Round 4: Day 4: Yoga

Before getting into Yoga, a brief word about yesterday's afternoon ARX:

Upon returning home from the office, I jumped into my shorts and did a round of ARX. My abdomen was still rather sore from Sunday's Killer Ab routine, and I probably should have done some preliminary stretching before playing the DVD, but didn't bother, thinking that within a short period of time, my abs would stretch out and be just fine. I did experience some pain during the routine. I expect this to dissipate over time, as my body becomes accustomed to the workout regimen.

The workout went reasonably well. I struggled a bit on crunchy frog, as my hip flexors were feeling rather worked over by that time, and had some form issues during oblique V-ups when laying on my left side, as well as a small stamina problem during Mason Twists, struggling to complete the final 10 twists during the bonus round. All of these issues are minor and will disappear.

This morning, I was up bright and early for Yoga X. I haven't done this workout since I discovered Fountain of Youth from Tony's One on One series some months ago (about 4 months ago, I believe) and I discarded Yoga X in favour of the shorter FOY disc. I decided to bring back Yoga X into Round 4 on a regular basis, because there are moves in Yoga X which have been expunged from FOY: right-angle pose with hand grab, balance postures, bridge, plough to shoulder stand, and an extended Yoga belly 7. All these moves are, no doubt, good for me and I felt that I would benefit from the 90 minute Yoga X workout occasionally, to complement the more convenient but necessarily less complete 48 minute FOY.

It's nice to get back to a workout with which one is intimately familiar. I rarely had to look at the screen to perform a move; everything came back from memory. I was anticipating that some of the moves would prove difficult, because I had not assumed some poses for a long time, but surprisingly, moves which had given me fits (right angle pose with hand grab) were really easy. I'm really pleased that my body is still so flexible, in spite of the fact that I've been skimping on Yoga time. Perhaps I'll look into Tony's new One on One disc, Patience, Hummingbird.

Namaste.

Round 4: Day 3: Shoulders and Arms

Resistance is not futile. That's what's been missing from the P90X+ workouts. There's certainly some resistance training in both Upper Plus and Total Body Plus, but not like the pounding your shoulders, triceps and biceps get from the 1-hour long Shoulders and Arms P90X workout. Similar to Sunday, when this workout was over, I could barely lift my arms to wash my face.

When I work up this morning, I was still sore from Sunday's workout. My shoulders and arms were still stiff and pained, and I was still experiencing abdominal pain (muscular, not food or disease related) from the appropriately-named Killer Abs routine.

I liked returning to this workout and enjoyed the good, old-fashioned, push and pull exercises. Nothing too fancy, everything is pretty basic. I noticed some areas of improvement, using my final Round 2 numbers as benchmarks. Upper Plus has improved some of my shoulder strength, as straight arm flies were no problem. I increased the intensity of the curls by standing on the resistance bands with two feet (instead of one, as demonstrated by Daniel Haas). I used the blue band for the curls instead of the black band, as the black band handles are starting to chip and deteriorate, and, using 2 feet on the band, I slowed down the exercises, focussed on form, maintained my elbows in a static position, and tried to achieve an isometric hold at the top of the movement when the band is at its point of greatest resistance. This approach led to a nice burn, especially during the repeat round. Now, I just have to work out some of the kinks in my neck.

Later: Abs

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.

P90X+: Round 3: Day 90: Yoga

Day 90! Day 90! Day 90!

I don't know if anyone noticed, but today is Day 90, marking the completion of Round 3. This round took a couple weeks longer than I had anticipated, due to illness one week and a week's vacation causing the restart of another. No matter, the important thing is that I just continued to commit to working out on a regular basis. As these posts have shown, there's no magic in the 90 days; really, they're merely benchmarks in a lifetime of pursuing the goal of overall fitness. Just as the 30-60-90 day photos are benchmarks of progress within a Round, so are the Rounds benchmarks in a year of fitness. Soon, the years will count themselves.

