Monday - August 30, 2010 - Plyometrics
==============================
Time: 59:50
Calories Burned: 592
Avg Heart Rate: 123
Max Heart Rate: 153
Felt a little awkward for some reason, and got interrupted a few times, but finished strong. Noticed my heart rate was a little lower than usual, perhaps because of the interruptions.
Tuesday - August 31, 2010 - Interval X Plus
================================
Time: 44:21
Calories Burned: 482
Avg Heart Rate: 128
Max Heart Rate: 157
Pretty good workout. I felt comfortable all the way through.
Wednesday - September 1, 2010 - Kenpo Cardio Plus
======================================
Time: 41:40
Calories Burned: 391
Avg Heart Rate: 120
Max Heart Rate: 149
Not my best Kenpo Cardio workout, but I thought I should have burned more than 391 calories.
Thursday - September 2, 2010 - Yoga X
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Time: 1:34:25
Calories Burned: 555
Avg Heart Rate: 98
Max Heart Rate: 121
I felt totally relaxed for the entire workout. Held my all my balance postures and only tapped the floor once during one of the half-moons. Crane wasn't too bad. I even got up a bit in Wheel. Not too high or for too long, but it makes me think it may happen someday. Overall, a good Yoga X experience.
Friday - September 3, 2010 - Cardio X (Modified)
====================================
Modification -Skipped Yoga section. Did Kenpo, Plyo, Core sections twice each
Heart Rate Monitor wasn't working, so the below are averages from my last two Cardio X (Modified) workouts
Time: 58:34
Calories Burned: 582
Avg Heart Rate: 122
Max Heart Rate: 156
I felt real good during the workout. I was light on my feet and had great balance during the Kenpo kicks, which i don't always have.
Also, I played Golf this morning and consistently hit the ball as good as I ever have. I'm attributing a lot of that to P90X. It's definitely letting me hit the ball farther, but it's also giving me better balance and better concentration when I'm playing.
Saturday - September 4, 2010 - Kenpo X
==============================
Time: 59:14
Calories Burned: 443
Avg Heart Rate: 107
Max Heart Rate: 133
Just a horrible workout. I ate greasy pizza at an afternoon get together, and was tired when I got home. I didn't feel like taking the time to make something proper, so I ate a bunch of Ice Cream (1/2 fat) about 30 minutes before my workout. I felt sluggish during the entire hour, was behind on a lot of the moves, and couldn't keep my heart rate up. My average heart rate was slightly above Yoga X. Pretty pathetic. NOTE TO SELF: EAT BETTER. LEARN FROM THIS AND DON'T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN!!!
Sunday - September 5, 2010 - Weigh In
=============================
Weight: 176.7
Body Fat: 22.8%
Added 2.4 pounds. Well deserved. Eating like crap will do that to you.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Post Round 6 - Maintenance Schedule
For the next several weeks (or months), I'll be doing a set schedule of Cardio Exercises, until I feel my body has healed itself to the point of starting Round 7.
For now, my Weekly Schedule will be as Follows:
Monday - Plyometrics
Tuesday - Interval X Plus
Wednesday - Kenpo Cardio Plus
Thursday - Yoga X
Friday - Cardio X
Saturday - Kenpo X
Sunday - Rest
For now, my Weekly Schedule will be as Follows:
Monday - Plyometrics
Tuesday - Interval X Plus
Wednesday - Kenpo Cardio Plus
Thursday - Yoga X
Friday - Cardio X
Saturday - Kenpo X
Sunday - Rest
Monday, August 23, 2010
Round 6 - Week 13
This is a Recovery Week
MONDAY - August 23, 2010 - Yoga X
===========================
This is the last week of the Round, and I really wanted to do Yoga X right. During most of the Vinyasa section I was able to concentrate on my breath and movements more than I have in the past. Everything was going fine, and I felt really strong. However, I started losing concentration after the Chair Poses. I even fell during one of the Half Moons. The balance postures and crane were a joke. I don't think I held any of the balance postures on my left leg more than 10 seconds, and I'm not even sure I held Crane for 10 consecutive seconds at any point. The right leg balances were a little better, but not much. I was so inflexible, I could barely get into the Seated Spinal Stretch.. I did a lot of yard work yesterday, so that may have contributed to my lack of flexibility. Despite all that, I did make progress in the concentration area, so that's something to build on. Calorie burn was 535. A bit low for Yoga X, but my last few sessions have all been low.
TUESDAY - August 24, 2010 - Core Synergistics
===================================
I'm still not a fan of this workout, but I told myself before it started that it wasn't so bad, and to have fun with it. On the third move in, the Leaning Crescent Lunges, that idea started to go out the window. However, I still pushed myself. I realize I don't have to like a workout to work hard and get something out of it. I always sweat like crazy when I'm done with this one, and today was no exception. I burned 548 calories, which is about average for this workout.
WEDNESDAY - August 25, 2010 - Cardio X
===============================
Once again, I did the modified version of Cardio X that I tried last month. I did the warmup, skipped the Yoga section, did the Kenpo, Plyo, Core sections, then repeated the Kenpo, Plyo, Core sections, and finished with the cooldown. A 58 minute workout, and I burned 573 calories. Cardio X never really tired me out completely until I did it this way. Now I'm dripping in sweat, and totally worn out. Once again, I deem the modified version a complete success.
