Round 5: Day 81: Yoga

An aside: I rather dislike the last serving from the bottom of a yogurt container. The texture of the yogurt seems to be much thicker and gelatinous, regardless of how much stirring and blending you do. On the other hand, there's nothing like the first serving from a freshly opened yogurt container. Smooth, creamy, well blended, refreshing, and extra tasty. Just my thoughts following this morning's breakfast.

But prior to that, I engaged in a little yoga. My body has pretty much recovered from last week's tweak, although I still feel a little stiffness in my lower back on the left side. It's noticeable when I bend over at the waist at the start of the workout, also during split leg hamstring stretches with the left leg in front, and again during seated hamstring stretches with the left leg forward. I'm definitely starting to improve in my flexibility in that area, but it's not yet where I was a few weeks ago. Patience and continued stretching will have me back to normal in a few more weeks, I suspect.

In that vein, today's workout was Patience Yoga. Since Tony is largely silent during the workout (uncharacteristically so) I found that I was behind in the motions several times throughout the DVD, and accidentally held a pose for longer than Tony. No matter. There's no panic in yoga. Only the rhythmic motion of your body and deep breathing.

Namaste.

Round 5: Day 80: Diamond Delts

Today's workout was difficult. My shoulders were a little sore from Sunday's 30-15 massacre, so pike presses weren't particularly welcome during the workout. I had serious mental issues to overcome, as my head wasn't really into the workout from the start. I recalled during one of the P90X workouts that Tony said that you quit way before you should because your mind tells you to stop, and that you're capable of doing more if you tune out your head and work towards the number you want to achieve. That's good advice, but easier said than done.

Looking back in my workout log sheet, I saw that at the end of Round 4, I didn't do my typical bonus round. I didn't want this Round to end that way so, even though I was pretty tired by the time the DVD ended, I soldiered on with my self-imposed bonus round (actually, 2 rounds of each) consisting of pike presses (legs raised up on a couch), military press, and side press. The repetition of the bonus round was tough, but it's those last few reps that break you down and build you up. Besides, in addition to building muscle, it builds character. At least until you drop the weight on your face.

My shoulders have come a long way during this Round. I'm lifting heavier than ever before, and my left side has caught up with my right side in terms of endurance and capability. Only when I'm nearing the end of my lifting ability does my left arm start to flag a little. There's still an opportunity for improvement, but I'm pleased with the gains made thus far.

Next time, I'll be looking to increase the weights a bit, decrease the reps a bit, and build up again from there.

Round 5: Day 79: Insanity: Pure Cardio

Back to the asylum for a little Insanity. Like yesterday's workout, I'd have to say that (so far) Pure Cardio is my favourite Insanity workout, for the simple reason that it's the only Insanity workout I can complete without pausing the DVD. It's not hard to please me, just make a workout easy enough for me to do it.

That's not to say that this workout is easy. I still find the frog jumps burn my quads, and the final two exercises (suicide jumps and push-up jacks) drain what strength was left in your body. At the end of the workout, I'm a quivering mass of formless jelly. I can't even pat myself on the back for the job well done.

Then, following a shower, I hop on my bike and ride down to the office. It's a good thing the ride is all downhill (the story of my life).

Again, like yesterday, I suffered no ill effects from this workout. My lower back held up admirably, exhibiting no pain or discomfort whatsoever, and I had sufficient energy to really push myself throughout the workout. A splendid time was had by all.

I'm looking forward to the Fit Test on Friday, to monitor this Round's progress.

Round 5: Day 78: 30-15

Back in the saddle again. With renewed energy, I attacked 30-15 (one of my favourite workouts) and managed to squeeze out some extra reps during the chataranga pushups at the end. Any issues related to my lower back have completely disappeared. There was no pain, tweaking or anxiety at all. It appears that the week's rest and stretch have paid off.

I love doing this workout. Even though I've done it a number of times, I still find Tony to be hilarious and I love his relaxed attitude throughout. I also like it because I'm pretty good at the exercises. I still have to find some additional strength at the end of the workout to bump the chataranga pushups up to 30 (currently sitting at 26 each round) but I think at this point that's a mental, rather than a physical, issue.

It's a great start to Week 12.

Bring It!

Having spent the last three days doing yoga, stretching and assuming various pretzel-like postures, I'm declaring this week to be successful in meeting my objectives, and will reset the calendar to commence Week 12 on Sunday. My lower back feels much better, and my range of motion is pretty much back to normal. I've been riding my bicycle the last couple of days with no ill effects.

I'm going to be cautious this week and will take a few extra minutes during my warm-ups to ensure that my hamstrings and lower back are fully stretched out and warmed up prior to my wholeheartedly engaging in the workout.

I'm looking forward to jumping back into the fray and getting to the workouts with a renewed sense of energy and vigour.

Let's hope that listening to the body pays off with strong workouts and pleasing results.

Bring It!

Recovering...

I had a 1-hour therapeutic massage yesterday, which was just what the doctor ordered. I wouldn't exactly say that I was bound up, but I was experiencing some muscle soreness, and the masseuse found those points, applied pressure (pretty much to the point of pain) and I left relaxed and pain-free. I was feeling better this morning, but decided to take it easy by doing the first half of Yoga X.

It's been awhile since I've done this workout, as I always seem pressed for time in the mornings and don't wake up early enough for the 1:32 workout. What a pleasure to do this workout again! I had nearly forgotten how much I enjoyed it (and cursed it in the early days). Now, it's pretty much a breeze to get through the first half (the movement exercises) and it was exactly what I needed to stretch out my lower back and hamstrings.

I'm probably going to continue with yoga for another few days to give my back more time to recover and to stretch out and limber up. Then, hopefully, I'll be ready to recommence Week 12.

Namaste.

Time Off

I recently posted about how flexible I am, and how that's contributed to being pain and injury-free. No sooner did I do that, then I really pushed myself in a Shoulders and Arms workout. Then, I had difficulty making it through an Insanity workout the next day. I think that I may have given myself a slight tweak in my lower back, possibly from Shoulders and Arms, and it may be been exacerbated by jumping during Insanity. As a result, I was experiencing some discomfort over the weekend, and I'm going to listen to my body and take a few days off to rest and recover. I'm not so into working out that I'm keen on seriously injuring myself.

So, I have a massage scheduled for today (thankfully, my wife has a health benefit plan which includes massages for spouses and significant others), I'll take a few days off from riding my bicycle to the office, and I'll give Tony and the kids a break. I'm sure they're happy to be away from me for awhile, anyway.

I hope that this is just a short-term break. I'd like to at least engage in some yoga or stretching over the next few days. I'll likely put Week 12 off for one week to stretch and recover, then jump back into Week 12 and finish off this Round. It's unfortunate, but that's what happens in life, and you have to learn how to handle the minor setbacks so you can quickly get back to your program.