Round 6: Day 17: Diamond Delts

My strength is improving as this new Round rolls along. I felt strong this morning when I commenced the Diamond Delts workout, and decided to increase my weight on several exercises, and to increase my repetitions on others. In addition, I still did my personal bonus round (two each of pike presses with legs on a couch, military press and side flys) and I still felt like I had some gas left in the tank. I topped out in military press with 14 reps during the second round (one more rep and I would have had the weight land on my face). So the point is made: there's room to be more aggressive in weight selection.

I really enjoy this workout, especially the start, when Tony is doing the shout-outs. Even though I've heard it all before, I still grin when Tony mentions Richard Bell's name, and mimics a bell clapper with his head wobbling side to side. The guy is just naturally funny, or at least we share a similar sense of humour. This workout seems relaxed in tone and while you're working hard, Tony really makes it fun and entertaining. The time passes quickly as a result.

I've noticed that on some exercises, I'm lifting as much as Tony, which has always been a goal of mine. He's only a couple of years older than I am, but (of course) so much more accomplished, so when I can approach the weight that he's handling, it feels like a significant achievement to me. I've always tried to be competitive with myself, but still, I can't just sit back and not notice what others are lifting. It's my nature, I guess.

My shoulders, which used to be a weak part of my body, have definitely made improvements over the past few months. I've made some notes to lift heavier during the next Diamond Delts workout, as I feel that there's still more opportunity for improvement. That's the great thing about this program. Once you've achieved a goal, move the goal posts, and go for the next goal. Build on your successes. Eventually, you'll achieve a state of fitness (mental and physical) that you've never before enjoyed.

The more I exercise, the more I come to realize that the mental benefit is as powerful as the physical.

Round 6: Day 16: Insanity: Pure Cardio

Oddly, I still find this workout intimidating, mostly after the stretch but before plunging into the workout proper. It's the fear of not knowing how my body really feels, and whether I'll have sufficient energy to complete the workout, or, if I can complete the workout, it's not knowing how much intensity I'll be able to put into each exercise. This is, of course, all in my mind, and it shows you the importance of getting your mind right before engaging in exercise. I've heard Tony Horton say (during P90X Chest and Back) that your mind tells you to stop way before your body is really fatigued. This illustrates the power of the mind. What you need to do is to train your mind to convince your body to keep going and to do more work. This positive approach will result in a more beneficial workout. I'd even go one step further and say that such a positive approach would result in greater success in most of life's endeavours. All you have to do is research the effect the placebo can have on your body.

Once again, I managed to complete the entire workout without pausing the DVD, although again, I would say that of my effort on some of the exercises was pretty ugly (frog jumps come to mind). There are a few sequences during the workout which tax a particular part of the body: glutes and quads, or shoulders and arms. In particular, inserting switch kicks as the second exercise is particularly devilish. Shaun T evidently likes to challenge.

It's looking like my body is gaining strength during Week 3. I've noticed that my weight is up a few pounds, but my pants are fitting looser than ever. I'm likely gaining muscle while loosing some fat. Measurements should confirm my theory. I'm looking forward to pounding the upper body this week on the resistance days.

Round 6: Day 15: Chest and Back

An off-topic comment first: last Friday afternoon, I went for a run with my daughter for the first time ever. She's now 18 and has told me frequently that she hates running. For someone who hates running, she exhibited nice form and admirable endurance. She chalked up the form to her gym teacher, who sports a Gillian Michaels-like intensity for all things athletic; endurance, she attributed to me. It's nice to know that the old man can still push the young punks. To top it off, I was running wearing my Vibram Five Fingers. This was the first time I've run in those minimalist shoes, and it was pure joy. I've been wearing minimalist shoes at the office for months now, and my walking gait has adjusted to ensure that I have a mid-foot or fore-foot strike each step I take. Running in a similar manner required very little adjustment. I'm going to try to make our run a weekly event.

On-topic now, I tackled P90X's Chest and Back workout. I may have said this before (I don't make it a habit to read my archived posts, so please forgive me if I'm repeating myself) but I have a real fondness for this workout for several reasons: it's the first P90X workout I ever did; and it's a workout where I've perhaps shown the greatest amount of improvement.

I felt really energetic during the workout, and increased the number of reps on standard pushups from 30 each round to 35. I also increased my weight on heavy pants and lawnmowers. It's a great feeling knowing that there's still room for improvement. I'll likely increase my reps on military pushups next time around, having reached 30 each round and still feeling that there's gas left in the tank.

Great start to Week 3.