THURSDAY - August 26, 2010 - X Stretch
===============================
I'm excited. Today was one of those breakthrough moments, one of those "little victories" I speak about. Why? Today I layed flat on my back during the Back Hero Pose. That's right, I was "taking a nap" with Shawna. When people talk about P90X, it's how good they look, how much weight they've lost, their six-pack abs, how many pushups or pullups they can do, how much weight they lifted, and all that is very important, even to me. However, nobody talks about the flexibility it gives you. No man at my age should be able to get on their knees, lean back, and lay flat on the floor, but I can. Thank you P90X. (Calorie burn was 193.)
FRIDAY - August 27, 2010 - Core Synergistics
=================================
Looks like I'm finishing up this round strong. I was up early this morning to play golf, came home and did Core almost immediately because I have to be out the door soon. Also, my dad had some surgery today that I was little anxious and stressed about. Just before I started the workout, my mom called to say everything went OK. So my heart was pumpin' a bit before I even started the workout. As I've mentioned before Core is not exactly my favorite routine, but I flew through it today with no problems (probably on adrenaline alone), and burned 646 calories, which is by far the most I've ever burned on Core, and the third most I've burned on any workout this round. I'm very pleased.
SATURDAY - August 28, 2010 - Yoga X
=============================
Today is my 53rd birthday and my last day of my 6th Round of P90X. I finished it up with Yoga X. The last few days have been quite hectic. I'm eating like crap and not getting any sleep, I'm still concerned about my dad, and the last thing I wanted to do after I got home from an 8 hour fantasy football draft today was 90 minutes of Yoga X. I've been so looking forward to the end of this round just to give my body a break, so for the first part of the workout I was thinking "let's just get this over with". However, at some point I did let all the other stuff that's been going on take a back seat, and I concentrated on making it a good workout. I held all my Warrior 3 / Half-Moons and most of my balance poses. I was in and out of Crane, but was probably in it more than out. By the end of the workout I was a lot more relaxed than when I started. The heart rate monitor says I burned 686 calories, which is the most for any workout this round. I don't know if it's because my heart rate is elevated because I'm anxious about other things, or what the reason, but if 686 calories burned is correct, I'll take it.
All that's left is tomorrow's weigh in. I'm not expecting good results because of the poor eating this week, but it is what it is, and I'll move forward.
SUNDAY - August 29, 2010 - Weigh In
============================
WEIGHT: 174.3; BODY FAT: 22.1%
I lost .3 lbs, which is a total shock. As I mentioned last week, I had wanted to get under 174.0, but I ate so poorly the last few days, I seriously wouldn't have been surprised if I'd put on 5 lbs. However, I did have very high calorie burns on the last two workouts, and I think my metabolism is at the point where I can still eat poorly for a few days and still be able to have it burned off. I'm not going to use that as an excuse to continue to eat bad, but a few days here and there isn't going to kill me.
I started the Round at 177.5 lbs with 22.7% body fat. Therefore, I lost 3.2 lbs for the round and .6% on my body fat percentage. Those might not seem like big numbers to someone looking in, but I'm at the point where losing a pound here and there is tough. I still need to eat better, which will get the body fat % down, so I'm not going to be complacent here, but overall I'm feeling pretty good about the results.
Combine all that with the fact that I increased my reps or lifted more weight on a lot of the exercises, even doing some moves I couldn't do before, and I'm very happy.
My only regret is that I didn't stick to the Nutrition Plan as well as I'd hoped to. I started out with good intentions, but kind of got off track and lost my way around week 3. I still ate fairly well, and had it in the back of my mind most of the time, but there were periods where I just didn't feel like taking the time to cook or prepare a proper meal. That's a mindset I need to continue to work on. I also have to decide how important it is to me as an individual, because there's times when being told what I can and can't eat makes me miserable, and as I said before, making myself feel miserable is not what this is about. I'm sure there's a happy balance somewhere in between stuffing my face with pizza, fast food, sweets, and junk food everyday, and not being able to eat any of it at all. I have to find that balance that works for me, and then stick to it.
The end of each round for me is always bittersweet. In one way, I'm glad I don't have to beat my body up for a while, but at the same time I miss the structure of the program, and the working towards the 90 day finish line. As in the past, I'll continue to do the cardio workouts on a set schedule until I decide to do my next round, but that may be a while. I started Round 5 on Valentine's Day and only took a two week break before starting Round 6. My body is pretty beat up right now and needs a rest. I'll throw some weightlifting in once in a while, along with some pullups and pushups periodically, but for the most part it'll be cardio for a least a few months.
I'll still be posting my progress through the Cardio period, but perhaps not every day. I'll at least post my weigh-ins and thoughts on a weekly basis.
I do want to say that posting on this blog has been very therapeutic. By doing so, I'm able to get my thoughts together, find out what's working and what isn't, and what I need to do to make things better. It's now become a very important part of my P90X experience.
MONDAY - August 23, 2010 - Yoga X
===========================
This is the last week of the Round, and I really wanted to do Yoga X right. During most of the Vinyasa section I was able to concentrate on my breath and movements more than I have in the past. Everything was going fine, and I felt really strong. However, I started losing concentration after the Chair Poses. I even fell during one of the Half Moons. The balance postures and crane were a joke. I don't think I held any of the balance postures on my left leg more than 10 seconds, and I'm not even sure I held Crane for 10 consecutive seconds at any point. The right leg balances were a little better, but not much. I was so inflexible, I could barely get into the Seated Spinal Stretch.. I did a lot of yard work yesterday, so that may have contributed to my lack of flexibility. Despite all that, I did make progress in the concentration area, so that's something to build on. Calorie burn was 535. A bit low for Yoga X, but my last few sessions have all been low.
