Day 35...X Stretch and Week 5 Recap

Steph and I went out last night for a friends birthday and we stayed out later than we expected. As a result I had absolutely no plans to do X Stretch this morning, but surprisingly I woke up early and with energy to spare. So I popped it in and it was nice to do the stretches after such a challenging week. The last time I did X Stretch as the optional choice was the final day of week 1 when my body was in complete shock. So it makes sense that I did X Stretch after doing these harder resistance workouts this week. The only snag I ran into was that my hamstrings were very tight and those particular stretches were quite the challenge. I wasn't able to keep a straight leg with holding my toes, which I normally do during Yoga. 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Wheat bagel with peanut butter. Juicy juice berry.

Snack: Protein shake

Lunch: Turkey sandwich with an apple

Snack: PB&J Sandwich. Pistachios.

Dinner: 3 Potato and Cheese pierogi and a bowl of peas.

So that completes Week 5! Time for the Recap:

Chest/Shoulders/Tri's- Considering I have to do this tomorrow I will just say that it is one of the most challenging P90X workouts and I hope I'm able improve a little bit this week. Those damn Pike Press' kicked my ass last time!

Plyo- What needs to be said about Plyo? It doesn't get easier. I improved on the MK Lunges; that is a victory in itself. The person who invented Plyo is evil.

Back/Bi's- I joined Jason for this workout and I felt MUCH better about it than the first day. All those curls suck but I was still able to do them...the push ups from the first day were very hard to keep up the rep counts.

Yoga X- I really struggled with Yoga this past week and that makes me angry. I love this workout and it's a shame that I performed so poorly this time. I don't think my head was in the right place...I just couldn't hold a lot of the moves this time, including the warriors. I will try to Bring It this week!

Legs/Back- I increased my pull up rep counts this time and did all the reps on the Sneaky Lunge. Overall I felt good about this one...but the day after my Glutes were hating me. 

Kenpo X- Rocked it! Released some anger, sweat a ton, had a really good workout! From this point on it's going to be about adding hand and ankle weights to increase the intensity.

Ab Ripper X- I can't end this recap without mentioning ARX! The only moves I cannot complete with full reps are Fifer Scissors, Backward Bicycles, Crunchy Frog, and V-Up combos. I am slowly conquering this workout and the definition it's creating on my stomach is all the proof I need to tell me it's working! As Tony says...."Get it up! This is AB RIPP-ER X!!"

Tomorrow begins Week 6...I'm about half way there! The dreaded Chest/Shoulder/Tri workout awaits me and I will try to kick its ass this time! Have a good night!

Day 34...Kenpo X

I figured out a great way to maintain intensity throughout Kenpo....think of a person that pissed you off in the past and proceed to beat the crap out of them in your workout room. 

So that's what I did and it helped for many of the moves, especially the later moves when I seem to slow down a little bit. The toughest sequence for me is the Jab/Cross with the foot switch followed by Hook/Uppercut foot switch. Otherwise Kenpo is more about fun and sweating your ass off rather than feeling like your going to pass out ala Plyometrics. I added 5 lb. hand weights for the Block/Punch combo and it was HARD! By that point it was late into the workout and I was already feeling a little drained. Kenpo may be one of the easier P90X workouts but it sure doesn't pull any punches...figuratively and literally.

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Wheat bagel with Peanut butter. Juice and coffee black.

Snack: Protein shake

Lunch: Chicken pita from the nutrition guide. The unfortunate thing about this meal was the fact that my brand new, unopened container of Feta Cheese was actually open and most of the cheese had gone a little fuzzy if you know what I mean. I'm talking science experiment here. I called the company and voiced my dissatisfaction and they are sending me a coupon for a free one. So that's nice.

Snack: 2 pieces of string cheese.

Dinner: Leftover vegetarian chili.

A couple side notes. P90X recommends their Multi-Vitamin pack but I think it's too expensive. So I bought a bottle of Nature Made Multi-Vitamins instead and they work just fine. After my physical a couple months ago the doctor said I had a high Vitamin D deficiency so they put me on a plan that had me taking two 5,000 mg pills a day for three weeks. Afterwards I took one until my bottle ran out. I cannot stress how much of a difference this has made on my general well-being. During the winter I was completely stressed out and was suffering from mild depressive swings and anxiety. After taking the Vitamin D for a couple days I noticed a major improvement in how I felt and went through my day. Now I take three 1,000 mg pills in the morning and I will continue this until it gets a little nicer outside and my body starts producing it more naturally. 

So I have the optional X Stretch tomorrow which I probably won't do, and that means week 5 is in the books! I'll post a recap. tomorrow and then it's a new week. Later!

Day 33...Legs/Back/ARX

This has been an exhausting day. I spent most of the day outside tearing down our decrepit fence. It is 30 years old and since we bought our house last year, it has been collapsing in a few places. It also doesn't help that the fence was being completely taken over by vines...not small little branches but HUGE, fuzzy, Prehistoric branches that in some places were the only things holding up the fence panels. Needless to say it was an eyesore that had to be removed. So Steph and I busted our asses ripping out all the panels and sawing away every vine. It's done and we are waiting on Waste Management to deliver our dumpster on Friday.

After such hard work it was not the most pleasant decision that I made when I willed myself into doing the workout tonight. I made sure I ate my protein bar before (my last one), and then I lunged and lunged for an hour. I kicked ass on the pull ups, upping my rep counts by 2-3 on every one. The ISO toe roll was still a very painful exercise but I was able to conquer the wall squats this week. Overall it was one of the better Legs/Back workouts. 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: 2 Whole Wheat Waffles with light syrup. OJ and coffee black.

Snack: Protein shake

Lunch: Vegetarian Chili.

Snack: Protein Bar. Accelerade after workout.

Dinner: Tuna sandwich with a pickle.

Kenpo Kenpo Kenpo....tomorrow is another sweaty day of fighting imaginary people. Then it's another week down. Have a good night!

