P90X3 - WEEK 1 - Week of 12/30/2013

WEIGHT AT START OF PROGRAM = 197.4 lbs
BODY FAT AT START OF PROGRAM = 21.3%


MONDAY - DECEMBER 30, 2013 - Total Synergistics

This is my first ever P90X3 workout. I was very excited to get the program a few weeks ago, but for some reason I really wasn't that excited to start it today. I ate like absolute crap yesterday, trying to finish off all the Christmas sweets before the start of the new year. It kind of took away the excitement of the new program. I actually thought about putting it off for a week, but decided to get into it today. I also went cold turkey on the sweets. I did it a few weeks ago and felt great. I'll carry that forward into the new year. The workout was OK. Nothing super hard. I struggled with some of the pullups, mostly because I hadn't done any in months. The boat to plow moves was straining my back a bit, and it felt like that move was never going to end. I also did zero of the Half Moon to Warrior 3 moves. I simply cannot keep my balance because of my bad feet and ankles. Other than that it was fine. I do like the 30 minute time frame, but at the same time I want to get a good workout in. We'll see how it goes.

Time: 30 minutes; Calories Burned: 302; Avg Heart Rate: 121; Max Heart Rate: 144.


TUESDAY - DECEMBER 31, 2013 - Agility X

Last workout of the year. For some reason I thought this one was going to be slow and easy. Wrong! Still, I liked this one. There were quite a few (actually most) of the moves where I had to stop to watch their footwork, and I still didn't get it down. However, I'll keep doing it and will hopefully get better at it. I think this is going to be one of my favorites.

Time: 30 minutes; Calories Burned: 294; Avg Heart Rate: 119; Max Heart Rate: 152.


WEDNESDAY - JANUARY 1, 2014 - X3 Yoga

I like it. Most of the moves were from Yoga X with a few new ones thrown in. I haven't done a Yoga routine since July, so I was a bit rusty and not as flexible as I'd have liked. It will get better the more I do it. I used a new mat I got with the P90X3 kit. It seemed a lot sturdier than the ones I'd been using, so I was happy about that also.

Time: 30 minutes; Calories Burned: 219; Avg Heart Rate: 104; Max Heart Rate: 125.


THURSDAY - JANUARY 2, 2014 - The Challenge

This is Chest and Back. 4 types of Push-ups, repeated twice. 4 types of Pull-ups, repeated twice. The idea is to give yourself a number of pull-ups and push-up you'll do each set. I haven't done concentrated amounts of either in over 6 months, so I picked 20 push-ups and 5 pull-ups. Those are low numbers, but I still struggled on some of them because I wasn't used to doing them. On a lot of the pull-up moves I even came down to the floor before finishing my 5. My arms feel like jello after the workout. My heart rate monitor battery went just before I finished up, so the numbers below are educated guesses.

Time: 30 minutes; Calories Burned: 295; Avg Heart Rate: 118; Max Heart Rate: 155.


FRIDAY - JANUARY 3, 2014 - CVX

CVX is Cardio Vascular Extreme. I knew there were weights involved but didn't really know how much. There are 12 moves. You do them twice each for a minute each time. You are holding a weight for 11 of those 12 moves. I used an 8 lb medicine ball and it worked out fine. My shoulders, triceps and lats are all sore from yesterday's push-ups and pull-ups. This thing started out with Press Jacks, where you're doing jumping jacks and pressing the weight over your head at the same time. My shoulders were burning. By the third move I had to rest for a few seconds because of that. I did get through the workout, but I know I can do better. I didn't go as low as I could have on some of the reach moves. My heart rate monitor battery is dead, so once again the figures below are educated guesses.

Time: 30 minutes; Calories Burned 300; Avg Heart Rate: 128; Max Heart Rate: 150.


SATURDAY - JANUARY 4, 2014 - The Warrior

When I was reading through the Workout Guide and saw the moves involved, I realized this was Tony's U-C-M-L workout, which is a circuit routine of Upper Body, Cardio, Middle Body, Lower Body. On on of his live chats he demonstrated it and called it his "Warrior Workout", so I had an idea as to what to expect. I'm still sore as hell from "The Challenge" and have been feeling worn out all day because of that. I sucked on the push-up moves (especially the Elevators) because I was so sore, and I'd say I was only OK on the rest of the moves. I can't say it was my best effort. One thing about the soreness: I don't get this from any other workout programs other than the P90X programs. I'm sure it's from the concentrated push-ups and pull-ups that the other programs don't offer, but I'm thinking I'm going to be sore for the next 90 days. I'm still eating well too. Hardly any sweets or greasy foods at all since Sunday. Also, new battery for the heart rate monitor, so it's working again.

Time: 30 minutes; Calories Burned: 305; Avg Heart Rate: 123; Max Heart Rate: 149.


SUNDAY - JANUARY 5, 2014 - X3 Ab Ripper

Back to the Sunday ab workouts. This was tough in spots. I had to go to my knees a few times to rest during the Dolphin Hops, and I know there was at least one other move where I had to rest for a few seconds (can't remember which one) but once I get used to the moves I think I'll be able to complete everything without that happening. I used 5 lb weights on the two weighted moves, and I completed all 110 reps of the Speed Cycle, which was good. It was a bit different than P90X Ab Ripper and X2 Ab Ripper, where all the moves were on the floor, and there were no weights involved. I liked the difference. All I all, I thought this was a good routine.

Time: 15 minutes; Calories Burned:130; Avg Heart Rate: 113; Max Heart Rate: 134.


SUNDAY WEIGH IN

Weight: 193.6 (-3.8 lbs)
Body Fat: 21.2% (-0.1%)

I'm happy with the drop. I concentrated on eating well, and it seems to have paid off.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

I haven't done a Tony Horton workout in 5 or 6 months, so it was good to get back to the "X". That's my home. I really liked the new workouts. When I heard these workout weren't "graduate" workouts from P90X or P90X2, and were only 30 minutes long, I wasn't sure what kind of a workout I'd get. My fears have been qualmed. They're intense workouts, and I think I'm going to get great results, especially with the fact I'm eating better. As I mentioned a few days ago, I'm already "P90X sore". Another good thing that happened today. On Sundays, I usually treat my self to a frozen pizza. I've been eating so good lately, it didn't even taste good, and I have no real desire to finish it, The weight loss this week is just more motivation for me.

FOCUS T25 - WEEK 10 - Week of 12/23/2013

MONDAY - DECEMBER 23, 2013 - The Pyramid

This is my third time through on this one, and this was by far my best effort. The two moves that still kill me are the Pike Ups (11 progressions), and the Push Ups (9 progressions). On the Pike Ups, I did them all but 5 or 6 reps on the 10th progression. On the Push Ups I did all but the entire 9th progression. On the 8th set I wasn't going all the way down to the floor. I was just barely bending my elbows. I thought there were 10 progressions, so I rested on the 9th, figuring I'd regroup for the 10th, but it turned out there wasn't a 10th. Other than those two moves, I did all the other reps. I used 15 lb weights on all the weighted moves.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 297; Avg Heart Rate: 134; Max Heart Rate: 150.


TUESDAY - DECEMBER 24, 2013 - Speed 3.0

This is one tough workout. All I can say is I did my best. I missed a lot of the burpee reps because of fatigue, but it's something to try and get better at.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 319; Avg Heart Rate: 138; Max Heart Rate: 156.


WEDNESDAY - DECEMBER 25, 2013 - Extreme Circuit

Christmas Day! I ate a big piece of lasagna for dinner and was feeling sluggish and tired all throughout the workout. Admittedly it wasn't my best effort and I missed a bunch of reps, but I did get through it. My sister hadn't seen me in a few weeks and told me it looked like I lost some weight, so that felt good. I'll be back on the wagon tomorrow.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 291; Avg Heart Rate: 133; Max Heart Rate:211.


THURSDAY - DECEMBER 26, 2013 - Stretch

Not much to say about the Stretch workout. It went OK as usual. I did balance a bit better on the Cradle, so I guess that's an improvement. I'm still not eating perfect, but I'm not overeating a bunch of crap, either, so I guess that's an improvement too, over a few weeks ago. I'm certainly feeling thinner and better.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 143; Avg Heart Rate: 96; Max Heart Rate: 109.


FRIDAY - DECEMBER 27, 2013 - Core Speed

The workout went OK. One thing I noticed is that all three times I've done this workout I've burned 300+ calories. This one seems to be the easiest of the Speed workouts (less Burpees), but the calorie burn is still there. I like it. On the nutrition side, I'm starting to stress eat again. I haven't been taking my salads to work which makes me eat bad during the day, which makes me eat bad later in the day, which makes me feel bad, and stresses me out even more. I need to break the cycle, but this time I think I know how to do it. Prepare my lunches ahead of time, and everything else will fall into line.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 304; Avg Heart Rate: 138; Max Heart Rate: 156.


SATURDAY - DECEMBER 28, 2013 - Rip't Up

This was my final workout of this Focus T25 round. I did good, using 15 lb weights for most moves, and 5 lbs for the two Superman moves. I even did OK on the downward dog / plank / pushup moves. I didn't match their reps, or get as low as they did on a few of the pushups, but I certainly did better than last time. Still eating leftover Christmas sweets. Not good, but I'm not going to beat myself up over it, either. I'm a bit disappointed in myself that I decided to cut this round from 13 weeks to 10 weeks, so I could start P90X3 for the new year. I'd lent out my Alpha and Beta discs a few weeks ago and don't have them back yet.. If I still had them, I think I might have reconsidered and extended the round to 13 weeks. I could do Gamma for another 3 weeks if I wanted to, but I think the plan over the final 3 weeks would have been to do one more week of Beta and Gamma (I'd already done 4 weeks of Alpha), then finish it up with a week of the 4 Speed workouts along with 2 Stretch days. I'll leave that for next time. I'm definitely doing another Round of this program. Also, they teased they were also coming out with a "Delta" phase, so I'll look forward to that.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 253; Avg Heart Rate: 129; Max Heart Rate: 202.