TUESDAY - August 24, 2010 - Core Synergistics
===================================
I'm still not a fan of this workout, but I told myself before it started that it wasn't so bad, and to have fun with it. On the third move in, the Leaning Crescent Lunges, that idea started to go out the window. However, I still pushed myself. I realize I don't have to like a workout to work hard and get something out of it. I always sweat like crazy when I'm done with this one, and today was no exception. I burned 548 calories, which is about average for this workout.
WEDNESDAY - August 25, 2010 - Cardio X
===============================
Once again, I did the modified version of Cardio X that I tried last month. I did the warmup, skipped the Yoga section, did the Kenpo, Plyo, Core sections, then repeated the Kenpo, Plyo, Core sections, and finished with the cooldown. A 58 minute workout, and I burned 573 calories. Cardio X never really tired me out completely until I did it this way. Now I'm dripping in sweat, and totally worn out. Once again, I deem the modified version a complete success.
THURSDAY - August 26, 2010 - X Stretch
===============================
I'm excited. Today was one of those breakthrough moments, one of those "little victories" I speak about. Why? Today I layed flat on my back during the Back Hero Pose. That's right, I was "taking a nap" with Shawna. When people talk about P90X, it's how good they look, how much weight they've lost, their six-pack abs, how many pushups or pullups they can do, how much weight they lifted, and all that is very important, even to me. However, nobody talks about the flexibility it gives you. No man at my age should be able to get on their knees, lean back, and lay flat on the floor, but I can. Thank you P90X. (Calorie burn was 193.)
FRIDAY - August 27, 2010 - Core Synergistics
=================================
Looks like I'm finishing up this round strong. I was up early this morning to play golf, came home and did Core almost immediately because I have to be out the door soon. Also, my dad had some surgery today that I was little anxious and stressed about. Just before I started the workout, my mom called to say everything went OK. So my heart was pumpin' a bit before I even started the workout. As I've mentioned before Core is not exactly my favorite routine, but I flew through it today with no problems (probably on adrenaline alone), and burned 646 calories, which is by far the most I've ever burned on Core, and the third most I've burned on any workout this round. I'm very pleased.
SATURDAY - August 28, 2010 - Yoga X
=============================
Today is my 53rd birthday and my last day of my 6th Round of P90X. I finished it up with Yoga X. The last few days have been quite hectic. I'm eating like crap and not getting any sleep, I'm still concerned about my dad, and the last thing I wanted to do after I got home from an 8 hour fantasy football draft today was 90 minutes of Yoga X. I've been so looking forward to the end of this round just to give my body a break, so for the first part of the workout I was thinking "let's just get this over with". However, at some point I did let all the other stuff that's been going on take a back seat, and I concentrated on making it a good workout. I held all my Warrior 3 / Half-Moons and most of my balance poses. I was in and out of Crane, but was probably in it more than out. By the end of the workout I was a lot more relaxed than when I started. The heart rate monitor says I burned 686 calories, which is the most for any workout this round. I don't know if it's because my heart rate is elevated because I'm anxious about other things, or what the reason, but if 686 calories burned is correct, I'll take it.
All that's left is tomorrow's weigh in. I'm not expecting good results because of the poor eating this week, but it is what it is, and I'll move forward.
SUNDAY - August 29, 2010 - Weigh In
============================
WEIGHT: 174.3; BODY FAT: 22.1%
I lost .3 lbs, which is a total shock. As I mentioned last week, I had wanted to get under 174.0, but I ate so poorly the last few days, I seriously wouldn't have been surprised if I'd put on 5 lbs. However, I did have very high calorie burns on the last two workouts, and I think my metabolism is at the point where I can still eat poorly for a few days and still be able to have it burned off. I'm not going to use that as an excuse to continue to eat bad, but a few days here and there isn't going to kill me.
I started the Round at 177.5 lbs with 22.7% body fat. Therefore, I lost 3.2 lbs for the round and .6% on my body fat percentage. Those might not seem like big numbers to someone looking in, but I'm at the point where losing a pound here and there is tough. I still need to eat better, which will get the body fat % down, so I'm not going to be complacent here, but overall I'm feeling pretty good about the results.
Combine all that with the fact that I increased my reps or lifted more weight on a lot of the exercises, even doing some moves I couldn't do before, and I'm very happy.
My only regret is that I didn't stick to the Nutrition Plan as well as I'd hoped to. I started out with good intentions, but kind of got off track and lost my way around week 3. I still ate fairly well, and had it in the back of my mind most of the time, but there were periods where I just didn't feel like taking the time to cook or prepare a proper meal. That's a mindset I need to continue to work on. I also have to decide how important it is to me as an individual, because there's times when being told what I can and can't eat makes me miserable, and as I said before, making myself feel miserable is not what this is about. I'm sure there's a happy balance somewhere in between stuffing my face with pizza, fast food, sweets, and junk food everyday, and not being able to eat any of it at all. I have to find that balance that works for me, and then stick to it.
The end of each round for me is always bittersweet. In one way, I'm glad I don't have to beat my body up for a while, but at the same time I miss the structure of the program, and the working towards the 90 day finish line. As in the past, I'll continue to do the cardio workouts on a set schedule until I decide to do my next round, but that may be a while. I started Round 5 on Valentine's Day and only took a two week break before starting Round 6. My body is pretty beat up right now and needs a rest. I'll throw some weightlifting in once in a while, along with some pullups and pushups periodically, but for the most part it'll be cardio for a least a few months.