Day 32...Yoga X

As the days go on I find it harder to come up with witty and insightful comments to make on the same workouts I've been doing for the last 5 weeks. The only thing that differentiates some of these workouts are how I handle them...like the fact that Yoga was unusually hard last night. 

I guess my body is still feeling it from the last few days because I was struggling through a lot of the moves, including some of the warriors. Right Angle poses and Half Moons REALLY sucked yesterday...I just couldn't hold them for any long period of time. I held the Crane for about 5 seconds at a time which is the longest yet so I saw improvement there. Overall I just didn't feel entirely "there" for Yoga. This week is proving to be quite the challenge.

Today's Meal's

Breakfast: Wheat bagel with peanut butter. Juice and coffee black.

Snack: Protein shake

Lunch: Turkey Sandwich with an orange

Snack: Baby carrots with hummus

Dinner: Chicken burrito

Even though this week has been tough I feel like I want to push myself more. I was toying with the idea of doing a week of Doubles during week 3 of this Phase. Week 3 of Phase 1 was a great week for me.....I had a lot of energy and I was plowing through my workouts with no problems. I want to see what the Cardio X option does to my energy for the regular workouts. Whether I do this or not, my next round of P90X will be intensified and the Doubles option may be the next step. We shall see. 

I missed posting yesterday because I was watching 24, so I shall talk to you later tonight after Legs/Back/ARX. Later!

Day 31...Back/Bi's/ARX

I went over Jason's tonight for this workout and after Friday's fiasco I was kind of worried. There was a lot of Bicep curls tonight...probably every style of bicep curl ever invented. The curls were not the biggest challenge tonight though, it was the Corn Cob Pull ups. Those suckers are one of the harder exercises I've done in P90X. The bad part was that I chose them as the Max Rep pull up at the end of the workout...when I was already way out of energy. I did a max count of 7. And I barely finished the last rep.

I am definitely improving on Ab Ripper. The only exercises I still struggle with are the reverse bicycles, crunchy frog, and Heels to the heavens. Otherwise I am able to complete most reps on the rest of the exercises. I'm getting better!

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Cheese scrambler with turkey bacon and wheat toast. OJ and coffee black.

Snack: 2 pieces of string cheese

Lunch: Leftover spaghetti

Snack: Protein Bar. Accelerade after workout

Dinner: Sirloin burger on wheat bun, with tomato, lettuce, ketchup, and mustard. Served with Grillin' Beans and a pickle.

More Yoga tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it. That hour and a half has become very therapeutic for me and the challenge it presents makes for one hell of a workout! Have a good night!

Day 30...Plyometrics

Will this workout ever get easier? I think not.

Plyo was very Bestial tonight. I had a rough time with the second part of the twist combo because it was making me dizzy...I don't think I ate enough today. I did full reps on the MK Lunges but I still feel like I'm not going low enough. I plan on modifying over the next couple of weeks...concentrating on keeping lower to the ground to work on my quads more. I took Tony's advice and slipped a little Accelerade into my water tonight and that seemed to help me maintain my energy, but now that I'm done I feel famished. I need to eat!! 

I was tired all day today and I'm surprised I was able to do Plyo as well as I did tonight. Before I left work I truly felt like maybe I should take my rest day today. But somehow I found the energy. I guess I enjoy doing these workouts and my body recognizes that and finds the energy to grind on. Whatever the case may be I am still not a fan of Plyo, which is probably my least favorite workout now...it's just a killer. 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Wheat bagel with peanut butter. Juice.

Snack: 2 pieces of string cheese

Lunch: Hot dog with fries and a pop. I haven't had pop in a long time so this was a nice treat.

Snack: Yogurt. Accelerade after workout.

Dinner: Pizza time!

I like taking some weekends off from the Nutrition plan...I don't go overboard with the bad food, but I need these little breaks for my soul. At least that's how I look at it.

Tomorrow is Back/Bi's/ARX. Brand new workout with brand new exercises that will probably bring brand new soreness to my body. I'm feeling it from yesterday's workout so tomorrow will probably be the same. Have a good night!

Day 29...Chest/Shoulders/Tri's/ARX

With Phase 2 starting today I felt it was a great time to gloat over my minor accomplishments...pat my back a little bit. After all, I just completed 28 days of really challenging workouts and I felt that I had taken the worst that P90X could throw at me...........and then I did today's workout....

Any thoughts of P90X being a piece of cake from this point on were thrown right out the window the minute I started the Chest/Shoulders/Tri's workout. Holy Shit!!!! THIS is a friggin' challenge! I was starting to struggle three exercises in and the nearest break was nine away...this wasn't good! And then came Pike Press. I did five reps....FIVE!! 

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!?!"

...was what I yelled as I completely forgot about all of my Phase 1 triumphs and faced a sobering fact...I have 60 more days of this shit! All the push up exercises were harder in this workout, the triceps exercises were VERY challenging, and I was struggling every step of the way. This was not how I expected to begin Phase 2 but I guess this is how it is. It's like going back to Day 1. So I have resigned to the fact that this will continue to push me to my physical limits and I am glad for that...because that is what will yield the desired results. 

And today I welcomed the return of Ab Ripper! Woo hoo!! I busted out full reps on Bicycles, Hip Raise, Wide leg sit ups, Mason Twist, and ALMOST all of the V-Up's. Fifer scissors, Crunchy Frog, and the sit up/V-up combo's still elude my abilities...but I'm getting better! Recovery drink was a needed addition to today's festivities.

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Cheese Scrambler with Turkey Bacon. OJ and coffee black.

Snack: Protein Bar

Lunch: 2 PB&J sandwiches

Snack: Accelerade

Dinner: Chicken Burrito from the Nutrition Plan...which is delicious! I highly recommend it!