SUNDAY - DECEMBER 29, 2013 - Rest


SUNDAY WEIGH IN

Weight: 195.2 (+1.6 lbs)
Body Fat: 21.2% (+0.1%)

As I said, I'm stress eating again, and these was a lot of Christmas sweets left over. That combination doesn't lead to a good result. I guess it could have been a lot worse.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

Christmas week. While I'm not happy about the weight gain, I understand it, and I'll move forward. But, I'll need to keep an eye on things. Christmas week is over. I'm done with Focus T25 for now, and will be starting P90X3 next week. I'm looking forward to it, but as I mentioned in yesterday's post, I'm kicking myself for abbreviating the Focus T25 round. At the time I'd decided to cut it short (a few weeks ago), I hadn't started the Gamma section yet. That was a whole new ballgame for me. I really enjoyed it, and would have liked to have finished off by revisiting Alpha and Beta for another week each. Next time.

FOCUS T25 - WEEK 9 - Week of 12/16/2013

MONDAY - DECEMBER 16, 2013 - The Pyramid

My second time through this one and I think I did much better. I did all the reps except I missed a few progressions (2 on each) on both the Pike Ups and pushups. I used 15 lbs on all the weighted moves. On a separate note, when I got home from work, my P90X3 was on my doorstep. Felt like an early Christmas present. I'm going to dig into it now.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 283; Avg Heart Rate: 129; Max Heart Rate: 190.


TUESDAY - DECEMBER 17, 2013 - Speed 3.0

This might be the toughest workout for me in all of T25. It humbled me the first time out (last week) when I only got about 50% of the moves in. Today, I think I got 75-80% in. That doesn't sound great, but it's a big increase. The burpee moves are just killers, and there are a lot of them here. Not only are they themselves very tiring, but you're just exhausted going into the next move. In the second set, the burpees are every other move, so it all adds up. This is the most calories I've burned on T25, and I can't remember ever having an average heart rate of 144 on any workout I've ever done. I'll check my old P90X, Insanity, and Asylum numbers to see.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 354; Avg Heart Rate: 144; Max Heart Rate: 161.


WEDNESDAY - DECEMBER 18, 2013 - Extreme Circuit

I'm finding this to be one of my favorite T25 workouts. I used 15 lb weights again, and did rather well. I might be able to go to 20's at some point, but I'm tiring quickly on a few of the moves as it is. Also, regarding yesterday's Average Heart Rate of 144: I went through my workout logs and that seemed to be the highest I've ever had. I'd hit 140 once during one of the Insanity workouts last year, but that was as close as I found.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 264; Avg Heart Rate: 123; Max Heart Rate: 147.


THURSDAY - DECEMBER 19, 2013 - Stretch

Stretch felt good today. I tried concentrating a bit on lengthening the muscles instead of just going through the motions, and it helped a bit. My eating this week hasn't been as good as last week, but much better than two weeks ago. I'm still trying to get into good habits with the eating.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 140; Avg Heart Rate: 97; Max Heart Rate: 115.


FRIDAY - DECEMBER 20, 2013 - Core Speed

Good workout, but I'm still uncoordinated on a bit of the moves. I'm still not comfortable going back on the single arm burpees, but I'll keep working at it. I did a few with just my right arm down. The calf muscle that had been bothering me the last few weeks no longer seems to be a problem, but I think I'm still wary I might tweak it again, so I was a bit cautious, but not too much. Poor day eating. I had a few protein bars that someone had brought into the office. There's worse things to eat, but they made me hyper. Probably a good idea to stay away from them.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 301; Avg Heart Rate: 137; Max Heart Rate: 157.


SATURDAY - DECEMBER 21, 2013 - Rip't Up

I did good on this one. I got almost all the reps in, except on a few of the Superman lifts, and some of the Downward Dog to Plank to Pushups. I used 15, 10, and 5 lb weights with no problems. I need to clean up the eating a bit.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 260; Avg Heart Rate: 123; Max Heart Rate: 149.


SUNDAY - DECEMBER 22, 2013 - Rest


SUNDAY WEIGH IN
Weight: 193.6 (-0.8 lbs)
Body Fat: 21.1% (no change)

As I said earlier, I didn't eat real bad, but I wasn't perfect. I'll take the weight drop.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

I'm continuing to eat better, and I certainly feel better. I'm encouraged by the results. I'm really liking the Gamma Phase. The cardio from the Alpha and Beta phases was starting to wear a bit thin, and it was beating up my legs. My calf muscle seems better because I'm not constantly pushing it, and that makes me feel better as a whole.

FOCUS T25 - WEEK 8 - Week of 12/09/2013

MONDAY - DECEMBER 9, 2013 - The Pyramid

Today is the start of my 3 week Gamma (Strength) phase. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but I was guessing it would be some kind of progressions, and I was right. There were a few cardio moves, and once again I had to modify the "jack" moves because of my calf. I was OK on most of the progression moves except the pushups, where I skipped the 7 count and 10 count progressions because I was out of gas. I also skipped the 11 count pike ups for the same reason. On the weight moves I used 15 lbs.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 286; Avg Heart Rate: 129; Max Heart Rate: 150.


TUESDAY - DECEMBER 10, 2013 - Speed 3.0

Are you kidding me? That was absolutely brutal, and I think I only did 50% of the moves. I had to wear my sneakers again, so I was moving a bit slower on the upright cardio moves. They affected me on the burpees too, but I'm not sure I'd have done any better in my bare feet. I've got a long way to go on this one. Well done, Shaun T.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 326; Avg Heart Rate: 139; Max Heart Rate: 156.


WEDNESDAY - DECEMBER 11, 2013 - Extreme Circuit

Another toughie, but I actually enjoyed this one. Four moves for one minute each, then repeat them all for 15 seconds each in the Burnout. Repeat that sequence four more times, with four new moves on each sequence. I was already feeling it three minutes into the workout when I had to stop a few times during the Shoulder Presses. I was using 15 lb weights, which I think is what Shaun T was using. I didn't do the pullups like Scott was doing. The weights were doing just fine. Maybe I'll try using the pullup bar in the future for variety. I'm eating really good this week. Except for two very small cookies on Sunday, I've eaten no sweets and very little sugar at all during the week. Tonight I had some chicken wings and a few Diet Pespi's at a get together for our golf and fantasy football group, but I planned for it, and didn't over indulge. I also ordered P90X3 yesterday, and I'm pumped. I can't wait to get it.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 297: Avg Heart Rate: 131; Max Heart Rate: 154.


THURSDAY - DECEMBER 12, 2013 - Stretch

I always enjoy stretch day. Not much else to say. Still eating good.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 150; Avg Heart Rate: 98; Max Heart Rate: 114.


FRIDAY - DECEMBER 13, 2013 - Core Speed

The day started out very stressful at work, so I caved and had a few small leftover Christmas cookies, the had a number of handfuls od peanut butter filled pretzels throughout the day. It's the worst I've eaten this week, but I got through it. When I got home, I took a half hour nap. Usually, I'm really sluggish after all that, but today I felt refreshed and good going into the workout. This was a supplementary workout to the T25 program, and I'd never done it before, but I really liked it. It was a repeat of a lot of T25 moves with some new ones thrown in. My calf muscle and rear knee are still a bit sore, but I pretty much went all out because I was feeling good. I'm entering this about a half hour after finishing the workout, and I still feel great.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 300; Avg Heart Rate: 133; Max Heart Rate: 153.


SATURDAY - DECEMBER 14, 2013 - Rip't Up

This was the last Focus T25 workout I hadn't done yet. For some reason it went by real fast. I remember looking at the clock at one point and seeing I was already more than halfway done, and it seemed like I'd just started. I was OK on most of the moves, but got tired during the Downward Dog to Plank section, especially doing the pushups there. I was also off a bit on the weights. For all the other routines, I'd been using 15 lbs, but in this workout there are some moves where you need lighter weights, and I used 5's there. I also had a problem balancing on one leg for some of the moves, but that's just normal for me.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 232; Avg Heart Rate: 116; Max Heart Rate: 144.


SUNDAY - DECEMBER 15, 2013 - Rest


SUNDAY WEIGH IN
Weight: 194.4 (-3.6 lbs)
Body Fat: 21.1% (-0.7%)

Last week's weigh in was the highest I been in years, so I know I had to do something. The goal was to cut out sugar and grease. When I'd initially started in 2008, that's what I concentrated on, and it worked. I'm happy with the results this week. It shows it can be done. I just need to keep it up.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

This week was all about eating better. I'd hoped to lose around 5 lbs, but I wasn't perfect, and I ate a lot of nuts which I know adds calories (but good ones). As far as the workouts went, it was my first week of the Gamma Phase, which is strength oriented. I liked the workouts. Speed 3.0 killed me, but I'll get better at it. Because the week wasn't all about jumping around, my calf seems to be feeling a lot better. All in all, a good week.

FOCUS T25 - WEEK 7 - Week of 12/02/2013

MONDAY - DECEMBER 2, 2013 - Core Cardio

My right calf muscle is still sore, but I decided to go for it and do the best I could, for as long as I could. That turned out to be about three and a half minutes when I felt the muscle really tweak. I kept going full blast for another few minutes, but then decided to follow Tania, who was doing the modified, less impact moves. For the rest of the workout I went harder when I didn't have to rely on the right calf, and modified a bit when I did. It wasn't the best workout, but I got through it. I've also set a goal for myself to lose ten pounds by the end of the year.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 279; Avg Heart Rate: 128; Max Heart Rate: 151.


TUESDAY - DECEMBER 3, 2013 - Upper Focus

Today was supposed to be Speed 2.0, but my calf muscle is getting worse, so there was no way I'd have been able to get through that workout. Upper Focus is usually my Saturday workout and doesn't have too much jumping around in it, so I decided to swap days. On the cardio moves that were in Upper Focus I had to modify or just march in place. I did OK on the strength moves, and used 15 lbs for all the weight moves. I was thinking of using 20's, but didn't want to take a chance under the circumstances, and played it safe.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 253; Avg Heart Rate: 124; Max Heart Rate: 206.


WEDNESDAY - DECEMBER 4, 2013 - Rip't Circuit

I didn't get a lot of sleep last night and was drained at work near the end of the day. Afterwards we had our office Christmas dinner and I did OK except for the piece of Peanut Butter Chocolate pie I talked myself into. Because I was totally exhausted and bloated by the time I got home at 9pm, I thought I'd skip todays workout and push it into tomorrow. However, I talked myself into doing it, and got it in between 10:30 and 11:00pm. Again I had to modify the cardio moves, but did OK on the rest, except for the one legged burpees, which were OK on my left leg, but impossible on my injured right one. Despite all that, I did burn a decent amount of caloriies for the 25 minutes.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 287; Avg heart Rate: 130; Max Heart Rate: 204.


