P90X: Round 2: Day 87: Kenpo X

I had a mishap while riding home from the office yesterday: I blew out my front tire while rounding a corner and took a spill, slightly injuring my left hip. I was a bit sore, but applied ice upon arriving at home and I'll be able to carry on with my workouts.

Which brings me to Kenpo, the last time this round. I wasn't sure how I'd be able to handle the kicks, so I paid extra attention to the Saunders Cycle stretches, to ensure that whatever attention my left hip and leg required, they would receive it. It was actually one of the better warmup sessions I've had with Kenpo. I learned that one should always maintain focus, even (especially) when warming up. The first series of rotations and punches (hook-uppercut) with the left leg forward were a bit painful, as they require rotation of the left hip; however, those exercises served to warm up my hip more, allowing more flexibility, and set me up for the kicks.

I moved somewhat gingerly through the kick sequence to start, but felt no pain, so I was really able to Bring It. The exercises moved quickly, and overall, it was a terrific workout. I even cycled into work, pain-free. I'll say that being in shape probably helped me get through this fall by making me less vulnerable and more durable. At least, that's the story I'll be sticking to.

Favourite move today: high sword, low hammer.

Toughest move today: side kicks, left leg.

Tony line of the day: "Knees up, c'mon...knees up, c'mon...knees up, c'mon..."

Looking forward to a good stretch tomorrow.

P90X: Round 2: Day 83: Kenpo X

It took forever to get moving this morning. I had a short amount of sleep last night, as the kids were excitedly chattering about completing school and looking forward to summer plans. Also, I ate poorly yesterday, leaving me sluggish this morning. I must remember not to skip any of my meals or snacks. Breaking the 3 to 4 hour rule really doesn't do the body any favours.

So, up at 6:15AM, but not into Kenpo until about 6:55. But, once I was into the warmup, I was ready to go. My body felt pretty good today. Sometimes, my glutes are killing me from Legs and Back the previous day, but today, I was reasonably well off. During the warm-up, my hamstrings felt a bit tight. I tried to stretch them as much as possible, but the poor muscles can only go so far some days. As a result, kicks were tough today, especially back kicks. I even had some balance issues on back kicks because I was having some problems extending my legs to the desired extent and location. Do your best and...

I enjoy this workout as the final workout in the week. It's more fun and less intense than most of the workouts and the time does pass quickly with all the kicks and punches. I'm looking forward to the next level of Kenpo in P90X Plus.

Favourite move today: side lunge, high sword, low hammer.

Toughest move today: back kicks and side kicks.

Tony line of the day: "We don't need no stinkin' break."

End of Week 12. Looking forward to Recovery Week and the completion of Round 2.

P90X: Round 2: Day 76: Kenpo X

I must have done a great job yesterday on Legs and Back, because today, my legs and specifically, my glutes were killing me today. The warm-up went better than expected, and twisting my torso over each leg went well, with a good range of motion and very little stiffness. The stiffness started later in the day, following the workout, when I rode my bike to the office. After a few hours at the office, I could barely get up to walk around without feeling extreme stiffness in my glutes. I'll have to do the glute stretch from Yoga to see whether I can improve the situation.

My focus drifted in and out during Kenpo today. I was still a little miffed about the office internet situation, and kept thinking about how I was going to deal with it, which took my mind a bit off the exercises. That's not to say that I didn't get a solid workout in. I still sweated plenty by the end of it. My kicks have been improving, which is a bit of a surprise because hamstring tightness doesn't permit me to achieve the leg height I'd like to see. Slowly, by paying attention to form, I've been increasing my height a bit. I think it helps to make the move more mechanical, than fluid. That's what the people in the video seem to be doing, at least. They seem to be doing very deliberate actions, even when their arms are resting by their sides. Anyway, considering I've never done any form of martial art before, and am essentially self-taught from watching videos, I think I've come pretty far, and am not complaining.

Favourite move today: punching sequences.

Toughest move today: side kicks.

Tony line of the day: "No Krispy Kremes in the house!"

End of Week 11. Next: time to really Bring It with Week 12.

P90X: Round 2: Day 62: Kenpo X

This feels like the early days of P90X: major pain in the legs and butt following a day of Legs and Back. Either I'm really Bringing It, or I'm dearly paying the price for skipping out on the recovery drink yesterday. My legs and back were really stiff this morning, and the Kenpo warmup didn't seem to do much to stretch things out.