I'll still be posting my progress through the Cardio period, but perhaps not every day. I'll at least post my weigh-ins and thoughts on a weekly basis.
I do want to say that posting on this blog has been very therapeutic. By doing so, I'm able to get my thoughts together, find out what's working and what isn't, and what I need to do to make things better. It's now become a very important part of my P90X experience.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Round 6 - Week 12
This is a Plus Week
MONDAY - August 16, 2010 - Upper Plus
==============================
I came home and mowed the lawn before I did my workout. I normally don't do that during the week, but it needed it badly, and it couldn't wait until next weekend. I think it got the adrenaline going a bit, because I felt more energized during the workout, and I took a lot less break time than usual. Most of the rep counts and weights were the same as last time. There were a few moves where I did a few less reps (time ran out), and a few I did more of, most notably the Lean Back Curls (increased from 20 to 24 reps), and Bicep Everythings (increased from 30 to 32 reps). Calorie burn was 504, which is a bit above average for this workout, but they've all been within 25 calories from high to low.
TUESDAY - August 17, 2010 - Interval X Plus
=================================
I've been extremely tired the last few weeks, as I haven't been getting nearly enough sleep. I came home feeling OK, took a small nap, and woke up feeling horrible. The workout went OK, but I felt I lacked the energy I often have. I only burned 444 calories, where in previous Interval X workouts I'd burned between 445 and 478. My average heart rate was only 123, whereas my normal average rate is around 130. It seems I have more energy for workouts if I don't rest after I get home. I'm not sure what I'll do in the future. I guess I'll see how I feel from day to day, but it's something to monitor.
WEDNESDAY - August 18, 2010 - Total Body Plus
====================================
Nothing exceptional to report today. I'm becoming more familiar with the moves, but I'm still doing roughly the same number each time with the same weight, so it's hard to measure progress. However, I did feel a bit more confident and stronger today with the exercises. I still can't get the coordination of the Spiderman Jumps, but I'll work on it. Burned 560 calories, which is about average for this routine.
THURSDAY - August 19, 2010 - Yoga X
=============================
Once again, my mind was all over the place. I went through the poses OK, but it was almost like I was a robot, as there was absolutely no concentration on what I was doing. I burned 509 calories, which is low.
FRIDAY - August 20, 2010 - Legs and Back
================================
My last "strength" workout of the round. I felt a lot stronger going into it than I did last week, and felt I'd certainly be able to more pullups. I ended up with 84, which was 12 more than last week, and only 2 short of my high from a few weeks ago. I only did 17 in the last set of switch grips, whereas I had done 25 in my high week. This means I picked up 6 pullups in the other 7 sets, which makes me happy. For the record, on all but the switch grips, once I come down to the floor, I stop counting. On the switch grips, I come down to the floor after each two, then keep going until I can't get up anymore. Sometimes there's a 5 to 10 second break between trying to get back up again, but usually nothing longer than that. I never take my hands off the bar. The leg routines all went fine, but for some reason my balance was horrible, especially during the Sneaky Lunges. I ended up burning 543 calories, which is about average for Legs and Back.
SATURDAY - August 21, 2010 - Kenpo Cardio Plus
=====================================
A pretty good workout, but the uncoordination from the last few workouts carried over to today. I think it's just fatigue from a lack of sleep, but on some of the moves I felt like I was doing them for the first time. I was stumbling all over the place on the Side Speed Kicks, and missed a few of the reps at the beginning of some exercises because I was looking at the video saying "What is he doing again?". Nonetheless, I still burned 427 calories which is near the high end for this workout.
SUNDAY - August 22, 2010 - Weigh In & Abs Core Plus
========================================
WEIGH IN: Weight = 174.6; Body Fat = 22.2%
I lost the .7 pounds I put on last week, which I had gained the previous week, which I had lost the previous week. I see a pattern here.
I'm using a digital scale, which can vary widely each time I step onto it, so I weigh myself a number of times, and then take an average. Today I had one measurement at 169.6, and another at 179.6. How is that possible? I try to stand in the same spot each time, but that's almost impossible. It's very frustrating to not have that accuracy, but I've learned to work around it.
One week to go in this round, and I'd like to get under 174.0. I've only been there for one week in the last two years. I started this thing two years ago at 214 pounds, and getting under 174 means I lost over 40 pounds.
ABS CORE PLUS: Probably my best Abs Core Plus workout, simply because I'm becoming more familiar with the moves. I'm now able to concentrate on doing the moves, instead of glancing at the video constantly to see what they're doing. Burned 225 calories in the 23:09 it took me to do the routine.
MONDAY - August 16, 2010 - Upper Plus
==============================
I came home and mowed the lawn before I did my workout. I normally don't do that during the week, but it needed it badly, and it couldn't wait until next weekend. I think it got the adrenaline going a bit, because I felt more energized during the workout, and I took a lot less break time than usual. Most of the rep counts and weights were the same as last time. There were a few moves where I did a few less reps (time ran out), and a few I did more of, most notably the Lean Back Curls (increased from 20 to 24 reps), and Bicep Everythings (increased from 30 to 32 reps). Calorie burn was 504, which is a bit above average for this workout, but they've all been within 25 calories from high to low.