THURSDAY - DECEMBER 5, 2013 - Stretch

This was one of my better Stretch session. I felt relaxed and was a bit more flexible than usual.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 141; Avg Heart Rate: 101; Max Heart Rate: 218.


FRIDAY - DECEMBER 6, 2013 - Dynamic Core

I'm still eating horribly and it's bothering me a lot. I simply have to decide to do it right. In today's workout I still had to modify any move that was jarring my right calf. The good thing is that I finished up strong, doing all 21 of the burpee squat thingys.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 219; Avg Heart Rate: 113; Ma Heart Rate: 154.


SATURDAY - DECEMBER 7, 2013 - Speed 2.0

This was my normal Tuesday workout that I swapped to today with hopes my calf muscle would be feeling better. The calf is still tender, but the pain had moved up to the back of my knee. I knew I couldn't go full blast, so I was planning on just following Tania and do the modifiers. I decided just before the workout to try it in sneakers again to give myself more stability. It turns out by doing that I was able to do most of the moves at 80%-90% without modifying, so I actually got in a pretty good workout. It was the most calories I've burned in any of the T25 workouts this round, and it was also my highest average heart rate.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 329; Avg Heart Rate: 140; Max Heart Rate: 162.


SUNDAY - DECEMBER 8, 2013 - Rest


SUNDAY WEIGH IN
Weight: 198.0 (+2.2 lbs)
Body Fat: 21.8% (+0.3%)

Horrific numbers, but deserved. I ate tons of sweets this week. Mostly Christmas Cookies that people had brought into the office. I'm a bit scared by the overall weight increase during the last year or so, but I'm also looking at it as a real wake up call, and a challenge to get back to where I was. That used to be my motivation, and I'd lost it.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

The horrible eating is first and foremost in my mind. As I said, I'm a bit scared that I won't be able to get it back down. I know in the back of my mind that I can if I want to, but I'm nervous I'll talk my self out of it. As far as the workouts go, it was a bad week because of my sore calf muscle. I was "babying" it and couldn't go all out, so it was frustrating. I've decided to cut this Focus T25 round to 10 weeks so I can start P90X3 at the beginning of the year. This means I'm done with the Beta section, and I'll start the Gamma section, which is strength training, on Monday.

FOCUS T25 - WEEK 6 - Week of 11/25/2013

MONDAY - NOVEMBER 25, 2013 - Core Cardio

I actually think I did worse today than last week. I had to stop for a few seconds a few times to catch my breath. I may have done the same last week, but I can't remember. One problem that's definitely holding me back is my right calf muscle. It's still really sore and I'm afraid to go all out for fear I'll make it worse. The smart thing to do would be to totally rest it until it heals completely, but that might take a month, and I'm not willing to shut myself down for that long. I'll just have to work around it.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 291; Avg Heart Rate: 130; Max Heart Rate:155.


TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 26, 2013 - Speed 2.0

My right calf muscle was sore all day so I decided to try doing the workout in sneakers to cushion some of the landings, and also to give myself better support so my calves wouldn't take so much of a beating. I may have worked out in sneakers at some point in the last five and a half years, but if I did, I can't remember when. I'm always in bare feet because I feel more in touch with what I'm doing. Anyways, I felt like my calves came out OK, but I also felt like I was moving a lot slower, and my legs were starting to feel real heavy a lot quicker. I think I'll only use sneakers in the future in cases like this.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 293; Avg Heart Rate: 131; Max Heart Rate: 151.


WEDNESDAY - NOVEMBER 27, 2013 - Rip't Circuit

I figured out the "circuit" on this one today. Cardio-Upper-Lower-Core. 6 times through that circuit, with each exercise lasting 1 minute. I did OK, but better than Monday or Tuesday. My calf muscle felt much better today, but it also wasn't getting incessantly pounded on each exercise. I'm eating poorly again.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 232; Avg heart Rate: 117; Max Heart Rate: 210.


THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 28, 2013 - Stretch

Today is Thanksgiving. I didn't eat real bad, or even overeat today, but I've been eating poorly the entire week, so it caught up to me. I've been really, really sluggish all day. So much so, that I was dreading even doing a Stretch workout. I did get it in, did OK with it, and do feel a little better. Once again, I need to focus on my nutrition. I feel so much better when I eat better. I just don't plan well, and I think that starts with what I buy at the grocery store.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 166; Avg Heart Rate: 100; Max Heart Rate: 114.


FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 29, 2013 - Dynamic Core

I'm still feeling sluggish, but I realize it's going to take a few days to get all the crap out of my body that I've ingested this week, mostly diet pop. My calf still hurts, so I had to take it a bit easy on the jumping exercises again. Very frustrating. My legs in general feel like lead, and my body is pretty much sore all over. I guess that's good. The workout went OK. I was really tiring near the end, and screwed up the last move which was walking planks with progression burpees. I wasn't watching the screen so didn't realize they were progressions and was only doing one each time. I caught it on the last sequence. I'm not sure I'd have been able to do them all anyways.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 229; Avg Heart Rate: 115; Max Heart Rate: 142.


SATURDAY - NOVEMBER 30, 2013 - Upper Focus

I was feeling a little better this morning, so I got the workout in late morning. I think it was by far my best effort of the week. I wasn't as sluggish as I had been. Again, I had to take it easy on the bouncing moves, but the rest went well. I used 15 lb weights again. I might try bumping those up to 20's next time. One thing I'm noticing with these workouts is that I'm exhausted by the time I get to the cooldown. Today I could barely do it. Another good sign. All in all, I'm pleased.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 260; Avg Heart Rate: 123; Max Heart Rate: 151.


SUNDAY - DECEMBER 1, 2013 - Rest


SUNDAY WEIGH IN
Weight: 195.8 (+1.8 lbs)
Body Fat: 21.5% (+0.4%)

The gain wasn't unexpected based on the way I ate this week. I think this is the heaviest I've weighed in years, and it's really depressing. What's even more depressing is that I feel I can't control it. I know better than that, but the "purpose" no longer seems to be there. I need to get that back.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

It's Sunday morning. I just weighed myself to the heaviest I've ever been in years, so I'm obviously not feeling too good about things. I'm now questioning the program I'm doing. For the last 5 months or so, doing Pump/Combat and now Focus T25, most of the workouts have been of the shorter variety. I like that, but at the same time I feel like I'm cheating myself. The eating thing is my fault and something I need to address, but I'm wondering if I'm slacking off by doing these "quick" workouts. Yes, I'm really tired after doing a T25 workout, but I was also tired after doing a 60 minute P90X workout, and I feel I got a lot more out of it. I think I've decided to cut this T25 round from 13 weeks to 10 weeks so I can start P90X3 the first week of January. It's not that I'm getting real bored with T25. I'm just wondering if it's doing what I want it to do. I seem to be going through the motions, just to say I got a workout in. As I said above, there seems to be no driving "purpose" behind it. It's simply not motivating me because I don't see any results. Maybe that's my fault. Maybe not.

FOCUS T25 - WEEK 5 - Week of 11/18/2013

MONDAY - NOVEMBER 18, 2013 - Core Cardio

This is my first Beta workout. I knew it was going to be harder than the Alpha phase, but I wasn't sure how much harder. First of all, I burned more calories and had a higher Average Heart Rate than any of the Alpha workouts. But it really wasn't that bad. There weren't a lot of coordination moves, so I was able to go harder, rather than watching what they were doing. I actually enjoyed most of it. I'm anxious to see if the rest of the Beta Phase is the same.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 325; Avg Heart Rate: 138; Max Heart Rate: 158.


TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 19, 2013 - Speed 2.0

Non-stop moving. The moves were simple, so I liked it. A lot. I thought I'd burned more calories than I did.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 298; Avg Heart Rate: 133; Max Heart Rate: 152.


WEDNESDAY - NOVEMBER 20, 2013 - Rip't Circuit

I have to admit I was afraid of this one going into it. I was imagining it being harder than Alpha's Total Body Circuit, I was pretty sure there were weights involved, and even the name scared me a bit. Turned out it wasn't so bad. I used 15 lb weights with no problems, and got through most of the other moves OK, including the 4 count pushups during the last few minutes. I liked the fact that each exercise was one minute long. That's the first time in this program I noticed that happening. So far, I'm liking the Beta phase. On the bad side, I'm starting to slip on the good eating again. I was a bit bummed by the weight increase from last week, so I've lost a bit of motivation there. After trying to find the cause, I realized I'd eaten a ton of almonds last week, using them as a "healthy" snack. I think I overdid it.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 275; Avg Heart Rate: 126; Max Heart Rate: 160.


THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 21, 2013 - Stretch

Don't know what's wrong with me. I got home, exhausted from work. Took a nap. Got up to do my Stretch workout, but decided to watch a bit of the Sabres game with a little bit of ice cream. It was good, so I kept eating it. Stupid me. I felt the heaviness in me during a Stretch workout! I didn't even stretch real well. I need to get over this. (I will.)

Time:  25 minutes: Calories Burned: 138; Avg Heart Rate: 95; Max Heart Rate: 110.


FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 22, 2012 - Dynamic Core

I wasn't sure what to expect on this one. The Beta workouts haven't been as bad as I'd anticipated, and this one followed suit. The moves for the first 20 minutes were relatively simple, and I wondered if it was doing anything to my core. The last five minutes were a bit tougher, especially the last minute. When I was done I could feel my abs were tight, and about a half hour later, they were actually a bit sore. So something was working.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 216; Avg Heart Rate: 112; Max Heart Rate: 147.


SATURDAY - NOVEMBER 23, 2013 - Upper Focus

I was a bit worried about this one, because upper body strength isn't my forte. I was expecting a lot of pushups. Turns out there were only two sets of those. There was a lot of core and cardio moves that had little to do with upper body. I used 15lbs on the numerous weight moves, and didn't have too many problems there. The only place I really slowed down was on the burpee to pushup moves. For some reason, my feet were slipping on the carpet when I went back, and it was tough getting back up quickly.

