Monday, November 26, 2012

P90X - ROUND 9 - WEEK 3 - Week of 11/26/2012

MONDAY - NOVEMBER 26, 2012 - Chest and Back

Last time I have to do this one for 6 weeks. Let's just say I won't miss it. 234 pushups today, up from the 223 I did last week, and up from the 192 I did in Week 1. Pullups are another story. Only 19. I have to work on those. I've seen others with the same problem, and Tony suggests they do 3 or 4 sets a day, 3 times a week, just to get better. I think I'll try it for a while to see if it helps.

Calories Burned: 496 (that seems real low); Avg Heart Rate: 120; Max Heart Rate: 162.


TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 27, 2012 - Plyometrics

It was a good workout, but not great. Low calorie burn, just like yesterday. I noticed my heart rate monitor zeroed out a few times. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with the low numbers.

Calories Burned: 558; Avg Heart Rate: 122; Max Heart Rate: 154.


WEDNESDAY - NOVEMBER 28, 2012 - Shoulders and Arms

Pretty close to the same weight and reps as last week. I want to increase things a bit, but know my form might get bad in a hurry. There are 30 sets during this workout, so you almost have to pace yourself a bit. If you burn out your arms too early, you're in trouble. I might try some of the moves with heavier weights on my own once or twice a week, just to see what I can do without worrying about burning myself out.

Calories Burned: 600; Avg Heart Rate: 124; Max Heart Rate: 159.


THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 29, 2012 - Yoga X

My balance was a lot better than the last two weeks. I stayed in all the Half-Moons and all my right leg Balance Postures (left leg was a different story).

Calories Burned: 701; Avg Heart Rate: 108; Max Heart Rate: 142.


FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 30, 2012 - Legs and Back

I ate like crap today. It started out bad and got worse during the day. I'm not worried. I'll get back on track. Maybe it was a good thing, as it'll make me concentrate more on what I eat.

The workout went surprisingly well, condidering the eating. My pullups increased from 37 last week to 49. It's still nowhere near where I want to be, but it's a step in the right direction. I'm writing this about 2 hours after I finished the workout, and I still feel energized.

Calories Burned: 622; Avg Heart Rate: 127; Max Heart Rate: 159.


SATURDAY - DECEMBER 1, 2012 - Kenpo X

I can't believe it's December already. An OK Kenpo workout today. Not much to say. Low calorie burn.

Calories Burned: 467; Avg Heart Rate: 111; Max Heart Rate: 145.


SUNDAY - DECEMBER 2, 2012 - Ab Ripper X and Weigh-In

Ab Ripper X

I did it by memory, and didn't use the video. It took me 19 minutes as opposed to the 16 on video, but I got all the moves in. I even did a few more on some of the exercises. I got in 52 Mason Twists without touching my feet. 363 total moves.

Calories Burned: 176; Avg Heart Rate: 118; Max Heart Rate: 156

Weigh-In

Weight: 174.7; Body Fat: 22.0%

A gain of 1.5 lbs and no change in Body Fat%. A bit disappointing, but not unexpected. I had a few bad days eating wise, and I ate an entire container of cashews earlier in the week, and I know they're high in calories (but still nutritional).






Monday, November 19, 2012

P90X - ROUND 9 - WEEK 2 - Week of 11/19/2012

MONDAY - NOVEMBER 19, 2012 - Chest and Back

The "evil" workout. I was dreading it all day. Last week I did 192 pushups. Today I did 223. I'm happy there. Last week I did 16 pullups. Today I did 18. I'm not happy there, but again, it'll come in time. I used 45 lbs on all of the back exercises, up from 40 lbs last week.

Calories Burned - 566; Avg Heart Rate - 128; Max Heart Rate - 161.


TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 20, 2012 - Plyometrics

Most of the soreness from Week 1 has gone away, except for the mid-section and hip flexor area from Sunday's Ab-Ripper.

I had an OK Plyo workout today. I had a lot on my mind going into the workout, so while I was doing the moves, I can't honestly say I was killing it. That happens sometimes. Still, I got a good calorie burn.

Calories Burned - 649; Avg Heart Rate - 130; Max Heart Rate - 159.


WEDNESDAY - NOVEMBER 21, 2012 - Shoulders and Arms

I kept the weights the same as last week, but I did more reps on a lot of the exercises. Overall, a good workout.

Calories Burned: 663; Avg Heart Rate: 131; Max Heart Rate: 162.


THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 22, 2012 - Yoga X

I wasn't feeling too well (feeling weak), and Yoga X can feel like an eternity when you're not feeling well. I actually had to come out of one of the Half-Moons and go to my knees because I was so drained. I couldn't even get into some of the standing balance postures, but I did hold Crane twice for about 15 seconds each, something I wasn't able to do last week. Today was Thanksgiving, and I didn't feast out, but I really need to start eating better. I got a big calorie burn, but I'm thinking it was because my body was working harder because it was weak.

Calories Burned: 710; Avg Heart Rate: 109; Max Heart Rate: 139.


FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 23, 2012 - Legs and Back

Still not feeling well. I spent most of the day in bed trying to get some rest and fight off a fever. I was actually debating on doing the workout or not, but I haven't missed a scheduled workout in four and a half years, so I gutted it out. Not great numbers on the pullups (37 total), but otherwise I'm glad I did it, even though I was so exhausted when I was done I almost "tossed my cookies" in the cool down.

Calories Burned: 593; Avg Heart Rate: 123; Max Heart Rate: 153.


SATURDAY - NOVEMBER 24, 2012 - Kenpo X

I felt much better today. I was still a little weak, and had my hands on my knees a few times in between moves, but otherwise it was OK.

Calories Burned: 511; Avg Heart Rate: 115; Max Heart Rate: 213.


SUNDAY - NOVEMBER 25, 2012 - Ab Ripper X and Weigh-In

Ab Ripper X

Much better than last week. I got my 50 Mason Twists in, but I had my feet touch two or 3 times.

Calories Burned: 137; Avg Heart Rate: 114; Max Heart Rate: 147.

Weigh-In

Weight: 173.2 Body Fat: 22.0%

A drop of 2.0 lbs and .2% body fat. I'm very happy with both. I'm going in the right direction.




Monday, November 12, 2012

P90X - ROUND 9 - WEEK 1 - Week of 11/12/2012

I knew I needed to get back into some kind of strength training, but didn't know when to start, or which program to get back into, P90X or Insanity: Asylum-Volume 2. I just bought Asylum 2, but knew I might not be ready for it, since I hadn't done Asylum-Volume 1 since mid-August, and I hadn't even conquered that one yet.

A few days ago I saw a You-Tube interview that Tony Horton did with Beachbody President Jon Congdon. Jon was one of the first 4 people to go through P90X when Tony was testing it out back in 2003. I'd watched the videos from that group on the "Making of P90X" series many, many times, as inspiration. It turns out Jon just had his knee replaced a few months ago after complications from a staph infection in it, and he needs to get back into shape. He announced he'll be doing a round of P90X starting on November 12, 2012. He hasn't done P90X since being a member of that Pilot Group back in 2003, admitted he's very nervous about doing it, and asked others to join him on this round. While I'm not an official member of his Challenge Group, I felt this was as good a time as any to get going again. So here goes!

I'll be following the Classic program as laid out, with two exceptions. 1) I'll only be doing Ab-Ripper X once a week (on Sundays) and never on the Recovery Weeks. My abs are strong enough, and I just don't want to dread looking at 75 minute workouts three days a week. 2) During the Recovery Weeks, I'll be doing Cardio X instead of Kenpo X. Cardio X isn't in the Classic schedule at all, and I like to use all the workouts in some way.

STARTING WEIGHT: 175.9 lbs BODY FAT: 22.3%

MONDAY - NOVEMBER 12, 2012 - Chest and Back

I dread this routine. My weakness is my upper body strength, and this thing just kills me. One of the reasons I put off starting new rounds of P90X is because I have to start with this workout. However, I knew it had to get done, so I went at it. I'll admit, I paced myself. I might have been able to do one or two more pushups on each set, but my form would have been real bad. I ended up with 192 total pushups, which isn't great, but also not bad for not having done this routine in almost a year. Pullups were another story. I only did 14. Not 14 on each set. 14 total. Very pathetic, but I've never been good at them, and haven't done any pullups at all in alomst 3 months, and it showed. It's something I'll try and concentrate on this round. I used 40 lbs on each of the weighted back exercises. I'll probably bump that up the 45's next time.

Pause Time: 0; Calories Burned: 536; Avg Heart Rate: 125; Max Heart Rate: 158.


TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 13, 2012 - Plyometrics

I felt real good this morning. Sore from yesterday, but a bit empowered that I'm back into the program.

I've always enjoyed Plyometrics. I got winded a few times, which is usual for this routine. I've heard a few people say this workout is like a "walk in the park" compared to Insanity. I don't know where that's coming from. This is right up there with any Insanity routine.

Pause Time: 0; Calories Burned: 597; Avg Heart Rate: 126; Max Heart Rate: 160.


WEDNESDAY - NOVEMBER 14, 2012 - Shoulders and Arms

Still real sore from Monday's Chest and Back workout, especially around the shoulders. A bit sore in the quads from yesterday's Plyo, but not too much. I've been doing mostly cardio the last few months, so I didn't expect it to be too bad.

Today was Shoulder and Arms. I last did this workout on 10/19/2011, over a year ago. I compared my numbers today to last year, and saw the weight was the same in most caaes, but the rep counts were down a bit. This was not surprising, because I haven't done any workouts of straight lifting since then. It'll get better, and I'm confident I'll be at, or better than last year's numbers by the end of the 90 days.

Pause Time: 0; Calories Burned: 578; Avg Heart Rate: 122; Max Heart Rate: 158.


THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 15, 2012 - Yoga X

The Bills were playing the Dolphins tonight on Thursday Night Football so I rushed home to get in this 92 minute workout. I was concerned about it all day because my shoulders and arms were still very sore, and I do the pushups during the vinyasas.