TUESDAY - August 17, 2010 - Interval X Plus
=================================
I've been extremely tired the last few weeks, as I haven't been getting nearly enough sleep. I came home feeling OK, took a small nap, and woke up feeling horrible. The workout went OK, but I felt I lacked the energy I often have. I only burned 444 calories, where in previous Interval X workouts I'd burned between 445 and 478. My average heart rate was only 123, whereas my normal average rate is around 130. It seems I have more energy for workouts if I don't rest after I get home. I'm not sure what I'll do in the future. I guess I'll see how I feel from day to day, but it's something to monitor.
WEDNESDAY - August 18, 2010 - Total Body Plus
====================================
Nothing exceptional to report today. I'm becoming more familiar with the moves, but I'm still doing roughly the same number each time with the same weight, so it's hard to measure progress. However, I did feel a bit more confident and stronger today with the exercises. I still can't get the coordination of the Spiderman Jumps, but I'll work on it. Burned 560 calories, which is about average for this routine.
THURSDAY - August 19, 2010 - Yoga X
=============================
Once again, my mind was all over the place. I went through the poses OK, but it was almost like I was a robot, as there was absolutely no concentration on what I was doing. I burned 509 calories, which is low.
FRIDAY - August 20, 2010 - Legs and Back
================================
My last "strength" workout of the round. I felt a lot stronger going into it than I did last week, and felt I'd certainly be able to more pullups. I ended up with 84, which was 12 more than last week, and only 2 short of my high from a few weeks ago. I only did 17 in the last set of switch grips, whereas I had done 25 in my high week. This means I picked up 6 pullups in the other 7 sets, which makes me happy. For the record, on all but the switch grips, once I come down to the floor, I stop counting. On the switch grips, I come down to the floor after each two, then keep going until I can't get up anymore. Sometimes there's a 5 to 10 second break between trying to get back up again, but usually nothing longer than that. I never take my hands off the bar. The leg routines all went fine, but for some reason my balance was horrible, especially during the Sneaky Lunges. I ended up burning 543 calories, which is about average for Legs and Back.
SATURDAY - August 21, 2010 - Kenpo Cardio Plus
=====================================
A pretty good workout, but the uncoordination from the last few workouts carried over to today. I think it's just fatigue from a lack of sleep, but on some of the moves I felt like I was doing them for the first time. I was stumbling all over the place on the Side Speed Kicks, and missed a few of the reps at the beginning of some exercises because I was looking at the video saying "What is he doing again?". Nonetheless, I still burned 427 calories which is near the high end for this workout.
SUNDAY - August 22, 2010 - Weigh In & Abs Core Plus
========================================
WEIGH IN: Weight = 174.6; Body Fat = 22.2%
I lost the .7 pounds I put on last week, which I had gained the previous week, which I had lost the previous week. I see a pattern here.
I'm using a digital scale, which can vary widely each time I step onto it, so I weigh myself a number of times, and then take an average. Today I had one measurement at 169.6, and another at 179.6. How is that possible? I try to stand in the same spot each time, but that's almost impossible. It's very frustrating to not have that accuracy, but I've learned to work around it.
One week to go in this round, and I'd like to get under 174.0. I've only been there for one week in the last two years. I started this thing two years ago at 214 pounds, and getting under 174 means I lost over 40 pounds.
ABS CORE PLUS: Probably my best Abs Core Plus workout, simply because I'm becoming more familiar with the moves. I'm now able to concentrate on doing the moves, instead of glancing at the video constantly to see what they're doing. Burned 225 calories in the 23:09 it took me to do the routine.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Round 6 - Week 11
This is a Classic Phase 2 Week
MONDAY - August 9, 2010 - Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps
==========================================
Today was a good, but not great workout. For some reason, I did a few less reps on some of the tricep exercises, but it was because I ran out of time, and not because of fatigue. I wasn't looking at my worksheets to see what I'd done the previous time, so maybe that had something to do with it. I only increased the weight on one move (Front to Back Tricep Extensions - from 15 to 20 lbs.) On all the exercises, I'm doing at least as many reps as they're doing on the video, except for the Clap Pushups and One Armed Pushups. I got through all 25 reps of the Two Twitch Speed Pushups without stopping, and I did 10 Clap Pushups from my feet, as opposed to the 6 from last time, so that's a step in the right direction. I burned 593 calories for the workout, which is more than I burned either of the previous two times this round.
TUESDAY - August 10, 2010 - Plyometrics
===============================
An average, non-eventful Plyo session. I started out a bit sluggish, but picked it up a bit. Burned 617 calories, which is about mid-range for my Plyo workouts.
WEDNESDAY - August 11, 2010 - Back & Biceps
===================================
I took a lot of small breaks today, turning a 51 minute workout into a 65 minute workout, but sometimes I need the breaks to get myself ready for the next exercise, whether it's changing weights, or just giving my arms a few extra seconds to recover. I started the Strip Set at 40 lbs, which I'd never done before. On the first set I was able to do 7 clean curls, but my left arm couldn't handle the 8th rep, so I put the weight down for a second, then finished the 8th rep. The other three sets were fine. I'm finding my hands are getting real sweaty near the end, on both the curls and pullups, so I'm thinking I might have been able to do a few more reps of each if I'd worn my gloves. I burned 633 calories, while my previous high for this workout was 596.
