MONDAY - APRIL 28, 2014 - Chest and Back
I got home, laid down to rest for a few minutes and wondered how I was ever going to get through this workout. 24 sets of pushups, pull-ups, and weighted back moves. In fact, I wondered how I'd ever gotten through it in the past. I've done it close to 50 times, so I knew it was possible, yet I still couldn't comprehend it. Turns out it was probably my best Chest and Back ever. I did 271 pushups, which is 34 more than I did last week, and I think 14 more than I'd ever done. The funny thing was I think I could have done more. I don't think I brought myself to failure in too many of the sets, and when I was done I was nowhere near as exhausted as last week.. I still only did 30 pull-ups, but that's something I'll keep working on. All in all, I'm thrilled with the results.
Time: 52 minutes; Calories Burned: 586; Avg Heart Rate: 127; Max Heart Rate: 160.
TUESDAY - APRIL 29, 2014 - Plyometrics
Much better than last week. I was winded, as I normally get with this workout, but I got through it fine. The only place I was really struggling was the Lateral Leap Frog Squats, only because they were in the 5th set, and immediately followed the 180 Switch Pickups. Another great calorie burn on this one.
Time: 58 minutes; Calories Burned: 733; Avg Heart Rate: 136; Max Heart Rate: 163.
WEDNESDAY - APRIL 30, 2014 - Shoulders and Arms
One thing I wanted to do this round was lift a little heavier weights. On the first half of the workout I tried bumping up my weight by 5 lbs on each of those moves. I used 35 lb weights on the heavier weight exercises. The only exercises where my reps decreased from last week were on the Alternating Shoulder presees (using 40s on the first set and 35s on the second set) was on the In and Out Bicep Curls where I went from 16 reps (with 30 lbs) to 12 reps (with 35s) on each series. Overall it went well. Next time I'll try upping my weights on the second half of the workout.
Time: 60 minutes; Calories Burned: 673; Avg Heart Rate: 130; Max Heart Rate: 162.
THURSDAY - MAY 1, 2014 - Yoga X
I can't believe it's May already. This one was a bit frustrating. My balance is still horrible and I'm still not flexible. As with last week, I had to keep coming out of the Half Moons because my hips weren't able to hold the poses. I've convinced myself I can't balance on my left leg, so that didn't go well. It all finally came to a head when I couldn't even get into Crane, and I "F-bombed" myself. I calmed down after that but just wanted to get to the final 10 minutes of the more relaxed poses. I'll get better and more flexible the more I do it, so I'm not too worried. It's just that all my other workouts seem to be going so well, it's a bit disappointing when one doesn't.
Time: 92 minutes; Calories Burned: 710; Avg Heart Rate: 111; Max Heart Rate: 212.
FRIDAY - MAY 2, 2014 - Legs and Back
Not much to say on this one, but it was a good workout. I did 57 pull-ups, which is 6 more than last week. I'm not minding the hour long workouts one bit. I'm really, really enjoying the process.
Time: 59 minutes; Calories Burned: 581; Avg Heart Rate: 123; Max Heart Rate: 160.
SATURDAY - MAY 3, 2014 - Kenpo X
An average Kenpo workout. Sometimes I lose concentration and find myself going through the motions on this workout, but I always end up sweating like crazy.
Time: 58 minutes; Calories Burned: 517; Avg Heart Rate: 114; Max Heart Rate: 142.
SUNDAY - MAY 4, 2014 - Ab Ripper X
Some of the moves are still tough as I'm getting back into it, but I got through it.
Time: 21 minutes; Calories Burned: 142; Avg Heart Rate: 103; Max Heart Rate: 140.
SUNDAY WEIGH IN
Weight: 197.0 (-1.0 lbs)
Body Fat: 22.1% (+0.1%)
I'm going in the right direction. I did buy some low fat ice cream this week and finished the container, but other than that I think I stuck to my Michi's Ladder plan fairly well.
THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK
I'm happy. The nutrition seems to be working well. I had a few really good workouts, and I feel better.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
P90X - ROUND 10 - WEEK 1 - Week of 04/21/2014
P90X - ROUND 10
Back at it after a 3 week layoff. I hadn't had a break in almost a year, so the 3 weeks was much needed. The physical rest was necessary to let my body heal a bit, but more importantly I needed the mental break. I found myself going through the motions lately. I really needed to refocus myself. My weight has been increasing steadily over that last year and a half. Where I'm at now is the heaviest I've been in almost 6 years,
I was thinking of doing another round of P90X3 because I liked the idea of knowing each day that I'd only have a 30 minute workout, but I knew deep inside that the original P90X was my "soul-mate" program. It's where I got the best results, and that's what I'm looking for right now. The workouts are almost twice as long, but if that's what it takes....