Time: 25 minutes: Calories Burned: 266; Avg Heart Rate: 124; Max Heart Rate: 151.


SUNDAY - NOVEMBER 24, 2013 - Rest


SUNDAY WEIGH IN
Weight: 194.0 (-1.2 lbs)
Body Fat: 21.2% (-0.1%)

I'm happy with the drops, but I really didn't eat all that well this week.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

This was my first week with the Beta workouts. I didn't find them that much tougher than the Alpha workouts, and I actually liked them better because there weren't a lot of moves that required a ton of coordination. Overall I was pleased.

FOCUS T25 - WEEK 4 - Week of 11/11/2013

MONDAY - NOVEMBER 11, 2013 - Alpha Cardio

I had to make a decision today on this round of T25. P90X3 is coming out shortly, and most people will be starting it on the first week of the new year. I kind of wanted to start along with them, but that meant cutting this T25 round down to 9 weeks instead of the 13 I'd planned. Insanity is 9 weeks and the Asylum programs were only 4 weeks, so I strongly considered it. This meant each of the 3 phases of T25 would only be 3 weeks instead of 4, and I'd be starting the Beta Phase today instead of doing my 4th week of the Alpha Phase. I decided to continue with this for the 90 days (13 weeks), so I did Alpha Cardio again today. The inevitable happened. I went all out at the start today and tweaked my right calf muscle about 4 minutes in. I got through the remaining 21 minutes of the workout, but I was cautious. All in all, I did well, even though I had to miss a few reps here and there because I was tired.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 301; Avg Heart Rate: 133; Max Heart Rate: 158.


TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 12, 2013 - Speed 1.0

I've been feeling much, much better lately because I've been eating better for over a week. I really went after this workout today, but was still mindful of my tweaked right calf muscle. Overall, I did well. I did very little "resting", but noticed I'm not as fast as they are on some of the fast foot movements. I'm not sure I ever will be, but it's something to shoot for.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 279; Avg Heart Rate: 127; Max Heart Rate: 157.


WEDNESDAY - NOVEMBER 13, 2013 - Total Body Circuit

This is a tough workout, even at 25 minutes. It was very hectic at work today. I only had one half of a leftover bagel for lunch and stayed late to try and catch up on some work. Normally when I get home I relax for an hour or so before getting into the workout, but not today. I got right into it. I still have a hard time getting all the pushup and plank moves in, but I did my best. A few times I probably rested for a few seconds when I might have been able to push through, but for the most part I tried to keep going. I feel good afterwards and am glad I got it done early.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 314; Avg Heart Rate: 136; Max Heart Rate: 157.


THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 14, 2013 - Stretch

I'm still feeling good. Still trying to eat good. I'm not sure if all that had anything to do with it, but I found I had better balance today, and I even felt a bit more flexible. Keep it going!

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 132; Avg Heart Rate: 94; Max Heart Rate: 107.


FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 15, 2013 - Ab Intervals

Had some leftover birthday cake at work today, but otherwise still feeling good. This workout went well also. I don't seem to be as sluggish or laboring through the workouts lately. I'm definitely doing more. A lot of it is because I'm getting used to the individual workouts, but I'm sure the better eating is helping too.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned:223; Avg Heart Rate: 115; Max Heart Rate: 152.


SATURDAY - NOVEMBER 16, 2013 - Lower Focus

This was my last workout of the Alpha phase. I did OK on it. I'd been feeling great all week, but today I was really tired and sluggish. I'm not sure why. I can't believe it's because I had a few pieces of cake yesterday.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 218; Avg Heart Rate: 113; Max Heart Rate: 138.


SUNDAY - NOVEMBER 17, 2013 - Rest


SUNDAY WEIGH-IN
Weight: 195.2 (+3.2 lbs)
Body Fat: 21.2% (+0.4%)

No idea where that came from. I just have to really watch myself.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

I'm a bit baffled by the big weight increase, but I know I ate pretty well for most of the week. I'll just continue with that thought process, and it'll work itself out. Except for Saturday, I felt great all week. I'm not going to stress over it. I'm done with the Alpha phase. It was probably more challenging than I thought going into the program. Next week starts 4 weeks of the Beta phase. I'm looking forward to seeing how much harder it is.

FOCUS T25 - WEEK 3 - Week of 11/04/2013

MONDAY - NOVEMBER 4, 2013 - Alpha Cardio

I'm making the commitment to eat better this week, then take it one week at a time. I want to lose 20-25 lbs. At one time I was down about 50 lbs from when I started back in 2008, but I've put back on that 20-25 lbs over the last year or so and am not happy with myself about it. I lost it before and want to do it again. Today's workout went well. It's the third time I've done it, and I've gotten better each time, in that I'm able to do more.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 294; Avg Heart Rate: 131; Max Heart Rate: 159.


TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 5, 2013 - Speed 1.0

I was feeling a bit down going into the workout. I haven't been "comfort" eating the last two days and I'm getting a bit irritable. Hopefully, that will pass soon. I didn't have a great workout. I'm getting a bit tired of Shaun's choreographed moves. I want to workout, not dance. I think I'd be getting a more effective workout if I didn't have to keep stopping because I couldn't get myself coordinated with what they are doing. I even stepped away for a few seconds during the Heisman crossword thingys where they were clapping their hands between their legs. It just seemed so silly. I was thinking to myself if someone came in and saw what I was doing, I'd almost be embarrassed doing a lot of the moves. Hopefully my attitude will be better tomorrow.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 264; Avg Heart Rate: 123; Max Heart Rate: 149.


WEDNESDAY - NOVEMBER 6, 2013 - Total Body Circuit

I wanted to get this one done earlier than usual this evening, and I did. It wore me out. I admit I dogged one some of the moves. For some reason I'm really, really struggling with any of the pushup moves. I think the same thing was happening when I was doing them in the Pump / Combat hybrid I just finished. I just haven't done concentrated pushups in 6 months or so, and I can't even remember the last time I did a pullup. I'm still not motivated to the point I want and need to be to be getting the most out of these workouts. I'm really looking forward to P90X3 coming out next month. Tony seems to motivate me more than some of the other trainers. In the meantime, I'll do the best I can, and have to realize I'm going to have "down" days.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 294; Avg Heart Rate: 131; Max Heart Rate: 157.


THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 7, 2013 - Stretch

Not much to say about the workout. It came at the right time. I needed the break. I'm still trying to eat better this week. I'm not perfect, but I'm doing OK, and am happy with myself there.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 127; Avg Heart Rate: 93; Max Heart Rate: 174.


FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 8, 2013 - Ab Intervals

I felt good during the workout for some reason. I'm really working on eating better, so I'm sure that's part of it. When I came home today I caved and had more than a few pieces of leftover Halloween candy I had stashed in the freezer. Then I ate a stale piece of pizza I had leftover from last Sunday, but I'm OK with all that. I'm not craving it.

Time: 25 minutes; calories Burned: 204; Avg Heart Rate: 110; Max Heart Rate: 147.


SATURDAY - NOVEMBER 9, 2013 - Lower Focus

I think this may have been my best T25 workout yet. I was really pushing myself to get through the fatigue. I did miss a few reps here and there, but for the most part I got it done. I still can't hop off my left foot, and still lose my balance on the floor touches, but it is what it is. I'm happy overall.

 Time 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 267; Avg Heart Rate: 126; Max Heart Rate: 149.


SUNDAY - NOVEMBER 10, 2013 - Rest


SUNDAY WEIGH-IN
Weight: 192.0 (-2.6 lbs)
Body Fat: 21.3% (-0.5%)

Both are great numbers. I worked to get them by concentrating on eating better this week. I feel good.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

This week it was about eating better. I made a concerted effort to do that. While I wasn't perfect by any means, it's big step in the right direction. I really pushed myself during Saturday's workout.

FOCUS T25 - WEEK 2 - Week of 10/28/2013

MONDAY - OCTOBER 28, 2013 - Alpha Cardio

I felt good going into this one today, and I thought I did much better than last week. I can certainly feel it in my lower calve muscles.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 286; Avg Heart Rate: 134; Max Heart Rate: 158.


TUESDAY - OCTOBER 29, 2013 - Speed 1.0

Again, I did better than last week, because I was a bit more familiar with the moves, and also because I've been feeling better because I'm eating better. I got a good sweat on despite the fact there is a lot of stretch moves intertwined with the cardio moves. Despite all that, I'm still not convinced 25 minutes and 255 calories burned is enough for me. We'll see as time goes on. I made a commitment to see this through.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 255; Avg Heart Rate: 124; Max Heart Rate: 156.


WEDNESDAY - OCTOBER 30, 2013 - Total Body Circuit

I remembered this was the toughest workout from last week, so I was looking forward to going at it today. I did much better than last week, but it still humbled me in spots. I missed some of the various pushup reps and also some on the spin around squat burpee moves. There were others I was slow on, but those stand out in my mind. A good workout. One thing I must say is that my average heart rate was over 130 for two of the three routines this week. Over 120 is good for me. Over 130 is really good for me. However, I do keep in mind that that figure doesn't include a warm up time or a cool down time like it does on other routines I've done, which will generally decrease the average a bit, but it's still good. I'm tired and sweating when done.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 293; Avg Heart Rate: 134; Max Heart Rate: 213.


THURSDAY - OCTOBER 31, 2013 - Stretch

Stretch went OK. Halloween tonight. Bought a lot of candy. It was raining hard outside. No kids showed up. Ate a bunch of leftover candy. Had been having a good eating week. Just destroyed it. Pissed off at myself, but must rebound and regroup.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 136; Avg Heart Rate: 95; Max Heart Rate: 112.


FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 1, 2013 - Ab Intervals

I did OK, but there were a few moves that I got fatigued on.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 199; Avg Heart Rate: 110; Max Heart Rate: 147.


SATURDAY - NOVEMBER 2, 2013 - Lower Focus

I got this one in before noon so I can enjoy the rest of the day and not have to think about it. I did pretty good. I kept up with the reps, except on the spinning lunges. I still don't have my footwork down on that one. I tried going deeper in my squats when I had the chance. I'm thinking I can still go deeper. I have to work on my lunges. My ankles don't allow me to bend my legs straight back, so my knees buckle in. I need to find a way to make that work somehow. Maybe adjust my feet a bit.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 244; Avg Heart Rate: 119; Max Heart Rate: 143.