So tomorrow is the return of Plyometrics! And Sunday I will join Jason for the last new workout, Back/Bi's/ARX. This is going to be a tough week but I am looking forward to these new challenges.....still though.......

...F**k the Pike Press...

Day 28...Phase 1 Pictures

With Phase 1 Complete I can now post the first set of pictures. The link is to the right of the screen and displays pics from Day 1 to today. I'm actually surprised by how much of my belly fat I lost...this is very encouraging! I will add Day 60 and 90 pics once I get there. 

Take a gander and tell me what you think.......normally I'm not this narcissistic but I'm glad my $120 was well spent!

Day 27...Yoga X

Phase 1...complete!

I am very happy to have come this far...P90X is definitely one of the most challenging things I have ever done and with Phase 1 completed I can step back and admire the fact that I've come this far. But being 1/3 of the way is no real victory, so come Friday it is back to the grind. 

Today I had one hell of a trying day at work. I had to wake up at the butt crack of dawn for inventory, deal with a shit load of customer complaints, and deal with the stress of my first real wedding planning snag. Basically the cake place told us that they over booked for on our wedding day so they would not be able to deliver it. You would think that a place that SPECIALIZES in a particular wedding service would be able to pull their heads out of their asses to make a customer happy...but I guess I thought wrong. 

So after such a shit day it was great to come home, lock myself in my room, forget about the outside world for an hour and a half, and whip out some Vinyasa's and Downward Dogs. The first half an hour went better than any previous but I still struggled with the Right Angle Poses and Half Moons. One day I will overcome the challenge but they are so hard on the quads. I actually performed the Crane a little bit today...I figure that if I keep trying it I will eventually be able to hold it for 4 seconds. I loved the fact that during my Corpse pose as I was breathing deeply, the lovely smell of spaghetti and garlic bread was wafting into the room. Perfect timing after my workout! 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Wheat Bagel with peanut butter

Snack: String Cheese

Lunch: Turkey Sandwich

Snack: Accelerade

Dinner: Wheat Spaghetti with Tomato Basil sauce and garlic bread...wonderful dinner!

So that's that! Tomorrow I will take my Phase 1 pictures and post my Phase 1 Recap...I may even post a video if I'm feeling sprite. Have a good night!  

Day 26...Core Synergistics

Final day of Core Syn. until the final week of Phase 2...thank God! This workout kicks my ass is every way imaginable! I have to admit, however, that I feel great at the end.

Still struggled with the ISO Plank/Chaturanga and Plank/Chaturanga Run, but at least I was able to do more than half of the reps on those this time. I couldn't even do the Chaturanga run on Saturday. I felt more energized today, probably due to my Protein bar I ate a 1/2 hour before the workout, so I was keeping up with Tony and the gang this time. Superman Banana was difficult again but I had more success with turning over without using my hands...the Tip of the Day is to ENGAGE your core in these workouts and I really tried to concentrate on that throughout. Very sweaty, very difficult, but ultimately a very rewarding workout today. 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Cereal with skim milk. Coffee black. Protein Shake (Skim milk and Whey)

Snack: Protein Bar

Lunch: 2 PB&J sandwiches

Snack: String cheese

Dinner: Salmon with rice

Our wedding is now 81 days away! Invitations are going out in a week or two and most of our planning is done. So it's time for me to get my ass in gear and prepare for Phase 2, which starts on Friday. Tomorrow I have Yoga X and then rest day on Thursday. And then it's new workouts and new challenges to overcome. Later!

Day 25...X Stretch

Today was X Stretch so...yeah...exciting. X Stretch is the P90X equivalent of Delaware. If you've seen Wayne's World than you pretty much understand that statement.

The only issue I had today was with my X Stretch DVD...my PS2 was unable to read the disc at the 19 minutes left mark. And if you haven't noticed, there is no chapter select option so you have to skip each exercise manually...which is a pain in the ass. And once I got to where I was again, the PS2 crapped out on me again. There is a small scratch on the disc which I think is a result of the cardboard case that these discs are stored in. So I think I'm going to buy a CD case for them to avoid an future damage since I didn't pay for the stupid warranty. 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Wheat bagel with peanut butter. Juice.

Snack: PB&J sandwich

Lunch: Turkey sandwich and Creamy Tomato soup from Panera Bread.

Snack: 2 pieces of string cheese and an apple

Dinner: Tuna Sandwich with Grillin' Beans

I have Core Synergistics again tomorrow so whoopee...it's time for more ISO Plank/Chaturanga! Have a good night!

Day 24...Kenpo X

The Recovery Week continued with Kenpo X today. I used 5 lb. weights for the first set of exercises and it was quite the challenge keeping the intensity going. 

I was feeling very fatigued all day today and I felt that my workout kind of suffered as a result. Steph is sick right now with the flu, as is my Dad, so I hope I'm not coming down with it. I've had a slight scratchy throat so I hope that isn't a harbinger for a sickness of some kind. The worst part about this time of year is the constant weather changes that occur. Hot, cold, rainy, hot again....it reeks havoc on my sinuses. The last thing I want to do right now is take days off my workout to nurse a cold or sinus infection. That would suck.

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Wheat bagel with peanut butter. Juice.

Snack: Protein Shake (Whey and skim milk)

Lunch: Chicken Salad

Snack: Accelerade

Dinner: Turkey Tom from Jimmy John's. No cheese or mayo so it's one of the healthiest subs they have on the menu.

Only a couple more days left in Phase 1! Tomorrow is X Stretch which is easy. I'm ready to get this week over with so I can jump head first into Phase 2 on Friday. Have a good night!

Day 23...Core Synergistics

It has been a busy weekend which explains why I missed posting yesterday. It's alright though, I'm here now and I will bring you up to speed.