Again, I hadn't done this workout in over a year. I'd done X2 Yoga from P90X2 and Fountain of Youth many times since then, so there was a lot of the same moves in those routines. I made it through OK. My shoulders and arms held out, and I found myself holding the poses very well in the Vinyasas half of the workout. My balance sucked, however, especially when I had to balance on one leg. Also, I couldn't even get into Crane. But that will all come back in time. Overall, I was pleased.

Calories Burned: 625; Avg Heart Rate: 104; Max Heart Rate: 137.


FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 16, 2012 - Legs and Back

I wasn't looking forward to the pullups, as my arms are still sore, and I hadn't done sets on concentrated pullups since February with P90X2. I only did 38 total, which is about half of what I usually do on this routine. However, I did my best. I was OK on the leg exercises.

Calories Burned: 529; Avg Heart Rate: 117; Max Heart Rate: 160.


SATURDAY - NOVEMBER 17, 2012 - Kenpo X

I made it to the end of the week. I'm still sore as hell. My biceps are killing me, and it hurts to straighten my arms. I was looking forward to this workout because I knew it wasn't going to beat up my body as much as the others have this week. It went well.

Calories Burned: 505; Avg Heart Rate: 116; Max Heart Rate: 145.


SUNDAY - NOVEMBER 18, 2012 - Ab-Ripper X and Weigh-In

Ab-Ripper X

I hadn't done this in over a year either. I never had any problems with it, and didn't really this time until I got to the Mason Twists. I can usually do 75-80 with no problem. Today I did 31 and was falling over the place doing them. They'll get better.

Total Moves: 330; Calories Burned: 136; Avg Heart Rate: 116; Max Heart Rate: 144


Weigh-In

Weight: 175.2 Body Fat: 22.2%

A loss of .7 lbs and .1 body fat%.

Not great numbers, but I'm OK with it. My eating habits haven't changed too much. For the most part I eat well, but not perfect. I still cheat here and there. I do know I was hungry a lot more this week than in previous weeks.





11/12/2012 - UPDATE

I haven't posted in almost a year and a half. This doesn't mean I haven't been working out. I have. I did another Round of P90X, my 8th, from August to November 2011. I did a Round of P90X2 from January to March 2012, a Round of Insanity in May and June of 2012, and immediately after that, a Round of Insanity: The Asylum (4 weeks) in July 2012. Since then, I've repeated a few weeks of Asylum, but mostly have kept busy with a mix of Cardio prograns from P90X, P90x+, and Tony Horton's One on One Series. In mid September, I decided I mentally needed some time off from 4 and a half years of continuous working out. I was only going to take off a week or two, but it stretched to 5 weeks. I'd never taken more than 12 consectutive days off before, and those 12 days were due to illness. The break did me well (mentally), but three weeks ago I decided I needed to get back at it, so I started back up with the cardio schedule I'd set up, just to get my body back into shape a bit.

Some thoughts:

P90X2 - I really liked it. It didn't seem to beat my body up as much as P90X, so I didn't get as sore, but it was still very challenging. It concentrated on core strength and balance. I lost only about 5 lbs over the 13 weeks, but I leaned out like crazy. It was noticeable, and I felt great. The one thing I didn't like about the program was that the warm-up in each routine of the first two phases was roughly the same each day. That got a bit old quick, but eveything else went well. There's still a few moves I struggle with (Lever Pullups, The Impossible Possible), but at the same time there were others I didn't think I could do, but I ended up doing well (4-ball pushups for example.)

INSANITY - I have to admit it. I was afraid to do it, and kept putting off buying it. I have a bad left knee and wasn't sure I'd be able to handle it, but I finally caved and took on the challenge. I shocked myself. Not only did I get through it, I NEVER HIT THE PAUSE BUTTON IN THE ENTIRE 9 WEEKS! Not even once. It's not like I sat through any of the exercises either. I pushed myself through this like a man possessed, never giving in to fatigue. There were a few times I had my hands on my knees to catch my breath through maybe 20% of an exercise, but in 90% of the exercises I did all the reps, and I know I did more than most of the people in the videos. I lost about 6 lbs through the 9 weeks.

INSANITY: THE ASYLUM (VOLUME 1)- This was a beast. It was more fun than Insanity, but a lot more challenging and exhausting. The warmups on some of the routines are out and out cruel. I never hit the Pause button during the 4 weeks, either, but there were times I had to go at a slower pace than those on the video, partly due to fatigue or lack of upper body strength, and other times because of my lack of coordination, especially my footwork. I got through it, but I want to go at it again because I feel I haven't even begun to conquer it. I lost about 4 lbs over the 4 weeks.

A GREAT MOMENT: On my last weigh-in after Asylum, on July 29th, 2012, I lost my 50th pound since starting the crazy journey back in May of 2008. My original goal was to lose 40 lbs, so this was a Bonus.

I weighed myself on Sunday 11/11/12 for the first time in about 2 months, and found I'd put about 10 lbs on since the start of my five week layoff. It's about what I'd expected, but it could have been worse. I'd let my eating habits go a bit, but not that much.