Round 4: Day 39: Yoga

Ahhh, yoga. My shoulders weren't too sore this morning from yesterday's workout, but there were still some moments during Downward Dog where I was sincerely glad that I was doing yoga.

Great workout today. Great energy, great vibes.

Namaste.

Round 4: Day 38: Diamond Delts / Ab Ripper X

Diamond Delts

Today was the first time I did this workout. Thanks to Lee Lichlyter on the P90X Facebook site, who set me up with workout log sheets for the One on One series. I found the log sheets to be invaluable during P90X, as they show the number of repetitions completed with a particular weight or resistance band. There's nothing more effective than tracking your progress. Otherwise, you won't remember what you did, so you won't know what adjustments to make to improve the quality of your workout.

As with Just Arms, I was excited to do this workout because it meant using the new dumbbell kit again. My shoulders, and particularly my left shoulder, are about the weakest part of my body. It seems that during Shoulders and Arms, and Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, the shoulder exercises are the ones which give me the most trouble. So, I was grateful for the opportunity to focus exclusively on a weakness today.

The workout is structured as circuit training: 3 groups of 3 exercises. Do one set of three, then repeat. One exercise, Pike Presses, is part of the first two groups. Pike Presses don't really bother me. I initially found them to be tremendously difficult during CST, but now I'm more used to them and enjoyed the variety introduced on this DVD. Tony slings his legs up high on the top rail of his dumbbell rack, then proceeds to drop his head between the PowerStands, so his head is going almost vertically, up and down. I used a fairly high chair for the first round. In the second round, I dropped down to a lower level of elevation, using a couch. These exercises really bring it to the shoulders.

Other exercises I enjoyed were the Shoulder Presses (seated position, pressing the dumbbells straight up), Arnold presses (a half-curl leading to a press, while corkscrewing the dumbbell), Side Presses (lying down on one side and lifting the dumbbell). Overall, it's a nice workout and, although I felt my arms and shoulders grow tired, I never really sweated that much. Lee left three blank spaces at the bottom of the page to encourage the user to do a bonus round and, as I wasn't completely exhausted, I did another set of three exercises (and repeated). After the final set of Pike Presses, I was pretty worn out.

As I write this, my shoulders feel a little tired, and I'm pretty sure I'll feel it in my neck later on. It's difficult to keep the neck relaxed when pressing weights. We'll see how things go over the next few days.

Ab Ripper X

Ripped out ARX after work. Great workout. I'm almost back to where I want to be with this workout.

Round 4: Day 37: Plyometrics

Where does a year go? Almost 1 year ago, I started P90X, and had heard nightmare stories about Plyometrics. I'd have to say that the stories are all true. The first day I did Plyo, I was bagged for the entire day. I took numerous breaks, sweated like a pig, huffed and puffed, and basically, couldn't really come close to keeping up. Today, everything has changed.

Plyometrics breezed by this morning. I was well-rested, in a good frame of mind and was ready to tackle the challenge head-on. I didn't even really work up a sweat until after the second break and broke out the Jump Knee Tucks and Mary Katherine Lunges. Everything was working well for me today, almost like I was able to step outside my body, focus on breathing, concentrate on form, squat lower, jump higher and push harder. Afterwards, I took a nice, hot shower, and enjoyed the sensation of being tired, yet invigorated. Great workout.

Round 4: Day 36: Upper Plus / Killer Abs

Upper Plus

Upper Plus was a completely different ballgame today, because of the introduction of dumbbells (present company excluded, of course) to the various exercises. There was a bit of trial and error happening, because I wasn't sure what I was capable of lifting, having employed resistance bands to this point, but it all seemed to work out (no pun intended) reasonably well. I had to pause the DVD occasionally, to set the desired weight level, whereas before, I would just grab the appropriately-coloured band and jump right into the exercise. I found the exercises harder with the dumbbells, and my repetition numbers dropped like a stone. On the other hand, I was really fatigued after the exercises and, in some cases, had quite a bit of difficulty even finishing. There will be some time of adjustment before the correct weights are picked for the exercises.

It was almost like doing this workout for the first time. The dumbbells were fantastic. I'm now really excited about making some gains in my fitness level because I've switched from the resistance bands. I'm looking forward to the P90X workouts where I can add some serious weight and go for 8-10 reps. This workout deals more with time, rather than reps, so it is incumbent on you to select the correct weight which permits you to perform the exercise for the full time duration allocated. I don't mind that approach; it's just that I end up picking up a slightly lighter weight than I'd like to, to ensure that I can continue lifting the weight for the full time period. I'm getting anxious about cranking out some heavy weights to build some muscle.

Even though I found myself pausing the DVD more frequently than in the past, it's still a great way to start Week 6.

Killer Abs

I didn't eat or drink well today. I was a little undernourished and didn't have sufficient hydration. As a result, I didn't have my best effort during Killer Abs, which I undertook around 4:15 today (right after the Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the lowly Kansas City Chiefs - or Chefs - as my son is fond of saying). I still find the first half (Ab Ripper) really challenging. I'm looking forward to the time when the opening sequences become easy. I took a short pause between Ab Ripper and Ab Ripper X for an extended breather, then jumped into ARX. These sequences passed quickly and without incident. Oddly, I find the shorter, Ab Ripper exercises more difficult. At any rate, the workout is great. I've just heard that the new One on One workout, Butt and Belly, is a killer ab workout. I'll have to investigate further when I have the opportunity. I'm always on the lookout for another way to punish my abs.