SUNDAY - NOVEMBER 3, 2013 - Rest


SUNDAY WEIGH-IN
Weight: 194.6 (+0.2 lbs)
Body Fat: 21.3% (+0.1%)

Not what I was expecting. I was expecting a gain of about 3 lbs because of the way I ate this week.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

I got the workouts in, but I ate like crap. I used to have a purpose for doing all this, but I feel it's lost. I used to be excited about what I could do during a workout and how many pounds I'd lost. I'm not anymore. The 25 minute workouts are tough, but I kind of feel like I'm cheating myself with the short workouts. It seems like Beachbody put them out to sell to more people, not challenge those who want the challenge. I'm sure I'll get over it, but that's how I feel today. Eating wise, I'm pissed at myself. Ever since I got the new scale earlier this year that was showing I weighed 10 lbs more than I thought, my morale has sunk to an all time low. I need to get over that feeling and get back my purpose.

FOCUS T25 - WEEK 1 - Week of 10/21/2013

MONDAY - OCTOBER 21, 2013 - Alpha Cardio

I've had this program for a few months but wanted to finish the Pump / Combat Hybrid first. I was anxious to get into this and see how hard it was. It was a bit tougher than I'd expected. I had to miss a few reps here and there because of fatigue, but the main damage was done to my ankles and calf muscles. I know they're going to be sore tomorrow. I got a good calorie burn for the time involved.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 297; Avg Heart Rate: 134; Max Heart Rate: 154.


TUESDAY - OCTOBER 22, 2013 - Speed 1.0

This was nowhere near as tough as yesterday's workout. During the first half there were stretch moves intertwined with the cardio moves. The last seven minutes or so was all cardio. There was a lot of footwork moves that I'm not used to, so I had to slow down in spots to coordinate myself, usually unsuccessfully. I still worked up a sweat though.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 239; Avg Heart Rate: 119; Max Heart Rate: 146.


WEDNESDAY - OCTOBER 23, 2013 - Total Body Circuit

I'd heard this was the toughest of the Alpha workouts, so I was a bit apprehensive going into it. It was tough. Tougher than I'd expected. There were a lot of moves where I didn't get all the reps in, either because of lack of coordination, or lack of strength (pushups). Something to get better on.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 262; Avg Heart Rate: 126; Max Heart Rate: 156.


THURSDAY - OCTOBER 24, 2013 - Stretch

I liked Shaun T's stretch and relief workouts from the Asylum series, so I was looking forward to this one. It wasn't as relaxing as the Asylum ones, but it wasn't too bad.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 79; Avg Heart Rate: 84; Max Heart Rate: 100.


FRIDAY - OCTOBER 25, 2013 - Ab Intervals

A nice ab workout. I actually liked it, but missed some reps here and there. I need to start watching my eating again. It's getting bad this week. I'm finding myself getting stressed and burned out on a few things, so that's not helping the situation. I also need to get more sleep. I've been up until 1 am the last three nights, and then up at 6:30 am. It's all going to catch up with me. I'm going to just try and relax and unwind this weekend and get myself together. Losing your "why" for doing these workouts makes things really tough and somewhat depressing.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 166; Avg Heart Rate: 109; Max Heart Rate: 143.


SATURDAY - OCTOBER 26, 2013 - Lower Focus

This one reminded me a bit of the legs section of P90X Legs and Back. I did OK. One thing I found out is that it's very, very difficult for me to bounce up and down solely on my left leg. In fact I couldn't do it at all today. I'll try again next week. I'm still uncoordinated on the spinning lunge moves, so those were ugly Lunges are tough for me in general because of my bad ankles, but I'll keep working at it.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 240; Avg Heart Rate: 121; Max Heart Rate: 143.


SUNDAY - OCTOBER 27, 2013 - Rest

Sundays are rest days for me during T-25.


SUNDAY WEIGH IN

Weight: 194.4 (+ 2.8 lbs)
Body Fat: 21.2% (+ 0.6%)

Both are horrible numbers, but I ate horribly this week. Stress. (Donuts, Whopper, etc.)


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

This was my first time doing any of these workouts. Some were tougher than I'd expected (Alpha Cardio and Total Body Circuit), but I got through them. I'll get better at them as time passes. As was the case in the early days of Les Mills Pump, I'm worried about the low calorie burns because the routines are so short. I know the idea is to go harder. We'll see.

LES MILLS PUMP / COMBAT HYBRID - WEEK 13 - Week of 10/14/2013

MONDAY - OCTOBER 14, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Warrior 1: Upper Body Blowout

This is the last week of the Hybrid. It's all Les Mills Combat, the auxiliary workouts. Today's was short but tough. I was only using 15lb weights, but my shoulders got tired real fast. They move quickly from one exercise to the next with no breaks. I kept up with most of the reps.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 229; Avg Heart Rate: 117; Max Heart Rate: 152.


TUESDAY - OCTOBER 15, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Shock Plyo: HIIT 2

This is a good little cardio workout. I kept up more this time than I had in the past, missing only a few reps here and there. I was sweating like crazy when done. It's not often I have an average heart rate over 130, but I did today.

Time: 29 minutes; Calories Burned: 338; Avg Heart Rate: 133; Max Heart Rate: 151.


WEDNESDAY - OCTOBER 16, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Core Attack

An 18 minute ab routine. I didn't struggle, but I couldn't wait for it to end.

Time: 18 minutes; Calories Burned: 99 Avg Heart Rate: 95; Max Heart Rate: 119.


THURSDAY - OCTOBER 17, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Inner Warrior: Stretch and Strength

The first two-thirds of this stretch routine is a number of Karate Kata's. I find them very strange and almost creepy, but I'm not judging, as I've not gotten into the Martial Arts. The stretching part was only five or six minutes and was relaxing.

Time: 18 minutes; Calories Burned: 69; Avg Heart Rate: 87; Max Heart Rate: 102.


FRIDAY - OCTOBER 18, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Warrior 2: Lower Body Leanout

I did Ok on this one, but not great. It's just not motivating for me. I still have problems with the Running Man move because of my lack of coordination, and also the repeating roundhouse side kicks because of my lack of balance. In the end though, I did get tired during the workout and did work up a good sweat.

Time: 29 minutes; Calories Burned: 278; Avg Heart Rate: 119; Max Heart Rate: 145.


SATURDAY - OCTOBER 19, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Power: HIIT 1

This was my last workout of the Hybrid and I wanted to make it good. I increased the weight on my barbell from 15s on each side to 20s. I felt the difference, but still got though it OK. I missed a few of the Plyometric Lunges due to fatigue. The exercise I was really dreading was the Burpee / Pushup / Squat combos. They did a set of 8, then 12, then 16. I wanted to keep up, but couldn't. I did 8, then 10, then 12. I fell a bit short, but I did my best.

Time: 31 minutes; Calories Burned: 330; Avg Heart Rate: 126; Max Heart Rate: 157.


SUNDAY - OCTOBER 20, 2013 - REST


SUNDAY WEIGH IN
Weight: 191.6 (+0.6 lbs)
Body Fat: 20.6% (+0.1%)


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

The workouts were short, but most of them were tough. I'm wondering if it's a precursor to the new P90X3 workouts that are coming out in December.


FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE LES MILLS PUMP / COMBAT HYBRID

The Bad
1) I gained 1.4 lbs and .6% Body Fat. Not good numbers, but those are my fault for not eating good. On most of the workouts there wasn't a big calorie burn. I'm guessing I might have averaged a bit over 300 Calories Burned per workout. With P90X, Insanity, Asylum I was burning closer to 600, depending on the length of the workouts.

2) I was very disappointed in the Combat program in general, especially the main Martial Arts workouts. The main reason is I wasn't familiar with the moves and they were going so fast, I often got frustrated and didn't give full effort. The trainers, Dan and Rach, seem like nice people, but they simply didn't motivate me. Nor did any of the background cast. Maybe that's my fault too. I guess I should have motivated myself more.

3) The Pump cardio workouts were horrible. The Les Mills Pump Combat workout was tolerable, but the other two (Step and Sports Attack) weren't. So much so, that I stopped using them and decided to mix in the Les Mills Combat program after Week 5.

The Good
1) I liked the Pump "Barbell" workouts. Yes, they were repetitive, but the trainers were good and kept me motivated. I also like the fact that you can use as much weight as you want on the workouts to keep yourself growing.

2) I did like a few of the Combat auxiliary workouts (Shock Plyo, Power, Upper Body Burnout, Lower Body Leanout). They were short, but tough.

3) I feel stronger, and I feel my body is starting to shape more. That's a great feeling.

Overall
I'm glad I did it. I think I'll always find a place for the Pump Barbell workouts. I got results and they were fun to do.


NEXT

Focus T-25. I start Monday.

LES MILLS PUMP / COMBAT HYBRID - WEEK 12 - Week of 10/07/2013

MONDAY - OCTOBER 7, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump and Shred

This is the last week of the Les Mills Pump "Barbell" workouts and I'm starting to feel my arms have had enough. The other day I noticed I could barely do any pushups near the end of one of the workouts, and I experienced the same thing today. My body, especially my arms, is due for a rest. I got through today's workout OK, but the Clean and Presses seem to be getting harder with the same weight I'd been using for the last six weeks or so,

Time: 47 minutes; Calories Burned: 497; Avg Heart Rate: 125; Max Heart Rate: 204.


TUESDAY - OCTOBER 8, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Combat 45: Power Kata

I had a bit of a fever when I got home from work. I took a nap and seriously felt like not doing the workout. Because I'm so close to the end of this Hybrid I wasn't sure when I'd be able to make it up, so I did it. I wasn't able to go full blast but I got through it, and I got a decent calorie burn somehow. I hope I don't feel like this tomorrow. I can't see myself getting through Pump Revolution feeling like this.

Time: 43 minutes; Calories Burned; 453; Avg Hear Rate: 126; Max Heart Rate: 144.