My biggest downfall the last year and a half has been my nutrition. I simply let it go. Not all at once, but I'd make "justifications" here and there which have added up to about 26 extra lbs over that time period. The straw that broke the camel's back so to speak was this past this weekend when I somehow convinced myself it was OK to buy and devour an entire coconut custard pie.
One of the problems I've had with nutrition over the years is that I've never had a concrete plan. I tried the P90X meal plan a few times, but it just didn't work for me. I couldn't restrict myself to eating 3 blocks of protein and 1 block of carbs, etc. This time I'm sticking to the Michi's Ladder guide from the Beachbody site. I'm going to restrict myself to the Tier 1 and Tier 2 foods, with an occasional Tier 3 thrown in. It just seems easier for me to follow. I'll follow my intuition on portion sizes and make adjustments as needed.
So here goes....
Round Starting Weight: 200.0 lbs
Round Starting Body Fat: 22.7%
MONDAY - APRIL 21, 2014 - Chest and Back
As I've said many times before, I dread this workout more than any other I have (except maybe Asylum 2's Upper Elite). During the 3 week "layoff" I did do some pushups here and there so I could keep a bit of strength. I also did some bicep curls and shoulder presses a few times with really heavy weights. It paid off a bit, as I did more pushups than I usually do (237 in total). My arms were trembling and buckling during the second half, so I didn't get in as many there as I'd hoped, but overall I was happy. I'm still struggling with the pull ups though, but I'll keep working at them. It was also good to see myself burn over 600 calories in a workout again. Because I'd been doing 25 and 30 minute workouts the last 6 months, I miss seeing that type of number. I feel like I accomplished something with that burn. When the workout ended, I was gassed. I could barely get though the cool down, and when that ended, I laid on my back while listening to half of Ab Ripper X playing on the screen. (I'll do that workout on Sunday.) It felt good to get back into it.
Time: 52 minutes; Calories Burned: 641; Avg Heart Rate: 135; Max Heart Rate: 160.
TUESDAY - APRIL 22, 2014 - Plyometrics
I never look forward to a workout, but let's just say that unlike my situation yesterday with Chest and Back, I wasn't dreading this one going into it. Plyo has always been one of my favorites. It's not easy, but I like it. I can usually get through it OK. Today was a bit of a struggle. My legs were getting heavy midway through the second series. I had to slow down and miss a few reps in the third series. The fourth series is usually a little easier for me, but I could barely get off the ground during both sets of the Rock Star Hops. In the fifth series I was just trying to survive, doing the best I could, but not going full blast. I was OK in the Sports Bonus to finish. I can say I got through it, did almost all the reps, and never hit the pause button. I was a bit humbled today. What was really telling was my average heart rate of 139. It's rarely been that high. I guess I'm not in as good of shape as I thought. It might have been the 3 week layoff. It might have been because of the slow weight gain. It might have been the fact I haven't done over a 30 minute workout in almost 6 months. Despite all that I felt good that I got through it, and know I'll be back to normal soon. Speaking of normal, I felt "normal" all day today after yesterday's workout.
Time: 58 minutes; Calories Burned: 736; Avg Heart Rate: 139; Max Heart Rate: 162.
WEDNESDAY - APRIL 23, 2014 - Shoulders and Arms
This workout is one of the reasons I decided to do the original P90X this round instead of doing X3 again. Not that it's a favorite, but there is no pure weightlifting in X3, and I like that variety. I was planning on using really heavy weights but couldn't really find a place to use them. I used 30's for the first few series, then dropped to 25's after that. It wasn't that I was tired. It was just the way the individual exercises fell. Another great calorie burn. Slipped a small bit on the nutrition today, but I'll be back on track.
Time: 60 minutes; Calories Burned: 677; Avg Heart Rate: 132; Max Heart Rate: 208.
THURSDAY - APRIL 24, 2014 - Yoga X
When I decided to do this round of P90X, aside from the time involved, this was probably the only negative in my decision making process. I don't mind the Yoga, I just find the first half of this workout extremely tedious, and I wasn't looking forward to a 92 minutes workout, when I'd been doing 30 minute ones. I'd considered using one of the shorter Yoga workouts instead, such as X2 Yoga, X3 Yoga, or either of the two One on One Yoga workouts, but decided to do the original, at least for today. I made a commitment to eat better this round, but a company rep brought in pizza for us today, so I had some because I didn't want to offend him. It was my sister's birthday today, so I had some of her birthday cake topped with frosting that almost put me into a coma, because I didn't want to offend her. By the time I got around to doing the Yoga, my gut was hanging out and I was very uncomfortable. I had to come out of some of the moves early because I couldn't hold them for too long, or because my balance sucked. I'll get better, but it just wasn't a good day. I'm not happy with myself for giving in to the poor food choices, but I'll learn from it and move on.