Yesterday I did Core Synergistics for the first time and was caught off guard at the difficulty. I didn't expect it to be too bad but there were some exercises in there that I struggled with. The prison cell push up and Plank to Chaturanga run were definitely the most difficult for me. Really struggled with keeping my body off the floor during the Chaturanga. However, I enjoyed the new challenges this workout presented and I should be able to improve upon my effort on Tuesday.

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Wheat bagel with Peanut Butter. With Juice.

Snack: 2 pieces of string cheese

Lunch: Turkey sandwich with an orange.

Snack: Protein Bar.

Dinner: Pizza.......yep, I had pizza. It was tasty!

Day 22...Yoga X

Hello! It is an absolutely beautiful day outside...the first time this year I was able to wear shorts comfortably and do some yard work. Unfortunately I also had to clean the gutters which is gross. Nonetheless, our yard looks nice again and I received my first sunburn of the year...yayy! 

Today I started my recovery week with Yoga X and I really felt good after this session. No major hiccups during the Warriors and I even grit my teeth through most of the Right Angle Poses...but the Half Moons, twisting half moons, and crane still elude my abilities. Those moves are the hardest in the entire workout so once I am able to do those cleanly, I will pat myself on the back and tell you guys how happy I will be...but that won't be any time soon. With Yoga it's about small improvements.....an inch further on a stretch, 5 seconds longer on a hold, breathing through the fire pain in my quads, ATTEMPTING the Crane, etc. It will be a great day when I can complete Yoga X cleanly...just like it will be a great day to complete all 340 reps of Ab Ripper. 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Cheese Scrambler with turkey bacon, juice, coffee black.

Snack: Protein Shake (Whey, Skim Milk, Berries)

Lunch: Lean Sirloin Burger on the grill!!!! Awesome! It was on a wheat bun with low fat cheese, ketchup, mustard, and served with peas. I haven't had a burger since before I started the nutrition plan so this was delicious!

Snack: Accelerade

Dinner: Tuna or Turkey sandwich...I haven't decided yet.

So tomorrow is Core Synergistics and I'm ready to Superman Banana like there's no tomorrow! It's exciting to do a new workout and I will keep you posted. Later!

Day 21...Rest day and Week 3 Recap.

We are into Recovery Week! 

I was feeling quite run down this morning so X Stretch was out of the question. I am glad I decided to set up my schedule as is because there is no way I could do one of these workouts on Thursday morning...I hate feeling rushed before work. Besides, I have never had quality workouts in the morning so it would be a waste. With that said...onto the Week 3 Recap.

This week went by fast!! If you read the P90X fitness guide it talks about the Adaptive and Mastery phases of the plan. The adaptive phase is the first week or two of your schedule in which your body is getting used to the workouts and is generally sore from the stress. The mastery phase, usually around week 3, is when your body stops feeling sore and gets used to the rigors of the workouts...before the next adaptive phase begins. Needless to say, I strongly felt that my body was in full on Mastery phase during Chest/Back/ARX on Friday. I was pushing out reps left and right without feeling wasted. After the previous weeks it was nice to know that I was making some improvements. Plyo was a great workout other than the fact that my feet and ankles felt like they were taking a beating on our bare floor. Hopefully the carpet in my new workout room will alleviate the stress. Shoulders/Arms is one hell of a workout, and afterwards leaves me feeling pumped beyond belief. Yoga is hard.....no witty comments or funny quips...it's just a hard ass workout through and through! The half moons are still my nemesis because my quads feel like they're on FIRE through most of it. I was able to overcome some of the more difficult exercises during Legs/Back, like the Seiber Speed Squats, but the 3 position lunges were still painful. And trying to do ARX afterward is a challenge...a Double Dare physical challenge...kind of like the 1 ton human hamster wheel. Finally, Kenpo proved to be the most entertaining workout again...but I promise I will make it more challenging by adding ankle and hand weights over the course of the program. 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: 2 Whole Wheat Waffles with light syrup. Juicy Juice and coffee black.

Snack: 2 pieces of string cheese.

Lunch: Chicken pita with an orange.

Snack: Protein Bar

Dinner: Chicken Burrito from the Nutrition Guide.....and it was DELICIOUS!! I added Jalapenos for extra kick and it made a hell of a difference!

Tomorrow is Yoga X...the first day of the recovery week. I originally thought is was Core Synergistics, so I'm glad I glanced at my workout calender before I did the workout. It's supposed to be beautiful out tomorrow so yard work will be in my plans, but I plan on doing Yoga sometime in the afternoon. I'll keep you posted. Later.

Day 20...Kenpo X

"Fight 'till you drop, never stop, can't give up, 'till you reach the top!!"

-"You're the best around" by Joe Esposito. Karate Kid Soundtrack-

I pretty much hum that song throughout Kenpo...it keeps me going. Because if it helped Ralph Macchio it can help me! 

Kenpo went great today! I even tried using 5 lb. weights during a few of the punch exercises. That is tough right now so I think I will keep adding the weight here and there and over time it will get easier. I will probably buy some ankle and hand weights to add some difficulty...which other P90X'ers have done (Thanks Heather). I really tried kicking with a lot of force tonight, especially during the back kicks. This is such a fun exercise and I love the fact that the "Break" is somewhat harder than the exercises themselves...stupid X's. 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Wheat bagel with Peanut butter. Juicy Juice. Black coffee.

Snack: 2 pieces of string cheese.

Lunch: Turkey sandwich on wheat (Romaine, tomato, mustard) with an orange.

Snack: Pistachios and Accelerade after workout.

Dinner: Chicken with peas and side salad.

Once again, I may or may not do X Stretch tomorrow. It depends on if I get up early enough. I am about to enter my recovery week, which is a good thing because my ankles and legs have taken a beating with Plyo and Kenpo. I'm excited to do Core Synergistics, mainly because it's been a few weeks since I've done a new workout. Although I'm kind of worried about Superman Banana...it looks hard. As always I will keep you posted and I will do my week 3 recap. tomorrow. Have a good night!

