Round 6 - Week 8

This is a Recovery Week

MONDAY - July 19, 2010 - Yoga X
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I tried to follow up my good effort on Yoga X last week with another, but my concentration level just wasn't the same. A few times during the Vinyasas half, I was thinking this is really tedious and long. However, I pushed through, just as I always do. I fell on my back during the first Side-Arm Balance move while lifting my leg, and just layed there for a few blissful seconds, then rolled over and got into my vinyasa for the other side. I fell out of the first half-moon, but bounced back like a champ and did the other three OK. For some reason I couldn't get set on the first (left leg) Tree, but held the other balance postures fine. Crane stunk once again. Sometimes I can hold it, and other times I know it's not going to happen, and just keep going in and out of it. (Burned 575 calories, which is about my average for Yoga X, and I was honestly surprised I burned that many.)

TUESDAY - July 20, 2010 - Core Synergistics
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Core has never been one of my favorite routines. For some reason, I don't enjoy doing a lot of the moves in the first half of the workout (Leaning Crescent Lunges, Squat Runs, Bow to Boat, Low Lateral Skaters, Lunge and Reach, Side Hip Raise, Squat X Press). They're not super-hard. They just annoy me, for lack of a better word. In all of P90X, the only other move I really feel that way about is Crane in Yoga X. Core is still a good workout, just not as enjoyable for me as the others. A lot of people seem to really like Core, but I'm guessing most of them aren't using weights. I use them when he suggests them, and it totally changes the workout. Today I used 12.5 lbs, which is what I've been using lately, but I've used as much as 20 lbs in the past. It doesn't seem like a lot, but when you're doing Leaning Crescent Lunges and then immediately following it up with Squat Runs, the weights really wear you out. I'm four moves into the routine, and I'm already fried. However, I push through it, and am now always able to complete the workout without hitting pause. For a long time, I was taking all kinds of breaks, until one day I did the whole thing without one. That was a real landmark moment for me. I do like some of the moves, like the Banana Rolls, the Prison Cell Pushups, and the Reach High and Under Pushups. The Dreya Rolls are tough, especially near the end of the workout, but I do them, and respect them. Same thing with the Plank to Chaturanga Runs. They tire me out, but I do my best. (Burned 540 calories, which doesn't seem like a lot based on the way this workout kills me, but it's pretty consistent with what I've burned on Core in the past.)

WEDNESDAY - July 21, 2010 - Cardio X
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In the P90X Classic Recovery Week, this would normally be Kenpo X. However, it's always bothered me that Cardio X was never a part of the Classic Version. It's part of the Lean and Doubles Versions, but for Classic, it just sits there in the folder. I've done it many times before, substituting it for Plyometrics in a few rounds when my knees were hurting, and also using it in between official P90X rounds. So it's not like I've never used it before, but nonetheless, I've always tried to find a place for it in the regular schedule, and in this round I decided to use in in place of Kenpo X in the Recovery Week. Even though I love Kenpo, I'm already doing it plenty of times in the other weeks, so I figured it I wouldn't miss it too much. I wasn't sure how the calorie burn would compare to Kenpo because this is the first round I'm using a heart rate monitor that calculates calorie burn, but I thought it might be close, even though Cardio X is 13 minutes shorter. I was wrong. I'm burning about 490 for Kenpo, and only burned 344 with Cardio X in Week 4. That's a really big difference, and too much to ignore.

From past experience, I know my heart rate usually doesn't get up in Cardio X until midway through the Plyo section, which is more than halfway through the workout. So today I tried something different. I did the warmup, skipped the 11 minute Yoga section, did the Kenpo/Plyo/Core sections, took a one minute water break, then repeated the Kenpo/Plyo/Core sections, and did the cool-down. Yes, I did indeed do 4 sets of Wacky Jacks, and two sets of Dreya Rolls. I turned a 43 minute routine with about 50%-60% actual cardio into a 57 minute routine with about 80%-85% cardio. It worked. I ended up burning 592 calories, which is comparable to what I burn during a regular Plyometrics workout, and about 100 more than I would have got from Kenpo X. I really enjoyed the new experience, and it went by quickly. I'm doing Yoga X twice during this week, and X Stretch tomorrow, so skipping the Yoga section of this workout is no big deal. I'm very pleased with the results and think I've found a permanent spot for Cardio X in my schedule.

