Monday, October 25, 2010

Post Round 6 Maintenance - Week 9

Monday - October 25, 2010 - Plyometrics
==============================
Time: 58:46
Calories Burned: 645
Avg Heart Rate: 129
Max Heart Rate: 161

I didn't do Plyo last week, and I must admit I missed it. What once was one of my most dreaded workouts has now become one of my favorites. (If only I could do that with Chest and Back.) Once again, a good calorie burn.

Tuesday - October 26, 2010 - Interval X Plus
=================================
Time: 44:18
Calories Burned: 467
Avg Heart Rate: 126
Max Heart Rate: 157

Not much to say. A good workout.

Wednesday - October 27, 2010 - Kenpo Cardio Plus
=====================================
Time: 41:18
Calories Burned: 392
Avg Heart Rate: 119
Max Heart Rate: 142

I'm still a bit frustrated with the lack of a good calorie burn on this routine. 392 is not good.

Thursday - October 28, 2010 - Yoga X
============================
Time: 1:36:26
Calories Burned: 555
Avg Heart Rate: 97
Max Heart Rate: 125

I've been on again, off again with Yoga X during the between rounds maintenance, but I think it's necessary to not substitute for it each week. Today I was relatively calm, but I found my mind wandering during the workout. I was almost on auto-pilot. The Half Moons were horrible, as were the balance postures. Crane was OK. In the end, I was glad I did it.

Friday - October 29, 2010 - Cardio X (Modified)
===================================
Modification: Skipped Yoga section. Did Kenpo, Plyo, Core sections, then repeated them.
Time: 58:21
Calories Burned: 564
Avg Heart Rate: 120
Max Heart Rate: 156

My calorie burn was a bit less than normal on this modified routine, but I felt sluggish through much of the workout, so that wasn't too surprising. Need to watch the eating again. Small bouts with some junk food is creeping in again.

Saturday - October 30, 2010 - Kenpo X
=============================
Time: 58:59
Calories Burned: 482
Avg Heart Rate: 111
Max Heart Rate: 140

One thing P90X has done is that it's got me to pay more attention to my body, and how it reacts to things. About two hours before I did the workout, I ate a bowl of cereal with some 1% milk on it. I got tired, took about a 45 minute nap, and still felt very bloated and sluggish throughout the workout. Except for the Chocolate Milk I use for a recovery drink, I rarely drink milk. I'm going to watch how I feel after drinking or eating dairy. It may be negatively affecting me in a way I'd never thought about before.

Sunday - October 31, 2010 - Weigh In
============================
Weight: 178.4 Body Fat: 23.3%

Not good. Not good at all. An increase of 2.6 lbs and 1% body fat. But I still feel good. Maybe it's my winter coat of fat. It gets cold here in Buffalo.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Post Round 6 Maintenance - Week 8

Monday - October 18, 2010 - Upper Plus
==============================
Time: 56:05
Calories Burned: 500 (estimated - Heart Rate Monitor not working properly)
Avg Heart Rate: 120 (estimated)
Max Heart Rate: 150 (estimated)

I could feel myself losing some muscle, so I decided to do a strength workout instead of just the cardio I've been doing the last 7 weeks. I took tons of breaks because my muscles were quivering after almost every exercise. I really noticed it in my pullups where there was a big dropoff from the last time I did the workout about 2 months ago. There was a slight decrease in the pushups and bicep moves, but not much. Regardless, I got through it, and am happy I did it.

Tuesday - October 19, 2010 - Interval X Plus
=================================
Time: 44:19
Calories Burned: 445
Avg Heart Rate: 123
Max Heart Rate: 157

I noticed my heart rate wasn't up as high as usual on the first half. It seemed to be getting up there on the second half. One of my lower calorie burns for this workout, but it still seemed to do the trick.

Wednesday - October 20, 2010 - Total Body Plus
====================================
Time: 57:52
Calories Burned: 606
Avg Heart Rate: 125
Max Heart Rate: 154

I'm still sore from Monday's first strength workout in almost two months. This one went the same as Monday's. A LOT of breaks, and struggling big time with the pullups, but it was a needed workout to get my muscles working again.

Thursday - October 21, 2010 - X-Stretch
==============================
Got a good stretch. Still very flexible and went all the way to my back again on Back Hero pose.

Friday - October 22, 2010 - Kenpo Cardio Plus
==================================
Time: 41:37
Calories Burned: 421
Avg Heart Rate: 124
Max Heart Rate: 149

I was a bit pressed for time, so I was planning on doing the 20 minutes Abs/Core Plus workout. However, I ate a bunch of very delicious cookies at work, and decided to bump up Kenpo Cardio Plus from tomorrow to today to get in more calorie burn. I'll do the normal Kenpo X workout tomorrow instead of Kenpo Cardio Plus. A good decision on my part, as I thought I got a real good workout today. It was at the higher end of my calorie burn for this routine.