Day 19...Legs/Back/ARX

Today was my final day of Resistance training until week 5 so I tried to really Bring It today. Key word there is "tried," because this is my least favorite workout. I'm just not a fan of lunges...there's nothing else I can say. The three position lunges and the ISO Lunges kick my ass every time. I increased my rep counts on all of the pull ups and was able to do full reps on the Seiber Speed Lunges, so I was happy about that. 

Ab Ripper is a pain in the ass after doing legs. I felt really whipped and had a tough time with the Heels to the Heavens and the Scissors. I'm consistently doing the full 50 reps on the Mason Twist and I was finally able to do all 25 reps of the Wide Leg sit ups. So I am seeing improvement, it's just a little at a time. 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Whole Wheat English muffin with peanut butter. Orange on the side.

Snack: Protein Bar

Lunch: Two PB&J sandwiches with skim milk.

Snack: Accelerade after workout. 

Dinner: TACO NIGHT!! El Paso Taco Dinner kit made with black beans, lettuce, tomato, sauce, and jalapenos. No meat or sour cream for me so they were relatively healthy...and DELICIOUS!!

Kenpo tomorrow with an optional X Stretch on Thursday. After that it's Recovery Week and my first foray into Core Synergistics. Also I tried on a pair of pants today and I was amazed at how big they were on me. That is a GREAT sign!! The results are starting to show and I couldn't be happier! Until tomorrow...good night!

Day 18...Yoga X

...And I'm back. I forgot to post last night because I was very tired. Yoga sapped me of all my energy I guess. Plus I tried to insert a new template into my Blogger account and when it didn't work, I switched back only to realize that I lost my 90 Day Countdown. Very annoying.

Yoga went better this week. My form during the Vinyasa's has improved a lot but I'm still struggling with a few of the moves. The half moons are killer as are the side leg extensions. Getting through all the Warrior's is quite a chore considering my legs are on FIRE...I guess I've neglected my legs in my workouts over the years. I actually tried Crane and was able to hold it for 3 seconds at a time with a little toe for balance. The pillow in front of my face came into play once. It will be a long time before I'm able to hold that position...probably sometime in Phase 2. 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Cereal with skim milk. Coffee black.

Snack: 2 pieces of string cheese.

Lunch: Turkey sandwich and Vegetarian Garden Veggie Soup from Panera Bread. 

Snack: Protein bar.

Dinner: Salmon fillet with corn.

As challenging as it is, I've come to enjoy Yoga. Pushing yourself to hold those moves and breathe through the, sometimes, intolerable pain is hard but rewarding.  I will have Leg's/Back/ARX again today which means that I am 2 workouts away from Recovery Week! Phase 1 is almost done!! Time is flying by and my workouts are part of my daily routine now, rather than a special chore. It's funny now, to think that I can't see myself NOT doing P90X...at this point it would feel weird to not workout. Have a good day and I will see you tonight!

Day 17...Shoulders/Arms/ARX

Happy Easter everyone! Well, it's always tough trying to eat healthy during holidays and today was no exception. I was doing great until I had to go over my future in-laws house for dinner and they made Lasagna. So I ate it...absolutely delicious! Probably not very healthy because of all the cheese but I bet it's better than eating out. I know what you're going to say and frankly I don't give a crap. I'm a fan of making excuses so whatever...I enjoyed my lasagna thank you very much!

My living room was becoming crowded and cluttered with all the equipment I am using for P90X, and it's also tough on my feet and ankles when I have to do Plyo on the bare floor. So I turned my second bedroom into a workout room today. I had an extra TV that was in the basement and now I can do my workouts in privacy and without my feet taking a beating because the room is carpeted. Shoulders/Arms was a tough one today with the inside/outside fly's, in particular, being a big challenge as I tried to maintain perfect form by not bending my elbows. Perfect form was my goal today instead of increasing the weight. I increased rep counts from last week and was able to push out 26 reps on each arm during the side tricep extensions. I was pretty sapped of strength by the time Ab Ripper started that I was struggling big time during bicycles. I managed to push for full reps on the Hip Raise and the Mason Twist again. That made me happy!

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Cheese Scrambler with turkey bacon. Piece of wheat toast and Juicy Juice.
Snack: Protein Bar.
Lunch: 2 PB&J sandwiches with skim milk. Apple on the side.
Dinner: Homemade lasagna. We ate dinner kind of early so it screwed up my meal times a little bit. No second snack for me today.

Easter with Steph's family was fun. The dinner was delicious and I won $48 bucks playing Egg or No Egg...which is basically their version of Deal or No Deal...instead of briefcases to open, we open plastic Easter eggs. And her Mom isn't a bald person named Howie...so I guess there are some differences. Last year I only won 5 bucks so it was a definite improvement this year!

Yoga X tomorrow...time to burn some of that lasagna off! My friend Paige and his girlfriend Trista are now doing P90X lean and from what I can tell Trista is not a fan of the Superman Banana in Core Synergistics...which I have on Friday...I can't wait! Later.

Day 16...Plyometrics

Hello hello hello! Another day of Plyo today, but that also means I finally get a break from it next week. 

I felt pretty good throughout most of the workout, excluding the MK Lunges and the Runner Squat Reach...I had a harder time with that one today. I was glad I didn't get lightheaded this time. I actually opened a window to allow more airflow in my house...what a novel idea! I still sweat my ass off. I was also noticing that my feet were sore today, almost like the balls of my feet and ankles were feeling too much of a jolt every time I jumped. I am thankful for the rest week I'm about to begin that's for sure. 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Cereal with skim milk. Glass of Juicy Juice.

Snack: 2 pieces of string cheese.

Lunch: Chicken Salad with an orange.

Snack: Carrots and hummus.

Dinner: Tuna sandwich with pickle stacker. Side of Grillin' beans.