THURSDAY - August 12, 2010 - Yoga X
=============================
Things were a bit hectic at work because we were a bit shorthanded, so the last thing I was looking forward to was a 90 minute workout when I got home. On the drive home, I was thinking about how tedious it was going to be, when I came to the conclusion that perhaps the point of it all was to strengthen the mind instead of the body by controlling my thoughts through all that tedium. I went into the workout with that mindset, and it worked a bit. I tried concentrating less on the physical movement, and more on the clearing of the mind. The problem is when you're constantly telling yourself to clear your mind, the constant telling isn't clearing it. It's cluttering it up. I found myself almost going through the motions on the actual physical motions because they were secondary today. I need to concentrate on the breath and the moves. There were a few moments when the mind cleared, and I thought I had "it", but those moments were few and far between. However, they were there. I did find myself much more relaxed than during other Yoga X sessions. My Warrior 3 and Half Moons were almost flawless. My balance postures were a mess on the left leg, but perfect on the right leg. I held Crane for what seemed to about 30 - 40 seconds straight. I only burned 471 calories which is my all-time low. Thst's not a surprise because my average heart rate was only 92, where it's usually at 99 or so for this routine. I'm guessing it's because I was more relaxed. Not a perfect workout, but this is definitely something to build on.
FRIDAY - August 13, 2010 - Legs and Back
===============================
It's amazing what the mind is capable of. At the beginning of the workout, I wasn't looking forward to the pain of pushing myself through the pullups. Not surprisingly, it was a crap workout. I did 14 less pullups than last time. No excuses, but I'm not going to beat myself up over it. Calorie burn was 536, which is a bit on the lowside for Legs and Back.
SATURDAY - August 14, 2010 - Kenpo X
==============================
This was a good Kenpo workout. I noticed my heart rate was in the 130s much of the time, and I was sweating like crazy. As with most Kenpo sessions, I'm trying to concentrate on turning into my punches a bit more, but for some reason it seemed to pay off today. I burned 546 calories, whereas I'm usually in the 490s with Kenpo, and my previous high was 517.
SUNDAY - August 15, 2010 - Weigh In and Ab Ripper X
========================================
WEIGH IN: Weight = 175.3; Body Fat = 22.3%
A .7 lb increase, which is what I'd lost last week. I had some Twizzlers and Taffy at the office earlier in the week. Maybe I din't work them off. Or it could have been other factors. Water weight, Atmospheric Pressure, etc. I'm going with Atmospheric Pressure. Otherwise, I ate pretty good for the week, and I feel good, so the small increase isn't a concern.
AB RIPPER X: A good Ab Ripper workout. My abs started to burn on the Pulse-Ups. I was hitting elbow to thigh on all my Oblique V-Ups, and I did 88 Mason Twists. Time = 16:22. Total moves = 409. Burned 135 calories. My high for the round.
MONDAY - August 9, 2010 - Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps
==========================================
Today was a good, but not great workout. For some reason, I did a few less reps on some of the tricep exercises, but it was because I ran out of time, and not because of fatigue. I wasn't looking at my worksheets to see what I'd done the previous time, so maybe that had something to do with it. I only increased the weight on one move (Front to Back Tricep Extensions - from 15 to 20 lbs.) On all the exercises, I'm doing at least as many reps as they're doing on the video, except for the Clap Pushups and One Armed Pushups. I got through all 25 reps of the Two Twitch Speed Pushups without stopping, and I did 10 Clap Pushups from my feet, as opposed to the 6 from last time, so that's a step in the right direction. I burned 593 calories for the workout, which is more than I burned either of the previous two times this round.
TUESDAY - August 10, 2010 - Plyometrics
===============================
An average, non-eventful Plyo session. I started out a bit sluggish, but picked it up a bit. Burned 617 calories, which is about mid-range for my Plyo workouts.
WEDNESDAY - August 11, 2010 - Back & Biceps
===================================
I took a lot of small breaks today, turning a 51 minute workout into a 65 minute workout, but sometimes I need the breaks to get myself ready for the next exercise, whether it's changing weights, or just giving my arms a few extra seconds to recover. I started the Strip Set at 40 lbs, which I'd never done before. On the first set I was able to do 7 clean curls, but my left arm couldn't handle the 8th rep, so I put the weight down for a second, then finished the 8th rep. The other three sets were fine. I'm finding my hands are getting real sweaty near the end, on both the curls and pullups, so I'm thinking I might have been able to do a few more reps of each if I'd worn my gloves. I burned 633 calories, while my previous high for this workout was 596.
THURSDAY - August 12, 2010 - Yoga X
=============================
Things were a bit hectic at work because we were a bit shorthanded, so the last thing I was looking forward to was a 90 minute workout when I got home. On the drive home, I was thinking about how tedious it was going to be, when I came to the conclusion that perhaps the point of it all was to strengthen the mind instead of the body by controlling my thoughts through all that tedium. I went into the workout with that mindset, and it worked a bit. I tried concentrating less on the physical movement, and more on the clearing of the mind. The problem is when you're constantly telling yourself to clear your mind, the constant telling isn't clearing it. It's cluttering it up. I found myself almost going through the motions on the actual physical motions because they were secondary today. I need to concentrate on the breath and the moves. There were a few moments when the mind cleared, and I thought I had "it", but those moments were few and far between. However, they were there. I did find myself much more relaxed than during other Yoga X sessions. My Warrior 3 and Half Moons were almost flawless. My balance postures were a mess on the left leg, but perfect on the right leg. I held Crane for what seemed to about 30 - 40 seconds straight. I only burned 471 calories which is my all-time low. Thst's not a surprise because my average heart rate was only 92, where it's usually at 99 or so for this routine. I'm guessing it's because I was more relaxed. Not a perfect workout, but this is definitely something to build on.