Round 6: Day 13: Insanity: Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Breakthrough day! For the first time, I managed to force my body to endure the entire Plyometric Cardio Circuit workout without pausing the DVD. The second series of circuits had been dogging me since I first started the Insanity workouts, at the start of Round 5. It took me this long to finally prevail. This is the same feeling I had when I was first able to complete the P90X Plyometrics workout without having to pause the DVD. There's a tremendous sense of satisfaction in knowing that you've made improvements in strength and endurance.

Having said that, I'm not ready to move on to the Max Plyometric DVD. I'm still struggling with the pushup / ski abs / in-out sequence. When I can do those competently for three circuits, then I'll be ready to move on. Alternatively, if I can grab the stone from the master's hand...(Kung Fu reference, for those too young to recall).

It's been a really tough week. It felt unrelenting every day, with the possible exception of yoga, which was welcome relief thrown into the middle. I'm really looking forward to taking a day off, then hitting Chest and Back hard, which is one of my favourite workouts.

Bring on Week 3!

Round 6: Day 12: Shoulders and Arms

Some days you crush the workout; some days the workout crushes you. I got beaten up today by this workout. Not completely humiliated, just humbled a bit. It seems that I'm still playing a bit of catch-up in the numbers department, as I wasn't able to quite match the numbers I put up the last time I did this workout, in the third week of April. It wasn't for lack of willpower or lack of trying. I was busting my gut on each exercise. My arms are still sore as I write this, and I'm sure that there'll be more pain tomorrow.

Having griped about that, I must say that the workout was terrific. I was able to increase my weight on a couple of exercises. On others, I felt like I was really struggling with the weight the first time through, so at the second opportunity, I decreased my weight, but increased my reps. It was a little disappointing having to do that, but I was concerned about not only preventing injury, but also ensuring that I derived benefit from the exercise. I'd rather do 12 reps at a lighter weight, than squeeze out 6 at a heavier weight. The discrepancy between the number of reps was just too great to justify using a heavier weight today. Hopefully, next time I'll be up to handling the heavier weight. That's the funny thing about working out: you just have to take it day to day. It's all based on how you feel at the time.

On the other hand, I'm looking forward to giving my arms and shoulders a break, and getting back to cardio tomorrow.

Round 6: Day 11: Yoga

For the last month or so, I've been feeling that my body is less flexible than it used to be. Perhaps it is that I took a couple of weeks off from working out, either due to illness or to taking some extra time between Rounds. I do know that towards the end of Round 5, I tweaked something in my back (during a Shoulders and Arms routine, I believe) and my left hamstring has felt tight ever since. My hope is that yoga will help soothe that condition and restore my previous state of flexibility.

Today was back to the basics, with Patience "Hummingbird" yoga. I practiced the essential poses: warrior 1 and 2, chair pose, lots of upward and downward dogs, triangle pose, side arm balance (with leg raise) and some hamstring stretches. Each pose is held for a fairly long period of time (about a minute or so), allowing you time to breathe, relax, and to clear your mind. By the end of the workout, I felt as though the stresses of everyday life had left my body and I was ready to face the day.

It will likely take another couple of weeks to regain my flexibility, but I know that yoga will be an important element in doing so.

Namaste.

Round 6: Day 10: Back and Biceps

I'm a little tired. Not sick and tired, just tired. It's been hot and humid here in sunny Toronto recently, and several days of that can suck the energy out of you, no matter how much you're staying in the shade (which I'm doing) and regardless of the volume of water you drink (I've been drinking plenty). Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I live for this weather. It can be a long winter here, and I look forward to being outside and being as active as possible. These days are fleeting (that's a metaphor for life, folks) and one must take advantage of one's opportunity to live.

So, in the spirit of extending life, I got around to Back and Biceps today (following a review of the baseball scores and highlights, of course - one must have priorities in life). The DVD features a good-natured group who enjoys Tony's banter and company and there's a bit of wit throughout. That doesn't mean that the kids aren't working out hard - they are - but it shows that a workout doesn't have to be all sweat, brow-furrowing and grit. There should be opportunities to kid around, relax a bit, and enjoy. The result is that this is an enjoyable workout which also motivates.

This workout is different from Just Arms in that it includes back exercises. Also, I find the pace of this workout to be brisker than Just Arms, so I find myself a little more exerted (and sweaty) during Back and Biceps. As always, I have my workout sheet to guide me, and I was pleased to see that I was able to increase the weights on some of the exercises, with a resultant decrease in repetitions, in some cases. In one exercise, I was not able to match the number of repetitions from the previous workout. C'est la vie. I'm not the same person I was several weeks ago, so I guess my results shouldn't always be identical. Moods change, the body changes, the temperature changes; there are lots of variables at play.

Nice workout, and so far, Week 2 is rolling along well.