Round 4: Day 34: Super Cardio

I like the way Super Cardio starts: Tony states that he's not particularly in the mood and that his right hamstring is a bit questionable. I'll bet that's the way many of the participants feel. I also wasn't particularly in the mood, especially after having completed Legs & Back yesterday. There's something about Legs & Back which always gets me in the hamstrings and glutes the next day, no matter how much I stretch before and afterwards. It's just a beast of a workout.

So Super Cardio is usually particularly tough when it follows Legs & Back. The first exercise, something akin to a duck and dodge, which would normally be a fairly light plyometric move, becomes a serious thigh burner by the third repetition. In the second series, the squat-leap-180° turn-squat move also becomes difficult by the third repetition. By the end of the second round, I was really breathing hard and grateful for the third round, the Kenpo moves, which gave my heart rate a break. Although I was grateful for the break, in retrospect I wish the third round was a bit tougher, which would have brought up the intensity level of the workout; however, I suspect that cardio is not really Tony's thing.

This has been a fantastic week. There's been a lot of muscle confusion, starting with 30-15, continuing with Just Arms, and ramping it up with Legs & Back. My body has been continually sore this week, something I haven't really felt in quite some time. This week has been a great assembly of workouts. Perhaps inserting Plyometrics on Day 2 would have been an improvement. I'm looking forward to repeating this again.

End of Week 5. Next: Week 6.

Round 4: Day 33: Legs & Back / Killer Abs

Legs & Back

This is still the best legs workout that I have. Plyo Legs is good, but not as grinding as Legs & Back. I was up early this morning (5:35 AM) trying to will myself to get into the workout. I had to be out of the house early today to attend a seminar, and was on the clock to complete the workout and get out of the house. The alternative, working out after work, wasn't too appealing, as I also have Killer Abs scheduled for later in the day, and I don't like doing the ab routine immediately following the resistance workout. I don't usually have the energy to satisfactorily complete the ab routine after resistance training, and I really want abs to count this round. So, up early, complete Legs & Back, and get on with the day.

My Legs & Back DVD is slightly malfunctioning; the disc stops after about 3 minutes of the warmup. It does function, however, if I skip past the warmup to the first exercise, Balance Lunges. So, I fashioned my own, customized warmup for about 10 minutes, including shoulders and some light running (3 different styles, because, you know, Tony's a fan of different) and, of course, stretching out the legs. My ad hoc warmup was satisfactory, because I never felt any problems during the workout.

This workout is still challenging. I tweaked my form on the side lunges, making sure that my toes were pointing directly in the direction of the lunge, which actually made the lunges easier and more pleasant for me, especially when "exploding up" into an upright position. The most difficult move remains Single Leg Wall Squats, which won't likely ever improve. I did use slightly heavier weights than usual (15 lbs) during Calf Raises, taking advantage of my newly purchased adjustable dumbbells. I'll consider increasing the weights on some of the other exercises in the future, but today, I was a little timid to do so.

It was a great workout, and so far, my glutes aren't killing me. Wait until tomorrow.

Killer Abs

I got to this workout, as usual, upon my return home from work. I still find the first half really challenging (the Ab Ripper portion) and the Ab Ripper X part a bit of a break. My body is slowly getting used to the Ab Ripper moves, although I find them as challenging as the ARX moves, moreso in some cases. This is fast becoming one of my favourite workouts. I really like how relaxed Tony is, joking around, but he takes the moves seriously and pays attention to form. Also, some of the moves are done a little slower, giving me time to focus on contracting my abdominal muscles and concentrate on how the exercise is designed to benefit me. I think that it was a good move to do this workout twice weekly, instead of once, and am looking forward to seeing some positive results.

Round 4: Day 32: Yoga

My body wasn't as sore upon awakening this morning as I thought it would be. My forearms were a little stiff, no doubt due to all the forearm exercises undertaken yesterday, but overall, I wasn't in bad shape. I found that I was a little more flexible this morning than usual: the first bend at the waist found my hands and fingers lower to the floor than I had expected. I was focussing on bending in half, like an envelope (a good image, as Tony suggests), and his recommendation of staring at your knees, or try to get your nose to touch your knees, are also tips I find helpful.

I was encouraged by my good start to yoga. Having a good frame of mind when starting the workout is so important to the success of the workout. Most of working out is really a mental game: win that, and you'll meet with success. I'd say it's about 90% mental and 10% physical. Convince your mind that you can do something, and you'll do it. If you quit in your mind, your body will quit. You are capable of doing more than you think. There are lots of success stories on the internet demonstrating that.

The workout breezed by today. I felt strong, focussed on my stretches, turned off my mind and enjoyed the moment. Afterwards, I felt refreshed and relaxed. I love yoga, and it comes at the perfect time of the week.