This Round wrapped up with Yoga, a nice, mentally-relaxing (though physically exerting) routine during which I managed to clear my mind and release some stress. I've noticed recently that it's somewhat more difficult to get my arms straight in the air above my eyes during the chair twist and right-angle pose. I'm hoping that's because I have increased my muscle mass in my shoulders, but I'm guessing that I'm just a bit inflexible in that posture. That's something to work on in the future.

As far as future objectives go, I'm trying to design the next Round's workouts to achieve a number of goals:

1) vary the workouts to encourage muscle confusion and avoid boredom

2) increase abdominal exercises (there's still more work to be done)

3) continue to work different parts of the body on different days, but ensuring that all parts of the body are worked on

4) focus on my weaknesses: abdomen, shoulders, cardio

The new Round will consist of workouts from P90X, P90X+ and One on One with Tony Horton. The schedule is broken into three phases, like P90X, for a total of 13 weeks. Weeks 4, 8 and 13 will be Recovery Weeks. Unlike P90X, the workouts vary week to week, so there's not much repetition. That should encourage muscle confusion.

Ab workouts will return three times a week, with Ab Killer on Sundays, where I'll have the extra time (I hope!) to do the elongated workout. I'm scheduling Abs/Core + for Tuesdays, and ARX on Thursdays. We'll see how it goes, and adjustments can be made along the way.

Some of the workouts may have to be rescheduled, due to a lack of dumbbells. If I can pick up a set, then I'll be able to do Diamond Delts and Just Arms. Failing that, I'll substitute some of the P90X workouts until dumbbells can be procured.

The cardio portion of the program is a bit up in the air right now, because I haven't done all of the One on One cardio workouts yet. I'll try them in Weeks 1 and 2, and adjust the schedule as required. There is a possibility of doubling up on some of the cardio workouts. I'd like to try that on Fridays, and see how my body takes it. I'd like to increase the cardio component of the workouts to encourage a bit more weight loss. That, combined with proper eating and increased ab work will hopefully reveal more of a 6-pack. Time will tell.

Legs will be worked out every Thursday, along with cardio days on Monday and Friday. I'm not expecting too many problems there.

Back will be worked out at least twice a week, rotating through Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Finally, the core will get hit at least three times a week, and occasionally more often.

I was able to get worksheets from a P90X colleague (thanks to Lee Lichlyter) for the One on One workouts, so I'll be able to journal my reps and weights. I've found that journalling results is indispensable for success in this program. Paraphrasing Tony, information is knowledge, knowledge is power and power leads to success. How do you know what you're doing if you don't write it down? How will you adjust your weights or reps the next time you do the workout if you don't know what you've done before? Keeping a log is, in my opinion, critical to success.

I'll be reviewing the schedule and monitoring my progress and making adjustments as time goes by. I want to make sure that I feel challenged and stimulated. If I don't, I'll make a change. If the workouts aren't difficult enough, I'll revise things to make life a little harder and more rewarding as a result. It's possible that as more workouts become available, I'll work those into the Round. There are no hard and fast rules. I merely want to continue on my path to achieving and maintaining good overall health. Hopefully, this plan will help me get there.

Next: Reset to Day 1: Bring It!

P90X+: Round 3: Day 89: Core Synergistics

I wasn't particularly looking forward to this workout today. To be honest, I was a bit intimidated by it, so I shirked my responsibilities on Day 86 and did Mammoth UML in its place. Today, I had passing thoughts about doing Medicine Ball Core Cardio instead of CS, but, lacking a medicine ball, decided to bite the bullet and leg out CS. I've been lugging about some 3 and 5lb plates in the back of my trunk for the past few weeks, intended as substitutes for a medicine ball, but I've been forgetful about bringing them inside the house and, at 6:30AM and 2°C temperature, I wasn't about to rush out of the house to retrieve them. So, Core Synergistics was at the top of the menu.

I don't have any major complaints about this workout. The reason it intimidates me is three-fold: prison cell pushups, plank to chataranga run, and walking pushups. Each on its own is manageable; plank to chataranga run, immediately followed by walking pushups is my nemesis. I can't think of a more gruelling combination in P90X or P90X+ than those two. Prison cell pushups are just plain nasty. I always get off to a quick start, but fade down the stretch, and by the time the exercise is over, I'm extremely thankful. Other than those exercises, Core Synergistics is pretty much a breeze. But those three tend to colour the entire workout for me.