FRIDAY - August 13, 2010 - Legs and Back
===============================
It's amazing what the mind is capable of. At the beginning of the workout, I wasn't looking forward to the pain of pushing myself through the pullups. Not surprisingly, it was a crap workout. I did 14 less pullups than last time. No excuses, but I'm not going to beat myself up over it. Calorie burn was 536, which is a bit on the lowside for Legs and Back.
SATURDAY - August 14, 2010 - Kenpo X
==============================
This was a good Kenpo workout. I noticed my heart rate was in the 130s much of the time, and I was sweating like crazy. As with most Kenpo sessions, I'm trying to concentrate on turning into my punches a bit more, but for some reason it seemed to pay off today. I burned 546 calories, whereas I'm usually in the 490s with Kenpo, and my previous high was 517.
SUNDAY - August 15, 2010 - Weigh In and Ab Ripper X
========================================
WEIGH IN: Weight = 175.3; Body Fat = 22.3%
A .7 lb increase, which is what I'd lost last week. I had some Twizzlers and Taffy at the office earlier in the week. Maybe I din't work them off. Or it could have been other factors. Water weight, Atmospheric Pressure, etc. I'm going with Atmospheric Pressure. Otherwise, I ate pretty good for the week, and I feel good, so the small increase isn't a concern.
AB RIPPER X: A good Ab Ripper workout. My abs started to burn on the Pulse-Ups. I was hitting elbow to thigh on all my Oblique V-Ups, and I did 88 Mason Twists. Time = 16:22. Total moves = 409. Burned 135 calories. My high for the round.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Round 6 - Week 10
This is a Plus Week
MONDAY - August 2, 2010 - Upper Plus
=============================
This workout seems to wear me out more than it should. The exercises are hard, but individually, they don't appear to be that much harder than Classic P90X. However, they move so fast, I find myself hitting pause a lot. The Combat Pushups are a tough finishing move, and I did 14 of them. On the Lean Back Curls, I accidentally cut my weight down from last time, and did 20 reps at 25 lbs instead of last month's 12 reps at 30 lbs. I'm not sure which is better. Overall, I burned 493 calories, which is right in between my last two times.
TUESDAY - August 3, 2010 - Interval X Plus
================================
I'm really beginning to appreciate this workout more and more. There's still a few moves I don't like, such as the ones where you're squatting to the floor and jumping up, but most of them I do like. I get a good calorie burn for the time involved. Today I had to pause for a minute or so about a third of the way in to check on my dinner, but still burned 445 calories in just under 45 minutes.
WEDNESDAY - August 4, 2010 - Total Body Plus
===================================
This is the same situation with Upper Plus. It really wears me out quickly, and I'm taking all kinds of short pauses. Because the Plus workouts are more time based, it's difficult to increase your rep counts, so it's tough to see improvement from workout to workout. One way is to increase the weights a bit, but not all the exercises use weights. The other is to shorten the "break" time. Today it took me 56 minutes to do the 46 minute workout. A lot of that is writing things down and changing weights, but there's also the 15-20 second "catch your breath" breaks that I'll try to reduce down. I can remember going through the same thing with Plyometrics and Core Synergistics. I still am uncoordinated on the Spiderman Jumps. I just can't do them fluidly without thinking about where my hands and feet should be where I land. That's definitely something I can work on. I could also use better balance on my Balance Curls (left leg balance is horrible), and the Lara Lunge Crunches. I burned 544 calories, which is about average for this workout.
THURSDAY - August 5, 2010 - Yoga X
============================
I saw a YouTube video yesterday from someone who had been struggling with Yoga X, then tried to "clear his mind and focus on the present moment". He said it made it almost a different workout. I tried to concentrate on that idea today. The first thing I did was to make sure my heart rate monitor strap was tight so I didn't repeat last week's fiasco. Overall, my concentration and focus was better than usual, but I still have a long way to go. My mind was really wandering during the second half. I fell out of all my balance postures, and only held Crane for 15 to 20 seconds. But it's a start. I'll try and hold my concentration a little bit longer each time I do it. I burned 549 calories. I've measured my burned calories for 12 Yoga X sessions now, and it's ranged anywhere from 500 to 600 calories, but that's only a small part of the picture. Those are the cold numbers. I'm really looking for the "peace of mind" feeling to deem it a really successful workout.
FRIDAY - August 6, 2010 - Legs and Back
==============================
Was up at 6:30 this morning to play golf. Drove 27 miles there, 27 miles back, and walked a lot of the course when I had the chance. Did some grocery and yard supply shopping on the way back. Mowed the lawn, trimmed the bushes, and weed whacked, all without a break since waking up. For a lot of people, that's a normal day, but for me, I'm usually stuck behind a desk all day. I was still revved up when I started the workout about 6:20 pm. I have to say it was one of my best workouts ever. The leg exercises were the usual reps with the usual weights, but I felt like I was doing them with so much more energy than usual. I did 86 pullups, which was nine more than last week, and five more than my record 81 done three weeks ago. I'm very happy with the effort. I burned 596 calories, and the most I'd ever burned on this workout before was 571. An all around good job. A pat on the back to me.
SATURDAY - August 7, 2010 - Kenpo Cardio Plus
====================================
I did the workout in the morning to keep the momentum going from yesterday. As I mentioned before, this is my favorite workout, and the time goes by very quickly. I watched the Gladiator move before I started the workout, as I can never get it right. It helped, as I think I got the mechanics down. It's just a matter of getting used to it. I burned 384 calories, which is lower than usual, but I don't care because I enjoyed the workout, and I feel good and exhausted.