The workout wasn't great today. I was somewhat of a clock watcher, which is really unusual, because I don't recall ever looking at the clock in anticipation of the workout ending. I resigned myself to the fact that this day would be a "do your best and forget the rest" day. I tried to increase my intensity and focus the best I could. I ended up working up a good sweat, and perhaps I did reasonably overall, but I definitely felt this was one of my weaker experiences with Kenpo.

Following the workout, I rode my bike to the office, and felt great. Again, perhaps I need to eat a bit more for some extra energy.

Favourite move today: high sword, low hammer. I realized that this is a wolf in sheep's clothing. It's just a disguised lunge. I took my lunges really deep.

End of week 9. The start of week 10 will be tough. On days 1 and 2, I have commitments which may interfere with the timing of my workouts. I'll try to get the workouts in really early, prior to my other commitments. We'll see how it goes.

Toughest move today: side kicks, left leg. My leg just wasn't cooperative today, and I had difficulty getting my customary height out of my kicks.

Tony line of the day: "Be good to your body, and your body will be good to you."

P90X: Round 2: Day 52: Kenpo X

I woke up this morning, not feeling great. My wife has had the sniffles for a few days, and my son definitely has a cold. I'm somewhat concerned that this is working its way through the house. As a result, I'm going to bump up my consumption of vitamin C and I'll start taking some echinacea drops. I find that this approach has worked in the past, and has either staved off a cold completely, or at least diminished it. Whether this is a placebo or not, I believe it; at least it works for me.

I recalled reading somewhere on the internet that if you're feeling poorly, cutting out exercise may not do anything to prevent a cold from running through your body. So, I decided against rest, popped in the Kenpo disc, and went to work. As usual, I merely endured the Saunders cycle stretches. This is part of the Kenpo program I definitely do NOT enjoy; although, I will say that I like the leg stretches when lying on my back and the downward dog exercises to stretch out my calves. I noticed that my glutes and legs weren't sore; no doubt, due to the absence of Legs and Back yesterday. This made me more enthusiastic for today's workout, as I often feel a bit of joint and muscle tightness from Legs and Back, which inhibits my abilities during Kenpo.

Kenpo moves quickly, and I find that before I know it, I'm sweaty as hell and finished. Today was no exception. I generally like the pace of this workout and find that my heart rate is usually pretty high. By the end of the workout, beads of sweat are flinging off my elbows and fists, dotting the tv screen. Not the most pleasant image, perhaps, but definitely a sign of success.

Favourite move today: ball kicks. Good form, high leg, no hyperextension of the joint.

Toughest move today: side kicks. It's hard for an old guy like me to get the legs really high. My joints can only take so much.

Tony line of the day: "Ain't no tired...ain't no tired..." (break)

P90X Round 2, Day 34: Kenpo X

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: doing Kenpo the day after Legs and Back is a glute killer for me. On top of it all, I decided to ride my bike down to the office. Ouch. Riding home uphill should make for an interesting end to the day.

I know I'm in for a tough day of Kenpo when I do downward dog to stretch out my calves and they are incredibly tight. I thought I had done a reasonable job stretching them out following the Legs and Back workout, but I guess I was Johnny Intense during the calf raises yesterday and really hit the muscles' sweet spot during the last ten burners. Stretching out this morning during the Saunders Cycle warmup resulted in a lot of groaning, popping, clicking and breathing. I thought the warmup would kill me.

At least I was able to pursue the workout in reasonably good form. I had extra concentration on the punching sequences, making sure to rotate my body, pivot on my heels, and taking care not to bang or hyperextend my joints. I think my heart rate was more elevated during this sequence than before, due to the extra attention given to the quality of the exercises.

Still, the leg kicks kicked my butt. Those sore glutes from yesterday prevented me from getting any serious height out of my side and back kicks, at least for the first few in the sequences. Eventually, my legs stretched out, becoming used to the kicking motion, and I managed to get in a few respectable repetitions. Overall, I had a good workout and worked up a fabulous sweat.

I am still the undisputed owner of the Klutz of the Day award with my form on Star Blocks. No matter how hard I try this, I cannot seem to coordinate my arm motions properly. I probably look hilarious trying to do this move. It's a good thing I'm alone in my tiny basement, away from prying eyes. My wife did drop in on me once (fortunately, I was doing side kicks at the time) and I thought I glimpsed her eyes rolling, but at least she didn't catch the Star Block circus: arms flailing...you get the idea. Neither pretty, nor impressive.

Favourite move today: the opening punching sequences.

Toughest move today: front knee kick, followed by back kick. Pulling in the knee really stretched out my glutes. Ouch.

Tony line of the day: "Real sweat. Real people."