Saturday - October 23, 2010 - Kenpo X
=============================
Time: 58:58
Calories Burned: 501
Avg Heart Rate: 114
Max Heart Rate: 144

Started out a bit slow, and I don't think my heart rate hit 120 until almost halfway through, but I finished strong. Question: How is Tony's heart rate at 164 AFTER the Blocks section? Mine was 114 at that point, and I was workin' too.

Sunday - October 24. 2010 - Weigh In
============================
Weight: 175.8 Body Fat: 22.3%

A gain of 2.5 lbs. This always seems to happen after I drop below 174. Maybe it's my body correcting itself. Maybe it's the cookies I ate. Maybe it's because I did two strength workouts this week instead of all cardio. Maybe it's because I did X-Stretch on Thurdsay instead of Yoga X, and the Yoga gods are mad at me. The point is, I feel good.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Post Round 6 Maintenance - Week 7

Monday - October 11, 2010 - Plyometrics
==============================
Time: 58:47
Calories Burned: 637
Avg Heart Rate: 128
Max Heart Rate: 158

This was one of my lowest calorie burns on Plyo. I noticed my heart rate wasn't up as high as usual, and I'm not sure I had the energy I usually do, but it was a good workout nonetheless.

Tuesday - October 12, 2010 - Interval X Plus
=================================
Time: 44:19
Calories Burned: 487
Avg Heart Rate: 129
Max Heart Rate: 159

Just the opposite of yesterday's workout, as I noticed my heart rate was getting up there early. Therefore, a good calorie burn. The energy's still not there for some reason. I still need to get more sleep, and the eating is slipping a bit, but I'm working on it.

Wednesday - October 13, 2010 - Kenpo Cardio Plus
=====================================
Time: 41:41
Calories Burned: 412
Avg Heart Rate: 122
Max Heart Rate: 150

I'm still not sure why I don't get a better calorie burn on this workout, but it's consistently lower than a Plyo or Interval X workout, so I guess it is what is is. I think one of the reasons is you're not going floor to ceiling on any of the moves, as you'd do on some of the Plyo and Interval moves. I still love the workout, however, and I always work up a good sweat.

Thursday - October 14, 2010 - Yoga X
============================
Time: 1:34:49
Calories Burned: 555
Avg Heart Rate: 97
Max Heart Rate: 125

I hadn't done Yoga X in a few weeks, and was considering doing X Stretch again, but I had a rare Whopper Value Meal today and felt I needed the extra calorie burn. I also just saw an interview with Tony on a YouTube video where he re-emphasizes the value of Yoga X, so I did it. It's still tedious for me, especially in the first half, but one of the things he mentioned in the interview was that it helps with your patience, so I looked at it that way, and it helped a bit.

Friday - October 15, 2010 - Cardio X (Modified)
===================================
Modification: Skipped Yoga section. Did Kenpo, Plyo, Core sections, then repeated them
Time: 58:33
Calories Birned: 604
Avg Heart Rate: 125
Max Heart Rate: 158

I was a bit worried about doing this workout today. I noticed yesterday during Yoga that my quad muscles and hamstrings were a bit tender. I don't know why they were tender, but I do know I couldn't hold the Half Boat poses because my quads were cramping up. That's the first time that's happened. Today I played golf in dreary, rainy, windy, cold weather, and by the time I got around to the workout, the Quads and Hammys were really tight. I started out a bit cautious, but got through the workout OK. I didn't pull anything, and got a nice calorie burn.

Saturday - October 16, 2010 - Kenpo X
=============================
Time: 59:21
Calories Burned: 487
Avg Heart Rate: 112
Max Heart Rate: 144

Pretty pathetic workout. No energy. Just going through the motions. Need to eat better.