Sorry for the short post tonight. I have plans to hang out with friends tonight and I have to get going soon. Tomorrow's Easter so I have a day off! I will be doing my Shoulders/Arms/ARX workout after my first snack, so I will let you know how that goes. Later.

Day 15...Chest/Back/Ab Ripper X

"Today was a good day."

-Ice Cube-

Work, the workout, Guitar Hero...just an all around great day! I sold a TON of stuff at work, made some great commissions, and inhaled my P90X Protein bar on the way home in preparation of tonight's workout. 

I went over Jason's tonight because I felt that I needed someone to push me during this workout. Although I busted my ass in the previous weeks I still felt that I could have done more. And considering this would be the last time I did Chest/Back until Week 7, I was determined to push myself to fail every exercise I did. I have to say that I just plain KILLED tonight's workout! I increased my rep counts by at least 3 on all of the exercises and I had energy left over for ARX. I think eating the Protein bar before the workout makes a HUGE difference, because tonight and my first Shoulder/Arms night were the best...and that was also a Protein bar night. The great thing is I don't have to do this stinkin' workout for a few weeks...so that's nice. 

Ab Ripper is always tough but I was able to increase my reps on the wide leg sit ups as well as the V-ups. Mason twist was hard because I was completely out of energy by then. Only did 38 continuous reps.

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal with skim milk. Juicy Juice Berry.

Snack: PB&J Samich

Lunch: Chicken Pita and an orange. I love this meal!

Snack: P90X Protein Bar

Dinner: Turkey Tom Samich from Jimmy John's. I substituted Mayo with the Vinaigrette and declined cheese. No chips or pop either. This is the healthiest sub they have next to the Veggie sub.

Today was great but I have to suck it up for Plyo tomorrow. It is never easy. Later.

Day 14...Rest Day and Week 2 Recap

Nothing much to report today because I decided to take a rest day instead of doing X Stretch. I didn't feel like getting up early and it's already 9 pm by the time I get home on Thursdays. So it's time for the Week 2 Recap.

Week 2 was challenging...I'm not going to lie to you. The soreness from Week 1 has disappeared but the workouts seemed harder this week for some reason. Chest/Back was a struggle and I'm glad I will have a break from it after tomorrow. I noticed improvement when I reviewed my rep counts and saw that I increased them from the previous week. Plyo was great/killer this week. I pushed as hard as I could throughout the workout and my reward was dizziness. I had to go outside because my living room was stifling...next time I'm opening a window and turning on a fan. Shoulders/Arms was harder than last week and I plan on improving on my sorry performance on Sunday. My first full session of Yoga kicked my ass, in a good way, and left me feeling refreshed...and exhausted. My focus on Monday will be to improve my form on the Half moons which were my bane this past week. Legs/Back was better this week and I am seeing improvements thanks to the amount of leg work involved in P90X. Kenpo yesterday was fun and is probably my most enjoyable workout. Finally, Ab Ripper was hard as usual, but doing the full 50 reps on Mason Twist was a BIG accomplishment for me! I want to see what other ARX exercises I can dominate!

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Wheat bagel with peanut butter and Juicy Juice

Snack: P90X Protein Bar.

Lunch: Leftover Spaghetti with an orange.

Snack: 2 pieces of string cheese.

Dinner: Chicken Pita with Garden Veggie Baked Wheat Thins.

2 Weeks Down!!! I have two weeks left of Phase 1, another repeat and one rest week, and then the program switches up on me...the whole "muscle confusion" thing. I've noticed some muscle-building and slight slimming down, but nothing breathtaking yet...not that I expected that after only two weeks. My problem area is my gut...thanks to beer...and I can't wait for it to disappear. I just want to get these next two weeks over with so that Phase 2 can begin and I can start some new workouts and see some serious body transformations! See you tomorrow for Chest/Back/ARX again! Later.

Day 13...Kenpo X

Alright, two weeks down!

Kenpo X today, and it was a sweaty good time I must say! My friend Ray joined me for today's festivities, and I think I sold him on P90X because he couldn't stop talking about how great of a workout it was. Yeah, Kenpo is actually fun, wait until he tries Plyo and Chest/Back...that's the hard stuff. 

Nonetheless, I was punching and kicking with ferocity tonight and sweating up a storm in the process. What I've noticed in these two Kenpo sessions is that there is a tendency to start slacking on the intensity as the workout progressed. Kicks become slower and lower, punches are thrown without as much force, etc. So when this happens the most important thing to do is grit your teeth and focus on the task at hand. The whole "Bring It" thing really applies to this workout because your body starts slowing down and you have to fight the urge to just stop. Determination is key with Kenpo. 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Multi Grain Cheerios with Skim Milk. Protein shake (Whey, Skim Milk, Berries, Ice).

Snack: P90X Protein Bar. Very tasty!

Lunch: Turkey Samich (Wheat toast, mustard, romaine, tomato, pickle stacker), with an orange.

Snack: 2 pieces of String Cheese. Accelerade after workout.

Dinner: Spaghetti with roasted garlic and tomato sauce. 1 piece of garlic bread and 1 glass of wine.

My legs feel pretty worked over after the last two days so I'm not sure if I will do X Stretch tomorrow or just take a rest day. I have 1 more week of this schedule before I get my "rest" week, and I'm looking forward to not having to do Plyo during that time. However, I will have Core Synergistics and I've heard it's pretty challenging. Have a good night!

Day 12...Legs/Back/Ab Ripper X

The days are just flying by aren't they? Not really, but I'm trying to forget the fact that it's snowing outside today...in April...technically Spring. When I'm at day 90 it'll be summer and I will be much happier. Just have to take it one day at a time.

Today was Legs/Back/ARX again and it was easier this week. I think all the Plyo and Yoga is increasing my leg strength because I was able to complete most of the exercises with full rep counts. Two position wall squats were still very challenging but at least I was able to push through the pain this time without taking a break. The good news is I only have to do this workout one more time next week and then I get a couple weeks of break from it...which is nice.