I'd have to say that overall, CS is a tougher workout than Mammoth UML, but perhaps both have their place in a typical Recovery Week. I'll be evaluating that as time goes on. My objective for the next round is to continue to challenge myself. Because I'm deviating from a standard program, I want to make sure that I don't baby myself. If anything, I want to make life harder than easier. After all, that is the essence of Bringing It.

P90X+: Round 3: Day 88: X Stretch

Upon my return home yesterday, I jumped into my shorts and cranked out a Super Cardio workout. This is the first time I've done this workout, and I'd heard mixed reviews: some loved it, others did not find it as intense a cardio workout as those found in P90X and P90X+. No matter; I have the disc, and I'm doing the workout.

The workout consists of 3 sets of 3 moves, repeated 3 times. The first two sets are generally jumping moves; the final set are Kenpo moves. I found the first two sets pretty exerting; the third, not so much. Overall, I'd agree with those of the opinion that it's not as intense a cardio workout as the P90X or P90X+ programs. I never had to pause the disc, and didn't really find myself huffing and puffing too much. I'd be saying otherwise if the third set weren't Kenpo. I actually found myself cooling off a bit during the third set, rather than ratcheting up the intensity. I'd be happy to give this workout another twirl, and now that I know what's in store for me, I'll bring up the intensity level myself.

This morning, I relaxed a bit and did X Stretch. I still enjoy this workout, even though it's not a challenge and I don't break a sweat. Every now and then, you've got to give yourself a break, and X Stretch gives you the opportunity to say you worked out, without actually having to intensively work out. Still, at the end, I felt a bit tingly all over,and did feel relaxed, calmed and stretched out. It's true that most of your energy ends up concentrated in your neck, shoulders and hamstrings, and it's nice to spend some time dedicated to alleviating the stress in those parts of the body.

P90X+: Round 3: Day 86: Mammoth UML

Recovery Week time. Again, this week will be slightly truncated, because I was unable to start on Sunday.

I did yoga yesterday. My inflexibility at the start of the yoga workout simultaneously amazes and disgusts me. I can't believe how stiff my legs get, especially my hamstrings, when I don't stretch them out for a couple of days. The workout went reasonably well, although I didn't get sweat as much as I normally do. I think my mind was really in the moment, because I don't know where the time went. Before I knew it, the workout was over.

This morning, I decided to substitute Mammoth UML (Upper, Middle, Lower) for Core Synergistics. I wasn't particularly in the mood for Core Synergistics, and had yet to try Mammoth UML, so I was more interested in a new routine than one I've done many times before. Also, mentally, I just didn't feel up to Core Synergistics. I know, not a great attitude, but it's one that we all have sometimes. At least I didn't skip a workout; I just made a substitution. Besides, Mammoth UML does hit the core reasonably well.

Mammoth UML consists of a series of 6 sets, with 3 exercises per set. The three exercises per set targets - as indicated in the workout name - the upper (chest, arms, shoulders), the middle (abs and core) and the lower (legs). There's a short break between each set. Tony is working out in a hotel room in Mammoth, California, and all he has at his disposal in terms of exercise equipment is what's available in the hotel room: table, sofa, chairs, snowboarding boots, his body, and gravity. Using those, he manages to create a decent workout. Not bonecrushingly difficult, but moderately challenging. He puts together moves off the top of his head. Some are difficult, such as plyo hopping pushups (for lack of a better description) and 40 jump-knee-tucks at the end of the routine (I stopped at 30, but could likely have done more). I found that he took a bit too much time between individual exercises within a set, which allowed my heart rate to settle a bit more than it probably should have. It seems that Tony is a bit more winded than usual when exercising, due, no doubt, to working out in higher altitude. In general, I think I'll include this workout as part of Recovery Week for Round 4, and restrict Core Synergistics to just one day in Recovery Week instead of two. Muscle confusion, you see.