Time: 92 minutes; Calories Burned: 721; Avg Heart Rate: 115; Max Heart Rate: 153.
FRIDAY - APRIL 25, 2014 - Legs and Back
I did OK on the leg exercises, using 20 lb weights on all weighted moves, except for the Calf Raises, where I used 30's. I wasn't so great on the pullups, only doing 51 total. I'm finding one of the reasons I'm not getting more in is that my hand grip is weak, especially my overhand grip, and I keep slipping off the bar.
Time: 59 minutes; Calories Burned: 604; Avg Heart Rate: 126; Max Heart Rate: 166.
SATURDAY - APRIL 26, 2014 - Kenpo X
This is probably my favorite P90X workout. After a long week of beating the hell out of my body it's a good bit of relief. Although it's not overly intense, I always end up sweating like crazy.
Time: 58 minutes; Calories Burned: 515; Avg Heart Rate: 118; Max Heart Rate: 144.
SUNDAY - APRIL 27, 2014 - Ab Ripper X
I'm a little rusty on this one and had to stop a few times, but I got all the reps in.
Time: 18 minutes; Calories Burned: 147; Avg Heart Rate: 116; Max Heart Rate: 144.
SUNDAY WEIGH IN
Weight: 198.0 (-2.0 lbs)
Body Fat: 22.0% (-0.6%)
Both were good numbers. I had a bad eating day on Thursday with the pizza and birthday cake, but other than that is was good. As I said, I'm trying to stick to Tiers 1 and 2 from Michi's Ladder as a guide. I veered off here and there, but not too much. I can tell it will work.
THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK
I'm sore, but that always happens when I do this program. Not so much when I do other programs. I think I did pretty well for the first week. The fact that I'm going back to one hour workouts didn't seem to bother me too much. I think what matters most is what I'm doing, not how long I'm doing it for.
Back at it after a 3 week layoff. I hadn't had a break in almost a year, so the 3 weeks was much needed. The physical rest was necessary to let my body heal a bit, but more importantly I needed the mental break. I found myself going through the motions lately. I really needed to refocus myself. My weight has been increasing steadily over that last year and a half. Where I'm at now is the heaviest I've been in almost 6 years,
I was thinking of doing another round of P90X3 because I liked the idea of knowing each day that I'd only have a 30 minute workout, but I knew deep inside that the original P90X was my "soul-mate" program. It's where I got the best results, and that's what I'm looking for right now. The workouts are almost twice as long, but if that's what it takes....
My biggest downfall the last year and a half has been my nutrition. I simply let it go. Not all at once, but I'd make "justifications" here and there which have added up to about 26 extra lbs over that time period. The straw that broke the camel's back so to speak was this past this weekend when I somehow convinced myself it was OK to buy and devour an entire coconut custard pie.
One of the problems I've had with nutrition over the years is that I've never had a concrete plan. I tried the P90X meal plan a few times, but it just didn't work for me. I couldn't restrict myself to eating 3 blocks of protein and 1 block of carbs, etc. This time I'm sticking to the Michi's Ladder guide from the Beachbody site. I'm going to restrict myself to the Tier 1 and Tier 2 foods, with an occasional Tier 3 thrown in. It just seems easier for me to follow. I'll follow my intuition on portion sizes and make adjustments as needed.
So here goes....
Round Starting Weight: 200.0 lbs
Round Starting Body Fat: 22.7%
MONDAY - APRIL 21, 2014 - Chest and Back
As I've said many times before, I dread this workout more than any other I have (except maybe Asylum 2's Upper Elite). During the 3 week "layoff" I did do some pushups here and there so I could keep a bit of strength. I also did some bicep curls and shoulder presses a few times with really heavy weights. It paid off a bit, as I did more pushups than I usually do (237 in total). My arms were trembling and buckling during the second half, so I didn't get in as many there as I'd hoped, but overall I was happy. I'm still struggling with the pull ups though, but I'll keep working at them. It was also good to see myself burn over 600 calories in a workout again. Because I'd been doing 25 and 30 minute workouts the last 6 months, I miss seeing that type of number. I feel like I accomplished something with that burn. When the workout ended, I was gassed. I could barely get though the cool down, and when that ended, I laid on my back while listening to half of Ab Ripper X playing on the screen. (I'll do that workout on Sunday.) It felt good to get back into it.
Time: 52 minutes; Calories Burned: 641; Avg Heart Rate: 135; Max Heart Rate: 160.