Ab Ripper went great today! I struggled in the beginning because the bicycles use the legs and mine were feeling the burn from the workout. However, when it came time to do the Mason Twist I was FINALLY able to do all 50 reps!! I collapsed to the floor and yelled out in triumph! HEYAHH!!! Great feeling indeed! I had my recovery drink as a reward and I will chill out tonight with Steph and a glass of wine...I love days off!

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Cheese Scrambler with turkey bacon, wheat toast, and Juicy Juice.

Snack: Protein Shake (Whey and Skim milk)

Lunch: Vegetarian Chili. Steph's recipe and it's delicious!

Snack: Accelerade and 1 piece of string cheese.

Dinner: Chicken Pita from the Nutrition guide. I love it!

I received my P90X protein bars today and I will use them as my a.m. snack here and there. I needed more protein so this will be a great addition to my plan. Tomorrow is Kenpo X again, which I am looking forward to, and then I will only have one more before I get the rest week. Later.

Day 11...Yoga X

Namaste everyone! You can call me Dhalsim tonight, if you wish, because I completed my first full Yoga X workout! I find it amusing that every time I post on here it seems like I'm always saying "Tonight's workout was hard...I'm exhausted." Which leads me to believe that an "Easy" day of P90X doesn't really exist. 

Yoga X is an amazing workout! Serious willpower and determination needed to get through all the Downward dogs and Half moons...it was tough. When I did Yoga last week, I had to cut the workout short because Steph asked me to go with her and her parents to Olive Garden, and you know how that ended. So tonight was my first full Yoga x workout and I loved it! Of course I stumbled more than a few times and my legs were absolutely BURNING during the Half Moon's, but I felt very refreshed afterwards. This is an intense, sweaty, somewhat uncomfortable workout that doesn't pull any punches until the last 15 minutes or so. All the moves flow into one another with little to no break, and it took a lot out of me. Nonetheless, it was a nice change of pace from the resistance training and the manic action of Plyo. Tomorrow is Legs/Back again and that makes me sad...I really despise it. Oh well.

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Whole Wheat bagel with peanut butter and a glass of Juicy juice berry.

Snack: Activia Raspberry yogurt and a cup of diced peaches.

Lunch: Chicken Salad (Romaine, Spinach, Tomato, Cucumber, Dressing) with an apple.

Snack: Baby carrots and hummus. Accelerade after Yoga.

Dinner: Broiled Salmon with peas.

Salmon has become one of my favorite meals after starting the Nutrition plan. All I do is buy the 3-4 oz. fillets and broil them in my toaster oven for about 12-14 minutes. I put a tbsp. of Olive Oil on it and season it with Cajun rub and a little garlic powder. It is delicious! I will usually eat it with brown rice or peas, and possibly my Sun Dried Tomato Dressing as a dipping sauce if I need more flavor. Great protein and Omega 3's in the dish and it very easy to make. Highly recommended if you are doing these workouts!

My legs will take another beating tomorrow, but maybe I'll do better after the workout they've been receiving through Plyo and Yoga. We'll see. Good night!

Day 10...Shoulders/Arms/Ab Ripper X

I am exhausted right now so I think I'm going to make tonight's post short. It's about 11:30 pm, I just got home from watching Wrestlemania (Which sucked by the way), and supposedly we are getting 3-6 inches of snow tonight...in APRIL!! Yayyyy!! I love Michigan weather.

Tonight's Shoulders/Arms workout was tougher than last week for some reason. I actually was under some of last week's rep counts on a couple of the exercises which bugged me. Whatever the reason, I still tried my damnedest to get through the exercises with perfect form...which in this workout is very important. When performing the Fly's you need to control the motion to achieve the most results, but a lot of times you end up using your back and swinging your arms, which cheats yourself out of the move. Maybe I wasn't maintaining perfect form last week and that's the difference? Whatever the case may be, I got through it and it was still a great workout. Ab Ripper was Ab Ripper. I did full rep counts on bicycles and wide leg sit ups, which was a major accomplishment for me today. I'm still striving to improve on the "Heels to the Heavens" and especially the Mason Twist.

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Cheese Scrambler from Nutrition guide, with Turkey bacon and Juicy Juice.

Snack: Protein Shake (Whey and Water)

Lunch: Turkey Samich on wheat with Romaine, Tomato, and mustard. Apple on the side.

Snack: Two Activia Raspberry Yogurts.

Dinner: Don't judge me but I had 3 slices of Pizza and a couple of wings from B Dubs. And 2 Miller Lights....if I don't treat myself once in a while I will fail at this Nutrition thing. I'm not making excuses...well, maybe I am...who the hell cares if I am or not? I've lost 5 lbs. and I was hanging out with friends for Wrestlemania...pizza just fits into that equation. And by the way, it was friggin' delicious!

I have Yoga X tomorrow and then I have two days off of work! Too bad there will be snow on the ground. Later.

Day 9...Plyometrics

"The room is starting to spin...I think I need some air."

Those words were uttered by yours truly tonight right around the beginning of the cool down portion of today's Plyometrics workout. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I pushed as hard as I could tonight and the result was a slight wave of nausea and tilted vision. I had to step outside and get my bearings because my living room turned into a sauna...a sweaty sauna...with no ventilation, and I was huffing and puffing through the last 15 minutes. 

No one says Plyo is easy...at least no one I know...and frankly I wouldn't want to meet the person that does think it's easy because they're most likely an alien or at least a mutant of some sort. Either way they'd be weird and distrustful. As far as the workout is concerned, the damn Mary Katherine Lunges and the Squat Jacks are the absolute worst, and pushing through them with full rep counts takes serious will power and a smidgen of masochism. 