SUNDAY - August 8, 2010 - Weigh In and Abs Core Plus
========================================
WEIGH IN: Weight = 174.6; Body Fat = 22.3%
A drop of .7 lbs from last week, which I'm happy with. I ate pretty good for the week. A little half-fat ice cream here and there, and a hot dog at golf on Friday, but no junk food binges.
ABS/CORE PLUS: I did roughly the same amount of reps I did the last few times. I'm still getting used to the exercises and the sequence. It moves so quickly, that while I'm trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing, the exercise is half over. I think once I'm more familiar with it, the reps will increase. I burned 236 calories in the 24 minutes it took me to do the 20 minute routine.
MONDAY - August 2, 2010 - Upper Plus
=============================
This workout seems to wear me out more than it should. The exercises are hard, but individually, they don't appear to be that much harder than Classic P90X. However, they move so fast, I find myself hitting pause a lot. The Combat Pushups are a tough finishing move, and I did 14 of them. On the Lean Back Curls, I accidentally cut my weight down from last time, and did 20 reps at 25 lbs instead of last month's 12 reps at 30 lbs. I'm not sure which is better. Overall, I burned 493 calories, which is right in between my last two times.
TUESDAY - August 3, 2010 - Interval X Plus
================================
I'm really beginning to appreciate this workout more and more. There's still a few moves I don't like, such as the ones where you're squatting to the floor and jumping up, but most of them I do like. I get a good calorie burn for the time involved. Today I had to pause for a minute or so about a third of the way in to check on my dinner, but still burned 445 calories in just under 45 minutes.
WEDNESDAY - August 4, 2010 - Total Body Plus
===================================
This is the same situation with Upper Plus. It really wears me out quickly, and I'm taking all kinds of short pauses. Because the Plus workouts are more time based, it's difficult to increase your rep counts, so it's tough to see improvement from workout to workout. One way is to increase the weights a bit, but not all the exercises use weights. The other is to shorten the "break" time. Today it took me 56 minutes to do the 46 minute workout. A lot of that is writing things down and changing weights, but there's also the 15-20 second "catch your breath" breaks that I'll try to reduce down. I can remember going through the same thing with Plyometrics and Core Synergistics. I still am uncoordinated on the Spiderman Jumps. I just can't do them fluidly without thinking about where my hands and feet should be where I land. That's definitely something I can work on. I could also use better balance on my Balance Curls (left leg balance is horrible), and the Lara Lunge Crunches. I burned 544 calories, which is about average for this workout.
THURSDAY - August 5, 2010 - Yoga X
============================
I saw a YouTube video yesterday from someone who had been struggling with Yoga X, then tried to "clear his mind and focus on the present moment". He said it made it almost a different workout. I tried to concentrate on that idea today. The first thing I did was to make sure my heart rate monitor strap was tight so I didn't repeat last week's fiasco. Overall, my concentration and focus was better than usual, but I still have a long way to go. My mind was really wandering during the second half. I fell out of all my balance postures, and only held Crane for 15 to 20 seconds. But it's a start. I'll try and hold my concentration a little bit longer each time I do it. I burned 549 calories. I've measured my burned calories for 12 Yoga X sessions now, and it's ranged anywhere from 500 to 600 calories, but that's only a small part of the picture. Those are the cold numbers. I'm really looking for the "peace of mind" feeling to deem it a really successful workout.
FRIDAY - August 6, 2010 - Legs and Back
==============================
Was up at 6:30 this morning to play golf. Drove 27 miles there, 27 miles back, and walked a lot of the course when I had the chance. Did some grocery and yard supply shopping on the way back. Mowed the lawn, trimmed the bushes, and weed whacked, all without a break since waking up. For a lot of people, that's a normal day, but for me, I'm usually stuck behind a desk all day. I was still revved up when I started the workout about 6:20 pm. I have to say it was one of my best workouts ever. The leg exercises were the usual reps with the usual weights, but I felt like I was doing them with so much more energy than usual. I did 86 pullups, which was nine more than last week, and five more than my record 81 done three weeks ago. I'm very happy with the effort. I burned 596 calories, and the most I'd ever burned on this workout before was 571. An all around good job. A pat on the back to me.
SATURDAY - August 7, 2010 - Kenpo Cardio Plus
====================================
I did the workout in the morning to keep the momentum going from yesterday. As I mentioned before, this is my favorite workout, and the time goes by very quickly. I watched the Gladiator move before I started the workout, as I can never get it right. It helped, as I think I got the mechanics down. It's just a matter of getting used to it. I burned 384 calories, which is lower than usual, but I don't care because I enjoyed the workout, and I feel good and exhausted.
SUNDAY - August 8, 2010 - Weigh In and Abs Core Plus
========================================
WEIGH IN: Weight = 174.6; Body Fat = 22.3%
A drop of .7 lbs from last week, which I'm happy with. I ate pretty good for the week. A little half-fat ice cream here and there, and a hot dog at golf on Friday, but no junk food binges.
ABS/CORE PLUS: I did roughly the same amount of reps I did the last few times. I'm still getting used to the exercises and the sequence. It moves so quickly, that while I'm trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing, the exercise is half over. I think once I'm more familiar with it, the reps will increase. I burned 236 calories in the 24 minutes it took me to do the 20 minute routine.
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