THURSDAY - July 22, 2010 - X Stretch
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I love X Stretch. I look forward to it every time, and it's the highlight of my Recovery Weeks. There's just a point where your mind and body need a break, and this is it for me. I feel good all day at work, and on the ride home, because I know I'm not going to have to beat up my body when I get home. I'm almost 53 years old, and am amazed at how flexible I've become. On the Split Leg Hamstring Stretches, I can put my hands flat on the floor. On Frog, I can almost lay flat on the floor. My chest is on the floor, as well as the upper half of my stomach. Today, I did Camel perfectly, and was almost able to lay my back on the floor in Hero Pose. Sometimes, I can't do those moves, but today I was feeling really good. (I burned 232 calories today, as compared to 188 last month. The calorie burn isn't important here, but I kept the heart rate monitor on just to see.)

FRIDAY - July 23, 2010 - Core Synergistics
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I took a vacation day today to play golf, and was up extra early to get there. It was quite windy and it rained the whole time we played, so I was bit worn out by the time I got home. I really wasn't looking forward to another bout of Core. However, it didn't turn out so bad. I decreased my weights from 12.5 lbs to 10 lbs on the Leaning Crescent Lunges and Squat Runs. A small decrease, but it seemed to make a big difference, as they didn't tire me out so early in the workout. I increased my weight from 12.5 lbs to 15 lbs on the Lunge and Reach, Squat X-Presses, and Lunge, Kickback, Curl, Press exercises. I ended up burning 580 calories, where in the past I've burned between 535-575. Maybe it was the weight adjustments, maybe not, but I'll take it.

SATURDAY - July 24, 2010 - Yoga X
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Was feeling a bit tired today before the workout. I'm not sure why, but I'm still sneaking in a little more ice cream (1/2 fat), and a few more Diet Coke's than I should be, so that probably has something to do with it. It's not anything near the amount I used to eat/drink before starting this thing two years ago, but maybe a bit more than in previous rounds. I was at the point where I didn't have any soda for months, and now I might have two a week. I think the caffeine may be bothering me, as I can't handle it at all, and I know I'm not getting enough sleep.

As for the workout, it went pretty well. I tried putting my one palm flat on the floor on the poses where I had to reach high with the other arm, and it worked with no problems. Once I got used to it, it actually seemed more comfortable than using my fingers, which I'd done previously. I think I had better balance the new way, and may have even been opening up more. Near the end of the vinyasa section, I started getting shaky, as I don't think I had enough to eat today. I did, however, complete both sides of the Warrior 3 / Half Moon's without tapping the floor once. I ate a piece of apple at the break, and felt better for the second half. I only held two of the six balance poses for the entire 30 secomds without falling out, which was a disappointment, but once I got settled into Crane, I held it for the last 45 seconds or so, which was good. I also tried Wheel again. I noticed Audra and Shawna had their elbows wide before going into it, where I had been trying it with my elbows in, close to my ears. I tried it their way, and actually got up a lot farther than I had before. I still can't straighten my arms and legs all the way, but it does give a glimmer of hope that I may actually be able to do it someday. (Burned 621 calories. My average is around 575, and my previous high was 600.)

SUNDAY - July 25, 2010 - Weigh In and Rest
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Day 7 on my Recovery Weeks is an actual Rest day for me.

Weigh In: Weight = 177.2; Body Fat = 22.9%
A 1.5 lb increase, but it was expected. I didn't stick to the Nutrition Plan. On many days, I just didn't feel like cooking, or even making a salad, and it showed. On Thurdsay, I went to make some pasta, boiled the water, heated the sauce, and then realized I was out of whole wheat spaghetti, which is the only kind of pasta I eat now. All I had was a two year old box of regular rigatoni pasta I'd bought before I started the program, so I had a third of the box. Problem was, I finished the remaining two-thirds of it on Friday. Also ate a lot of ice cream. It was 1/2 fat, but if you eat twice as much ..... You get the point, just do the math. I'll be grocery shopping today, so I'll be more vigilant in what I buy.