TUESDAY - APRIL 22, 2014 - Plyometrics
I never look forward to a workout, but let's just say that unlike my situation yesterday with Chest and Back, I wasn't dreading this one going into it. Plyo has always been one of my favorites. It's not easy, but I like it. I can usually get through it OK. Today was a bit of a struggle. My legs were getting heavy midway through the second series. I had to slow down and miss a few reps in the third series. The fourth series is usually a little easier for me, but I could barely get off the ground during both sets of the Rock Star Hops. In the fifth series I was just trying to survive, doing the best I could, but not going full blast. I was OK in the Sports Bonus to finish. I can say I got through it, did almost all the reps, and never hit the pause button. I was a bit humbled today. What was really telling was my average heart rate of 139. It's rarely been that high. I guess I'm not in as good of shape as I thought. It might have been the 3 week layoff. It might have been because of the slow weight gain. It might have been the fact I haven't done over a 30 minute workout in almost 6 months. Despite all that I felt good that I got through it, and know I'll be back to normal soon. Speaking of normal, I felt "normal" all day today after yesterday's workout.
Time: 58 minutes; Calories Burned: 736; Avg Heart Rate: 139; Max Heart Rate: 162.
WEDNESDAY - APRIL 23, 2014 - Shoulders and Arms
This workout is one of the reasons I decided to do the original P90X this round instead of doing X3 again. Not that it's a favorite, but there is no pure weightlifting in X3, and I like that variety. I was planning on using really heavy weights but couldn't really find a place to use them. I used 30's for the first few series, then dropped to 25's after that. It wasn't that I was tired. It was just the way the individual exercises fell. Another great calorie burn. Slipped a small bit on the nutrition today, but I'll be back on track.
Time: 60 minutes; Calories Burned: 677; Avg Heart Rate: 132; Max Heart Rate: 208.
THURSDAY - APRIL 24, 2014 - Yoga X
When I decided to do this round of P90X, aside from the time involved, this was probably the only negative in my decision making process. I don't mind the Yoga, I just find the first half of this workout extremely tedious, and I wasn't looking forward to a 92 minutes workout, when I'd been doing 30 minute ones. I'd considered using one of the shorter Yoga workouts instead, such as X2 Yoga, X3 Yoga, or either of the two One on One Yoga workouts, but decided to do the original, at least for today. I made a commitment to eat better this round, but a company rep brought in pizza for us today, so I had some because I didn't want to offend him. It was my sister's birthday today, so I had some of her birthday cake topped with frosting that almost put me into a coma, because I didn't want to offend her. By the time I got around to doing the Yoga, my gut was hanging out and I was very uncomfortable. I had to come out of some of the moves early because I couldn't hold them for too long, or because my balance sucked. I'll get better, but it just wasn't a good day. I'm not happy with myself for giving in to the poor food choices, but I'll learn from it and move on.
Time: 92 minutes; Calories Burned: 721; Avg Heart Rate: 115; Max Heart Rate: 153.
FRIDAY - APRIL 25, 2014 - Legs and Back
I did OK on the leg exercises, using 20 lb weights on all weighted moves, except for the Calf Raises, where I used 30's. I wasn't so great on the pullups, only doing 51 total. I'm finding one of the reasons I'm not getting more in is that my hand grip is weak, especially my overhand grip, and I keep slipping off the bar.
Time: 59 minutes; Calories Burned: 604; Avg Heart Rate: 126; Max Heart Rate: 166.
SATURDAY - APRIL 26, 2014 - Kenpo X
This is probably my favorite P90X workout. After a long week of beating the hell out of my body it's a good bit of relief. Although it's not overly intense, I always end up sweating like crazy.
Time: 58 minutes; Calories Burned: 515; Avg Heart Rate: 118; Max Heart Rate: 144.
SUNDAY - APRIL 27, 2014 - Ab Ripper X
I'm a little rusty on this one and had to stop a few times, but I got all the reps in.
Time: 18 minutes; Calories Burned: 147; Avg Heart Rate: 116; Max Heart Rate: 144.
SUNDAY WEIGH IN
Weight: 198.0 (-2.0 lbs)
Body Fat: 22.0% (-0.6%)
Both were good numbers. I had a bad eating day on Thursday with the pizza and birthday cake, but other than that is was good. As I said, I'm trying to stick to Tiers 1 and 2 from Michi's Ladder as a guide. I veered off here and there, but not too much. I can tell it will work.
THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK
I'm sore, but that always happens when I do this program. Not so much when I do other programs. I think I did pretty well for the first week. The fact that I'm going back to one hour workouts didn't seem to bother me too much. I think what matters most is what I'm doing, not how long I'm doing it for.
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