WEDNESDAY - OCTOBER 9, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump Revolution

I actually felt pretty good going into the workout today. I only had a banana for lunch today at work, which I know isn't enough normally, but at least it wasn't a Sub or something else filling. I find those things make me feel sluggish. I used the same weights I'd been using lately, but in the Squat section (the first track after the warm-up) the weights seemed exceptionally heavier than normal. I thought I might have had 35's on each side instead of the normal 30's, but it turned out I didn't. I don't know why they felt so heavy. Everything else went well, except the same story with the Shoulder section, where I had to keep missing reps because my shoulders were toast.

Time: 57 minutes: Calories Burned: 552; Avg Heart Rate: 121; Max Heart Rate: 209.


THURSDAY - OCTOBER 10, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Flow

This is the last time I'll be doing this workout during this Hybrid. I'll miss it. It comes at a time during the week when I can use a little relaxation and the idea that it's only 20 minutes is always a bonus. Today's workout was all of the above.

Time: 21 minutes: Calories Burned: 85; Avg Heart Rate: 88; Max Heart Rate: 104.


FRIDAY - OCTOBER 11, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump Extreme

This was my last "barbell" workout of the hybrid. I've been using pretty much the same weights on most exercises for the last seven weeks or so. Today I decided to challenge myself a bit. On the Squat, Chest, Back, and Lunge sections I increased my weight from 30 lbs on each side to 35 lbs on each side. It didn't really affect me too much on the Squat and Lunge sections, except when I was bringing the bar back over my head at the end of the lunge section. It was getting late in the workout and my arms were exhausted, so I sort of dropped it down real quickly in front of me and almost fell over it as my momentum carried me forward . On the Chest section I was OK, but might have done a few less reps that usual. Where I really noticed it was doing the Clean and Press moves during the Back section. It took me a while longer than usual to get the bar over my head. There were 4 sections of Clean and Presses during the 5 minute track. On the 4th track I finished a full rep behind them (they were using 20s on each side) because I was doing them so slow, but I did get them all in at the expense of maybe a few reps on the rows. I used 15 lbs on the Bicep section. I've used 15s there before, but usually had been using 10s. I was tired and had to miss a few reps here and there, but I did finish it out. Overall, I was happy with the workout, and I felt great afterwards.

Time: 61 minutes; Calories Burned: 538; Avg Heart Rate: 128; Max Heart Rate: 225.


SATURDAY - OCTOBER 12, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Combat 60 Live: Ultimate Warrior's Workout

Not too good today. I'm still finding myself getting frustrated trying to follow some of the moves, so I kind of just stood around watching them for a few seconds instead of doing them. I was really guilty of this during the Capoiera section. That section has moves that don't seem like cardio burners to me. They're more like choreographed dance moves, and I'm just not into them. In general, I found myself just moving my arms and not my whole body during the workout, decreasing it's efficiency. The calorie burn for the time involved was terrible.

Time: 53 minutes; Calories Burned: 381; Avg Heart Rate: 105; Max Heart Rate: 149.


SUNDAY - OCTOBER 13, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Les Mills Core

This was my last Les Mills Pump workout in the Hybrid. I'll miss those guys. Even though it was a short workout, I did pretty good on it. Among other things, one thing I was really impressed with on the Pump workouts were their great ab routines. They were short, simple, to the point, and very effective. I can feel today's workout as I type this about 15 minutes after it ended.

Time: 13 minutes; Calories Burned: 71; Avg Heart Rate: 95; Max Heart Rate: 113.


SUNDAY WEIGH-IN

Weight: 191.0 (-1.6 lbs)
Body Fat: 20.5% (-0.3%)

Both are moves in the right direction. I didn't eat perfect this week, but I was conscious of things.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

This was my last week of the main Pump and Combat workouts. I only have one week left of the Hybrid and that consists of the supplemental Combat workouts. Some of them are tough. I'm happy with the weight loss. I'm happy that I feel my muscles are toning because of the weights from Pump.

LES MILLS PUMP / COMBAT HYBRID - WEEK 11 - Week of 9/30/2013

MONDAY - SEPTEMBER 30, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump and Burn

I was looking forward to this one a bit because it's relatively short. I also realized today there was no Lunge section in this workout, which is fine by me. I used the same weights I've been using lately. No problems.

Time: 35 minutes; Calories Burned: 254; Avg Heart Rate: 108; Max Heart Rate: 219.


TUESDAY - OCTOBER 1, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Combat 30: Kick Start

This went OK. It was a basic routine.

Time: 30 minutes; Calories Burned: 238; Avg Heart Rate: 109; Max Heart Rate: 132.


WEDNESDAY - OCTOBER 2, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump Revolution

This was a good workout. I like the shorter workouts, but when I do the ones that are closer to an hour, I feel much more fulfilled. Same weights as usual. I got through the almost all the sections with no breaks (including Chest), except for the Shoulder section (once again).

Time: 58 minutes; Calories Burned: 614; Avg Heart Rate: 128; Max Heart Rate: 207.


THURSDAY - OCTOBER 3, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Flow

Not as relaxed as usual. Didn't eat bad today, but I did have a piece of chocolate birthday cake someone brought into the office. I haven't been eating that stuff for the last week or so, so it made me a bit jumpy. I'm looking at that as a warning, which is a good thing.

Time: 20 minutes; Calories Burned: 82; Avg Heart Rate: 88; Max Heart Rate: 106.


FRIDAY - OCTOBER 4, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump Extreme

I worked up a good sweat on this one. It was literally dripping off my arms halfway through the workout. Most of the workout went well, but in the Lunge section I thought I was going to throw up. The Shoulder section was next. I missed the first 10% of it recovering from the lunges and changing weights, then missed a lot of reps because I was so exhausted. I guess this leaves room for improvement. I used the same weights I had been (30's on each side for the heavy exercises), but I noticed my body isn't getting sore. I only have one more week of these routines, so I'm debating whether or not to go to 35's on each side. I don't want to hurt myself with bad form.

Time: 60 minutes; Calories Burned: 598; Avg Heart Rate: 123; Max Heart Rate: 209.


SATURDAY - OCTOBER 5, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Combat 60: Extreme Cardio Fighter

I didn't remember too much about this workout, so I went over my entry from the last time I did it in Week 8. I had said that I was frustrated with the workout because they kept jumping into new moves and combination with no preparation. I felt the same way today. Very frustrated. I constantly had to stop to see which foot was forward, what they were doing with their hands, etc. As a result I didn't put forth my best effort. Bad reason, but that's what happened.

Time: 54 minutes; Calories Burned: 369; Avg Heart Rate: 103; Max Heart Rate: 138.


SUNDAY - OCTOBER 6, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Hard Core Abs

The workout went OK. Not much else to say other than I worked up a good sweat in only 15 minutes.

Time: 15 minutes; Calories Burned: 92; Avg Heart Rate: 99; Max Heart Rate: 127.


SUNDAY WEIGH-IN
Weight: 192.6 (+2.8 lbs)
Body Fat: 20.8% (+0.3%)

Not good. I tried to follow up last week's success. I was OK earlier in the week, but got cocky and ate a few bagels here and there and even stopped at McDonald's on the way home from golf on Friday. All those little "slip ups" add up.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

The workouts went OK. Nothing exceptional. No breakthroughs. Obviously I'm noy happy about the weight gain, but it's another lesson learned.

LES MILLS PUMP / COMBAT HYBRID - WEEK 10 - Week of 9/23/2013

MONDAY - SEPTEMBER 23, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump and Shred

A good workout today. I got tired a few times during the Lunge section, but toughed it out. Same weights as usual (30 lbs on each side for most sections). I'm still toast during the Shoulder section, but overall I felt good. I'm trying to make a concentrated effort to eat clean this week. I had a tuna sub for lunch today against my better judgment, but didn't have time to come with an alternative. I need to find some, especially while at work.

Time: 47 minutes; Calories Burned: 497; Avg Heart Rate: 128; Max Heart Rate: 217.


TUESDAY - SEPTEMBER 24, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Combat 45: Power Kata

All the Combat workouts are still a bit frustrating for me because I'm still not used to the moves and sequences, but I did a bit better on this one today, and actually enjoyed most of it. I'm still concentrating on trying to eat well.

Time: 43 minutes: Calories Burned: 364; Avg Heart Rate: 112; Max Heart Rate: 135.


WEDNESDAY - SEPTEMBER 25, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump Revolution

I did good. Same weights as usual. Maybe during the last week I might try upping them a bit, but I honestly feel if I add much more, I might hurt myself. Once again, the Shoulder just killed me, and I missed a bunch of reps. Too long of a section. I don't know how they all get through it on the video. Kudos to them. This is the most calories (641) I've burned in this entire program.

Time: 57 minutes; Calories Burned: 641; Avg Heart Rate: 131; Max Heart Rate: 217.


THURSDAY - SEPTEMBER 26, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Flow

Not much to say. I enjoy this short, relaxing workout. I still have problems doing torso twists, but all else went well.

Time: 21 minutes; Calories Burned: 95; Avg Heart Rate: 91; Max Heart Rate: 111.


FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 27, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump Extreme

Similar to the Pump Revolution workout of Wednesday, but I didn't burn nearly as many calories for some reason. The only weight difference I had was that I used 10 lb weights on the Bicep section where I used 15's on Wednesday. I still felt good when I was done, though not as good as Wednesday. I don't know what the overall difference was.

Time: 61 minutes; Calories Burned: 546; Avg Heart Rate: 119; Max Heart Rate: 214.


SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 28, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Combat 60 Live: Ultimate Warrior's Workout

I really enjoyed this workout today. I've been eating better lately, so I wasn't feeling real sluggish going into it. For the most part I kept up with the sequences, allowing me to put more into it. I feel really happy about it.

Time: 53 minutes; Calories Burned: 448; Avg Heart Rate: 113; Max Heart Rate: 212.


SUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Les Mills Core

I did OK on this one. There was a few reps on the Cross Crawls that were tough but other than that it went well. I can certainly feel my abs working when I do this one.

Time: 12 minutes; Calories Burned: 63; Avg Heart Rate: 94; Max Heart Rate: 114.