Sunday - October 17, 2010 - Weigh In
============================
Weight: 173.3 Body Fat: 21.7%

A drop of almost three pounds, and .7 off the body fat %. I'm happy, because I was thinking there was going to be an increase in my weight. However, I'm not going to get overly excited here. I need to eat better. This week I didn't eat poorly (aside from the Whopper Value Meal), I just didn't eat enough. I had no energy on a lot of my workouts. There's days when I just don't feel like taking the time to prepare proper meals, and that has to change. I need to find some kind of alternative to chicken for my main source of protein, as I need some variety. Fish is OK, but good fish can get rather expensive. I'm eating protein bars, sometimes two in a day, but that's not enough, and I'm sure they're not giving me all the nutrients I need. This week I ate a LOT of almonds, as they were buy one, get one free at the store. Once again, they're OK, but that shouldn't be all I'm eating. This is all something I'm going to have to sit down and figure out. The P90X Nutrition Plan is a good place to start, but as I've said before, it makes me miserable, and I need to find a common ground that works for me. It can't be that hard. I already know the fundamentals. Also, as I've mentioned a few times, I do need to get more sleep. Seriously. It's something that's easy to overlook because we take it for granted, but as I'm writing this I'm realizing it's a main issue and may be the root cause of a lot of the above. I really need to do something about it, and really need to make it a priority. Immediately

Monday, October 4, 2010

Post Round 6 Maintenance - Week 6

Monday - October 4, 2010 - Plyometrics
==============================
Time: 58:46
Calories Burned: 709
Avg Heart Rate: 135
Max Heart Rate: 161

I'm still a bit tired from the lingering cold I've had, and was exhausted when I got home from work. I took a nap, woke up, and was looking for a reason not to do the workout, but of course there wasn't one, and I don't skip workouts. It turned out to be one of my highest calorie burns. Since I've been keeping track, I think there's only been three times I've been over 700 calories burned on any workout, and this was one of them. My heart rate was already in the 140's midway through the second set, and was almost always in the 150's from the third set on. I was tired, but feeling good.

Tuesday - October 5, 2010 - Interval X Plus
=================================
Time: 44:21
Calories Burned: 468
Avg Heart Rate: 126
Max Heart Rate: 157

Not my best Interval workout, but still got a good calorie burn. I started out a bit slow on the first few moves for some reason, but picked it up and finished strong.

Wednesday - October 6, 2010 - Kenpo Cardio Plus
=====================================
Time: 41:45
Calories Burned: 423
Avg Heart Rate: 124
Max Heart Rate: 149

A good, sweaty workout.

Thursday - October 7, 2010 - X Stretch
=============================
I did X Stretch instead of Yoga X, as I just felt like relaxing a bit, and didn't want to do 92 minutes. I hadn't done Yoga or X Stretch for a few weeks and felt really tight early on. I couldn't straighten my legs fully behind me when in Plough, so I thought I was really going to have a problem when I got to Camel and Back Hero. Surprisingly, I pulled both off with no problems, even laying flat on my back once again in the Back Hero pose. That's a good sign, when the flexibility can stay with you even when you're not feeling your best.

Friday - October 8. 2010 - Cardio X (Modified)
==================================
Modification: Skipped Yoga section. Did Kenpo, Plyo, Core sections, then repeated them.
Time: 58:16
Calories Burned: 607
Avg Heart Rate: 125
Max Heart Rate: 158

Drenched in sweat. I'm noticing my heart rate is 15-20 higher on the second time through, and it seems to peak during the Dreya Rolls, which is not a big surprise. It's also pretty high during the Wacky Jacks, which is a surprise.

Saturday - October 9, 2010 - Kenpo X
============================
Time:58:53
Calories Burned: 505
Avg Heart Rate: 114
Max Heart Rate: 143

A low calorie burn, which didn't surprise me because I was sluggish throughout the entire workout. I had very little energy, and as much as I tried to push myself, it just wasn't there. I seriously need to get more sleep. I think I only got 5 hours last night.

Sunday - October 10, 2010 - Weigh In
============================
Weight: 176.1 Body Fat: 22.4%

An increase of almost a pound. Who knows why? I ate pretty good this week. No binges. I did have a pretty good sized plate of spaghetti (whole wheat of course) early last evening, so I'm sure that had a bit to do with it. I realize this whole thing isn't about weight. It's about fitness, and how I feel, and how I look, and I'm very happy with those factors. However, weight is a measurable number, and I do pay attention to it. It's the one thing that prevents me from grabbing a ton of junk food during the week, so it's frustrating when I think I did well, and it goes up. I know I'm not the only one this happens to, so all I can do is control what I can.

Now I'm going to rant on the scale a bit. It's a Weight Watchers Digital Scale. I paid good money for it when I started this thing over two years ago. I got it because I wanted one that would show me my weight and my body fat %. All I want it to do is tell me how much I weigh. That's why I bought it. That's what it's for. How can I stand on the scale and have it tell me I weigh 174.0, step off the scale, step right back on it, and have it tell me I weigh 179.0? It tells you to step in the same place each time. Easier said than done, and damn near impossible to balance yourself on it in exactly the same place each time. Done ranting.