P90X Round 2, Day 24: Kenpo X

I take back everything I said about Wesley Idol in my last Kenpo post. I recently saw a series of really interesting videos about the making of P90X on YouTube and saw Wesley in his studio showing some moves to Tony. Wesley Idol is a pro. No wonder he's smirking during the Kenpo workout; he probably barely breaks a sweat doing it. Next time, I'll keep my opinions to myself. But then, I suppose, what's a blog for?

I love seeing how things are made, especially films. P90X is no exception. I find it really interesting seeing the story behind the story, the personalities, the stresses and pressures, the marketing decisions, the exercises that didn't make it into the final product, and the difficulties people had following the diet. Watching this series really made me appreciate how difficult it is to design a fitness program that works. Here's the link to the first video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b91m0S5adBc

Once you're there, the others in the series will pop up. I think there are 24 altogether. Well worth watching.

Back to Kenpo. Having seen those videos the other day, I was really intent on making this the best workout ever, so I became Johnny Intense. I still have difficulty on some of the side and back kicks because I don't have the greatest flexibility in my hips (although I am really trying to open up my hips during the warmup). Just do your best and forget the rest. Over time, I hope that my kicks improve.

Favourite move today: elbow sequence.

Toughest move today: side kicks with right leg extended.

Tony line of the day: "Wesley, he's Mr. Flex-and-Breathe." (warmup)

[Sorry, no more posts until Friday.]

P90X Round 2, Day 13: Kenpo X

I had a really tough time getting started this morning. I woke up at 6:15 and can usually start exercising within 10 minutes of waking up; however, today was an exception. I kept dawdling and it was close to 7:00 AM before I settled into my Saunders cycle warmup. There's a move during this warmup where you stretch out your leg straight to the side, then rotate your torso over the outstretched leg and touch the floor on each side of your outstretched leg with each hand. That really puts a strain on my hamstring and I find it rather uncomfortable, but since Kenpo involves so many kicks, it's important to stretch out the hamstrings as much as possible. I also find it tough to lie on my back and pull my straight, outstretched leg to one side, opening up my hips. The Kenpo warmup really reveals some of my weaknesses. I'll have to work on my leg and hip flexibility. No doubt this will also help improve my form during Ab Ripper.

The workout, when I finally got around to it, went well. I particularly like the intensity Tony brings to this workout. I've gotten to the point where I don't really watch the screen so much, as I now feel that I have a pretty good understanding of what my body should be doing throughout the exercises. Every now and then, I glance over to see what's happening on-screen. One oddity I find is the contrast in intensity between Tony and Wesley Idol. Tony seems extremely intense, while Wesley seems to take the workout as a bit of a joke. Looking at their faces during the vertical punches, Tony is really focussed while Wesley has a schoolboy smirk on his face. I find that a bit off-putting, personally.

I really like Tony Lattimore. He strikes a deep horse stance for many of his moves and he seems really intense. His body looks rock solid. I'm no expert, but his form seems worth emulating.

Favourite move today: elbow series

Hardest move today: three way kicks. My balance was a bit off for this and I stumbled a bit. I need a bit more focus to improve, especially side kicks.

Tony line of the day: "That shirt was LIGHT green when she started. We don't do any spray-on here...we do actual DNA removal." (commenting on Vanessa's shirt during the cool-down)

That ends week 2. Tomorrow: Rest (no post)

P90X Round 2, Day 6: Kenpo X

Kenpo X is a strange workout for me because the punches and kicks are so foreign. I've never taken any sort of martial arts class (heck, I've never been in a fight in my life!) so I have no idea of how my body should be moving during any of these moves, with the exception of running in place during the breaks.

The challenge for me is to watch the moves closely and to try to emulate what's going on on-screen. This has taken some time and there are still some moves which are a bit questionable, such as Star Blocks. This move has me waving my arms up and down like an idiot. I can do all the blocks individually, but put them together? Forget it. At this point, the cardio aspect of Kenpo drops precipitously.

Having said that, I do find the workout to be enjoyable overall and challenging, the kicks in particular. My legs don't have that much flexibility, so I find raising my leg high on side and rear kicks to be difficult. Improving those moves is an objective of mine in this workout.

Favourite move today: high sword, low hammer. I just like the rhythm and movement of this move, combined with a deep, lateral lunge.

Most difficult move: believe it or not, there's a move in the warm-up where you turn laterally over your straight, outstretched leg while in a deep squat position, which I find quite straining on the ol' hamstring. Following Legs and Back yesterday, the hamstrings and glutes were complaining a bit today, especially during that warmup move.

Tomorrow I'll take a rest day, so no post. This ends week 1. All in all, a pretty good week.