Even if I WANTED to go out tonight, I don't think I would stay out late because I'm completely drained. The most activity I have done tonight was making my dinner and typing this post. I watched MSU defeat UCONN (Not that I really give a crap about college hoops...because I don't) and I will be taking a much needed shower in a few minutes. I can give you a quick update on my progress in P90X so far.

I have lost 5 lbs. and 1 belt notch. I am starting to see some serious definition in my chest and well as the delts, bi's, and tri's. During Plyo today I was able to stay with the group for most of the exercises...excluding MK Lunges...and I increased my rep counts yesterday during Chest/Back. I am VERY happy with this program so far and I can't wait to see the end results.

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Bowl of Multi grain Cheerios with a cup of skim milk. Protein Shake (Whey, Skim Milk)

Snack: 2 Pieces of string cheese

Lunch: Chicken salad (Romaine, Spinach, Tomato, Cucumber) with an Orange.

Snack: Celery sticks with Peanut butter. Accelerade after the workout...MUCH needed!

Dinner: Tuna Samich with 2 cups of Bush's Grillin' Beans, Steakhouse Recipe.

It's shower time! Tomorrow I have Shoulders/Arms/Ab Ripper X and then I'm going over a friend's house to watch Wrestlemania 25. I don't even watch wrestling anymore but I always get together with friend's for 'Mania...it's a tradition. Later!

Day 8...Chest/Back/Ab Ripper X

I am posting Day 8 a little early today because Steph and I are getting together with friends for a party, and the last thing I'm going to do is jump on the computer for 20 minutes blogging. So I'm here now, with week 2 underway and dinner in an hour. 

So we celebrate the new week by repeating the last and that means today was Chest/Back/Ab Ripper again! (Cue trumpets and confetti) During the workout Tony makes a comment about the Chest/Back workout being "The Mother of All P90X workouts." I would like to revise that proclamation by adding the word "FUCKER" between Mother and Of. Then and only then will you understand how I feel about this one. I went into today feeling pretty good and energized, but I STILL struggled through the Diamond push ups and most of the 2nd half. With the other resistance days, they're challenging and sometimes painful, but I can still get through them doing most if not all the reps. Chest/Back makes me feel very weak and pathetic. The people in the DVD are pushing out 30 reps for a lot of the exercises, and I'm only clearing 10-15 at the most...sometimes 6-8. The push ups kill me...absolutely KILL ME every time.

The two bright spots for me were 1. Recognizing the fact that I was able to at least increase my rep counts from the previous week...displaying some level of improvement...however trivial it may seem to me. 2. I was able to do a set of Decline Push ups in the 2nd set this week. If you recall, I fell flat on my face last week during the same point in the workout. 

Getting in the shower I noticed that I was having a hard time washing my hair again because my arms were completely shot. I wonder if I will wake up tomorrow with pain again? I hope not.

Today's Meals

Breakfast: 2 Whole Wheat Waffles with syrup and a little bit of Country Crock. Protein shake with it. I had to use water this time because I ran out of Skim Milk.

Snack: Apple with Peanut Butter. Accelerade before and after workout.

Lunch: Turkey Samich on wheat with Romaine, Tomato, and mustard.

Snack: Baby carrots with hummus.

Dinner: Chicken Pita from the Nutrition Guide. Delicious!

Tomorrow is Plyo again and I'm excited for it! I know what to expect and I plan on really trying to BRING IT for the entire hour of jumps, squats, and lunges. As always I will keep you posted. Later.

Day 7...X Stretch and Week 1 Recap.

Day 7 is the rest day. However I chose to pop in the X Stretch DVD instead and prepare my slightly sore muscles for week 2. It was an amalgamation of Yoga X and all the stretches you perform before and after the various workouts. Nothing too unfamiliar here but I have to say I am not a fan of the Frog stretch. I can see why its important...you don't want to pull a groin muscle...but that doesn't make it any less painful. Otherwise the workout is about 50 minutes of stretches that cover your body top to bottom and was pretty therapeutic for me because of slight stiffness and soreness I am experiencing in my legs from Kenpo. 

Speaking of soreness, my upper body is finally free of it after the brutal Day 1, which is just in time for me to do Chest/Back again! Yaaay! I am going to try to push harder tomorrow and top my rep counts from last week because I felt like I held back a bit. Decline push ups and Diamond push ups are still my nemesis and I shall conquer them! We shall see...

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Multi Grain Cheerios with cup of Skim Milk. Protein shake (Skim milk and whey)

Snack: PB&J Samich

Lunch: Uncle Ben's Ready Rice Whole Grain Medley with an apple.

Snack: Celery with Peanut butter

Dinner: 4 Potato and Four Cheese Pierogi. Green beans on the side. I treated myself to a bottle of MGD 64 beer because I had a shitty day at work. I HATE being stuck indoors while it's 65 and sunny out. 

Week 1 Recap.

Overall week 1 of P90X was tough, sweaty, painful, and rewarding! Bottom line is that I didn't expect this to be easy. I had heard enough about it from friends and on blogs to understand the commitment that this program demands. There's no way I'm quitting before Day 90.

Day 1 was hard as hell because I don't think I've ever done that many push ups and pull ups...my muscles were screaming at me, and then they just stopped working. Waking up the next morning was unpleasant to say the least and having to jump (quite literally) into Plyometrics that night was not fun at all. Day 3 was nice because of the familiar exercises and having Jason there to push me. Having the nice change of pace that is Yoga is great after you are sick of resistance training, but there's no way I could call it easy and keep a straight face. I absolutely despised Day 5 with all the friggin' lunges and squats and I am not looking forward to doing it again this week at all. Kenpo was fun as hell and tiring at the same time...just a great calorie burner. And rest days? I've rested enough for the last few years. Doing the X Stretch today got me up this morning and kept me in the P90X frame of mind. 

Week 2 begins tomorrow with Chest/Back/Ab Ripper X. I have 3 weeks before the beginning of Phase 2, so I have a lot of work ahead of me and I'm looking forward to it. Good night!