SUNDAY WEIGH-IN
Weight: 189.8 (-3.6 lbs)
Body Fat: 20.5% (-0.6%)

Both are great numbers.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

The workouts went well in general, but the big thing was I concentrated on eating better this week. I had a few pieces of a co-worker's birthday cake on Tuesday, but didn't eat any of the leftover on Wednesday like I normally would have, I also passed on the pastries and donuts that were brought into the office. The only sweets I had after Tuesday was a Baby Ruth bar on the golf course Friday. I feel good, and I feel toned, especially around my mid-section. My attitude is also a little better because I'm not beating myself up over eating like crap. I want to keep this up to see what kind of results I can really achieve. I'm looking forward to doing P90X3 when it comes out.

LES MILLS PUMP / COMBAT HYBRID - WEEK 9 - Week of 9/16/2013

MONDAY - SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Warrior 1: Upper Body Blowout

This is the second time I've done this workout. It's under 25 minutes of main workout, but it's no joke. I used 15 lb weights and was really tiring on some sets.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 244; Avg Heart Rate: 120; Max Heart Rate: 148.


TUESDAY - SEPTEMBER 17, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Shock Plyo: HIIT 2

Another toughie. Reminder me a bit of Insanity Got my heart rate up quickly and kept it up. Certainly a lot tougher than the regular Combat workouts. There were a few times when I missed a few reps because of fatigue, mostly in the Lunges. Otherwise I did my best to keep up.

Time: 29 minutes: Calories Burned: 312: Avg Heart Rate: 128; Max Heart Rate: 150.


WEDNESDAY - SEPTEMBER 18, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Core Attack

Not much to say on the workout. I did OK. I got winded a few times, but didn't miss too many reps. I'm really trying to eat better this week, but for some reason I'm hungry as hell today even though I haven't been starving myself at all..

Time: 18 minutes; Calories Burned: 102; Avg Heart Rate: 97; Max Heart Rate: 116.


THURSDAY - SEPTEMBER 19, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Inner Warrior: Stretch and Strength

I think this could be a really good relaxation workout once I learn and embrace the Kata's during the first two-thirds of the video. Right now they're just strange to me. But I felt relaxed when I was done.

Time: 18 minutes; Calories Burned: 59; Avg Heart Rate: 85; Max Heart Rate: 99.


FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 20, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Warrior 2: Lower Body Lean Out

Not a good workout. For some reason I have an insatiable appetite this week. I'm trying to eat good, but it doesn't always happen. I ate about two bowlfuls of Cheerios about an hour before my workout. Dairy (milk) doesn't always agree with me, so that added to the problem. I was feeling a bit sluggish going into the workout and just wasn't motivated to give my all once the thing started. There were even a few moves where I missed a few reps simply because I was convincing myself I was tired, and didn't feel like doing them. Not good. Also, one thing I've realized, that as much as I like Dan and Rach (the main trainers), they just don't motivate me. Maybe it's the entire Combat program that's not motivating me. I find I can't keep up with a lot of the moves because of my lack of balance and coordination, and I get frustrated and lose interest. It's something I have to work on to get through it. With all that said, this could be a really good workout if I could get my head into it.

Time: 29 minutes; Calories Burned: 253; Avg Heart Rate: 113; Max Heart Rate: 145.


SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 21, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Hiit 1: Power

Another tough 29 minute workout. For the weight exercises I used the barbell with 15 lbs on each side. No problems there. I did tire when doing the Plyometric Lunges and I wasn't able to get in all the Burpee/Pushup/Squat reps. I probably got in about 60% of them. I'm still feeling sluggish.

Time:31 minutes: Calories Burned: 294; Avg Heart Rate: 118; Max Heart Rate: 194.


SUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 22, 2013 - REST


SUNDAY WEIGH IN
Weight: 193.4 (+1.2 lbs)
Body Fat: 21.1% (+0.3%)

I started off the week eating well and I felt great on Monday and Tuesday, but then started eating like a pig on Wednesday and couldn't stop. I bought some diet root beer last Sunday and went through a lot of it. I'm hearing that diet soda will increase your appetite, so maybe I just need to cut it out altogether and see what happens.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

As I said, I felt good early in the week because I was concentrating on eating better. It gave me a "light at the end of the tunnel", so to speak. I just need to make the commitment. I make the commitment to work out. I know making a change to eat right is a lot tougher, but I can be stubborn and do it. The wokouts this week were short, but tough. I found myself having to miss a lot of reps because I was tiring. I'm sure the bad eating had something to do with that. I have four weeks to go in this Les Mills Pump/Combat Hybrid. Let's see what I can do with it.

LES MILLS PUMP / COMBAT HYBRID - WEEK 8 - Week of 9/9/2013

MONDAY - SEPTEMBER 9, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump and Burn

I'm feeling really tired and sluggish. I know it's from not eating well, stress, and not getting enough sleep. I came home after work, laid down to take a nap, and woke up 2 hours later. That's tired. I'm glad today's workout was one of the shorter ones. I used the same weights I've been using lately (30 lbs on each side of the bar). The workout went OK.

Time: 35 minutes; Calories Burned: 268; Avg Heart Rate: 110; Max Heart Rate: 193.


TUESDAY - SEPTEMBER 10, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Combat 30 Live

I think this was the only Combat workout I hadn't done yet. I really wasn't in the mood to workout, but I think this would probably be one of my favorites from the Combat series. I liked the live setting and the time seems just right. I did work up a pretty good sweat and I kept up with most, but not all the moves, as they seemed to be more direct and not as choreographed as on the other videos. Or maybe I'm just getting more used to the combinations of moves they do.

Time: 33 minutes; Calories Burned: 293; Avg Heart Rate: 114; Max Heart Rate: 138.


WEDNESDAY - SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump Revolution

This can be a tough workout if you're pushing yourself with your weight limits, as I have. Once again, I used the same weights I have in the past, but today I barely took any breaks. I usually have to rest for a few reps during the Chest and Lunge sections, but today I didn't. The only reps I missed were during the Shoulder section, and I missed a lot of those. I was simply toast at that point. Other than that, I was happy with what I did.

Time: 58 minutes; Calories Burned: 597;  Avg Heart Rate: 127; Max Heart Rate: 220.


THURSDAY - SEPTEMBER 12, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Flow

I'm getting used to this workout and was able to concentrate on the moves themselves instead of watching to see what they were doing on the video. It was a much more relaxing and effective workout, and I enjoyed it.

Time: 21 minutes; Calories Burned: 67; Avg Heart Rate: 82; Max Heart Rate:98.


FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 13, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump Extreme

This is basically the same workout as Pump Revolution, which I did in Wednesday. I did OK, but think I did better on Wednesday. I rested for a few reps a few times during the Chest section. I only used 10 lb weights for the tricep extensions, only because I didn't feel like taking the 25 lb weight off the bar, and I used 10 lbs for the bicep exercises instead of the 15's I used the other day. Most of that was laziness because I didn't feel like changing weights. On the positive side, I think I did a bit more of the Shoulder section than Wednesday. Overall, it was a good workout.

Time: 61 minutes; Calories Burned: 588; Avg Heart Rate: 121; Max Heart Rate: 206.


SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 14, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Combat 60: Extreme Cardio Fighter

I was feeling tired and sluggish all day long. I didn't even start the workout until after 9pm. I'm still not used to the moves and they were frustrating me to no end by just jumping from one combination move to another and then back again. Twice I just stopped for 15 seconds or so because I was so pissed off. At one point I even considered just quitting. I didn't, because I never have quit a workout, but that may be the only reason I kept going. My average heart rate was only 108, which shows I was doing too much watching and trying to figure out what they were doing, and not enough doing what they were doing. It's rare that I'm in a bad state of mind after a workout, but today is one of those days.

Time: 54 minutes; Calories Burned: 414; Avg Heart Rate: 108; Max Heart Rate: 200.


SUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 15, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Hard Core Abs

I did OK. Not much else to say.

Time: 15 minutes; Calories Burned: 91; Avg Heart Rate: 100; Max Heart Rate: 130.


SUNDAY WEIGH IN
Weight: 192.2 (- 1.0 lbs)
Body Fat: 20.8% (- 0.2%)

Good numbers both ways. I'm trying to make better food choices. It's a step in the right direction.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

It was a good, steady week workout wise. Nothing exceptional, but solid. I was happy with the weight loss.

LES MILLS PUMP / COMBAT HYBRID - WEEK 7 - Week of 9/2/2013

MONDAY - SEPTEMBER 2, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump and Shred

My body is really tired (eating like crap), so I was going to stay with the 25 lb weights on each side for the heavier sets. However, I decided to go back to the 30's on each side. It worked out well. I didn't have any problems with them except for my usual breaks during the Chest set. I even got through the lunge section without breaking. Overall it was a good workout considering how I felt going into it.

Time: 47 minutes; Calories Burned: 409; Avg Heart Rate: 115; Max Heart Rate: 148.


TUESDAY - SEPTEMBER 3, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Combat 45: Power Kata

Another new Combat workout for me, and another set of standing around trying to coordinate myself with what they were doing. For most sets I was getting it, but not going full blast, because I wasn't grooved into the moves. However. there was a set called Ginga (or something like that) that was so weird that I kind of gave up for a few seconds and didn't even try. I'll get it sometime. I worked up a bit of a sweat, but not much. My average heart rate was only 102.

Time: 43 minutes; Calories Burned: 292; Avg Heart Rate: 102; Max Heart Rate: 123.


WEDNESDAY - SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump Revolution

Today is Day 45, the halfway point in this Les Mills Hybrid. It was a good workout today. I used 30's on each side for the squats, chest, back, leg sections. I used 15's on the tricep and the barbell shoulder exercises, 10's on the free weight shoulder moves, and a 25 lb weight on the ab section. I had to rest a few times on the chest moves, and more than a few times on the shoulder moves. I was drained by the time I got to that section. Overall, I can feel the muscles in my legs and back becoming more defined, and that's a good thing.

Time: 57 minutes; Calories Burned: 569; Avg Heart Rate: 122; Max Heart Rate: 186.


THURSDAY - SEPTEMBER 5, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Flow

Good, relaxing 20 minutes of Yoga and stretching.

Time: 20 minutes; Calories Burned: 94; Avg Heart Rate: 91; Max Heart Rate: 110.


FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 6, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump Extreme

I used pretty much the same weights I used on Wednesday. I had to take breaks in the same areas, the Chest section , Bicep section, and Shoulder section. The Shoulder section is just a killer, even with 10 lb weights. Otherwise I did fine.

Time: 61 minutes; Calories Burned: 624; Avg Heart Rate: 126; Max Heart Rate: 215.


SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 7, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Combat 60 Live: Ultimate Warrior Workout

I had a Fantasy Football draft earlier in the day. Of course I ate like crap. We were also in a garage with the door open where it was raining, cold, and damp. Between the bad eating and the chill I caught, I wasn't feeling too well going into the workout. It's the first time I've done this one, and I liked the concept of a live workout. Unfortunately because I had no energy and wasn't familiar with the moves, it wasn't a great effort, and I just wanted it to be over. Nonetheless I did get a decent, but not great, calorie burn for what I put into it. Some of that may have been due to the extra food I had to burn off, but I was still surprised by the burn..

Time: 53 minutes; Calories Burned: 467; Avg Heart Rate: 115; Max Heart Rate: 199.


SUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 8, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Les Mills Core

I did good. I tired a bit on some on the Cross Crunches, but got them in.

Time: 13 minutes; Calories Burned: 64; Avg Heart Rate: 93; Max Heart Rate: 110.


SUNDAY WEIGH IN
Weight: 193.2 (+0.6 lbs)
Body Fat: 21.0% (+0.3%)

Ate real bad yesterday.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

I was able to up my weights to 30 lbs on each side for both of the 55 minute workouts without too many problems. I can still feel the muscles getting more defined in my back, upper arms, and especially my quads. Still not happy with the eating, but that's my fault.

LES MILLS PUMP / COMBAT HYBRID - WEEK 6 - Week of 8/26/2013

MONDAY - AUGUST 26, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump and Burn

Back to the Pump workouts. I continued where I left off by using 10's on each side during the warmup, and the using 30's on each side during the rest of the workout. I had to stop a few times during the Chest section as usual, and once or twice briefly during the back section. Other than that I was OK, but I was feeling it.

Time: 35 minutes; Calories Burned: 286; Avg Heart Rate: 113; Max Heart Rate: 220.


TUESDAY - AUGUST 27, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Combat 30: Kick Start

This was my first regular Combat workout. It started out slow and I was wondering if I was going to be bored to death, but it picked up after a while, and I actually enjoyed it. One thing I've noticed about the Les Mills workouts, both Pump and what I've done of Combat so far, is that the trainers don't motivate me as much as Tony Horton and Shaun T do. Maybe it's because they're made for a different audience and definitely less intense than Tony and Shaun's workouts. Either way, after 5 years of intense, I need a few months of this.

Time: 30 minutes; Calories Burned: 224; Avg Heart Rate: 106; Max Heart Rate: 127.


WEDNESDAY - AUGUST 28, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump Revolution

Now THAT was a workout. Because I knew this one was 55 minutes, I decided to reduce my main barbell weights from 30 lbs on each side to 25 lbs on each side. It generally went OK, until I got to the bicep section. This is the first time I've done this workout, and this is the first time in the Pump program that there is a Bicep section. Jericho said to reduce the weight to the "warmup" weight, which for me is 10 to 15 lbs. I wanted to work my arms and knew I could curl 25's on each side with no problem, so that's what I went with. Big mistake. I can do 25's, but not at the speed and amount of reps they were doing. I burned out fast on that section, and by the end of it was only doing half to a third of what they were doing. This fatigue carried over to the next section, which was lunges. I was so exhausted, I had to put the bar down several times. On the ab section I used a 25 lb weight, because it was the only one I had that wasn't on the barbell. They were using 10's. I got through it, but tired out quickly. I guess this was an ego check today. Next time I play it smarter. Also, I burned 629 calories, which is similar to a P90X or Insanity workout. That's the first time that's happened with this program. By the way, I turned 56 today. I feel like I'm 26.

Time: 57 minutes: Calories Burned: 629; Avg Heart Rate: 132: Max Heart Rate: 229.


THURDSAY - AUGUST 29, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Flow

Not much to say about the workout. My body is tired. I'm not eating real bad, but it could be better.

Time: 22 minutes; Calories Burned: 84; Avg Heart Rate: 87; Max Heart Rate: 105.


FRIDAY - AUGUST 30, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Pump Extreme

First time doing this workout. Very similar to Pump Revolution. Again, I used 25s on each side on the Legs, Back, and Chest exercises. I used 10's on each side on the other, including the Bicep section. That went much better than Wednesday's. It was a good workout, and I can grow with it by using more weight, but the fact it was so similar to Pump Revolution left me a little less excited than when I did Pump Revolution for the first time on Wednesday.

Time: 61 minutes; Calories Burned: 581; Avg Heart Rate: 121; Max Heart Rate: 206.


SATURDAY - AUGUST 31, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Combat 60:  Extreme Cardio Fighter

Another first time workout. I liked it, but got frustrated several times because they were just jumping into choreographed move combinations without explaining them. I had to stop several times to see what they were doing. I guess that should be expected. I remember how frustrated I was learning Kenpo X moves for the first time. I'll get it down. Once I do, it looks like it'll be fun. By the way, my biceps are sore from yesterday's workout, and I was only using 10 lb weights on each side, Or maybe they're just starting to burn from Wednesday's workout, where I used 25's. I'm guessing yesterday was the culprit.

Time: 54 minutes; Calories Burned: 455; Avg Heart Rate: 112; Max Heart Rate: 141.


SUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 1, 2013 - LES MILLS PUMP - Hard Core Abs

Not much to say. I did OK.

Time: 15 minutes; Calories Burned: 66; Avg Heart Rate: 88; Max Heart Rate: 117


SUNDAY WEIGH-IN

Weight: 192.6 (+2.2 lbs); Body Fat: 20.7% (+0.2%)

Not good. I didn't think I ate that bad this week, but apparently I did.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

I thought the two new Pump workouts (Revolution and Extreme) were good. I also enjoyed the two new Combat workouts. I'm obviously not happy with the weight gain. The problem is that since I switched to the new scale a few months ago I don't seem to care as much. Before I had a point of reference for my beginning weight. I was excited. Since the new scale has me weighing about 10 lbs more than the old one, the excitement is gone. I know I need to get over it, look at it on a week to week basis, and move forward, but I haven't.

LES MILLS PUMP / COMBAT HYBRID - WEEK 5 - Week of 8/19/2013

MONDAY - AUGUST 19, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Warrior 1: Upper Body Blowout

This was supposed to be a recovery week away from the weights of Pump. I hadn't done any of the Les Mills Combat videos before, so I scheduled the extras for my recovery. This one was anything but recovery. It was 25 minutes of throwing punches with weights (I used 15 lb weights), pushups, Insanity moves (In and out abs and Ski Abs), even some Renegade Rows.. It reminded me of an Asylum workout. I kept up with most of it. Good thing it was only 25 minutes. My average heart rate got up over anything I did with Pump, and I got a good calorie burn for the time involved.

Time: 25 minutes; Calories Burned: 251; Avg Heart Rate: 125; Max Heart Rate: 205.


TUESDAY - AUGUST 20, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Shock Plyo Hiit 2

Another workout that was a bit more intense than I was expecting. A lot of pushups (again), burpees, squats. I got through it OK.

Time: 29 minutes; Calories Burned: 305; Avg Heart Rate: 127; Max Heart Rate: 146.


WEDNESDAY - AUGUST 21, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Core Attack

This was similar to an Ab Ripper X routine, but with different moves. I liked a lot of the moves, especially the one with the weight involved. I used a 10 lb weight on that one today. I think the workout was efficient. No wasted moves or time.

Time: 19 minutes; Calories Burned: 106; Avg Heart Rate: 99; max Heart Rate: 128.


THURSDAY - AUGUST 22, 2013 - LES MILLS COMBAT - Stretch and Strength

Because this is the first time I did this I wasn't familiar with many of the fighter stances the were using during the first half. I think I'll like it more once I know what I'm doing. The second half was mostly stretches I've done with P90X.

Time: 18 minutes; Calories Burned: 67; Avg Heart Rate: 86; Max Heart Rate: 101.


FRIDAY - AUGUST 23, 2013 - OFF DAY

I wasn't home all day and had no chance to do any kind of a workout. I'll do today's scheduled workout tomorrow.


SATURDAY - AUGUST 24, 2014 - LES MILLS COMBAT - 1) Warrior 2: Lower Body; and 2) Power: HIIT 1

1) WARRIOR 2: LOWER BODY

I didn't do real well on this one. There were too many moves where I had to stop and try to see what they were doing. Once I get the footwork down, I think it'll be much more effective.

Time: 29 minutes; Calories Burned: 220; Avg Heart Rate: 107; Max Heart Rate: 140.

2) POWER: HIIT 1

I waited about 30 minutes after finishing the first workout, then got into this one. It wasn't as choreographed, so I was able to do most of the exercises (but not all) without having to hesitate because I was out of synch. I used 15 lb weights on the deadrows and presses. I think I can up that in the future. The toughest moves were the burpees combined with a pushup and squats. I got through the 8 rep and 12 rep progressions, but only did another 12 during the 16 rep progression. I was simply out of gas and doing them a bit slower than those in the video. One note, and I don't like to be negative, but Regan, or Ray Ray, or whatever his name is, really needs to shut up. His constant chatter sounded canned, obvious, and got real old in a hurry. Other than that, this is a good workout.

Time: 31 minutes; Calories Burned: 319; Avg Heart Rate: 124; Max Heart Rate: 155.


SUNDAY - AUGUST 25, 2013 - WEIGH-IN

Weight:190.4; Body Fat 20.5%

I ate real bad earlier in the week. A lot of sweets, so this wasn't unexpected. I physically felt bad while eating that stuff in large quantities, so hopefully I'll remember than if I get into a state like that again.


THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

I'd never done any of the Combat workouts before, so I'd picked out these supplementary and bonus workouts to use as my "recovery week". I'll admit some of them were tougher than I'd anticipated. The only saving grace was that they were short, usually under 30 minutes. It'll be back to Les Mills Pump next week. I'll be using the two longer Pump workouts for the first time, and I'll be mixing in what I think are the regular Combat workouts on my Tuesday and Saturday cardio days. We'll see how it goes.