 repetitions of each move. Still, the combination of both ab workouts made for an intensive workout. I really felt it in my obliques when I woke up this morning.

I also felt the 30/15 workout when I awoke this morning. My upper body was experiencing some pain which I haven't felt in quite some time. It feels good knowing that I'm once again confusing my body and challenging myself. I'm optimistic for this new workout regimen.

Day 2

The morning started with Cardio Intervals (One on One), which I had briefly previewed on fast-forward, but had not yet tried. I was a bit disappointed with the warmup sequence, which went a bit too fast for my liking; it also didn't really target the legs as much as I would have liked. I'll likely extend this warmup regimen in the future to ensure that I target the muscle groups I think need work. By now, I have enough experience to know that there are a variety of exercises available to warm up those parts of the body, and I know what my body needs.

It usually takes some time to become accustomed to exercise moves, and this disc is no different. The workout consists of 20 moves, each executed for 30 seconds, and repeated over two rounds, with a short break between rounds. Not surprisingly, when 20 moves are involved, some are going to be more intense and more enjoyable than others. It took me some time to work up a sweat, and, during the Kenpo moves, I felt my heart rate drop somewhat. It's a somewhat uneven workout, but I'll give it a chance. By the end of the workout, I was sweating, but nothing like Interval X Plus, or Plyometrics. I even felt that Super Cardio was more exerting than this; however, it deserves another chance. About 45 minutes after the workout, I did feel fatigued. On the plus side, there are a lot of moves which involve twisting the upper body, and that helped work out the kinks and soreness in my arms and shoulders, providing some much-needed relief from yesterday's 30/15 workout.

Tomorrow, back to P90X, with Shoulders and Arms.